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Chapter 7
The moment Billy was introduced to the infamous Reaper of the Battlefield—the Black Iron Knight Commander—his face went deathly pale.
“Ah, h-hello…? Thank you for saving me…?”
He stammered, voice squeaking like rusted hinges.
Cassis said nothing, only staring at him in silence.
Rosalyn thought, At this rate, the poor kid’s going to drop dead of a heart attack right after being rescued.
So she quickly cut in.
“Sir Cassis, truly, thank you so much for helping with this—”
“Withdraw.”
The words cut her off like a blade.
Before she could even process them, Cassis turned on his heel. His knights moved as one, following after him.
Even the captured Redvor members were neatly hauled away.
“…Wha… what…?”
Rosalyn’s mouth opened and closed, but the only audience left was empty space.
A strong sense of déjà vu hit her.
The first time he came to the guild… he ignored me exactly like this, didn’t he?
Her temper snapped.
“So what if you’re the Black Iron Knight Commander! Does that mean you can just act like that?!”
Not five minutes earlier she’d been calling him the noblest, most righteous man alive.
Now she was spitting curses at him.
Her guild members wisely pretended not to hear.
“Billy has returned!”
“Woooooaaah!”
The guild building shook with cheers at Rosalyn’s proclamation.
“How does it feel, coming back alive?”
“I… I…”
Back in the warehouse, Billy had sworn he’d gladly give his life for the Guild Leader.
But the moment he stepped into the guild again, the weight of it all overwhelmed him. His eyes filled, and his voice trembled.
“Ugh, the Guild Leader made me cry.”
“Yeah, Guild Leader, this one’s on you.”
“You little brats!”
Rosalyn snapped, but her shout only sparked laughter.
The noisy, playful atmosphere was deliberate—her guildmates’ way of easing the burden on Billy’s heart.
Billy knew it, too. Even through his tears, he laughed.
“Don’t you dare badmouth our Guild Leader! She… hic… risked everything to save trash like me… sniff….”
The words dissolved into sobs.
Nobody mocked him for it.
The comrade they’d thought lost forever had come back alive.
For Hyde Guild, where bonds ran deeper than most, that meant everything.
After sending Billy upstairs to rest, Rosalyn called for an executive meeting.
“Everyone must’ve felt it this time.”
Around the round table, heads nodded gravely.
“We’ve always avoided the Black Iron Knights because of who we are. But that changes now.”
Rosalyn’s eyes hardened as she pressed her palms against the table.
“Before Billy’s Black Code reached us, Sir Cassis explained that my sentence has already been interpreted. Starting now, I’ll be commuting to the Knight Order every other day.”
“Commuting? To the Knight Order?”
“What about the guild?”
The same questions Rosalyn herself had once asked echoed back at her.
“They wanted me there every day. I bargained it down to every other day. If they’re so desperate to see me, they’d better hurry up and overturn that sentence, don’t you think?”
“…Well, every other day isn’t so bad.”
Her brows furrowed.
“Why, should I just go every day then? At that pace, I’d clear 1,000 hours in three months. Without me here, do you think you’ll still enjoy yourselves?”
“W-wait, no! You know we can’t survive without you, Guild Leader!”
Finally, her expression eased.
“As I said, our goal is information—inside and outside the Knight Order. But we always need an escape route.”
The executives nodded firmly.
Being forced to serve 1,000 hours and choosing to enter for their own purposes were worlds apart.
“Besides, laying groundwork for cooperation—like today—isn’t so bad.”
“Ah, our Guild Leader! Even Satan in hell couldn’t trick you!”
“…That’s not a compliment.”
Her exaggerated scowl drew laughter around the table.
Billy’s survival had lightened the room.
“So? Did anyone find something new?”
She meant Cassis.
But to her disappointment, the executives only shook their heads.
“You know it’s only been a day.”
Of course, the infamous heir of House Aindert, Commander of the Black Iron Knights, already filled entire dossiers.
Finding anything new would take time.
But Rosalyn pressed.
“The Knights managed to interpret the law overnight. And our guild found nothing in a day?”
“Wait—overnight?!”
“I wasn’t going to mention it—didn’t want to wound your pride…”
Her deliberate jab was cut short.
“Hyde.”
Deputy Guild Leader Sion’s voice was calm, his face lit with a gentle smile.
“Until we finish the Cassis Report, nobody sleeps.”
The chilling order only sharpened their resolve.
“Leave it to us.”
“Before dawn tomorrow, we’ll have documents stacked as tall as that Commander himself!”
Their sudden discipline startled Rosalyn.
I only wanted to light a fire under them… did it work too well?
They looked ready to leap up and storm the streets at once.
Sion turned back to her.
“Guild Leader, anything else?”
“Huh? No, I’m done—”
“Then meeting adjourned. Everyone, get to work.”
It was Rosalyn’s usual closing line—but from Sion’s mouth.
No one questioned it. They all leapt up and filed out.
Watching them leave without her, Rosalyn’s jaw dropped.
What, did they all plan this? What’s gotten into them lately?
Only Sion remained.
“Rosalyn.”
He used her name, not her title. She froze.
Sion was the one she’d known longest. Since founding the guild, he’d almost never used her name—only in rare, serious moments.
“Uh… y-yeah? What is it?”
His ever-present smile was gone. His face was calm, unreadable.
“You seem to hold some resentment toward the Knight Commander.”
“Cassis? Don’t even get me started—he’s so—”
Her rant was cut short.
“You should thank him.”
“…What?”
“Of course, we’ll thank him formally as a guild. But truthfully, he helped because of his connection with you. You should thank him personally.”
She’d braced herself for scolding, but his tone was strange.
“…I was going to, anyway.”
Sion’s eyes stayed on hers.
“Rosalyn. Asking whether he hates being thanked, or slipping him some information about his enemies—that’s not gratitude.”
Her jaw dropped.
“Why not?! Isn’t practical help more sincere than empty words? A man of his rank surely has rivals.”
Sion’s voice stayed calm, steady.
“Men like him consider a true, heartfelt thank-you the deepest sincerity.”
“….”
Rosalyn sighed.
She knew he was right.
He’s that rigid, old-fashioned type.
But knowing it and feeling it were different. She turned her face away, lips jutting in a pout.
Sion continued.
“He’s someone our guild could never normally ally with. This was an exception. But for you… he might be useful.”
“Useful? How?”
“You always say your goal is to live comfortably. But I know you, Rosalyn. If that were truly all, you wouldn’t care so deeply for every guild member. That can’t be the whole truth.”
Her mind blanked.
No—that really is my only goal!
But Sion pressed on, eyes earnest.
“If you’ve never told even me, it must be because it’s too dangerous—or too difficult. Whatever your true goal is… the Knight Commander may help you achieve it.”
Rosalyn nearly collapsed.
There IS no goal! Where did he even get that idea?!
Maybe not just Sion. Maybe everyone misunderstood her.
After all, in a world where bloodlines ruled, she treated back-alley strays like equals.
She poured her energy into building the guild.
She never indulged in luxury despite her wealth.
But only because I was too busy! I was planning to live lavishly after retiring…
It was all one giant misunderstanding.
But Sion’s eyes shone with unwavering trust and loyalty.
Rosalyn simply couldn’t bring herself to correct him.
“…Thanks, Sion. For thinking of me.”
He nodded, convinced.
“I’ve always been on your side, Rosalyn. From the day you saved me.”
Saved?
That time, she’d only been sprinting away with stolen bread. By pure chance, the rock-hard loaf had smacked the thug beating him right in the groin.
An accident. Nothing more.
But loyalty born of that accident had deepened into something unshakable.
Now it was far too late to explain the truth.
Rosalyn could only give a sheepish smile.
“…And I’ve always been grateful to you, Sion.”
The boy she’d once “saved” from the back alleys had become her brilliant right hand.
That was good.
But even Rosalyn had to admit—at moments like this, her conscience prickled uncomfortably.
