Discipline (2)
The Black Market wasn't hidden somewhere eerie like a demon realm, nor was it buried deep underground.
Just as darkness existed wherever there was light, the Black Market opened up if you followed the alleys inward from the respectable shopping district.
The reason it was hard to find even when you were practically standing back-to-back with it was simple.
From the outside, it looked like an ordinary shop.
The business they showed the public was nothing but a front; the dealings unfolding behind the scenes were the real substance.
Flora and I made our way through the shopping district together.
Even though I hadn't been here in three years, my body remembered the way, and I moved without hesitation.
While we were pushing through the cluttered streets strewn with all sorts of junk, Flora spoke up.
"Haven't you been concealing your identity all this time?"
"That was part of the reason. This time's different."
Information brokers.
The term referred to people who made money dealing in information that circulated throughout the Empire.
They handled all kinds of information, aboveboard or illicit, as long as it paid.
Therefore.
For people whose information was both money and life, there was one inescapable rule.
Information brokers were bound by Pacts forbidding them from revealing the details of a client's request or any conversations that arose during it.
The more reputable a broker was, the more rigorously they kept their Pacts.
Conversely, one might ask whether a famous broker even needed a Pact.
Naturally, since a name was an indicator of trust within the trade, that was a reasonable assumption.
But let's think about it the other way.
What would happen if someone like me were to capture them without a sound and arrange some time for us to get to know each other?
I could make them spill everything in half a day at most, I guarantee it.
In fact, that was exactly how I'd always done it.
Of course, there were also information brokers who didn't use Pacts.
Their reliability was much lower, but they had the advantage of being cheap.
Anyway.
Thanks to these Pacts, clients could hand information brokers their money without worry and use their services.
Leon had most likely hired an information broker who offered a Pact.
The biggest reason was that, as the son of a noble house, he would have wanted to minimize any future repercussions.
The second reason was probably the thrill of skirting the line just enough.
Flora took a right at a fork in the road and guided the way.
"This way."
"Aside from that, nothing's changed here in three years."
"A few shops did disappear. They had loose lips."
In short, this was why Pacts mattered.
As I followed her out of the alley, the familiar but unwelcome dinginess hit me again.
Even though ordinary-looking shops lined the street, the place had an unmistakable atmosphere.
Suspicious looks instead of lively faces.
Behavior aimed at hiding the truth rather than drawing in customers to make a living.
I took in the typical cast of characters one found in the underworld.
It felt nostalgic and yet not nostalgic at all.
Had ordinary life as an academy instructor rubbed off on me?
Keeping an eye on our surroundings, I asked Flora, who was walking beside me.
"That guy’s place is still there, right?"
"Yes. It's in the Sword and Spear Tavern."
The information broker we were meeting was a big name in the trade. I'd visited him once before after receiving an invitation.
His name was Galad.
He'd worked as a mercenary until an injury forced him to put down his sword, then built a successful career on the connections he'd made in those days.
Naturally, he used Pacts, though I'd heard he would work without one if a client requested it.
Alcyone gathered information for me and Flora organized it neatly, so I'd never had any reason to use Galad's services.
I'd first visited after he invited me, so this was only my second time here.
"Get ready."
"Understood."
After concealing ourselves in a spot with few passersby, we put on our brooches and erased our very presence from this place.
Silently, we blended into the crowd and headed for our destination.
Thanks to the brooches, we entered the Sword and Spear Tavern without arousing even an ounce of suspicion, then followed Flora's guidance.
We slipped past the guards stationed throughout the tavern to prevent intruders and easily entered the interior.
We followed a long corridor all the way to the end.
That brought us to the room where Galad, today's main event, was waiting.
A client seemed to have just left. The door was still open, so I slipped inside and took a seat.
Galad, oblivious to our presence, muttered to himself.
"Why would anyone pay this much just to investigate some bookworm?"
Galad sipped his drink with a conflicted expression.
It seemed he'd been hired to investigate a noble as usual, but since that sort of thing was routine for an information broker, I let it pass.
It wasn't worth listening to any longer.
Just as I was about to reveal myself.
"More importantly, if he’s affiliated with the Imperial Court, I’ve got a bad feeling about this..."
I caught an interesting phrase: Imperial Court.
A feeling came over me that those words were referring to me.
I cast Silence Magic, then turned and met Flora's eyes.
She nodded, then walked over to the door with practiced ease and—
Click.
"Wh-what the?"
—promptly blocking off Galad’s only way out.
Believing an intruder was present, Galad drew a dagger and warily scanned the room.
I leisurely lowered my brooch's Perception Obfuscation setting, revealing Flora and me.
"It's been a while."
"A-A-A-Apostate... what business brings you here...?"
Visibly stunned, Galad quickly set down his dagger and sat.
He showed a deference so absolute that anyone could see he was terrified.
"Have you been well?"
"I've managed."
"Ah, that's a relief."
He fetched a clean glass, half-filled it with whiskey he'd hidden in a cabinet, and carefully offered it to me.
"Um... Apostate?"
"Speak."
"Rumor has it that you were imprisoned. Could you, perhaps, clue me in just a little...?"
I took a sip of the whiskey Galad had handed me.
I had absolutely no intention of telling him anything, but I stalled for a moment, pretending to consider it.
"Hmm."
"Haha, aren’t information brokers exactly the sort who’ll take any crumbs they can get?"
I let his flattery go in one ear and out the other while I evaluated the whiskey.
It went down smoothly enough.
A distinctive woody aroma rose from it, but...
It wasn't to my taste.
For something he had hidden, the flavor was disappointing.
The whiskey Madam had given me last time was better.
"There is such a rumor. Curious?"
I set the glass down gently and silently watched Galad.
Without another word from me, Galad bowed his head and refilled my glass.
"No. I’m not curious. You must have simply been taking some time off. Absolutely!"
"It's good we understand each other even after so long."
"Oh, come on. Isn’t that exactly why I’ve lived this long?"
Galad scratched his head vigorously and acted as if nothing had happened.
He certainly knew himself well.
"You don’t need my services, so what brings you here?"
Galad put on a professional smile and became immediately accommodating.
I toyed with a gold coin on the desk, then spoke quietly.
"I heard an interesting story this morning."
"What might that be?"
Curiosity flickered in Galad’s eyes as he hurriedly cleared the pen and paper from the table.
It was a sign that he would leave no record of this conversation and that he would keep his mouth shut.
I leaned back deep into the chair.
Then, as if to prove that I held control of this meeting, I slowly crossed my legs and spoke.
"That bookworm. The guy named Karon."
"..."
Galad clamped his mouth shut, determined to honor his Pact with the client.
He tried to look unfazed and kept perfectly still.
But his composure didn't last long.
"He's capable enough to stand face-to-face with the Magic Tower Master."
"Excuse me?"
Galad’s bewildered eyes darted around, unable to settle anywhere.
That meant he hadn't yet begun his investigation into the academy instructor called 'Karon.'
I informed him of the recent events.
"On top of that, he recently killed a Demon and saved the Magic Tower Master’s apprentice. He’s bound to attract plenty of attention."
"Hmm..."
Galad swallowed hard, apparently sensing that something was wrong.
I tapped the chair’s armrest rhythmically with my index finger and asked him.
"Coincidentally, I’ve heard someone is tailing a key figure of the Imperial Court. I wonder who that could be?"
Galad’s hand trembled faintly.
Even though Perception Obfuscation kept him from seeing my expression, Galad barely managed to meet my eyes and parted his dry lips.
"May I ask just one thing?"
"What?"
"Why are you helping me?"
"Because I thought I might make use of you someday."
My plan was to exploit the information gap and pressure him into abandoning a request he couldn't discuss because of the Pact.
And that clearly worked.
He didn’t deliberate for long.
"I'll drop it."
"Good."
Galad burned the request form in front of me, making his decision to withdraw unmistakable.
Having concluded my business, I got up from my seat and manipulated my brooch.
In an instant, only Galad remained.
In this place, there was no one but him.
A cold silence settled over the room.
Galad’s trembling voice came from behind me.
"Do you, by any chance, need a Pact...?"
"Are you even asking that?"
"Y-yes! I’ll keep your name anonymous and take it to my grave."
Hearing the irritation in my answer, Galad hurriedly filled out the Pact parchment.
And as I stepped out the door.
—Fuck, good thing the Apostate helped me. I almost died because of one little brat...
I heard Galad’s heartfelt sigh of relief and gratitude toward me.
As for me, getting Galad to abandon the request had left him owing me his life, so I was quite satisfied.
I’d gotten a little warm-up in as well.
Next on the list was paying a visit to a misbehaving student.