Chapter 31: The Shadow Guard

To be honest, Gawain was pretty surprised to see Amber actually capture someone alive and bring them back. If this had happened an hour earlier, he probably wouldn’t have been so shocked. But ever since this Shadow Master got slapped and sent flying by some bank salesperson named “My Little Pony,” he had completely lost faith in her combat abilities. Rather than sending her out on guard duty, it was more like releasing a walking alarm bell…

After all, Amber’s shadow skills were indeed impressive. It made sense for her to spot an assassin or spy and raise the alarm. But who would have thought she’d actually capture one alive?

Just as Amber returned with her captive, hurried footsteps sounded outside the study. Sir Byron burst in, pushing the door open. “My lord, what’s going on here?”

He had been stationed downstairs guarding the main entrance, but the commotion on the rooftop was too loud to ignore, so he was alerted.

As for when Melita had visited earlier… Amber had been knocked flying at first contact, so it hadn’t caused much of a scene.

“It’s nothing, just a petty thief. Already caught,” Gawain waved Byron off. “You go back and keep watch. Tonight won’t be peaceful.”

Byron glanced into the study, noticing Amber’s triumphant grin and the stealthy figure sprawled on the floor. Still, he nodded obediently. “Understood.”

“How did you manage to catch him?” Gawain asked Amber after Byron left, genuinely curious. “Did you beat him?”

“What’s with that look?!” Amber was clearly annoyed by his reaction. “My direct combat skills might be a little lacking, but not so bad that I can’t beat anyone. I even took down one of those ‘mutants’ you called ‘aberrations’ before…”

Gawain kept staring.

“Of course, the main reason was that this guy was just dumb,” Amber added with a smirk. “He could’ve probably won if he fought me head-on, but no, he had to show off his shadow step. So I just kicked him right out of his shadow form. The shock of his spirit wavering between the shadow realm and the physical world knocked him out cold.”

Gawain stared in disbelief. Only someone as wild and reckless as Amber could pull off such a brutal move.

Shadow Step was the signature skill of any rogue. Most who made a living sneaking around had some form of “shadow walking,” but the kind Amber had was on a whole different level—practically a different skill tree. Normal rogues could only temporarily vanish in the physical world and slip between the cracks of the material and shadow realms—what mages called the “shadow threshold.” It was an extremely dangerous technique, like dancing on a knife’s edge. One wrong step and you could fall fully into the shadow realm, where indescribable horrors would tear you apart. Amber’s ability? Heaven only knew what that was.

Usually, rogues just focused on their footing. As long as they didn’t slip, they wouldn’t fall into the shadows. “Shadow walking” was known as the lonely path—no matter how skilled, no shadow master could step into another’s shadow step. So a master rogue could dance on that knife’s edge with ease. But that was under normal circumstances…

If, while you’re dancing on the knife’s edge, a wild prodigy with the strength of 1.5 geese suddenly kicks you, that’s a different story.

Amber was still grinning as she recounted, “It was hilarious. This guy struck the dumbest pose, then suddenly slipped into shadow form. But I could see him clearly—I watched him crouch and sneak up beside me, waving a little knife around. I just pretended not to notice. When he got to the edge, I kicked him right out.”

Rebecca ignored Amber’s boasting and crouched beside Gawain to examine the unexpected guest. “Do you think he’ll wake up?”

Gawain shook his head. “Hard to say. Normally, a person hit while in the shadow threshold either dies or becomes an idiot.”

At that moment, the rogue on the floor twitched, then slowly regained consciousness.

Under normal circumstances, a trained rogue would play dead without a twitch, controlling their heartbeat and breathing perfectly to avoid detection. But the shock from the shadow threshold had thrown this professional off. When he realized something was wrong, he found himself locked in a silent stare with Gawain.

The young man’s expression was dazed, as if everything happening was beyond his expectations. He then tried to bite down on poison hidden in his mouth to commit suicide—only to find it had been removed.

He had no choice but to stay silent.

“What’s your name?” “What’s your mission?” “Who sent you?”

Gawain fired off several questions, but got no response. The man seemed deaf to everything.

Amber pulled out her small dagger, twirling it in her hand. “Should we try some interrogation? I’m no expert, but back when I used to sneak into dungeons to steal stuff, I did see some real-life examples…”

Rebecca blinked in confusion. “You snuck into dungeons to steal things?”

“You don’t get it,” Amber said proudly. “A lot of guards hide valuables they take from prisoners in the dungeon’s corners. They wait for shift changes to move the loot, so it doesn’t get discovered by patrol officers or the lord. I used to take advantage of those moments…”

“Enough,” Gawain interrupted Amber’s bragging. “Torture won’t work. This is a Royal Shadow Guard—an elite trained to serve the king. Besides their combat skills, their willpower is terrifying. You really lucked out stumbling onto such a master. You’ll have stories to tell at the tavern for half a year.”

He glanced down at the young man, who now wore a shocked expression. “Back when I was alive, the Royal Shadow Guard were just personal bodyguards, mostly scouting in extreme environments. How did they fall so far in seven hundred years that they’re reduced to petty thieves?”

The captured guard stared at Gawain in disbelief. Before he could speak, Gawain continued, “Wondering how I knew who you were?”

The guard nodded slightly.

“Obviously. I personally named your order and designed your first training program,” Gawain said, tapping the guard’s cheek. “I was the first instructor of the Royal Shadow Guard!”

Amber gaped at Gawain’s nearly two-meter frame. “You—a knight—were their instructor? You taught them stealth?”

Gawain smiled faintly. “No, I taught them physical training and two-handed swordsmanship.”

Amber looked utterly baffled. “Why would rogues learn two-handed swordsmanship?!”

“To kill every witness if they get discovered during a mission.”

“But if a rogue is discovered, isn’t the mission over?”

“For Ansu’s rogues, being discovered is just the beginning… Though this one here clearly didn’t complete the training well. Or maybe after seven centuries, my old courses have become outdated and discarded?”

The guard’s face twisted in pain—so those hellish training sessions were his doing…

Though the courses had been updated countless times over seven centuries, the foundational ones—like physical training and two-handed swordsmanship—had never been fully replaced.

Seeing the guard’s expression, Gawain knew his old lessons were still in use.

“Francis II sent you, didn’t he?” Gawain looked kindly at the young man. “But I doubt the king is foolish enough to send an assassin when half the kingdom knows I’m in the capital. So your orders were probably to spy?”

The guard remained silent.

“He should have told you to keep your distance. This is a huge risk. Even if the Cecil family has fallen, Gawain Cecil hasn’t. So you’re either overconfident or disobeyed orders.”

The guard finally spoke his first words: “I have disgraced my mission and will accept death. You need not trouble yourself.”

“Bullshit!” Gawain slapped him across the face. “Too much peace has made you soft and corrupt!”

The guard looked confused, not understanding.

“What is the Royal Shadow Guard’s purpose? To protect the king, the kingdom, and this land! Your duty is to deal with those who try to overthrow the kingdom—not to spy on your founding duke for a confused king! If you were captured on a battlefield against an enemy, I might respect your words. But here? In my home? You talk about disgracing your mission? Do you mean I’m trying to overthrow the kingdom? Or that capturing you insults Ansu’s dignity? Has the founding duke and the kingdom he built become enemies in the hearts of Ansu’s people?”

Faced with Gawain’s righteous scolding, the young guard faltered. “No… that’s not what I meant…”

“It doesn’t matter what you think,” Gawain cut him off and stood. “I’m not petty enough to hold a grudge against my successors. You can leave now.”

The guard was stunned—this was not the outcome he expected tonight. He stared at Gawain, unable to believe what he’d just heard.

Even Amber and Rebecca looked unsettled.

Gawain repeated firmly, “I said, you can leave. Need me to escort you out?”

The guard slowly got to his feet. “Are you sure?”

“Of course. I can’t kill a man sent by Francis II, and I have no plans to parade you through Silverkeep tomorrow—though I admit I’d like to. But I’m past the age of acting on impulse. So you’re free to go.”

Rebecca seemed about to protest but swallowed her words under Gawain’s stern gaze.

The guard moved toward the window. Just before he left, Gawain called out, “I’m not interested in sharing tonight’s events with anyone. How you report back to your king is up to you.”

“…Thank you for your mercy.”

With that, the guard’s figure faded into the night air.

Gawain smirked. “…Another one who leaves through the window.”

Only then did Rebecca find her voice. “Ancestor, you really just let him go?”

“Of course,” Gawain chuckled. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“But shouldn’t he be punished? And the fact that the king sent someone to spy here—doesn’t that warrant…”

“Rebecca, listen carefully. If you want greater gains, you have to think long-term,” Gawain patted her head. “Letting one pawn go is no loss. The potential benefits are inevitable.”

“Potential benefits?” Rebecca blinked. “Like what?”

“That depends on how that young shadow guard reports back,” Gawain said, spreading his hands. “There are only two possible outcomes: either Francis II won’t get a wink of sleep tonight, or from now on, he’ll have an extra shadow guard by his side… one who isn’t exactly loyal.”

With that, he turned away, gazing into the moonless night of this other world.

“Relative loyalty is just another way of saying absolute disloyalty—that’s a saying with some truth to it.”

(End of chapter)