“...”

Serenade was staring at the stack of documents on her desk.

The papers were messily written with encrypted text, and she had just decrypted and read them.

"Whew."

Serenade swept the approaching sweat from her forehead with her fingertips.

The information-gathering ability of Silver Winter Merchant Guild was more formidable than she thought.

She had been able to conduct extensive research on the information Ash had instructed her to gather.

The problem was the content.

’It’s too sensitive.’

Though the investigation had been broad, most of it was fragmentary and piecemeal. Yet the astute Serenade could read the overall flow from those fragments at a glance.

’This information could be fatal to the Imperial Family.’

That’s probably why Ash had ordered the investigation.

But gathering this kind of information was too dangerous.

Did Ash truly think... that this information could save the Silver Winter Merchant Guild?

Then it happened.

Ping- Ping-

A sound of something cutting through the air came from outside the window.

"Huh?"

As Serenade raised her head in confusion,

Crash!

The window shattered, and flaming arrows fell inside.

Whoosh-!

In an instant, flames spread inside the building. Serenade quickly rose from her seat, her mind racing.

’What’s going on?! What’s happening?!’

Could someone have been following her, knowing that Silver Winter had gathered this information? Was someone trying to eliminate her? Or had the destruction Ash mentioned already begun?

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Her thoughts were many, but escape was the priority. Serenade covered her mouth with a cloth and attempted to leave the room.

Then she stopped.

The gold, jewelry, and silk in the head office could burn, but the information Ash had asked her to gather had to be protected.

Serenade quickly unfolded her coat and stuffed the bundle of documents inside. Clutching the rolled coat to her chest, she fled the room.

Whether the arrows were magically treated or not, flames spread rapidly through the building.

"Miss!"

"Head of the Guild!"

As she emerged, she saw other servants struggling to put out the fire. Serenade shouted,

"Calmly, evacuate the building! Check for anyone remaining! Evacuate immediately!"magic

If the flames were magical, ordinary people couldn’t extinguish them. It was better to evacuate quickly.

At Serenade’s command, the servants orderly began to escape.

Serenade looked around the corridor one last time and headed downstairs.

Or at least, she intended to until she found another maid collapsed from asphyxiation.

"...!"

Serenade hurriedly ran to the maid, hoisted her onto her shoulder, and got her to her feet.

Whoosh-

The flames intensified. The black smoke billowing from the burning building obscured her view.

Feeling suffocated, Serenade gritted her teeth.

***

Elize and I rushed to the front of the Silver Winter Merchant Guild building, engulfed in flames.

The fire demon lapped its tongues around the tall and magnificent building, consuming it.

People were drawing seawater from beside them to put out the fire, but the flames were relentless.

"Miss Serenade!"

Elize screamed, rushing toward the building.

She shouted at the guild’s people struggling to extinguish the fire,

"Where is Miss Serenade?!"

"They, they haven’t seen her since..."

Elize stared at the building ablaze, her face pale.

"So, could she, perhaps, have failed to escape...?"

The building was already completely enveloped in flames, impossible to enter.

Splash!

Nonetheless, Elize put a bucket of seawater on her head and tried to run inside.

I urgently grabbed her shoulder."Wait a minute, Elize! What are you doing?!"

"Don’t you see! If my mistress is inside, I must go to save her!"

"Are you out of your mind?! If you go in there, you’ll burn to death too!"

"If my mistress is in there! If she can’t get out!"

Elize spat out fiercely,

"Then I will burn to death with her."

"..."

"If that’s the last thing I can do for my mistress, then I will do it."

I hesitated, torn between stifling this twisted loyalty or letting it take its course.

"You don’t have to, Elize."

A weak voice reached my ears from beside me.

Startled, I looked to find a woman wearing a grey robe among the uproar of the crowd.

It was Serenade. Her face, visible through the robe, was smeared with soot.

"I escaped before the building was completely consumed by fire. Cough...!"

"Serenade!"

"My lady!"

"Shush."

With her index finger to her lips, Serenade staggered toward the dock.

"Over here."

At the dock, a yacht belonging to the Silver Winter Merchant Guild, one that I had ridden before, was waiting.

"Let’s get out of here for now."

Elize hurried to the captain’s quarters to prepare for departure.

Serenade entered the cabin of the ship and collapsed as though crumbling.

Sitting across from her, I asked urgently.

"Are you okay, Serenade?"

"I am fine. Cough! More importantly, the information that you ordered me to gather..."

With a vacant expression, Serenade extended what she had been holding precious in her arms.

"Everything got burned because I was delayed when escaping..."

The bundle of papers Serenade offered were all dampened by fire, the ink evaporated, making it impossible to discern the content.

"I’m sorry, my lord... If I had escaped sooner, the information would have been safe, but our people were suffocating from the smoke. I couldn’t just leave them."

"..."

"As a merchant, I’m still slow to decide what’s more important... Even though this information is more precious than anything else..."

"No, Serenade. You did the right thing."

I grinned and carefully held Serenade’s sooty hand.

"Nothing is more important than people."

"..."

Serenade looked at me with dazed eyes.

The yacht set sail. The ship cut through the waves, departing the coast and heading into the inner sea.

Serenade, instead of the burned documents, began to sort out the remaining information in her head and explain it to me one by one.

The already fragmented details of information became even more jumbled, and the vague connections between them were all blurred.

Whether it was the shock of escaping the fire, Serenade couldn’t recall some of the information at all.

But it was enough. After all, what I needed was not the detail of the information, but the minimal basis for me to play my cards.

I nodded my head.

"You’ve worked hard, Serenade. It’s enough."

"Have I... been of any help to you, my lord?"

"Of course."

Relief flickered across Serenade’s face, visible within her robe.

This time, I took something from my possession and gave it to her. Serenade received it with a startled expression.

"My lord, what is this...?"

"It’s an invitation to the victory celebration party."

It’s for the final battle here in the Imperial Capital, happening tomorrow.

"..."

Accepting the invitation, Serenade stood frozen. I cocked my head.

"What’s wrong?"

"It’s just that... it’s the first time you’ve invited me to such a grand event at the Imperial Family."

However, soon after, Serenade returned the invitation to me.

"But, my lord, I’m truly sorry... I don’t think I can attend."

"Why?"

"..."Hesitating, Serenade slowly removed her robe.

I swallowed a small breath.

Her once-beautiful blue hair was singed and twisted at the ends, and her fair skin was scorched in places, turning red.

Avoiding my eyes, Serenade muttered.

"How can I attend the Imperial Family’s party looking like this?"

"..."

"Where all the world’s celebrities gather, if I, the head of the Silver Winter Merchant Guild, appear like this... everyone will laugh."

Serenade’s head sank lower and lower.

"Most of all... in this state, I can’t stand by your side tomorrow."

"..."

"If that’s the case, I’d rather not go at all..."

I firmly grasped Serenade’s hand.

"Serenade. Let me just say this. I need you there tomorrow."

"What...?"

"To save your Silver Winter family. And to solidify the path my southern front will take. You must come to the party tomorrow."

The recent fire had made it clear. The Imperial Family was already intent on eliminating the Silver Winter Merchant Guild.

Whether it was because they had discovered information that should not have been touched, because the time of eradication had come, or perhaps both, it didn’t matter.

To survive, Serenade had to attend the party tomorrow.

For there is always a path in the midst of death.

“...”

Serenade’s face, stained with soot, tightened at my words of needing her.

Her silver eyes squeezed shut and then opened, filled with resolute determination.

“...In that case, I will go, no matter what. Even if I’m in worse shape, I will stand at the party.”

I nodded heavily.

We then spent a long time discussing what needed to be done at the party tomorrow.

It wasn’t until late at night that we returned to the port.

The merchant building had completely burned down, leaving only ashes, and a few of the guild’s people were seen cleaning up the debris.

‘Not even an arrest, just a magical fire arrow attack and then they flee...’

It was a method of the dark forces.

I realized that even the path itself for Serenade to get to the party tomorrow would be perilous.

“Elize.”

The ship reached the port, and just before disembarking, I quietly asked Elize,

“You can protect Serenade, right?”

Elize’s teal eyes flared, and she growled,

“Even if it takes my life.”

“Let’s save the life part...”

But still, I trusted the protection of this SSR-ranked swordsman.

“Hang in there.”

I patted Elize’s shoulder. Elize looked at me with narrowed eyes.

Serenade quickly gave instructions to the guild’s servants waiting at the harbor.

The fire recovery efforts were to stop here, and everyone was to return to the Silver Winter family mansion and bolster the defenses.

“Let’s return to the Star Palace, my lord. I’ve ordered the carriage to be prepared.”

Serenade approached me. I gestured with my chin.

“You?”

“I feel that wherever I am will be in danger, so tonight, I will not return to the family home... I intend to stay on this sea with Elize.”

Serenade smiled bitterly, running her hand through her singed hair.

“While preparing for the party tomorrow.”

I smiled faintly.

“Don’t get your hopes up.”

“Don’t expect, but...”

Clearly quite worried, Serenade heaved a deep sigh.

The ship carrying Elize and Serenade once again set out to sea.

I waved to Serenade, who kept bowing to me from the ship, and then headed for the carriage that the Silver Winter Merchant Guild had prepared.

And then, I made up my mind.

For the Southern Front. And for the strategy of this harsh game.

With Serenade...

Tomorrow, I must propose.

***

The next day.

Finally, the morning of the victory celebration party had dawned.

--TL Notes--

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