Tension.

For Ali, it was a familiar yet strange feeling he hadn't experienced in a very long time.

Silently sharpening his dagger on a whetstone, he suddenly bit his lip and rose from his seat.

As Ali approached the large mirror that filled one wall of the room, he saw himself with a harder, more solemn expression than ever before.

"......"

Of course, he knew logically that it made no sense.

Information passing through numerous informants often becomes distorted and exaggerated. Realistically, the chances that 'that old man' had actually appeared here in Edessa were almost nonexistent.

But just as a fourteen-year-old princess once saved a declining empire and ushered in a new era, Ali knew from experience that seemingly impossible things could always become reality.

And if he had actually come here... it meant the time had arrived for Ali to put a definitive end to his past.

"...Right."

How much time had passed as he continued staring at the mirror? Finally, Ali's lips parted.

With a more serious expression, he turned without hesitation.

He grabbed the familiar black robe carelessly draped over a chair, tucked the sharply honed dagger and various lockpicks deep inside his garments, and immediately opened the door to his lodgings.

[The sixth alley on the main road, and opposite the sixth building with a red roof.]

The location of "him" that Kyrillos had pointed out was clear.

Recalling the face of "her" who had trusted him, Ali began walking quickly through the darkened streets without hesitation.

"Buy it, buy! Come take a look!"

Even though the sun had already set, Edessa's streets were still bustling. People of various nationalities and ethnicities mingled freely, conversing shoulder to shoulder, filling these Roman-style streets to capacity.

That's why security in Edessa was more important than in any other city.

As the frontline of the Christian world and a massive melting pot where all races from East and West lived together, the dark shadows of these splendid and bustling streets needed to be thoroughly managed by the right people.

[Do what you think is right.]

Recalling those words spoken by her long ago, Ali crossed the road quickly with rapid steps.

After passing five alleys from the main road, he finally reached the sixth narrow alley. Ali's dark, sharp eyes clearly spotted a two-story building opposite the red-roofed building in the distance.

"......"

Seeing it in person, tension surged through him once more.

This was the final farewell to his blood-stained childhood.

Ali touched the dagger inside his robe once more before lightly jumping over the low wall of the first building.

'Let's do what needs to be done.'

Ali's mission was always the same.

To persuade the target to join their side, or if that proved impossible, to eliminate them and secure all the intelligence networks they might have established in this city.

Ali moved swiftly and silently across the rooftops.

Soon enough, he successfully reached the two-story building that Kyrillos had pointed out.

"......"

He had deliberately approached via the rooftops to surprise his target.

Whether recruiting or eliminating the target, the first priority was to subdue them completely and control the situation.

After quickly scanning the surroundings, Ali spotted an old wooden railing leading to a second-floor window.

Without hesitation, he entered, and a familiar scent of incense hit his nostrils strongly.

'This smell....'

A nostalgic, almost longed-for scent.

Yes, it was the distinctive smell of a certain herb that he used to encounter whenever entering that person's room.

For a moment, Ali unconsciously bit his lip hard.

Hiding his emotions by gripping the dagger in his robe tightly, he entered the building without hesitation. The second floor, devoid of any furniture, showed no signs of life.

'So there's just one person inside...'

Ali headed straight for the narrow wooden stairs.

From the top of the stairs, he glanced down at the first-floor living room. In the dim light from a single candle, one long shadow stretched motionlessly.

'...Good.'

There was no more reason to hesitate.

Ali held his breath and quickly descended the stairs.

On the first floor, in a small room lit by candles, a man sat kneeling, completely motionless.

He wore a robe covering his entire body, just like Ali.

And that back view... was somehow all too familiar.

'As expected....'

Ali bit his lip tightly, suppressing even the sound of his breathing.

Then, without a moment's hesitation, he lunged at the man like lightning.

"...!"

The man reacted immediately, as if expecting it.

He deflected Ali's hand reaching for his neck and countered with a punch aimed at Ali's abdomen.

Pat-!

But this was a counterattack Ali had fully anticipated.

Ali immediately raised his leg to block the man's fist with his knee, then delivered a headbutt straight to the man's face.

Pak-!

"Ugh..."

A short groan escaped as the intense impact jolted the man's senses.

He staggered back a step.

'Now's my chance...!'

Not missing the opportunity, Ali dove inside the man's guard, grabbed his thigh, and pushed with his body.

It was a perfect wrestling move to throw the opponent off balance.

The man lost his center and tilted backward, and Ali applied even more force, completely destroying the man's balance.

Bang-!

With a dull thud, the man fell to the floor.

Though Ali also felt the impact, he didn't hesitate for a moment and immediately straddled the man's upper body, completely immobilizing him.

Then, as he drew the hidden dagger from his robe to hold it against the man's throat...

"Ah, Ali?"

The voice of the man pinned to the floor came first.

And it was... not at all the voice of "that man" Ali had been expecting.

"...Kiya?"

A somewhat deflated feeling.

Well, Kyrillos's intelligence wasn't wrong. Kiya was certainly a high-ranking official of the Nizari assassin order.

Ali stared at him coldly, not lowering his guard.

Meanwhile, Kiya, pinned beneath him, wore an expression as if he'd just bumped into an old friend on the street, and asked in a genuinely delighted voice:

"So you were alive after all!"

It sounded too sincere to be an act.

※※

"So you thought he would come all the way here?"

"Yes."

"Haha, that's impossible. Have you completely forgotten his personality after not seeing him for just a few years?"

"...Maybe."

"Anyway, that extreme personality of his hasn't changed a bit from the old days. ...By the way, could you untie me now?"

"No."

In the same room as before. Ali now sat in front of the tightly bound Kiya, deep in thought.

"Hmm... that's a bit disappointing."

Kiya. An old friend who had studied alongside Ali under Hassan Sabbah, and currently a top-level "administrator" who oversaw all internal affairs under Hassan Sabbah.

After pondering something intently for a moment, Ali stared directly at Kiya's face.

"So what are you doing all the way out here?"

"I'm on vacation."

"Vacation?"

"Yes. When you're cooped up in a stuffy fortress every day, sometimes you want to meet ordinary people."

"Ha...."

It was such a typical Kiya answer. Ali couldn't help but laugh.

Observing his expression, Kiya asked without hesitation:

"So what are you doing here? We all thought you were dead."

"You thought I was dead?"

"Yes! He said so himself."

"...Really?"

Interpreting that statement in reverse meant that Hassan Sabbah had noticed Ali's defection long ago.

Ali sighed briefly and answered honestly.

"A few years ago, I failed in my mission to assassinate the Roman Empress and was captured by her."

"Oh... so? How did you escape?"

"I had a sincere conversation with her and swore to follow her as my new master."

"......"

Kiya flinched in surprise, clearly at a loss for words.

Eventually, he spoke in a careful voice.

"Ali, it's not too late. Come back to the fortress with me. We're all waiting for you."

"......"

"I'm not trying to deny who you are now. I'm just saying that for your future, you need to make the right choice, even now."

"What's the right choice?"

"Coming back to where we were, to the embrace of your family."

"She is my new family now."

"Before her, you're just a foreigner. No, she probably thinks of you as nothing more than a convenient tool."

Kiya continued in a calm but firm voice.

"Do you think she'll keep you by her side when your physical abilities decline and you're no longer useful as a spy? Don't delude yourself, Ali. Even now, she surely remembers that you once tried to kill her."

"She has forgiven all of my past."

"Anyone can say anything."

"I believe only what I've seen, heard, and felt myself."

"You were never such a sentimental person before."

"People change."

Ali had felt sincerity from her.

He had clearly felt that warm sensation of being seen for "himself" rather than just for "his abilities"—something he had never once felt from that man.

"You've gone completely mad."

"Think what you want."

Ali turned his back on Kiya and glanced around the room.

Then, his eyes fell on a small, familiar book casually placed on the desk.

"That's a history book written by him."

"You remember it well."

"I'm taking it."

"...What?"

Kiya, who had been blinking stupidly, burst into laughter.

"Why, suddenly missing his embrace?"

"The Empress said she needed it."

"The Empress... what?"

Ali silently tucked the book inside his robe.

He turned back to Kiya.

"Kiya, let me ask you one last question."

"Go ahead."

"Does he still eat alone?"

"Yes, that's his belief."

"I see."

Then there was no more hope to hold onto.

It meant he still viewed his followers as tools rather than people.

Ali silently drew his dagger.

Kiya watched him quietly, then sighed deeply and spoke as if resigned:

"Killing me won't change anything, Ali. He wouldn't even care if someone like me disappeared."

"I know."

No farmer truly grieves when a small hoe breaks.

They might feel a slight regret, but nothing more.

That's why Ali threw his dagger down, embedding it in the floor.

"Go back and tell that old man clearly: don't even think about Edessa again. The Roman Empire will never attack them first as long as your Nizari don't interfere in Edessa first."

"You've become a complete Roman, haven't you?"

"I told you. I've sworn to follow the Roman Empress now."

Then Ali kicked the chair hard.

With a bang, the chair fell over, and Kiya let out a soft groan.

"After you untie yourself, take whoever you can contact and return to the fortress immediately. At dawn tomorrow, I plan to eliminate every Nizari operative hiding in Edessa without exception."

"Are you really... completely betraying him?"

"I was the one who was betrayed. I truly believed he thought of me as a real son."

Until he met the Empress, he had foolishly thought that was the true meaning of a master-servant relationship.

"And Kiya, take this opportunity to think carefully again. About who you really are, and what Kiya Buzurg-Ummid truly wants."

Ali loosened Kiya's ropes just enough for him to crawl to the dagger.

It would take him about 30 minutes to reach the dagger and cut himself free completely.

"You sound like you've met a savior, Ali."

Kiya muttered incredulously.

But he no longer tried to persuade Ali. As if he sensed something different in Ali's firm, unwavering gaze.

Ali silently looked down at Kiya for a moment, then turned without hesitation and left the dark room.

"What kind of woman is this Roman Empress that made you change so much?"

Kiya's final words followed him.

Ali didn't look back, but answered in a calm voice:

"Someone who can fully recognize a person as a person."

"...What does that mean?"

Kiya's voice conveyed complete confusion.

Ali answered briefly with a faint smile on his lips:

"If you ever meet her yourself, you'll understand exactly what I mean."