The small city of Bart is half a day away from the port.
It was a strategically important geographical location, situated by land with snow-capped mountains in front and a harbor behind, while connecting to the Lord Castle to the west and the northern border to the east.
Although it was small, it was also a place where travelers came and went constantly.
Among them, the Bart Guild building is crowded with people.
The owner of the top floor was actually Warmia. They hid their identity as an enemy country and settled in the territory of Valdina.
James, Bart's guild leader and Warmia's secret agent, looked suspiciously at the two men in front of him and the contract on the table.
"Are you really going to hand it over so cheaply?"
A hunchback with a large black spot next to his nose.
And a man who appears to be an escort.
It was a combination that was unreliable in many ways, perhaps because it was unpleasant from the first Impression.
"It's not the face that came every time... I'm very anxious. I wonder if it is okay to change it like this without consulting the headquarters..."
James hesitated, holding his quill. The hunchback opened his mouth in a beggarly voice.
"Oh dear, why are you acting like this when you should know better? After all, isn't the Warmia side just a bunch of fools as long as they receive the goods? What does it really matter who delivered it? We are all the same black anchor brothers anyway."
Contrary to their mouths that boasted of being brothers, they were actually trying to snatch the Black Anchor's second-in-command's share. James snorted.
"Still, there is a chance that even if I pay, you might wash your hands of it."
"Ah. That’s why I even wrote up a new contract like this, just in case you were worried. Look here, you can clearly see our captain’s name, right?"
The hunchback untied the bag of gold coins placed next to the contract. Then he showed the heaping gold coins inside.
"..."
James's eyes trembled violently.
"Here. This is a token of sincerity from our captain, and if you add the amount siphoned off from the funds coming from Warmia, my lord, you will be quite extravagant."
As the hunchback rubbed his hands together, yellow powder of ringworm fell onto the gold coin pouch like rain.
However, even that looked beautiful to James.
"It will continue to drop this much, so let's hurry up and pack up and wrap things up. If we get caught doing this, we won't be able to do this anymore."
"...It’s certain that Captain Barbo will be the next leader, right?"
James swallowed hard. He tightened his grip on the quill pen.
"Oh my, sir. The Captain is currently in a coma; who is to succeed him? Those scoundrels under the undisciplined second-in-command, Henrick, aren't even from the harbor; they are rootless wretches who seem to have come from nowhere. The Captain had already handpicked our Captain Barbo as the next successor long ago, valuing his loyalty above all else. That is what I am saying."
The hunchback patted his shoulder and spoke boastfully.
"The only ones whose faces you recognize are Henrick's subordinates. Do you think you can secure this much if they come? This is a one-time opportunity. Why don't you understand that no gold is given for free without a price?"
As James's hesitation seemed to drag on, the bowing hunchback soon revealed his true nature.
"If you really get stuck, turn around right now. It’s not like dragging a leash by force will work, and we have nothing to lose."
The angry hunchback tried to roughly snatch the bag of gold coins in front of James.
“Wait!”
James reflexively reached out and pressed down on the pocket.
"I haven't refused yet, man. Good heavens, you're so impatient."
He heard that the leader of the Black anchor had no children, so perhaps that is why the succession struggle among the subordinates was already fierce.
It wasn't important.
'Even so, they are just guys who will disappear without a trace once our army takes over.'
Would taking a few gold coins of gold in the process really be such a big problem?
'I came all the way to this place alone, so I have to get paid for what Bread is hitting.'
"Ahem. Well, I'm just saying. Do you think I would have intended to make a big fuss when we're all gathered here? If things go wrong, my head is hanging by a thread, you know?"
James quickly adjusted his grip on the flag.
A bitter smile hung on the corners of the hunchback's mouth.
"It's really true that this much is falling for me, right?"
"Ah, of course. Have you been living your life being deceived? As soon as I leave this room, I’ll pull the gourd out and deliver it to you under your bed, sir. Isn't that right?"
He gestured to the guard next to him.
"...Yes."
The guard was also very ugly.
He was only tall and big; his black hair was greasy, and he even had pockmarks on his face.
'They said he was a one-eyed ugly man, but Barbo, he really does keep only guys like himself around as his subordinates.'
James handed over the contract without showing it, even though he was frowning.
"Stop by the basement downstairs to collect the payment. The release must be loaded at the port by the next day."
"Oh, of course."
"Anyway, did the delivery go through properly?"
James asked, weighing the pouch of gold coins that Barbo had taken care of.
Without noticing that the hunchback's smirking smile had vanished in an instant.
"I'm not sure what kind of delivery you are referring to."
"Don't you know that? I heard the leader has handpicked him as the successor?"
James raised his head in puzzlement. The atmosphere briefly shifted.
"Oh dear, sir, I was distracted for a moment. Our commander is so meticulous about taking care of so many things. But you know, we also have many superiors, so we are constantly being pushed around..."
"..."
"To avoid any misunderstandings, wouldn't you please confirm exactly where the item needs to be delivered so that I can double-check it two or three times?"
The hunchback feigned ignorance and made a lighthearted remark.
However, he could feel the escort.
The hunchback is taut with tension.
"Hmph, yes, isn't the top of the one you serve Lord Osric? If the lord holds a banquet in his castle, how can I be the main character in the presence of our Excellency?"
James bluntly retorted.
"Anyway, please pay attention. Those black boxes we sent, if they get wet, my throat will be blown off first. During the banquet, the fireworks should start, but if there is no signal from the basement... I don't want to imagine it."
Signal?
The hunchback's eyes trembled. The escort also lowered his gaze and hid his sharp eyes.
The fragmented information in their heads was being put together into a single picture.
Hunchback immediately struck back with great power.
"Oh, of course. Oh, when you get old, you'll die of forgetfulness. As I said, don't worry because we've already laid out the stevedores near the underground armory with our children, so don't worry."
"We really shouldn't have a problem. Apart from the ice. We've been painstakingly looking for it for half a year, and if it doesn't go wrong, His Excellency might blow up your gang himself."
What caught James' eye was not just annoyance, but genuine fear.
It was the eyes of someone who knew better than anyone else what kind of punishment the master of Warmia would inflict on those who failed.
"Is there a question? Hold on to your worries."
The hunchback and the escort hurriedly said goodbye and left the room.
"He told me to give you the money."
After a while, a guild member approached them and handed them a parchment envelope.
He must have belonged to Warmia's secret society. Inside the envelope was a bearer note.
The escort paused for a moment.
Originally, a member of the Black Anchor would have left without saying a word, but his purpose is to extract the messy traces of the Warmian bastards.
It was an opportunity to exchange bills for gold on the spot to identify Warmia's slush funds and, at the same time, dry up their funds. The escort said.
"I'm going to change it right here."
The Bart Guild here was more than just a base. It also served as a battlefield.
"Huh?"
The hunchback raised his head in shock at the unexpected remarks of the escort.
However, the escort stood indifferently
"Huh? Why suddenly? Take it as you used to. You can go to the port and change it, right? It's a hassle."
The guild members waved their hands as if they were bothered.
"Please change it."
The escort's low voice weighed down the air in the room. The guild members picked up and laughed at him.
"Well, if you change it, are you confident that you will take it to the port safely? Even if we get taken away on the way, don't we know? Can you afford this much gold coin at the level of a black anchor?"
The high-nosed, contemptuous gaze unique to the Warmian was directed at the hunchback.
"How far are you going to take this?"
The guild member slammed the quill Irritatedly. It was when the pointed quill flew towards the hunchback's face.
The escort did not even turn his head.
He stood in front of him as if protecting the hunchback. The quill that was cutting through the air was snatched by his two fingers.
The escort bounced it at the guild members very casually.
Tak-!
The quill stretched out in a straight line like a precisely thrown dagger.
Then it grazed the guild member's sleeve and was embedded deep in the wall behind him.
"..."
The sound of the quill's feather trembling filled the silence. Even if they had been a little closer, they would have pierced the guild member's arm.
"If you have to prove it, do it."
The escort replied indifferently.
The air froze in an instant.
The guild member's chest, which was alternating between looking at the hole in his sleeve and the quill stuck in the wall, rose and fell wildly.
At the same time as feeling fear at the speculation shown by the escort, the anger of being humiliated seemed to rise at the same time.
The moment he was about to reach for the swordsman.
"Wait! Calm down!"
The hunchback became thoughtful and intervened between them.
"This friend has just started working and has a bit of a temper, and I understand him generously... Our captain has a lot of polishing, so please ask the guild leader inside just once. Huh?"
"..."
The guild member gulped down his dry saliva.
The escort looked like someone had crushed him with his foot, but he did not avoid his gaze at all.
When he met those indifferent eyes, he felt like a cold sweat was dripping down somehow.
"Hmm, I understand, I'll go. And I'm sorry for my nonsense earlier."
The hunchback waved his hand, saying it was okay.
After a while, the guild member appeared with a pouch that had been exchanged for gold coins, saying that the guild leader had given permission. He asked if he would put him in a wagon and even give him an additional escort.
"No, it is not. I decided to meet my kids again in the middle... Please tell the guild leader not to worry about delivery accidents!"
"..."
"What are you doing, you don't ride either!"
At the hunchback's sharp shout, the escort came up. The hunchback spoke to his subordinate with a playful grin.
The guild building got further and further away.
The hunchback quietly pursed his lips. It was loud enough for only the guard sitting beside him to hear.
"I understand why you asked me to exchange the money, but couldn't you at least discuss it with me? I told you I was surprised."
"...The situation was urgent.”
The hunchback, no, Lou, was about to say one more word, but soon took the lips and bit.
"I thought I was going to die over there just a moment ago. The entire guild is a stronghold for those Warmia bastards; what are you going to do if you can't get out?"
"It put you in danger."
Lou flinched. Did this guy notice that I'm a woman?
"I'm not a girl, so do you think I would be surprised by something as trivial as that?"
Peleus paused at Lou's words.
Yes, it was unlike me. Going to such trouble over a mere dispute.
But the moment that sharp pen flew toward the white cheek of this boy hidden beneath the disguise, his body instinctively moved first.
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