The letter left behind by the masked man smelled faintly of iron and lavender—classy, but creepy.
Juichi held it up like a cursed scroll, reading aloud in his best dramatic voice:
> "Duke Reinhardt's estate shall host more than nobles.
Follow the third toast.
Beware the golden serpent.
The dancer in red knows too much."
He blinked. "So… is this intel or a villain's Instagram bio?"
Sakura snatched it from his hand and examined the back. "There's more here—coded writing under the wax."
With a bit of steam and a knife, she revealed a faded sketch of the Duke's mansion layout, highlighting a specific hallway behind the ballroom and marking it: Storage B. Beside it, a single word: "Documents."
Edgar leaned over the map with a frown. "That room's only accessible during the party. Servants use it to rotate expensive wine crates. If there's something hidden there, we'll have one chance."
Juichi grinned, adjusting his collar. "Perfect. I've always wanted to steal secrets while sipping wine."
That night, the party was in full swing. Glittering chandeliers hung above masked nobles dancing in elegant spirals. Laughter and lies filled the air, soaked in perfume and politics.
Juichi stood beside Sakura, both dressed like attendants to a well-known merchant—Edgar, who was already schmoozing with a group of portly lords near the wine table.
Sakura whispered, "Third toast is coming up. That's our cue."
Juichi pretended to sip from a goblet. "Can't believe we're about to break into a wine cellar dressed like we're in a romance novel."
As the nobles raised their glasses for the third toast, Juichi and Sakura slid away into the hallway, unnoticed.
The corridor behind the ballroom was quieter. Cold stone walls. Low candlelight. Juichi's boots made soft thuds as he approached the storage room marked on the map.
The door was locked.
Sakura pulled out a thin needle. "I'll pick it."
Juichi whistled. "Damn, Sakura, what don't you know how to do?"
"Keep quiet," she muttered, twisting the lock. Click.
Inside, crates of fine wine and dusty bookshelves lined the room. Hidden between them, in a sealed case behind barrels, they found it—a stack of documents with the Duke's seal, marked "Confidential Trade Approvals."
Sakura flipped through them. "These are records… weapons shipments. Some routed through rebel territories."
"They're selling to the Dark Army," Juichi said, his voice low but serious now. "That snake."
Before they could take the papers, voices echoed from the hall.
"Someone's coming," Sakura hissed.
Juichi grabbed the papers and blew out the candles. "Let's vanish."
They slipped into a servant tunnel hidden behind a wine rack, crawling through dust and cobwebs until they emerged into the garden under the night sky.
Back at the inn later, Juichi plopped onto the bed, waving the documents triumphantly.
"Well, that was fun. Let's crash more parties in the future."
Sakura, sitting across from him, held one of the papers close to the candlelight. "These aren't just records. Look—this name keeps showing up."
Juichi leaned over. His grin slowly faded.
"General Vargros—High Commander of the Dark Army."
---
To be continued…
!