Ander held on tight to Ophina as they rode to his home.

She was a surprisingly good rider and managed to navigate the forest easily.

Ophina slowed the horse down as they reached Ander’s house.

As Ophina brought the horse around to the back of the house, Ander went inside.

Three of the soldiers were hanging around the living room while the fourth was with Mila.

She looked up as he approached and introduced herself.

“Ander right? I’m Karen” Karen approached with her hand out.

Ander was surprised but shook her hand.

She had removed her hood unlike the others and was interacting with Mila.

She had long black hair that hung over her right shoulder and gentle brown eyes.

Mila seemed to actually be getting along with Karen.

“Daddy, Karen is fun” She smiled as she ran to her father.

“Hmm?”

“I was showing off my drawing skills, you know pencils are considered rare in this place?”

“Yea it’s a luxury item for the nobles here”

Ander affirmed her words with a nod.

“Anyways, emperor Carnisus just made me your new commander”

“Seriously?”

One of the soldiers spoke up in amazement.

“Why should we believe you?”

Another soldier said abrasively.

“Because I said so”

Every one turned their heads as Ophina walked through the door.

“YOU!!? Aren’t you the emperor’s aide?”

 Karen said with a shocked look on her face.

Ander was also surprised at this revelation, but he stifled his shock.

“Of course, our lord made me Ander’s aide now and all of you will now obey him. Is that clear?”

Under Ophina’s gaze, everyone assented to her words.

“Well then, can all of you clear out of here? It’s been a long night. You guys can sleep in the unused rooms”

After Ander dismissed them, his new unit went off to retire for the night.

 “Mila, this Ophina. She’s . . .uh. . . your new .care ta-ker?”

Ander said as he looked over at Ophina.  

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you Mila”

Ophina gave Mila a small curtsy as she spoke.

Mila didn’t say anything and hid behind Ander while peering at Ophina.

“Don’t worry, she’ll get use to you. Maybe. But I don’t think we have more space in those rooms so you’ll have to join us

here in the living room”

“That’s fine”

They set out the futon and Ander handed Ophina some extra blankets to sleep by herself.

Ander hugged Mila close and wondered what was going to happen to them.

Mila as well could sense the changes around her.

But what she didn’t know was how far reaching these changes would soon become. 

In the morning, Ander woke up to the smell of food being cooked.

“Ophina?”

“I took the liberty of making us some soup”

Ophina replied with deep concentration on the pot.

“What about the soldiers?”

“Don’t worry, their rations will come soon. After all you have a lot to go through today”

Ander nodded and got changed.

After Ophina finished making food, he woke Mila up and they ate.

Mila seemed to still be wary of Ophina but ate nonetheless.

“Ander, when they come I’ll help brief you on everything. But you won’t get the whole picture. The only one who truly knows

Stolen novel; please report.

where the entire intelligence network runs through is me and the Emperor. So, you won’t get to control the actions of the

splinter cells”

“Shouldn’t you be leading the hawks?”

Ander said with a puzzled look.

“. . .”

Ophina looked Ander directly in his eyes and smiled before returning to eating.

“!?!”

Ander became warier of Ophina but decided to let things be for now.

The soldiers entered the living room after getting ready.

Everyone just sat around, waiting for the dispatched units to come.

Mila got bored and asked her father to let Karen play with her.

Ander agreed, and Karen took Mila to the courtyard.

“Oh, they’re here” Ophina got up and went to receive them.  

When Ander walked outside, he saw a caravan of people staring to arrive.

There three wagons being pulled with people around them.

They of course were all disguised as regular citizens.

Gone were the complex military uniforms and in their place, were simple robes of the region.

At the head of the wagons rode General Wergil on a black horse.

Even out of his uniform, Wergil looked like a commanding figure.

As all the soldiers started to unload things, Wergil, Ophina, and Ander met in the living room.

“We have brought all the supplies you would need and more”

Wergil said as he stroked his chin.

“What do you mean by that?”

“It’s simple, Ander. Your home is now one of our bases. None of the members are allowed to enter unless you give consent

though. Since we are also going to store the weapons here for an eventual armed occupation of the town”

“. . .”

“Anyways, your first assignment as decreed by our lord is the subjugation of Tetsuki. You are to lay out a strategy that gets

us the city without resistance and the least amount of notice by the inhabitants”

“What? That’s almost impossible. That city is almost comparable to the capital itself”

“Don’t worry, our scouts have already gathered a ton of information about it and plus you have Ophina here”

“I will do my best to help” Ophina nodded in support.

“Well then I have to get to actually handling the rest of the invasion here. Did you know that our army the 4th, is the only

one that isn’t going to go in to all-out war?”

Wergil got up and headed for the door.

“Yea, why is that?”

Wergil stopped just as he opened the door and said.

“Carnisus wants something in the city. I heard that it’s a special item and those who have it will run if they find out that its

why the city is being taken. So I urge to you to find a way to resolve this quietly. Otherwise our emperor will be angry, and

I’ll be forced to burn the city down looking for it”

With that, Wergil left and the caravan cleared out. Just after that, Karen and Herman walked in.

“Hello, commander. Karen and I are the only ones assigned to you right now. The others are being used for recon. But

there will always be a unit watching this house from outside”

“Okay then, Karen and Ophina get changed. I don’t want any signs of the imperial uniforms in this house got it? Burn your uniforms if you have too”

Karen and Ophina nodded and went out of the room.

Ophina had on a uniform that could be described as a house keepers’.

But this was the standard in their old city and wasn’t a good disguise for here.

So, she put on a new robe that was called a “kimono” in the town.

She choose an especially artistic one.

It was dark blue and interlaced with a black flowery pattern throughout.

Next, she got rid of her bun that wasn’t common around here.

Ophina let her hair hang around her shoulders and finally chose her weapons.

She wasn’t a direct fighter and so grabbed two sharp daggers.

Then she equipped herself with some other hidden blades.

As for Karen, she wasn’t as dramatic in her change.

She chose a simple green robe and used the sword that had been with her till now.

Meanwhile. . .

“Herman”

“Yes?”

“You will obey my orders, right?”

“Of course, after all you are a higher-ranking officer”

“Mine? Or Ophina’s?”

“I do not know what you mean. I’ve only heard about the fact that she worked directly for the emperor “

“Well then, what are your combat abilities?”

“Mostly some skill with a sword”

“How about a bow? I have acquired an interesting one recently. It just needs the right owner”

“We’re done” Before Ander could continue with Herman, Karen and Ophina walked back in.

“Oh? You two look great, like some noble ladies”

“Really you think so?” Karen said with a little red in her face.

“Mila what do you think?”

“Nn, Karen looks pretty”

“Well time to get to work. Ophina if you would please?”

“Of course”

Ophina left and brought back a box filled to the brim with documents.

Ander, Ophina, Herman and Karen got to work sorting through them.

As they worked, Mila was pre-occupied with some picture books the soldiers had brought.

When they were done, it was a little after high noon.

By this point, Mila was bored and so asked her father to go out.

“Well I guess we can use a break. What do you guys say?”

“If that’s what you want”

“Sure”

“Fine”

“Ok, Karen and Herman stay here. I don’t want to go as a group in to town. And I need Ophina to help me with something”

Karen went to look over the supplies while Herman took stock of the weapons.

Ophina offered to carry Mila, but Mila was still uneasy around her and preferred Karen still.

Though Ander also didn’t feel quite right with Ophina, he thought that he could at least trust her for now.

Instead, Ander carried Mila as always and handed the emperor’s sword to Ophina.

“What did you do for the emperor?” Ander asked Ophina as they walking.

“Many things, mostly recon and target removal. Of course, I also guarded the emperor from time to time”

“How come I’ve never heard of you?”

“I was part of a covert and elite part of the emperor’s personally selected forces. In fact, there used to be a whole unit of

people like me”

“What happened?”

“Your wife did” Ophina smirked as she laid the news on Ander.

“We were sent to get rid of her but she was more than what we could handle. In fact, I only escaped since I was the most

skilled. Everyone else was slain by her. The emperor wasn’t shocked at our failure and promoted me out of the shadows.

But I was kept out off duty after my failure, as a sleeper agent of sorts. It was only after the fall that I was reinstated”

“Yea, Emilia’s pretty strong isn’t she Mila?”

“Mommy is the best” Mila nodded in strong support of her mother.

“She is indeed, after my unit was gone many more created and dispatched. But of course, she survived them all. I wonder

where she got all that strength from, I have never fought anyone who wasn’t overwhelmed by us”

“Yep sounds about right. But I need your old skills, I need you to sweep the town for any suspicious individuals I missed”

“I’ll do my best”

They continued to stroll through the path after that.

----------------------------------------

 On that night, Guy was making another delivery to Ander’s house when he spotted something.

He quickly stopped his cart and went out on foot.

He noticed multiple figures approaching Ander’s house.

‘Oh? Looks like something interesting is happening’

He silently followed the figures from a distance and stopped far enough just to see the house.

A man started to walk up to the house and then Ander came out.

Guy noticed that Ander wasn’t happy but he left with the man.

When all the figures had left the forest, Guy left and went back to his cart.

He decided to ride back and report to his employer.

“I have news, several military types entered his house”

“Did see what country’s it was?”

“It wasn’t any country that I have seen. But it seemed like he knew them. I didn’t hear anything of course”

“It’s fine then, continue to observe”

“As you wish” The man nodded and left after receiving the news.

Guy watched with a dark glint in his eye as the man left.