Guild War
The back alleys.
It was the district that lay between the harbor on the Bellon River—one of the two rivers cutting through Barenberg—and the Price Commercial District to the south.
Of course, it was not an official administrative zone.
Yet nearly every resident of Barenberg knew of its existence.
If one traced the history far enough, the place had been there since the kingdom’s earliest days—an old quarter with a pedigree of sorts. The reality, however, was anything but distinguished.
Alleys twisted like a spider’s web, the result of haphazard development. Criminal organizations had flocked there, drawn by the proximity to the commercial district and the profits it promised. Fugitives and thugs had followed, finding it an easy place to disappear. By now, no one would deny that it had become a full-blown slum.
And through those narrow back-alley streets, Milia and Schwarz were walking.
“Ugh…”
The musty reek of mold hung in the air from every direction. The unfamiliar stench clearly disagreed with Milia; she let out a low groan of distaste.
“The smell might be a bit much for the two of you.”
Rebecca watched them with a faint smile.
Milia, looking faintly embarrassed, whipped her head away.
“Brings back old memories…”
Schwarz chuckled softly at the pair of them.
To him, the smell was familiar. The mold that crept up from the floor every summer and winter. The endless patches that returned no matter how often the wallpaper was replaced, and the sour, clinging odor that came with them—those were things he could never forget.
“We’re here. This is the guild headquarters of Black Fox.”
Rebecca stopped walking.
“Here?”
“There’s nothing at all.”
Milia and Schwarz halted before a smooth, blank wall, voices full of doubt.
“We’re an illegal guild, after all. Hiding the hideout is the most basic of basics.”
Smiling, Rebecca stepped toward a stack of crates piled in one corner of the wall. She gave the nearest crate a light nudge. A soft click sounded, and a rectangular outline of light appeared on the stone. With a scrape of grinding masonry, a secret passage revealed itself. Seeing Milia and Schwarz’s eyes light up, Rebecca bowed toward them.
“Welcome to Black Fox.”
“It’s like some kind of secret base.”
The passage was barely wide enough for a single person. Relying on the light of torches, Milia walked along it with the excited voice of a child.
“Well, it is one, technically.”
Schwarz answered with an awkward little laugh.
They followed the dim corridor for a long while. At last they reached a massive iron door at the end. Rebecca knocked carefully.
“Password.”
A small hatch in the door slid open, and a man peered out at them.
“Silence and discipline.”
“Welcome back, Boss.”
Rebecca answered in a lowered voice. From within came the heavy clank of bolts being drawn, and the great iron door swung open with a ponderous groan.
“This way.”
Rebecca stepped inside, and Schwarz and Milia followed.
“I never imagined a place like this existed in the back alleys…”
“Completely unexpected.”
The interior that spread before them drew murmurs of surprise from both Milia and Schwarz as they looked around.
The hall was vast—wide enough that most noble mansions would not even dare to compare. Stone and timber of the walls and floor gleamed under the light of a great chandelier hanging from the ceiling. At the center stood a long bar, with countless tables scattered around it. At each table, people who looked to be guild members sat talking among themselves.
“The Boss is here!”
The man who had opened the door shouted into the hall. At once every person at the tables rose to their feet and roared toward Rebecca.
The thunderous chorus that shook the entire hall made Milia flinch for an instant. Rebecca, clearly used to it, merely nodded and raised a hand in acknowledgment. The guild members sat back down at once and resumed their conversations as if nothing had happened.
“If that startled you, I apologize.”
“I—I wasn’t startled at all!”
Milia answered as though it were nothing, turning her head away. Schwarz, however, had seen her flinch and knew the claim was a lie.
“Then I’m glad. This way… Jazz, drinks for our guests, please.”
“Understood, Boss. I’ll bring them to the room.”
“If the two of you would come this way.”
At Rebecca’s words the man called Jazz bowed and headed for the central bar. Leaving him behind, Rebecca turned and began walking along the railing.
“What? Why are you smiling?”
Following after Rebecca, Milia narrowed her eyes at the faint smile on Schwarz’s face.
“It’s nothing, My Lady.”
“…You’re going to pay for that later.”
Schwarz shook his head, but Milia shot him a sharp look that said she was not buying it for a second, then strode after Rebecca.
A short while later, Rebecca stopped before a door adorned with antique fittings, turned the handle, and stepped inside.
Milia and Schwarz followed. Beyond the threshold lay a surprisingly spacious room. Unlike the elegant entrance, the furnishings were plain, and the desk was buried under stacks of documents—that was the impression the place gave.
And then—
“You’ve returned.”
A man waiting in one corner of the room bowed toward Rebecca.
Dark auburn hair, sharp red eyes that glinted beneath them. He carried a calm yet keen air.
“Allow me to introduce him. This is Devin Melz, my bodyguard.”
“A pleasure. I’ve heard about you from the young lady. Devin Melz, at your service.”
At Rebecca’s words the man called Devin bowed politely to the two of them as well.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Milia Valentine.”
“Schwarz.”
If he’s her bodyguard, is it really all right to let Rebecca wander around alone?
The same question crossed both their minds, but neither voiced it. They simply returned Devin’s greeting.
“No one but Jazz comes in.”
“Understood.”
Devin nodded to Rebecca and stepped outside.
“He’s served me since we were children.”
“Sounds a lot like Schwarz.”
Watching Devin’s retreating back, Rebecca spoke; Milia answered with a note of surprise.
“Oh my. Is that so?”
Rebecca’s eyes widened as if she found the comparison unexpected as well.
A subtle current passed between the two women—something like a shared understanding.
“Well, we can talk about that later.”
“That would be best.”
Rebecca nodded, cleared the documents piled on the desk to one side, then scanned the bookshelf behind her. She pulled out a thick sheaf of papers and held it out to Milia.
“These are the reports compiled from the moment the war began a month ago. Would you care to read them?”
“Hmm…”
Milia accepted the papers with a low hum and began to read.
Perhaps thanks to her time as head of the General Affairs Division and Student Council President at Central Academy, she flipped through the documents at a speed most people would never attempt. Even Schwarz, watching from behind, could barely keep pace.
“Nothing particularly special. But if there’s one thing that bothers me, it’s this part.”
After a while she spoke, turning pages until her hand stopped.
“This unidentified figure here… You people have no information on him either?”
Milia pointed to a photograph in the file. It showed a man whose entire body was concealed by a robe.
“None. Everything about him is unknown. He seems to be someone of considerable importance within Specters, yet we haven’t even managed to locate him.”
“Hmm…”
Milia let out another low sound at Rebecca’s answer.
“It was a man wrapped tightly in a robe, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. That’s what we were told.”
Milia looked at Schwarz; he nodded.
The man completely swathed in a robe who had been mentioned during Liz’s interrogation. There was no doubt the figure in the photograph was the same person.
“Hmm…”
Milia stared hard at the photo, eyes narrowing.
How long she remained like that, no one could say.
“How many forces do you have available right now?”
“Available forces? Not many, I’m afraid.”
Milia rose from her seat as she asked; Rebecca answered with a puzzled look.
“If those forces only needed to buy time, how long could they hold out?”
“If the goal is simply to stall, about an hour. Why do you ask?”
In the next moment Milia flashed a sharp grin at Rebecca.
“If the rat won’t come out of its hole, we’ll just have to make it come out.”