ISKC 08

Chapter 08

The morning sun was warm and bright.

“Nothing more came up?”

At Rosalyn’s question, the executives—dark circles under their eyes after working through the night—looked utterly defeated.

“Well, that happens. Why the long faces? It’s not like I don’t know information-gathering isn’t easy.”

Her light tone almost lifted their heads. Almost.

“Of course,” she added sweetly, “I may have to report to the Knights’ Order today… with absolutely nothing in hand.”

If words could stab like blades, the entire table would have been riddled with wounds.

Rosalyn rose with a dazzling smile.

“Get some sleep, all of you. If you collapse, then the day after tomorrow I’ll be walking into the Knights’ Order with empty hands yet again.”

“Just curse us instead….”

But when she told them to sleep, one by one the executives flopped face-first onto the table. Rosalyn chuckled.

“Want me to curse you?”

The moment she offered, the executives shot back up like jack-in-the-boxes.

“N-No, ma’am! By the day after tomorrow, we’ll have their weakness in hand.”

“Take care, Guildmaster.”

“Right, don’t overdo it. See you tonight.”

And as everyone knows—“See you later” is the most terrifying promise of all.

Behind Rosalyn as she left, the sound of executives swallowing hard was loud and clear.

Two knights had been assigned to escort her that morning—perhaps because it was technically her first day at work. The mood, however, was distinctly frosty.

“We meet again,” Rosalyn said brightly, recognizing them from yesterday’s rescue mission.

The only response was a glare that could cut glass.

‘Ah. That’s the look of someone blaming me for their overtime.’

And who could blame them? She was, after all, the cause of endless extra shifts, extended duties, and late-night missions.

“Um, Sir Knight? Do you happen to know what time I’ll be off duty today?”

She tried to look harmless. The knight ignored her.

‘Right. I suppose thanks to me, they rarely ever left work on time….’

Feeling guilty, Rosalyn decided to keep quiet and follow obediently.

It was a long walk to the Knights’ headquarters.

‘Ugh, what a trek.’

She knew it was on the outskirts of the capital due to its size, but experiencing it in person was another matter. Rosalyn had never set foot inside the Black Iron Knights’ base before—just as her guild members loathed the Order, she had always avoided entanglement.

But when the headquarters came into view, her jaw dropped.

“Wow.”

Towering walls rose skyward like a fortress. The sheer length of them stretched beyond sight, flanked by a deep moat. It wasn’t just a base—it was a citadel.

‘No wonder they’re called the Empire’s greatest Order.’

It would be nearly impossible to storm this place—or escape it unseen.

The drawbridge lowered, and Rosalyn followed the knights across, entering the fortress.

Once inside, she dismounted—and gasped again.

“Wow.”

If the exterior was overwhelming, the interior was no less so. Broad roads lined with barracks, training grounds, and armories sprawled like a miniature city.

Every passerby carried a sword and radiated killing intent.

‘The kids have got to see this someday.’

To defeat a rival, you had to understand them completely.

Not that the Order was technically her enemy—but they were rivals. The Knights hated the Hides Guild for skirting the law, and the Guild hated the Knights for constantly getting in their way.

At last, they arrived at the Knights’ main building—a massive edifice exuding authority.

Inside, the grand lobby took her breath away again.

The ceiling was so high she had to crane her neck to see it. On the far wall hung an enormous banner, embroidered with the Knights’ insignia:

A pair of black wings wrapped around two crossed swords, set against a deep blue field.

They said the wings belonged to Darva, the mythical bird of war. With the banner so massive, the wings looked endless, and even Rosalyn felt a twinge of reverence.

She was led up the central staircase to a pair of heavy doors. They swung open to reveal the Commander’s office.

Cassis was at his desk, reading documents.

“Rosalyn Hayes, delivered as ordered.”

“Well done,” he replied curtly, not even looking up.

The knights left, closing the door. Only Rosalyn and Cassis remained.

The scratch of his pen filled the silence.

Rosalyn waited. Surely, he was busy—leaders always were. She could understand that.

But even after setting aside one document, he continued writing, pen never ceasing.

Finally, she broke the silence.

“Um… Sir Cassis?”

Still no response. Pen moving.

Her nerves began to fray.

‘Seriously? You call me here just to ignore me? You’re not the only one with a schedule, you know.’

She was about to excuse herself when—

“Ink.”

“…Excuse me?”

Cassis lifted his pen, showing the dry nib.

“The ink has run out.”

Rosalyn’s gaze slid to the empty inkwell.

“…And?”

At last, Cassis looked up.

“Fetch more.”

“…Me?”

Was he seriously sending her on an ink run? Rosalyn, who was used to guild members scrambling to serve her at a gesture, found this surreal.

“Is there anyone else here but you?”

She glanced around slowly. Empty room. Back to Cassis.

“…Where from?”

“The supply room.”

“And where’s that—ah, never mind. I’ll figure it out.”

She sighed. She should have realized when he said “assistant.”

‘So I’m… errand girl, huh.’

Grumbling inwardly, she turned to leave.

“Find Sir Jimmy. He’ll guide you.”

“And where exactly am I supposed to find him—? Fine. Jimmy. Ink. Got it.”

Her very first task in the Knights’ Order. And already, she felt it:

This was not going to be easy.

‘Hah. Before I leave here, I’m pulling off something big—either a pact with the Knights, or a major secret uncovered. Otherwise, this’ll be too damn humiliating.’

Finding Jimmy proved easier than expected. One quick inquiry in the lobby, and there he was—a massive man who stood out immediately.

But more importantly—Jimmy was a saint.

“This way, the supply room. Let’s see… the ink should be…”

“Oh, I can look—”

“No, no. You won’t know where anything is. It’ll be quicker if I do it.”

In this cold, stiff Order where most ignored her existence, Jimmy spoke politely, respectfully.

‘What an angel. A kind subordinate in a nest of wolves.’

Jimmy crouched without hesitation, rummaging through the bottom shelves. Rosalyn felt a pang of guilt and tried to be friendly.

“You can drop the formal speech. I’m just a commoner.”

“That’s fine. I’m a commoner too.”

“…What?”

“Found it.”

He handed her not one, but four ink bottles at once, his massive hand engulfing them.

“This is what you needed?”

“Yes—thank you.”

As Rosalyn accepted them, Jimmy added, straightening.

“The Commander recommended me for promotion, so I wear the badge of a senior knight now. But I was born common. My wife is, too.”

“You’re… a commoner?”

Rosalyn’s eyes widened.

Few commoners ever became knights. Fewer still reached the rank of senior knight.

“It was just some minor merits during the war. I was lucky.”

He laughed sheepishly, scratching his head.

‘Minor? How much must he have achieved to earn this rank?’

Rosalyn’s eyes slid to the sword at his hip. Despite his gentle air, Jimmy was no ordinary man.

As they left the supply room, he spoke again.

“The Commander asked me to guide you. Let me show you around headquarters.”

“Now? But the ink—”

She lifted the bottles in her hands. Jimmy smiled.

“He’ll have spares. The Commander can’t stand running out of supplies.”

…Then why had Cassis acted like it was urgent?

“Then why send me…?”

“So you’d restock. He won’t use all of it today, so there’s no rush.”

“…Really?”

Jimmy’s reassuring tone left little room for doubt.

“If he asked me to guide you, it means he wants you to see the place.”

Somehow, she wasn’t convinced.

‘Or he could’ve just said, “Take a tour, then grab some ink on your way back.” Why make it so confusing?’

But as Rosalyn grumbled internally and followed Jimmy down the hall—

—suddenly, a voice cut across their path.