Five Broken Blades
by Mai Corland
Contents
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Overview
The group examines the dead man and confirms he was a palace assassin by his distinctive, reinforced black uniform, but finds no clues on his body. Ty reveals he may have seen a similar black-clad watcher in Oosant, escalating fears that the team has been surveilled for much longer.
Suspicion spirals as Aeri implicates Ty’s father, Seok, and the others question Aeri and Mikail’s loyalties. Sora suggests Count Dal may be staging the murder to fracture them, and Mikail’s decision to burn the corpse eliminates the chance for further investigation and deepens Sora’s unease about Seok’s possible involvement.
Summary
Sora and the other five assassins gather in Count Dal’s game house around the corpse of the spy they found outside Sora’s window. The room is a butcher’s space filled with hanging carcasses and weapons, and the indignity of the dead man being stripped for inspection unsettles Sora, who recognizes how easily she could have ended the same way on past jobs.
They search the body but find nothing useful. When Sora questions how they know the victim was a palace assassin, Euyn explains palace assassins dress in black on missions, and Mikail adds that the clothing’s distinctive cut and steel-mesh reinforcement mark it as official. The group returns to the key mysteries: why the assassin was at Sora’s window and why he ran.
Ty admits he may have seen someone dressed in black back in Oosant, watching from a rooftop near The Mine after they set the fire. Pressed for specifics, Ty insists he kept quiet because he thought it might have been a shadow, but the revelation deepens everyone’s fear that they have been monitored for longer than they realized.
Aeri suggests Ty’s father, Seok, might have sent the watcher, either to protect Ty or because Seok could be working with the king. Ty snaps back at Aeri, and suspicion spreads to her as well—she confirms she is from Saylee but has lived in Pyong, and Mikail reveals he recruited her after seeing her steal a valuable diamond while he was spying on someone else, a detail that makes Sora doubt the coincidence. Royo then pointsly reminds everyone that Mikail is himself tied to the throne they plan to rob and kill for, but Mikail claims an alibi with Euyn during the scream and argues he would not kill clumsily.
Sora proposes a different possibility: Count Dal engineered the situation to sow distrust, especially since Dal knew they were there and was conveniently absent. She suspects the valets have been listening and reporting. Euyn says Dal’s behavior tomorrow may clarify matters, and Mikail decides the body should be burned and the ashes buried—practical, but also a way to prevent outside scrutiny—prompting Sora to note the resemblance to Seok’s habits and to wonder if there is a deeper connection.
Who Appears
- SoraPOV; unsettled by the corpse, proposes Dal’s setup, suspects a Seok connection.
- MikailIdentifies the victim as a palace assassin; deflects suspicion; orders the body burned and buried.
- TyAdmits seeing a possible black-clad watcher in Oosant; becomes a focus of suspicion.
- EuynExplains palace assassins’ black attire; alibis Mikail; suggests watching Dal’s behavior tomorrow.
- AeriSuggests Seok may have sent the watcher; is questioned about her origins and recruitment.
- RoyoPresses suspicion onto Mikail and challenges his ties to the throne.
- Count DalAbsent but suspected of orchestrating the murder to sow doubt and test allegiances.
- SeokTy’s father; implicated as a possible sender of the watcher and linked to body-burning habits.
- Palace assassin (unnamed)Dead spy found outside Sora’s window; his identity fuels paranoia and investigation.