The first victim was the merchant who was handing over slaves on the stage. With one hand covering their mouth and a dagger in the other, he swiftly finished the job. The blood splashing onto the stage spread like an illusion, bringing terror.

A sharp scream was heard, but he paid no heed. Red stains spread over the well-dressed people’s clothes, and they kept falling down.

Lebel had checked the location and number of exits from the moment he entered. One entrance, one exit.

People tend to rush to one place. Among the terrified audience, some barely crawled to the exit on all fours, but only death awaited them.

They repeated the same words as if they had agreed beforehand.

“P-please spare my life!”

“Why are you doing this to us?”

Lebel lightly shook off those who clung to his ankles. Then he crushed their hands as if stubbing out a cigarette butt.

“You want to know the reason.”

Now, only one remains. The mask covering the audience member’s face had already come loose, hanging in tatters. Lebel raised his toe to check his face.

The wicked do not have wicked faces. He was a truly ordinary-looking person, one you might pass by on the street.

“Please, sp-spare my, my life…”

“You clapped, mocked, spat, and laughed here with these people. While looking at those people in front.”

No one stopped him. No one condemned or stood up to leave. Silence was complicity and affirmation.

“That’s the price of your life.”

The last audience member clinging to Lebel had his vital point struck and died instantly. Quite a peaceful end, isn’t it?

Everyone in the illegal auction house was dead. Except for those who had just been freed from slavery, no trace of life could be found.

They came forward hesitantly to the stage but collapsed in shock at the scene before them. Meanwhile, Lebel skillfully searched the slave trader’s possessions, took out the certificates, and set them on fire.

“You are free.”

He had no desire to become a god, nor did he want to boast about granting them freedom. Lebel simply wished for the pain he had experienced to end.

And for them to survive, hopefully until the end.

“I will guide you outside.”

It was an impulsive decision. If he were to be reprimanded for this, he would accept it willingly. Using illegal means to stop illegal activities was certainly not the right thing to do.

Lebel finally untied the bonds of the slave on the stage. The problematic slave who was said to be brainwashed. Would his condition be alright? As he removed the cloth covering his head, Lebel flinched for a moment.

That slave had blue eyes similar to Lebel’s.

There are many blue-eyed people in the Western Continent. He wouldn’t be easily swayed by something like this. Thinking this, Lebel removed the man’s gag and handcuffs.

“It’s done. You can go outside with the others…”

“Are you the ‘wind’?”

Northern language spilled from the man’s mouth.

In the past, when Turgel was the leader, he had joined a small-scale battle near the northern region.

That was when Lebel first learned the northern language. From an old woman of nomadic origin who was born and raised in the northern region.

Even then, he only remembered simple words and greetings. He lacked both the time and ability to engage in fluent conversation.

The only words Lebel could understand from the man sitting before him were ‘you’ and ‘wind’.

It was like a riddle. Lebel barely dredged up his past learning to form one sentence.

“Do I look like that?”

“I see the ‘wind’. In you.”

The context was incomprehensible. Perhaps it was a metaphorical expression unique to the man.

‘A side effect of brainwashing?’

Lebel silently helped the man to his feet. He staggered and barely managed to find his balance.

Lebel’s brow furrowed at the deep wound on the man’s ankle. If only he could disinfect and treat the wound as Limless Rowen Melpiram had done for him in the past.

He tried to support the man, but he grabbed Lebel’s arm and spoke again rapidly. This time it was too fast to understand properly. At least he could interpret a few words.

Wind, you, and ‘small hawk’.

“Small hawk…”

He murmured softly, following the man. The quiet northern language that spilled from Lebel’s lips. The other man grabbed his hand firmly. And nodded vigorously.

If possible, he wanted to sit down and ask the man about the meaning of the words.

But there wasn’t enough time to delve deeply into the meaning of the language and have a detailed conversation. Not only did he have to deal with the guards outside, but he also desperately needed the help of the ‘Gray Hawk’ to help everyone escape.

For now, all he could do was hold the man’s hand.

Lebel wrapped his hands around the man’s. And looking into eyes similar to his own, he continued in clumsy northern language.

“I will help. We must hurry.”

**

Gabriel had just finished her work.

She had completed the sketches for tomorrow’s work and finished the final accounting when the clock in the shop was just striking twelve.

What a wonderful sight, the CEO working overtime after sending all the employees home. Gabriel praised herself as she stood up.

As soon as she turned around, she saw a black figure. They say you can’t even scream when you’re too surprised. Realizing the truth of this, Gabriel barely calmed her startled heart by gripping the chair.

“…We’re closed.”

It was fortunate that it was a familiar man’s silhouette. Otherwise, Gabriel would have been about to check the performance of the self-defense gun Marsha had bought her for the first time.

As she raised the lamp’s light, Lebel’s unusual appearance came into view. A damp, fishy smell emanated from the stains on his black clothes.

“Is that your blood?”

“No.”

“Any witnesses on the way?”

“None.”

“…I’m not sure if I should be relieved or worried.”

“I need to dispose of these clothes. Would you help me?”

To catch someone’s ankle like this when they’re about to leave work. Gabriel sighed briefly and picked up the pre-made men’s shirt and pants.

“Is this a mission for the ‘Gray Hawk’, or an independent action?”

“It’s both.”

“The leader seems to prefer escalating matters.”

She threw a water-soaked towel at Lebel. What expression would Her Majesty the Empress make if she saw Lebel covered in blood?

Lebel didn’t answer Gabriel’s words and took off his top. While Gabriel naturally turned around to block her view, Lebel wiped off the bloodstains on his body.

“Who were you dealing with? The imperial side, or the republicans? Noble forces trying to assassinate Her Majesty the Empress?”

“Slave traders and those participating in the auction.”

“…You’ve dealt with creatures worse than beasts.”

Gabriel clicked her tongue lightly. But how will they clean up the aftermath? An entire trading company has vanished, and all the auction participants are dead.

‘The leader might be used to handling such matters, but still…’

If it was a secret auction hosted by slave traders, nobles themselves or their errand runners would have participated. It was a situation ripe for suspicion if the investigation net widened.

“I can guess your concerns.”

Lebel neatly folded his blood-stained original clothes and placed them in front.

“Slavery has been abolished in the Empire. There was an order from Her Majesty the Empress Dowager to severely punish both suppliers and demanders.”

The law always existed only in writing. Even more so for the powerless. There were no laws to protect them, but the laws to punish them were strict.

“Those who trade slaves face a minimum of imprisonment and a maximum of death penalty. Those at the auction house would have enough wealth to buy and sell slaves, so they’ll likely bribe their way out.”

It was as if a festering boil of the Empire had burst. That’s how he was about to view it. Gabriel, who had been quietly listening to Lebel’s words, covered her mouth and sighed softly.

“The judgment that it would have been better to call the patrol and have them arrested… was that unreasonable?”

His movement to change his top stopped. It felt like insects were crawling over the whip marks wrapped around his body. The oldest wound on his body. Proof that he was a slave. This was all he had for memories of the past.

When Gabriel turned around, puzzled by the sudden silence, Lebel’s scars were faintly visible in the lamplight.

She immediately guessed the origin of the scars. Whip. When she worked in the factory, if children dozed off, the supervisor would swing the horse whip at their waist. By the end of the day, some children’s backs were stained bright red.

The rulers never treated those they controlled as humans. So they felt no guilt in using the whip.

Gabriel suddenly felt an itch on the scars on her back. What should she say to this man before her, who seemed to have exacted revenge for the past?

Lebel spoke with difficulty.

“…You don’t need to defend me. It’s right that I should be punished for judging and executing them alone, being neither a judge nor the Emperor.”

He put on his top and handed the blood-stained towel and clothes to Gabriel.

“I imagine some of them might have lost loved ones overnight. Even if they’re bastards who exploit others, they might be good family members at home. But…”

He recalled the masks worn by the audience. The fishy smiles they wore under their hidden faces with relief. He wanted to ask those who must now be thrown into hellfire.

Were you happy hiding behind those masks?

It was hard to shake off the feeling that constricted his solar plexus. Gabriel swallowed to moisten her dried throat, but it didn’t help much.

“Leader Lebel. If Her Majesty the Empress learns of this incident, she will guess it was your doing.”

“But except for Her Majesty the Empress, others won’t believe so. Ah, the manager in front of me would be an exception, I guess.”

Lebel raised his hand to carelessly arrange his black hair. He had returned to his original neat appearance. It was believable enough to say he had just returned from an outing.

Seeing Gabriel’s stern face, Lebel spoke in a light tone, trying to ease the burden.

“You don’t need to worry too much. The ‘Gray Hawk’s’ flight has begun.”

Although the pace is quite slow, we must be more cautious as long as Ilarid is still in the imperial palace.

On his way back, he had left an anonymous tip for a newspaper reporter belonging to the ‘Gray Hawk’ to immediately go to that building. At the earliest, the news would break in today’s evening edition. He hoped it would circulate as an extra during lunchtime, but who knows.

There was only one worry left.

The slight disappointment of not looking back at him during the day and the current guilt weighing on his shoulders made him ashamed.

Would he be able to return to the Empress’s palace and face Ilarid with his head held high? Lebel’s mind was occupied solely with the problem of his final destination.

The man’s face reflected in the dim light looked, to put it kindly, like he had a story to tell, and to put it unkindly, looked pathetic. Gabriel smiled faintly and asked the man who was clumsy with emotions.

“Are you going to the Empress’s palace?”

“It seems unlikely today.”

“Because of this incident? Judging by your complex expression, it seems you’re afraid of disappointing Her Majesty the Empress.”

Blue eyes flashed with surprise as they looked at Gabriel. See? This man can’t lie when it comes to Her Majesty the Empress. Gabriel wore the triumphant expression of someone who had guessed correctly.

If it was just one thing, it would be rather fortunate. Lebel was still unable to completely shake off the possessiveness that had gripped him earlier in the day.

Ilarid facing Lindein. And Ilarid who ultimately didn’t look back. Of course, the young lady must have met the envoy from Pegeia due to personal circumstances and future plans.

But why? Like black ink spreading in clear water, it diffused like smoke, coloring Lebel’s heart. Indeed, truly, did Ilarid only discuss official matters?

Isn’t this no different from Cledius, whom he so despised? Endless obsession, continued suspicion. Lebel couldn’t bear the self-loathing. Gabriel took a step closer, as if to meet his gaze.

“Jealousy and suspicion? This is quite severe. But you know what you do best, don’t you?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Being honest. At least, limited to Her Majesty the Empress.”

Gabriel smiled faintly at the born liar. A man who had committed countless lies and contradictions, suppressing his presence for the sake of missions. Yet, he let it all spill before the person he held in his eyes.

Perhaps Her Majesty the Empress is similar.

“Was this enough of a hint? I’d like you to leave soon. I’m also an executive in urgent need of going home.”

“Thank you. For everything, including today’s events.”

“Don’t mention it. From the moment you leave here, we’re strangers again.”

After confirming the index finger neatly placed on her lips, Lebel returned to the darkness. Judging by his retreating figure, the final destination of the night was set to be the Empress’s palace.