"I'll contact you as soon as I get my hands on something. Where are you staying?"
Peleus and his party exchanged positions and shared their approximate progress until the very end, then prepared to leave.
Before leaving the door, Peleus asked indifferently.
"And, I have one question to ask."
Lou raised his head.
"Where is the Black Anchor's base?"
"You saw it, right? If you go west of the harbor, there is an abandoned ship. Most of the management, including the captain, are there."
Lou added.
"So, please avoid the western streets if possible. To successfully complete the transaction you entrusted to me, it is better to avoid unnecessary friction."
“I’ll keep that in mind."
The man nodded indifferently. Having even found out the address of the Black Anchor from Lou, they left the place.
And that night, a strange raid broke into the Black Anchor headquarters.
"Boss, ahh...!"
Just three assassins captured the leader. Even the skilled fighters the leader had been keeping under his command were no match for them.
"...Who sent this?"
The leader asked. The man in the black mask remained silent.
"...Surely not. Is it Osric?"
Is the deal with Barmia now intended to deal with the winged hounds?
However, before he could even reach a conclusion, the leader's memory cut off right there.
***
That time
Whoa whoa.
Eric exhaled the breath he had been holding and approached Lou.
"Are you really going to be okay, Lou?"
Eric's voice was full of worry.
"It is clear that he is of the imperial family. It must mean that Emperor Valdina no longer intends to stand by and watch this place."
Lou replied indifferently while organizing the documents.
"I knew the smuggling was flowing toward Barmia. In that case, the probability of making contact with him would be higher when I'm with them."
"But smuggling ice iron is too dangerous; if we get caught... It's the end. If we get entangled with them and things go wrong, we'll be erased from this world without a trace."
Despite Eric's earnest pleas, Lou's expression remained unchanged.
Eric bit his lip nervously.
It was Lou who took in Maya and him when they were on the verge of freezing to death after escaping from a beaten orphanage and wandering the streets.
To Eric, Lou was a savior and a master.
Just then, Maya, who was standing in the corner with her arms crossed, spoke sharply.
"I'm against it too. Are you crazy?"
A cold fire flared up in Maya's eyes.
It seemed she could not stand the fact that her half-brother Eric cherished Lou more than herself.
"Lou, I don't mind you risking your life, but don't put innocent people like us in danger. Are you really going to drive our entire group into a death trap just to get that one piece of information?"
Maya glared straight into Lou's eyes.
No matter how hard he struggled, he could not erase the scent of an orphan, yet even in this remaining underground, an indelible dignity could be felt from Lou.
"Get a grip, brother. That bastard Lou is just using us for his own purposes."
"Stop it. No matter who you are, I cannot tolerate you insulting Lou."
"Ha. Right, anyone would think your younger sibling is Lou, not me."
“Maya, you really...!"
Lou quickly stepped between the two and grabbed Eric's arm.
"Stop it. It's only natural that Maya is worried. If you don't want to, you can back out of this. It's a request I received."
With his other hand, he held Maya's hand.
Eric still shook his head.
"Hmph, don't talk nonsense. I can't let you go alone. Especially when it's such a dangerous job. Maya, if you don't like it, back out. I can handle this perfectly well without you."
At those words, Maya's face hardened. Eric's words pierced her heart like a knife.
"It's always like this. So, you mean you don't need someone like me? You guys figure it out yourselves!"
Lou grabbed Maya, who was trying to run out, and ran.
"Who said Maya isn't needed? How can the informant business function without you? Who will open the way and create the maps? Where else would we find a craftsman like that?"
Eric still didn't say anything. Maya looked down at Lou's hand holding hers.
Even though she wanted to shake this hand off, every time she realized that Lou was the only one holding her, she felt suffocated and miserable.
"Yes? Maya. Now, let go of your anger, yes?"
Because whenever Lou, who never shows even an inch of weakness to others, becomes exceptionally gentle only to her, she realizes it painfully.
How despicable she is for hating him.
"Lou, I understand, so let go. I'll stay by your side as you please."
"Maya, don't talk to me like that!"
The moment Eric raised his voice, Maya pushed Lou's hand away and ran outside. The sound of rough footsteps climbing the basement stairs could be heard.
"Oh... I'm sorry, Lou. I'll apologize."
Eric ran his hand across his face impatiently.
“I said it’s okay.”
"Why do you keep trying to soothe the dog? That’s why it gets even more clueless and acts up."
"Don't say that. Maya was worried about you."
Maya, who was physically frail, reminded him of Rupert. That is why Lou had a particularly soft spot for her.
"If we just finish this mission well, Maya will be at ease. Eric, don't worry. I recently found out who is sourcing ice iron in the dark daylight."
“Really?”
Eric's face brightened.
Uncovering the smuggling route of ice iron was daunting and carried a heavy risk. However, if the internal leaker was already known, the first hurdle had been cleared.
"Yeah, if you keep watching for an opportunity, a gap will open up soon."
They had found a clue, but they had to avoid rushing.
They had to smuggle out ice iron using a fake contract and completely erase all traces of Lou's involvement.
However, the very next day, contrary to Lou's expectations, things took a rapid turn.
"Lou! Did you hear the news? They say the Black anchor was attacked!"
***
The port of Karkan was noisy from early morning.
"Did you hear the news? I heard the leader of the Black Anchor is fighting for his life. They say even his fearsome bodyguards were all taken down."
"Is he even still alive? It would have been good if that ringleader had just had his life cut short while he was at it."
"Unfortunately, that isn't the case. However, I heard they are frantic right now, scrambling to get whatever they can, regardless of whether it's holy water or not."
The butcher, Titus, could not hide his excitement.
"They are truly like ghosts. They say they somehow managed to break through that impenetrable defense and severed the guards' limbs one by one, and the cuts were incredibly clean."
He lowered his voice slightly and whispered to Lou.
"Really? That's hard to believe."
Lou narrowed his eyebrows.
Even if others were, the leader of the Black anchor was not a figure who would be easily defeated. His impenetrable bodyguard even included Drowned ghouls.
"It's true. The chef suddenly came yesterday looking for a health tonic and tipped me off, so it must be true."
Titus giggled.
"So I heard the organization was turned upside down. I heard everyone is rummaging through the docks right now trying to find that beast."
Because of that, it seemed that the Black Anchor gang's rampage would temporarily stop for the time being.
This was because they were desperate to find the beast, which had attacked the leader.
By now, gangs should have been roaming the docks, causing trouble, but there really was no one to be seen.
"But with that level of skill, they could have finished them all off, so why did they spare them?"
Lou paused.
"I suppose that would be even more painful for their pride. Don't you think so, Lu?"
When there was no answer, Titus turned his head. Lu was furrowing his brow, as if suddenly lost in thought.
"What's the matter?"
"No, it's nothing. I just forgot to go home for a moment."
***
At the port of Karkan, Peleus and his party were staying in a small cottage attached to a ruined chapel.
The atmosphere was barren, and the influence of the temple was minimal.
This was because the indigenous faith worshipping the sea god had taken deeper root, as the sea right on their doorstep was the center of their lives.
As even the priests dispatched by the temple stopped visiting, the chapel eventually closed its doors.
However, it was the perfect place to hide for a while.
Just then, Nathan, who was looking out the window, spotted someone approaching.
"My Lord, the fixer is coming."
As soon as Lou entered the porch, Nathan opened the door. He was momentarily flustered, then stepped inside.
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