15.
The taste was more palatable than I had steeled myself for.
It didn’t conjure hymns in my ears, but it was still significantly better than the swill I’d choked down during my student years.
“It’s decent this time, isn’t it? The beans were imported via a contact at the oldest cafe in the Empire.”
Perhaps my internal critique was written on my face, for Kyle looked visibly pleased, boasting with a bright glint in his eyes.
“Thanks to that, the customer base has grown bit by bit. It became too much to manage alone, so I even hired staff. That’s Emily, the young lady who brought the coffee over earlier; she’s incredibly capable.”
Kyle watched Emily with a glow of paternal pride, as if a new hire were the ultimate proof of a successful business. Then, remembering the real reason he had called me here, his expression softened into a bashful smile.
“I’ve kept you here, prattling on about everything but the point.”
*Though, I did wonder if showing off the cafe was the primary agenda from the start.*
His demeanor shifted; he sat up straighter, his posture sharpening. It seemed the real conversation was about to begin.
*What is it, then?*
Matching his sudden gravity, I set down my cup and straightened my spine.
After a moment’s hesitation, Kyle finally made his proposal.
“Miss Diaz. Would you consider working with me?”
Given the subject of our conversation for the last hour, I briefly wondered if I was being scouted as a barista.
*The work would be easier, certainly, but would it be a contract position? I’m the type to worry about job security.*
Like a weary salaryman keeping a resignation letter tucked in their pocket, my mind drifted toward the practicalities of employment. Perhaps misinterpreting my silence, Kyle hurried to clarify:
“I mean, at the Blue Falcon.”
The ‘Blue Falcon’ was an intelligence guild led by Kyle, and simultaneously, the alias for the Emperor’s personal secret unit.
*The place where the Emperor dumps the best talent in the Empire that he’s snatched up.*
Me? In a place like that? I’m just an extra, #102132.
“The Blue Falcon? You mean *the* Blue Falcon, right?”
I asked in a low voice, certain I must have misheard, and Kyle sheepishly scratched his cheek.
“Was that too sudden?”
“Is that even a question?”
When I parried his question with another, his eyes curved into a grin.
“We’ve had a deluge of work since returning to the Imperial Palace after the war. We’re in urgent need of recruits.”
Perhaps they were truly overwhelmed; his brows sagged into a pathetic, inverted ‘V’.
“Of course, I’m proposing this specifically because I hold Miss Diaz’s abilities in high regard.”
Having confessed to a manpower crisis in the middle of a recruiting pitch, Kyle looked at me cautiously, adding the compliment as a hasty salve.
*Work-life balance doesn’t exist at the Ministry Of Finance, anyway.*
I shrugged, feigning indifference. “Are you so desperate that you need the hands of a cat?”
I was indirectly asking for his true motive. Kyle let out a breathy laugh.
“We are indeed busy enough to need a cat’s paw, but it is also true that I highly value your skill.”
In such situations, one should believe only half of what is said. I decided to stick to the first half.
*Are they really that swamped?*
The workload at the Ministry had skyrocketed since His Majesty’s return, and Kyle’s unit must be far more burdened than a low-level administrator like me.
*Maybe the impact is even greater since they were essentially idle during the war?*
I glanced sideways at the cafe, which had been open for nearly three years. It felt too grounded to be a mere front for an intelligence guild. I recalled from the original novel that Kyle and the Blue Falcon had remained in the Capital, acting as a check against the nobles while the Emperor was away.
*Did they say information wasn’t a priority in the wars the Emperor fought?*
Since the Emperor himself was the type to wipe out opposition with sheer, overwhelming martial power. This was a classic case of ‘a strong body sparing the head from exertion.’
*It was essentially an infinite standby for unforeseen events. It’s no wonder he was bored.*
“But now that the Emperor has returned, it’s time to seize control of the interior again.”
The Emperor had been on the battlefield constantly since his ascension, leaving corrupt officials to line their pockets during the previous reign. They were keeping their heads down, wary of a man who possessed both absolute military power and the devotion of the people, but such an atmosphere wouldn’t last forever.
*If they were the type to abandon the sweet taste of power easily, they wouldn’t have been corrupt in the first place. Naturally, Kyle would be busy.*
Politics requires a justification far more than martial power does. I moderately accepted the reason for this sudden offer.
*But something still bothers me.*
As I hesitated, Kyle held out a contract like a fisherman dangling bait.
“This is the employment contract.”
He wore the smile of a gambler holding a winning hand.
“I cannot disclose the specific duties yet, but….”
I scanned the pages. As he had warned, sections regarding specific tasks and locations were left blank. However, the listed compensation was more than four times my current monthly salary.
Noticing my eyes lingering on the figures, the corners of Kyle’s mouth curled higher.
*I was going to refuse politely, but…*
The amount was simply too large to walk away from.
*Should I hear a little more?*
As I wavered under the weight of those digits, Kyle drove the final nail in.
“You can consider this the base salary while you are affiliated with the Blue Falcon.”
“This is the base salary?”
Oh. Was my voice a bit too high? Kyle offered more context.
“All members of the Blue Falcon sign a non-disclosure agreement via a ‘Mana Oath.’ You can view this figure as including hazard pay based on the nature of the work—though your tasks won’t be particularly dangerous.”
He emphasized that my role wouldn’t be much different from my current work.
*Well, I didn’t think he was scouting me as a field agent, anyway. The only issue is the Oath.*
The Mana Oath was a method that forced the signer to pay a catastrophic price if the vow was broken.
*Betrayal equals death, or something similar, I suppose.*
The logic that it would be fine as long as I kept my word began to creep in—the power of numbers is truly terrifying.
*Still, objectively speaking, my salary isn’t that meager to begin with.*
But four times that amount?
“Ah, members of the Blue Falcon are provided with cover positions. In your case, since you are already embedded in the Imperial Capital, there’s no need to prepare a separate one. Naturally, you would also be paid for that position.”
It meant five times my annual salary, not four.
*Honestly, I’m tempted.*
If I didn’t know the future, I would have signed it immediately. But the timing was abysmal.
*If only this weren’t the period of absolute chaos right before the story begins, I would have taken it.*
Six months until the female protagonist appears; this was a time to lie low. The palace was currently quiet, but soon, a bloodbath would erupt.
*The nobles initially underestimated the Emperor, thinking he was just a brat with nothing but military power, so they tried to eat him alive.*
They profoundly misunderstood his state—a man experiencing a bit of burnout after a war that consumed a third of his life—as having a “gentler personality than expected.”
*They claimed the rumors of the Emperor being a bloodthirsty demon were lies to lower the enemy’s morale.*
But half of those rumors were entirely real.
*He doesn’t necessarily enjoy killing, but he doesn’t value human life, either.*
It hadn’t taken long for the Emperor, who had been ignoring the gnats simply because it was a nuisance, to finally snap.
*According to the original plot, he should have exploded a long time ago. It’s strange that it’s still this quiet.*
Was he distracted by something else elsewhere? Regardless, unless the Emperor suddenly turned over a new leaf, the storm was coming. Joining the Blue Falcon might offer protection from the typhoon about to hit the Imperial Palace.
But it felt dangerous in a different way.
*The Emperor might dispose of some people in a fit of rage, but he couldn’t just wipe out all the officials.*
The Blue Falcon was the unit that would be most active during that process. I would effectively be walking into the eye of the storm, and I wanted to live a long, quiet life.
Seeing that I was paralyzed by indecision, Kyle stepped back.
“It seems a decision is difficult to make right now. I’ll give you plenty of time to think about it; I would appreciate it if you could consider it positively.”
At his offer to grant me time, I nodded.
*Ah, if I keep thinking about it, I’ll want to do it even more.*
For a moment, the realization that I was already halfway sold flashed through my mind, but I clutched onto my retreat.
Six months until the original story begins. The storm is on the horizon, and I, a mere extra, have no idea where I will be standing when it hits.