“You make that sound so negative, as if I’m the one causing real trouble.”


  “I’m not wrong.”


  “It’s just that trouble follows me around, and I deal with it. Aren’t you the one at the center of the trouble anyways?”


  The man shifted in his seat.

  “You know something.”


  “You could say that.”


  Dean’s sharp gaze did not let up.

  “Well, then, give me the information.”


  “You’re acting a bit arrogant, aren’t you?”


  Dean said with a snort. The other men in the room moved around.

  “All right. Get out of here!”


  Surprisingly enough, Glaus was the one who gave the order.

  “You might not be able to tell, but this man is his own kind of monster. Even if all of you fought him at once, you’d have to be prepared for the possibility that half of you will die.”


  “Come on, don’t say that……I feel like I could at least get up to more than half, right?”


  Hearing this, two of the men charged Dean.

  With a single wave of Dean’s blade, the two were slumped on the ground.

  He had moved so quickly that I hadn’t been able to make out what he did.

  “What a terrible personality.”


  Saying this, Glaus laughed.

  “You haven’t changed, Dean. Do the rest of you understand?……Sorry about that. Well then, what about the information?”


  “You won’t be talking to me. Milady……”


  “.……A woman?”


  All eyes in the room were on me. I walked before Glaus.

  “Nice to meet you. My name is Iris Lana Armenia.”


  “Arenia……a noble lady. What are you doing here?”


  “To strike a deal.”


  Glaus burst out into laughter.

  “What a riot! The daughter of a noble family, striking deals with me?……Hurry home and eat your fancy pastries before I say something I’ll regret!”


  “If only I could. Your side is moving so slowly that I had to come here myself.”


  Glaus twitched, his laughter fading into a look of sheer intimidation.

  “.……Careful what words you pick. I don’t care if you’re a lady or Dean’s woman, I will not be merciful.”


  Fear swept over me, but I forced strength and resistance into my body.

  “Word has been spreading through the streets that the Armenias and the Boltiques have been working together to exploit the common folk. They think that we are very wily. In short……I, on behalf of myself as well as the duke’s family, wish to end this incident as quickly as possible.”


  I laughed as I said this.

  If anyone else saw me laughing in this situation as if I had walked into the wrong room, they would probably think it was quite funny.

  “Nothing, it’s nothing. Even if I die in vain because of my own recklessness, I’d be able to show the outside world that the duke’s family was not working with you. More importantly, the guards would be able to take this chance……perhaps even the national guard, to move out against you……and we would be able to blame the whole thing on your family without further argument. At that point, it would no longer matter who was behind this whole thing in the first place. If we were able to end this whole incident quickly and without damaging the reputation of the duke, that would be enough. So if you’re going to hurt me, make it quick.”


  Glaus’s face contorted.

  “How could I act recklessly after hearing that?”


  “Is that so? Well then, let’s get back on topic. I want to end this, as do you. I say that we unite our forces. This is the deal I have come here to strike.”


  “.……Can I ask you something?”


  “What is it?”


  “In your position, you have the power to devastate us without even making an appearance.”


  “Yes, I do.”


  “Then, why……?”


  “Even if I destroy your organization, organizations like yours will not disappear completely. No matter how much we crack down, it will only make the likes of you more and more wily. Although it may be more trouble, it’s more worth it to retain you as workers toward our cause. After all, you are figures of power in this town.”


  It was true, the man before me did engage in illegal activities.

  But it was also true that they were accepted by the people here, and had become an accepted power in this town.

  This whole thing was like that too. Although there were also officials sitting around doing information damage control……If these men were the ones in control, they wouldn’t do something like that. It was only when something like this happened that the people would start talking worriedly.

  When we were investigating in the town itself, these were the opinions that surprised us a great deal. Even more surprisingly, among the citizens who had been affected by the whole thing, quite a few people had the idea that perhaps someone else was acting on behalf of the Boltique family.

  “Or are you telling me that you aren’t as good as your reputation says? If that’s the case, I’ll do as you wish and immediately issue an order to my family’s guard.”


  Hearing this, Glaus burst into loud laughter.

  The men around him followed suit.