Two days ago, after dinner as usual, the Hounds had dispersed to their respective duties. That night, Derrygan, who was on duty, visited the captain's office late at night.

“Is something wrong?”

It was the first time their captain had summoned anyone. According to Haria, Isaac had recently been forbidden from associating with women by the Empress herself.

Since then, Isaac had locked himself up in the captain’s office. What he was doing inside remained a mystery.

When Derrygan entered the office and posed his question, Isaac opened his mouth to speak.

“Are you alone today?”

“Yes. I’m on duty tonight.”

“That’s perfect.”

Though Isaac’s words were vague, Derrygan wasn’t slow on the uptake. He knew what his strengths were, and he had a good idea of why he might be here.

“They say you’re the best assassin among the Hounds. Is that true?”

“There are only Haria and me who specialize in assassination, but yes, I suppose that’s accurate.”

While Coil excelled at infiltration, his skills lay in acting and blending into groups rather than assassination. For specialized targets, it was usually Derrygan or Haria who handled the missions.

“Between you and Haria, who’s the better assassin?”

“Of course, I am. While I acknowledge Haria’s talent and systematic training, she still lacks experience. That said… is there someone you need killed, or is there someone you want dead?”

Derrygan didn’t think Isaac called him because he lacked the ability to kill someone himself.

Though no one fully understood Isaac’s abilities yet, Derrygan knew one thing: if it was an enemy Isaac could face directly, he wouldn’t need anyone else’s help.

He assumed he’d been summoned for that reason, but his guess was only half correct.

“For the past few days, Haria and I have been tailed by some people. Judging by how they switch watchers daily, I’d estimate around ten of them. I wanted to deal with them all at once, but I couldn’t locate their hideout. So, I figured I’d consult the expert.”

Though Isaac spoke lightly, the weight of his words was anything but. If this wasn’t handled correctly, the Hounds’ existence might be exposed.

Derrygan’s expression grew serious, and his mind began working quickly. While he had previously pointed out Haria’s lack of experience, it was only in comparison to himself.

As an assassin, Haria was far from incompetent. Even setting aside her youth, she would rank among the top on the continent.

‘If someone like Haria has been tailed for days without noticing… this is serious.’

“My guess is that the people tailing you and Haria are members of the ‘Shika.’”

“The Shika? What’s that?”

He doesn’t know? For someone so skilled, Isaac’s general knowledge was surprisingly limited. Then again, considering his understanding of things like the Teal Miracle, perhaps his knowledge simply didn’t align with conventional wisdom.

“They’re a renowned family of assassins in our world. Dangerous and powerful. Their target is likely you, but Haria is at risk too. She’s probably a runaway or discarded member of the Shika, so they’ll either eliminate or exploit her.”

Haria had never spoken about her past. But Derrygan, who had spent time in similar organizations, could recognize traces of the Shika in her movements.

For someone of Haria’s caliber to be tailed without realizing it—and by multiple individuals at that—it could only mean the Shika or an equivalent organization.

“If you know so much about them, were you also part of the Shika?”

“No. I wasn’t in the Shika, but something similar. I’ve fought against their assassins many times, so I know their habits and traits.”

Like the other Hounds, Derrygan wasn’t eager to talk about his past, so he trailed off. Fortunately, Isaac didn’t pry further.

“Ah, it’s fine. I’m not going to force you to talk about it. No need to explain further.”

“…Thank you for understanding.”

“You’re welcome. Anyway, back to the point: can you find where they’re hiding without being detected?”

“Yes.”

Confident, Derrygan presented Isaac with a detailed report the next day, outlining the location of the Shika operatives’ hideout and their likely identities.

Investigating them wasn’t difficult, but learning who they were left Derrygan uneasy.

“As expected, these are no ordinary people. They’re likely a direct unit under the Shika Elders’ Council. It’s no wonder Haria didn’t detect them.”

The Elder Council was the most influential entity within the Shika, an organization already notorious for its rigid hierarchy. Even the current Shika leader’s authority couldn’t rival the power held by these old devils.

If they were moving now, it meant there was a risk of turning the entire Shika family against them. The thought made Derrygan’s neck tingle with dread.

But their captain didn’t operate under normal rules of common sense.

“Yeah? Good work. I’ll head over now.”

“Wait, what? No, please wait a moment!”

Isaac was already prepared to storm the hideout the moment he had its location. He showed not an ounce of caution.

Faced with Isaac’s expression—one that clearly said Why stop me?—Derrygan scrambled to offer an alternative.

“If you provoke them recklessly, the entire Shika will mobilize!”

“Then I’ll just kill them all.”

Derrygan tried his best to explain the difference between assassination and head-on combat, but Isaac remained unimpressed.

Left with no choice, Derrygan proposed a compromise.

“If you move now, you might miss a few of them! These kinds of people are hyper-aware of any intrusions.”

“So, what’s your plan?”

“They’ll make a move within a day or two. Either they’ll attack you directly or kidnap Haria.”

The timing of the Shika’s activity likely coincided with Isaac’s actions in Dia Rose. To the Shika, who opposed the Empress, a potential new adversary couldn’t be ignored.

“So, we wait for Haria to get kidnapped, then we kill two of the operatives, disguise ourselves as them, and infiltrate the hideout. That way, we can confirm their purpose and wipe them all out.”

Derrygan had already asked Coil to prepare disguises. Coil could create realistic skin replicas from a single glance, so they wouldn’t be delayed.

Derrygan was certain Isaac would agree, but to his surprise, Isaac frowned slightly.

“What if Haria gets into trouble?”

“If that happens, we’ll act immediately.”

Derrygan felt unexpectedly warm in his heart. This new captain, it seemed, genuinely cared for his subordinates.

And now, in the present, Derrygan watched as Isaac—true to form—had acted first, beheading the enemy leader before Derrygan could even move. Looking at the results, Derrygan couldn’t help but feel relieved he was on this side.

The battle ended in moments. Though formidable, the Shika assassins were wiped out before they could take two steps.

“Here’s something Isaac left for you.”

The shopkeeper at Cody's General Store handed Derrygan a luxurious wooden crate and a note.

The note read:

Cleaning fee.

Inside the crate were six bottles of the finest milk, cooled with magic.

As Derrygan walked through the city streets, he fought back laughter and considered what to pair with this perfect milk.

The soft sensation of the blankets and the mattress beneath her made Haria feel like her sense of reality was slipping further away.

Ever since Isaac appeared, everything had felt surreal—like she was trapped in a dream.

The assassins from Shika, whom she had absolutely no chance of resisting, had been annihilated by Isaac without even managing to fight back.

What happened at Dia Rose was shocking enough, but this was on an entirely different level.

After snapping her shackles apart with nothing but a flick of his fingers, Isaac had picked Haria up and carried her outside.

A tall man carrying a woman like that was bound to draw attention. People murmured as they passed, but those who recognized Isaac only glanced at him briefly before going about their business.

It wasn’t exactly a surprising sight.

Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—Haria had no mental capacity to care about others' stares at the time.

It wasn’t just that she’d been rescued. The fact that her captain had saved her and carried her in his arms had completely shocked her brain into near collapse.

Isaac had taken her to a high-class hotel. Behind a partition, he discarded his disguise and changed into clothes the staff had brought up.

Haria wondered why there was even a partition—or why he needed to change at all. Still, her heart pounded so loudly she thought it might burst from anticipation of what might happen next.

“Alright, sleep well. I’m giving you the day off tomorrow, so get some rest.”

Having said that, Isaac—now fully dressed—was about to leave. Without thinking, Haria moved to grab him.

“W-wait a second!”

“What’s wrong?”

That action hadn’t been a bluff. If she hadn’t stopped him, Isaac really would have walked out.

Her captain looked down at her with a puzzled expression, his sleeve caught in her grip. Meeting his gaze made her panic even more, and before she could think, words spilled from her mouth.

“Why won’t you sleep with me?!”

“…What?”

Isaac’s expression turned completely blank, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. Realizing what she’d said, Haria’s face flushed so red it looked as if it might explode.

Unfortunately, her heart already had given in. Or perhaps it had happened earlier—when Isaac showed up to save her.

How else could she explain her current state?

Staring at her for a moment, Isaac seemed to come to a realization and said casually, “Oh. Did you fall for me because I saved you?”

“Do you always say things like that?! Who said I fell for—”

“Didn’t you?”

“…Well…”

At this point, Haria felt like her head was spinning. Admittedly, she had started seeing him differently after witnessing his unbelievable strength at Dia Rose.

Then, watching him take care of her and realizing he genuinely cared for his subordinates had changed her perception even further.

And when he annihilated the Shika assassins and carried her to safety…

“It’s not… entirely untrue.”

She had no choice but to admit it. It was a disaster, but the truth was clear: Haria had fallen for him.

As she bowed her head, trying to hide her face that couldn’t possibly turn any redder, Isaac scratched his head awkwardly.

“I mean, I’d be happy to, but unfortunately, my wife told me not to touch any women for a while. So I can’t.”

At that, Haria’s head shot up so fast it startled even Isaac.

“That was specifically about unidentified women, wasn’t it? Because the Duke of Jericho might try to approach you?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“I’m a Hound. I can’t betray you.”

“I know.”

“Besides, I’ve sworn loyalty to Her Majesty. She took me in, after all, which means my identity is perfectly clear.”

“…Well, that’s true.”

Claiming there was no problem, Haria casually loosened the buttons on her clothes.

It wasn’t just an act of seduction—her body was so overwhelmed with heat from her head to her chest and lower abdomen that she couldn’t stand it anymore.

“I’ll ask you again… Won’t you do it?”

Even if Isaac’s will was made of steel, her smoldering words would have melted it in an instant.

Not that he had any intention of resisting, anyway.

That night, Haria was no longer a virgin.