Chapter 2

“……What are you doing?”

“Cleaning.”

“But why are you there……”

Chris looked up at the ceiling of the commander’s office with incredulous eyes. More precisely, at Anasha who was poking her head through a square hole in the middle of the ceiling.

He couldn’t understand why someone would clean so meticulously when nobody walked on the ceiling. Oh, except for one person.

“You said it yourself, uncle. Great nobles detest anything dirty. So I’m cleaning this place so that no dust gets on me whenever he appears. Then I won’t get dirty, right?”

“Can’t you just wash or dust off your clothes each time?”

“Come on, how can I do that every time?”

Anasha, with her face peeking through the hole, waved her hand as if it would be truly troublesome. She disappeared back into the hole, and soon after, blackened, dirty cloths began falling one by one through the opening.

Chris was horrified at the black cloths that landed at his feet. A crushed, flattened spider was stuck to one of them.

“Ugh. Even a thousand—no, ten thousand cloths wouldn’t be enough to clean all that.”

“It’s okay! I’m only going to clean the paths I use!”

“…What? Paths? There are paths……”

Chris opened his mouth in an “ah” at this newly discovered fact. Then he quietly closed the door and left. All he could do was silently pray that the new commander would appreciate her dedication.

2. The New Commander

The marketplace was full of energy even in broad daylight. Anasha loved this scenery—merchants calling out to customers, people bustling about, somewhat chaotic but full of vitality.

She had come to the market on the outskirts of the capital. With no missions, she had free time. Of course, that would only last until this week.

In four days, the new commander would arrive at the knight order.

In her mind, nobles were inflexible people trapped in their own frameworks, following only rules and being difficult. She couldn’t imagine what a great noble among nobles would be like.

Perhaps he would have an even more eccentric temperament than Grandpa, with more nagging and strictness than the vice-commander.

‘But I’ve cleaned up, so…’

Anasha hummed while taking a bite of the apple she had bought at the market. Dressed in a white dress that reached her knees instead of her usual black attire, she looked like an ordinary commoner girl commonly seen in the outskirts of the capital.

While looking at the curious new items that had arrived at the general store, she stopped in front of a stall displaying colorful accessories. A hair ornament with clear blue beads immediately caught her attention.

“How much is this?”

“Let me see. Originally I should charge 15 siluna, but for you, Miss, I’ll sell it for 10 siluna.”

Hearing the merchant’s words, Anasha counted the coins in her pocket. There were seven in total.

“Could I pay the remaining 3 siluna later?”

“Of course not. Who do you think you are?”

“I’m Anasha.”

“I didn’t ask for your name. How can I trust a Miss I’ve never seen before?”

“Well, this is how we get to know each other. You’re new here, right? This spot used to sell shoes, but it’s changed.”

“I came up to the capital a week ago. Young Miss, you seem to know this area inside out.”

“Right?”

Anasha shrugged her shoulders and chattered away with a bright face.

“Let me tell you a few things since you’re new. There are two places selling accessories up the market, and one old place down below. The one below has the cheapest prices, so most girls my age go there.”

“Is that so……”

“But all three places have been around for a long time, so their accessories all look similar. Your items have diverse colors and each has a unique shape. These are accessories you don’t commonly see in the capital.”

“Of course! I personally collected these while traveling through various territories, so you won’t easily find them elsewhere!”

The merchant’s face beamed with pride as he exclaimed.

“You collected each one from different places?”

“Do I look like someone who would lie? I vividly remember all the place names.”

As Anasha expressed her curiosity about whether he really remembered, their conversation naturally continued.

The merchant excitedly talked for quite some time about where he got this bracelet, where he found that hairpin, and which item was the most difficult to acquire. Eventually, he cleared his throat with a low cough.

“Since you’ve listened to my information, I’ll specially sell it to you for 7 siluna.”

“Really?”

“In return, tell your friends about this place.”

“Of course! I’ll spread the word everywhere that a great accessory shop has opened here.”

Anasha quickly took out seven coins from her pocket and placed them in his hand. Finally, she carefully pinned the beaded hairpin above her right ear. After checking in a mirror, Anasha smiled brightly.

“It’s so pretty. I hope you sell a lot!”

She truly felt lucky. Her elated mood was evident in her quick steps. While eating the rest of her apple and looking at other shops, Anasha entered a quiet alley entrance.

Walking through the narrow alley, she approached a wall after confirming no one was watching. She grabbed the protruding parts of the wall with both hands. In an instant, she lightly climbed to the top of the high wall.

Facing the breeze, Anasha walked along the path on top of the wall. She had used this route since childhood and could navigate it with her eyes closed.

After precariously crossing several rooftops and reaching quite a high place, she sat down on a roof, holding down her fluttering skirt.

She enjoyed the open view of the village that could only be seen from here. She was stretching leisurely while looking up at the sky with white clouds drifting by when she sensed a faint presence.

Looking beyond the roof, she saw someone walking through a narrow alley. The person wore a black robe pulled down to cover their head, but judging by the build, it seemed to be a man.

As Anasha lay flat on the roof and peeked out to observe him, she caught a glimpse of a sword handle revealed through the robe.

‘That looks suspicious.’

Her instincts were quite good.

Anasha briefly considered following the man. Her deliberation didn’t last long. She began trailing him from the rooftops, carefully concealing her presence.

The man continued walking through the winding alleys. He didn’t seem familiar with the area, as he entered dead-end alleys only to turn back.

‘Is he looking for a meeting place?’

This was a residential area. It was a perfect place to plot something secretly, away from prying eyes.

Sure enough, the man turned a corner and entered a gloomy street where sunlight didn’t reach. Anasha watched the alley from a distance, sensing other presences.

There were three men standing in the alley, all armed with weapons. As the man in the black robe approached them, Anasha swallowed hard.

“Hey. Where do you think you’re going?”

A gruff voice echoed through the alley as the large man standing at the front blocked his way. This was completely unexpected for Anasha, who had anticipated witnessing a secret meeting.

“This guy looks suspicious.”

Just as the man reached toward the robed figure’s head as if to forcibly remove the robe, a sharp blade stopped precisely in front of the large man’s neck, drawn so quickly that not even the sound of unsheathing was heard.

“Is this the base of the human trafficking ring?”

A low but clear baritone voice reached Anasha’s ears.

At those words, the brown-haired man and black-haired man standing behind quietly drew their swords. As they rushed forward simultaneously, the robed man swiftly slashed the throat of the person in front of him and parried another’s sword.

Before the sharp clang finished echoing, he ducked to avoid another sword flying toward his neck. Despite the robe potentially obstructing his vision, the man charged forward without hesitation.

The brown-haired man revealed an opening, having no time to prepare a defense. The sword, which had been lowered along with the man’s lowered posture, changed direction upward.

In an instant, the long sword cut from chest to shoulder in one stroke. Though it seemed the wound wasn’t fatal, the brown-haired man staggered and hit the wall, apparently in severe pain.

Just as the robed man was about to swing his sword again, another man rushed at him from behind. The highly raised sword came down with a fierce momentum that looked as if it would cut off his entire arm.

However, it only cut the fluttering end of his robe.

Simultaneously, the robed man moved his sword. Before the cut piece of cloth hit the ground, the gleaming sword drew a sharp arc and quickly flew toward the enemy’s neck.

Anasha’s mouth fell open. The clean, efficient motion that neatly severed just the head gave her goosebumps. Even within the knight order, someone skilled enough to behead someone in a single stroke was rare.

Only after the headless body collapsed did the robed man lower his sword.

With two men dead, the brown-haired man seemed to realize he had no chance of winning and began to back away cautiously. The robed man calmly walked toward him. The blood-dripping sword pointed precisely at the center of the man’s neck.

“Where are the kidnapped people?”

“…Th-there.”

The man raised a trembling hand and pointed to an ordinary-looking old building. The robed man walked past him and headed toward it.

Anasha, who had been watching, carefully rose and followed the man, making sure not to be seen. While she crossed between rooftops, the man entered the house first.

Landing silently on the roof, she looked for a gap to enter. Fortunately, by pushing away a rotten wooden board on the right end, she could easily slip into the ceiling of the house.

From the dark ceiling, Anasha observed the man through a small hole.