Shadow Guard

To be honest, Gawain was quite surprised that Amber managed to capture someone alive. If he had seen this scene an hour ago, he probably wouldn't have been so astonished. But ever since that Shadow Master was sent flying by a bank salesperson called My Little Pony, he had completely given up on Amber's combat abilities. It was less like sending her out on guard duty and more like releasing an alarm…

After all, Amber's shadow techniques were indeed formidable. It should be fine for her to spot an assassin scout and sound the alarm… but who would have thought she'd actually capture one alive?

At the same time Amber brought the person back, another set of hurried footsteps sounded outside the study. Then, Knight Byron burst through the door, "My Lord, what's happening here?"

He was originally responsible for guarding the main gate downstairs, but the commotion on the rooftop this time was too significant, which had alerted him.

As for when Melita visited before… Amber was sent flying the moment they met, so it didn't cause much of a stir.

"It's nothing, just a petty thief, already caught," Gawain waved at Byron. "You can go back to your post. Tonight is not peaceful."

Byron glanced into the study with a hint of confusion, seeing Amber beaming proudly and the infiltrator lying on the ground. But under orders, the middle-aged knight nodded, "Yes."

"How did you catch him?" After Knight Byron left, Gawain looked at Amber with surprise. "Did you win?"

"What's with that look on your face?!" Amber was quite displeased with Gawain's reaction. "My frontal combat ability is just a little bit weaker, but not so weak that I can't defeat anyone, okay? I even took down a monster you called an 'Aberration' before…"

Gawain continued to stare at her.

"Of course, the main reason is that this guy was stupid," Amber indeed had more to say. "He could have probably won in a frontal fight, but he insisted on showing off his Shadow Step—so I kicked him out of his shadow state. His spirit oscillated between the Shadow Realm and the Material Realm, and he just fainted."

Gawain looked at her, dumbfounded, thinking that only a freak like her could pull off such a barbaric and crude move.

Shadow Step was the infiltrator's signature skill. Basically, anyone who made a living from it had one or two "Shadow Walk" abilities. However, normal people's Shadow Walk was completely different from Amber's nonsensical ability; they could be considered two entirely different skill trees. Normal infiltrators could at most temporarily become invisible in the material world and shuttle between the Material Realm and the Shadow Realm (which mages called the "Shadow Boundary"). This was an extremely dangerous technique, like dancing on the tip of a knife, requiring precision and caution. Because if one misstep, they could fall into the shadow side and be torn to shreds by the unspeakable entities of the Shadow Realm. But Amber… heaven knows what her ability was.

Under normal circumstances, infiltrators only needed to focus on their own footsteps. As long as they didn't misstep, they didn't have to worry about falling into the shadows. This was because "Shadow Walk" was also known as the Path of Solitude. Every infiltrator knew that even the most skilled Shadow Master couldn't step into someone else's shadow footsteps. Therefore, as long as an infiltrator was skilled, they could easily master this "dance on the tip of a knife," but that was under normal circumstances…

It was a different story when a freak with a combat power of 1.5 geese suddenly appeared next to you while you were dancing on the tip of a knife and kicked you.

At this time, Amber was still proudly chattering, "It was so funny back then. This guy struck a particularly idiotic pose and then swish he entered shadow form—but I could see him very clearly. I saw him stealthily approach me, waving a small knife around. I pretended not to see him, and when he stood on the edge, I kicked him…"

Rebecca ignored Amber and crouched beside Gawain to examine the uninvited guest. "He's not going to wake up, is he?"

Gawain shook his head. "Hard to say. Normally, if a person is impacted in the Shadow Boundary, they'd either die or become an idiot."

As they were talking, the infiltrator lying on the ground suddenly twitched and then slowly woke up.

Under normal circumstances, a trained infiltrator would pretend to be dead without making a sound at this point, and would seamlessly control their heartbeat and breathing, making it undetectable to observers. But the impact they had just received in the Shadow Boundary caused this professional to lose control. By the time he realized something was wrong, he was already staring Gawain in the face.

The nameless young man's expression was a bit dazed, as if what was happening before him was too unexpected. He then prepared to bite the poison hidden in his mouth to commit suicide, only to find that the poison in his mouth had been taken away at some unknown time.

He could only choose to close his mouth and remain silent.

"What's your name?" "What's your objective?" "Who sent you?"

Gawain asked several questions in a row, but received no response at all. The other party acted as if he were deaf.

Amber took out her small dagger and spun it rapidly in her hand. "Want me to interrogate him? Although I'm not very professional, I did see some practical operations back when I sneaked into dungeons to steal things…"

Rebecca looked bewildered. "What were you stealing from dungeons?"

"You wouldn't understand," Amber smugly explained. "After many guards took property from prisoners, they would hide it in the nooks and crannies of the dungeon. They had to wait until shift change to transport the items, otherwise, they would be discovered by patrolling officers or lords—I specifically took advantage of those times…"

"Forget it, interrogation won't work," Gawain interrupted Amber's boasting. "Royal Shadow Guard, specifically trained to serve the king. They are the elite of the elite. Besides all sorts of special combat skills, their willpower is also terrifyingly strong. It's truly a wonder you managed to stumble upon such a master. You'll have bragging rights at the tavern for at least half a year."

Saying that, he looked down at the young man who was showing a surprised expression. "However, when I was alive, the Royal Shadow Guard were just personal guards, at most responsible for intelligence gathering in extreme environments. How is it that after seven hundred years, the Royal Shadow Guard have degenerated to the point of petty theft?"

The captured Shadow Guard looked at Gawain in astonishment, but before he could speak, Gawain continued, "You want to ask how I recognized your identity?"

The Shadow Guard nodded slightly.

"Nonsense. I personally set your designation and your first training system back then," Gawain patted the Shadow Guard's face. "I am the instructor of the first generation of Royal Shadow Guards!!"

Amber stared at Gawain's nearly two-meter-tall frame, dumbfounded. "You, a knight… became an instructor for infiltrators? You taught them stealth?"

Gawain smiled slightly. "No, I taught them physical training and two-handed swordsmanship."

Amber looked bewildered. "Why would infiltrators need to learn two-handed swordsmanship?!"

"Of course, it's to eliminate all witnesses when they are discovered during a mission."

"As an infiltrator, isn't being discovered during a mission equivalent to the mission being over!?"

"No, for Ansu's infiltrators, being discovered is just the beginning of the mission… However, this one doesn't seem to have completed those training courses very well. Or perhaps, after seven hundred years, the courses I left behind have been phased out due to obsolescence?"

The Shadow Guard lying on the ground immediately showed a pained expression—so those hellish training courses were left by this person…

Although seven hundred years had passed and all courses had been updated countless times, the courses considered fundamental, no matter how modified, had never been fundamentally replaced. Physical training and two-handed swordsmanship were among them.

Seeing the change in the Shadow Guard's expression, Gawain knew that the courses in his memory were likely still in place…

"Francis II sent you here, didn't he?" He looked at the young man on the ground with a kind smile. "But I think His Majesty the King wouldn't be so foolish as to send an assassin to kill me when half the kingdom knows I'm in the capital. So his order to you was likely surveillance?"

The Shadow Guard remained silent.

"But he should have reminded you to stay far away. After all, this matter is extremely risky. Even if the Cecil Family has declined, Gawain Cecil has not declined with them. So, is this overconfidence on your part… or disobedience?"

The Shadow Guard finally spoke his first sentence. "I have failed my mission and will accept my death. You don't need to worry about it."

"Accept your death my ass!" Gawain slapped the opponent's face. "Have you become so degenerate after too much comfortable time?!"

The Shadow Guard looked at Gawain in confusion, seemingly not understanding what he meant.

"What are the Royal Shadow Guards for? They are to protect the king, protect this country, protect this land! Your duty is to deal with those who attempt to subvert this kingdom, not to help a foolish king monitor your founding Duke! If you were captured on a battlefield against an enemy country, I might consider you to have some backbone for saying something like that, but you are here, in my home! You speak such nonsense about failing your mission in front of me—do you mean to say that I intend to subvert this country, or that Gawain Cecil capturing you is an insult to Ansu's dignity?! Does it mean that in the hearts of Ansu people today, the founding Duke and the kingdom he founded have become adversaries?!"

Facing Gawain's righteous reprimand, the young Shadow Guard finally became a little flustered. "No… I didn't mean that…"

"It's fine, your opinion doesn't matter," Gawain interrupted him directly, then stood up. "I'm not so petty as to get angry with my own descendant, so you can leave now."

The young Shadow Guard hadn't expected things to unfold like this at all (likely, everything that happened tonight was beyond his expectations). He stared blankly at Gawain, completely unable to believe what he had heard.

Even Amber and Rebecca, standing beside him, couldn't maintain calm expressions.

Gawain repeated himself, "I said, you can go—do you need me to escort you out?"

The Shadow Guard slowly got to his feet. "Are you sure?"

"Of course. I can't kill Francis II's man here, and I don't intend to bring you to Silver Castle tomorrow in front of everyone. Although I really wanted to, I'm past the age of acting purely on impulse. So, I have no choice but to let you go."

Rebecca seemed about to say something, but under Gawain's stern gaze, she forced herself to hold back.

The Shadow Guard slowly shuffled toward the window. Before he left, Gawain suddenly spoke up, "I have no interest in telling anyone about today's events. So, how you report back to your king will be entirely up to you."

"...Thank you for your mercy."

With that, the Shadow Guard's figure gradually faded into the air.

Gawain curled his lip. "...Another one leaving through the window."

Only then did Rebecca find an opportunity to speak. "Ancestor, you're really just letting him go?"

"Of course," Gawain chuckled. "Of course, I'm letting him go."

"But shouldn't he be punished? And the king sent people to monitor this place; this incident itself could also..."

"Rebecca, remember this: if you want to gain greater benefits, you must have a long-term perspective," Gawain said, patting Rebecca's head. "Letting a low-level soldier go is no loss, but the potential benefits are guaranteed."

"Potential benefits?" Rebecca blinked. "Like what?"

"It depends on how that young Shadow Guard reports back. And the outcome will be one of two," Gawain spread his hands. "Either Francis II won't be able to sleep tonight, or from now on, he'll have one more... not-so-loyal Shadow Guard by his side."

As he spoke, he turned around and looked out at the moonless night of the different world.

"'Relatively loyal' is absolutely disloyal'—that saying holds a lot of truth."