Internal Cleanup

Rofenberg. A major city located in the middle of the south. Due to its proximity to the corps fortress, it’s also a place where soldiers and officers visit during their leave.

In a large tavern in the bustling commercial district. A lone officer was tilting a beer glass at a corner table.

Since this was a common sight in such places, no one paid him any attention.

“Hmm..”

After emptying the glass with a gulp, the officer casually scanned his surroundings.

‘No one following me.’

Reassured, he pulled out a thick stack of documents from his bag.

Thud.

After carelessly tossing the documents onto the empty chair beside him, he naturally stood up and went outside as if heading to the bathroom.

A moment later.

A man with an ordinary appearance sat down heavily in the seat where the officer had been sitting just moments before.

“Owner! The usual!”

“Yes~ Coming right up!”

The man ordered drinks and simple snacks with familiarity.

After greedily satisfying his hunger, he naturally picked up the stack of documents as if they had been his all along.

And then he leisurely left the tavern.

Someone was silently watching the entire process.

“…”

Meanwhile, the officer who had left the tavern spent time wandering around various places in the commercial district.

“Madam, how’s business these days?”

“I was worried because the atmosphere was uneasy for a while. But thanks to what the newly appointed noble lord has done, the city has become lively again. So it’s better these days~”

“That’s good to hear.”

The officer, who was exchanging pleasantries with merchants in a friendly manner, soon moved on and headed toward a deserted alley.

Stopping briefly at the entrance of the damp alley, he quickly looked left and right.

After confirming that no one was around, he opened the old door of a shabby building and disappeared into the darkness.

“You’re here?”

“Any tail?”

Inside the basement.

Amid the hazy air filled with cigarette smoke, several officers were sitting around gambling.

“I confirmed there’s no tail, so don’t worry.”

He joined the card game with practiced movements.

Around him sat corps officers who had been relegated to insignificant positions by the Corps Commander.

These were the dissident elements within the Southern Corps.

For a while, only the sounds of cards clashing and low curses were exchanged.

Then, someone who lost a game suddenly spat out a curse.

“Ah, shit… lost again! This is all because of that crazy bitch Loen!”

Someone who lost the bet threw the cards irritably while using explicit curses toward the Corps Commander.

As if they had been waiting for this, other officers also chuckled and joined in.

The topic of conversation instantly flowed to complaints and accusations against Loen.

Suppressed emotions erupted roughly.

“Abandoning perfectly good swords and spears for muskets? Why should our imperial army use weapons that only those elves use? Seriously.”

“Exactly..! What soldiers would be happy about discarding weapons they’ve been familiar with all their lives and being told to use completely unfamiliar ones?”

These were the same people who usually showed not the slightest interest in the welfare of soldiers, yet now they were using soldiers as an excuse.

Then, an officer who leaned his upper body forward whispered in a lowered voice.

“To be honest, this corps reorganization. Isn’t it directly contrary to His Majesty’s decree to maintain the current state? If we were to argue, wouldn’t this also be clear insubordination?”

Everyone expressed intense agreement.

The decree that the Emperor issued right before entering seclusion.

Maintain the current state.

The Emperor’s own intention was probably just to say ‘stay put and don’t cause unnecessary trouble while I’m in seclusion,’ but the imperial military leadership over-interpreted this as meaning ‘there should be no changes whatsoever.’

As a result, the imperial army came to rely solely on elite forces without any development or innovation.

“Perhaps the reason that person secretly contacted us is because that crazy Corps Commander is talking about corps reorganization and such, violating His Majesty the Emperor’s decree.”

In the midst of the heated complaints, someone doused cold water with an anxious expression.

“But.. is this really okay?”

A momentary silence fell over the previously noisy table.

Is it really okay to distort orders and intentionally delay their transmission at this time when the Empire is in turmoil?

Can we really be safe if this is discovered?

Honestly, even they themselves couldn’t be certain.

The highest-ranking officer broke the awkward silence.

“What are you so worried about? Distorting and delaying orders is merely a mistake, not intentional. Even if we’re caught, it will end with minor disciplinary action.”

He added.

“The same goes for information leakage. It’s not like we’re communicating with traitors or the Allied Nations, right? We just lightly exchanged information with an imperial noble. Even that cold-blooded Loen Franz wouldn’t execute us just for this.”

His words had their own merit.

From what the officers had observed.

Loen Franz didn’t conduct indiscriminate executions.

Except for those involved with traitors and demons, she adjusted the level of punishment according to the severity of the crime.

The fact that the officers gathered here still had their heads attached was proof of that.

Therefore, this case would be the same.

‘If the information leakage is discovered, we’ll naturally have to be prepared for severe disciplinary action. But at least we should be able to keep our lives. Above all, that person said they would back us up..’

Trying to change the atmosphere, he said.

“Just hold on until the new Emperor ascends. By then, a more brilliant future than before will unfold before us. So don’t worry everyone.. huh?”

His words, intended to reassure the officers, were suddenly cut off.

Ku-woong-!

A dull impact sound resonated throughout the basement through the ceiling. The officers’ gazes all turned upward.

“W-what? What’s that sound all of a sudden?”

“The floor above us is an empty warehouse—”

Thud! Thud!

The irregular impact sounds grew increasingly violent. The ceiling shook violently, and dust fell in clumps.

The officers, sensing an instinctive threat, jumped up from their seats and pressed themselves against the walls.

Crack.

Soon after, the moment spider-web-like cracks appeared on the ceiling wall.

Kwa-aang!

With a tremendous roar, a large hole was punched through the basement ceiling.

Through the broken wooden fragments and dust, two familiar women in black uniforms lightly jumped down.

Brushing off the dust as they landed on the floor, they rose without delay and turned their heads toward the officers.

“Gasp..!”

The officers’ eyes widened with terror as they recognized the intruders.

Some of them muttered in voices close to screams.

“I-Inspectors? How did you find this place?”

“..!!”

The blonde woman, Seraphine, frowned and fanned away the thick dust around her.

“Really.. we could have just quietly come down the stairs, why did we have to break through the floor…”

Whether she heard Seraphine’s grumbling or not, the blue-haired woman, Psyche, waved at the officers with a bright smile.

“Hello? It’s so nice to see you here after always seeing you at the fortress~”

In contrast to her bright expression, her other hand was ominously wrapped in blue magical power.

Woo-woong-.

Realizing that something was wrong, the officers hurriedly waved their arms to make excuses, but at that moment.

Psyche kicked off the ground and charged.

“W-wait!!”

“We were just playing cards.. Aaargh!”

 

At that time.

In the maze-like alleys of the slum, a chase was in full swing.

A man who had coincidentally picked up the documents left by the officer was frantically navigating through the complex alleys.

His facial expression was dark.

It was because he had noticed that someone was following him.

No matter how many times he changed direction or slowed down and sped up, the tail persistently stuck with him.

‘Their information network is no joke.’

He had expected that the information leak would be discovered eventually.

But he didn’t expect them to respond this quickly.

Thud, thud.

As he turned into a side alley, he glanced to the side to confirm the person tailing him.

‘Just one person.. The robe is pulled down deeply so I can’t see the face, but judging by the build, it’s definitely a woman.’

He recalled what he had heard from his informant.

Loen Franz, her direct adjutant, and Seraphine Bastard.

Those three were still holed up in the corps fortress as of yesterday, he was told.

‘Then it can’t be an inspector. They should be at the fortress right now.’

That was enough.

If it’s not an inspector, it’s manageable.

Perhaps… he could even eliminate them in return.

‘I’ll make you regret following me alone.’

His footsteps suddenly became rough.

He began sprinting through the alley like the wind.

After running like mad for a while, he finally reached an open space.

It was a deep open area in the slum, surrounded by buildings.

Sreung!

He positioned himself at the innermost part of the open space, drew his sword, and slowly turned around.

As expected.

The pursuer chasing him had already reached the open space.

With the robe pulled down deeply, they were staring at him without moving.

He injected magical power into his sword and let out a sinister sneer.

“Judging by the fact that you followed me alone, it seems you’re quite confident in your abilities.”

“…”

The pursuer remained silent.

He scanned the contours of the body revealed under the robe and continued with explicit words.

To shake the opponent’s composure, he didn’t hesitate to use base and insulting language.

“You managed to follow me all the way here with that body. It must have been quite uncomfortable.”

“Not particularly.”

Finally, a brief answer flowed from the pursuer’s lips.

At her response, the man poured out a series of vulgar words.

Looking at the white jawline and red lips faintly visible under the robe, he provoked the opponent by mixing in all sorts of imaginations.

“You’ll regret following me to this deserted slum..”

That was when it happened.

The surrounding air suddenly began to turn icy cold.

At the bone-piercing chill, the man unconsciously stopped speaking.

‘What is this?’

Sensing the threat, he immediately blew a whistle.

Wheee!

The sharp whistle sound echoed through the alleys.

After a moment.

Armed thugs appeared from all around the alleys.

Numbering over a hundred, they instantly surrounded the open space without any gaps.

From the maze-like alleys to the building rooftops, it was a perfect encirclement.

The thugs burst into laughter as they saw the lone pursuer trapped within the encirclement.

“Hey, isn’t this too many people just to catch one woman?”

“She looks too frightened to move properly, someone go help her~”

Despite the mockery and threatening gazes pouring from all directions, the pursuer stood motionless.

At this sight, the man delivered a final warning. Actually, it was closer to mockery than a warning.

“It would be better for you to reveal your face and surrender now.”

No sooner had his words ended.

A very faint and cold smile appeared on the lips of the woman wearing the robe.

‘She’s smiling even in this situation? How arrogant..’

She probably had confidence in her abilities, but so did he.

“I’ll watch closely how long that arrogant smile lasts.”

The man shouted while exploding magical power throughout his body.

“Attack!”

At that very moment.

She slowly raised her hand and pushed back the hood of the robe that had been covering her face.

Finally, her face, which had been hidden in the shadows, was revealed.

Vivid black hair and coldly shining red eyes.

“!!”

Standing directly opposite her, he was the first to recognize her identity.

With a feeling like his heart had sunk, and his mind turning blank, he unconsciously cursed.

“Oh sh-“

Why on earth was she here when she should have been holed up in the corps fortress…?

No, to begin with, does it make sense for someone who simultaneously holds the positions of Corps Commander and Inspector to do something like tailing?

He stopped his charge and urgently scanned his surroundings.

A dead-end wall behind him, the same on the left and right. And in front… Loen Franz.

There was no way out.

Only then did he realize.

It wasn’t her who was trapped in this deserted slum alley, but himself.

A chilling sensation ran down his spine.

Even in the midst of this, the thugs were fiercely charging toward her.

“Kill her!”

“Get her!”

The resounding war cries of about a hundred thugs shook the open space in the slum.

Desire and killing intent flashed in the eyes of those rushing forward, raising dust.

Loen Franz also began to move.

She slowly extended her hand forward.

She grasped a gray magic sword that formed at her fingertips.

Her lips moved.

She mumbled indecipherable words in a low voice.

And then.

Immediately after a clear white line appeared, cutting the world in half.

The resounding war cries soon turned into desperate and terrible screams.