“What’s the difference?”

“None. Treasures are kept in both and moved around.”

“Then downstairs. I don’t want to climb.”

“Alright.”

She nodded and reached the corner where the treasury entrance was visible. Two royal guards were standing on both sides of the entrance. They had no choice but to kill them both to enter now.

“Stay here.”

Though he said he wouldn’t do anything, Lu still treated him like trouble. She resolutely drew her short sword and threw the scabbard to the ground. The sound of the scabbard hitting the smooth floor was clearly heard.

“What is it?”

One of the royal guards gestured that he would go see what it was and walked over. As soon as he rounded the corner, his throat was pierced. Hayden was impressed by her swift and accurate action. Only someone who has repeatedly learned the basics of swordsmanship could do that.

Lu supported the falling guard and gently laid him on the ground.

Her method was simple. She quickly dealt with situations with her solid basic skills before any challenging magic or sword skills emerged. Only a diligent and steadfast knight could use this method.

“Hey, what’s up?”

The remaining royal guard standing at the entrance asked. What should she do? While picking up the dead guard’s long sword, Lu pondered for a moment and made a strange noise.

“Grrr….”

The sound could easily be mistaken for the groan of a male, or rather, a young boy, by anyone who heard it.

“Why are you like that?”

It’s already a boring job guarding the treasury. Guarding a treasury that is so important that special royal guards are assigned, but honestly, who would dare to break into this place?

As part of an always repetitive peaceful routine, the royal guard approached, curious about what was going on.

Still, the fact that he placed his hand over the hilt of his sword showed he hadn’t lost his basics.

“What’s the matter….”
But he ended up in the same state as his colleague from moments ago. Ru twisted her dagger out and casually wiped it on the guard’s clothing. The blood that splattered on the red carpet wouldn’t be noticeable unless by a meticulous servant or an observant guard.

“Trying to hide again?”

Ru quickly located the spot between the stairs and walls where miscellaneous supplies were hidden.

“No.”

Hayden immediately came over, surprised to see her dragging the hefty guard’s body.

“Trying to hide it for now.”

“Someone will discover it.”

“I need to buy some time.”

With a composed expression, Ru attempted to move each of the two bodies. Hayden, sighing, swiftly took them from her. He easily lifted both at once.

“Go ahead.”

“Stay put. I’ll handle it myself. Give them to me.”

“Moving two bodies will drain you. Save your energy for the inside, Your Grace. The guards scare me to death.”

Grinning, Hayden agilely dodged around Ru, carrying an adult male under one arm and another on his shoulder.

“Don’t give me lip later.”

“Of course.”

“Close the door properly.”

Ru silently approached the entrance, thinking. Telling the Emperor not to argue was audacious, but Hayden didn’t care.

She hid at the entrance and peeked inside. The storage room was divided into upper and lower levels. Guard patrols were on each level.

‘The worst-case scenario is facing all the guards in the storage room. Likely.’

Although a skilled thief would steal only what they needed and leave, Ru was a knight. She had to quietly take down as many guards as possible.

Moreover, Carlos’s protective magic might be inside. Ru glanced at the upper level where the guards stood still and headed to the lower level that Hayden had chosen.

Having prepared heavy equipment and carefully planned for days, infiltrating when the storage security was lax would be ideal, but Ru didn’t have the time.

‘The storage will never be lax, anyway.’

So, there was only one answer. Ru, who quickly dispatched two patrolling guards by stabbing their vital spots, spotted Hayden leisurely walking over.

“Did you secure the door?”

Speaking in a low whisper while keeping watch, Hayden nodded and watched as she shoved the fallen guards into a corner.

“Arrived faster than I thought.”

Within 30 minutes. Ru’s resolute and swift judgment and action were unstoppable. She still moved further inside, leaving Hayden behind. Two more guards were coming their way, and Ru immediately threw her dagger and rushed forward.

“Damn.”

One guard hastily cast a spell. Hayden squinted but didn’t intervene. Ru had told him to stay put.

She swiftly moved, extending her sword just before the completed spell was launched. It all happened within seconds, but to Hayden, everything was clear and slow.

“Ugh!”

The guard, who still had the habit of wanting both to use magic and to dodge, was deeply cut by Ru’s sword.

Hayden couldn’t take his eyes off Ru, rushing toward her target.

With only a few basic spells at her disposal and being no match for the guards, her green eyes were desperate.

Her desperate will was present, putting her all into each collision. Ru, who kept clashing without giving up, was dazzling.

‘I want to help, but that would ignore her will.’
So Hayden sneaked a look at what was in this storage room. He hoped it contained something more valuable than the one upstairs. For instance, a symbol of Emperor Fersepta. Rustica Gennes, as relentless as she was, should have brought something that the entire Fersepta Empire couldn’t deny. It absolutely had to be that way.

“What is this?”

“Intruders!”

They were finally discovered. Even though getting caught was only a matter of time, he couldn’t help but furrow his brow at the sound of footsteps from within.

Loo threw the retrieved dagger again. They were already deep inside the storage room, so only the guards from this floor emerged and got hit by the dagger. Reaching a room full of glass cabinets, Loo confronted the guards and yelled.

“Your Highness, this way!”

“Your Highness?” The three guards who hadn’t been hit instinctively flinched. That word carried immense authority and was deeply ingrained in the guards.

If His Highness was present, they had to protect him from the intruders first. The guards’ hesitation gave Loo an opportunity. She charged ferociously, aiming for the throat of the nearest guard.

“Ah, you’re the bitch of the wall, aren’t you?”

Despite hearing an old nickname after a long time, Loo didn’t even blink. In the army, profanity and slurs were common, and Loo had been given an array of disgustingly creative nicknames.

She focused solely on killing her opponent. Blocking once and inflicting a fatal wound the second time, Loo planned to use her larger opponent as a shield against incoming magical attacks.

However, what flew wasn’t magic, but a person.

With a clattering sound, the guard who flew into the glass cabinet writhed and then drooped, affected by the protection magic on the cabinet. Loo, startled, turned to look at Hayden, who had suddenly appeared close by.

“Ah, don’t mind it. My ears just got dirty, and that irritated me a bit.”

Having thrown the guard who had referred to her as the ‘bitch of the wall’ into the glass cabinet, he smiled brightly.