Vernel had heard the phrase "my way" a lot.
That was why, even within that narrow academy, he couldn't make a single friend, and fell from a prodigy to the fringes of a failing student.
But even Vernel, with his "my way" attitude, was feeling helpless before this man.
'Overwhelming aura......'
Eyes that seemed to sink into the deep abyss.
But they weren't merely empty; affection for Valdrova could also be felt.
A person who seemed like he would do anything for Her.
Vernel opened his mouth in the current situation where he felt he might lose his life.
"I, I'm not sure. That my convictions would waver over something like that......"
But that's that, and this is this.
Even if he made such a threat, Vernel didn't want to change his mind right away.
'Aaaah! Am I gonna die?'
Vernel squeezed his eyes shut and let his imagination run wild.
Twist my fingers?
Or beat me like a dog on the hottest days of summer like a loan shark?
Ferda's hand touched Vernel's shoulder.
"Understood."
Ferda patted his shoulder.
Vernel, limbs intact, snapped his eyes open and asked.
"Uh, th-that, yes?"
"Didn't you say you understood?"
"......Is that it? Is it over?"
"Yeah. I think this is enough. I didn't plan to persuade you in a single day anyway."
"Uh...... th-that's right......?"
Ferda held out his hand to Ruri, and Ruri pulled out a scroll from within her wide skirt.
"Take it."
"What is this?"
"An appointment letter."
"Ap......pointment letter?"
"It's an appointment letter stating that you're officially appointed as the Chief Researcher at our Valdrova Castle. The conditions are exactly as I said. The only thing changing is how you think about it."
Ferda rose from his seat and turned to leave.
"Take your time thinking. And if you decide, come to the Grand Duchy anytime. Let's go."
"Yes."
Ferda and Ruri left through the door just like that.
They truly vanished without lingering.
The appointment letter he left behind rolled along and came to a stop right at Vernel's feet.
Left alone, Vernel just stared down at it endlessly.
"That man named Vernel, can he really be trusted?"
Inside the carriage, Ruri, sitting opposite, asked.
In her right hand she held a honey-preserved fruit skewer, and in her left hand about five cups were waiting to be executed in her mouth.
Ferda nodded.
"He can be trusted."
"Idealists like that will drag their stubbornness to the grave."
"I'll make him."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because it's said that those who desire peace always prepare for war."
"Who's the bastard that said that?"
Who else.
'That guy.'
The future Vernel Marquis that Ferda had seen, the future Vernel Marquis, had said that.
He realized far too late just how hypocritical his act as a staunch pacifist had been.
"Assuming you've recruited him...... where do you plan to go next?"
Ferda naturally had the next destination decided.
"We go to Halim."
"Halim...... isn't that the pleasure city in the south?"
Ruri's expression was even more rotten than usual.
She usually got bad looks, but now it was at a level no different from a bug.
Well, that city was a sanctuary of corruption and pleasure, after all.
"If you're just passing through, pick another city."
"No, that's the final destination. The person I'm looking for is there."
"He's in a pleasure district?"
"He'll definitely be there."
"Are you sure you have zero ulterior motives?"
"None."
Ruri narrowed her eyes at Ferda.
Ruri could feel well enough that there wasn't a single lie in Ferda's words.
That made it even more suspicious.
How can a human live only with honesty?
"So who are you going to find?"
"Jed Swallow."
One of the names written on the list Ruri was holding.
"What kind of human is he?"
"He's a Swallow Tribe."
"......Swallow Tribe?"
"Yeah."
A brief silence.
Ruri thought.
She checked if what she was thinking was correct, then asked him again.
"......You mean those scoundrel bastards who seduce noblewomen or wealthy wives and swindle them?"
"And a gambler."
"........."
"Why do you look like that?"
Ruri's expression rotted further as the conversation continued.
An aura like deep darkness poured out.
Hihihing!
"Uh, uh? Why are the horses suddenly like this?"
She even ended up startling the innocent horses.
A situation where the road ahead looked rough because of the horses running wild for no reason.
Ferda saw that and continued his unfinished words.
"And he's Red-Eyed Tribe."
The aura Ruri had been emitting sucked right back in.
The emotion she showed was close to shock.
"Red-Eyed Tribe...... you mean those clansmen with the bloodline I'm thinking of?"
"Correct."
"I heard they went extinct due to the Incident?"
"Yeah, that's the information known to the world."
The world, huh.
Ruri knew this wasn't a level to be lightly dismissed with just the word "world."
If signs of the Red-Eyed Tribe surviving had appeared, a report would have gone up immediately.
Then Ruri would naturally have known that fact too.
"How do you know something like that?"
Ruri asked outright.
"I just know."
He evaded the details.
She wanted to dig deeper, but Ruri had no justification to ask further.
'Swallow Tribe, gambler...... but Red-Eyed Tribe.'
It was a truly subtle balance.
Compared to Vernel Marquis, he was an even worse human, yet simultaneously possessed the best abilities.
'Should I oppose, or support?'
Ruri, standing at a crossroads of choice, worried and worried again.
Chewing the honey preserves ujeok-ujeok so her brain wouldn't die, she spun her thoughts even more actively.
Ferda decided to help her choose more easily.
"They say the southern region sells a lot of sweet desserts."
"Let's go check it out for now."
The south is a region that's hot all year round,
And due to the scorching sun, the land is parched; if you go to the far south, not a single blade of grass or drop of water exists—a desert of extreme heat unfolds.
Halim was a pleasure city created by taking advantage of such southern characteristics.
Days are hot, but nights are cool, so night culture developed, and many nobles and wealthy people visit.
If Escolea smelled heavily of coffee and black tea, here the sweet scent of sugar wafted thickly.
Ferda had a splitting headache, but Ruri's nose was happy all day long.
The place Ferda headed to was a casino.
Ruri stared blankly at the chips Ferda had exchanged.
He'd brought his entire fortune and exchanged it.
"Didn't you say you had no ulterior motives?"
"I don't."
"Really none?"
"My mouth just hurts from saying it. Just pull that cart and follow along."
Under Ruri's glare, Ferda silently walked through the casino.
Women in loose clothing and people laughing while enjoying carnal pleasures.
He passed solemnly between them, people living in a utopia bought with money, forgetting reality for a moment.
Among them, one young man.
Amidst the dreary, lustful aura, a youth was shining.
Bright brown hair, black eyes.
Tall stature, a solid body that looked slim but not frail.
People were flocking around that youth.
When he laughed, people laughed; when he felt pity, they felt pity simultaneously.
That man was dominating the audience.
'Jed Swallow.'
With exceptional eloquence and looks, he won the favor of many nobles.
A man so charming they didn't even realize they were being scammed.
'Well, he got too greedy and eventually got caught, though.'
Even so, it wasn't a problem.
They say a cunning rabbit digs three burrows?
But Swallow was a man who dug three more inside those three burrows to escape crises.
'He even escaped from Shark Island, called inescapable, and the Northern Polar ice prison.'
He was truly a master thief, a man for whom nothing was impossible.
'Well, that happened because they didn't know he was Red-Eyed Tribe.'
Those of Red-Eyed Tribe blood all have red eyes as a characteristic, and they possess a strange ability.
The ability to scatter mana lingering on objects or in the air.
So for mages, the Red-Eyed Tribe were natural enemies.
The man Ferda was watching right now had deep black eyes.
Ordinary human eyes.
So no one would think he's Red-Eyed Tribe.
'Even if they find out he's Red-Eyed Tribe.'
That man would have absolute confidence he wouldn't get caught.
Because he has that much ability.
'Talent I absolutely need.'
Ferda walked there quietly with his hands behind his back and took a seat.
At the stranger's appearance, Jed greeted him first with a good-natured air.
"Oh, a new friend. Nice to meet you. I'm Jed."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ferda."
"You'd better be careful of the people here. They're all like corpse hawks, only thinking about tearing you apart, you know?"
"Haha! I play a mean poker!"
"You lost 40 gold coins and you're saying that!!"
It was a friendly atmosphere.
Among them, not a single person had properly won money.
The fact that he made them laugh without even trying was truly amazing.
'His words and aura dominating the audience.'
But to Ferda, it just looked like a thick mask of pretense.
"Do you have any experience with poker?"
"I only know the hand rankings roughly."
"Well, you can just learn slowly. Right?"
"Where's there a master without a beginner in this world, hahaha!"
"Right, I learned for the first time here today too. I'm just getting the hang of it!"
He had no interest in these bastards boasting about being suckers.
"Let's play a round."
"Sounds good. What's the point of chattering like this here?"
The game began.
Ferda won little by little.
One might think beginner's luck was applying at the gambling table, but Ferda's thoughts were different.
This was Jed's process of reeling Ferda in.
'He's laying the bait well.'
A man with good sleight of hand.
Ferda, who thought he had a decent eye, couldn't even tell where he was being tricked—he was that skilled.
Ferda played along.
However, he showed he wouldn't just slowly have his blood sucked, and rather drew him in.
"Hmm, guess I should wrap up the game? A lot of time's passed."
Jed said that.
"Hm? Is that so?"
"If you say so."
"Let's go big for the last round. Haha!"
Jed dealt the cards, and the final game began.
"Alright, let's bet. 100!"
"200 gold coins!"
"Big spender! Everyone, I'll call 200 and raise 400!"
Jed's turn ended and it came back to Ferda.
"All in."
He pushed in all his remaining chips.
Roughly looking at it, the value exceeded 2,000 gold coins.
The room stirred.
"The guy who was betting chump change suddenly goes all-in?"
"Isn't he going too hard just because it's the last round?"
Ferda interlaced his fingers, placed them on the table, and answered once more.
"All in."
The middle-aged men fiddling with their cards let out groans.
Then they folded.
"Is today the only game? There's tomorrow too. I'll fold."
"Me too."
Around it went, and it was Jed's turn again.
"What confidence makes you bet like that?"
He asked with a smiling eye.
Ferda glanced down at him and spoke.
"Don't worry. I'm going to win this game."
"I don't know what makes you so confident."
"Because you're going to fold that hand yourself."
Jed threw his body against the backrest and laughed slyly.
"Why do you think I'll fold?"
"Honestly, I don't want to lose money. There's a brat who mistakenly thinks I like gambling."
"I have to lose money to look good to a brat? That's a bit much. Then you shouldn't have come to this seat in the first place, no?"
Jed snorted.
He thought it was a gambler's bluff.
"It's not just that."
"Huh?"
"I know what you want."
"What I want? What do I want? I've got a pretty woman like this, alcohol, and money."
He pulled the woman next to him into an embrace, and she giggled delightedly.
She's definitely some border region noble's wife.
Ferda said to him.
"Among all those many women, there isn't one named Emilia."
A crack formed in the brazen mask.
The hand holding the cards had a minute tremor, the corners of his mouth twitched.
It was only for a moment, but everyone could feel a nerve war had passed.
However, Jed was a skilled gambler.
"......I call."
He didn't fold, pushing in his own chips as is.
He doesn't let go of a game he's already won.
"Straight flush. What about you?"
Ferda showed his hand.
"K-high."
"K-high!"
"He bluffed with not even a hand?!"
The middle-aged men exclaimed with wide eyes.
Jed won.
Having lost all his money, Ferda stood up from his seat without any lingering attachment.
"Wait, my lord."
Just as he was shaking it off and trying to leave, Jed stopped him.
"Since I took all your money, let me buy you a consolation drink? You look old enough to drink?"
His face still held a smile.
But that mask wasn't good.
"I'll buy."
Killing intent was smeared in that smile.
"Sure."
Everything went exactly as Ferda intended.
A casino filled with laughter and ecstasy.
A land enjoying pleasure having forgotten time under a sun that never sets.
Ferda and Jed were leaving that place behind, returning to their lodging together.
The moment they exited the casino and entered the hotel corridor.
"What are you?"
The voice that had been overflowing with laughter sank like a blade.
Ferda obediently played along with his words.
In truth, even if he wanted to speak, there was nothing he wanted to say.
"You know about me, don't you?"
"That's not important."
"Right. At this stage, it's not important. Let's skip the boring introductions."
Jed pulled out something he'd hidden in his bosom.
It was a dagger.
"Tell me why you mentioned that name."
Jed's eyes turned bright red.
Those eyes were the characteristic of the Red-Eyed Tribe called Mage Killers.
'All magic circles touched by those eyes are nullified.'
The appearance of the clan called Mage Killers would usually make mages tremble in fear.
But Ferda had no such reason.
"Jed Swallow. If you don't want your identity exposed to the world, withdraw those eyes."
"You're with those bastards too? Right?!"
"I came to have a rational conversation."
"What did you do to my little sister!? You son of a bitch!!"
The man wearing the mask of laughter reveals his bare face of rage.
Even Ferda was seeing that face for the first time.
"Don't show any more killing intent toward me."
Ferda warned in a low voice.
"My maid isn't a guy loyal to me. Even so, if I'm in danger, she won't hesitate to kill you."
That warning was purely for Jed's sake.
"I want to talk with you. So withdraw your killing intent."