Chapter 92 - Praise

The unexpected second gift, Frank Fontaine, confessed everything he knew.

Ferda and Isabella realized one fact after hearing his story.

"So giving us the Dandolo trading company meant handing over everything Tilda had prepared."

It had been a little puzzling that they offered to take over and hand over the largest trading company in the Empire.

As Frank Fontaine poured out his testimony, the outline of the scheme was revealed.

["If I cooperated, I was promised I'd become a headquarters executive of the Dandolo trading company in a few years! In exchange for hiring and managing the assassins, that is."]

"He did something stupid."

He figured that a merchant, at the very least, would carefully weigh the profits and losses and avoid doing something like this.

Suddenly, Stephan's words came to mind.

That Frank Fontaine's failure to succeed was entirely because he lacked ability.

And that incompetence was clearly revealed in this rebellion as well.

Even so, he didn't blindly believe that Frank Fontaine was a complete idiot either.

He was clumsily stupid, and clumsily smart.

Frank Fontaine had spearheaded it, but he had a document in his possession that could prove the mastermind behind that dirty plan was someone else.

In the confirmation section stating that all the funds were provided, Henri Dandolo's seal was stamped.

Tilda had been preparing to pin everything on the Dandolo trading company in the worst-case scenario.

And Ferda could use this document as well.

"So you mean to say they intend to use this document when Black Bandana hands over the Dandolo trading company."

"Do you think it will be enough?"

"It's possible to lower the credibility of the Dandolo family, but taking over the business is still out of reach."

Regardless, Ferda's work became much easier thanks to that document and testimony.

Tilda Pascal could be ruined on her own end.

And Henri Dandolo could be ruined on his own end.

'Is Rico Dandolo really the client?'

When it was simply about protecting the business and his son from a trashy daughter-in-law, he was the most likely suspect.

But the moment this document was given to Ferda, it meant completely cutting his son out of the business, which could safely be seen as saving the business.

He wondered if that was a choice a father would make.

"I don't know how they intend to give the trading company to you, Ferda, who is practically a third party, but the backlash will be quite fierce."

"There's nothing to worry about in that regard."

Ferda possessed the most attractive element: magical engineering.

Many investors were already drooling over it, so if he presented it to the Dandolo trading company, they would welcome a new manager.

"Still, I simply can't think of a normal way to snatch it away."

"From the administrator's perspective, would it be better to quit even now?"

"It's something that will help our finances, so how could we quit? I will look more into the acquisition and make preparations in advance."

"Do that."

Isabella smiled as she pushed up her glasses with her finger.

Since she frequently complained about their finances, this proposal was something worth cheering about.

In a situation where everyone should be happy, Ferda casually glanced at Luri and asked.

"More importantly, what about you?"

"What do you mean?"

Luri was businesslike and blunt, as always.

"Cooperating with a human's plan. It doesn't look like something you'd be so happy about, so are you really okay with it?"

Luri replied.

"I do have my pride as a dragon spawn, but I am not an idiot. Why would I let my pride get in the way of something like this?"

"Is that so?"

"Above all, if I were to resent anyone, it should be my master."

Luri sighed and grumbled.

"Unlike other dragons, she never hoarded treasure and lived like a slacker, which is why a situation requiring us to scrounge up finances arose. So shouldn't even this lowly servant make a move?"

"You had a lot pent up against your master."

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"No."

Even if she cursed her master, how could he not find her admirable when she was taking action for her master's sake?

"I am simply grateful that you're working hard."

Ferda reached his hand toward her head.

Seeing that hand, Luri flinched and slightly bowed her head.

"Regent."

Right before his hand touched her head,

Isabella's voice blocked the space between them.

"What is it?"

"Are you trying to touch Miss Luri's head right now?"

"I am, but?"

"Why are you doing such a thing?"

Isabella's voice turned fierce.

At the unexpected emotional reaction, Ferda answered for now.

"I was told that doing this is effective when praising a child."

"It is indeed the way to praise a junior, but if that's the case, it is an action you must not do to Miss Luri."

"Is it?"

"I..."

"I assume you haven't forgotten that dragon spawns have strong pride?"

Thinking she had a point, Ferda nodded.

Isabella continued her argument.

"Above all, Miss Luri is an elder many times your age, Regent. Even if she has the appearance of someone young with the immortal purity of an unfading flower, you must not overlook the fact that she is an adult."

"Is that so?"

Although it was packed with self-serving, flowery rhetoric, Isabella's words made sense.

Ferda turned his eyes to look at Luri, silently asking with his gaze.

"That's right."

Luri nodded.

"I have lived a few hundred years longer than you, Ferda, so do you really think I would like that kind of praise?"

Luri seemed to agree with the logical argument being made, but her inward displeasure was written all over her face.

However, Ferda assumed it was resentment caused by a bruised ego.

"I apologize. It seems my method of praising was wrong, so I won't stroke your head—"

"No."

The one who cut him off as if she had been waiting was Isabella.

"There is a way."

"A way?"

"As I said, it is a method of praise an elder gives a junior. Is it not?"

"Right."

Isabella said, pushing up her glasses.

"If so, wouldn't it be fine if the elder among fellow dragon spawns praises the junior?"

"...?"

"...?"

Luri and Ferda both wondered what she was talking about.

Isabella declared as she adjusted her glasses.

"That is to say, I, the elder, simply need to praise Miss Luri."

"Huh?"

"... Hah?"

Ferda raised another question mark, and Luri's face crumpled in disgust.

The two of them wondered what kind of joke this was.

"What did you just say?"

"To repeat myself, it means I will praise Miss Luri by stroking her head."

Isabella's glasses glinted.

She was more sincere than anyone.

Isabella took a step forward.

Luri took a step back and reflexively took a defensive stance.

"Do not come any closer."

"There is no need to be shy. As your senior, I will..."

Her fingers wriggled.

"...make sure to praise you relentlessly, you see."

Her finger movements were so flexible it was hard to believe she only did office work and magic.

They squirmed like tentacles crawling up from the bottom of the abyss.

Finally making a thoroughly disgusted face, Luri fled from the spot.

"Ah."

Isabella looked emptily at the spot where she had vanished like the wind.

A moment later, she returned to her stiff, businesslike self.

Ferda said.

"I guess it wasn't a good idea after all."

"... I suppose not."

Isabella was genuinely disappointed.

* * *

Black Bandana's headquarters.

In reality, there was no such thing as a headquarters.

For the sake of secrecy, the base was moved every three months, operating so stealthily that even the grunts didn't know where they were going until the day of the move.

The location they were currently using as their base was deep within a mountain in eastern Serdes.

It was once used as a hideout for drug manufacturers and smugglers, but after they were wiped out, Black Bandana had taken it over as their own hideout.

It was rare to bring an outsider into such a secretive place.

And it was also rare for an invited outsider to be met with such intense killing intent.

In that sense, Zed Swallow was a first in the history of Black Bandana's organization.

"Zed Swallow. We've only seen your face in drawings every time, but this is the first time seeing your actual mug, huh?"

"Haha, look at how smooth this bastard's skin is."

The men groped Zed's body with hands the size of pot lids.

Zed let out an awkward laugh, his entire body stiffening.

"Haha, could you please not grab my face so roughly? Even if I look like this, I've maintained it incredibly strictly..."

"Oh yeah? Then should we take a look at your ass? There's a guy here who enjoys men, and if he sees your ass—"

"My face won't wear out just from being touched, will it? Touch it to your heart's content. Haha!"

Realizing he'd made a slip of the tongue, Zed quickly changed his tune.

Zed lamented his life with a smile.

'Why do I have to come all the way here to suffer like this...'

He hated Garnet for dragging him here.

But he still hated Ferda the most for selling him out.

'Is that little bit of money such a big deal? Is a knighthood such a big deal?'

After thinking it over carefully, he answered his own question.

'It is a big deal, fuck.'

Zed had no choice but to smile quietly.

"Boss, I have a question."

"What is it?"

"Why are you guys all so eager to tear this bastard apart?"

"Huh? You didn't hear?"

The man then smiled brightly and smacked the crown of Zed's head hard.

"This bastard violated our young miss. You're telling me you don't know that famous story?"

"Oh? I think I've heard that story before, but that was this bastard?"

"Yeah, it's him."

"Oh... How dare he, how dare he touch our young miss..."

Just as even that naive man was about to flare up in rage, Zed waved his hands frantically and shouted.

"Hold on a second! That whole violation thing is a bit of an exaggeration, you know?"

"Let's hear your bullshit, then."

"That day, we had just finished a rough mission, we were both exhausted, and we were comforting each other. Since a man and a woman were alone in a room and the mood was pretty good, I figured it'd be rude for the man to back down right then..."

"So did you take responsibility like a man?"

"Well... if only I had known she was a lady from this kind of family..."

"I asked if you took responsibility."

"... I ran away."

"Then how is that any different from violating her, you pretty boy?"

The hands gripping his face grew rougher.

Those hands gripped Zed firmly.

"Haha, w-what are you doing, brothers?"

"Your older brothers here aren't asking for much. Let's just draw one line across your face. Once we cut you, you can repent and marry our young miss."

"Ahaha! Could you put that sword away!? I don't really like these kinds of jokes!?"

"What's a joke to you is non-fiction to us. Boys, hold him down tight."

"What are you all doing?"

A raspy female voice rang out from amidst the men reeking of sweat.

"Oh, the Captain is here. We were just about to give him an initiation."

"He's not even one of our members, so what initiation? And I don't think you're supposed to do that holding a dagger, are you?"

"Aw, but we gotta maintain that 'fucking'—I mean, 'family' atmosphere, shouldn't we?"

Zed sent her a desperate look pleading for his life.

Garnet sighed and shooed them away.

"Stop doing useless things and all of you back off. Say what you will, Zed is the Regent's knight."

"Tch, count yourself lucky."

"I'll take a look at your ass next time."

At Garnet's command, everyone stepped back.

Zed trembled like a gazelle surrounded by beasts before looking at Garnet and saying,

"Thanks for saving me."

Garnet slapped Zed right across the cheek.

SMACK!

"Ack! Why, why?"

"The price for playing the fool at Valdrova Castle."

"I definitely deserved to get hit for that, sure. Besides that, there are no hard feelings, right?"

"Not right now. I may hold a grudge against you, but it's not deep enough for me to ruin a job over it."

"What? No woman has ever said that after experiencing me..."

"... You wanna get beat up?"

"I'm sorry. Please continue."

Because they hadn't seen each other in years, a lot of lingering feelings remained between the two.

They could have gotten straight to the point, but they decided to catch up on the things they hadn't been able to say.

"You're shamelessly carrying the name Swallow."

"Aren't you doing the same thing, Fiendteeth?"

"Don't use that nickname."

"Why? It brings back old memories, it's nice."

"Didn't I break your nose when you used that nickname before?"

"Even with a broken nose, I still used it on you a lot."

Zed smiled slyly.

Seeing that face, she growled like a mad dog.

"Don't smile like that. Easy women might like it, but it just pisses me off."

"Yep."

Zed instantly dropped his smile.

Garnet took a deep breath and spoke in a cool voice.

"We need your help for this job."

"What kind of help, specifically?"

"Infiltrating and finding an item."

Zed waved his hand dismissively and spoke.

"Infiltration? What kind of strength do I have to do something like that? I can't."

"You are suited for this job."

"Based on what?"

"It's a conclusion drawn from comprehensively judging your recent work and your past days as a mercenary."

"What did I do when I was a mercenary? I don't think I did anything in particular, though?"

As Zed tried to play dumb to the end, Garnet let out a sigh and said.

"Do you remember the battle at Palestine Castle?"

"I know. It was intense."

"We were all captured, but you were the only one who wasn't. Everyone thought you'd run away, but you sneaked into that castle and snuck us all out."

"I was just lucky then."

"You had that kind of 'luck' seven times. Everyone else might not have noticed, but I know. I know that you moved without anyone knowing and saved us."

"You're overestimating me way too much..."

In fact, it was something Zed himself wasn't even aware of.

Rather than seeing it as infiltration, he just thought it was what he rightfully had to do for his comrades, and merely felt he acted stealthily because he had to.

He didn't think it was something to be considered so highly.

When he kept refusing to cooperate until the very end, Garnet decided to pull out her last resort.

"Are you going to make me mention that you're the last descendant of the Red-Eye Clan?"

Zed's face stiffened.

"I really don't want to make things uncomfortable with something like this, so right now I—"

"That information."

"What?"

"Who else knows?"

Zed asked with a fiercely murderous expression, completely unlike before.

Garnet absorbed his emotion and answered.

"Only me."

"If you're thinking of covering for them, you'd better not. Even with our history, I can't let this slide."

Garnet crumpled her face and snapped at him in anger.

"You idiot. Who do you think has been managing your information up until now? I'm personally controlling all information regarding you."

"My information?"

"You believe you've been hiding it so well yourself, right? You think living like a gigolo somehow keeps you hidden? You stupid bastard. You would be dead by now if it weren't for my help. You hear me? They would've figured it all out, captured you alive, and put you on display like a monkey in a zoo!"

As Garnet huffed in anger, Zed scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"R-really? All this time, I thought you hated me enough to kill me."

"Why would I want to kill you? Say what you will, but you're a comrade who shared life and death with me."

"Oh."

"Of course, it's true that they want to kill you."

"Uh..."

Zed managed a smile, but his face was pale and cold sweat poured down his skin.

Garnet chuckled as she watched his pathetic state.

"So what is the job, specifically?"

"You need to infiltrate the mansion and find the medium of the garden contract."

"A garden contract... I'd really rather pass on getting on a witch's bad side now."

"Your name has already been on their hit lists countless times anyway, so what does it matter?"

"It has?"

"Are you an idiot, or just pretending to be one?"

Garnet looked at him as if he were pathetic before moving back to the topic of the job.

"We believe the target has formed a contract with Yor Philiaz. I think you're perfectly suited for this job, but what do you think?"

"It's the best choice, honestly."

For the Red-Eye Clan, known as Mage Killers, magic-using folks were easy prey.

If it were a real witch, it might be a headache, but the target was nothing more than a wicked woman playing make-believe.

"Then show me the blueprints of the places I need to infiltrate."

Garnet pushed a thick stack of documents in front of Zed.

A picture began to form in Zed's head.

The blueprints and the identified locations of the items.

Through them, he pinpointed the locations of the items he had to steal and rolled a plan over in his mind.

Finally, as the outline became clear, Zed looked back at Garnet.

"But, by the way."

"What."

"This job doesn't have to be strictly an infiltration, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, is it okay if I do something a bit unseemly?"

Garnet made a disgusted expression.

"... You're going to seduce Tilda Pascal?"

"No, why would I do something so troublesome?"

"Because that's the kind of thing you do."

"Haha, oh man. For someone who claims to know me, you sure don't know me well."

Zed grinned.

"You see, jobs like this can only be solved by causing a massive scene."