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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Guild Master Shakov of Chernoe City and Guard Captain Lamur met privately in the guild’s VIP room. Steaming teacups sat on the table, but only Shakov was savoring his tea.
“Aren’t you going to drink?”
“No. Let’s get to the point.”
Lamur clicked his tongue.
“What were you thinking, freezing the transportation records?”
“Simple. Insurance.”
“…You…”
“Did you think I wouldn’t know? A merchant’s basic qualities are information gathering and decisive judgment.”
Shakov’s relaxed expression sharpened, and a palpable killing intent made Lamur flinch.
“It’s disappointing that you see me as the same as those two-bit merchants who tremble before the Guard Captain.”
Originally, the two had a symbiotic relationship, each benefiting from the other. Chernoe City’s security forces were corrupt.
The Guard Captain Lamur himself was blood-related to the operations chief of the Gavial, a notorious gang, so the security forces didn’t actively intervene even when the gangs acted up.
With Mayor Anatoli old, sick, and nearing retirement, the only way for merchants to survive was to form a powerful force centered around the guild.
The reason the city maintained a semblance of stability was this cooperative relationship between the Merchant Guild and the City Guard.
It wasn’t in the best interest of the City Guard or the gangs to pressure the merchants excessively. Even if they had the City Guard on their side, if the National Guard intervened, the gangs operating in this remote city would be swept away.
That was the reality.
The merchants colluded with the City Guard to extort fees from outsiders, while the criminal organizations were deeply involved with the merchants, engaging in various corrupt and illegal activities. Neither side was clean.
However, the situation changed drastically when Fort Belgorod was attacked by bandits who crossed the border.
Bandit attacks on the fortress happened a couple of times a year and weren’t unusual. The problem was that an artifact, specifically transported from Central Command, had been stored in the fortress.
And the company that transported the artifact was none other than Chernoe City’s Merchant Guild.
Of course, neither Shakov nor the merchants involved knew that the artifact was hidden within the cargo, but as things stood, they would be held responsible by the National Guard.
The military police investigating the incident weren’t fools; they would surely come to the guild and turn everything upside down.
“If this gets out, both you and I are dead, Shakov.”
“That would be preferable to me dying alone unjustly.”
“Fuck, so that’s how you want to play this?”
“Inspecting cargo headed to the fortress is your City Guard’s responsibility. Don’t try to shift all the blame.”
That was why Shakov had frozen the transportation records. If the records were destroyed, only the Merchant Guild would be held responsible for the artifact theft.
The National Guard was notorious for fabricating charges. If the City Guard abandoned him, Shakov knew he wouldn’t survive.
“And why do you think we both have to die? There’s a way for us both to live.”
Shakov, having finished his tea, put down his cup.
“The City Guard’s mistake is just negligence, isn’t it? If you bribe the National Guard, it’ll end with a light disciplinary action. Don’t you think so?”
While ‘corrupt,’ there was room for leniency. If the City Guard and the Merchant Guild joined forces and claimed it was an honest mistake, even the National Guard wouldn’t be able to find anything suspicious.
But Guard Captain Lamur’s expression darkened. His clenched fist trembled.
“Guard Captain?”
“Shakov, I have no choice now.”
The Guard Captain stood up and walked towards the window. He opened it and shouted,
“Execute!!!”
At the same time, a commotion erupted downstairs. The sounds of things breaking, familiar screams. The guild building was quickly filled with the sound of soldiers’ footsteps.
He was resorting to force to seize the records.
‘How reckless.’
But even if they arrested him, the freeze on the transportation records wouldn’t be lifted. Shakov knew exactly what kind of person Lamur was.
That’s why he had placed a special magic barrier on the archive where the records were stored. A barrier that couldn’t be broken physically unless the entire guild building was burned down.
However, Shakov’s face contorted at the acrid smell rising from below.
“Don’t tell me!! You set fire to the building?!”
“Keh heh… I already knew you had placed a barrier on the archive. A cautious man like you would never be unprepared.”
Guard Captain Lamur sneered at Shakov. The smoke thickened, seeping into the VIP room on the second floor.
“You should have just cooperated. You could have protected the Merchant Guild and your family by sacrificing yourself. Don’t you think so?”
“Why are you going this far?!”
It was crossing the line. Setting fire to the Merchant Guild building in broad daylight? The National Guard would surely investigate.
But Shakov believed he could avoid responsibility. It happened without the knowledge of the City Guard or the Merchant Guild.
Unless someone deliberately withheld information about the artifact or leaked it…
At that moment, the worst-case scenario flashed through Shakov’s mind.
“Lamur, you… you knew the artifact was in that cargo? And you leaked the information-”
“Ha, you only realize the cup is poisoned after you’ve drunk from it. You shouldn’t have.”
Lamur’s voice, while seemingly resigned, was laced with madness.
“…Damn it.”
Shakov raised his hands in surrender. He was a mage capable of simple spells, but he was helpless against a gun.
Lamur had set fire to the guild building. He would surely put a bullet in Shakov’s head if he resisted.
“Damn you.”
“I have to survive, don’t I? Guild Master.”
Whack! Thud!
Lamur struck Shakov’s neck with the butt of his pistol. Shakov collapsed to the ground without a fight. Lamur slung the unconscious Guild Master over his shoulder and quickly left the VIP room.
It didn’t take long for the flames to consume the guild building. The transportation records, which implicated the City Guard, would turn to ashes.
Now, if everything went according to plan, all the blame would fall on the Merchant Guild…
“The perfect crime.”
Lamur smiled wickedly.
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“Get some water! Quickly!!”
“It can’t spread to the central market! Stop it at all costs!!”
As soon as we left the restaurant, we saw black smoke billowing into the sky. We quickly reached the guild building to a scene of chaos.
Panicked merchants ran around with buckets of water, while the guards just stood there, seemingly indifferent to the raging fire.
The scene, combined with the earlier events, instantly painted a clear picture.
‘These bastards set fire to the building after negotiations broke down?’
Judging by the devastated merchants, it was clear Shakov wasn’t responsible.
“What should we do, Platoon Leader?”
“Let’s put out the fire! Lumia, evacuate the civilians!”
Lumia was reluctant to use magic, so if she could avoid it even for fire suppression…
“No, I’ll help too!!”
“Lumia? Are you sure?”
“I-I’ll be fine with you, Platoon Leader…!”
Lumia gripped my sleeve tightly and took a deep breath.
“And if it’s just putting out a fire…!!”
Her dormant magic core awakened. Blue mana mixed with her breath, spreading into the air. The scattered water vapor coalesced into droplets, swirling around Lumia’s hands.
“I can do this!!”
Splash!!
A massive water orb exploded above the guild building, showering it with heavy rain. Basic blue magic, Heavy Rainfall. A simple spell that gathered atmospheric moisture to create a temporary downpour.
But it was enough to suppress the flames climbing up the outer walls.
“Ooh!! A mage has come to help!”
“Now’s our chance! Pour the water!”
The merchants, who had been panicking, cheered, but only for a moment.
“But the fire inside is still raging…!!”
While we could control the external flames, we were no match for the fire inside the building. The most crucial thing was the records.
We needed to know what Guild Master Shakov and Guard Captain Lamur were trying so desperately to hide. Those records were likely the ‘evidence’ the National Guard was looking for.
“Lumia, stay here and prevent the fire from spreading.”
“What about you, Platoon Leader!?”
“I need to suppress the flames inside.”
With that, I stepped into the guild building engulfed in flames.
The interior was filled with thick smoke, making it impossible to see. Since the building was mostly made of wood, putting out the fire with just water would be difficult.
“Cough, cough!”
Coughing from the smoke, I stretched out my hand towards the blazing flames. My magic core had been activated long ago.
“Simple spells won’t do…!”
I visualized the magic Belle Meyer had used during the Belgorod battle. It was called ‘Water Explosion,’ if I remembered correctly.
I imagined a torrent of water exploding outwards. I imbued pure mana with blue, shaping the condensed magical energy.
Whir—
As soon as the spell activated, the raindrops from Lumia’s spell outside were drawn into the burning building through the gaps in the walls.
In the blink of an eye, it swelled like a giant water balloon, pulsating as if about to explode. I clenched my fist, focusing on the water sphere.
“Water Explosion!”
-BOOM!!!
As I finished the incantation, the condensed blue mana exploded, sending a torrent of water swirling through the building, instantly extinguishing the raging flames.
“Yes!”
Just as I was about to celebrate my success,
Creak—
An ominous sound.
“?”
The wooden floor beneath me collapsed.
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He forgot that his talent in magic is stronger than most (╥﹏╥)