Five Broken Blades

Together, the six comrades develop their scheme to assassinate the king on the day of the Millennial Championship. Sora assesses her companions and finds that she likes some of them, especially Royo and Aeri.

The next day, they take a fleet carriage to Tamneki; the journey will take 10 days. Sora is seated next to Tiyung, whom she staunchly ignores. Instead, she speaks to Mikail, with whom she feels an odd kinship. Tiyung allows everyone to call him “Ty.” As Sora worries over the simplicity of their plan, Aeri questions Ty’s presence, and Sora’s indentured servitude is revealed. Most are appalled, and Sora and Aeri bond over the fact that they are both participating in the assassination for the sake of their respective families. Sora plans to befriend Aeri and plots to convince her to give her the crown.

Royo is bewildered by his companions. When they broach the subject of Euyn’s exile, Royo mentions Joon’s edict to kill thousands of prisoners and asks Euyn to undo the command once he becomes king. When Euyn agrees, Royo swears his sword—and therefore, his loyalty—to Euyn.

Euyn observes his companions and notes Mikail’s interest in Sora. He reflects on Chul and Sora’s fate and decides against telling her that he once hunted her father. Euyn and Ty are both jealous of Sora and Mikail’s proximity to one another, and Euyn confirms that Ty is in love with Sora. While neither man is sure whether Sora’s very body is poisonous after her time at the poison school, Ty is thankful that her reputation precedes her and keeps her safe. Euyn worries about his illegitimate blood and the unknown identity of his father; he also blames his mother, despite the fact that he killed her himself. He recalls that he first started hunting people after her death.

Mikail and Sora converse together while everyone else in the carriage sleeps; however, Euyn is only feigning sleep. Mikail and Sora bond over their harsh upbringings, and Sora reveals that Ty is there to kill her. She asks Mikail if freedom is possible for the likes of them, but he believes that powerful men will never leave them alone. He offers to kill Ty, but Sora refuses, and when Mikail offers to kill Seok instead, she claims Seok’s death as her own. When they speak of the fact that Mikail wants Joon dead, Mikail lets her believe that his motivation is Euyn.

They arrive in Capricia, and as they walk toward a travelers’ inn, Royo takes an interest in a field where people are playing tuhko. As they settle down at the inn, Royo discovers that Aeri has disappeared.

The group tries to calm Royo, but he frantically goes to search for Aeri. As Sora deliberates over joining him, Aeri enters the dining area and returns with Royo moments later. He is clearly displeased. Sora asks where Aeri went, but Aeri does not give a clear answer. Later, in the women’s bathroom, Sora implies that she knows Aeri’s “secret” in order to create a stronger bond between them, but she actually does not know whether Aeri has a secret or not.

Aeri doesn’t understand everyone’s reaction to her absence, and Royo is still angry. They argue, and Aeri accuses him of being distracted and not attending to her. He promises never to let her out of his sight, and Aeri apologizes for worrying him. They nearly kiss again, but Mikail interrupts them.

They arrive in Oosant and decide to stay for the night. Royo is troubled by his growing feelings for Aeri. In town, Aeri and Sora decide to eat dinner at a tavern, and Royo and Ty follow despite Mikail’s request that they remain at the inn. At the tavern, Royo and Ty are immediately targeted by seven local gang members. Royo orders food to appear normal and delays in case Euyn and Mikail decide to join them. When the server brings their food, he instructs her to pack it to go. As they leave, Royo notices a dagger-wielding man hiding in the shadows but is knocked unconscious before he can properly warn the others.

Aeri comes to fetch Mikail and Euyn from their room, explaining that she and the others were attacked. They find Ty and Royo alive but unconscious and revive the two with smelling salts. Suddenly, they notice that Sora has been kidnapped. After deliberating, Mikail, Euyn, Ty, and Royo head back to the tavern. Mikail forcefully questions the bartender and his daughter (the server) about the gang’s location. The server initially lies about the gang’s location but eventually directs them to a place called The Mine. Mikail brings her and her father with them.

At The Mine, Euyn watches as Mikail forces the bartender and the server to knock on the door and determine the number of gang members inside. Ty wants to let them go, but Mikail insists on keeping them there. To get the others on his side, Mikail eventually reveals that Ty is there to kill Sora after she finishes her mission. Mikail tells Euyn to kill the bartender and his daughter once they leave the warehouse. The bartender and his daughter return and report that there are only 10 people inside. Euyn leaves to take out the guards around The Mine. When he finds none, he knows that this is a trap, so he kills the bartender and his daughter with his crossbow.

Royo is still reeling from the blow to his head. Swearing not to let another girl die at the hands of a gang, he arrives at the back of the warehouse, but when no one is there, he realizes that the entire situation is a set-up.

Sora knows that the others are walking into a trap because she overheard the leader of the gang instruct the bartender to misinform Mikail about the gang’s full numbers. Twenty-four men are lying in wait to attack her comrades, and Sora searches for a way to help them.

Mikail knocks on the warehouse door with Ty and Aeri in tow, pretending to return them both to the gang leader. When they identify Mikail as a king’s guard, he denies it. Sora intercedes and tells the gang leader that she wishes to stay with him. She allows him to kiss her while Euyn signals his and Royo’s ambush to Mikail. The leader dies from Sora’s poison. When Euyn and Royo crash inside, they all begin to fight the gang members, and Mikail revels in the violence. In the fray, Ty saves Aeri, who releases Sora. Aeri then saves Royo, and they believe that the warehouse is clear of foes. However, one man has survived, and Aeri stares as he attempts to kill Mikail.

Sora watches, helpless, as the man is about to kill Mikail. She forces her eyes open, and the man misses his target. Aeri is now breathing hard next to Sora, but everyone else is too far away to have helped.

Everyone wonders how Mikail survived. As they go through the warehouse, they discover an enormous stash of illegal laoli. After dragging all the bodies into the warehouse—including those of the bartender and his daughter—they set fire to the warehouse. They all agree to leave Oosant that night. In the quiet of the carriage, Sora thanks them for saving her, and Euyn feels a new kinship amongst all of them—a bond that warrants killing and dying for each other.

Ty struggles with the fact that he has killed two men. Aeri thanks him for saving her life, and Royo praises him. Ty swears that he would never hurt Sora. When they question why Seok would want to kill one of his two poison maidens, Ty has no answer to give. Privately, he doesn’t understand why the gang left him alive. He winces at the pain of his broken nose, and when Sora shows concern for his injury, he believes that there might be hope for them. When he falls asleep, he has nightmares.

After making a stop, Mikail finds himself once again next to Sora and asks if they were quick enough to stop the gang leader from sexually assaulting her. She reassures Mikail but does not admit how rough the gang leader was with her. They talk about Daysum, and Mikail reveals that he once had a sister who died very young. Euyn overhears this admission. Mikail announces that they will stop at the home of the eastern count, Dal, before going on to Tamneki.

Royo worries over the fact that he almost failed to protect Aeri during the battle. He asks Euyn if it is possible to learn to fight like Mikail by training in the king’s guard. He then asks Euyn if he will be a good king, and Euyn promises to try to be a fair king. Privately, Royo knows that someone in their group is leaking information, and he vows to find out who the traitor is.