A Background Character’s Path to Power

"..."

Finally, as if sensing their gazes, Captain Rose moved. She turned her attention to the gate guards, who had been watching the show with a mixture of relief and apprehension.

"...Arrest them immediately." She gave the order. "All of them. Charges include assault on civilians, abuse of authority, threatening execution without trial, using force without a valid reason, and disrupting the peace."

"Y-Yes, captain!" The gate guards reacted right away, saluting briefly before moving to restrain the kneeling Viremont guards.

"Furthermore," Rosemary continued, her tone growing more stern. "Send messages to other gates immediately as well. If similar incidents are occurring elsewhere, they are to intervene at once and arrest the perpetrators. Anyone who fails to act will be marked as collaborators, expelled from service, and receive punishment accordingly."

"Understood Captain." The head gate guard responded, already gesturing his subordinates to begin carrying out the orders.

"And... You all will be punished as well." Rosemary's gaze swept over the gate guards, who had been starting to relax. They stiffened again, fear and anxiety creeping back into their eyes.

"C-Captain?" The head gate guard asked hesitantly, as if to say: 'What did we do wrong?'.

"You stood by and watched while all this happened. You allowed the situation to escalate to the point where someone nearly got harmed." She stated matter-of-factly. "Your cowardice and negligence are also a crime."

The gate guards exchanged worried glances, sweat beading on their foreheads despite the cold.

"For the others, two weeks' salary will be deducted." She stared at the head guard. "As for you, it's one month's salary. I don't have to explain why, right?"

"Y-yes, of course." They responded in unison, their voices filled with resignation and relief that it wasn't worse.

"And... If I discover that any of you dare to disobey or attempt to do something behind the scenes..." Her gaze swept over them once again, stopping on the head guard. "You will be expelled from service. No appeals or second chances. Do I make myself clear?"

"Clear as snow, captain!"

"Good, now get to work."

Rosemary watched for a moment as they scrambled back to their jobs, some handling the arrested guards, some communicating with the other gates, while the rest continued their jobs as the gate guards, letting the crowd calm down and pass through after an apology. At least they weren't that stupid.

Then, she turned around to talk with the-

"Eh?" Rosemary let out a dumbfounded sound.

Where did they go?

She quickly searched for the two figures and finally spotted them. What she saw dumbfounded her again. The half-elf and his wife were already among the crowd, just a few paces away from crossing the gates.

"W-Wait!" She shouted, moving hurriedly.

Lumin stopped mid-step, his hand gently guiding his wife to stop as well. He turned around with a perfectly innocent expression, as if he had no idea why the captain might be calling out to them.

"Yes, Captain?" he asked politely, making sure his tone carried just the right amount of respect, confusion, and curiosity.

Rosemary finally caught up to them, slightly out of breath from her sudden sprint. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the half-elf's suspiciously calm demeanor.

"You... You were just going to leave? Like that? Without saying anything?" she asked, her voice laced with a mix of suspicion and disbelief.

"Well..." Lumin tilted his head thoughtfully. "The situation was resolved peacefully, and frankly, you handled it far more efficiently than I could. And we didn't want to get in the way of official business."

"Official business?" Rosemary repeated, her voice rising slightly. "You were the center of that 'official business'. And that token-" She gestured toward his pocket where the obsidian token disappeared. "-you have to give an explanation about it at least."

"Oh, you mean this?" Lumin took out the token once more, extending it to Rosemary. "You can check its authenticity if you want. It is the real deal."

"No-I, well, alright." Rosemary wanted to say something, but decided to check the token first.

She took it from his hands and inspected it for a few moments. Yep, it was indeed the real one - she could feel lord Nusayel's aura emanating from it. The material used to craft it was the same as she remembered it to be.

"Well, it is indeed the real one." She handed it back to Lumin but didn't let go when he grabbed it. "If it's not uncomfortable, can you tell me how you have it? After all, it represents the baron himself. And I haven't seen you around before."

Lumin looked at her calmly and nodded. "Of course. The Ashenfang Whitefall ended just a few days ago, and the baron was busy with the aftermath. He sent me to buy resources and necessary items. As for my identity, I don't have to tell you everything, right? But you can think of me as the baron's temporary assistant. Is that enough of an explanation?"

"..."

Rosemary hesitated.

The man's explanation, while brief, sounded perfectly logical, especially with the token.

...Ashenfang Whitefall too.

A temporary assistant sent on a procurement mission after a major event... it all made sense.

But she still had a lot of questions before she could trust the half-elf.

"Well, then why didn't the baron send someone with you, an escort or guards?" She probed again. "And I doubt that he would give away his personal token to a 'temporary assistant'."

Lumin didn't appear irritated or frustrated by her relentless questions. Instead, he smiled faintly and answered. "The blizzard was a bit more severe than we expected. Many were injured, and the others were deployed to deal with the aftermath and, ah, the unexpected complications it brought. Sending a full escort would have meant sending away crucial manpower from disaster relief. Besides, I had a few companions to arrive at the city safely, you can ask your guards if you don't believe me."

"...Alright, I believe you. But..."

"If you are talking about the token, it is precisely because I'm new and a temporary assistant that he entrusted the token to me. And, some of the materials we needed weren't exactly common market goods. Having the token would allow me to buy them at the right places without unnecessary questions and at discounted prices. You can go and verify it from the Golden Scale guild."

"..."

"I'll take your silence as your trust in my words. And, do you have any more questions?"