Hiding in the wardrobe, Raphael watched the lovemaking between the courtesan Sophia and a gentleman on the bed while realizing that someone intended to assassinate her today.
Raphael did not know exactly why someone wanted Sophia dead, but it was not hard to guess. Either some noblewoman had seen her husband fall under Sophia's spell and hired a Beyonder assassin to eliminate the courtesan, or Sophia had learned something she should not have, and someone wanted her to take that information to her grave.
Whatever the case, Raphael felt he needed to revise his original plan.
Just then, the two people outside let out satisfied cries again with remarkable efficiency. As before, they began chatting afterward.
Once again, Sophia needed only a few words to learn the movements of a Beyonder unit serving the royal family.
Only now did Raphael learn that members of the royal family had secretly assembled several Beyonder units under the cover of the military. Some of their members had been trained by the royal family itself, while others were recruited unaffiliated Beyonders.
But on reflection, this was perfectly normal.
Loen had vast colonies that required considerable Beyonder power to maintain. Relying solely on the royal family's own personnel would surely leave them stretched thin.
These Beyonder forces presumably operated with the Churches' tacit approval, though the royal family certainly would not dare go too far. Otherwise, the Churches would no longer "tacitly approve."
The two people on the bed chatted for a while, tidied themselves up, and hurried away.
The battle in the wardrobe resumed. The woman in the silver mask thrust her shortsword first. Raphael caught her wrist and bent it aside, exposing her chest and abdomen, then kicked at her. But she raised her leg as well, wrapping it around his attacking leg.