A single person left out—if this were under normal circumstances, it naturally wouldn't be a problem. They could simply let that guard patrol alone, or have him casually join one of the pairs to form a trio. None of that would be an issue.
But the awkward situation right now was that there were nine positions in the embassy that needed patrolling, while they were in a state of eight and a half teams. Although the captain had just emphasized that no one could patrol alone, given the current circumstances, there was no other choice.
So the problem arose again: the guard who ended up alone might not necessarily accept this outcome.
"Huh? I'm patrolling alone?"
Sure enough, when the guard who hadn't been assigned a partner learned he would have to patrol solo, a look of shock and fear immediately appeared on his face.
Hey, hey, hey! This isn't a joke—the Masked Fool is still lurking somewhere in the embassy right now. If she suddenly strikes, I'm done for!
"How about… forming a trio instead?"
The atmosphere on site froze for two or three seconds. The guard, unwilling to accept this result, cautiously glanced at the expressions of his surrounding comrades before tentatively asking.
'...…'
What answered him was a long stretch of silence. Clearly, no one voiced agreement with his suggestion.
"Tch!"
He had already anticipated this outcome, but when it actually presented itself, he still found it hard to accept.
"Fine then, I'll take A3 sector. You guys divide up the rest. No objections, right?"
The guard plopped down on the ground in resignation and waved impatiently at his teammates.
"No objections. Take care of yourself." How could anyone present dare to object at this point? They could hear the resentment already seeping into his tone. The best thing to do now was not to provoke him further.
After a 'mutual respect and admiration' farewell, the remaining guards paired up and began carrying out their patrol duties. Only the one without a partner remained sitting dejectedly in place, his head slightly bowed.
However, no one noticed that beneath the guard's lowered head, his originally coal-black pupils had already turned into a pair of plum-blossom-shaped eyes. At this moment, they were radiating a cunning gaze.
...
Interastral Peace Corporation Embassy core area…
'Thud, thud, thud…!'
The guard captain who had just left the group was now running across the embassy floor with all his might, heading toward the location of Jade and Topaz.
"Ah—!"
Perhaps because the night was too dark, or because the captain was simply too nervous, he lost focus for just a moment and tripped, falling straight to the ground.
However, right at the instant the guard was about to hit the floor, a slender jade-like hand reached out from nowhere and grabbed his shoulder.
"L-Lady Jade!"
The guard looked up and saw that the one who had caught his shoulder and pulled him back from the brink of falling was none other than their Lady Jade—the very person he had come to find this time.
"Lady Jade, that Masked Fool who killed dozens of company members has secretly infiltrated the embassy!"
"Mm, I know. Leave this matter to us."
Upon hearing that Sparkle had already infiltrated the embassy, a look of "as expected" appeared on Lady Jade's face.
After dismissing the guard captain first, Jade slightly turned her body and spoke to the young Jelena beside her.
"We don't have a very good reference for the Masked Fool's exact strength."
"The only known incident is the time when you, little Jelena, came to Belobog to collect debts, and the Stellaron power she manipulated and used."
At this point, Jade paused. Then her gaze followed the nearby window outward. In her line of sight, teams of guards were patrolling restlessly.
And outside these paired teams, one lone figure stood out conspicuously. Jade's gaze lingered on that person for a moment before she closed her eyes again.
"We can't be certain whether that person still possesses Stellaron power. So in the battle that may come next, we might need to use the power of the 'Cornerstone', and also…"
As Jade spoke, her gaze gently fell on the back of Topaz's hand—on the imprint representing the authority of Causality.
"I understand, Jade-jie."
Following Jade's line of sight, Topaz nodded in realization. Then, covering the imprint on the back of her hand, she replied firmly.
"If the time comes when we need to use the power of the Causality authority, I will spare no effort!"
...
"Why hasn't the captain come back yet? It's already been nearly half a system hour. In theory, the captain should have finished reporting long ago."
After patiently waiting for nearly half an hour and seeing that their captain still hadn't returned, one guard finally couldn't suppress his anxiety and quietly spoke to the companion beside him.
"I'm not too sure either. Maybe the captain hasn't found Lady Jade or Lady Topaz yet."
The companion who was asked shook his head. Low-level employees like them had no authority to know the contact information of Jade and Topaz, who were at P46 rank.
To find these two ladies, their captain had to rely on the most primitive method of communication—his own two legs.
"You don't think… the captain might already have…"
"Shh! Don't say things like that!"
"But I'm just curious…"
Similar conversations were playing out among the patrolling guard teams. The captain's failure to return had everyone's hearts in their throats.
At this moment, they were like arrows drawn taut on a bowstring—ready to snap and shatter at any moment.
"Huh? Where did that lone patrolling brother go? I just saw him around here a moment ago."
Suddenly, one patrolling guard seemed to notice something and hurriedly asked his companion.
"Huh!? I remember he was over there just now…"
Following the direction his teammate pointed, they saw that the brother originally assigned to patrol A3 sector had somehow vanished without a trace, leaving only a patch of concrete floor glowing eerily under the dim lights.
"Could it be… he was taken out by that Masked Fool…?"
A flash of fear passed through the speaker's eyes. Then, nervously, he said to his companion.
"How about we gather all the brothers together? If we keep going like this, I'm afraid that Masked Fool will pick us off one by one."
"But the captain told us to patrol in pairs. If we regroup on our own now, won't we lose our jobs…?"
Regarding his teammate's suggestion, the patrolling guard seemed somewhat hesitant. If they regrouped without authorization now, that would be 'disobeying military orders'. And the Interastral Peace Corporation placed extreme importance on rank and regulations—they could very well lose their positions over this.