"Rune? Why are you looking for him?" I asked the bowing woman.

She looked around her as my voice echoed from every direction. That was one of the features of Phantom Cloak, it made your voice seem like it came from everywhere and nowhere at once.

But it seemed the feature didn’t work on the other woman. She was still looking directly at me, her eyes tracking my exact position with unsettling accuracy.

"We are sent here on a mission from Her Grace, the Duchess," the polite woman said, adjusting her spectacles. The dim orange light radiating from the mana stone on the ceiling reflected off the lenses. "I request that you support us in completing this mission without much fuss."

Her tone was professional. Diplomatic. But something about it felt wrong.

"I’m sorry, but I can’t help someone who just infiltrated the orphanage during the night," I said firmly, staying acutely conscious of the woman who was still sitting comfortably on the couch, rubbing her head from the earlier hit.

"See!? I told you we should have woken up the caretaker here instead of infiltrating!" the polite woman said, turning sharply toward the one sitting.

"Tsk." The woman on the couch clicked her tongue and turned her head away like a scolded child.

"Why don’t we talk outside?" I offered. "I remember you saying you didn’t want to wake the kids up."

If this turned into a fight, which I was almost certain it would, having more area for activity would be beneficial to the one with higher agility. Me.

"That’s a wonderful idea," the polite woman said, her smile returning. "But I prefer we settle things quickly and escort Rune to Her Grace."

She gestured to the one sitting to follow her and walked past me toward the door.

The woman with the ex-scissors on her back stood up and turned to me as she walked past. Her expression was annoyed, irritated.

"Why are people so complicated!" she muttered under her breath as she headed outside.

My mind raced as I watched them leave.

There was no way someone of her caliber would be given a simple escorting task. This had to be about something bigger. Was this about this morning? Was the Duchess herself involving herself in something as simple as capturing a rogue group of vigilantes?

Sure, there were heads that had been separated and displayed in the village square. But still...

It didn’t add up.

I should lure them as far away as possible from the storehouse. I couldn’t let them meet Rune without knowing their true intentions.

Were they actually working for the Saytans while claiming they worked for the Duchess? It would make sense to think that the Saytans wanted revenge for killing one of their own. That would explain the urgency, the nighttime infiltration.

I drew my dagger outward slightly as I followed them outside, keeping my distance. I stood before both of them in the cold night air and turned off my Phantom Cloak, letting myself become visible as I circulated my mana, readying myself for combat.

The polite woman adjusted her glasses as she finally looked at me properly for the first time.

"You are a beautiful young lady," she said. Her spectacles reflected the moonlight as she tilted her head slightly.

"But I assure you, there is no need for weapons."

Her voice was smooth and interactive. Refined. She seemed like she came from a high scholarly family, someone trained in diplomacy and negotiation.

"Oh, don’t worry about it," I said, trying to reflect her gentle smile back at her.

But I don’t think I was doing a very good job, judging from the expression on the woman with the ex-scissors’ face. She looked almost amused.

"What if Rune doesn’t want to follow you to the Duchess?" I asked, my grip tightening on my dagger.

The answer wasn’t immediate.

The atmosphere suddenly dropped. Changed completely.

The ease of interaction, the gentle vibe from the polite woman, vanished in an instant. It was like she’d become a completely different person. The warmth drained from her expression, replaced by something cold and calculating.

Only people well-versed in diplomacy could manage this kind of shift so seamlessly. I’d only seen this once before, from the right-hand man of the Beast King.

"The Duchess told us to bring him to her at all costs," she said slowly, deliberately. Her eyes were now visible through her spectacles, and they were calm. Too calm. "Which might include violence, based on the choices you make."

Her eyes held a certainty, like someone who knew all the possible ways this situation could play out and was absolutely sure none of them would mean trouble for her.

That pissed me off for some reason. Maybe that was her goal.

I shouldn’t go into tactical games with someone who had specialized in them. I knew that. But my body was already moving.

Clink!

I fully drew my dagger, my brain already mapping out the possible escape routes and maneuvers. I would feint an attack on the woman with spectacles, use the sudden disorientation to my advantage, and lure them away from—

"Sorry. She said no weapons."

A voice came from directly behind me.

I spun around instantly, my heart racing.

No one was there.

I turned back.

"Damn, she even had poison on this. Look."

The woman with the ex-scissors was showing something to the woman with spectacles, twirling it casually in her fingers.

No way..

That was my dagger.

I looked down at my hand. It was empty.

When did she...?

Fear crept inside me. I’d never fought an opponent who could make me perceive their speed as teleportation. Never. She hadn’t even left an afterimage. One moment I had my weapon, the next it was in her hand.

She was in her own league entirely.

I should run. I should tell Rune to run away, even if it was the last thing I did.

"This girl was really going for the kill!" the woman with ex-scissors laughed as she twirled my poison-dipped dagger effortlessly between her fingers like it was a toy.

"I would suggest against making choices that might result in a fight," the polite woman said calmly, adjusting her glasses once more. "She is really good at fighting... though that’s all she is good at."

"Hey...!" the woman with my dagger protested, her expression offended.

But the polite woman continued without pause. "So please make a choice both of our parties can be happy with. The Duchess is not around to control her, either."

She made it sound like I was in charge of making the choices, while simultaneously threatening my brain into choosing to do exactly what they wanted me to do.

I clenched my fists.

I wasn’t letting these dangerous two anywhere near Rune. They surely didn’t have good intentions toward him. The way they moved, the way they talked, everything about this screamed danger.

"I can’t let you near him," I said, my voice steady despite the fear crawling up my spine. "Not until I know what you really want with him."

The polite woman sighed, like I was being unnecessarily difficult.

"We’ve already told you. The Duchess—"

"The Duchess wouldn’t send her top people in the middle of the night for a simple escort mission," I interrupted. "You’re here for something else. And until I know what that is, you’re not getting anywhere near Rune."

The woman with ex-scissors stopped twirling my dagger and looked at me with something like respect in her eyes.

"She’s got guts, I’ll give her that," she said to her companion.

The polite woman adjusted her glasses one more time, her expression unreadable.

"Very well," she said softly. "Your choice was clear, so will be the consequence."