Just Do What You're Good At

Zed's gaze flicked toward Ferda at his words.

The disloyal servant he was talking about clearly meant the young girl who had been trailing along behind him.

Since his profession depended on reading the room, Zed could at least tell where the killing intent was directed.

‘No matter how I look at it, the killing intent seems to be aimed at that guy rather than me…….’

It was not a misunderstanding.

That was indeed the case.

Luri was extremely irritated by the fact that Ferda had lost money.

It was not a large sum compared to Valdrova's entire fortune, but neither was it so little that an individual could spend it lavishly without a second thought.

Especially not in Halim.

It was not money to be spent at a gambling house.

Ferda had scattered it around as he pleased.

Since Zed had no way of knowing the circumstances, he could only be confused.

“……All right.”

The dagger in Zed's hand spun and slipped straight into the back pocket.

“Let's talk first. What is it you want to say?”

“This isn't a good place for a sensitive conversation. Let's go somewhere we can talk quietly.”

“Follow me.”

Zed led him to his room.

He was staying in the most expensive room at the casino's hotel.

In contrast to the lavish room, what he brought out was cheap rum.

“It's my favorite liquor. I don't know if it'll suit a noble young master's palate, but will you try it?”

Ferda shook his head.

“I don't drink.”

“You're a mage and you don't drink?”

“I don't drink because I am a mage.”

“A mage who doesn't enjoy alcohol? You're quite an oddball.”

For mages who had to spend all day thinking and concentrating, women and alcohol were their escape.

Since alcohol was cheaper, more than a few mages simply drank straight from the bottle.

Ferda had not drunk because he had to keep moving straight ahead, and abstinence had naturally become a habit.

“So…… how did you find out that name?”

“I learned it while looking for information.”

“And the source of that information?”

His own lips, of course.

Since Zed would never believe him if he said so, Ferda decided to be evasive.

“There would be no point in telling you now. What matters is simply that I know.”

“If you were only planning to sound me out like this, maybe I should have killed you, even if it meant going to prison?”

“I am not sounding you out. I know about you. You prey on poor women, prey on nobles too, and slowly gather money that way so you can enter high society, don't you?”

“…….”

“You need connections in the upper class, which means rising in the world, to find your younger sister Emilia.”

Skilled at maintaining a poker face, Zed stared at him expressionlessly.

But his hands were trembling.

Ferda's words contained not the slightest guesswork, only certainty, and that certainty had accurately struck at Zed's intentions.

“Impressive. You don't even seem to be using magic, yet you're looking into my mind…….”

“It isn't difficult. I once had thoughts similar to yours.”

It was an idea Ferda had entertained when he was cast out by his family.

Become greater than House Rosnova and place them beneath his feet.

Naive Ferda had initially vowed to make them acknowledge their wrongdoing that way.

‘Though I failed in the end.’

The Magic Society had refused to accept Ferda because he possessed a Red Circle.

Zed had failed to join because he was tainted by the name of being a widowed marchioness's plaything.

“I will build that stepping stone for you.”

“You? A nobleman so young?”

Nobles who were so young.

Even if their outstanding abilities drew the world's attention, nobles at the bottom could quickly slip and become traitors guilty of high treason.

The weaker their connections and the younger they were, the harder it became.

If they had only just come of age, like Ferda, their situation was as precarious as a candle in the wind.

But Ferda was far from an ordinary mage.

For one thing, he was the Grand Duke's consort.

“I suppose I should introduce myself again. My name is Ferda Valdrova.”

“Valdrova…… That's the Red Dragon's name, isn't it?”

Zed snorted.

“You do know that, in noble society, that means being cast out, right? What kind of lunatic gets engaged to a Red Dragon?”

“That lunatic would be me.”

“……Seriously?”

Ferda's expression did not change even once.

Zed scratched his head, looking embarrassed.

“Damn it. If it was information that important, it should have reached my ears sooner……. I can't help losing track of time when I'm in a casino.”

After tossing out that excuse, he smoothly changed the subject.

“Anyway, if you're Valdrova's husband…… even if people treat you like a kept man, you must have an incredible amount of power, right?”

“Yes. You could enter the upper class you're risking your life to get into.”

Zed, who had lowered his head, raised his eyes slightly to look at Ferda.

“What do I have to do?”

Ferda held out his hand to Luri.

As he had with Vernel, he handed Zed an appointment letter.

“With that ability of yours, you will serve under me as an attendant carrying out missions.”

“What kind of missions?”

“Everything from miscellaneous tasks to major matters. However, I will not assign you anything beyond your abilities.”

Zed mulled that over carefully before asking,

“So, a gofer?”

“An attendant.”

“That's a gofer.”

“Then choose. Will you be a gofer who can enter high society, or a fool who cannot even make it there and will merely be mocked as a nouveau riche?”

“…….”

Though Ferda had put it unpleasantly, what he said was not wrong.

Would Zed become a womanizer treated as a nouveau riche, or a gofer with a position despite the difficulty?

Zed turned the matter over in his mind and calculated.

“If I refuse…… will you report me?”

Ferda tilted his head.

“What would I gain by reporting you?”

“You're a mage, aren't you? I'm Red-Eyed. And the Red-Eyed are people who shouldn't exist anymore. It seems you'd have more to gain?”

A people who, by virtue of their bloodline, could possess the unusual ability to counteract magic.

Their natural enemies were divided as clearly as cats and mice.

“No matter how I think about it, there is nothing for me to gain.”

“I heard that when our bloodline was wiped out, the mages held a festival for three days and nights. Aren't you one of them?”

“What a foolish question. Being afraid of the Red-Eyed because magic does not work on them is like hiding under a blanket and crying because you are afraid of ghosts. It would be disqualifying for a mage.”

It was an unbearably arrogant answer.

But Zed did not find it irritating.

‘What an unusual guy.’

When someone behaved like that at such a young age, it was usually an arrogance born of relying on their status or overestimating their potential.

But Ferda gave him no such impression at all.

‘Going by his appearance, he looks no different from a greenhorn who just came of age…….’

Yet his behavior was that of a high-ranking noble who had firmly established his position.

‘Perhaps he really can give me what I want…….’

Enough to make even Zed, who trusted no one easily, begin to doubt himself.

“Ah, damn it.”

Zed raked both hands through his hair.

“Is this what it feels like to make a deal with the devil? It's so unsettling, yet so tempting, and that pisses me off.”

Zed rolled the silence around in his mouth as he tapped the appointment letter with a finger.

“All right. I'll do it for you, my noble lord. But I have conditions. That's acceptable, right?”

“Tell me. I'll write them down now.”

Ferda took the pen tucked into his breast pocket.

Zed held up two fingers and said,

“First, pay an appropriate amount according to the mission. One way or another, I need money to do my job.”

“Of course. You will be paid.”

“Second, if I feel that you're trying to ditch me or merely use me, I'll leave you without hesitation. Is that all right?”

“That's fine. I have no intention of deceiving you by lying to you. Is that all?”

“Yes, for now.”

In truth, Zed wanted to add one more clause.

A contract that would last only until he found his younger sister.

‘That might become a shackle that needlessly drags things out.’

So Zed ended his conditions with those two.

“Since we're on the subject, I'll add one more thing.”

Ferda took up the pen and added one more item to the blank space on the appointment letter.

“Our contract will last until your younger sister is found.”

Zed looked up in surprise.

“……Is that really all right?”

“Once you've found your sister, it will be over. After that, I will leave the decision to you.”

The wording and conditions were impeccably clean.

Zed was dumbfounded by how Ferda showed not the slightest bit of greed.

He had even set a term himself, one Zed had deliberately refrained from mentioning.

‘What the hell is he?’

Zed's questions about Ferda as a person only grew.

The composure of someone who seemed to have everything in the palm of his hand, no matter how wildly it struggled.

He possessed the virtues only true nobles who had weathered every kind of hardship could have.

‘It bothers me that he knows about Emilia, but…….’

At the same time, he was the only person who knew and could help him.

Whatever his abilities, his position was certainly trustworthy.

For now, Zed had no choice but to trust him.

“All right, I understand. No, I understand, sir.”

Now that he was an employee, he used honorifics.

Thus, all the conditions were settled.

The reason Ferda had set the term was simple.

‘There is nothing to be gained by holding him by force.’

He desperately needed Zed's ability to carry out missions, but he had no intention of forcing him to stay and turning him into a slave.

And even if he tried to hold him, Zed would never be caught.

After all, he was a great criminal who had escaped notorious prisons time and again.

‘And…… finding her won't be the end of everything, either.’

Watching Zed put the appointment letter into his pocket, Ferda spoke.

“Then I shall give you your first mission right away.”

“Already?”

“I would like you to take on a commission with the money you won.”

“Wasn't that money I won?”

“It was originally money meant to commission you. Didn't I tell you what I intended to tell you when you were about to fold? It would be better for both you and me to treat it as a commission.”

“Well, thinking of the first commission as free isn't so bad. So what will you have me do?”

“For you, it will be extremely simple.”

Ferda pointed to one of the names Luri was carrying.

-Echidna Philiaz

“You just have to do what you're good at.”

* * *

Once they had finished their business, Ferda's carriage left Halim and moved swiftly on.

Unlike when they had gone to Vernel, Zed accompanied them this time.

“As expected of the carriage belonging to the man who will become the Grand Duke's consort, it's incredibly comfortable, isn't it? It's spacious inside, and even when the roads are bad, it stays steady without rattling.”

“…….”

“And it even has a pretty, petite attendant.”

Zed changed the subject naturally with a smile.

He casually placed a hand beside where she sat and leaned toward her.

It was the instinctive behavior of a womanizer.

“I don't think we've introduced ourselves. What might your identity be, milady maid?”

“Allow me to explain kindly.”

At his question about her identity, Luri answered with a Dragon Fear.

“Gasp!”

Zed recoiled from her, clutching his chest.

Even as a Red-Eyed, Zed was human, and he was someone who feared dragons.

“Huff……. Th-this is…… a-a dragon?”

“A dragon spawn. The personal attendant of Grand Duke Valdrova.”

“I never heard that dragon spawns can emit Dragon Fear…… And you don't have horns or a tail, either.”

“That means I am a particularly powerful dragon spawn.”

“I thought you were, at most, a half-elf or a halfling…….”

Zed suddenly recalled the time he had threatened Ferda with a dagger.

If he had made a fuss with that dagger then, he truly would have gotten nothing out of it.

Zed patted his shirt with his hand, cooling the cold sweat that had broken out.

Luri gave Zed a pitiful sidelong glance, then sat demurely again.

“Don't worry. No matter how ferocious she is, she quiets down when you put food in her hand.”

“Who are you calling quiet?”

Ferda nodded at Luri's retort.

“On second thought, you're more like a dog than a quiet child.”

“Huh? Are you insulting me again?”

“It was a compliment. There is a small but courageous breed of dog called a Chihuahua. I think you resemble one.”

“Would you please ask him to hit me just once?”

“I dislike that. I prefer not to be in pain.”

Ferda kept provoking her, while Luri slowly rotted away.

If an ordinary person had taken that Dragon Fear head-on, they should have been unable even to breathe by now.

But Ferda was perfectly calm, and Zed, caught between them, said,

“I'll just go play with the coachman. Please call me if you need me.”

What good was having a comfortable seat?

Peace of mind was the best thing.

* * *

To find Echidna Philiaz, Ferda entered a deep forest.

As they went, they reached a path too narrow for the carriage to proceed any farther.

“We can't go any farther. The road is too narrow.”

“Then we will have to walk.”

“It is quite a distance, but it isn't steep, so let's walk as though we're taking a stroll.”

Ferda had no choice but to get out, then walked with Luri and Zed behind him.

The two following him walked as if they were taking a light stroll, but Ferda was sweating profusely.

“You should do some physical training.”

“Amazingly…… this is my limit.”

“If you tried a little harder, wouldn't you build up some stamina?”

“I was once from a knightly family, and this is what made me the Grand Duke's fiancé.”

“Ah, I see…….”

Zed scratched his cheek awkwardly.

“Would you like me to carry you?”

“I'll pass.”

Though struggling, Ferda did not want to delay, so he forced his feet onward through sheer willpower.

At last, they saw a house standing in the middle of the deep forest.

“There it is.”

“For a witch's house, it has a serious aura of gloom.”

“It will also be where you are going in now.”

“I know. Ahem……!!”

Zed loosened up, preparing to carry out his mission.

“Phew, seducing a witch as my first mission…… It feels like walking into a tiger's jaws.”

“There is no need to be so nervous. All you need is that face.”

“That sounds like you're saying I'm a corpse without my face.”

Ferda stared at Zed's face and answered.

“You might become a corpse without it.”

“Ha, you keep dismissing me, don't you? Fine. Just watch.”

Zed ran both hands up through his hair, shaping it.

Switching into womanizer mode, Zed walked straight to the witch's house.

“Echidna Philiaz. What is this woman?”

As Zed moved away, Luri asked.

“She is a witch.”

“I know she is a witch. Aren't they a people who become sisters through sorcery and merge into one? That's why they receive the surname Philiaz when they become witches.”

“Yes, you know a lot. Have a piece of candy.”

“Do you take me for a child?”

Even as she said that, Luri accepted the candy and rolled it around in her mouth.

“What I mean is, why are you specifically trying to bring a witch along?”

Bringing a witch along was dangerous.

Especially those connected to the Philiaz surname.

Among women talented in magic, only mages who possessed a Red Circle could become witches.

Red Circles were created from intense emotions.

And when most women awakened a Red Circle, it was formed from resentment toward their husbands and obsession with their children.

In other words, witches were primarily a group of people harboring extreme hatred and loathing toward men.

“That is why witches are said to be impossible to reason with and self-centered.”

“That is true.”

“If she was branded a heretic even by those gloomy people, is she a person like Vernel?”

Vernel…….

“She would be more like my fiancé than Vernel.”

“A witch being like my master? Do not say such things so carelessly.”

“I only meant that they are similar.”

Luri growled with her eyes wide.

No matter how Ferda looked at her, he could not shake the thought that she was like a dog.

“There is no need to worry. We can recruit Echidna because she was branded a heretic by the Philiaz.”

“Because of that?”

As if to make the question pointless, Zed emerged from the witch's house.

It had been less than three minutes since he went inside.

Zed returned here too, scratching his head with an awkward expression.

“Um…….”

Special note regarding Echidna Philiaz.

“She saw me and said she would do anything, no matter what it was. Is that right?”

A profoundly hopeless fool.