Black Bandana

“Short and intense. To think they would threaten us without fear.”

Isabella expressed displeasure.

Both the blunt way they said only what they wanted and the use of red lettering were like that.

It was easy to see all of it that way.

Perhaps because of that, Ferda saw it differently.

“Isn't it sticking its neck out far too much to call it a threat?”

If they intended to hover around trying to extort a few coins, they would not have used the words at the end: “I will see you soon.”

To say nothing of the fact that their opponent was Black Bandana.

If it was the largest secret intelligence organization on the continent, they would have at least a rough idea of what sort of person Ferda was.

‘That makes me curious.’

Whether those words, “I will see you soon,” would benefit the Grand Duchy.

“Administrator. Is there a flagpole in Hestia?”

“It is scheduled to be installed soon.”

“Have that flagpole erected today and hang this on it at about the midpoint. That will serve as my reply.”

As Ferda instructed, Isabella erected a flagpole in the middle of Hestia Village and hung the scarf around its midpoint.

All that surrounded it were a lonely mountain and dense forest.

She wondered whether people who were not nearby would notice it hanging at the midpoint of the flagpole.

Yet several hours later, a group of six riding black horses and clad in black robes came to Waldrova Castle.

At a glance, they looked like secret emissaries from some kingdom, but those who already knew were aware of who they were.

Ruri went downstairs, determined their identities, and reported back.

“Lord Ferda, apparently there are people below the castle who have come in response to the summons.”

“Let only their representative inside.”

Since they were a secret organization, he had to deal with them cautiously.

The person who entered Waldrova Castle as their representative was a slender woman.

Sky-blue eyes, ash-gray hair, and dark skin.

The woman, who looked as though she had grown up in the southern region, bowed politely.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Regent. My name is Garnet Swallow.”

As she spoke, the pointed teeth visible through her slightly parted lips caught his eye.

‘A dark elf?’

Her beauty was striking, but her fierce expression made him flinch.

Moreover, her blunt ears marked her as a beauty raised in the southern region.

Ferda asked her,

“So, will you tell me why you threatened me and then came here so brazenly?”

Garnet lowered her head.

“Threatened you? That is absurd. How could people like us, who live in sewers, threaten the representative of a grand duke, the dragon's spouse?”

“Then you will have to explain the contents of that letter.”

“The red lettering is provocative, but it is merely an antiquated custom of our organization. If it caused you concern, I ought to apologize a hundred times over. However, if I truly intended to threaten you, there would be no reason for me to reveal myself like this.”

It was a reasonable point.

Garnet placed the bag she had brought with her on the table.

“This is the first gift I offer as the representative of Black Bandana.”

He briefly checked whether some dirty trick, such as an explosive magic circle, had been planted inside.

There was no sign of magical tampering.

After finishing his inspection, Ferda opened the bag she had handed him.

Inside were documents.

“Please read them. I am certain you will like what you see.”

Since she urged him, Ferda quickly looked through their contents.

There was a reason Garnet had said he would like them.

They actually contained information Ferda needed immediately.

‘Everything about Tilda Pascal.’

It was a document encompassing the entire plan Tilda Pascal had devised to become head of Pascal Trading Company by eliminating Murchit, Stephan, and Herman.

It included an organizational chart of the agents Tilda Pascal had planted to sow discord, as well as plans mapped out through Plan C.

The details were so exhaustive that they made the information Murchit and Stephan were trying to dig up look like a mere farce.

‘I would have to determine its accuracy later, but…….’

Ferda did not doubt it.

This was a message from Black Bandana, the largest secret intelligence organization.

There was no way they would do something foolish like spit in their own faces by feeding him false information.

Even so, he had to ask about this.

“Why are you giving me this information?”

Black Bandana, which had rejected the Empire's recruitment attempts time and again, had extended its hand first.

Ferda needed to know why.

Garnet answered.

“We are not simply providing it; it is closer to a brokerage arrangement.”

“A brokerage arrangement?”

“Yes. Tilda Pascal has been a target we have pursued for a long time. Her first client commissioned us to track and investigate her as many as four years ago.”

Only then did he understand.

The reason so much information had accumulated was that they had been investigating her for a long time.

And the reason they had suddenly appeared and offered information on Tilda Pascal as a gift was that this was the client's wish.

“She is truly an extraordinary person. We have tracked her and stayed on her trail, digging up information for nearly four years. Do you know how many remarkable things she accomplished during that time?”

Garnet said, seemingly dumbfounded.

“She turned most of the people in the mansion into her own agents and poisoned her father-in-law, reducing him to a vegetative state.”

“Without killing him?”

“She seems to be planning to alter his will.”

“So she is scheming to steal his fortune.”

“Exactly. I have never seen a woman whose conscience was so completely filled with greed.”

It was not particularly surprising to Ferda.

In fact, the Tilda Pascal Ferda remembered had been the mistress of Dandolo Trading Company.

After the head of the household died, she had rushed into a marriage, and the next head had also died a few months later.

With no relatives, Tilda had inherited Dandolo Trading Company.

That was how she had been named the next head of Pascal Trading Company and risen to a position equal to Murchit's.

Reading the material, he could clearly feel it.

Just how desperately this woman yearned for Pascal Trading Company.

“Do you know why this woman remains at large despite committing such atrocities?”

“I do not.”

He was not particularly interested, either.

“After piecing everything together, we concluded that Philiaz is behind her.”

Then the matter changed again.

Philiaz, called the origin of all witches.

Most people forcibly break through the Red Circle out of resentment, usually resentment toward men.

Tilda Pascal, however, was not a witch.

If she had been a witch, he would have known.

“That means she entered into a Garden Contract.”

Garden Contract.

A contract that allows a woman who has failed to awaken as a witch to wield a witch's power.

A woman harboring malice no less than a witch's enters into a contract with a witch and acts on her behalf.

However, such cases were exceedingly rare, and because no awakened Red Circle could be seen, they were difficult to detect.

“Did you determine who she made the contract with?”

“I cannot say for certain, but the most likely candidate is Yorr Philiaz.”

Yorr Philiaz, the Witch of Poison and Snakes.

She was also skilled in illusion magic, and given Tilda Pascal's apparent charisma and ability to hold an organization together, Ferda thought it entirely possible.

“So.”

Ferda casually tossed the documents back into the bag and asked,

“So I get the information, and the client gets revenge—a win-win, is that it?”

“Would that really be all? This information is merely a gift. And if you bring this transaction to fruition, you will gain two benefits.”

Garnet raised her index finger.

“The first is that, as I mentioned, you can finish the matter quickly.”

Then her middle finger.

“The second is that this will allow you to acquire Dandolo Trading Company.”

The second condition was so outrageous that Ferda wondered for a moment whether he had heard her wrong.

“Acquire Dandolo Trading Company?”

“That is correct.”

“We are?”

“Not we.”

Garnet politely indicated Ferda.

“It can come entirely into your hands, Lord Regent Ferda Waldrova.”

Pascal Trading Company, the largest trading company in the Empire.

The second largest was Dandolo Trading Company.

‘If those two companies were to merge…….’

It was such a massive proposal that it would be no exaggeration to say it meant taking half the Empire.

It was so enormous that it was hard to believe.

It was enough to make even the word of Black Bandana, which lived by its reputation for trust, feel like a lie.

“How can I acquire Dandolo Trading Company?”

“Until we receive a promise, I cannot go into detail. But everything is connected to Tilda Pascal—both Henri Dandolo and Rico Dandolo.”

Henri Dandolo was already famous for being naive.

Regardless of his personality, he had excellent business acumen and had contributed greatly to stabilizing his father's aggressive expansion.

‘Once Henri stabilizes the company…….’

Tilda would bare the hidden fangs and bite Henri in the neck.

‘What a pitiful man.’

But Ferda did not pity him.

If someone saved his life from a fate in which he should have died, he ought to be grateful for that alone.

“If we bring her down, the Dandolo family will also lose its credibility, and Dandolo Trading Company will not want to remain under the Dandolo family's control.”

“Are you not overlooking the client's greed too much?”

“Black Bandana guarantees it. If these conditions are not fulfilled, we will step in as the executors.”

Black Bandana was an ancient organization, and it upheld its credibility no matter what.

If the other party did not intend to honor their word, forcibly taking it from them was their business.

Ferda was not about to refuse the chance to seize a trading company.

With such a sweet, enormous prize rolling toward him, he thought it over again and again.

Whether this was truly something that could end smoothly.

Black Bandana could be trusted, but he had no idea what sort of person the client was.

Once he finished the deal with Black Bandana, could the client not stab him in the back?

To infer the identity of that opponent, Ferda decided to ask a few more questions.

“So what do you need?”

“This time as well, there are two things I would like to propose.”

“You do seem to like the number two.”

“It seems I have no choice after talking it over.”

“Go on.”

“First, I would like to borrow some personnel.”

“What sort of personnel?”

“To find Yorr Philiaz and the medium for the contract.”

For a Garden Contract to be formally established, a medium was necessary.

Ironically, the easier that medium was to destroy and the more conspicuous it was, the stronger the power became.

If it was a poison that filled the mansion with her own people and rendered the owner of Dandolo Trading Company utterly helpless, it was undoubtedly an object that was easy to destroy and conspicuous.

“Her medium will be somewhere inside the house. I do not know its exact location, but I need an expert capable of pinpointing it.”

“And it seems you already know such an expert.”

Garnet nodded.

“That is correct. I would like to borrow the strength of Jed Swallow—the man who must now be called Sir Jed.”

At this point, he knew him only as a mere swindler, far removed from direct theft.

If she had watched him in action in Hallim, she would have understood only that his movements were more acrobatic than an acrobat's.

‘But it should not have become known that Jed had a talent for thievery.’

So this was Black Bandana.

Its intelligence network was so vast it was enough to make one marvel, and its deductions were equally impressive.

It was an intelligence organization worthy of the Empire's covetous attention.

Ferda finished thinking and gave her his answer.

“I will lend him to you. What is the second?”

“I would like you to turn Tilda Pascal into an imbecile.”

“An imbecile?”

“A state in which the body imprisons the soul while the person is kept alive.”

“You want her made into someone alive, but no longer truly living.”

That client clearly wanted revenge.

Having carried out vicious revenge thousands of times, Ferda knew that turning someone into an imbecile was among the cruelest acts imaginable.

‘Who would desire revenge like that?’

Given Tilda Pascal's notoriety, it could be anyone.

But when he put all the pieces together, one person stood out as the most likely.

‘Rico Dandolo.’

Overall, he was the strongest candidate.

Rather than let the worthless daughter-in-law take the business he had built, he would surely choose to hand it over to someone else.

‘Come to think of it, the fact that they made such a demand means…….’

Black Bandana was making this proposal because it believed Ferda could do it.

If so, what had they seen in Ferda that made them believe it was possible?

“What exactly do you want me to do?”

She rolled her eyes slightly toward the girl standing diagonally beside Ferda.

“Dragon Fear.”

It was Ruri.

“I have heard that ordinary dragonspawn cannot produce Dragon Fear. However, it is said that dragonspawn who have trained themselves until they approach dragons can use some of their powers.”

Her eyes turned to Ruri again.

“And I know that the maid over there is extraordinary enough to use Dragon Fear. I want Dragon Fear.”

Only then did he understand.

To hand a colossal company like Dandolo Trading Company over to Ferda required commensurate power.

Garnet needed not only the power of a master thief but also the power of a dragon.

“Ha.”

Ferda let out a disbelieving laugh.

“What an arrogant, insolent request.”

Ferda lowered his voice.

The atmosphere turned cold along with it.

Garnet's throat bobbed heavily.

She felt as though she were walking a tightrope in the middle of a raging typhoon.

She spoke cautiously, knowing that one misstep would send her plunging into the abyss.

“I know I am overstepping. That is why I proposed handing over Dandolo Trading Company as a condition; I thought it would be sufficient compensation for the Waldrova Grand Duchy.”

“Ridiculous. Do you think this transaction is balanced?”

Ferda asked, his voice cold and angry.

“Do you think dragon power can be borrowed with human treasure? Do you think it can be bought with a bit of money?”

“It can.”

“?”

“?”

Ruri, who had been standing there like a folding screen, interrupted.

Ferda glanced at her.

After holding her gaze for several seconds, he said to Garnet,

“Apparently, it can.”

“Uh…… really?”

“She is not my retainer, anyway. If she says she can do it, then I suppose she can.”

Perhaps the moment was unexpected, Garnet could not hide her bewilderment.

Even so, she bowed her head toward Ruri.

“Thank you for your assistance. It is more than we could ask that the great Waldrova's retainer would grant a request that is practically no more than unreasonable begging.”

“You must keep your promise.”

“Of course. We are not so arrogant as to toy with immortals.”

Having confirmed Ruri's assistance as well, Garnet breathed a sigh of relief.

“Since there seems to be no major obstacle to the transaction, we will proceed as prepared. Please read and approve the contract.”

Isabella, who was standing beside them, handled the paperwork herself.

After carefully checking that there were no traps, she handed it back to Ferda, and the contract was concluded.

Ruri's power could be borrowed later,

“What will you do about Sir Jed?”

She replied leisurely, as though she had already considered that.

“According to our information, he should arrive soon. Since you have granted permission, Lord Regent, I will speak with Sir Jed personally.”

“I wonder whether that will go well.”

“There is no need to worry. Sir Jed and I already know each other.”

Ferda's eyebrow twitched upward.

“You know each other?”

“We worked together in a mercenary band called Swallow. We did so for three years, so it is quite a long-standing relationship.”

“Swallow…….”

Jed Swallow.

Garnet Swallow.

Only now did he notice the commonality between the two.

‘So that is why she knew about Jed.’

They had been close, which was why she knew Jed so well.

A frivolous clanking sound came from the hallway a moment later.

The sound drew closer and eventually arrived in front of the audience chamber.

“Lord Regent, I have returned.”

Jed, who had been dispatched for training, returned grandly.

“Having successfully completed my field training and become fully armed with chivalry, Jed Swallow makes his proud entrance.”

“Welcome back.”

“Oh, we have a guest. The guest is…….”

The two stared at each other for a long while.

Jed, who had proudly armed himself with chivalry, turned deathly pale the moment he saw her face.

“Eek! Fiendtooth!”

He jumped in surprise as though he had seen a ghost, then covered his face with his helmet.

Garnet rose and approached him.

“Jed.”

“……Who are yooou? I’m not Jed, I’m Malcolm from Peach Hill.”

“Stop making that ridiculous nasal voice. I already know you are a knight belonging to this place.”

“……No, really, miss, I don't know who you are. I'm Malcolm. A moron. I don't know numbers, and I don't know left from right.”

“Haa…….”

Garnet let out a long sigh.

She kicked him hard in the shin.

In vulgar terms, she smashed his knee.

Smack!

The sound was loud enough to reverberate throughout the audience chamber.

Jed leaped high enough to match the volume of the sound.

Even so, he did not forget to cover his face with his helmet.

“Kheup! Hup! Hup! Hup!”

“You damn coward! Follow me! You were sold to me, you know!”

“Aaaagh! What does that mean?! Lord Regent? What is going on?! Lord Regent?!”

Garnet dragged him away by the ear while Jed demanded an explanation.

But the last thing Jed saw was Ferda waving goodbye.

In the end, six black horses and one brown horse left through the castle gates.

Jed was sitting on the brown horse.

And Penelope sat behind him.

She, who was being sold off along with him, was shouting something noisily as well, but her voice fell silent as they entered the forest.

“Huh?”

Ruri, who had been watching them, spoke up.

“What is it?”

“All the horses have left, but one person is missing.”

“Did Jed and Penelope not leave?”

“I know that. One of the black-clad ones is missing.”

Sensing something strange, Ruri immediately began searching for that person.

The search did not take long.

A man with a robe pulled over his head was standing stock-still beneath the castle, where he had been waiting for the representative.

On the man's chest, these words were helpfully written.

-The second gift.

He removed the black robe as if unwrapping birthday-present packaging.

But then he understood why the second gift was a human.

“Mmph! Mmmph! Mmphmph!”

It was Frank Fontaine.

The man who had gone missing during the attack.

And perhaps a man who might testify about this incident.

Once the gag in his mouth was removed, he shouted,

“I-I'll talk! I'll tell you everything, so please spare my life!”