Chapter 91
Black Bandana
“Brief and forceful. They have quite some nerve, threatening us like this.”
Isabella openly expressed her displeasure.
The way they had delivered only what they wished to say and abruptly ended the message, along with the use of red lettering, made it easy to interpret the letter that way.
That was precisely why Ferda saw it differently.
“Wouldn’t this be far too brazen for a threat?”
Had they merely intended to hover around and extort a few coins from him, they would not have ended the letter with the words, We will meet with you soon.
Moreover, the sender was Black Bandana.
As the largest clandestine intelligence organization on the continent, they must have possessed at least a general understanding of what kind of person Ferda was.
“That makes me curious.”
He wondered whether this promised meeting would benefit the principality.
“Administrator. Is there a flagpole in Hestia?”
“One is scheduled to be installed soon.”
“Have it erected today, and hang this halfway up the pole. That will serve as our reply.”
Following Ferda’s instructions, Isabella had a flagpole installed in the middle of Hestia Village and hung the scarf halfway up it.
The village was surrounded only by lonely mountains and dense forests.
She could not help wondering whether anyone nearby would even notice a scarf placed halfway up a flagpole.
Yet only a few hours later, a group of six riders in black robes arrived at Valdrova Castle on black horses.
At first glance, they resembled a secret delegation from some kingdom. However, those who had been informed beforehand knew who they were.
Luri descended to verify their identities and reported back.
“Lord Ferda, there are people below the castle who claim to have come in response to your summons.”
“Allow only their representative inside.”
Since they belonged to a secret organization, they had to be handled cautiously.
The person who entered Valdrova Castle as their representative was a slender woman.
She had pale blue eyes, ash-gray hair, and darkly tanned skin.
The woman, who appeared to have grown up in the south, greeted him politely.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Regent. This humble one is called Garnet Swallow.”
When she parted her lips to speak, Ferda caught sight of pointed teeth.
‘A dark elf?’
She was strikingly beautiful, but the ferocity of her expression was enough to make one flinch.
Her blunt ears, however, marked her as a beauty from the southern regions.
Ferda asked her,
“Then would you care to explain why you threatened me and then came here so confidently?”
Garnet lowered her head.
“Threatened you? Nothing could be further from the truth. How could gutter dwellers such as ourselves ever threaten the representative of a Princeps, much less the Dragon’s consort?”
“Then you will need to explain the contents of that letter.”
“The red writing may have seemed provocative, but it is merely an outdated custom of our organization. If it caused you concern, then I owe you a hundred apologies. However, had I truly intended to threaten you, there would have been no reason for me to reveal myself like this.”
Her words were reasonable.
Garnet placed the bag she had brought with her onto the table.
“This is the first gift I offer you as a representative of Black Bandana.”
Ferda briefly inspected it in case she had prepared some trick, such as an explosive magic circle.
There were no signs of magical tampering.
Once he finished examining it, Ferda opened the bag.
It contained documents.
“Please read them. I am certain you will find them pleasing.”
At her urging, Ferda quickly scanned the contents.
There was a reason Garnet had claimed he would like them.
The documents contained precisely the information he needed most urgently.
‘Everything concerning Tilda Pascal.’
It was a comprehensive record of the plans she had devised to cast aside Merchant, Stephan, and Herman and become the owner of the Pascal Trading Company.
It included organizational charts of the agitators Tilda Pascal had planted, along with contingency plans extending all the way to Plan C.
The information was so detailed that whatever Merchant and Stephan were attempting to uncover looked like little more than an elaborate performance by comparison.
‘Its accuracy will have to be verified later, but…’
Ferda did not doubt it.
This was a message from Black Bandana, the largest clandestine intelligence organization on the continent.
They would not be foolish enough to humiliate themselves by supplying false information.
Even so, there was one question he had to ask.
“Why are you giving me this information?”
Black Bandana had repeatedly rejected the Empire’s attempts to recruit them, yet now they had extended a hand first.
Ferda needed to know why.
Garnet answered,
“We are not simply providing it to you. This is closer to brokering a transaction.”
“Brokering?”
“Yes. Tilda Pascal has been a target of ours for quite some time. Our first client commissioned us to track and investigate her as far back as four years ago.”
Only then did it make sense.
The reason they had accumulated so much information was that they had been investigating her for years.
And the reason they had suddenly appeared and presented the information as a gift was because their client had wished it.
“She is truly an extraordinary individual. We spent nearly four years following her and digging up information. Do you know how many remarkable things she accomplished during that time?”
Garnet spoke as though she could hardly believe it herself.
“She turned most of the mansion’s servants into her own people and poisoned her father-in-law until he became little more than a vegetable.”
“She did not kill him?”
“She intends to alter his will.”
“So she is scheming to steal his wealth.”
“Precisely. I have never seen a woman whose greed so completely occupied the place where her conscience should have been.”
Ferda did not find it particularly surprising.
In the future he remembered, Tilda Pascal had become the mistress of the Dandolo Trading Company.
After the family head’s death, the wedding had been rushed through. A few months later, the succeeding family head had also died.
With no close relatives remaining, Tilda had inherited the Dandolo Trading Company.
She had then been named the next owner of the Pascal Trading Company, placing her on equal footing with Merchant.
Reading through the documents made one thing abundantly clear.
The extent to which that woman coveted the Pascal Trading Company.
“Do you know why this woman has remained untouched despite committing such atrocities?”
“I do not.”
In truth, he had not been particularly interested.
“After assembling every piece of information, we concluded that Philiase stands behind her.”
That changed matters.
Philiase, known as the origin of all witches.
Most witches forcibly broke through into the Red Circle because of deep resentment, and that resentment was most often directed toward a man.
Tilda Pascal, however, was not a witch.
Had she been one, Ferda would have known.
“Then she must have entered into a Garden Contract.”
A Garden Contract.
It was a pact that allowed a woman who had failed to awaken as a witch to wield a witch’s power.
A woman whose malice rivaled that of a witch would contract with one and act on her behalf.
Such cases were extremely rare, and since no Red Circle awakening occurred, they were difficult to detect.
“Have you determined who she contracted with?”
“We cannot be certain, but the most likely candidate is Yor Philiase.”
Yor Philiase, the Witch of Poison and Serpents.
She was also highly skilled in illusion magic. Given Tilda Pascal’s charisma and ability to unify an organization, the possibility seemed entirely plausible.
“So.”
Ferda casually tossed the documents back into the bag and asked,
“I gain information, and your client gains revenge. Is that the mutually beneficial arrangement you are proposing?”
“Of course not. This information is merely a gift. Should you agree to the transaction, you will gain two additional benefits.”
Garnet raised her index finger.
“First, as I mentioned earlier, you will be able to bring this matter to a swift conclusion.”
Then she raised her middle finger.
“Second, this incident will allow you to take possession of the Dandolo Trading Company.”
The second condition was so outrageous that Ferda briefly wondered whether he had misheard her.
“Take possession of the Dandolo Trading Company?”
“That is correct.”
“You mean we would own it?”
“Not we.”
Garnet politely pointed toward Ferda.
“It can fall entirely into the hands of Regent Ferda Valdrova.”
The Pascal Trading Company was the largest trading company in the Empire.
The second largest was the Dandolo Trading Company.
‘If those two companies were combined…’
It would be no exaggeration to say that they controlled half the Empire.
The proposal was so enormous that it was difficult to believe.
It sounded false even coming from Black Bandana, an organization that survived on trust.
“How could I possibly take possession of the Dandolo Trading Company?”
“Until we receive your promise, I cannot disclose the details. However, everything is connected to Tilda Pascal—Henri Dandolo and Rico Dandolo as well.”
Henri Dandolo was already famous for being naive.
Regardless of his personality, however, he possessed excellent business instincts and had contributed greatly to stabilizing the aggressive expansion initiated by his father.
‘Once Henri finishes stabilizing the company…’
Tilda would reveal the fangs she had concealed and sink them into Henri’s throat.
‘What a pitiful man.’
Ferda did not sympathize with him.
If Ferda preserved the life of a man who had originally been destined to die, Henri should consider that alone worthy of gratitude.
“If she is brought down, the Dandolo family will lose its credibility, and the Dandolo Trading Company will no longer wish to remain under the family’s control.”
“Aren’t you overlooking the client’s greed a little too much?”
“Black Bandana guarantees it. Should the client refuse to honor this condition, we will act as the enforcers ourselves.”
Black Bandana was an organization with a long history, and it upheld its credibility no matter what happened.
If one party refused to honor an agreement, their business was to take what had been promised by force and deliver it themselves.
Ferda had no reason to refuse when he was being offered an entire trading company.
However, precisely because such an enormous and tempting prize had fallen into his lap, he reconsidered the matter several times.
Could this truly be resolved so smoothly?
Black Bandana could be trusted, but he knew absolutely nothing about their client.
Even after Ferda completed his transaction with Black Bandana, what was stopping the client from stabbing him in the back?
To deduce the identity of the other party, Ferda decided to ask a few more questions.
“So what do you need from me?”
“Once again, there are two things I would like to request.”
“You seem rather fond of the number two.”
“It merely happened that way as we discussed the matter.”
“Go on.”
“First, we would like to borrow some personnel.”
“What kind of personnel?”
“Someone capable of locating the medium connecting Tilda Pascal to Yor Philiase.”
For a Garden Contract to be formally established, it required a medium.
Ironically, the easier that medium was to destroy and the more conspicuous it was, the more powerful the contract became.
If the contract possessed enough power to fill a mansion with Tilda’s followers and poison the master of the Dandolo Trading Company into helplessness, then its medium was undoubtedly something conspicuous and easy to destroy.
“Her medium should be somewhere inside the mansion. We do not know its exact location, so we require a specialist capable of identifying it.”
“And it appears you already know such a specialist.”
Garnet nodded.
“That is correct. We would like to borrow the abilities of Zed Swallow—the man whom I suppose we must now address as Sir Zed.”
At this point, Zed was known only as a seducer, someone far removed from actual thievery.
Even if Black Bandana had observed his exploits in Halim, they should only have realized that his physical abilities surpassed those of an acrobat.
‘But his talent for theft should not be publicly known.’
As expected of Black Bandana.
The extent of their intelligence network was astonishing, and their deductive abilities were equally impressive.
They truly were an intelligence organization worthy of the Empire’s desire.
After finishing his thoughts, Ferda answered,
“I will lend him to you. What is the second request?”
“We would like you to reduce Tilda Pascal to an idiot.”
“An idiot?”
“We mean leaving her alive while placing her in a condition where her body becomes a prison for her soul.”
“You want her reduced to a state where she remains alive without truly living.”
Their client undoubtedly desired revenge.
Ferda had carried out thousands of vicious acts of vengeance himself, but reducing someone to such a state ranked among the cruelest.
‘Who would desire revenge of that kind?’
Given Tilda Pascal’s infamy, it could have been anyone.
However, after considering everything he had heard, one person appeared most likely.
‘Rico Dandolo.’
Taken as a whole, Rico was the strongest candidate.
Rather than allow the business he had built to be stolen by his worthless daughter-in-law, he would certainly choose to hand it over to someone else.
‘More importantly, the fact that they requested this means…’
Black Bandana had proposed it because they believed Ferda was capable of doing it.
Then what exactly had they seen in Ferda that convinced them?
“What specific method do you expect me to use?”
Garnet’s eyes shifted toward the girl standing diagonally beside Ferda.
“Dragon Fear.”
She was looking at Luri.
“I have heard that ordinary Dragon Spawn are incapable of producing Dragon Fear. However, Dragon Spawn who have trained until they approach the level of a true dragon are said to be capable of wielding a portion of that authority.”
Her gaze returned to Luri.
“And we know that the maid standing there is skilled enough to use Dragon Fear. That is the power we require.”
Only then did Ferda understand.
Handing over a vast enterprise like the Dandolo Trading Company required force proportional to its value.
Garnet did not merely need the abilities of a master thief.
She also needed the power of a dragon.
“Ha.”
Ferda laughed in disbelief.
“What an extraordinarily presumptuous request.”
His voice dropped low.
The atmosphere chilled along with it.
Garnet’s throat bobbed visibly.
She was like someone walking a tightrope in the middle of a raging storm.
One misstep would send her plunging into the abyss, so she chose her words carefully.
“I am fully aware that this request exceeds my station. That is precisely why we are offering the Dandolo Trading Company in return. I believed it would constitute sufficient compensation for the Valdrova Principality.”
“Ridiculous. Do you truly believe this transaction is balanced?”
Ferda asked coldly, his anger evident.
“Do you think a dragon’s power can be borrowed in exchange for human treasure? Do you believe it can be purchased with something as insignificant as money?”
“It can.”
Luri, who had been standing silently like part of the scenery, suddenly intervened.
Ferda glanced at her.
Their eyes met for several seconds before he turned back to Garnet.
“She says it can.”
“Ah… truly?”
“She is not my servant to begin with. If she herself says she will do it, then I suppose she will.”
The answer had apparently been unexpected, as Garnet could not hide her surprise.
Even so, she bowed toward Luri.
“You have my deepest gratitude for your assistance. We could ask for nothing more than to have a servant of the great Valdrova indulge a request that borders on a tantrum.”
“You must keep your promise.”
“Of course. We are not arrogant enough to toy with immortals.”
Having secured Luri’s cooperation, Garnet breathed a sigh of relief.
“There appear to be no serious obstacles to the transaction, so we shall proceed as planned. Please review and approve the contract.”
Isabella, who had been standing nearby, personally handled the paperwork.
After carefully checking it for hidden traps, she returned it to Ferda, and the contract was concluded.
Luri’s power could be borrowed later.
“What will you do about Sir Zed?”
Garnet answered calmly, as though she had already considered that matter.
“According to our intelligence, he should arrive soon. Now that you have given permission, I will speak with Sir Zed personally.”
“I wonder whether that will go well.”
“There is no need to worry. Sir Zed and I are already acquainted.”
One of Ferda’s eyebrows rose.
“Acquainted?”
“We served together in a mercenary company called Swallow. We worked together for three years, so our connection runs quite deep.”
“Swallow…”
Zed Swallow.
Garnet Swallow.
Only now did Ferda notice what the two names had in common.
‘So there was a reason she knew so much about Zed.’
She had known Zed well because they had once been close.
A short while later, an obnoxiously loud clattering noise echoed from the corridor.
The sound grew closer until it finally reached the front of the audience chamber.
“Regent, I have returned.”
Zed, who had been dispatched for training, made his triumphant return.
“Having successfully completed my field training and fully armed myself with chivalry, Zed Swallow now makes his proud entrance.”
“Welcome back.”
“Oh, you have a guest. And that guest is…”
The two stared at one another for a long moment.
Zed, who had just claimed to be proudly armed with chivalry, turned deathly pale the instant he recognized her face.
“Ugh! Fiendish!”
He jumped as though he had seen a ghost and covered his face with his helmet.
Garnet rose from her seat and approached him.
“Zed.”
“…Who are you? I’m not Zed. My name is Malcolm, and I come from Peach Hill.”
“Stop speaking in that ridiculous nasal voice. I already know you are a knight serving here.”
“…Look here, miss. I keep telling you that I don’t know who you are. I’m Malcolm. I’m an idiot. I can’t count, and I don’t even know left from right—”
“Haah…”
Garnet released a long sigh.
She then kicked him hard in the shin.
In vulgar terms, she struck him squarely in the joint.
Thwack!
The sound was loud enough to echo throughout the entire audience chamber.
Zed leaped just as high as the sound was loud.
Even then, he did not forget to keep his face hidden behind his helmet.
“Khup! Hup! Hup! Hup!”
“You damned coward! Follow me! You have been sold to me!”
“Aaaagh! What do you mean, sold?! Regent? What is she talking about?! Regent?!”
Garnet dragged Zed away by the ear while he desperately demanded an explanation.
The last thing Zed saw was Ferda waving goodbye to him.
In the end, six black horses and one brown horse passed through the castle gates.
Zed was seated on the brown horse.
Luri watched them leave before speaking.
“What is it?”
“All of the horses have left, but one person is missing.”
“Did Zed and Penelope not leave with them?”
“I am aware of that. One of the people in black is missing.”
Sensing something strange, Luri immediately began searching for the missing person.
The search did not take long.
A man wrapped in a black robe stood motionless beneath the castle, where the representatives had previously waited.
A message had helpfully been written across his chest.
—The second gift.
Luri removed the cloth as though unwrapping a birthday present.
Only then did she understand why a person had been presented as the second gift.
“Mmph! Mmmph! Mmph!”
The man was Frank Fontaine.
He was the man who had disappeared during the attack.
And perhaps he was also the man capable of providing testimony about the entire incident.
The moment the gag was removed from his mouth, he shouted,
“I-I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything, so please spare my life!”