The morning air in the catacombs beneath Oakhaven was freezing.
After completing the seven-day hellish grind of the Sinuous Step, my body felt leaner, my footwork sharper, and my Aether flow far more refined. When the messenger summoned me to the upper strategy chamber, I didn’t drag my boots like before. I glided through the stone corridors in complete silence.
I pushed open the heavy oak door to the meeting room.
"Good morning," I said, stepping inside.
The chamber was dimly lit by a single, violet alchemical lantern hanging over a stone table. Sitting at the far end was Master Vane, his yellow, viper-like eyes watching me silently, his arms crossed over his chest.
Beside him stood a tall, pale man in a scale-lined leather coat—Vane’s primary assistant. The man’s face was unreadable, his aura cold, professional, and dead serious.
The assistant bowed his head slightly toward me. "Good morning, Kaelen."
Without wasting a second on pleasantries, the assistant laid a thick leather folder onto the stone table, his mood immediately shifting to business.
"Let us get straight to your next mission," the assistant said, his voice flat and clinical. "Your target’s name is Almah Nisteret. She is currently suspected of being a covert operative from the second Empire—Lampre Sykaminos."
He paused, letting the information settle in the quiet room. He looked up at me, his cold eyes calculating.
"Before proceeding, I think you should know about the political geography of this world. I presume you haven’t had the chance to learn much about it yet, correct?"
"Yeah," I admitted, leaning against the edge of the stone table. "My geography knowledge is basically limited to whatever’s trying to kill me at the moment."
The assistant nodded, pointing a pale finger at a map pinned to the wall. "The place we are currently in is the Divya Regnum—commonly referred to by locals as the High-Empire of Sol-Valen. It is by far the most powerful out of the three great empires on this continent."
I furrowed my brows, looking at the three massive landmasses drawn on the parchment. "Oh, there are two others? And this one’s the most powerful? Why is Divya Regnum so much stronger than the other two?"
"An empire’s dominance is determined by four factors," the assistant explained smoothly. "Total military capacity, the average rank of the summoners in their standing army, the presence of high-lineaged bloodline units, and resource control. Divya Regnum already sits at the absolute top in all four categories... but what truly makes it a tyrannical, unstoppable force is the direct backing of the Holy Church."
He closed the map folder with a soft snap.
"That should be enough geography for now. You will find out more on your own in the near future."
The assistant picked up a silver stylus, tapping it against the target dossier.
"Back to Nisteret," he continued, his tone dropping an octave. "She currently holds the rank of Commander in the South-Eastern post. Specifically, she is the Commander of the Line Infantry."
I looked at the dossier photo of a sharp-eyed woman with long silver hair in military dress. "You mean she’s the Commander of the Line Infantry in the entire South-Eastern post?"
"Ah. Yeah," the assistant confirmed. "She was recently placed on forced administrative leave and sent back home under the excuse of a ’vacation.’ She is an S-Rank Summoner. At present, our intelligence network has zero information regarding the nature or identity of her summoned entity."
He tapped the stylus against her file. "Furthermore, the primary reason for the contractor’s suspicion is her origin. She was born in the contested borderlands shared directly with Lampre Sykaminos."
I let out a low whistle. "So, her being born at the borderland made those upper echelons paranoid?"
Master Vane, who had been sitting motionless in the shadows, suddenly erupted into a sharp, raspy burst of laughter.
"Heh... Hahahahaha!"
Vane’s laughter echoed off the stone walls, but he didn’t say a single word, simply resting his chin on his gauntleted hand with a wicked, amused glint in his yellow eyes.
The assistant ignored Vane’s outburst, continuing without breaking composure. "Well, anything originating from—or even near—the borderland of Lampre Sykaminos must be treated with extreme scrutiny. The entire Sykaminos Empire specializes in low-profile operations and deep-cover espionage."
"Oh," I smirked, crossing my arms. "You mean spying?"
"Yes," the assistant replied flatly.
"So what’s my job?" I asked. "Am I putting a blade through her throat?"
"No," the assistant said, locking eyes with me. "You will become her shadow. This is strictly a reconnaissance mission. You are to monitor her movements, identify her contacts, and confirm whether she is transmitting military intelligence back to Sykaminos."
I frowned, looking at Vane, then back at the assistant. "Wouldn’t it be more plausible to send a more experienced assassin for a high-profile target like an S-Rank Commander?"
The assistant’s face remained completely expressionless. "You don’t have to think about that."
I looked at the dossier, then looked at Vane’s terrifying smirk, and shrugged. "Ah. I understand."
Master Vane finally stood up from his chair, his scale-lined leather coat rustling in the dim light.
"Well, if it’s all set," Vane hissed, his yellow eyes fixing on me with lethal intensity, "you will depart immediately for the port city of Valen-Reach. The girl is scheduled to arrive there within a few days to visit her cousin at their family’s coastal estate."
Vane stepped past me toward the door, leaning close to my ear as he passed.
"How you slip into her life and become her shadow..." Vane whispered, his cold breath smelling of venom, "...that’s on you."