Azure Eagle

A fake smile — Ellie was best at that.

In the past, she had always worn that expression to gain support.

And now, of course, it was still for the same reason.

Only this time, the one being supported was no longer herself, but her imperial brother, Eric.

The priest who had welcomed Ellie at the entrance remained by her side, following her attentively, ready to respond to her summons at any moment.

Ellie did not immediately dismiss him, instead allowing him to stay close.

After all, there were places where she would need a professional to explain things.

Besides, shaking off the people around her the moment she entered wouldn’t look very good either.

If word of it later reached Solor’s ears, he would probably tighten the security around her even more.

So Ellie, who had finally managed to come out, did not immediately turn into a horse that had broken its reins.

She restrained herself a little and maintained her image.

Although it bore the title “Royal,” the Royal Church was not exclusively for nobles.

This church was the central cathedral of the entire country.

Whether commoner or noble, anyone could come here to pray or seek absolution.

As long as one stepped into the church, there was no distinction of status — that was the rule here.

Outside these doors, you might be a noble.

But once inside, you were merely a child of the gods.

Among children, there was no hierarchy of high or low.

Do not let arrogant and domineering behavior disturb the gods’ peace.

Ellie rarely went out, so even when she passed by people, no one could really recognize her identity.

At most, from her refined features and clothing, they might guess she was the daughter of a wealthy family.

No one paid her much mind.

According to Ellie’s memories, the church was not only a place of prayer.

Its backyard housed an orphanage.

Through the side windows, one could see children playing in the distance.

Even in the most peaceful of times, there would still be orphans.

Compared to the chaotic era of her previous life, this orphanage was still large, but there seemed to be fewer children.

That, at least, was a good thing.

In her previous life, the orphanage had a basement.

That place had been the Nightingale House’s base.

As the second prince, he had inherited the assassin organization his mother had established within the orphanage.

Some orphans had even been directly thrown into the Nightingale House.

If the resentment of children who died young was truly the greatest, then that place would have been hell beneath the gods’ very eyes.

Fortunately, in this life, children were just children.

In the past, Eric had often walked this path.

He would go through the side door into the orphanage, smile at the children, and then circle around to the back to reach the Nightingale House.

At that time, his assassins were almost always there.

Perhaps it was muscle memory.

When Ellie came to the church again, she unconsciously followed the sound of the children’s voices toward the orphanage in the back.

Only halfway there did she snap back to her senses — this time, there was no underground passage leading to the Nightingale House.

Ellie stared blankly at the children playing.

Her golden hair occasionally drifted across her vision with the wind.

She reached up to brush it aside.

And in the instant her vision cleared, she saw a man in priestly robes stand up from among the children.

“Alright, children, I’m heading to the prayer hall now.

That’s all for playtime today.

Let the sister here keep you company, alright?”

When speaking to young, adorable children, anyone’s voice would soften.

The sight of that ash-gray short hair made Ellie freeze for a moment.

Hearing that originally deep, resonant voice turn so gentle made her freeze again.

From afar, she even frowned, wondering whether she had heard wrong — or recognized the wrong person.

But when the man turned around, Ellie realized she had not been mistaken.

By sheer coincidence, the man with the code name “Azure Eagle,” named Falk, appeared right before her.

In Ellie’s memory, he was a tall, unsmiling man.

Compared to him, he was even more solidly built than Agmad.

The Agmad of the past wore heavy armor and wielded a greatsword.

He was the kind of “assassin” who always went through the front door instead of the window — trained by Eric’s mother.

Compared to an assassin, he looked more like a berserker.

After Eric took over, he preferred cultivating more agile assassins who slipped through windows rather than doors.

But when it came to Falk, Eric leaned more toward his mother’s warrior-style training.

Because Falk was simply strong.

No fancy reason — just sheer strength.

The saying “one force can overcome ten techniques” truly applied to him.

Even Scarlet Crow at his peak would be slammed into a wall by Falk’s great shield.

Even Gray Dove, who could hurl a heavy spear like a sword, couldn’t break his defense.

I don’t care about your tricks — go argue with my dual door-sized shields.

Falk was the son of a mercenary.

From a young age, he had followed his father and the rough men of the mercenary band doing heavy labor.

Coupled with his father’s excellent genes, the child grew up strong and already had a foundation in combat.

He walked the brute-force path.

So Eric simply built upon his strengths, shaping him into a warrior wielding a heavy shield as tall as himself.

Unlike the other assassins who frequently went on missions, Falk was more like a personal guard at Eric’s side.

Thinking of how Azure Eagle used to carry his weapon as if he were casually taking a door along with him, Ellie found it hard to associate that brute with the young man squatting among children, softening his voice.

Still, that face, that ash-gray short hair, and those black eyes were unmistakable.

It was Falk.

Perhaps because he was younger, this Falk looked much more refined.

Then again — when he died, he hadn’t even reached thirty.

The church and orphanage were connected.

Many people who finished praying would come to visit the children.

Some kind-hearted folks donated money or supplies.

Some elderly men and women stayed to spend time with the kids.

Falk, as a priest, looked like he was sneaking in a break.

Once he had lazed around enough, he headed back toward the prayer hall.

Ellie stood among the crowd, nothing about her particularly standing out.

So Falk didn’t notice her at all, simply turning and leaving in a hurry.

“……”

Ellie felt a bit unaccustomed watching him pass by.

In the past, he would always give her a solemn bow upon seeing her.

That was just the kind of rigid, serious man he was.

But… this was a new world.

Perhaps being less serious was a good thing.

At least it meant he was living decently.

As the root cause of everything — herself.

As well as Firth and Evelia, the two Scarlet Crows.

And Falk, the Azure Eagle.

These villains, of all people, had unexpectedly ended up with fairly decent lives.

“……”

“…Hah.”

A sense of unworthiness lingered.