TCBUP 22

22. The Keyword That Leads to Success

You have to figure things out if you want the mission to succeed.

And now, this man was my last lifeline.

The man who had been with Marquis Pites and had accompanied the wagon carrying stolen goods and cash.

There wasn’t much time left. If I couldn’t get anything out of him, the mission would fail.

“I-I was going to tell you…”

I grabbed the arm that was choking me and stammered out the words with difficulty.

“What?”

“In the warehouse… I saw it. A man, huff, opening the box…”

His grip on my throat loosened slightly.

My ragged breathing eased a little, and it was now somewhat easier to speak.

“I followed him, cough. I didn’t know who to tell…”

“Go on.”

“More than the stolen goods, the cash was… Please, just…”

Since I didn’t know the full story, I had to piece things together using just the keywords I had gathered.

He was probably in a state of panic, afraid that the Marquis Pites and the Empress would turn against him because of the ambushed transport wagon, so he might spill everything.

“Damn. So they’ve figured out the slush funds.”

He muttered to himself.

I couldn’t make it out completely because my throat was still being held.

Something about how stolen goods are hard to liquidate anyway, or that it’s fine as long as the cash is safe.

As the man pondered his next move, I cautiously asked,

“The cash… is it safe?”

“What?”

“Her Majesty the Empress was worried… cough”

“…The slush fund is safe. But wait—did you say the Empress sent you?”

“…”

“I see. My apologies.”

He loosened his grip completely.

As my neck was freed, I reflexively took a deep breath.

But it didn’t last long—he adjusted his grip and seized my throat again.

“But I can’t let you live, having witnessed my mistake. I’m sorry.”

“Ugh…”

“I’ll report that the wagon was ambushed because you leaked information. Think of it as a parting gift from me.”

Just as my vision turned white and my consciousness began to fade, the man let out a choking sound and collapsed forward.

With my airway cleared, I dropped to the ground, coughing violently.

“Are you alright?”

“L-Leon…”

Leon caught the man’s limp body and tossed him aside.

There was a long, diagonal cut running down the man’s back.

“I told you to stay out of danger. What the hell are you doing here instead of going back?”

“Ah, ugh…”

My coughing hadn’t subsided enough to answer.

As I struggled to look up at Leon, he knelt down on one knee to meet my gaze.

“You okay, Sienna?”

His voice was gentle and reassuring, and it brought tears to my eyes.

His large hand gently cradled the back of my neck.

“Look at me, Sienna.”

He firmly held my face and locked eyes with me.

His fierce, icy blue eyes were now filled with warmth, and my ragged breathing slowly steadied.

Every time I blinked—eyes I hadn’t even realized were open—tears welled up and dripped down.

“Breathe in slowly, and out. That’s it.”

Following his calm instructions, I took deep breaths in and out.

After several tries, my vision cleared, and the first thing I saw was the system message, its red blinking finally stopped.

<SYSTEM>
Remaining Time: 00:00:07
The keyword combination satisfying the mission success condition has been completed.

#Empress #Marquis Pites #Fall Guy #Slush Funds #Theft #Deception

Ha, the mission’s over. Thank goodness.

If I had known it was just about finding the right keywords, I would’ve handled it much sooner.

The tension that had locked my body suddenly released, and I let out a weak laugh.

That relief—just being alive—made even the vague, explanation-free mission easier to forgive.

Or maybe I was just too exhausted to get angry.

“Captain, should we retreat now—huh?”

A man who looked like one of Leon’s subordinates ran up and froze mid-step.

His eyes were filled with curiosity and suspicion as he looked at me.

“I’ll escort the lady. You take care of the aftermath.”

“Oh, of course. But… Captain, isn’t that guy over there the client?”

“Yeah.”

“No way, Captain—did you… no. No way, right? Tell me it’s not true.”

He looked desperate for Leon to deny it, asking over and over before Leon calmly crushed that hope.

“That’s why I told you to clean it up properly.”

“Ugh, I can’t take this!”

“It was dark. I thought he was one of the attackers.”

“Does that even make sense? Since when did your night vision stop working, Captain?”

He clutched his head, yelling in frustration at Leon.

But really, it was my fault this all happened.

And for that, I couldn’t just stay silent.

“Um, sorry. Leon was just trying to save me…”

The man snapped his head up.

There was a sudden glint in his eyes that made me instinctively step back.

“…A witness?”

“No, Joshua. She’s an accomplice.”

“How far of an accomplice?”

“Hmm. Not sure.”

The two of them moved slightly away and whispered for a while, occasionally glancing in my direction.

I guess they were in a tough spot—assigned as guards, yet the ambush had still happened.

“Leon, would it help you if the transported goods turned out to be safe?”

“What?”

Leon and Joshua both stepped closer to me.

“What do you mean?”

“That guy said earlier there was a separate wagon for transporting the cash. If at least some of it was saved, wouldn’t the backlash be less severe?”

Leon and Joshua exchanged a loaded glance.

Watching nervously, I met Leon’s eyes.

He gave me a quiet smile, took off his jacket, and draped it over my shoulders.

“That would help a lot. Thanks, Sienna.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“But you weren’t here today. Just in case.”

“Step aside, Captain.”

Joshua pushed past Leon, who had been comforting me, and crouched down in front of me.

“What are you doing?” Leon asked with a look.

Ignoring him, Joshua examined my neck carefully.

As I awkwardly rubbed it, he grabbed my wrist and rotated it gently.

“Yikes, nothing broken or sprained, but you’re going to have some serious bruises. Both on your neck and your wrist.”

“Oh…”

“Seriously, what were you doing while this poor lady was getting manhandled, Captain? You really are going blind with age, huh?”

“What?”

“Look at this delicate girl—how could anyone lay a hand on her? That bastard deserved to die. He deserved it.”

He kept grumbling, but didn’t stop checking my injuries.

Even with Leon staring in disbelief, Joshua carried on as if nothing could faze him.

What a strange dynamic. Their ranks were clear, but they were completely casual with each other.

“When you get home, put a cold pack on it. After two days, switch to warm packs.”

“Okay.”

“And if it still hurts or feels off, go see a doctor.”

“I will.”

“Let’s go. I’ll take you home.”

“Sorry?”

Leon helped me up. Joshua gave him a glare of disbelief.

“You’re leaving while the client is lying dead there?”

“There’s a representative.”

“…Yujin is really going to lose it this time.”

“Tell her I sincerely apologize.”

“Ugh.”

Joshua held his head in his hands, but Leon just chuckled and wrapped my arm around his to support me.

Seeing me stumble, Joshua looked worried and stopped arguing.

“Make sure you rest well, miss.”

“Thank you. But… is it really okay for me to just leave?”

“Of course. Worst case, we get chewed out or fired.”

“Yeah, we’ll be the ones taking the blame anyway.”

Just then, a whistle blew from where the battle had taken place.

The area had been cleaned up as if nothing had happened.

The masked men were gone, leaving behind a few fallen guards, two horses, and a wagon.

“Who do you think those masked people were?”

“Who knows.”

“Aren’t those guards your men? They looked badly hurt.”

I couldn’t stop staring worriedly, and Leon gently turned my head away with his hand.