When word spread that Puang had an exclusive arrangement with the Black Wolf Corps, applicants began to flock in one by one.

For the first time in his life, Puang found himself sitting in as an interviewer for various nobles, and he and Yuma together vetted them.

Not a single noble who had ever seen Hugo in person would offer their daughters as brides.

And that was a sensible decision.

Becoming Hugo’s bride meant becoming the mistress of the Black Wolf Corps—but it also meant you could die in your sleep the very next night.

Even aside from the bedroom, the risks of assassination, war, and battlefield exposure were alarmingly high.

If a family accepted Hugo as a son-in-law, they would almost certainly draw harsher scrutiny from imperial power—so it was far from an attractive prospect for prominent houses.

So it was only natural that the well-known aristocratic families kept their daughters at home.

In the end, the families who actually offered daughters as candidates were small- to mid-ranked nobles.

Yuma also got to see many nobles he’d only known by name—men who had never once raised their own crest or flown their banner while living as eunuchs.

“That concludes my introduction of my daughter. Any further questions?” the family head asked.

“No—this is sufficient. Thank you for coming. We will inform Lord Hugo,” the noble replied.

“Please speak well of her. With a girl like mine, I think he’ll be satisfied,” the father said.

“Safe travels. Thank you,” the visitors replied and left.

That family was the Hujin house—one Yuma had only heard of by name.

The Hujin daughter was the archetypal match for a small noble’s political marriage: pretty, passive, and perfectly suited to be married off for alliance and status.

If sent to Hugo, she wouldn’t last a single day.

“A commoner like me judging nobles… what if they accuse us of sacrilege?” Puang muttered.

“Puang, you’re more timid than I thought. As long as you don’t insult them outright, nothing will happen. After all, Hugo stands behind us—hold your head higher,” Yuma said.

“Our guild’s fame is spreading too quickly. I worry the nobles may view us with ill favor. Strange rumors about our guild are already circulating,” Puang fretted.

“Then we’ll make it impossible for anyone to mess with us. To do that, grow the guild fast and slip more coin into the nobles’ pockets,” Yuma replied.

“Hmm…”

“Look at the cards we already hold: the Fobian house and the Black Wolf Corps. Sir Haiwan Woods as well. Let’s secure them properly first.”

Puang nodded with a dazed look.

“Kog, prepare the next candidate,” he said.

Kog was a servant of Puang’s guild, about five years older than Yuma. During Yuma’s stay at the guild, Kog had proven to be the gentlest and most loyal of the staff.

Yuma had decided that if the guild took on more clandestine work, he’d give that post to Kog.

Kog opened the door and smoothed the carpet again.

By now he’d done the ritual—polishing the carpet—more than ten times that day; it was a performance put on whenever a new interview began, to put the nobles in the right mood.

The woman who entered was dressed quite plainly for a noble—more like a modestly well-off commoner.

She had no parents or attendants with her. Until now, every noble who had come had been presented by their family.

“Sorry for making you come all this way,” Puang said with an affected pity in his voice.

“No, it’s fine,” she answered.

“May I ask your name, miss?” Puang asked.

“Cindy Mu,” she replied.

“Ah.”

Mu was the surname of illegitimate daughters. In the Empire, all illegitimate children used the same family name: females were Mu, males were Din.

Yuma and Puang immediately understood why Cindy Mu was plainly dressed and had come alone.

“Are bastards or commoners allowed to apply?” someone asked.

“It’s not forbidden,” Puang replied.

In the Empire, hardly anyone openly admitted to being an illegitimate child. It was far better to live as an anonymous commoner than to be labeled a bastard.

Nobles rarely took responsibility for bastards; it was easier to toss them a few coins and send them away. If someone tried to be overly charitable, they’d be seen as weak.

Commoners also disliked bastards—some in the past had tried to claim superiority over commoners, and those attempts had been crushed. So most bastards hid their names and lived quietly.

‘I see. So that’s who she is,’ Yuma thought.

Though he had been uncertain at first, hearing the name made him look more closely—and then he recognized her.

The woman who called herself Cindy Mu was actually the operative known by the codename “White Butterfly”, a special imperial agent.

Outwardly she operated as “Cindy Mu”, but that was all part of a public-relations scheme ordered by Empress Hella Roze.

The Empress later used the public opinion Cindy shaped to highlight the problems with the bastard system.

“Cindy, have you ever seen Hugo in person?” Puang asked.

“No,” she replied.

“I’m not joking—he’s the type who could knock someone out with his presence alone. I don’t think you could handle him,” Puang warned.

Before his regression, Yuma had once heard the Empress speak of White Butterfly.

“White Butterfly… such a pitiful child. But then again, so are all members of the Imperial Special Forces. Yuma, do you know this? While they live, they have no true names. Only codenames. Their real names are given only when they’re laid to rest beneath a gravestone. I’ve already chosen the name I’ll give to White Butterfly.”

“So she’s someone you value deeply.”

“White Butterfly is actually the illegitimate child of my father, Grand Duke Winslting. She doesn’t even know it herself.”

Yuma hid a bitter smile as he glanced at Cindy.

“I’ve heard the rumors too. The Ogre Slayer—a monster towering over three meters tall.”

“Well, perhaps not quite that much, but even if you stretched your arm, Lady Cindy, I doubt you’d reach Lord Hugo’s face,” Puang said.

“You sound rather pessimistic. But if I’ve given you my name, shouldn’t you introduce yourselves as well?”

Her tone wasn’t sharp in the slightest. It was calm and casual—like asking ‘Have you eaten yet?’

Clearly, that wasn’t her natural personality. It was a persona she had carefully chosen as most fitting for her role as a member of the Imperial Special Forces.

Yuma thought to himself that Cindy had crafted her “character” well.

“My apologies. As you probably know, I am Puang, a merchant. And this is my secretary, Yuma.”

“Thank you.”

An awkward silence followed. For some reason, Puang felt uncomfortable with the woman before him and coughed to break it.

“Lady Cindy, is your true intention really to become Lord Hugo’s bride?” Yuma asked.

The question weighed heavily. She was Imperial Special Forces—this was not a matter to take lightly.

There was no way she’d been sent merely to inquire about Puang’s guild.

The current Empress, Aska Roze, disliked her husband’s illegitimate children. She wasn’t petty enough to show it outright, but she certainly wasn’t fond of them either.

‘So this is it. Pulling the Black Wolf Corps into play… that must have been one of the major turning points that altered the past. Perhaps the plan is to plant her here, draw out intel on the Corps, and then let her conveniently die. But if she really does become Hugo’s bride, that’s another kind of advantage for them.’

In Yuma’s past life, Cindy had never been tied to the Black Wolf Corps or Puang’s guild. The next Empress, Hella Roze, had planned to use her as a symbol of hope for all illegitimate children.

“You’re quick on the uptake, secretary,” Cindy said.

“Then tell us what you want.”

“Becoming Lord Hugo’s bride would be nice. But if that’s impossible, I’d like to strike a deal—with Puang’s guild.”

“What kind of deal…?” Puang asked.

“I’ll tell you about the Shurel family’s secret vault. In exchange, I want you to protect my life.”

For a moment, Puang was reminded of the first time he met Yuma—that devil who had appeared offering the secret of mana stone cultivation.

And now this girl wanted to hand over the Shurel family’s hidden vault? What was he supposed to do with that? He couldn’t exactly go burgling noble estates.

“Kog! Escort Lady Cindy out—”

“Let her continue,” Yuma interrupted, cutting him off.

Puang pouted and dropped his gaze, frustrated. Who was really running this guild, anyway?

‘If we turn her away, another operative will come in her place. Better to keep someone we already know where we can watch her closely.’

If the Imperial Special Forces had been dispatched at all, it meant the Imperial Court already knew much about Puang’s guild—very likely even their dealings and his list of clients.

But the mana stone cultivation? That was brand new. Not even the Special Forces could know about that yet—it was happening in the lands of Matan.

“I once worked at the Fobian family’s casino,” Cindy revealed. “One of the managers you bought off is a friend of mine. You’ve been there, haven’t you? The masked women in revealing outfits, pouring drinks and snacks to liven the mood. I was one of them.”

Yuma understood then—her last mission had been surveillance of the Fobian house.

“In casinos, you only need to listen carefully to hear all sorts of things. And if, like me, you end up in bed with a drunken noble, you hear even more. One such noble spilled secrets about the Shurel family—drugs, a secret vault, things like that.”

“Liquor truly is a curse,” Puang muttered.

“The next morning, when he sobered up, he tried to kill me to shut me up. I barely escaped, hid for days, and eventually found my way here.”

“A tragic story, yes. But why our guild, specifically?” Puang pressed, his voice sharp.

A dreadful premonition gnawed at him—he knew Yuma would insist on keeping her.

“Because you’re the only guild I know that specializes in bribery. You bribed Lord Haiwan Woods, bribed the casino’s management. And now you’ve got the Black Wolf Corps at your back. You’re perfect. With your protection, even the Shurel heir won’t dare kill me. So please—hire me.”

“Try your luck with another noble family. Our guild doesn’t have that kind of pow—” Puang began.

“You’re exactly right. You’re hired. I trust the vault is well-stocked?” Yuma cut in with a grin.

“What—!?” Puang gaped at him. This was outrageous. He glared at Yuma with open fury.

‘I can’t play secretary forever, can I? I was already thinking of hiring one, anyway.’

‘Secretary!? You’d make her your secretary? On what grounds!?’

‘I have my reasons. If it fails, I’ll take responsibility. Besides, we need cash flow for the guild right now.’

As Puang and Yuma exchanged hand signals in their whispered argument, Cindy didn’t seem to care.

After a long moment of grumbling, Puang finally raised both hands and sighed.

“Competent people are always welcome. I trust you’ve already planned how to make use of the Shurel family’s secret vault?”

“Of course. I’m smarter than I look.”

“Then I’ll be counting on you, Miss Cindy.”

Yuma stepped forward and offered his hand. Cindy smiled faintly and clasped it.