7.

Only one thought came to mind.

'Forced exit?'

Was it because they entered the castle flying the Allied Forces' flag? Or was it that the castle, despite the flag, was actually the secret gathering place of the imperial army? If one of those conditions was met, had the quest registered as complete the moment the princess entered, and was he being kicked out because of it?

'No.'

Whatever happened, the conclusion had to be reached by his own will. That was the only way to avoid being blindsided at the start of the next Gold Mission. Even if it meant unintentionally handing the princess over to the Allied Forces, it couldn't happen without his knowledge. But being kicked out like this meant that was a very real possibility. He was fine for now, wearing the human-skin mask, but once the time ran out, the princess would revert to her original appearance and would undoubtedly be captured. Or she could escape the castle before that. Either way, there was no guarantee he could return in time, meaning they would be separated.

For a moment, a dizzying feeling, along with his darkening vision, seemed to show him an opaque future.

Then, the surroundings gradually brightened, and he found himself in the third-person perspective he had experienced before.

'Phew.'

It wasn't a forced quest completion.

[You have acquired the 'Second Clue'.]

The hologram confirmed it. The question of why he was suddenly pulled into this from inside the castle gate was momentarily set aside for the video that followed.

"The princess is definitely alive," a voice filled with determination and steadfast will announced, beginning the scene.

* * *

It was an ordinary tavern, bustling with people eating, drinking, and chattering loudly. In a corner, two men spoke quietly.

"The Allied Forces' encirclement is tightening. It's getting too dangerous."

"We wait a little longer."

"But according to our intelligence, the princess's identity is known. Not only is this place unsafe, but they might be waiting for us to make contact with her."

"If we leave, the princess will have nowhere else to turn."

"Haven't we waited long enough? The fact that they have information about her identity means it's only a matter of time before our location is also discovered."

The man fell silent.

Their low voices, imbued with mana so only they could hear each other, were urgent yet calm. The calmer of the two men knew it, too. It had been almost half a year since the Empire fell. From the emperor to his most loyal subjects, all had been beheaded and their heads displayed by the Allied Forces. Those who did not surrender were slaughtered. The current remnants of the imperial army were those who had gathered their forces until the very end and fled into hiding. If even they were wiped out, there would be no more hope for the Empire.

Even now, the Allied Forces were so powerful that it seemed impossible to do anything with the remaining soldiers, and the cracks within the Empire itself were uncontrollable. That's why they couldn't just run away. They were the last hope of the Empire, and the princess was the one bloodline that could carry on its now-fading name, supported by that army. If either was gone, the other's reason for existence would disappear. So they had to wait.

"There's no guarantee the princess is still alive."

"The princess is definitely alive."

Just half a year ago, it was a blasphemous statement that a knight of the Empire would never dream of making, but now it had become all too real. His subordinate was right. The probability of her being dead was high. The princess he knew should have arrived here at least three months ago. The original deadline for the final operation—to rendezvous with her and move to a safe place—was one hundred days. He had dragged it out for almost three more months on his own volition, on his own hope.

"We wait ten more days."

It wasn't because his subordinate disliked the princess. All the knights and soldiers who had joined the imperial army had refused to bow to injustice; they had thrown away their lives for the future and come here. He couldn't afford to lose such men so easily.

"I understand." The subordinate knew his commander's heart, so he couldn't bring himself to refuse. After finishing their conversation, the two went their separate ways as naturally as if they had never sat down to talk.

* * *

"Ah."

"Are you alright?"

His vision flickered again, and a familiar scene came into view. He could hear her voice beside him and the chatter of people passing by. It was the light of the sun in the sky, not the dim lighting of the tavern. 'The video is over.'

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go." The video hadn't been long, five minutes at most. But seeing the princess's puzzled look, it seemed that no time had passed in reality while he was watching. Without making it obvious, he headed to the inn. He had confirmed that this was the castle where the imperial army was located—the place the princess was looking for and the condition for completing the quest. But taking off her human-skin mask right away and going to find the two men from the video would be insane. A clue was a clue for a reason, and the video was packed with warnings.

'First, I have to consider the possibility that they've been discovered, assuming the Allied Forces know the imperial army is here.' From the Allied Forces' perspective, even if they knew the imperial army was hiding here, there was no need to take the initiative and wipe them out. They wanted to find and kill the princess to uproot the Empire just as much as the imperial army wanted to protect her. They might even be monitoring the imperial remnants as bait.

So he pretended not to know.

"One room."

He needed to find out a little more.

8.

Two days passed. During that time, he wandered around the castle, found the tavern from the video, and waited, hoping to spot at least one of the two men. It would have been easier to go to their hideout, but unfortunately, the 'Second Clue', perhaps out of privacy concerns, didn't show where the knights went after they parted ways.

'Will they even come?' Worry was at the forefront of his mind, but at the end of the wait, his efforts bore fruit. A man walked in, wearing work clothes covered in sweat stains as if he had just come from a mine, and ordered a beer and a light snack. The moment he saw the knight who had insisted the princess was alive, a sigh of relief escaped him.

'Got him.' With this, he could safely complete Gold Mission Chapter 1-2.

He gave a signal to the princess sitting next to him. A brief farewell. They had already discussed everything at the inn. Nevertheless, a look tinged with regret was fixed on him. It wasn't for long. The knight stood up without a second thought after finishing his beer, and she followed immediately.

About ten minutes later.

[You have completed 'Gold Mission Chapter 1-2'.]

The second Gold Mission came to an end.

* * *

The princess did not doubt for a second that the man walking ahead was a real imperial knight. He had the face of a man who had always cut down tens of thousands of enemies by the side of her father, the emperor. She followed cautiously, trying not to be noticed. She would reveal her identity once they reached a secluded place.

The moment she entered an alley.

"Mmph."

"Who are you?"

A rough hand covered her mouth, and the cold steel of a dagger pressed against her neck made the princess raise both her hands. No matter how carefully she followed, she couldn't deceive the Sword Master of the Empire. As she reacted calmly, the man removed his hand and took a step back. A face he had never seen before. But the eyes looking at him were somehow familiar. There was even a sense of longing in them. 'Who is it?'

The question was shattered by a word contained in the unfamiliar voice.

"Sir Callis."

Callis froze.

He could never forget. The voice was different, but how could he forget?

"Your Highness?"

For over a decade, he had protected her and taught her the sword. At her nod, Callis quietly sheathed his dagger and led the way. No matter how deserted the street, confirming her identity here was out of the question. Soon they arrived at the small semi-basement room where he lived, and there, the princess took off her human-skin mask.

"Ah, you're alive."

At the same time, Callis fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face. The princess waited for his grief to pass. Callis had spent as much time, no, more time than she had, by the emperor's side. He was a master more precious than life, a comrade-in-arms, and a close friend. He had fled without even being able to witness that emperor's final moments, driven by the sole purpose of protecting the princess and rebuilding the Empire. How could his emotions not overflow?

"Thank you. Thank you." He had thought the princess was dead. He had given up everything and had even vowed to annihilate the Allied Forces until the moment he and the imperial army burned to a handful of ashes. "What happened to you?"

He poured out all of that with his tears. From now on, he couldn't be swayed by emotions. He had to be careful with every single move, as if starting over from scratch. The princess began her story.

"That's..."

The unfortunate story of her kidnapping. The story of meeting Kim Buja there. The princess defined Kim Buja in a single phrase.

"He is my consort."

Callis did not raise any objections. He was one of the few who knew the princess better than anyone.

"Where is he?" After hearing the whole story, Callis asked. His help had certainly been great, enough for the princess to call him her consort. Moreover, the abilities she described were not something easily seen on the continent. He would meet him and judge for himself. But the princess shook her head.

"I won't be able to see him for a while."

Before she left, at the inn, Kim Buja had given her various things, just like last time. Two spare human-skin masks. Tools to protect herself in case she encountered the Allied Forces. The gold left over after currency exchange. Then he had said.

"He said he would come find me." That she should stay alive and well, because he would return.

"I understand. Then let's go to a safe place first. It's dangerous here."

"Yes, I'll put this on and follow you."

The memory of being alone and lonely in the cave for a month made her anxious and restless, but the princess resolved to endure it steadfastly.

And so a wind began to blow—a very small one, set in motion by the flap of a butterfly's wings named Kim Buja.

* * *

"Squeal!"

"Whoa, you scared me." No sooner had the warmth of the house greeted him than Hwangdo came rushing at him even more enthusiastically, making him step back.

"If you flap your wings that hard in the house, you punk, what are you going to do if a storm brews?"

"Squeal!"

The golden dragon paid no mind to the playful scolding.

"Haa."

With Hwangdo perched on his shoulder, he headed straight for the bathroom.

"I'm tired." Two weeks. It felt like it passed in a flash, but he'd spent a significant amount of time on the Gold Mission.

Sinking into a bath—not quite as good as the hospital's, but a close approximation—he first sent a message to Jeong Seora.

Then, he called them up.

"Let's see… time for my rewards."

The fruits of that hellish ordeal.

* * *

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