Moves on All Sides (Bonus chapter)

Inside the Intis Embassy in Backlund's West Borough, the Intis ambassador, Beckland Jean Madan, studied the compiled intelligence beside him. His brows unconsciously furrowed above his gaunt, faintly stubbled face.

Then he rang the bell at the corner of his desk, summoning the steward who had been waiting outside the study.

An impeccably dressed gentleman of late middle age entered. Beckland looked at him and said quite politely, "Mr. Corton, please fetch Rosago."

This steward not only served as the embassy's "butler," but also protected successive ambassadors. He was the embassy's chief military attaché, a Sequence 5 Astronomer... and had certain ties to the Church of Steam and Machinery.

"Please wait a moment, Your Excellency." Corton bowed respectfully, his movements precise and his bearing elegant, without a single flaw.

After Corton left, Beckland unconsciously exhaled. For some reason, he always felt a great deal of pressure around this steward... Coupled with the man's rigid personality and complicated background, this kept Beckland from fully trusting him. He entrusted much of his unsavory work to Rosago and the intelligence operatives he had privately recruited.

Fortunately, the steward merely adhered strictly to his duties and showed little interest in anything else.

Before long, Rosago, a handsome man with black hair, blue eyes, and a light beard, followed Corton into the office.

Only after Corton voluntarily withdrew and closed the office door did Beckland hand Rosago a document. "That useless Meursault failed, and even exposed his connection to us to a detective... Now MI9 has gotten involved... Those simpleminded Highlanders really are unreliable!"

After carefully reading through the material, Rosago immediately reached a conclusion. "Although Meursault had only recently become a Hunter, he wasn't someone an ordinary person could easily kill... That detective is most likely a Beyonder with some ability in direct combat...