"I know we've met before, but I've never formally introduced myself. My name is Julius Sebastian Schneider. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

Julius glanced around, waiting for a response. Most of the knights only gave him side-eyes until one finally stepped forward and offered his hand.

"Hans-Peter Augsberger," he said. "Captain of the Revenant Knights serving directly under Major Dieterich."

Julius took his hand. "Nice to meet you."

As they shook hands, Hans-Peter looked over his shoulder at the other knights. His voice carried a hint of disappointment as he spoke.

"What's wrong with all of you? Are you not going to greet the superior of your superior? Is this how the Revenant Knights are becoming these days?"

"Ah…"

After a short pause, another knight stepped forward.

"Cornelia Bismarck," she said. "First Sergeant. I've heard a lot about you, Mister Schneider."

"Yes. Nice to meet you."

One by one, the others followed Cornelia's lead. Their movements were stiff at first, but each managed to introduce themselves.

"Gustav Feigenbaum. First Sergeant."

"Dieter Eichwald. Sergeant Major."

"Matthias Falkenhayn. Master Sergeant."

"Waldemar König. Master Sergeant."

Julius listened quietly as each name was spoken, acknowledging them with a simple nod. The air grew more relaxed once the introductions were done, though they still seemed quite cautious.

Gabriel sat on the bed like a mastermind, hands folded in front of him as he began to speak.

"You might be wondering why a Schneider heir is working with Revenant Knights operatives," Gabriel began. "The answer is simple. The Young Master is a Directorate Agent."

Thump——

A loud smack was heard. Cornelia had slapped Gustav on the back.

"I told you. I was right. You can pay me later."

Gabriel glanced at them, then cleared his throat.

"Ahem. This is an unofficial joint collaboration between the Revenant Knights and the Directorate. At present, we need to operate discreetly. The case is unofficial because we still lack solid proof. However, with the Directorate's involvement, we have the ability to act under their authority."

The idea was simple. If things went south, the Directorate would take the fall with no backlash to the Revenant Knights. At the same time, they could use Julius to carry out arrests without a warrant.

Gabriel turned to Julius. "Young Master, if you are ready, please outline the facts so everyone is aware of what we are dealing with."

"Yes, Major Dieterich."

Under normal circumstances at home, the two would probably vomit at the forced formality they were showing each other. Yet when the situation demanded it, they understood how to show proper respect and uphold decorum in public settings like this.

To anyone who knew how they usually behaved around one another, the sight would have been laughable, but in front of the Revenant Knights, neither went out of character.

At that, Julius began to explain the situation in full detail. As he spoke, the knights listened intently. Some raised their brows, others widened their eyes, surprised by what they were hearing.

Hans-Peter, perhaps the most grounded among them, raised a question.

"I understand there is no proof, Mister Schneider, but what is the rationale behind this? How are you so certain that this Lukas Meinhardt is a Glassheart?"

"It is a hunch," Julius said. "But even if he isn't, his behavior is suspicious. As an officer of the Directorate, it is my responsibility to act on any potential threat to the German Republic."

In earlier times, the Gestapo could arrest potential threats without a warrant. Their modern successor, the Directorate for State Preservation, held similar authority. Yet in this era, acting without restraint would draw heavy backlash.

The public would call it tyranny and turn against the Republic. Even the Chancellor wanted to avoid such a situation, so there was an unspoken restriction on that power.

"I understand," Hans-Peter said with a small nod. "Then where do the knights come into this? Are we simply here as insurance in case Lukas Meinhardt truly is a Glassheart?"

"Yes. You are exactly right, Captain Augsberger."

"All of us?"

"I am employing all of you."

"Ah. Of course."

They were essentially being paid outside their Revenant Knights' salary. Since the payment came from a Schneider, their expectations rose immediately. It was often said that the Schneiders possessed enough wealth to buy the German Republic if it were ever put up for sale.

Cornelia's eyes almost turned into money at the thought. "If I may, how much?"

Julius paused for a moment before answering.

"More than what you usually earn. You will be compensated separately. Details will follow once we confirm your assignments."

"...Yes, understood.

Cornelia nodded slowly, satisfied for now. The others exchanged glances. Even without a specific number, the idea of payment from a Schneider spoke for itself.

Gabriel stepped forward again.

"Payment aside, the mission remains the priority," he said. "Your role is to support the Young Master and ensure operational security from behind the scenes. If Lukas Meinhardt is truly a Glassheart, we must act before he poses a threat. If he isn't, we gather information and withdraw without incident."

"Yes, Major!"

* * *

"You've been going out by yourself a lot. Enjoying Hamburg?"

"Yes, sir," Julius said with a nod. He kept his tone respectful as he answered his superior's question. "I've been visiting places Lukas Meinhardt frequents."

Julius had never informed Klaus about his collaboration with the Revenant Knights. He also never told him that Lukas Meinhardt might be a Glassheart.

After working with Klaus for the past month, Julius had learned that Klaus was the type to pretend to respect your words, but if he thought something sounded absurd, he dismissed it internally before you finished speaking.

It had already happened once. There was no point in telling someone who wouldn't believe you. Besides, Julius currently had no concrete means of exposing Lukas just yet.

"What did you find?" Klaus asked.

"There is nothing noteworthy," Julius responded. "However, the diner he visits at night is suspicious."

"The diner?"

"Specifically, the waitress."

Most people wouldn't notice anything unusual. In fact, no one would notice at all. Through SIBYL's thorough scanning, Julius observed that among all the people he had encountered, it was the waitress who exercised unusual caution.

He tested her behavior repeatedly, and her reactions only ever changed when he was present. Julius had made sure his identity remained hidden, yet she remained wary of him.

"According to my assessment, sir, the waitress might know something."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.