The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

Bassareus arrives with mail for Duckers and teases Hart about not receiving anything. Silently, Hart is glad that Mercy clearly enjoys his real-life company more than she misses her mysterious pen pal. He pours Bassareus a whiskey so that he will keep picking up letters for Duckers. Duckers reveals that he knows about Hart dating Mercy and teases him about being right all along. However, Duckers is horrified to realize that Hart still has not told Mercy about the letters. He warns Hart to admit his identity as Mercy’s secret pen pal before the pair’s entire romance falls apart. Hart knows that Duckers is right, but he is afraid that revealing the truth will ruin his connection with Mercy.

Later, they encounter a group dressed in the uniforms of a company permitted to be in Tanria, but Hart realizes that the uniforms are merely a disguise; the group is doing something illegal. When he and Duckers try to stop them, the group shoots crossbows at them, hitting Hart in the side.

Hart falls unconscious and wakes up in the infirmary. He can hear the doctor and Alma speaking just outside the room. The doctor says that the wound is healing faster than usual, just like another marshal named Rosie Fox, who is a known immortal demigod.