Zimmer looked startled at my sudden appearance.He soon wiped his expression clean and, jerking his chin toward Ciel at my side, said,"Loen… and that beside you is Ciel?""Nice to meet you."Even in a situation like this, Ciel gave him a polite bow.With a sigh, Zimmer spoke again."Right… so why are you two in a place like this? Not exactly suitable for students.""I agree. But it isn’t a suitable place for a Union professor to come either.""I’d heard of your infamy, but I didn’t think you’d joined hands with the Underworld. What are you plotting by calling me all the way here? Planning to get rid of me?"Twitch-.His hand slowly went to the sword at his waist."Even if that’s your intent, I won’t go down easily."Ssshhh—.A suffocating killing intent pressed from Zimmer’s body.At his poised-to-fight movement, Alfredo and the guards behind him also raised their aura.A strange current and tension swallowed the clearing in an instant.I eased the mood with a gentle smile."No need to worry. I didn’t arrange this to fight."Slide-.At my glance, Alfredo pulled his men back.I stepped one pace toward the wary Zimmer and continued."On the contrary, I’ve come to make you a very constructive offer, Professor.""…You mean to buy me off?""Buy you off? It’s closer to me helping you unilaterally. Please understand that point precisely.""What?"Zimmer frowned in displeasure, but this was, literally, close to me providing one-sided help.He was a named character in the Miruelin Saga and would one day grow into a Sword Master, but he wasn’t a key figure active on the main storyline.Today’s negotiation was merely one of the seeds I was planting for the future.Using a fragment of a Mad Dragon’s Heart to negotiate with him could be called a losing trade for now.It was closer to unilateral patronage than a payoff or a deal.Zimmer opened his mouth."I won’t be swayed by some half-baked proposal. I have a goal I must accomplish.""Yes, and I intend to help you accomplish exactly that goal. No need for lengthy words."At my slight nod, Alfredo received a jewel box from a guard and handed it to me.I opened it before Zimmer and showed him what lay within.Click-."…!"Zimmer’s eyes went wide as saucers at the sight inside."Mad Dragon Kalbador’s Heart. A fragment. It was difficult to obtain."The very item Professor Zimmer desperately wanted.The key that would let him step into a higher realm—and enable revenge against his elder brother—was in my hand.Staring at the fragment of the Mad Dragon’s Heart with trembling eyes, Zimmer asked me,"…What do you want? Grades? Your friend’s reinstatement? Or information on whoever instigated this incident?""As if. You think I prepared something this expensive for that?"I shrugged.The grading issue had already gone through debate among the student council presidents and a reform draft had been sent to the faculty meeting.Since it would be applied retroactively, the single-A cap in Basic Swordsmanship would return to normal.Garfield’s return to class was secondary, and I already knew the mastermind behind this whole affair.Closing the box again, I spoke in a calm voice."Before that, there’s information you need to know, Professor.""What is it?""Recently, in exchange for changing the grading standards, you received a transfer of shares in Kingdom of Gilbert merchant guilds from Jeremy, correct?""!"Zimmer flinched and asked in a voice tinged with suspicion,"How did you know that?"Alfredo answered in his stead."Don’t underestimate the Underworld’s information network. We know in detail what happens on these Meteor Isles.""…"Frowning in displeasure, Zimmer said,"It’s true I received the transfer. So what? Are you going to scold me for opposing you at another’s instigation? I’m sorry, but I had no choice.""That’s not the point. The important thing is that the share transfer certificate you received from Jeremy is a forgery.""What?"Zimmer shot back, voice edged with anger.I kindly repeated it for him."I’ll say it again. The share transfer certificate you received is fake, and your name does not appear on the shareholder lists of those merchant guilds.""What are you talking about? I already received and checked all the documents.""Yes, and those documents are the problem. You merely read the letters handed to you by the guild. Did you verify the shareholder registry yourself at Stella’s stock exchange?""No… but the contents on the documents were certainly correct. They even had a mana seal. That seal was genuine.""Documents can be easily cooked. The guilds are in league with Jeremy, after all. And mana seals must be cross-verified at the stock exchange—the public notary—against the counter-seal and the certified trader’s seal. A solitary mana seal does not confer contractual force."Even after my explanation, Zimmer slowly shook his head as if he couldn’t accept it."…I can’t believe it.""If you truly can’t, then visit on a weekday when the exchange is open and check for yourself. Though… Jeremy’s students or faculty will try every trick to stop you from going.""!"As if something had clicked, Zimmer gave a small start and quietly clenched his fist.Crunch-.Then, in a voice that sounded like he was swallowing his anger, he asked,"So you’re saying I was merely used?""Yes, though there’s no need to be overly enraged. You didn’t really trust Jeremy anyway, did you?"He had joined hands with Jeremy /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ as a means for revenge, but Zimmer disliked taking orders from him.Zimmer was one of the few who knew Jeremy’s true face behind the reputation of righteousness and diligence.After a quiet moment with eyes closed, Zimmer spoke, as if deciding himself,"…There’s information I can give you.""You mean that those merchant guilds are engaging in illegal acts to reap unjust profits?""!""We already identified that and have finished the work to turn their scheme against them. Far from making money, they’ll end up buried under a mountain of debt. In a sense, it’s fortunate you don’t hold their shares.""…""In any case, we’ll handle your revenge for you, Professor. So let’s proceed with a more constructive negotiation."I looked down at the jewel box in my hand and went on."In exchange for this fragment of the Mad Dragon’s Heart, you—no, Zimmer Dmitry—will enter into a cooperative relationship with me, Loen de Valis. How about it?""…Terms?"Without a word, I smiled faintly and produced the prepared contract for him to see.Flip-.Zimmer snatched the contract I handed over and read it carefully.With a deep sigh, he parted his lips."It’s an offer I can’t refuse."***After we successfully concluded the negotiation.Zimmer returned to the Union with his guards, and we went back to Panopticon’s Western Branch.Of course, the fragment of the Mad Dragon’s Heart still remained in our possession.I couldn’t just hand over such a pricey item on the faith of a contract alone.Zimmer understood that part.Flip-.I examined the contract in my hand.A contract bearing the mana signatures of Zimmer Dmitry and Loen de Valis, and the notary seal of Alfredo.Under the contract, once his Union professorship term ended, Zimmer would return to the kingdom, join the Second Prince’s faction, and act as an informant.In return for fulfilling my requests in sequence, I would, within two years, process the Mad Dragon’s Heart into pill form and provide it to Zimmer in five installments. That was the content of our contract.'Dragon Hearts are excellent alchemy materials.'While processing it into pills, I’d raise my alchemy level, and—like a jeweler skimming gold dust in the middle—I’d siphon off a little here and there to experiment in various directions.Not that this was a loss for Zimmer either: processing it into pills increased absorption and mana conductivity and lowered the risk at ingestion.Better than chewing on a heart fragment whole and suffering for it.Ciel looked at the jewel box in my hand and said,"…In the end, Lord Loen, you’ve lost nothing.""That’s about right."Grinning, I gazed at the throbbing fragment of the Mad Dragon’s Heart in the box.I hadn’t handed it over to Zimmer yet, and I certainly hadn’t paid for it with my own money.And in the broader sense, I’d begun the work of placing one of my people inside the Kingdom of Gilbert—a nation with a high probability of becoming a hostile force.Lastly, there’d be no loss in grades, and Garfield—who’d left as if expelled—would be able to return to class.With this one move, I’d bagged three or four rabbits at once."Of course… that’s assuming everything proceeds according to plan."At Ciel’s worried words, I answered evenly,"There’s little to worry about. Their movements are being reported here every moment. There are no variables."Panopticon’s power in ruling the underworld did not come from force alone.The true strength of Panopticon lay in the eyes and ears of professionals like Gretel—assassins and agents spread across the Isles.A power represented by an all-seeing gaze that looks down on everything."…"Even after hearing me, Ciel didn’t look entirely satisfied.What was she so displeased about?At that moment, Alfredo carefully spoke up."Lord Loen. I think Lady Ciel is asking whether the Underworld we work with can be trusted at all.""Ah."Now I understood.If the Underworld allied with me were to harbor other intentions and move contrary to the plan, all our premises would collapse—no wonder Ciel said that.Fair enough.The Underworld’s reputation wasn’t exactly sparkling, and Ciel didn’t know the terms of the contract Rebecca and I had made—so she’d think that way.In a calm voice, Alfredo explained,"Lady Ciel, there’s no cause for worry. Our relationship isn’t founded solely on a contract. Our young lady favors Lord Loen, so what you fear will not come to pass.""…What do you mean by that?"When Ciel subtly furrowed her brow, Alfredo clarified again,"Just as I said. Lady Rebecca, the branch chief of Panopticon’s Western Branch, and Lord Loen are bound by a contract; even setting that aside, our young lady bears personal goodwill as well. Which means we won’t betray Lord Loen.""Understood. For now."Though her expression remained dissatisfied, Ciel nodded slowly.Seeing that she’d more or less accepted it, Alfredo smiled softly and wrapped things up."Good. Then it seems today’s business is mostly concluded. We have rooms prepared—will you stay the night?""Let’s do that."The clock showed it was already around 1 a.m.Going back to the Union now would be a hassle; we’d sleep here.***Monday. The day Stella Harbor’s stock market opened.Ordinarily it would’ve been hard to attend because of class, but coincidentally the first Monday class was Basic Swordsmanship.At Professor Zimmer’s discretion, today’s class had been replaced with self-study.So I headed personally to the stock exchange.It would’ve been a waste to pass off today’s event by merely watching numbers deposited at the bank.Besides, I wanted to see with my own eyes the exchange where astronomical sums flew, and ecstasy and despair crossed paths.I wasn’t alone on this outing either."Heh heh, I wouldn’t miss a spectacle like this.""Keep your distance. It’s hot."Somehow, Garfield and Ciel ended up accompanying me.Garfield had time because he’d been kicked out of Swordsmanship class, and Ciel had taken personal leave for today.Thus the three of us visited Stella again together.As soon as we arrived at Stella Harbor, we headed straight for the stock exchange where various trades were made.Near the harbor’s sea cliffs, a smooth, curving marble building shaped after a falling meteor.Stella Stock Exchange.Like any harbor morning, this place was crowded with many merchants, merchant-guild agents, traders, and individual investors.To the uninitiated, it might look like some festival was underway.Looking around at the scene, Ciel spoke."There are so many people from the morning.""Everyone’s money is on the line. They can’t help but be diligent."Mondays were especially noisy, since new information was disclosed at the exchange.And in the plaza before the bustling exchange, I spotted an unexpected figure—yet not out of place here.Shining golden hair visible from afar. Jeremy Gilbert.He was with strangers rather than his usual Disciplinary Committee members.They were probably merchant-guild affiliates or people dispatched from the kingdom.They thought they’d conducted the operation in strict secrecy, but to visit the exchange so openly—how bold.Garfield seemed to have noticed Jeremy as well and cocked his head."Why is Lord Jeremy here…?"By contrast, Ciel—who knew the full story of the weekend—looked to me and asked,"Will you go say hello… no, issue a declaration of war?"I shrugged and smiled."A declaration of war would be excessive. Victory’s already decided. Let’s just go exchange a light greeting."

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