Chapter 9: Slave Traders 2

Part 1

Things came to a momentary lull as delighted laughter sounded amongst the clashing of weapons. It was simply that strange to hear the girl laughing in the chaotic atmosphere where it was kill or be killed.

“Is this wench out of her mind?”

Mack glared at Ianna, who was laughing so vibrantly in this insane situation that all he wanted to do was flee from. He wanted to let his temper get the better of him and slap her back to her senses, but he didn’t have the leeway to pay any heed to the crazy wench at the moment.

“Camastros, those bastards…”

Mack spat on the floor. He continued,

“They’re just a bunch of babies who haven’t been in this line of work for very long, and now they want to ruin our business? Aaaargh, damn them all.”

Camastros interfered with their business, raided their buildings and set them afire, and murdered their members or captured them and threw them in the kingdom’s prisons before vanishing like ghosts and hiding away —they were detestable enemies whom the Black Fox would publicly put to the stake and more if they caught them.

The Black Fox dominated the underworld. There was no place in the world where their influence did not reach. Camastros’ harassment, barely more significant than small pricks from a needle, had suddenly poked them full of holes over the course of the past few years, which was why the Black Fox was annoyed with them to no end.

Mack, who was one of the Black Fox’s top executives, despised Camastros. One of his direct superiors even began throwing things at him as soon as he heard the first “Ca” in “Camastros.”

Mack had only personally encountered Camastros once, but that had been more than enough to set him ablaze with fury at the mere thought of them. He was so enraged that the scar on his otherwise smooth forehead, which he had received when an ashtray had hit him, throbbed.

‘Why today of all days?’

He didn’t know why, but Camastros hadn’t been active for the past several months. Mack had been very pleased about that fact. He had grown more anxious by the day because he didn’t know the reason behind their absence, but at least his boss had stopped throwing things at him when they weren’t leaving scars on the Black Fox’s power and reputation.

And so, Mack had been spending his days in a tearstained joy that rested on thin ice. But then, as if they were purposefully trying to humiliate him, Camastros had appeared again on the day of this incredibly important auction.

“I’ll kill every last one of those bastards today. Did they think that the guys outside were all we had?”

Mack shouted as he pulled out a knife from behind his back. The only reason why he, who would have normally been one of the first to flee when things went south, boldly stood his ground today was because he had something he could count on. His boss, who had anticipated the raid, had dispatched some of the best warriors under his direct control.

Mack may not have been known for his strength because he supervised the slave auctions and had become an executive thanks to his brains, but he had never neglected to temper his body. Even most members of the Black Fox who relied on their brute strength could not easily best him. This was how Mack knew that the warriors his boss had sent, whose presences he could not feel even when he tried to focus on them, were highly skilled. They had been ordered to step in from their hiding spots all throughout the auditorium if they judged that Mack’s subordinates could not handle Camastros.

Mack thought that his subordinates, who were among the Black Fox’s middle ranks, would suffer no casualties from Camastros. It would be for the best if he could dispose of them with his own merits alone, since he would be handsomely rewarded for his efforts, but Mack ultimately couldn’t have cared much less even if he failed since his boss’ warriors would show up to clean up after the wounded and tired members of Camastros anyway.

“Heehee.”

Mack, who was certain that no member of Camastros would live to see tomorrow despite the fact that they were composed of only elite warriors and despite how incredible their leader was said to be, smiled viciously. If he could only get rid of Camastros, then he would easily be able to make up for the losses he had taken today.

“Hey, push them further! Fight harder, you idiots.”

Mack incited his men to fight harder as he brandished his knife, and Ianna, who had been standing next to him, took her eyes off Arhad’s to sneak a glance at him. She didn’t know what schemes he was cooking up, but the way he was laughing revolted her.

She resumed the course of action she had temporarily paused because of Arhad’s sudden appearance.

Poooooow!

“Kgh!”

Ianna kicked him hard in the flank while he was busy screaming his head off, and he fell off the stage and tumbled to the floor.

“Ugh…….”

Mack struggled to catch his breath as he was unable to think straight. What the hell had just happened? It was clear to him that he had broken several ribs.

‘Which asshole was it?!’

Mack raged to himself as his eyes smarted with tears from the pain he was in. He did not think even in his wildest dreams that the culprit who had kicked him was the girl who was laughing like she had lost her mind.

Riiip.

The rope broke as easily as spaghetti when Ianna tensed against them. She rolled out her stiff wrists for a bit before jumping off the stage and readily picking Mack up by his throat. She flashed Mack a grin as he choked on his pain before glaring piercingly at him.

“The hell, cough, you…….”

“You must be someone high up in the Black Fox if you’re in charge of overseeing a high-profile auction, right, you bastard?”

Mack began audibly choking as Ianna’s hand raised him into the air. She continued,

“Though I suppose there isn’t really a need to ask if you’re even giving out orders.”

Ianna made a fist. Then, she whipped her fist, gently encased in mana, into his stomach like an arrow before he could say anything in response.

Baaam!

“……!”

Mack, who had suffered a direct hit from Ianna’s fist, grew dizzy as his internal organs shifted around before finally bowing down to dry heave as drool poured out from his mouth.

Then, a ferocious attack came at Ianna from behind. But there was no way that she wouldn’t have realized who their target was when the bloodlust they emitted was so dense it made her head hurt. Ianna threw Mack aside and drew the sword at her waist as she quickly turned around.

Claang!

The treacherous sound of two sharp blades clashing against each other ripped through the air. Ianna’s blade slid up her attacker’s like a snake climbing up a tree when he faltered after his deathblow was so readily blocked. The seemingly venomous blade flashed chillingly as it climbed up to his throat and swiftly took his life.

The attacker fell to the floor with a spray of blood before he could even react to the ghastly attack that had killed him without even a drop of bloodlust. A bunch of men with sharpened fighting spirits began appearing from various places within the auditorium now that blood had been spilt.

“You’re no ordinary wench, I see.”

One man, who seemed to be their leader, voiced his wariness, but Ianna simply hung down her bloodied sword in response.

Meanwhile, one man had snuck behind her and was about to collect Mack, whom Ianna had thrown aside. Ianna, however, was not foolish enough to allow her prize to be stolen from her.

She ignored the bloodlust that was being showered upon her and quickly turned around. She stabbed the man behind her in the throat with the force of a cannon.

Swoosh! Clang!

The alarmed man threw Mack back on the floor and threw his sword out. He was shocked. The young girl’s thrust had been so powerful that his hands were numb. But then she promptly followed up with a vertical slash that seemed to have intended to split his head in two. He only just managed to block it by holding his sword horizontally.

“Uh…….”

The man dropped his jaw like an idiot at the surreal scene before him. The girl’s blade was cutting through his own blade, which had been forged from an expensive and sturdy metal, like it was a vegetable.

Ianna’s sword flashed. The flash of her steel was the last thing the man saw in life.

Stooomp!

The crimson girl stepped kicked heavily against the floor. The men in front of her had stiff looks on their faces now that she had killed two of their number in but an instant.

Their leader ground his teeth together as he questioned her.

“Who are you? And why were you captured as a slave if you’re so skilled?”

They had been on standby above the stage and, unlike their colleagues who had been watching over the situation from the back of the auditorium, had decided to step in earlier than planned. They could not simply wait around and watch as Mack, their boss’ right-hand man and a high-ranking executive of their organization, be done in so preposterously.

They had thought that they would be able to take care of things quickly. But now, it looked like they would have to acknowledge the fact that they had been sloppy and prepare to be punished for it later. It was only natural that they would be punished for losing two of their number because they were sloppy and had failed to realize that the wench before them could use fortification. She was clearly not someone who would have simply been caught by slave traders like an ordinary person. Even ignoring the fact that she could control mana, it was clear to the men, who themselves had trained until they bled, that her swordsmanship was exceptional.

Still, no matter now exceptional the girl was, they were to be her opponents. They, who had been chosen by the distant empire for the utility of their skills, who were put through hellish training, and who now stood behind one of the three bosses of the Black Fox, which dominated the world, as his watchdogs.

To think that they, who had been dispatched to get rid of the leader of Camastros, were busy fighting a sly young wench who looked every bit as sweet as the girls who warmed their beds at night!

Their prides were wounded by their sheer disbelief.

“I don’t wish to talk at length to people who are to die soon. There is no reason for me to answer your question.”

Ianna felt no need to hide her skills. Nor did she have any reason to dawdle now that she had secured an executive of the Black Fox to interrogate. Also, she would have to kill everyone here if she didn’t want to be blacklisted by the Black Fox now that she had captured one of their executives and murdered their members without hiding her face. Her best solution was to kill them as quickly as possible.

Her bloodlust and intention to wipe out her enemies seeped into the mana around her. The mana flashed vibrantly and became as a dense crimson fog. It was the herald of death now that Ianna had decided to demonstrate her true skills.

The crimson mana declared its presence in the form of pressure and made it difficult for the men to breathe. But they mistook it as poisonous powder because of this and brushed it off.

“You crazy bitch, it that what made you so cocky?!”

A man rushed at her with his fortified sword out to his side. He swung his sword with earnest, and those who were watching him were sure that Ianna would soon be cut in two.

Regardless of what his audience was thinking, there was no way that the man could have known that his twisted thoughts, as he wondered how cocky Ianna would be after she was cut in two, would be his last.

Slash!

He had blocked Ianna’s diagonal slash, but her sword rent him blade and all before he fell to the floor with a loud crash.

“…….”

The others, who had been watching with smirks on their faces, could not comprehend the surrealistic thing that had happened at first. They only realized that something was extremely wrong when they saw the man’s body on the floor as his blood began pooling around him.

The way that Ianna’s sword slid back in its original position while dripping with blood was both bizarre and terrifying. The men began drooling when they couldn’t swallow down the saliva had had pooled in their mouths.

“Get her!”

The men suppressed their uneasiness and rushed Ianna all together when their bewildered leader shouted at them. Their ferocious bloodlust converged on her like a raging storm, but Ianna simply waited for them to reach her like a girl waiting for the gentle breeze across a picturesque landscape.

“Haah!”

One man jumped as he brought his sword down upon her. Ianna dodged by gently stepping back before stabbing deep into his side and shredding his flesh with her blade. Her fickle blade drew a beautiful arc in the air as soon as it came back out with a splash of blood and beheaded another man who was about to swipe at Ianna from behind.

The men surrounded her so she couldn’t escape as they slashed and stabbed at her from all sides.

Clang clang clang!

But she was no longer there. She was supposed to have been turned into a pincushion at the center of their blades, but she had vanished like smoke. One man looked around for her with his teeth clenched before he finally spotted her.

“Fuck, is she a ghost or something……?!”

He locked eyes with his colleague standing opposite of him. His colleague’s pupils were shaking in crimson terror. It happened just as the man turned around in disbelief.

Slaaaash!

Both the man’s and his colleague’s lives were stolen by a crescent drawn by the fortified blade.

“Ah, ahhhhh!”

One man thrust out his sword from behind. But he flinched when Ianna looked up and their eyes met, and then it was game over.

Poow!

Ianna’s nimble rapier pierced the man’s arms, legs, torso, and throat like a swarm of angry bees.

Thump…….

The man eventually collapsed. The men who had been waiting on standby could not bring themselves to attack. Ianna smiled almost kindly as she brushed back her hair.

“You’re not going to attack?”

They understood. The crimson aura surrounding Ianna’s sword was neither poison nor an illusion, but was mana that been condensed so tightly by someone’s will that it had taken in their color.

“H-how…?”

One man muttered in sheer disbelief. Colored mana. The mana, which reminded them of the overbearing force that surrounded their true masters, was so overwhelming they were almost ashamed for having mistaken it for mere poison. It was a power that could only be manifest by bonafide slayers who would not allow any trace of defiance from their enemies.

Their terror and anxiety grew to the extreme as Ianna slowly lowered her sword. They would die as soon as her sword was swung!

The men wanted to turn tail and flee, but their bodies, frozen like mice before a savage beast, would not listen to them.

Ianna kicked off hard against the floor as soon as she finished adjusting her grip on her sword. The men gasped raggedly. They gathered as much mana as they possibly could and covered their swords with it. But their swords, armed with what was barely a gentle breeze, could not withstand the crimson storm’s onslaught. They were all highly skilled, but they were practically destined to fall at Ianna’s feet.

“Phew.”

Ianna resheathed her sword when she was finished. No one had survived her attack. Nor had anyone been able to flee. All the men strewn about around her were dead.

“I see —so you let yourself get caught on purpose.”

Ianna turned around when a frigid voice called out to her from behind. She grinned as she saw the irritation in his golden eyes. Things were becoming fun.

“Is there something you wished to say to me?”

“Leave this place at once if you don’t want to die. You’re in the way.”

Contrary to her expectations, Arhad did not hesitate or purposefully speak up to her like he had at the Institution. Was it because he thought his identity was hidden behind the white mask over his face and his altered voice? He was acting like another person altogether.

Ianna was intrigued by the way he was acting like he had split personalities.

‘What to do? Shall I play along?’

Ianna was delighted by the situation —it seemed far more fun than the suffocation she had felt while badgering him at the Institution.

“Who do you think you are? What does it matter to you what I do? Don’t order me around as you please.”

“Too gutsy for your own good, I see.”

Bloodlust emanated from Arhad’s surroundings. Ianna, however, ignored him and turned her back to him. She walked up to where Mack was lying on the floor and picked him up by the collar.

“You seem to have business with an executive of the Black Fox, Miss —may I ask what it is?”

a hoarse voice cut in from behind them. Ianna turned around. There was a lone man standing behind Arhad. He was the man with the teardrop mask who had met up with him when Ianna had first begun tailing Arhad.

Ianna scrutinized the man. He was covered from head to toe by his black robes and his mask, and the only feature she could make out from him was his eyes. His eyes were a common grey —nothing special at all. But the sly curve of his eyes behind his mask seemed familiar to her.

‘Familiar?’

Ianna furrowed her brows, unable to comprehend why she thought that this man, whom she had never met before, felt familiar.

She brushed off the nonsensical feeling and glanced toward the back of the auditorium. Most of the situation had been dealt with while she had been fighting the men from earlier. The members of the Black Fox had been rounded into a corner while the members of Camastros surrounded them and poked at them playfully with their sharp blades like cats toying with mice.

“Miss? Is it something you can’t tell us?”

“The higher-ups of the Black Fox ordered their subordinates to kidnap a child who is very dear to me. I am trying to find out why,”

Ianna replied candidly. Camastros was hostile to the Black Fox to begin with, and, more importantly, Arhad was their leader, so she didn’t think it’d be a big deal to tell them about it.

“Is the child you’re referring to a boy named Finn, the son of Mursi, who is the owner of the Paella Company?”

The man guessed accurately after thinking about it for a moment. Ianna glared at him.

“How did you know?”

The man quickly waved his hands.

“Ahh, let’s not get too violent now. It was just a guess, but I see I got it right. I’m in charge of Camastros’ intelligence operations. So it’s my responsibility to sniff out intel on the Black Fox. I know the gist of their plans and their targets. And there’s only one young child in Roanne whom they’re currently targeting.”

Ianna had wondered if the man had shadowed her on Arhad’s orders, but it seemed like that hadn’t been the case. He was responsible for sniffing out intel on the Black Fox —which probably meant that he was a spy who had been sent to infiltrate the Black Fox’s upper management. Ianna looked back at the man with renewed interest.

Most of the Black Fox’s executives were citizens of the Bahamut Empire, and it was next to impossible to infiltrate them because their security was tight. If he had truly managed to achieve the feat, then the man before her was surely incredibly talented and one of the best spies in the world.

‘That, or he’s a Black Fox executive who betrayed them and sided with Arhad.’

“Do you know why that child is being targeted?”

“It’s because he’s Mursi’s son.”

It surprised Ianna to learn that this, and not the fact that Finn was a half-elf, was the reason. The man continued,

“Mursi isn’t very famous in Roanne, which is located at the center of the continent, because he was mainly been active in the west until recently, but he’s a big-shot merchant whom even the ethic minorities know of in the deserts to the west.”

Ianna had known that Mursi’s company was large. But, was he truly so influential that the Black Fox had ordered for his son’s abduction? Was it really only because Finn was the son of a big-shot merchant —that is, for the money?

Ianna grew exhausted because it was such a plain reason, but she also sighed out in relief. The Black Fox would be after Finn until the very end if there had been some special reason why they were after him, but it was a different story if they were only after money.

There were many other children from wealthy families in the world besides Finn. If money was what they were after, then it meant that it ultimately didn’t matter to them if they kidnapped Finn or not. There was no reason for them to target Finn persistently if the child was guarded too rigorously to be an easy mark.

But the man hadn’t finished speaking quite yet.

“The Black Fox is expanding out into the four corners of the world for some reason. They’re branching out from human lands and aiming for remote regions where the mythical races are said to live.”

“For some reason?”

“I don’t know why, but what I’m certain of is that they’ve chosen Mursi as their means of reaching out to the Girohai Desert. And holding his beloved son hostage is the best way to keep him under their control.”

The outermost reaches of the continent were unexplored lands filled with only the unknown. The Himalapè Ice Fields to the north, the Great Forest of Shaob, the Karankell Rocky Mountains to the south, and the Girohai Desert to the east —together, they were known as the four corners of the world.

Only monsters and the mythical races lived in those regions, and it was extremely rare that any human came back from those lands alive. They were sometimes called the Forbidden Lands, and they were not considered human territory.

Mursi had likely only operated in the rare patches of human settlement in those lands. Of course, he had once ventured into the Great Forest of Shaob with a friend and had married an elf, but that was a special case —the West was a different story altogether. Just because he had ties to the elves in the East, it did not mean his relationship would extend to the beastmen in the West.

“Mr. Mursi should have been active in western kingdoms, not in the remote corners of the world, so why is it that the Black Fox thinks they need him to branch out there?”

“Because Mursi is the closest friend of the man who not only rules over the mercenaries scattered all across the world but is also friendly with the beastmen who live in the Girohai Desert.”

Ianna had a strange look on her face.

“Impossible…….”

“Mursi is friends with Absilot —the Guardian of the Desert and the Mercenary King of this continent.”

‘Absilot!’

Ianna opened her eyes wide.

Absilot was the leader of the mercenary guild known as the Tiger. He had swept across the continent while taking high-level commissions one after another in his younger days, and he was a prominent figure in mercenary circles who was lauded as a legend. He had since retired and had settled in the desert, and it was said that he lived in luxury because of all the wealth he had acquired. It was also said that he lived alongside the mythical races to the west and defended them.

Ianna had never met Absilot in person before. He had had no point of contact with the Kingdom of Roanne, and he had struck a deal with Bahamut and had maintained his silence when Arhad had started the war. Still, she knew that he was amazing.

“They can’t go after Mursi directly because he’s said to be an honorable man who would rather kill himself than become a burden to his friend. They’re trying to poke a sleeping tiger, essentially. That’s why they’re trying to kidnap the young Finn. Finn is like a son to Absilot as well, so they can control both Mursi and Absilot if they hold Finn hostage.”

“So the reason why the Black Fox is after Finn…….”

“Yes. It’s because he’s a good way to get into contact with the mythical races.”

If what the man was saying was true, then Ianna knew that it must never be revealed that Finn was a half-elf. The Black Fox was backed by Bahamut, which meant that it was targeting the mythical races under orders from the Bahamut imperial family.

What secret designs did they have in mind for targeting the mythical races?

‘To sell them as slaves?’

Slaves from the mythical races were expensive. And the Black Fox was selling off a dwarf as a slave even now. It was a plausible hypothesis.

‘But is that really all there is to it?’

Ianna’s gaze turned to the back of the stage. It had been some time since the commotion had been made, but if, just if, the dwarf was still back there…….

Ianna made to run backstage. There was no point in asking any more questions —if Arhad’s informant didn’t know, then Arhad probably didn’t know either.

Bahamut, the Black Fox, dwarves, Finn, Mursi, Absilot, the mythical races, Camastros, Arhad.

Things were beginning to get complicated. But the dwarf was one of her clues and Ianna’s instincts told her that she needed to rescue him.

But Ianna was held back by someone who grabbed her by the arm as she tried to break out into a sprint.

“You don’t listen, do you?”

A wintry voice closed in on her. The arm he grabbed hurt. Ianna turned her head. She locked eyes with the golden pair that were glaring back at her. He continued,

“Was your curiosity not satisfied just now? The exit is that way. Leave.”

“I have business to attend to inside.”

“Are you planning to go inside and rescue the slaves?”

“There is more I wish to learn about the Black Fox.”

The veins in Arhad’s wrists popped out when Ianna answered candidly. He pulled hard at her arm and tried to drag her toward the exit.

“I will not tolerate any more interference from you in our plans. Go home.”

Ianna smirked as she shook him off.

“Tolerate? I am not your subordinate. Why must I tuck my tail in and go home just because you told me to?”

There were no ties that existed between her and Arhad at the moment. She may have decided to work under him one day, but today was not the day her resolve was to come to fruition. He had no right to order her around.

“Will you leave quietly if I ask you politely?”

“I can’t do that. I still have something I must do. Why are you trying to stop me? What does it matter to you if I go against the Black Fox and end up dead because of it……?”

“Miss. We don’t want outsiders to get involved and get themselves killed.”

The man with the teardrop mask’s attempt at mediation only won him a smirk from Ianna. She turned ever so slightly to the stage as she said,

“Do I really look like someone who’ll get myself killed by these mere thugs to you?”

“I acknowledge that you’re strong, but your skills alone won’t be enough to face off against the Black Fox. What is the issue here? Finn’s safety? Finn will not be in any danger if things continue on as they have been. Not only is the child’s home protected by an incredibly high-leveled spell that prevents trespassers from breaking in, but he’s also protected by highly skilled warriors.”

And still, Finn had nearly been trampled to death by the minotaurs in Allacamorah Forest. Which meant that his bodyguards couldn’t always protect him in unforeseen circumstances. The man continued,

“The Black Fox knows that kidnapping Finn might be as a double-edged blade that might turn against them in the future, so they will likely kidnap him only as their last resort. There is nothing you need to be concerned about.”

The man was being fallacious. Neglecting Finn now would be no different from simply standing by as the child crossed over a bridge with a pit teeming with venomous snakes directly beneath it. How did he expect her to simply step back and watch when a hungry snake could bite the child’s ankle at any given moment?

“It’s negligent, even careless, not to be concerned when danger is still lurking nearby. I want Finn to be able to enjoy his complete freedom. How much longer must that child live like that? Forever?”

It was not right to shackle the child down and keep him from going anywhere just because it was dangerous. Walking forward was life itself, and being unable to find one’s path was no different from being robbed of one’s free will.

‘It’s a horrible fate.’

Ianna clenched her hands into tight fists.

Finn had not brought the situation on himself, nor had he asked for it to happen. The Black Fox was targeting him solely because of the circumstances he had been born under.

Finn was very young. He still needed someone else to guild him. The correct answer was to guide the child down another path where the snakes wouldn’t take notice of him. And if that wasn’t possible, the next best answer was to walk with the child and protect him as he crossed the bridge. And if all else failed, it was only right to pour oil in the pit and set the snakes afire so the child could cross safely.

“I would like for the Black Fox to stop pestering the child entirely. And for that, I must first learn why the bastards are after the mythical races.”

Moreover, he was only telling her not to be concerned because he didn’t know that Finn was a half-elf. If Ianna didn’t know why the Black Fox was after the mythical races, then she had no way of predicting how they would react once they found out that Finn was a half-elf.

She needed to collect her clues one by one and solve the problem in its entirety. If she didn’t, then Finn would have to live in fear of the Black Fox until the day he died.

Aside from the fact that he was half elf, he was just a good little child.

The man raised his hands in the air.

“I understand. In that case, I have another proposal.”

“What would that be?”

“Please wait just a few years. We will protect the child in secret from our end. And we will take action if they start trying to kidnap the child in earnest. The child won’t have to know anything. He’ll be able to roam about freely. So in exchange, please wash your hands of this matter, Miss. It’s a good deal for you, no?”

Ianna stared at the man, perplexed.

“……Why are you willing to do so much? Just to keep an outsider from interfering? And why just a few years?”

“Camastros’ goal is to interfere with the Black Fox’s plans and to ultimately destroy the organization completely. It’s in our interests to stop them from branching out to the four corners too, since they only ever act if it benefits them. So it’s important for us to keep an eye on the child too, since he’s a means they could use to make it happen. Basically, I’m saying that our interests are aligned —we’re not just doing this for you, Miss. And I said to wait just a few more years because that’s how long we believe it’ll take for us to tear down the Black Fox.”

It was actually more appropriate to call the Black Fox the Black Dog. After all, they weren’t the cunning foxes that their name symbolized, but rather pitch-black hunting dogs that were absolutely loyal to the Bahamut imperial family.

‘I see. The Black Fox is Arhad’s enemy because he needs to get rid of the Bahamut imperial family. But, though he says they’re going to destroy the Black Fox completely, the Black Fox existed until the day I died in the past.’

Ianna sank into thought.

Had they failed? Or, had they spared them? And if not, then had they replaced the organization entirely……?

Why was the Black Fox after the mythical races? What had happened to Finn and the mythical races in the past? They continued to live in the four corners, so did that mean that Arhad had successfully stopped the Black Fox from going after them?

And how had Arhad come to lead the Black Fox in the future when he was so hostile to them now? Was the Black Fox truly loyal to him in the past? Or were they simply unconditionally loyal to whomever sat on the Bahamut imperial throne?

Comparing the past to the present only made her head hurt. It only confused her because she knew so little. She didn’t know what the hell was going on, the past and the present were colliding with contradictions that cropped up endlessly, and her questions only continued down a never-ending spiral with no solution in sight.

She knew the future, but she didn’t know how it had come to pass. Riddles that could only be solved with time tangled together and made a mess out of her head.

Crack…….

Time overlapped unpleasantly upon itself. There were dozens upon dozens of clocks ticking, and while each individual clock was quiet, the auditory hallucination was enough to shake Ianna’s entire world when compounded together. It was a static noise brought about by her brain. Her head throbbed painfully, and she felt like she was suffocating.

Ianna shook her head. But the hallucination stuck to her eardrums like a muddy bog and refused to clear away.

“Let me be frank.”

The hallucination vanished as soon as he had spoken. It was like a strong gale had blown away the dirty sand sticking to her.

Ianna turned to Arhad.

“You think this is just because you’re an outsider? No. It’s because it’s as clear as day that you’ll interfere with our plans.”

The hallucination stopped, and his low voice filled the silence that her hearing had returned to.

“You are a third-party we had not accounted for. You’ll only created deviations to our plans if someone as skilled as you keeps jumping in to do as you please. Eventually, things will veer into a direction that we did not wish for it to take.”

And then, Ianna awakened from the silence. She felt as if a refreshing breeze was blowing her past away.

Ianna felt a pleasant chill climb up her spine and spread to the rest of her body. His tone was cold, but Arhad’s words suggested that he acknowledged her skills.

“Your life will be ruined the moment you start going after the Black Fox. You will not be able to destroy them even after you chase them down until the day you die. The Black Fox is an evil organization that is far larger and far more dangerous than what the information that is known about them suggests. They are a secret society, and what the people know about them is only the tip of the iceberg. It is illogical to try and take them on alone, and it’s difficult even with a powerful organization and calculated plans. You will only feel like you’re wandering through an infinite maze if you try to take them on. And if you make even the slightest mistake, they will uncover your identity and hound you until you die a wretched death. Is that what you want?”

“No……it’s not,”

Arhad replied coldly when Ianna muttered a response.

“I see you’re finally starting to listen. We promise that we’ll resolve the kid’s matter on our end. There is nothing for you to concern yourself with.”

Ianna stared pointedly at Arhad.

“Are you worried about me?”

It was a sudden question. There had been nothing remotely close to worry in the contents of his words from the very beginning. She was just a wench who might cause his plans to go awry because she always did as she pleased, a young wench who quipped back at everything he said and stubbornly insisted on having her way —why would he worry for her? No one would ever possibly worry over her unless they were some kind of saint. And that was doubly true when it came to Arhad.

And yet, Ianna had asked even knowing this.

“…….”

She did not receive a reply for some time. Arhad’s narrowed golden eyes scrutinized her like he was searching for a weakness in an enemy’s impregnable fortress. Eventually, his lips opened.

“There are a lot of fools who think they’re all that when you try to settle things with words alone. If useless trash who didn’t recognize their own lack of worth had acted as you did, they would have died as soon as they snapped back at me.”

But Arhad had not killed her. Arhad slowly raised his hand. He grabbed Ianna by the chin and forced her head up. Golden eyes burning with fire and red eyes embracing the moon locked onto each other, ignoring everyone else around them.

“……But I value those with skill. They bring me great joy. And so, I will not watch the baby beast before me throw herself in the fires of hell like a moth flying straight for the flame. Especially if she’s a beast who might even stand as my equal one day.”

Ianna understood the true meaning behind his words.

He wanted her.

He wanted her, just as she was right now, when she was yet young and did not have anything to her name, when she could not say that she was fully matured yet even as empty words.

And, he was worried for her. Now, in the present. Just as he always had in the past.

Ianna reflected back on herself. She had been deluded. The truth was right here before her.

Ianna broke free of the illusion of the future the moment she realized this.

“I will tell you one last time, since forcing you will only lead to defiance. Leave. And don’t concern yourself with the matter any further.”

Arhad, who had let go of Ianna’s chin, stepped back a couple of steps and extended his hand out toward her face. Just as his hand was about to touch the tip of her nose, Arhad coolly said,

“I will take action immediately if you refuse.”

“H-hey…….”

“Be silent, Shawn.”

Within the infinite flow of time, Arhad was here in the present, and so was she.

The present.

At that very moment, Ianna, who had finally regained her composure, engrave a new resolve deeply in her heart.

‘I will not prioritize my past life over my current one.’

People were capable of reminiscing over their past days. People could erase their pasts and live completely new lives because they were people. But they must never do so out of delusion.

Her past life and her current life were two separate things. The flutter of a butterfly’s wings could cause a typhoon over the distant seas. Her rebirth was merely one small flap.

New things happened every day. Which meant that this life was not tied down to the future in her past. There were an infinite number of branching roads laid out before her, and the future could change into anything.

I had resolved myself to never be tied down to my past when I was younger. But, considering as how I still could not help but become fixated on the past and failed to see the present properly, I see I must surely be only human.

I can refer to the past, but I shouldn’t force the present to match it. I will hang up the painting that’s already been completed on a wall and draw a new one on this new canvas. I will run in full force toward an undetermined future.

I will only live staunchly in the present.

She saw the darkened light of his golden eyes through the fingers that were blocking her field of vision. She accepted his gaze with her heart at peace.

The only exception I will make is that which I will always remember in my heart…… That which I will prioritize above all else…….

‘My promise to become your knight.’

Ianna raised her hand and held tightly to Arhad’s. His hand flinched in hers. Ianna brought their hands down and snorted,

“I understand. But who are you to order me around as you please?”

“…….”

“I will do as I wish. I will satisfy my curiosity and solve my problems on my own merits. Besides, I cannot simply trust you blindly and wash my hands of this matter when I don’t even know who you are.”

“……Hah!”

Arhad, who had been listening silently, barked in laughter as if he found her preposterous. All Ianna could see was the gold of his eyes.

Oh, Ianna intoned. His eyes were surging with scorn, displeasure, and disappointment —but where had she……?

“Do you not value your life?”

Yes, I’ve seen this before…….

“I’m asking you if you won’t regret it even if you die because of that damned obstinacy of yours.”

“Even if it was that very obstinacy of yours that led you to your death?”

“To think that you would disregard your own life and charge in for the sake of a mere child —you’ve truly passed beyond recklessness and into the realm of foolishness.”

It was like the conversation they had shared the moment when everything had ended and started anew. Ianna reminisced as she remembered what had happened that day.

“I won’t regret anything. For everything that follows as a result would stem from my choices.”

“Yes. I paved my own path during the entire course of my life! I regret nothing. For all of this happened as a result of my choices……!”

Arhad closed his mouth. Ianna, who took great delight in the situation, laughed just like she had that day.

“Do I look like someone remorseful to you?”

“Do I…… cough look remorseful to you?”

Arhad grit his teeth as he stared at her in silence before replying,

“……No, not by the way you’re laughing. You’re just a foolish girl.”

“Of course not. After all, you’re Ianna Roberstein.”

Then, I laughed in delight as I finally conceded defeat and you savagely told me to just die, and I confessed that, even though you were my enemy, you were also a great companion, to which you responded with fury for only saying that after all that time, and then…….

“This life……is over. But……in the next, I won’t be your enemy……but your……knight…….”

It was a promise she must never forget, even if the person whom she had promised had. She would live this life to fulfil it.

“So you intend to keep meddling?”

“Yes. That being said, you must be rather fickle, considering how you’re heartlessly chasing me out even though you offered to buy me for ten million gold just earlier.”

“Your audacity alone is worth that much. No —perhaps even more…”

Ianna smiled with her eyes at his sarcasm and replied,

“Then, what if you bought me?”

“…….”

Arhad forgot what he was about to say and froze on the spot. He scrutinized Ianna and her easygoing smile once he had finally comprehended her shocking offer, but he could not read through her intentions.

“What do you mean by that?”

And so, he had no choice but to ask. Ianna shrugged.

“Only that I would do as you say if you paid me. I am not suggesting that I sell myself to you for money. I’m offering you my employment until the day the Black Fox falls on the condition of their complete destruction.”

“Employment…….”

Ianna nodded a little as Arhad chewed over the word.

Yes. Our promise will begin with this dreary word called ‘employment.’

Ianna gestured to herself.

“Why have you not considered bringing me into your organization? Because I’m young? Because I’m a woman? But you should know. I alone am better than scores of small fry.”

“…….”

“I would only be of help to you if I joined you —I would never cause you trouble. I know that the Black Fox is too much for me to take on alone, and I’m only offering this because my interests coincide with yours if Camastros’ goal is to destroy them…….”

Ianna extended her hand.

“So, how about it?”

I am offering to be your sword, am I not? So hurry up and take my hand.

Ianna’s expression was composed, but her heart was burning feverishly.

This is not a proposal. This is a coercive demand.

So take it.

Take my hand.

Arhad stared piercingly at her hand before slowly looking up to see the fever that Ianna had failed to keep hidden.

“You don’t strike me as they type of person to readily bring yourself under another’s banner.”

“You strike true. I never sincerely place myself at another’s command unless they are someone whom I’ve acknowledged. But I will cooperate with you sincerely for the sake of our shared goals.”

“Sincerely? You don’t even know who I am.”

“It doesn’t matter who you are. What matters is our goals and the likelihood we’ll succeed at achieving them. And besides, you seem rather incredible.”

Arhad looked back down at Ianna’s hand. He contemplated in silence for a moment before reaching out with his own.

“……Very well.”

He firmly grasped her hand.

Part 2

“Sigh…….”

The man standing behind Arhad let out a long sigh. His sigh sounded so dejected that it was almost odd.

“What the hell is going on here? Anyway……Ro.”

The man called Arhad ‘Ro’. Ianna narrowed her eyes because she was familiar with that name.

It was a part of Arhad’s full name —Arhad Ro Ralzo Bahamut. It was also the nickname by which Lebony had referred to Roberstein.

“Let’s talk.”

Ianna felt the need to give them some space when the man put a hand on Arhad’s shoulder and grilled him.

The man was not mistaken in his judgment. Camastros, a secretive organization, was suddenly taking in a girl whom they had only just met today, and, judging by how casually he was speaking to Arhad, the leader of their organization, Ianna realized that he must be someone rather high-ranking himself.

“I will head backstage for a bit —we can discuss the details later.”

“Wasn’t the child named Finn the reason why you let yourself get caught in the first place?”

Arhad shook his head as he looked to Mack, who was still lying unconscious on the floor. He continued,

“You’ve captured this man and you’ve learned why they were trying to kidnap the child —surely you’ve already met your objectives. Are to trying to find out why the Black Fox is after the mythical races? Mack is the highest-ranking member of the Black Fox here. And even he doesn’t know. In other words, there is no one inside who can satisfy your curiosity.”

“There is someone I wish to rescue. He might still be there.”

“…….”

“It’ll be difficult to find him if anyone follows me, so please ensure that no one comes backstage. Well then.”

Arhad seemed to be in a terrible mood as he kept his silence. But Ianna, who had turned her back on him and ran toward the stage as soon as she had made her one-sided request, did not notice.

No one was left in the waiting room backstage. Nor did Ianna feel anyone’s presence as she opened the door and looked to the hallway outside —perhaps they had all run away. Ianna ran quickly as she sharpened her senses, and the waves of mana that was spread out all over the place began searching for signs of life in accordance to her wishes. Her senses perceived multiple people.

Crash!

“Mommy!”

Behind the door, which Ianna had kicked open as she drew her sword, were the trembling women whom the Black Fox had abandoned who didn’t know what to make of themselves. They were frightened by Ianna’s bloodied sword and huddled together like baby chicks seeking warmth, but they were relieved when they realized that Ianna was the swordswoman who had been about to be sold with them.

Ianna clicked her tongue because they were not the dwarf she was looking for before she walked up to the women and brandished her sword.

“Kyaah!”

They cried out in alarm when Ianna swung her sword. The ropes that bound them were cut away with a few glistening strokes of her blade, and they fell to the ground like beheaded snakes. The women were in a daze as they struggled to understand what was going on. They wondered if Ianna meant to kill them every time her sword moved. But not a single wound appeared on their flesh —her sword only cut the ropes.

Just as Ianna was putting her sword away, one woman asked,

“E-excuse me. Did something happen? The men who had been monitoring us suddenly left, and…….”

“There was a gang fight. It’s over now, so you may escape if you wish.”

Ianna figured that the women would escape on their own now that she had untied their ropes, and so she immediately moved to leave the room.

“Wait! Please stay here with us!”

the women cried desperately. That wanted Ianna, who looked strong despite her youth, to stay and help them.

“……It’s chaos outside, but no one will come back here, so please be patient until I return.”

Ianna would have helped them out immediately if the women had been in danger or if there hadn’t been something else she had to do.

But no one would come in through the way she had come because Arhad would probably listen to her request, and the hallway was straight, so the women would be safe so long as Ianna took care of any enemies she chanced across. And, more importantly, there was someone else who’s rescue she had to prioritize.

Then, just as Ianna had finished weighing her options and still chose to leave anyway…

“But……even still, please stay here with us.”

The women tied her down with their feeble cries.

“There is something important that I must do. I promise you’ll be safe, so please just wait.”

“But……can’t we at least come with you?”

“It’ll be more dangerous for you to come with me. It’s safest for you to stay here and wait.”

“You can protect us. We’re so scared. Please…”

“We want to come with you.”

“Can’t you take us outside first?”

Ianna understood that they were afraid, but she furrowed her brows when they continued to whine endlessly even after she had assured them it was safe and had promised to come back for them after she had taken care of her own pressing matters. She understood that they were only doing it out of fear, but it still irritated her nevertheless that they, who were incapable of solving their own problems, weren’t even trying to listen to what she was saying as they tried to force her into making sacrifices for them.

“……I’ve told you several times now that you’ll be safe.”

The women were rendered silent and flinched when Ianna’s words took on a chilling tone. She continued,

“I won’t stop you if you follow me anyway after everything I’ve said. But please choose wisely, because I won’t help you if you find yourselves in danger for not listening to me and getting in the way of what I need to do. Will you follow me, or will you stay here and wait for my return?”

“W-we’ll wait.”

The women, who had half lost their minds out of fear, regained their senses upon hearing Ianna’s frigid warning. The only person whom they could trust in their current situation was Ianna, who was wielding a sharpened blade. It would be their own fault if they were met with disaster for following her out even though Ianna had warned them not to. Ianna’s warning made them realize that they would be in even greater danger if they went with her.

“You must come back for us,”

the women said as they shrank into themselves, having lost their nerve as they feared that Ianna might even say that she wouldn’t help them anymore if they kept trying to tie her down like this.

Ianna looked down at the anxious and quivering women and slowly said,

“You needn’t worry. I swear to you that you will be safe if you stay here and wait. I’ll come back to escort you out, so be at ease.”

The women looked up at stared at Ianna when they heard her calm speech. Ianna and her composed expression looked trustworthy to them for some reason. They felt like they would really be okay as long as they did as Ianna had said.

Most of the women looked relieved as they nodded.

Ianna extended her senses once more as soon as she left the room.

The women, who had been purchased at expensive prices, had been left behind, so it was likely that all of the slaves were still here.

‘But would they have left the dwarf behind too?’

She could not predict how they would have handled the dwarf since she did not know what the Black Fox and the Bahamut imperial family wanted from the mythical races.

Ianna saw shadows hustling about not too long after she had started running again.

The men had been alarmed when they heard someone running their way, but they were dumbfounded when they saw who it was. The footsteps they heard belonged to the swordswoman who was to be sold off. They were certain that the wench would fetch a high price because her fiery red eyes and hair left a lasting impression.

The men forgot they had been running away and sauntered up to Ianna with grins on their faces.

“Looks like you cut through your rope with your sword. Did you put on makeup because you wanted to be sold as a slave? Or did you come to find us ‘cause you were scared?”

“Oho, looks like the lass has a good set of eyes on her head? But, our protection doesn’t come for free, if you get what I’m saying……”

Their greed shined greasily as the men eyed Ianna’s face and figure. They reached out with their claw-like hands as if they meant to immediately grab at Ianna’s hair and tear off her clothes. They licked their lips, reeking heavily of their intention to taste her supple and feminine body.

Ianna locked on to their vulgar gazes and laughed.

“I didn’t draw my sword because I thought you were fleeing……but I see you were just trash.”

“What?”

Click—

Ianna drew her sword just a little as it scraped along her scabbard. The men grew so enraged they stopped dead in their tracks.

“Where is the dwarf?”

The men cackled and ignored Ianna for her nonsense.

“What would you do with that information even if we told you? Don’t be ridiculous. Your elders over here are mad that you drew your sword, you know?”

The men drew their own swords from their waists and pointed them at Ianna. They only saw Ianna’s sword as the teeth of a small kitten who was cornered and afraid. They continued,

“Put your sword away and take your clothes off and give us a good show, yeah? We’ll forgive you if you do.”

“Hmph.

Ianna sighed as she resheathed her sword. The men laughed with their mouths wide open as they slowly pulled down their pants. Ianna scoffed as she watched them stupidly take a step forward with their lower halves bared. She had no reason to show any mercy in a place like this.

Ianna grabbed her scabbard with her full might.

Shhhh!

Ianna’s sharp blade reemerged. The savage beast’s fangs, which they had mistaken for a kitten’s teeth, bore down violently upon them. The last things the men ever saw was Ianna’s fortification, swirling around like the wind itself, and the red spray of their own blood.

Ianna met a few more members of the Black Fox as she continued onward. Eventually, she learned that a few members had escaped with the dwarf through a secret passageway. As she had expected, they could not simply throw away such a rare slave even if he didn’t have his hands.

“P-p-please spare……kgh.”

Ianna coldly ended the life of the man who was quivering in terror as he pled for his life and took off running again with her senses heightened.

A little while later, she felt people hurrying by on the other side of the wall.

“Let go!”

“Just shut up and walk, damnit!”

Ianna smiled when her heightened sense of hearing caught wind of the quarrel.

Craaash!

She filled her legs with mana and kicked the wall, causing fissures to run across its once-smooth surface like a spider’s web.

“Ack!”

“What the?!”

Craaaaash!

The wall gave away completely when Ianna kicked again.

What Ianna found in the passageway lit up by torches hanging on the walls at set intervals was one man trying to force the dwarf, who was grumbling as he sat down on the floor, into a robe, one man who was trying to drag the dwarf along with great irritation, and a few men who had been walking ahead of them and had turned around upon hearing the ear-splitting crash.

“What the? Is the building falling apart?”

The man coughed as they wafted away at the cloud of dust that had risen around them. Ianna drew her sword and rushed in before they could grasp what was going on. In the confusion of the moment, they looked up when they heard someone running toward them.

Swish— Pow!

Ianna’s sword cut one man diagonally across the stomach before drawing back to thrust into another man’s chest like she was driving a wedge through him.

The first man died instantly, while the second man dangled in the air as the sword through his chest pinned him to the wall.

The latter was so immensely shocked that he couldn’t even scream as he stared blankly down at his chest, unable to get his wit’s together. What had happened? —as surreal as it seemed, there was a blade sticking out from the left side of his chest. His pupils lost their focus. The whites of his eyes lost their gleam. His head dropped down to his chest like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

He slid down the wall and slumped down to the floor when Ianna pulled her sword out.

“Aaack!

“Cough.”

Ianna finished off the remaining men and sheathed her bloodied sword before slowly walking up to the dwarf.

“W-who’re you?!”

The dwarf was pale with fear as his bewilderment at the horrors before him turned into terror. Without a word, Ianna picked up the robe that the men had been trying to force on the dwarf and threw it to him. It landed on his head, and the dwarf trembled in fear when his vision was obscured.

He was terrified of Ianna, who had dealt with the violent men who had been tormenting him as easily as if they had only been straw dolls.

“Don’t be afraid. I am not here to harm you. I wish to help you.”

“N-nonsense……. You’re just another lying human.”

“Put on the robe for now.”

Despite his terror, the dwarf tried to put on the robe that covered his body. But he dropped the robe because he didn’t have hands, and he couldn’t pick it back up.

Tears formed in the dwarf’s eyes as he quivered in humiliation and misery. Ianna stared down at the dwarf as she brushed back her disheveled hair.

It wasn’t that she wanted to help him return home. His home, to the furthest reaches of the South, was a far distance from Roanne, and Ianna did not have the time to make the journey. More importantly, Ianna was not kind enough to do something as unproductive as escorting someone suicidal to his grave.

She pitied him, but Ianna intended to forget about the dwarf as soon as she left the cells because it ultimately didn’t matter to her whether he lived or died. But then, she suddenly recalled two certain beings. The fish and the mud doll —the spirit kings.

The spirit kings had the power to produce everything in the world that had to do with nature. They had created the gods’ bodies in the Holy Age, and they said they had helped Laos create humans in the Age of Magic. They were capable of performing the end goal of every mage who obsessed over bio magic. The synthesis of living bodies.

‘They were able to mend my broken arms, too. Wouldn’t they be able to help the dwarf as well?’

She would be able to call the spirit kings again in a month —perhaps the master craftsman’s despairing soul could recover if his hands were regenerated.

Ianna was not a philanthropist who would whittle away at her own life just to save someone who was completely unrelated to her, but she decided to use up a little bit of her life and her time if the dwarf consented to a miracle because she still thought that it was for the best that the dwarf stayed alive if possible and also because she wanted to hear what the dwarf had to say.

“Are you after the swords that my people make?”

“I don’t need anything of the sort,”

Ianna replied flatly when the trembling dwarf threw her a question. It was a lie to say that she wasn’t interest in the dwarves, who were capable of making fantastic swords. Warriors lusted for good weapons, after all. But Ianna felt no need to covet a good sword after seeing the wariness in the dwarf’s eyes as he looked back at her.

“O-of the sort?”

Ianna knelt down, picked up the fallen robes, and personally dressed the disconcerted dwarf.

Ianna would have liked a good sword, of course, but she did not need one. Any sword in her possession was quickly worn away, unable to withstand the might of her swordsmanship and fortification, no matter how skilled the craftsman forging it was and no matter how diligently she maintained it.

All she needed in a sword was a sharp blade and the ability to leave behind beautiful trails in the air.

It was the proof of her life and her worth. The cruel method by which she forced all those who would insult her and scorn at her to their knees. A precious friend who would always stay by her side no matter what.

Ianna was obsessed over what a sword meant to her, but she was not attached to its material properties.

She had received a dwarven sword once in the past from the prince. Certainly, the dwarven sword had withstood her fortification very well and had been very durable. But she had not obsessed over it because she had not been that attached to it.

“Lies.”

“Do I look like I’m lying to you?”

Ianna’s crimson eyes, which glowed faintly even in the dark, held to the dwarf’s dark brown ones. The dwarf stared past her red eyes and into the depths within before quietly shaking his head.

“……No.”

A dwarf’s eyes allowed them to judge the true nature of their materials. They spent their entire lives creating brilliant works, and they became as one with their materials as they drew out everything they could from them.

The pure-hearted dwarven race did not know how to lie. And so, they easily found out through an instinctive sense of unpleasantness when someone else was lying to them or had hidden motives for approaching them.

The dwarf’s eyes had judged that Ianna’s eyes spoke only of her sincerity. His anxiety began to settle.

“Who are you?”

But the feelings that surged in his heart once the fear had gone away were feelings that he, who hated humanity, could never acknowledge.

She was warm. The girl was undoubtedly human, but she put his heart at ease as if he was back at home hammering down on metal at his forge without a care in the world.

What was this? Who was this girl? She was human —just as human as the monstrously cruel people who had done the unspeakable to him. So why……?

Ianna pondered for a while because she could not comprehend what capacity of her identity the dwarf was asking for. Her station, her education……. She was sure that was not what he was asking for.

Ianna opened and closed her mouth a few times as she searched for the words to adequately describe her with while the dwarf looked back at her with a curious light in his eyes.

“I am Ianna.”

Ultimately, all she could tell him was her name.

“……I see, human. I mean, Ianna. You said you would help me? If it’s you, I feel like I can trust you to hear my request!”

The dwarf reached out. He had meant to grab her shoulders, but, obviously, his arms dangled pointlessly in the air because he had no hands. He grimaced.

“Help me return to the Karankell Rocky Mountains. Won’t you let me die there?”

He no longer wished to live.

“If you do this for me, I will ask my friends to craft you an excellent blade before I die. They hate humans, but I am sure they will listen to my last request. I swear I am not lying.”

To be honest, Ianna did not want to even be understanding of the dwarf’s feelings as he begged her to take him home so he could die there. She knew she was being cold, but she thought that he if truly wanted to die so badly, he could just make things simple and commit suicide by biting his tongue. Why did he have to go all the way just to the Karankell Rocky Mountains just to die? Why did he grit his teeth and stubbornly wish to go back home when he regarded this place as his living hell?

“I’m only asking because I’m curious, but why do you want to go all the way back to the Karankell Rocky Mountains just to die?”

“It is the home of the dwarves and also our graves where we can rest alongside our life’s masterpieces. We dwarves must rest there if we are to gain eternal rest in God’s warm embrace. I refuse, absolutely refuse, to die in a filthy place like this.”

It was a superstition held only by the dwarves. Ianna was convinced.

‘It may just be a silly superstition from a human’s point of view, but it must be an important belief for the dwarves.’

“Does that mean you will be satisfied if you can die there?”

“Yes. My only wish now is to die in my motherland. I feel like I’ll go insane every time I wake up and see what’s happened to my hands. I’m so exhausted that I just want to drop dead!”

He wanted to lose his mind every time he woke up. Was it a nightmare or was it real? —where did his hands, which he used to zealously hammer metal with, go that he was left with only fleshy stumps at his wrists?

The fact that his arms dangled uselessly in the air whenever he tried to pick something up was worse than hell. He would rather die and never wake again. But he felt like his soul would wander the world as a vengeful ghost if he could not die in Karankell.

“But what if you could get your hands back?”

The dwarf’s head went blank.

‘Get my hands back? What does she mean?’

It was illogical to think that his hands, which had long since been severed off, could suddenly reattach themselves again. It went against the logic of the world.

‘Is she making fun of me right now?’

The dwarf clenched his teeth together as he glared up at Ianna.

“Don’t make fun of me. How could you say something like that if you had a conscience……?”

“I am being serious.”

The dwarf shivered. His instincts told him that Ianna wasn’t lying. Was she crazy, perhaps? Was she an idealist who had deluded herself into thinking that even the impossible was possible so long as you had hope?

The dwarf studied Ianna dubiously. Ianna was waiting calmly for his answer. The girl before his eyes seemed perfectly sane.

‘Is she truly serious? Just what did she mean when she said that?’

His hands throbbed. He couldn’t comprehend how she was suggesting that he might get his long-lost hands back. And yet……

“If……I can get my hands back and return to Karankell…….”

There would be no miracle greater than that. He looked nervous as he imagined his hands attached at his wrists again and the scent of earth from his home before his eyes settled back into a dulled color.

“But that would only be as a dream.”

“And what if your dreams could become reality?”

The dwarf stared as Ianna continued to say unrealistic things. His pure eyes studied her inner intentions. At first, he was dumbfounded, then distrustful, then dubious, but in the end —he was hopeful.

“Truly……? But how?”

A feverish anticipation surged from his voice and reached out toward Ianna. Ianna laughed.

“I might be able to restore your hands completely in a month. And I am almost 100% certain of this.”

“I can really get my hands back if I only wait a month?”

“Yes —one month. Isn’t it better for you to trust me and think about everything you’ll make when you get your hands back during that month instead of wasting your time wanting to go back home to die?”

~~*~~

Part 3

“……This is absurd.”

Ianna had gotten far away enough as time passed that she wouldn’t be able to hear them even if she used mana, so the man with the teardrop mask took the stuffy mask off once the other members of Camastros had fished cleaning up and had left the auditorium. He continued,

“Well, I guess this is something I’ve thought ever since I first met her, but that girl is seriously gutsy —is she not afraid of anything at all?”

Eiji, who took off even the hood of his robe as he shook out his mess of brown hair, looked to Arhad, who had also taken off his mask. Arhad’s face, which had been hidden behind his mask, looked stiff.

“I’ll say this again —but I never wanted to drag Ianna into this.”

“I know that there was nothing you could do about that. Little Ianna’s the type of girl who’ll do anything once she says she will. She’s so unique in that aspect that there’s no telling what sort of messes she’ll make if we don’t at least get some control over her like this……. It was unexpected, but things still turned out for the best. But that wasn’t what I wanted to ask you.”

Eiji stared at Arhad in discontent. He continued,

“What do you think about Little Ianna? Things have already ended up like this, so can you at least tell me now instead of keeping quiet?”

Arhad stroked his chin without a word.

‘What I think about Ianna?’

He closed his eyes. Who could ever possibly understand? His feelings, which he had carried over from the long distant past. His feelings, which had spread through his soul and body and had eaten away at him from the inside ever since he had first laid eyes on her. His feelings, which he had only just barely managed to cram inside himself and felt like it would not only burst out and overflow at the slightest touch but break free of him and viciously fly away. His feelings, which he wanted to turn down but couldn’t because they clung to him more fervently than steaming heat and seemed like they would explode at any moment like a bubbling volcano.

Arhad gave a low chuckle.

“Who could say……?”

“Are you in love with her?”

“Love…….”

The question had been asked in disbelief, and Arhad quietly ruminated on the word ‘love’ that had been incorporated within it.

Love.

That word had been the start of everything and was also at the core of all that he was. But he couldn’t say if the feeling existed within him anymore. It only existed vibrantly within his reminiscence now.

“Sure. A guy as boring as you who doesn’t know the first thing about romance ran away after hugging Little Ianna from behind, then you secretly followed after her and saved her from danger! You kissed her fingers while you thought she was unaware, you gave her your medicine, which is basically your lifeline, when she injured her arms without a moment’s hesitation, and you fell asleep for months like a fool because of it! But even that wasn’t enough for you, so you secretly enjoyed yourself when Little Ianna started chasing you everywhere? Jeez.”

“……When did I do that?”

“You quickly stopped her when Little Ianna was about to give up on you, and then you tried to explain yourself to her, didn’t you? What was that all about? —you’re so awkward. There were rumors spreading everywhere. I know that Little Ianna is who she is, but……I never thought that you of all people would act like that.”

Arhad was rendered speechless. His cheeks were flushed red for the first time ever. He had gotten all warm and fuzzy as he remembered how Ianna had followed after him like a duckling while asking for the unreasonable.

“Oh my god.”

Eiji broke out into a cold sweat and groan—ed as he tousled his hair. He continued,

“Arhad’s in love, shudder. This is unbelievable! I mean, I know she’s charming and all, but…….”

Arhad, who had finished organizing his thoughts by then, propped his chin against the back of his hand and said,

“My feelings for her can’t be summed up in such a simple word. All you need to understand is that I’m fond of her.”

He was fond of her —this was true, as pathetic as it was. His damned heart was still as fond of her as ever despite the many times she had already rejected him. And it had been set aflutter when she had chased after him. Arhad smiled, as if to say that there had been no helping it.

But that was not all that he felt for her. The violent emotions lurking inside him were merely asleep —but they were still there. Were those emotions something he could call love?

“It seems a bit too serious for mere fondness.”

“I said I was fond of her, but that’s not the only thing I feel for her.”

“Then what do you feel about her? Do you see her favorably because she’s incredibly skilled?”

Eiji had been astonished when he saw how Ianna had taken down such strong members of the Black Fox in just a few strokes of her sword today. He had known that she had been hiding her strength and had anticipated that she was strong, but he hadn’t realized she’d be that strong.

He had been too busy facing his own opponents to observe her properly, but the crimson mana under her domination had been no weaker than the mana controlled by Arhad or the rest of the Bahamut imperial family. Swordsmanship aside, she might as well be one of the best users of mana in the entire continent. Her skill was so outrageous that Eiji felt as though he might need to investigate her lineage to learn where it had come from.

And so, Eiji thought,

‘Was Arhad interested in her because he knew how strong she was?’

Arhad tended to bring people under his banner if he was satisfied by their skills. Nine times out of ten, he would use his immense wealth and authority to bring them over to his side once he had confirmed that their merit was genuine.

Which was why there were already so many talented individuals working under him. Perhaps Ianna would also be one such case.

‘Ianna.’

Eiji looked at Arhad out of the corner of his eyes.

‘But this is a bit different from a greed for talent. No, that’s not it at all.’

He had called it a desire for greed because he had no other way of describing it, but he had been off the mark.

‘There’s no way this man would be greedy for anyone, no matter how talented they were. This is the first time I’ve ever seen him be like this.’

Arhad was a man who seemed to have no emotions at all.

“Who could say……? I suppose that’s technically true too, but……well, let’s just leave it at that for now.”

There was no sincerity in his reply.

“Look at this damned guy act like this again. Where’d the blush from earlier disappear off to? If you like her, you like her, and if you’re only fond of her, then you’re only fond of her!”

“You are free to think whatever you wish.”

Eiji stared at the brazen man before him.

Arhad was always like his. He was like a riddle you thought you could solve, but couldn’t. He was the same whether he was wearing his mask or not.

A few years ago, Eiji had been living with a dreadful grudge in his heart as he waited only for his chance. Then, he had gone off in search for Arhad as soon as his position had finally been stabilized in the hell at the end of his patience. The blood they shared guided him instinctively, and Eiji had found out where and who Arhad was before long. He had even observed Arhad secretly from a distance.

Eiji had been disappointed. Contrary to his expectations, he did not perceive that Arhad was strong. All he felt was the agitation in Arhad’s heart because of its connection to the fragment.

Eiji investigated Arhad with everything he had. He wanted to know if Arhad was truly worthy of betting his fate on. But he had learned nothing. He had used every channel at his disposal, but all he had learned was that Arhad was good-looking, that he had newly been admitted into the Institution, and the disappointing news that, even as a first-year student, he had already taken several leaves of absence on the account of sickness.

Eiji had despaired.

‘My entire family suffered such horrible deaths just for someone like him?’

He wouldn’t let that be true.

‘I had to go through all that torture at those bastards’ hands for a worthless son-of-a-bitch like him?’

Arhad had been born atop a pile of skeletons —he had to be special. If he wasn’t special, if he didn’t have the power to oppose those bastards…

Then I’ll just kill him myself.

But there was something peculiar about him. It was the fact that Heinrich, a Bahamut mage, was the dean of the Institution where Arhad was attending. And the fact that Heinrich was turning a blind eye to Arhad’s existence. And more importantly, the fact that Arhad spent his time in Heinrich’s magic tower.

Eiji had given up on investigating Arhad once his efforts stopped earning him any more information. He met with Heinrich after fully preparing himself first, and then he got to meet Arhad, whom Heinrich was protecting, in person.

Apathetically, Arhad had asked the extremely nervous Eiji,

“So, what were your thoughts after observing me?”

Eiji had been shocked out of his wits.

“I’ve known that you’d started watching me several weeks ago. And I also know that you’ve been following me around ever since. I’ve only tolerated it because I know your motives.”

A tremen—dous force had surged out from Arhad. The mana that had been floating around the air was suddenly dyed black, like poison, and dripped down.

Eiji had suddenly found himself unable to breathe. He had felt as though the claws of a colossal monster were closing in on him. No, he had felt like the monster had swallowed him whole and that he was trapped within its innards. His heart had beat furiously, as if it would jump out from his chest, when he met Arhad’s golden eyes. His blood had felt like it was boiling, as if his insides had been set on fire. An intense force had pulled him to Arhad, as though his hot blood would escape his body and rush toward Arhad instead.

The imperial family was remarkable, but the man before him was something else entirely. And so, Eiji had been relieved. He had a feeling that, if it wasn’t for this man, then the dreadful grudge eating away at his heart and soul wouldn’t be satisfied until he was dead and buried.

Eiji had threatened Arhad out of desperation. He had told Arhad that the imperial family was frantically searching for him to kill him, that he, too, was a Roygen who must resent Bahamut with everything he had, that he mustn’t delude himself into thinking that he alone would be allowed to live an easy and peaceful life, that they should get rid of the Bahamut imperial family. He had warned Arhad that he must never even think about escaping from these awful fetters. That he would inform the imperial family about Arhad’s whereabouts at once should the latter refuse.

“Sure.”

Arhad had agreed so readily that Eiji had felt like his head would release steam like a deflating balloon. Arhad had not even been angry at him for threatening him, much less afraid of him. He had agreed like it had only been natural —like he had simply been going along with the flow around him.

Afterward, Eiji had learned that Arhad was so amazingly capable that it was frightening. His battle prowess, his intelligence, his wealth, his insane level of influence on the world…… Arhad had exceeded his every expectation.

He memorized the entire contents of a book after reading it just once like it was only natural. His battle prowess was one thing, but Eiji could not even begin to estimate his immense wealth. And not only that, but he used his wealth to foster individuals of talent from every corner of the world and even had a tight grasp on every government of every nation on the continent so that even politics would lean in his favor.

What surprised Eiji most, however, was the fact that Arhad had been preparing to stand against Bahamut ever since he was young.

Eiji observed Arhad carefully from up close. Eiji, who had lived a hellish life where he had been forced to stay vigilant twenty-four hours a day, like a mouse sneaking his way around a cat, and had navigated through the seas flooded with information, was specialized in understanding other people and uncovering their underlying motives. But he could not get a read on Arhad’s heart at all even after observing him for several years.

Still, there was just one image that popped into his mind whenever he looked to Arhad.

A puzzle.

It was rare for Arhad to express any sort of emotion. To be honest, Eiji didn’t know if Arhad’s expressions were just too subtle for him to catch or if Arhad simply didn’t have emotions at all in the first place. He treated everything impartially, as if nothing held any worth in his eyes at all.

A greed for talent. It was true that Arhad spared no expense to bring talented individuals under his banner, but could that really be called greed?

It felt to Eiji that what Arhad wanted wasn’t the person themselves, but simply another piece so he could complete the puzzle set out before him. Whether it be a valuable item, a skilled subordinate, the organization he himself lead —he was always only rational, as if he was looking down at all the pieces laid out across a flat surface. It was almost as if he wasn’t even human.

It was frightening.

And yet, Eiji also pitied him for it.

Fate had decided that he must defeat the most terrifying enemy in the world. He was not allowed to hold any interest in anything else, nor was he able to feel satisfied or allow his emotions to be shaken no matter what he did. And on top of that, he suffered from a terrible illness that meant that no one could ever welcome him warmly as a fellow living being.

‘What does he even live for?’

Perhaps a starving beggar, who was happy just to have something to eat, would chide him for talking so high and mighty. But Arhad was not capable of feeling positive emotions like happiness, so he was an exception to the norm.

Then, was he simply living a trivial life as the tides carried him? Was he simply refusing to let go of life as the waves carried him to his destination —to death?

But, what if, just what if, he aspired to become the emperor? Was the puzzle he was trying to complete a picture of himself sitting on the imperial throne?

Eiji did not think that Arhad, who had felt nothing about the tragedy his family had suffered, wanted to retaliate against the imperial family for revenge. He lamented nothing, and Eiji didn’t think that Arhad had any particular reasons to want the throne.

To be honest, Eiji thought it would be weird if Arhad, who was indifferent about everything, actually had a picture he wanted to complete his puzzle to achieve —a goal. Which was why he had once seriously asked Arhad if he wanted to become the emperor. To which Arhad had answered vaguely by saying,

“The imperial throne is both the sweetest bait in the world and a seat from which I can provide everything.”

Eiji had asked him what he was talking about when he couldn’t understand, but Arhad had simply laughed instead of responding.

Bait was something you sacrificed to obtain something else. And the fact that he had said that the imperial throne was a seat from which he could provide everything, not gain everything, meant that there was someone to whom he wanted to offer something. In other words, Arhad had some mysterious goal beyond becoming the emperor.

But what could possibly satisfy a man who couldn’t be satisfied by becoming the emperor, the highest position that existed within human society? And who was this mysterious person to whom he wanted to offer everything to?

Eiji had no way of knowing.

He was still observing Arhad. And then, Ianna had appeared —the girl who had swayed even Eiji, who normally used any and every means at his disposal if it was for his goals, and the very girl who had shaken the otherwise emotionless Arhad and had pulled something out from deep inside him.

The fact that Arhad had hugged her from behind and had kissed her fingers could not be explained by a mere greed for talent or simple fondness. Especially considering that he was Arhad.

A favor for skill? Eiji had buried the notion immediately because he was certain that Arhad was in love with Ianna. It was absurd, but he was sure of it. After all, Arhad wasn’t acting like himself, was he not? Love tended to drive people crazy, and it had even managed to drive someone as bizarre as Arhad insane!

“In any case,”

Eiji said as he shelved his deluge of thoughts and decided to discuss important matters first. He continued,

“How far are you planning to allow Little Ianna to interfere? We’re not just after the Black Fox —our ultimate target is the Bahamut imperial family. Little Ianna is probably only concerned about the Black Fox……. Will you bring her completely over to our side?”

Eiji asked gingerly, and Arhad smirked because he found Eiji comical.

“Haven’t you been extremely against Ianna having anything to do with us all this time? Why are you so impatient to bring her over to our side all of a sudden? Considering how you’ve been acting until now, it would have been be normal to assume that you would fervently persuade me to stop getting her involved no matter what you had to say to make it happen.”

“I’ll be honest with you since things have already come to this. So stay quiet and listen. When I first met her, Little Ianna was beating up members of the Black Fox for their wicked deeds without an ounce of fear that they would retaliate.”

Arhad’s once-clouded gaze fell directly on Eiji when he mentioned Ianna. Eiji continued,

“At first, I pitied her for being an ignorant girl who cried for justice without knowing how the world works. But she was definitely skilled, and she was so confident I couldn’t help but wonder if there was a reason she seemed to blindly trust in her so-called righteousness. That’s why I approached her. I wanted to know what was going on in that fearless girl’s head. Yes. I only called out to her out of curiosity at first. I intended to pull her under our banner if I thought she was reasonably talented.”

He had grown more interested in Ianna the more he talked to her. Hers was a very rare disposition.

“I took a liking to the girl because of her resolute will and her ability to clearly articulate her thoughts.”

Her opinions about darkness, which most people were normally afraid of, had been so on-point that Eiji’s heart had skipped a beat.

“People fear the dark because they don’t know what lurks in the shadows. There is nothing to fear so long as you are strong. I have nothing to fear because if I find an enemy, I’ll simply cut them down, and if I find a frightened ally, I will welcome them with open arms. The darkness can even provide you a place to rest, if you remember not to be afraid of it.”

Eiji, who had been weathering through the accursed darkness without confidence, had found himself momentarily dumbfounded when he had heard Ianna’s unwavering words.

Taking on the Black Fox had felt as senseless as using eggs to break a rock —the task never seemed to end no matter how much of them they had dug up—, and the fact that the unpredictable Bahamut Empire was lurking behind the Black Fox made him feel like he was wandering blind through the darkness.

He had imagined his enemies lurking in the dark, he had crafted headache-inducing plans to figure out how to defeat them, and he had sought with bated breath for collaborators who may or may not exist…… Eiji had been struggling alone in the pitch-black darkness. He had wondered if things were truly as simple as Ianna made it out to be.

What kind of person was she that she could explain it so simply and with such confidence? How could she possibly know what she would find in the shadows? Was it because she was an immature noble girl who had never faced danger in her life?

But he had quickly changed his mind after he had been thrown against the wall. A tiny seed of interest had budded inside him —Hmm, did this girl have something special about her? And he had thought that he wouldn’t mind seeing her standing next to Arhad.

The abstruse man and the vibrant girl.

He had wanted to bring her in.

“And so I approached her, became friends with her, and I watched her. I wanted to bring the girl over to our side all the more with each passing day. Little Ianna is incredibly talented. Her being a girl would pose absolutely no problem at all. Her power was one thing, but more importantly…”

Eiji scratched his head.

“Have I grown stupid? I couldn’t help but think that, if that fearless girl came with us, then we’d be able to walk boldly through the darkness where our chances of success are bleak and one day be able to see the light for sure. But then…”

Eiji’s cerulean eyes darkened like the deep sea.

“I didn’t want to expose her to danger if it meant that her light might extinguish. That girl is like a jewel who can shine of her own merits even if no one adorns or polishes her. I started wanting to watch and see the path that Little Ianna carved out for herself from the sidelines. The winds that seem to blow whenever I’m with her felt like they could even let me forget my life’s goal for a moment.”

Eiji sighed.

“I had wanted to keep her far away from our line of work. But……now it looks like she’s chosen us of her own accord.”

The mix of feelings that arose from his wish to take her out of their dangerous organization at once clashing with his desire to recruit her raged in Eiji’s heart like a turbulent storm.

“I’ll ask you again. How far are you planning to allow Little Ianna to interfere?”

The difference in power between the Black Fox and them was like the difference between the heavens and the earth, and neither did they have any chance of beating those who were still lurking in the shadows with their overwhelming might. Was it truly all right to drag Ianna into this situation?

“We’re walking on the edge of a cliff right now. And it’s still possible that all our plans will end in vain because of your heart…….”

“Wait, Ianna’s coming.”

“That was pretty quick.”

Arhad and Eiji put on their hoods and masks again. Ianna came back out with a crowd of people not too long after.

She had found several rooms filled with the presence of people while she had been making her way back with the dwarf. She had walked into those rooms without hesitation and had found slaves tied down by chains. Ianna had broken the chains that bound them when they had asked her for help. And then, they followed after her like chicks to a hen.

The men and the dwarf had quivered in fear upon seeing the gruesome corpses the littered their way back, but they quietly followed Ianna’s lead as she spat on the corpses, remembering the insults they had thrown at her, and swiftly walked ahead.

Ianna had not forgotten about the women and had returned to the auditorium with the relieved women in tow as well.

Things had been wrapped up while Ianna had been rescuing the dwarf, and there were no more members of the Black Fox or even Camastros in sight. Only Arhad and the man with the teardrop mask were sitting on some chairs in the corner as they waited for her return.

Arhad gestured to the people behind her as Ianna motioned for the rest of the group to wait and walked up to him with a short figure.

“They’re the people who you wanted to rescue?”

Ianna shrugged.

“I ended up rescuing them by chance along the way. I only intended to save this person……this dwarf, Chendelf.”

Arhad looked down at Chendelf. Chendelf peeked up at Arhad through his robes only to be starkly alarmed and hid himself behind Ianna. He leaned against her as he quivered.

“Is he the dwarf without hands —who was supposed to be the star of tonight’s auction?”

“Did you know about him?”

“Of course I did. And I also know that he’s not only worthless as a dwarf, but that he’s a step away from falling into madness. I don’t know if you were doing this out of sympathy or because you thought you could profit from it, but I would recommend against aiding the dwarf. Just let him die of his madness.”

He was ruthless. His golden eyes fell frigidly over Chendelf as if he was looking at an inanimate object. Chendelf was hot-tempered, but he simply stayed behind Ianna and shivered quietly for whatever the reason. Slowly, Ianna looked back up.

“I want to save him.”

Arhad looked back at her sternly before he sighed.

“Do as you wish. But what are you planning to do?”

“I will take him back to the Karankell Rocky Mountains in a month’s time.”

“Your sympathy is misplaced. It’s obvious that he’ll commit suicide the moment you get him there —why would you waste your time like that? Or do you have so much free time on your hands that you don’t know what to do with it?”

Ianna smirked when Arhad censured her.

“I’m doing it simply because I want to. In any event, I think those people behind me will need help getting out because this place is hidden so deep in the alleys…….”

Arhad’s gaze turned to the people trembling behind Ianna.

“Not only did you free them, but now you even want to help them outside……. We don’t show ourselves in public. You saved them, so you should be responsible for them until the end.”

Ianna nodded, thinking that what he had said was only natural.

“But of course. Please give me a way to contact you, since it looks like we’ll have to part ways here.”

“There’s something I need you to keep in mind first. You may be a part of Camastros now, but you will not come into contact with the other members —you’ll be my direct subordinate.”

“You sound like you’re saying one thing……but I see you actually mean another. All right, we will do as you say.”

Ianna liked it this way.

At her delighted reply, Arhad took out a pen and a scrap of paper from his pocket and scribbled something down before throwing it sharply back at her, and Ianna snatched it readily out of the air.

“Come find me there when I call you.”

Ianna looked down at the scrap and opened her eyes wide when she realized that the sleek letters had scrawled out an unexpected location. Still, she composed herself and folded it up before putting it in her own pocket.

The man with the teardrop mask, who had been standing next to Arhad, spoke up and said,

“Did you have any other business with Mack, Miss?”

“Not anymore, no……but why do you ask?”

There was no more information she needed from Mack. There was a man standing right before her eyes probably held a higher position in the Black Fox than Mack did, and he seemed like he was willing to answer anything she wanted to know as long as it was within reason.

“We have use for him. The reason we came here today was to get our hands on Mack, the overseer of tonight’s high-profile auction, in a way that wouldn’t raise questions. I know everything that Mack knows and I can answer any questions you had for him, so could we ask you to leave him in our hands?”

“I was planning to kill him here and now. It’ll make things a pain on my end if he somehow makes it back to the Black Fox and stirs up a fuss.”

“You won’t need to worry about that. We’ll get rid of him without leaving any trace behind once we’re done with him.”

Ianna nodded to show her consent. If Mack was the target of their raid, then it wouldn’t pose a problem for her to hand him over to them so long as they promised to tie up all ends afterward.

“In that case, I’ll see you next time.”

Ianna was about to leave after she had said bid goodbye but then she turned back again around. She asked,

“Do you know my name?”

“You’re a noble from remote lands with red eyes and red hair. And you’re a young swordswoman who is well-known both in the streets and in the Institution. We know you.”

Ianna smiled a little before she nodded back at Arhad.

“What should I call you?”

Arhad organized his thoughts for a moment before he replied,

“……You may call me Ro.”

“I see. Ro.”

Ianna did not know why he wanted her to call him ‘Ro’. His name was Arhad, and she had no reason to think that ‘Ro’ was either his nickname or his code name. But there was surely some special reason why he had chosen it. After all, ‘Ro’ was one of the middle names he had taken when he had become the emperor.

‘I’m sure I’ll find out one day if I keep working with him.’

“In any event, I look forward to the day I see you again, Ro. And you as well.”

Ianna bid farewell by nodding to Arhad and the man with the teardrop mask before making her way outside. The others followed her out in the hurry.

The racket disappeared, leaving only silence behind in the auditorium.

“Can we finish our discussion now?”

Eiji threw his mask down to the floor and stared at Arhad with his glowing cerulean eyes. He continued,

“Why don’t you pull Little Ianna completely over to our side now that things have come to this? Appease her and bring her completely under your command.”

There was no more conflict in his visage. He was now flush with expectation.

“And just tell her who you are, too. I think that would be more helpful in this situation. Isn’t Little Ianna interested in you anyway? She’s unlucky on that count and I have no idea what goes on in that head of hers, but you have more than enough weapons in your arsenal to win her over with —be it your immense wealth, a legitimate claim to the imperial throne, a strange charisma that draws people to you, or your handsome face. Bring Little Ianna over to our side no matter what you have to do to make it happen, even if it means seducing her.”

Arhad, who had been listening quietly to Eiji’s frantic speech, furrowed his brows.

“That’s too rash. Ianna is not the kind of woman who will come to me simply because I want her.”

“That’s true, but…….”

“I only have one more chance now. I can’t allow for even the smallest of mistakes.”

Arhad mumbled his words as if he was carving them deep in his heart while Eiji watching him carefully without replying. Arhad said things like that from time to time. He spoke like each and every moment counted, like he was telling himself that he must always remember that truth no matter what, like he was running straight ahead at his end goal.

Without exception, everything that lived in this land traveled straight to their end. Death awaited them at their end, and the opportunities that were presented in every passing moment only came once. Even mages who could bring forth extraordinary phenomena could not turn back time, and so it was only natural that a missed opportunity would never come again.

And yet, Arhad was endlessly ruminating over such an obvious truth. It was like he was promising himself that he would not miss some specific moment that he was eagerly waiting for, like he was telling himself that he must seize that opportunity without making even the smallest mistakes, like he was anxiously winding the ever-ticking clock for just one single moment to come to pass.

‘What is he aiming for?’

Arhad had never shown any particular interest in anything until just now. Arhad had been incomprehensible ever since Eiji had first met him, and Eiji could never know what went on in Arhad’s head as he lived out his life. Eiji had been certain of this until now.

“I am sure that Ianna would be of great help if she came over to our side. But…”

Eiji snapped back to his senses and looked to Arhad. Arhad continued,

“I have absolutely no intention of involving Ianna after we are done with the Black Fox. She will not be a part of our fight against the imperial family. Lurking behind the imperial family are monsters that even I can’t touch as of yet. I don’t want to put Ianna in a situation where she could possibly get hurt. She will cooperate with us to get rid of the Black Fox and she will have no relationship with us after that task is done.”

“……Understood. Then again…”

Eiji sighed heavily as he felt a headache build up. He continued,

“I’ve thought this for a while now, but you really are weird. You’ve never even seen the imperial family’s monsters, so how do you know so much about them? Are fellow fragment owners able to communicate with each other to some extent?”

“There is always a way to know everything.”

“Ugh, you’re always like this. I’m gonna die of frustration one day.”

Arhad smirked as he watched Eiji groan and make a mess out of his hair. Eiji looked up at Arhad when he heard a scoff leak out from the latter and pressed down at his now-throbbing forehead.

“Anyway, things will get complicated if Little Ianna’s a part of Camastros but doesn’t know that our ultimate enemy is the Bahamut Empire. It might cause trouble while she’s communicating with the other members.”

“Ianna doesn’t need to know. And the others don’t need to know about her either. Ianna will not be making any contact with them,”

Arhad refuted immediately, causing Eiji to hesitate. Arhad continued,

“Ianna needs only listen to what I say. You heard her. She sold herself to me, and she in under my employment. She is under my direct command.”

A peculiar fever seemed to spread across Arhad’s face as he defined his relationship with Ianna out loud. His emotions were in turmoil. Excitement, anticipation, joy…….

‘I never got to see that side of her even after spending so many years with her.’

Eiji stared back at Arhad with a strange expression on his face.

“Like I said earlier, I do not wish to involve Ianna in matters concerning Bahamut. She said that she would join me under the condition that we destroy the Black Fox, so that is all I will have her cooperate with us with.”

Arhad was a puzzle of a man. And yet, though he had always been as hazy as fog until now, there was now just one thing that Eiji was vaguely certain of. Arhad continued,

“The day I bring that woman completely over to my side will only come after everything is over and I have eliminated any and all threats that may exist against me.”

He had declared that he would ultimately bring her to his side one day.

Arhad, who had been indifferent to everything and found no worth in anything, was now showering his full attention and certain to the girl named Ianna. Eiji broke out in goosebumps.

Daamn girl, just what the hell did you do to this man? What did you do to him that he’s so shaken up that he’s skipped past being stubborn —he’s completely obsessed about you?

Am I thinking strange? It looks to me like everything about this man is revolving around her right now. It’s to the point where I can’t help but wonder if he’s so intent on killing off the imperial family because he wants to make absolutely sure he can safely make Little Ianna his.

It’s not Little Ianna whom he wants to offer everything to once he becomes the emperor, is it?

A serious look crossed Eiji’s mien.

‘No, wait. It might actually be true.’

He was truly curious. Ianna and Arhad —just what was the relationship between the two of them? Just what kind of emotional connection did they share that both Ianna and Arhad, who had never expressed much interest in others before, were suddenly so emotional about only each other?

There was no way that he, a third party, could possibly know. This was a riddle he couldn’t solve unless the people directly involved told him the answer.

In any event, it was extremely likely that Ianna would join their side if Arhad felt that way about her. That thought cheered Eiji up a little.

“Understood. I’ll do as you wish. In any case, I’ll head out first since I have to deal with Mack.”

Eiji heaved Mack over his shoulder and left the auditorium after Arhad waved him away.

Arhad was alone now. All the corpses had been cleaned up, but the auditorium still carried a horrible atmosphere to it because it reeked of blood and because there were blood splatters and scars left behind by deadly weapons here and there.

He closed his eyes in the room filled with bloodlust and death and rested against the comfortable sofas that had been arranged for the Black Fox’s patrons. He tapped against the sofa armrest with his long fingers.

“I have a feeling that things will truly be different this time around. Wouldn’t you agree, Ianna Roberstein……?”

The question he ruminated over was accompanied by hope and anticipation. There had certainly been something different about Ianna in Arhad’s eyes.

“This life……is over. But……in the next, I won’t be your enemy……but your……knight…….”

—If, just if, the words she had said to him just before she died had been carved into her soul, then was she trying to keep her promise as she lived her life even though she remembered nothing? After all, she was a stubborn woman who always did whatever she said she would.

Arhad thought he’d burst out in laughter.

The present could disappear at any given moment, and he did not know if the future truly existed or not. He truly only had but one more chance now. And so, he would take things slowly this time. He would be thorough and make sure everything was perfect. He only had one life —he would never get this chance again—, and so he could not afford to make any mistakes.

Badump, badump…….

Arhad closed his eyes in the still silence and savored the sound of his anxious and erratic heartbeat.

His heart was cracked like glass that had been dropped on a marble floor, and it was slow­—ly shattering apart even though he forced it back together with stolen life.

And so, he could not afford even the smallest of mistakes.

~~*~~

Part 4

Ianna led the people out from the dark alleys. The path was narrow, but she was able to bring them to the dim but brightly lit streets of the capital by following the flow of the wind.

“Ahh…….”

The people were moved as they looked up at the gentle light of the moon enveloped in the night sky. The round moon was the same moon they had always looked up to, but it seemed to special to them tonight.

“This is as far as I’ll take you. Please make your way to your homes now.”

Ianna wrapped herself tight in her robes and bid them farewell with the dwarf right by her side. It was only then that the people, who had forgotten themselves in their joy, bowed to her in gratitude.

They thanked her vehemently, saying, “We’ll definitely repay you if we ever see you again, Miss,” and, “We’ll remember you forever for as long as we live,” but Ianna cut short their thanks as if with a blade and told them that all she had done was take them outside, that other people had taken care of everything else, that they didn’t need to thank her, and that the best thing they could do for her was to forget everything that had happened today.

She swiftly turned around as they stared back at her blankly and walked away quickly with Chendelf in tow.

“Why were you so cold to them when all they wanted was to repay you out of gratitude?”

“All I did was bring those who were still living back outside. I do not wish to be repaid for something that I haven’t done. It was also too much of a bother to deal with.”

Chendelf stared up at Ianna’s profile for a while before sighing in marvel. She liked what she liked, and she disliked what she disliked —she was very resolute in her decisions. It looked like she was accustomed to casting aside anything that she didn’t need.

Ianna, who never hid her intentions, was endlessly honest and forthright. She was so frank that there were few who could match her candor even among the dwarves, who were said to be second to none when it came to honesty. Chendelf decided that he liked this about Ianna.

Ianna walked to the Paella Company building. She had dropped by just in case even though she knew it was likely that Mursi had retired for the night, and she was relieved to see that the lights in his office were still on.

“Mr. Mursi.”

“My, Little Ianna? What brings you here so late at night?”

Mursi had been busy with work, but he dropped everything to welcome Ianna, who had visited so late, inside. It was late and everyone else was asleep by now, but he had a lot of work that day and had been organizing documents deep into the night.

“Who is that child?”

Mursi looked down at the short figure standing next to Ianna with a strange look on his face. Finn, who had been fast asleep on the sofa next to Mursi’s desk, had woken up at some point and was circling around the figure, who was only a little taller than Finn, flushed in excitement while wondering if Ianna had brought him a friend.

“He’s not a child.”

“Is this human really trustworthy?”

Mursi was taken aback by the husky voice that sounded from within Chendelf’s robes. His was not the voice of a child’s.

‘A short, middle-aged man?’

It wasn’t even daytime —why had Ianna brought this man to him in the wee hours of dawn?

Intrigued, Mursi looked between Ianna and Chendelf in turns.

“He is trustworthy.”

No later than the words had left her mouth, Ianna looked Mursi directly in the eyes as he looked back at her in confusion. She asked,

“Do you have any plans to make an expedition within the next month by any chance?”

“Oh, we were planning to stay in Theodore for a while. But why…….”

“In that case, could you please look after him for just a month? You’re the only person whom I trust enough to entrust him in your care, Mr. Mursi.”

Mursi smiled. Trust was an essential component of any good relationship. He was pleased to know that the lady before him, whom he was sure would make it big one day, saw him in such a positive light.

“Who is he?”

But first, he had to put his delight aside and figure out who this mystery man was.

Ianna drew back the hood on the robes Chendelf was wearing. Chendelf tensed up when his face was exposed. He had been tortured before by horrendous humans, after all. Ianna had said Mursi was trustworthy, but Chendelf was still afraid of what the human he’d only just met might do to him.

Mursi studied Chendelf carefully, perplexed. He could not tell what was going on. Chendelf had the face of a middle-aged man and his jaw was covered by a long and hefty beard. The lines of his body were stout and sturdy. Mursi felt like he had seen such a rough silhouette before among mercenaries. And yet, he had never met such a short mercenary before.

He rummaged his head for a bit, wondering if Chendelf was someone famous, but no one came to mind. Besides, he did not know any middle-aged man this short, whether it be personally or through hearsay.

Just then, something peculiar caught Mursi’s eyes.

“His ears are pointed?”

“He’s a dwarf.”

Mursi’s head went blank for a moment at Ianna’s calm revelation. He was so astonished that he forgot what he had been about to say and simply moved about his lips. His gaze fell quickly upon Chendelf. He looked exactly as what the books had described.

But why was a dwarf, who should have been living hidden in the farthest reaches of the South, here? Mursi silently asked Ianna for an explanation.

“Hmm.”

The way that Mursi had reacted so normally, as though Chendelf was just another normal person, made Chendelf terribly anxious. He looked away from Mursi out of fear and let his eyes wander before he happened to meet Finn’s, who was observing him with great curiosity.

“…….”

“…….”

The seven-year-old Finn and the one hundred forty-two-year-old Chendelf stared at each other with a strange feeling in their hearts. Ianna took the chance to explain the gist of the situation to Mursi while an odd atmosphere formed around Finn and Chendelf. She told Mursi that Chendelf’s hands had been cut off by humans and that he detested and feared human because of this.

Mursi recalled how anxious Chendelf had been just earlier and deplored,

“Who would do something so cruel……?”

Mursi looked to Chendelf with pity in his eyes. He continued,

“Shall I reach out to the Jabellon Company? They trade aggressively with the dwarves in the South. I’m sure that they’ll gladly escort Lord Chendelf to the Karankall Rocky Mountains.”

“No! I refuse, even if it’s the people form Jabellon who bring us good beer! I won’t trust you humans anymore! I only trust Ianna!”

Chendelf, who had been listening in on Ianna’s and Mursi’s conversation even as he interacted with Finn, suddenly shouted. They way he was shaking suggested that he would throw a fit if he met another human while Ianna wasn’t by his side. Ianna looked down at him and shook her head.

“Putting the matter of his attitude aside, I asked this of you because there is something I need to do for Chendelf a month from now.”

“I see. You’re certainly right in that I’m the only person who could help you with this. Please don’t worry. I will ensure that Lord Chendelf can rest at my house without anyone’s notice until you come back for him.”

“Thank you.”

“Ack, what are you doing?!”

Chendelf, who had been listening in on what would be happening to him, cried out in alarm when he suddenly felt someone touching him all over. Finn was laughing while flush with excitement.

“You said you were a dwarf, right, Grampa? You feel strange!”

“It’s only natural that I’m different from a human whelp like you, since I’m not human!”

“But I’m not completely human either. Daddy’s a human, but Mommy was an elf.”

“Wait, you have elven blood running through your veins? But now that you mention it, your hair is leaf green just like an elf’s…….”

Mursi flinched when Finn revealed his race without a moment’s hesitation, but he was relieved when he remembered that Chendelf was also a member of the mythical races, though of a different type, like Finn was.

Mursi felt strange. Finn was not one to carelessly give this information away because he had been warned against doing so ever since he had been born. This was why Finn was so mature for his age and why he was overly cautious and timid. It was extremely rare for Finn to openly reveal that he was half elf while smiling so brightly.

Mursi was glad that Finn had found someone whom he could talk to so openly. So, it was only natural that he had begun feeling goodwill toward Chendelf himself.

He was watching over Finn and Chendelf as they opened up to each other and turned back to Ianna only when she called his name.

“There was another matter which I needed to talk to you about.”

Mursi realized that Ianna wanted to talk about something that she didn’t want Finn or Chendelf to hear when she nodded to a corner and quietly followed her there.

“I beg your pardon? You mean that the Black Fox is after Finn?”

The things that Ianna told him quietly enraged even the normally mild-mannered Mursi so much that he restlessly bit down at his lip.

The Black Fox was an underground organization that had spread its influence across the entire continent ages ago, and not even the kingdom could touch it carelessly. Its members were spread across every nook and cranny of the world and even had some ties to the nobility. No organization, no matter how large or wealthy, could possibly match the Black Fox’s sphere of influence. Moreover, they sprang back up like poisonous weeds no matter who tried to get rid of them, and they never forgot anyone who dared stand against them. They were a dirty organization that needed to be avoided at all costs.

Mursi was so angry that the higher-ups of such an organization were after Finn that he thought he might cry. He put aside the fact that he would have to shoulder the burden of going against the Black Fox and wondered how long his beloved son would have to stay hidden like this and pitied Finn for being in this terrible situation.

Mursi’s expression grew colder as Ianna told him the specifics.

“Absilot……I see. They want to use Finn to control me and my good friend……. I don’t know why they’re after the four corners or the mythical races, but it’s blatantly clear that their intentions are the furthest thing there is from pure.”

Mursi and Absilot were close and dear friends who could not live without the other. They were as close as brothers and never hid any secrets from each other, and Mursi, who knew Absilot better than any other, was only all too aware that the Black Fox’s plans for Absilot must be something horrid.

‘Should I ask Absilot to look after Finn instead?’

If the Black Fox was after Finn because they could not go after him or Absilot directly, then perhaps it would be for the best to entrust Finn to Absilot’s care. He would be lonely, of course, if Finn, whom he had raised with the utmost care and affection, wasn’t by his side, but at least Finn would be safe.

Mursi held back the headache that he was forming and bowed his head.

“Thank you, Little Ianna. I always seem to find myself in your debt.”

“Not at all. It’s just a possibility for now, so you can keep acting as you always have been. I will let you know if they ever start targeting Finn in earnest.”

Mursi found something odd about what Ianna had said and looked up.

“Little Ianna, how would you know when the Black Fox’s plans have changed?”

“I have ties with those who are standing against them. The Black Fox will surely fall one day, so please just keep being careful until that day comes.”

“Pardon?”

A strange look crossed Mursi’s face. It sounded surreal that the Black Fox may fall one day, but Ianna was not one to utter nonsense. Ianna, however, simply grinned when Mursi looked to her silently for an explanation.

Mursi was confused because he did not know where Ianna’s convictions stemmed from. But he was still a little relieved regardless, and he smiled because he suddenly felt like the Black Fox really might fall some day. He felt like anything could happen so long as the young lady before him said it would. It was almost comical. Did he see her as some kind of god?

“Grampa Chendelf!

“Grampa Chendelf.”

“Chendelf!”

“Quiet, you little elf brat!”

Ianna and Mursi turned toward the racket. Finn, who’d finally met someone he truly liked for the first time in a while, was causing a fuss while pulling at Chendelf’s beard and patting down his sturdy muscles. Chendelf was scolding the child loudly, but he had a relatively warm look on his face, perhaps because he knew that Finn wasn’t fully human, and didn’t seem to mind very much. Mursi smiled.

“I’m happy with the arrangement if Finn is. Finn’s been lonely as of late, even if he’s pretended otherwise. I know he won’t stay for long, but it looks like they’ll be good friends. Oh, and you said that you wanted to take Lord Chendelf to the Karankell Rocky Mountains?”

“Yes, I do.”

“The Institution goes on summer break in a month. Are you planning to travel to the South during your break? If you are, would you consider traveling with our caravan? I was planning to head south around that time myself.”

“Do you have business in the South?”

“We’ll be buying grain. They’ll be harvesting it by the time we get there. Roanne is a militant nation, so foodstuffs aren’t very abundant around here. The more remote regions of the kingdom away from the capital will be in want of food when winter comes, and we can make a profit if we buy in bulk from the vast granaries in the South in advance.”

It was a decent proposal, but Ianna was planning to refuse. Her semester would end in a few weeks, and she would have two months of summer break. Her month would be up and she would be able to call the spirit kings again a few days after break started, and she planned on taking Chendelf south as soon as she recovered his hands.

She would be pressed for time to travel all the way to the farthest reaches of the South and back in just two months. She would be leaving from the center of the continent, so she would only barely make it in time by either using horses or by reinforcing her legs with mana.

Ianna could have run like the wind itself had she been alone, but it would take longer if she had to bring Chendelf with her. And it would only take up more time if she had to travel with a caravan composed of normal people.

“What do you think? I’m sure you won’t find yourself in danger, Little Ianna, but other problems might crop up if people see a girl and what looks like a small child travelling alone.”

Ianna stopped right as she was about to refuse. Mursi continued,

“You would stand out less if you travelled with our company, wouldn’t you agree? And I’ll provide you with food and a place to sleep for free, of course. And I’m sure it’ll be uncomfortable for a girl and a man to travel alone together even if you’re of different races. Especially if you have to look after Lord Chendelf the entire way there, Little Ianna.”

Ianna realized that everything Mursi was saying was correct. Ianna intoned to herself as she pressed down against her furrowed brows.

“But the time…….”

“It won’t take that long to make it down South. We’ll be bringing down luxury items from Theodore, so our luggage will be light and we’ll be walking straight there without stopping until we reach our destination. The grains we buy will be heavy, though, and I plan to stay in the South for a while, so you’ll have to return ahead of us on your own. It’s not a bad proposal, no?”

It would be a good idea to travel with Mursi. She would have to take it slow while going south anyway, since she’d have Chendelf with her. And she could either use horses or run with her full might on her way back up.

Ianna nodded.

“Very well. But I don’t intend to go as a parasite, so I will at least work for my own meals. Would you please include me in the caravan’s guard detail?”

“But there’s no need for you to do so much.”

“No.”

Mursi awkwardly scratched at his chin when Ianna had stubbornly insisted on working for her own meals even though he had offered his proposal out of pure goodwill.

“Well, I’d be more than happy to in that case. This trip will be safe indeed if you’re travelling with us, Little Ianna.”

Still, Mursi groaned to himself like he did whenever he made a deal that he wasn’t satisfied with. After all, he had wanted to do something for Ianna, but then she had offered to do something even greater for him in return.

He had already been planning to employ more mercenaries because they would be travelling with luxury goods and because of what he had learned from Ianna today, and he was more than delighted that that someone as ridiculously skilled as Ianna would help guard them in exchange for joining their caravan.

“Oh,”

Mursi exclaimed as he was suddenly hit with a great idea. If he felt like something was lacking on his part of their trade, then he needed only to give more. Mursi laughed heartily as he realized that there was more he could do for Ianna.

“Actually, why don’t we do this instead? I will officially hire you as a guard for our caravan. A lot of students look for a temp job over break, so you could think of this as yours, Little Ianna. In that case, it’ll only be natural that I accommodated you with food and lodgings, no? And I’ll pay you well for your work, since I know how skilled you are.”

~~*~~

“Arrrrgh!”

The sun was high in the sky and the day was warm. Pretty flowers and lush green trees lined the clean brick roads in a beautiful harmony. The birds sang in peaceful delight.

A gardener was tending to the garden by snipping off any useless branches with his scissors. Noblewomen were smiling gently as they went about their walks under elegantly designed parasols.

This was the upper-class residential district, where the capital’s nobles and wealthy lived. It was so overflowing with elegance and refinement that a commoner would find it difficult to even breathe here, must less cause a ruckus. And yet, today, a man was roaring like a squealing pig in one of the dignified buildings there.

“Where the fuck is that bastard Mack?! That piece of shit! I’ll kill him for real when that bastard comes back!”

A fat man was beating down at his desk with his hefty fist. His penholder fell over and his ink spilled and made a mess, but he was in no state to care about such trivial things.

He was so beside himself in rage and vexation that he was practically frothing at the mouth. The blood had gotten to his head, and he was so insanely enraged that he would have much rather fallen unconscious instead. All his veins were bulging so hard that he could’ve exploded in blood if he had been pricked with a needle.

“Camastros, those god-damned fucking bastards!”

The man shouted as he shoved off the documents on his desk down to the floor.

“Yo, Bruce.”

A cheery voice called out to him just then as a man appeared from the window and waved at him. Bruce glared at the man as soon as he laid eyes on him and hurled an ashtray at him without mercy. The man, however, lithely grabbed it out of the air and tossed it gently outside.

“What’s this? What’s gotten you in such a bad mood? You were ugly to begin with, but now you’re even uglier.”

“Eiji, you damned bastard, quit babbling on about your nonsense and hurry up and sniff out Camastros’ base! Find them first before you sniff out that Roygen bastard!”

“Crazy bastard. Always telling me to do the impossible.”

Eiji clicked his tongue as he watched Bruce yell at him with bloodshot eyes. Bruce felt that he might really collapse from anger when Eiji’s spiteful behavior only served to incite him further.

“Isn’t that your job, you little……?!”

“Why don’t you stop taking out your anger on me and do a better job managing your subordinates? Are using your dick and whipping people really the only things you know how to do?”

“Why are you talking about my subordinates all of a sudden?!”

Eiji shrugged.

“I found our spy —the reason why Camastros has been able to sniff out all of your slave auctions one after another and make a mess out of them.”

“What?”

“It was that bastard Mack, whom you always threw ashtrays at day in and day out.”

Eiji threw an ashtray and a pile of documents at Bruce. The ashtray clattered to the floor and onto Bruce’s foot, but Bruce was too busy looking at the papers strewn in front of him to care. Eiji continued,

“Look familiar? Because I’m pretty sure it looks like that timid bastard’s handwriting to me. I had a few people tail the members of Camastros that were operating in the Kingdom of Menakosi, and this is what they found when they raided their base. Menakosi was Mack’s territory, right? Where is he? Bring him here. I’m gonna drag him straight to the torture chamber.”

“…….”

Bruce picked up the pile of papers that Eiji had thrown at him. Secret information about the slave auctions and the manpower that would be guarding it were written down on them in great detail. And the penmanship that packed the sheets with information was undoubtedly one that Bruce was all too familiar with. It belonged to Mack, who was not only Bruce’s right-hand man but also a high-ranking executive of the Black Fox.

“Is this for real?”

“And what will you do if it isn’t? Do you really think I’d bring you something that I wasn’t even sure of? I wouldn’t show you half-assed information unless I was sure of it since you’d give me so much bullshit for it otherwise. Do you know how many men I’ve lost? Anyway —where is Mack?”

The flab of Bruce’s flesh quivered as the betrayal began sinking in.

“……Mack, you damned bastard!”

Bruce finally exploded as he screamed. Bruce had thought that Mack was quite useful because he not only knew to smile and take it no matter how bad Bruce’s tantrums got but was also rather shrewd and good at his job, and yet he had been a spy?!

He did not know why Mack had betrayed him. They had worked together for a while —ever since they had both been in the Bahamut Empire. The bastard had been a top executive at the Black Fox, and he had everything he could’ve ever wanted —be it fame, fortune, or women.

‘And he betrayed me even still?’

Had Camastros offered him that large a sum of money? Or, perhaps they had offered him a woman beautiful enough to incite his betrayal? What had made him cast aside the Black Fox and side with Camastros instead?

Suddenly, Bruce grew anxious.

‘Surely, it wasn’t because I was too mean to him. There’s no way. That’s preposterous.’

In any event, Mack’s betrayal was set in stone now that he had suddenly disappeared. Bruce gripped the desk in front of him tight with both hands. The desk began cracking in his hands even though it was made from hard marble.

He was seething with anger and was so furious he wanted to destroy it, but he did his best to hold back and cool down because all he had left after that was his expensive porcelain that he didn’t want to break.

“I’ll kill him in the most painful way possible if I find him.”

“Wait, he’s not here?”

“He’s disappeared ever since that incident a few days ago.”

“Hmmm…… He didn’t run because he figured out that I’d gotten my hands on this information, did he? He’ll die if he doesn’t take Payne’s drugs at regular intervals, though. What was he thinking? Did Camastros offer to give him the antidote, perhaps? Oh, and Bruce? You’ll be replaced immediately if our masters ever learn about this. Tut tut. How do you manage your subordinates anyway? And how did you not know anything when you had a spy right next to you this entire time, you idiot? Though, who would’ve thought that Mack of all people betrayed us. Were you too mean to him or something?”

“Shut your mouth.”

Eiji snickered as Bruce, whose eyes had been swimming around in agony until then, suddenly glared at him.

“Have I ever once shut up just because you told me to? And besides, the masters will have my head too, not just yours, if they learn about this and find out I was keeping things quiet, so why the hell would I keep quiet just for you? So, hurry up and cough it up.”

Bruce ground his teeth together and opened a drawer as Eiji gestured to him. He pulled out a pouch from the drawer and threw it irritably in Eiji’s direction, and Eiji caught it before immediately opening it and smiling in apparent satisfaction.

“Wow. Not bad. Got it, I’ll keep my mouth shut for now. But only for now.”

“You irritating brat! You don’t need to emphasize that.”

“I don’t want our busy masters to turn their attention to the South either. I consider asking the masters for help the absolute last resort.”

“I do too.”

“In any event, we can assume that Camastros won’t be getting any new information on us now that Mack’s up and disappeared —unless there’s another spy, that is. Camastros should slow down a bit now, don’t you think? It’d be for the best that we change our main base of operations as quickly as possible. And recover your losses as quickly as possible so the masters don’t notice that our earnings have dropped.”

“I know that, brat.”

Eiji put his hands on his mouth and smirked as Bruce grumbled.

“So what happened to that dwarf you were planning to sell at the auction?”

“I don’t know. Looks like those Camastros bastards took him, damn it. I wanted to use him to make myself look good before the masters, but all he blabbed about was that he didn’t know anything about the Demon’s fragments or Pandemonium…….”

Nothing was working out the way it was supposed to. Bruce grabbed at his short hair and rammed his head against his desk.

“It felt too wrong to just like the half-crazed dwarf go and it was too much of a waste to just kill him, so I thought I might as well make a nice bit of money by selling him —and now look at what’s happened. I should’ve just killed him outright.”

“Wouldn’t you be in big trouble if the masters found out that you were being so high-handed with the mythical races? Why’d you even cut his hands off for? The masters will be angry.”

“Well, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, no? Tch. I thought he’d spill everything if I threatened to cut his hands off. But then the crazy bastard glared at me and spat in my face. I got so pissed that I’d cut off his hands before I knew it.”

“So that’s why you reported that he’d lost his hands by the time you bought him and that you couldn’t get anything out of him because he was half-insane so you just decided to sell him off? Tut tut.”

“You little brat —did you read my reports?”

“Please —what information don’t I get my hands on? Especially when it’s from inside the Black Fox.”

Bruce found him unable to excuse his way out and simply scowled as Eiji smiled at him slyly.

“You little brat. Keep your mouth shut, yeah?”

“You’ll have to pay a price for that. Oh, and the issue with Mack’s a separate charge.”

Bruce clicked his tongue in annoyance as Eiji reached out again even after pocketing a hefty sum just earlier.

“You ugly little centipede.”

“Can it. How much money do you think it takes to gather all this information? All you have to do is kidnap people and sell them, but I need to keep a steady flow of intel. Snicker.”

Eiji laughed impishly. His laughter was clear and seemed to be free of any underlying motives. Which was why Bruce failed to notice the poison hidden within his innocent and boyish laughter and simply grumbled while he took out yet another heavy pouch from another drawer.

—“Slave Traders 2” End