Chapter 14
The Swallow Trap
Burnell had often been told that he always did things his own way.
That was why, even within the confines of the academy, he had failed to make a single friend and had fallen from being a prodigy to hovering on the edge of failure.
Yet even Burnell, who stubbornly walked his own path, felt powerless before this man.
‘What an overwhelming aura…’
His eyes seemed to lead into the depths of a bottomless abyss.
Yet they were not entirely empty. Burnell could also sense the affection he held for Valdrova.
He truly seemed like someone who would do anything for her.
Faced with a situation in which he felt as though his life might be taken, Burnell opened his mouth.
“I-I’m not sure. I don’t believe something like that would be enough to shake my convictions…”
Even so, one matter was one matter, and this was another.
Burnell did not want to change his mind immediately merely because the man had threatened him.
‘Aaaah! A-Am I going to die?’
Burnell squeezed his eyes shut and let his imagination run wild.
Would Ferda twist his fingers?
Or was he planning to beat him like a dog on the hottest day of summer, just as the loan shark had?
Ferda’s hand came down upon Burnell’s shoulder.
“Understood.”
Ferda patted him on the shoulder.
Burnell, whose limbs were still completely intact, snapped his eyes open.
“Uh… P-Pardon?”
“Did I not say that I understood?”
“…Is that all?”
“Yes. I believe this is sufficient. I never intended to persuade you in a single day.”
“Oh… I-I see…”
Ferda held out a hand toward Luri.
From beneath her wide skirt, Luri produced a scroll.
“Take it.”
“What is this?”
“A letter of appointment.”
“A letter… of appointment?”
“It officially appoints you as the chief researcher of Valdrova Castle. The terms will remain exactly as I described. The only thing that may change is how you feel about them.”
Ferda rose and turned away.
“Take your time and think it over. Once you have made your decision, come to the Dread Queen’s territory whenever you wish. Let us go.”
Ferda and Luri walked straight out through the door.
They truly left without lingering or pestering him further.
The letter of appointment they had left behind rolled across the floor until it came to rest at Burnell’s feet.
Left alone, Burnell could only stare down at it in silence.
***
“Can that man Burnell truly be trusted?”
Luri asked from the opposite seat inside the carriage.
In her right hand was a skewer of fruit preserved in honey, while roughly five cupfuls’ worth of sweets waited in her left hand to be executed inside her mouth.
Ferda nodded.
“He can be trusted.”
“People with ideals like his tend to carry their stubbornness all the way to the grave.”
“He will make them.”
“How can you be so certain?”
“Because it is said that those who desire peace must always prepare for war.”
“Who said something like that?”
Who else?
‘That man did.’
The Burnell Marquis Ferda had seen in the future had said those very words.
He had realized far too late just how hypocritical his performance as a fanatical pacifist had been.
“Assuming you have recruited him… where do you intend to go next?”
Ferda had naturally already decided upon their next destination.
“We are going to Halim.”
“Halim… Is that not the city of pleasure in the south?”
Luri’s expression became even more rotten than usual.
Her usual gaze toward Ferda had never been particularly favorable, but now she looked at him as though he were no better than an insect.
That was only natural.
The city was considered a holy land of corruption and pleasure.
“Choose another city if we are merely passing through.”
“No. It is our destination. The person I am looking for is there.”
“You are saying he is in a pleasure district?”
“He will undoubtedly be there.”
“Are you certain you have no ulterior motives whatsoever?”
“I have none.”
Luri narrowed her eyes at Ferda.
She could clearly sense that not a single word he had spoken was false.
That only made him seem even more suspicious.
How could a human being possibly live with such complete honesty?
“Then who are we going there to find?”
“Zed Swallow.”
He was one of the names written on the list in Luri’s hand.
“What kind of man is he?”
“He is a swallow.”
“…A swallow?”
“Yes.”
A brief silence followed.
Luri considered whether she had understood him correctly before asking again.
“…You mean one of those scoundrels who seduces noblewomen and wealthy wives, then scams them?”
“He is also a gambler.”
“…”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
The more he said, the more Luri’s expression decayed.
An aura as dark as the deepest night began pouring from her.
Neigh!
“H-Huh? What’s wrong with the horses all of a sudden?”
Her aura even frightened the innocent horses.
With the animals suddenly running wild for no apparent reason, their journey looked as though it might become rather difficult.
Watching the commotion, Ferda continued with what he had not yet mentioned.
“He is also a member of the Red-Eyed Tribe.”
The aura surrounding Luri instantly vanished.
The emotion she displayed was close to astonishment.
“The Red-Eyed Tribe… Do you mean the people carrying the bloodline I am thinking of?”
“That is correct.”
“I heard they were wiped out during the Great Upheaval.”
“Yes. That is what the public knows.”
The public.
Luri knew this was not a matter that could be brushed aside with such a simple phrase.
Had there been even the slightest indication that members of the Red-Eyed Tribe remained alive, a report would have been submitted immediately.
Naturally, Luri would have known about it as well.
“How do you know something like that?”
Luri asked him directly.
“I simply know.”
He avoided giving any further details.
Luri wanted to probe deeper, but she had no justification for asking beyond that point.
‘A womanizer and a gambler… but also a member of the Red-Eyed Tribe.’
It was an extraordinarily delicate balance.
Compared to Burnell Marquis, Zed was an even worse human being, yet he also possessed an even greater talent.
‘Should I oppose this or support it?’
Standing at the crossroads of that choice, Luri thought long and hard.
She chewed noisily on the honey-preserved fruit to keep her brain from dying, putting it to even more vigorous use.
Ferda decided to help make her choice easier.
“I hear the southern region sells a great many sweet desserts.”
“We should at least go and take a look.”
***
The south was hot throughout the entire year.
The scorching sun dried the earth, and upon reaching the far south, one would find a blazing desert where not a single blade of grass or drop of water existed.
Halim was a city of pleasure created to take advantage of the region’s unique climate.
The days were hot, but the nights were cool, which had allowed its nightlife to flourish. Many nobles and wealthy people came to visit.
Where Escholeia had been saturated with the smell of coffee and gunpowder tea, Halim carried a thick, sugary sweetness through the air.
The scent was enough to give Ferda a headache, but Luri’s nose remained delighted throughout the day.
Their destination was a casino.
Luri stared silently at the chips Ferda had exchanged.
He had converted every last coin they had brought with them.
“Did you not say that you had no ulterior motives?”
“I have none.”
“Truly?”
“You are only tiring your mouth by asking. Pull that cart and follow me.”
Under Luri’s piercing glare, Ferda silently walked through the casino.
Women dressed in indecent clothing, and people laughing as they indulged in base pleasures.
Ferda passed solemnly among those living in a utopia purchased with money, forgetting reality for a brief while.
Then he spotted a young man among them.
Amid the dull, lustful atmosphere, one young man shone brightly.
He had light-brown hair and black eyes.
He was tall, with a firm, well-built body that appeared slender without seeming frail.
People gathered naturally around him.
Whenever he laughed, they laughed with him.
Whenever he showed regret, they shared in his disappointment.
The man had complete command over his audience.
‘Zed Swallow.’
With his exceptional eloquence and handsome appearance, he easily won the favor of countless nobles.
He was so charming that they did not even realize they were being scammed.
‘Well, he eventually got caught because he became too greedy.’
Even so, it had never truly become a problem for him.
There was a saying that a cunning rabbit dug three burrows.
Swallow, however, was the kind of man who dug another three tunnels within each of those burrows and escaped every crisis.
‘He even escaped from Shark Island, which was said to be inescapable, and the ice prison in the northern polar region.’
He was unquestionably a master thief—a man for whom nothing was impossible.
‘Though all of that happened because no one knew he was a member of the Red-Eyed Tribe.’
Those who inherited the blood of the Red-Eyed Tribe were distinguished by their crimson eyes.
They possessed a peculiar ability—the power to scatter the residual mana lingering in objects or even in the air.
For that reason, the Red-Eyed Tribe was the natural enemy of mages.
Yet the man Ferda was looking at now had deep black eyes.
They were the eyes of an ordinary human.
No one would ever suspect him of belonging to the Red-Eyed Tribe.
‘Even if someone did discover it…’
That man would still be confident that he would never be caught.
He possessed that level of ability.
‘He is someone I absolutely need.’
With his hands clasped behind his back, Ferda quietly approached and took a seat.
Noticing the newcomer, Zed greeted him first with easy familiarity.
“Well, it seems we have a new friend. A pleasure to meet you. My name is Zed.”
“Likewise. I am Ferda.”
“You should be careful around the people here. Every last one of them is thinking of picking you clean like vultures stripping a corpse.”
“Hahaha! I happen to be quite skilled at poker!”
“You say that after losing forty gold coins!”
The atmosphere was lively and friendly.
Not a single person among them had actually won any money.
To make people laugh even while they were losing was truly impressive.
‘The way he commands the audience through his speech and aura.’
To Ferda, however, it looked like nothing more than a thick mask of falsehood.
“Have you played much poker before?”
“I only know the hand rankings in general.”
“Well, you can learn slowly. Isn’t that right?”
“Where in the world would you find an expert who was never once a beginner? Hahaha!”
“Exactly. I only learned here today myself. I’m just starting to get the hang of it!”
Ferda had no interest in men who proudly announced that they were easy marks.
“Let us play a round.”
“Indeed. What is the point of sitting here merely talking?”
The game began.
Ferda started winning little by little.
One might have thought it was beginner’s luck at work, but Ferda saw it differently.
This was the process by which Zed was drawing him in.
‘He is laying the bait well.’
The man was exceptionally skilled with his hands.
Ferda considered himself fairly observant, yet even he could not tell exactly how he was being deceived.
Ferda played along.
At the same time, however, he subtly showed that he would not allow Zed to slowly bleed him dry.
Instead, Ferda began drawing Zed in.
“Well, I suppose we should start wrapping things up. Quite a bit of time has passed.”
Zed said.
“Hmm? Has it?”
“If you say so.”
“Then let’s make the final hand an exciting one! Hahaha!”
Zed dealt the cards, and the final game began.
“Now, place your bets. One hundred!”
“Two hundred gold coins!”
“Bold! I’ll call two hundred and raise it to four hundred!”
Zed’s turn ended, and the action passed to Ferda.
“All in.”
He pushed forward every chip he had remaining.
Even at a glance, they were worth more than two thousand gold coins.
The room stirred.
“That man was betting in tiny amounts until now, and suddenly he goes all in?”
“Isn’t that a bit much just because it’s the final hand?”
Ferda interlaced his fingers and rested them on the table before repeating himself.
“All in.”
The middle-aged men fiddling with their cards let out groans.
Then they withdrew.
“There will still be games tomorrow. I fold.”
“I’ll fold as well.”
The turn eventually returned to Zed.
“What gives you the confidence to make a bet like that?”
He asked with smiling eyes.
Ferda glanced down at him and replied,
“Do not worry. I am going to win this game.”
“I don’t understand what makes you so certain.”
“Because you will fold that hand of your own accord.”
Zed leaned back against his chair and chuckled.
“Why do you think I would fold?”
“To be honest, I have no desire to lose my money. There is a little girl who has mistaken me for someone who enjoys gambling.”
“You’re saying you need to lose money just to impress some little girl? That seems rather excessive. If that were true, you should never have sat down at this table in the first place.”
Zed smirked.
He believed it to be nothing more than a gambler’s bluff.
“That is not the only reason.”
“Hmm?”
“I know what it is you desire.”
“What I desire? And what would that be? I already have beautiful women, alcohol, and money.”
He wrapped an arm around the woman beside him.
The woman giggled delightedly.
She was undoubtedly the wife of some provincial noble.
Ferda spoke to him.
“Among all those countless women, there is none named Emilia.”
A crack appeared in Zed’s easygoing mask.
The hand holding his cards trembled faintly, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
It lasted only a moment, but everyone present sensed that a clash of wills had taken place.
Zed, however, was an experienced gambler.
“…I call.”
Rather than folding, he pushed his chips forward.
He would not let a game he had already won slip away.
“Straight flush. What do you have?”
Ferda revealed his cards.
“King high.”
“King high!”
“You bluffed with a hand that does not even qualify?!”
The middle-aged men widened their eyes and shouted in disbelief.
Zed had won.
Having lost all his money, Ferda rose from his seat without any lingering attachment.
“Wait, my noble friend.”
Just as Ferda was about to leave after being completely cleaned out, Zed called him back.
“Since I took all your money, why not let me buy you a consolation drink? You seem old enough to drink.”
A smile still rested upon his face.
Yet it was not a pleasant one.
“My treat.”
There was murderous intent hidden within that smile.
“Very well.”
Everything was proceeding exactly as Ferda had intended.
The casino was filled with laughter and jubilation.
It was a land of indulgence where people forgot the passage of time beneath a sun that seemed never to set.
Leaving it behind, Ferda and Zed headed back toward the hotel together.
The moment they left the casino and entered the hotel corridor—
“What the hell are you?”
The laughter vanished from Zed’s voice, replaced by a sharpness like a descending blade.
Ferda calmly followed his lead.
In truth, even had he wanted to speak first, there was nothing he particularly wished to say.
“You know about me, don’t you?”
“That is not important.”
“Right. At this stage, it isn’t. Let’s skip the tedious introductions.”
Zed pulled something from inside his clothes.
It was a dagger.
“Tell me why you mentioned that name.”
Zed’s eyes turned a vivid crimson.
Those eyes were the defining trait of the Red-Eyed Tribe, known as Mage Killers.
‘Any magic circle touched by those eyes is nullified.’
The appearance of a member of the race called Mage Killers would normally have caused any ordinary mage to tremble in fear.
Ferda, however, had no reason to do so.
“Zed Swallow. Unless you wish for your true identity to be revealed to the entire world, put those eyes away.”
“You’re with those bastards too, aren’t you? You are, right?!”
“I came here to have a rational conversation.”
“What did you do to my sister, you bastard?!”
The man who had worn a smiling mask now revealed the face of naked fury beneath it.
Even Ferda had never seen him wear such an expression.
“Do not direct any more murderous intent toward me.”
Ferda warned him in a low voice.
“My maid is not particularly loyal to me. Even so, if she believes I am in danger, she will kill you without hesitation.”
The warning was given purely for Zed’s sake.
“I wish to speak with you. So withdraw your killing intent.”