Evie spends the rest of her workday drinking cauldron brew and covertly studying her coworkers, trying to identify the traitor. Although she'd love to pin the blame on Becky, she acknowledges that Becky is too much of a rule follower to be capable of such deceit.

As the day winds down, Blade Gushiken—the manor's dragon trainer and one of the few full-time residents—arrives in the office with a fresh gash on his forehead from the dragon. Evie tends to him warmly, and the narrative reveals the backstory of the dragon: Blade found an abandoned egg in the eastern mountains, hatched it, and bonded with the creature. Unable to afford its upkeep, he answered The Villain's advertisement seeking magical beasts and arrived at the manor two weeks after Evie, exchanging the dragon for room and board. Though the dragon has grown large and aggressive toward most people, it is paradoxically afraid of everything.

Blade flirts with Becky as she passes, inviting her to a tavern, but she brutally rebuffs him, criticizing his hygiene and the blood on his face. After Becky storms off, Blade asks Evie about how The Villain is handling the latest compromised shipment. Evie notes dryly that the destroyed entryway speaks for itself and reveals that The Villain has been absent from the office for several days, which is unusual. Blade also credits Evie with reducing The Villain's destructive outbursts to twice a week, a feat she attributes to making sure he eats breakfast before interacting with interns.

When the end-of-day bell rings, workers eye The Villain's closed office door nervously, since he usually opens it to signal safe departure. Evie takes it upon herself to dismiss them, accepting any consequences. Blade heads off with Tatianna to get his wound treated, and Evie packs up to leave. She catches herself looking back at The Villain's closed door with concern, privately admitting she cares about him more than she probably should—and worrying that one day he might not return.