Chapter 80
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 80
Step—.
After walking for some time, Ciel and I came to a halt.
Before us stood the western branch of the Panopticon—a structure so magnificent it rivaled the city’s grandest halls. Ciel looked up at the towering building, her eyes narrowing behind her mask.
“The Panopticon… I had a general idea from the intelligence reports, but I never imagined it would be on this scale.”
I shrugged. “This is the source of the information that allowed Sheika and me to strike our deal. Now, they’re my business partners.”
I already knew from my in-game knowledge that several merchant guilds were colluding to manipulate the Lombard Merchant Guild’s stock price. However, it was thanks to the underworld’s resources that I was able to flesh out the details through a thorough investigation and secure the contract with Sheika.
“Business partners… I doubt it started out that way.” Ciel’s gaze swept over the guards in black armor standing watch around the perimeter. “Don’t tell me you came here alone to negotiate?”
Her tone seemed to chide me for entering such a dangerous place by myself. I just shrugged again.
“To be precise, I wasn’t alone.”
Lize had been with me. In terms of raw combat strength, she was no help at all, but visiting with a seemingly harmless young girl had the added benefit of lowering their guard.
“Let’s go in.”
I led the way up the stairs, and Ciel followed close behind. My visit must have been announced to the guards in advance, as we were allowed inside without any trouble.
Creeak—.
The main gate, adorned with gargoyle statues, swung open to reveal a red carpet. At the end of that carpet stood Alfredo, a dignified, elderly gentleman. He gave me a slight bow.
“Welcome. It’s been a while, Lord Roen. And a pleasure to meet you, Lady Ciel.”
Next to the impeccably dressed Alfredo, a girl with a bright expression greeted me.
“Ah, Lord Roen!”
It was Lize. Her hair was now neatly tied, and she wore an elegant gown—a stark contrast to the disheveled state I’d first found her in. She ran over in a single bound and skidded to a halt before me.
For a moment, Ciel seemed wary of the girl rushing toward us, but she soon relaxed, sensing no hostility, and stepped aside. She took in the sight of the navy-haired girl looking up at me with sparkling eyes and asked, “This girl is…?”
“This is Lize. You could say she’s a talent I discovered. She’s currently running a magic device shop under the Panopticon’s protection.”
“Aha. So you’re something like her sponsor?”
“Less a sponsor and more… yes, a contractor.”
I had arranged her employment with the Panopticon, but I hadn't exactly been sponsoring her personally since then.
“Have you been well?” I asked.
“Yes! Thanks to you, Lord Roen, I’m doing great. Everyone is so kind and treats me well!”
Lize chattered on excitedly, recounting everything that had happened—getting her own shop, having a private tutor, and all the things she was learning.
“That’s good to hear.” I smiled, stroking Lize’s hair.
I had been worried about her basic education, but it seemed they had taken care of it splendidly. When she was old enough, she would likely be able to enroll in the Union. It was wonderful to see her looking so healthy and bright.
As I was chatting with Lize, Alfredo gestured down the hallway.
“It is good to see you reunited, but we don’t have much time. Let’s talk inside.”
*
Following Alfredo, we arrived at the reception room. It was the same place where I had made my initial deal with Rebecca.
“I assume Gretel has filled you in on the situation?”
I nodded. “Yes, I heard Professor Zimmer entered the underworld with two escorts.”
“Correct. He is currently staying at a high-end inn on Heukseongchon 2nd Avenue. When the time comes, he will move to the location we provided. We have about three hours left.”
“And the item for the negotiation?”
“We acquired it, though with some difficulty.”
With those words, Alfredo placed a black jewelry box on the table. It was sealed tight, both physically and magically—a clear sign that it contained something of exceptional quality. The ominous energy radiating from the box was enough for me to guess its identity.
Click—.
I opened the lid to confirm the contents. Nestled on a soft, red velvet cushion was a violet fragment. It pulsed continuously, as if it were alive.
The Heart of the Mad Dragon, Calvador.
Although it was merely a fragment, it was an incredible item nonetheless. At first, I had considered consuming it myself instead of using it as a bargaining chip, but greed often leads to disaster. The Mad Dragon’s heart, filled with ferocious energy, carried an inherent risk of mana overload.
‘The Mad Dragon’s heart would place an immense burden on my Mana Heart and magic circuits, which are already in a fragile state.’
Having just coughed up blood after consuming Bell's Magic Orb a short while ago, it was not a choice I could make lightly.
‘…If I eat this, I might actually die.’
It was a shame, but this item wasn't for me. A warrior like Zimmer, on the other hand, could likely control this ferocious energy with his innate physical toughness and trained magic circuits. Furthermore, the Knight Kingdom of Gilbert’s method for training the Mana Hole was an orthodox mana cultivation technique. He should be able to purify the turbid energy within the heart without too much difficulty.
Zimmer was likely taking the risk of consuming the heart with these exact calculations in mind.
“Indeed. I’ve confirmed the item. It’s the Heart of the Mad Dragon, alright.”
Ciel, who had been observing the situation quietly, asked cautiously, “Lord Roen, isn’t Professor Zimmer the basic swordsmanship professor? The one who took over temporarily for Professor Verdandi…”
“He is.”
“I fail to see the connection between him, the Mad Dragon’s heart, and yourself.”
“It’s not that complicated.” I shrugged and gave Ciel a brief summary of the situation.
I explained how Professor Zimmer had expelled Garfield and raised the grading criteria as soon as he took over for Verdandi. How he had done it at the behest of someone who wanted my downfall. How Zimmer had received shares in the merchant guilds from the Kingdom of Gilbert—the very ones behind the current stock manipulation incident in Stella—as payment. And how my earlier contract with Sheika was a move to turn their own plan against them.
After hearing my explanation, Ciel slowly nodded.
“So that’s how it all came to be. Then the role of this Mad Dragon’s heart is…?”
“It’s something Professor Zimmer desperately desires. I’ll use it as a bargaining chip to win him over.”
Ciel narrowed her eyes. “Is there a need to win him over? Simply ruining the merchant guilds he received as payment would severely strain his relationship with his instigator. Zimmer would have no reason to remain hostile to you after that. Wouldn’t that be enough?”
Ciel was right. When the guild shares he received as a reward turned into worthless scraps of paper—or worse, a mountain of debt—it would be difficult for Zimmer to continue his cooperation with Jeremy.
“You have a point. That was my original plan. But a new variable has entered the equation. Alfredo.”
At my cue, Alfredo took out a document and spread it open.
“Yes. We thoroughly checked the shareholder lists of the guilds Professor Zimmer received from Jeremy as payment, but his name was not on them.”
“Which means…”
“Exactly. Professor Zimmer holds no shares in those guilds. He was backstabbed with fake certificates.”
Zimmer was a warrior to the bone, with little knowledge of the world of commerce. For a swordsman who had spent his life on the battlefield, playing with money and stocks was likely beyond his comprehension. Jeremy had used that to his advantage, choosing Zimmer as a disposable pawn.
Why would Jeremy hand over billions to someone who knew his dirty secrets and had already served his purpose? It would be better to quietly get rid of him. Besides, Zimmer had no significant faction of his own at the moment. He had abandoned his own knightly order and come all the way to the Meteor Archipelago to play professor—a role he was never meant for—all to obtain the Mad Dragon’s heart. To Jeremy, he wasn't worth the massive expense of a proper recruitment.
Even if I hadn't intervened, their relationship was destined to crumble. So, I decided to take it one step further.
“Alfredo.”
I gave a nod, and he produced another document for Ciel.
“This is the current power structure of the Knight Kingdom of Gilbert.”
The kingdom was currently divided into three major factions. First, the Royal Faction, centered around the king and a powerful knightly order. Then, the Noble Faction, a coalition of lords centered around the rising power, Jeremy. Finally, there was the emerging faction of the second prince, Andrew.
While they weren't in open conflict, the political situation was chaotic. If the hostile Jeremy were to ascend to the throne, I would be completely powerless against him. The entire kingdom might even turn against me.
Of the three factions that could check him, the Royal Faction was a massive power beyond my reach. Therefore, my target had to be the relatively weaker faction of the second prince. I planned to use this opportunity to establish a cooperative relationship with the 2nd Prince’s faction, using Zimmer as a bridgehead.
This incident would inevitably put Zimmer at odds with Jeremy, and he already had an extremely poor relationship with his own brother, the captain of the Royal Guard. The only faction left for him to join was that of the second prince.
‘Zimmer is a fitting pawn that has fallen into my hands.’
Anything can be a medicine or a poison, depending on how it’s used. If used correctly, Zimmer was a card that could become a dagger to stab the enemy in the back later on.
As I revealed my plan, Ciel gave a small nod.
“It’s quite a grand plan. I’m not sure if it will succeed, but I understand your intent. So, how much did you pay for this item?”
Ciel looked at the Mad Dragon’s heart, which pulsed on its own. Even as a mere fragment, it was a dragon heart. An item worth at least tens of billions, its price could skyrocket depending on its condition. However, since this was the heart of a Mad Dragon with the risk of overload, and a fragment at that, it was on the cheaper side.
“I heard it was 14 billion.”
“What? Where did you get that kind of money…?”
“Of course, none of it was my money. In other words, it was free.”
As I grinned, Alfredo chimed in. “We paid for the item. In return, we got a piece of the action in this plan.”
Swish—.
Alfredo slid a pile of documents across the table. They were records from a background check on the guilds involved in the stock manipulation, along with a list of all the guilds from the Kingdom of Gilbert entangled in this affair.
The payment was covered by joining hands with Sheika to participate in this scheme and completely empty their pockets. With the financial power of the underworld, they would likely make a profit that dwarfed the initial investment. It was a business that would leave a profit dozens of times over, even after paying for the Mad Dragon’s heart.
After all, it was the underworld’s capital that, in alliance with Sheika, had currently tied up most of the Lombard Merchant Guild’s shares.
‘…Sheika and the underworld’s current holdings, including the call options that will soon be exercised, amount to about 91 percent of the total stock.’
On the other hand, the total amount of Lombard stock that the rival guilds had shorted was already over 20 percent and still growing. They were continuously borrowing shares through anonymous brokers. In short, they had taken on a debt they could never repay.
If this situation were to be publicly announced in Stella Port next Monday, a bloodbath would sweep through the Meteor Archipelago’s stock market.
‘And I will finally be sitting on a pile of cash…’
I was about to break into a sinister grin but stopped when I realized Lize was watching me. Such an expression wouldn't be good for a child's education.
“Let’s get ready.”
Click—.
Having finished our conversation, Ciel and I put on our masks and rose from our seats. It was time to make some money.
*
In a quiet, empty lot on the outskirts of Heukseongchon.
Professor Zimmer, accompanied by his escorts, was checking his wristwatch, waiting for his counterpart.
Step—.
A few figures appeared from around the corner. Judging by their auras and mana, they bore no hostility.
“Punctual.”
They had arrived on time, without a second’s delay. After checking his watch, Zimmer looked up at them. The shadows that had concealed them receded, and their forms were gradually revealed under the streetlight.
An elderly man with a magnificent beard. The sturdy physique visible beneath his suit and the aura he exuded were clearly those of a warrior. From what he had gathered, this had to be Alfredo, the man in charge of the Panopticon’s western branch. Behind him, a large number of escorts in black heavy armor stood in formation.
Zimmer asked Alfredo, “You have what I want?”
Getting straight to the point, Alfredo chuckled. “So full of confidence. Aren’t you afraid?”
Alfredo gestured with his eyes to the dozens of guards lined up behind him, but Zimmer showed no reaction.
“…Not particularly.”
Fear? He had left everything behind and come all the way to the Meteor Archipelago to defeat his brother. He was even cleaning up after some kid, a job he was never meant for, and handling all sorts of dirty work. As long as he could obtain the item, no price was too high.
And even if a fight broke out, Zimmer was confident. He had brought two trusted subordinates who had been through hell and back with him. Besides, he didn't think the Panopticon, a renowned name in the underworld, would resort to dirty tricks. They would at least be reasonable people to talk to.
Having finished his thoughts, Zimmer spoke. “Let’s skip the introductions and formalities. All I want is to make a deal. Are you the one in charge of this negotiation?”
“No. The person who will be negotiating with you is this gentleman.”
As Alfredo took a step back, a figure emerged from the shadows.
Step—.
The stride, the body language, the strange mana, and the dark, subdued atmosphere. It all felt familiar… like he had seen it somewhere before. Zimmer furrowed his brow, trying to place the information in his mind.
“We meet again, Professor Zimmer.”
“…!”
The moment the voice hit his eardrums, something flashed through Zimmer’s mind.
Click—.
The figure then removed his mask and smiled faintly.
“We’ve met before, so introductions shouldn’t be necessary, right?”