The Great Wish - Chapter 33: The Present and Future Intersect (2)

Evita, feeling the weight of her guilty conscience, couldn’t muster the courage to say anything more. She had seen the contents, and she had made copies. Her heart raced, but she kept her expression calm.

Not long after, the masked men returned with the item. Kuhn unrolled the small leather-bound notebook and skimmed through its contents before closing it.

“Verify it,” he said, handing the notebook to one of his men. The masked man took it without a word, as no one other than Kuhn had spoken since entering the room. The man then left the room with the notebook.

What followed was more waiting. Kuhn didn’t explain where the masked man had gone, what he was verifying, or when he would return.

As the minutes stretched into nearly an hour, Evita began to grow restless.

“Look, I was just holding onto the item, that’s all. I swear. And I had no intention of selling it to anyone,” she lied smoothly.

“I was going to sell it to you. I’m not stupid enough to make an enemy of Kaligo.”

Kuhn remained silent, his gaze on her. Encouraged, Evita pressed on.

“This kind of interrogation, as if I’m some sort of criminal, is uncalled for. Possessing information isn’t a crime in an information business.”

Kuhn scoffed.

“Possessing treasures beyond your means is a crime,” he said.

“You—!” Evita started, ready to argue, but she stopped abruptly as the door opened and the masked man who had left earlier returned.

Evita instinctively shrank back, sensing the subtle change in the room’s atmosphere. Kuhn noticed her reaction and inwardly smiled. She was sharp. She could tell that the Kaligo men’s mood had shifted. What the man reported upon his return would determine whether tonight ended in bloodshed.

Kuhn asked the masked man, “Is there anything wrong?”

The masked man had gone to meet Lindy, a member of the intelligence branch, to confirm whether the contents of the personnel records had been leaked.

The personnel records were written on a special type of paper using special ink that absorbed into the page instantly, disappearing from view. It could only be read again after undergoing a specific treatment. To further disguise the contents, false information was written over the real data. This meant that even if Evita had seen the visible writing or copied it, it wouldn’t matter.

Kuhn had sent the book to Lindy to check for any signs that the hidden information had been tampered with. Recovering the item wasn’t enough—if the contents had been viewed, no one who had seen them could be allowed to live.

The room was thick with tension. The Kaligo men stood ready to draw their swords at a moment’s notice, awaiting Kuhn’s command. So far, despite taking over Olga’s base, not a single sword had been drawn from its scabbard. They had subdued their enemies with hand-to-hand combat or by using their sheathed swords like clubs.

The mercenaries of Kaligo never unsheathed their black blades unless they intended to end a life, just as a predator wouldn’t bare its fangs unless ready to kill.

“No issues,” the masked man finally answered, his first words spoken aloud since entering the room. His response immediately relaxed the tense atmosphere among the Kaligo members. Though it was imperceptible to most, Kuhn felt the killing intent in the room dissipate.

The first kill order was now nullified. Kuhn’s nerves also calmed. He was not a bloodthirsty madman. Violence was always a last resort.

But once a weapon was drawn, he never showed mercy. That’s why the Kaligo mercenaries had earned their reputation as heartless and ruthless.

“Bring them in,” Kuhn ordered next.

All but two of the masked men who stood behind Kuhn left the room, returning a short while later with Olga’s remaining lieutenants.

Including Evita, there were now eight of them.

Evita clenched her fists tightly.

“Is this everyone? The entire leadership of Olga?” Kuhn asked.

“Who’s to say?” Evita replied, trying to maintain her composure. But inside, she was struggling to hide her unease. It was well-known that Olga had five lieutenants. To be cautious, two of them operated in the shadows.

But Kaligo had identified even those. Evita felt a wave of both shame and fear wash over her.

“I can’t reveal my sources,” she said, gritting her teeth.

“Even if I die here, I’ll never give up my informant.”

Even the worst kind of information network has an unbreakable rule: the protection of informants. Once trust is broken, no one will provide information, and the organization will inevitably collapse. Whether Evita and the other leaders died here or whether they lost the trust of their informants and the organization crumbled, the result would be the same—everything would be over. So Evita made a firm decision: if she was going to die, she wouldn’t tarnish Olga’s reputation.

Kuhn looked at Evita’s resolute expression with indifference.

“We don’t need the source. We’ll take care of that ourselves,” he said.

The fact that the family’s personnel records had been leaked meant there was a traitor within. A large-scale emergency alert had already been issued through the family’s communication network. They had identified the person responsible and were likely tracking them down at that very moment. It was possible they’d already been caught.

“But the fact that you know we manage secret information is a problem in itself. The best way to protect a treasure is to make sure no one knows it exists. Don’t you agree?”

Evita suddenly stood up, leaning on the table.

“I don’t even know what it is!” she protested.

“Unfortunately, I don’t believe you,” Kuhn replied calmly.

“I had no intention of selling it to anyone else. I was going to sell it to Kaligo! Would you still have come at me like this?” she argued.

“You should have contacted us the moment you got your hands on it. You had plenty of chances, like when I visited recently,” Kuhn said.

“I didn’t have it then!” Evita tried to lie, but she could feel Kuhn’s cold, calculating gaze. He already knew everything, and it was as if he was waiting to hear what excuse she would come up with.

A shallow lie would only make things worse. Sighing in defeat, Evita slumped back into her chair.

“Fine. I admit it. I was weighing my options at the time. It was a valuable treasure, and I wanted to get the best price for it. Anyone would feel the same, right?”

Her mouth was dry. Though she had lived close to death many times, dying here would be a pointless death.

“I’ll forget everything. We never had that item, and you never took it,” Evita said, looking toward the gathered leaders of Olga, seeking their agreement.

“Right?” she prompted.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“What happened today?” one added awkwardly.

“Quite the gathering we’ve had,” another said, trying to crack a joke but with a stiff expression. No one laughed, and the mood only grew colder.

“So… what should I do with you all?” Kuhn mused. He wasn’t trying to toy with their lives for fun; he was genuinely considering the situation. Dead people can’t talk. It was a brutal truth. To ensure the safety of his family, he was willing to bear the reputation of a bloodthirsty killer.

The blood drained from Evita’s face. She felt a deep chill run through her, a sense of impending doom.

This isn’t a joke. I’m in real danger, she thought.

Instinctively, she knew she was standing at the edge of a steep cliff. Gritting her teeth, she reached for the back of her neck and pulled out a small pouch she had hung around her neck by a leather cord. She placed it on the table and pushed it toward Kuhn.

“Let’s settle this with that,” she said.

Kuhn opened the pouch, revealing a gem that shimmered with the colors of the rainbow.

“It’s worth more than my life, but this time, it’s for the lives of me and my people. You’ve already recovered what you came for,” she added.

Evita found it more painful to give up the token she’d received from her adoptive father than to lose the confidential information.

Kuhn let out a brief chuckle, tossing the gem lightly into the air and catching it. It was more than enough of a reason to end his dilemma.

“Keep your promise to forget everything. If I hear any rumors, there won’t be a warning next time,” he said, standing up. The masked men followed him out, and the room, once packed with large figures, suddenly felt spacious.

Evita slammed the table with frustration as they left. She turned sharply to glare at the remaining leaders.

“Well done, huh? What a mess this is! The enemy barges in right under your noses, and you couldn’t even create a moment’s chance for escape?”

The embarrassed leaders fidgeted, clearing their throats and avoiding her gaze.

“It’s Kaligo, after all,” one muttered.

“How could we possibly deal with them? Not even the best could take them on,” another added.

“I’ve heard that when Kaligo shows up wearing masks, they’ve come to settle things for good. Honestly, we’re lucky no one died, right?” a third leader chimed in.

“Exactly,” the others agreed.

“Get out! Go check on the injured and make sure everyone keeps their mouths shut!” Evita shouted.

The leaders hurried out, tails between their legs. Watching them leave, Evita ground her teeth in frustration.

***

Kuhn left the back alleys and headed to meet Lindy. He had tasked Russ and Martin with leading the other members, who would return to Rad Trading Company.

Lindy ran a general store on West Street, selling all sorts of goods. People of all ages, genders, and social statuses visited her shop daily, which made it the perfect cover for someone in her position. As the head of the intelligence branch, she needed to meet a wide variety of people.

Even though the shop had closed long ago, Kuhn pushed the door without hesitation. It wasn’t locked.

He climbed the narrow wooden stairs inside. The creaky steps made loud noises, serving as a signal of visitors. Lindy likely left them unrepaired for that very reason.

She was in her office on the second floor, engrossed in her work, but looked up when the door opened. Smiling, she removed her glasses.

“You’re here earlier than I expected.”

“I finished things by just recovering the item.”

“So, Olga…?” she inquired.

“They’re still intact. Keep an eye on who Olga associates with for now.”

“Yes, Kuhn.”

Lindy wouldn’t have been surprised if Olga had disappeared without a trace tonight, considering how serious the matter was. However, she didn’t question Kuhn’s decision, trusting him completely. The fact that they had caught the leak of the personnel records early was entirely due to Kuhn’s diligence.

Had he not ordered a thorough check of the records, they might have been unaware of the leak for quite some time. The potential disaster that could have unfolded was terrifying to think about.

“Thank you for your hard work this late,” Kuhn said.

“I hardly did anything. Losing one night’s sleep doesn’t really count as hard work,” Lindy replied with a smile. But just as Kuhn turned to leave, she called out to him.

“Kuhn, I heard there’s going to be a meeting of the elders soon.”

Kuhn stopped in his tracks.

“My teacher sent word that he’ll be arriving in the capital soon. He also mentioned that you might be preparing to leave the Empire.”

Lindy’s teacher had overseen the intelligence branch for a long time. He never gave out information without a price, even to his own pupil.

Yet, Lindy had a feeling that the meeting’s agenda would somehow involve Kuhn’s relationship, perhaps his rumored romantic involvement.

Kuhn turned his head slightly. “Did Elder Rimone say that?”

“Yes.”

“My decisions are my own.”

“But you can’t stay in the capital forever, can you? This is the heart of the Empire, and we’re just passing through,” she said gently.

“…”

The clan members had been gossiping lately, saying Kuhn might marry soon, that a new lady of the house was coming. But from the moment Lindy heard that Kuhn’s potential partner was the Silver King, a member of the imperial family, she had doubts. While she hadn’t outright opposed their relationship, she had never believed marriage was realistic.

“The one who leads the clan alongside Kuhn should be someone who can share that burden.”

It was clear that the Silver King, a member of the Empire’s royal family, was not that person.

Without a word, Kuhn turned and walked out again. Lindy, sensing the weight of his thoughts, didn’t call him back.

*