The evening market's fading bustle pressed around me as I moved through the crowd. The familiar cocktail of rotting fish and week-old garbage burned my nostrils as I passed the blacksmith's glowing forge, then slipped into the narrow alley beyond.
"...."
In front of me a single dying rose sagged in its cracked pot beside the door. Looking at the door next to it, I took a deep breath as I walked inside, clutching the "evidence" hidden underneath my shirt.
The inside was the same as I remembered—still impeccably clean with cozy candlelight illuminating the dark hall. And of course, how could I not mention the "patrons" of the tavern?
'Still as terrifying as ever...'
Looking from the corner of my eye, I spotted the same guy from last time twirling a knife in his hand as he stared at me.
'...Does he have a problem with me or something?'
Trying my best to ignore the piercing gaze, I walked toward the bartender just as he finished wiping the counter. As he placed his cloth behind the counter, he turned to face me with his expressionless face.
"What may I get you, sir?"
His voice was just as monotone as I remembered, repeating the exact same line with practiced ease.
"I'm here to see Derek."
As the words left my mouth, the bartender's eyes flashed with something as he turned slowly to the side, already walking toward the back door.
"Just this way. I'll lead you to the waiting room."
Following him, I arrived in the waiting room upstairs where I patiently waited, counting the seconds and minutes as they ticked by.
'I hope the girls will be alright while I'm gone...'
The longer I waited, the more nervous I became. It's already been close to two hours since I left the inn, and David and the others should be waking up soon.
'I have to hurry...'
Just then, the door to the room opened with a click and in walked the familiar sleek figure of Derek.
"Oooh, I didn't expect you to return so soon, kid."
Derek's voice was still just as carefree as he plopped down on the seat opposite me.
"I heard you came to see me. Let's make this quick though." Derek smirked as he leaned back on the sofa and kicked his feet up onto the coffee table. "I'm a busy man after all."
Instead of responding immediately, I took a deep breath and forcefully calmed my nerves.
'He's trying to take control of the conversation.'
I analyzed Derek's actions as my expression stilled to a serious one. It was a common tactic used to put pressure on the opposite party when negotiating business—give them a time limit and force them to speak faster or stumble on their words, revealing their weaknesses and oftentimes key information for free.
From another perspective, this also meant that Derek was treating this as a proper negotiation from the moment he entered, despite only meeting with a kid.
'...Or he could just be a psycho who wanted to put pressure on a little kid. I really don't know...'
After carefully controlling my expression, I finally replied to Derek.
"I came here to prove my loyalty."
"Oh? To who?"
Derek's eyes flashed a dangerous glint as he looked at me.
"To the guild."
I answered instantly, causing the smirk on Derek's face to widen.
"And why would you need to do that?"
"We went over it before, didn't we? You said that loyalty was the most important thing in 'our' line of work. I want to earn the trust that comes with it."
Silence fell over the room as Derek leaned forward, clutching his face in his palm.
"Heh...Haha, Kyahaha!"
Derek suddenly started laughing out loud, his blue gaze shifting to me in a fierce, almost predatory look.
"You don't disappoint, kid... How long has it been since then? Only a few days and you already came back with such a surprise?"
Derek finished his chuckle as his usual smirk returned. "Well then, tell me. How do you plan to prove your loyalty to us?"
"With this." As I finished speaking, I finally took out the pieces of evidence I had been hiding underneath my shirt.
"...Books?"
"Ledgers, actually. David's." I explained calmly as I laid out the set of ledgers I stole from David's box.
"Hmm," Derek's gaze shifted to them as he picked one up, skimming through it. "Interesting. I'm guessing you didn't get these ledgers from David's hands directly, but I'm curious how you plan to prove your loyalty with just this."
"You once told me that David was under suspicion of betrayal. This is the evidence to prove it."
"Oh?" Derek's gaze turned back to the set of books, and he started skimming through them all. With his expertise, it didn't take long for him to find some abnormalities in them.
"This rat...He's been hiding out on us all this time." Derek's gaze turned sharp.
He threw the book onto the table, revealing what he had found—several income sources, the origin unknown but the numbers and times carefully precise.
"I'll admit, the numbers here are enough to piss even me off." Derek started with a scowl, "But this isn't enough for us to accuse David of betrayal. We live in the slums, and it isn't unheard of for someone to have some unusual sources of income."
"Indeed." I nodded in response, but my next words seemed to catch Derek's ear. "But what if we did know who the source was? And what if we also knew that the source was plotting against the guild? Wouldn't that be enough to brand him a traitor?"
"Hm? Are you saying you know who the source is?"
"Yes." I replied instantly, "But I don't have the evidence to claim it is them."
Derek's face instantly turned dark, "Then this whole conversation was pointless, wasn't it?"
I shivered slightly at the scary gaze Derek shot me, but I carefully maintained my calm and continued to speak, "Although I don't have the evidence, that doesn't stop 'you' from finding it with the information I can provide."
Derek's eyes suddenly flashed with understanding, finally catching on to what I was trying to say.
"You want the guild to get the dirt for you..."
"Yes. I don't possess the resources or ability to investigate this matter on my own anymore, and request the assistance of the guild to expose the traitor."
"Kek-! Kahahaha!!" Derek started laughing madly, "Then what are you waiting for, kid? Hurry up and tell me so we can put that bastard in his place!"
Derek's voice was confident, as if he had no doubts that the guild could dig up the dirt if they knew where to look.
"I have a condition." My voice cut through Derek's laughter, causing him to freeze.
Derek frowned as he looked at me but didn't outright turn hostile, although his eyes seemed like they were close to getting there.
"...What is it?"
I smiled despite his annoyed state. After all, the deal I was about to offer was one I knew Derek wouldn't refuse. It was something that aligned perfectly with his style.
And just as I expected, the more I spoke, the more profound Derek's expression became.
"...."
As I finished offering my proposal, silence settled over the room once more, before it was quietly followed by a growing giggle that quickly evolved into roaring laughter.
"BHAHAHAA! FUCK! I CAN'T BREATHE!!!"
Derek's laughter continued for a long time, struggling to breathe as tears welled up at the corners of his eyes.
"Keke...Look at this...kid. Making a grown man like me shed a tear like this....Hahaha."
Derek's voice was shaky as he wiped the corners of his eyes, before turning to face me with a wide grin.
"Alright, Kid. If we can take down David, I'll accept your 'proposal'. Now tell me, who the hell are we dealing with for you to ask for such a thing?"
My smile slowly faded as a somber mood took over.
"...The Order of the Abyss. That's who's backing David."
Derek frowned as he heard the name uttered out of my mouth.
"...Are you sure?"
"Yes. More precisely, the person they're working for that's supporting him."
"...You mean?" Derek's expression turned sour, but I still finished my words.
"The Imperial Family is the one targeting the guild."
"...."
Silence settled over us for a while before Derek clicked his tongue.
"I should've expected it. Those fucking imperial bastards always saw us as a shit stain in their eyes."
Instead of replying to his remark, I remained silent as I awaited his next words.
"...I'll send some men to investigate. If it's really them who are behind that traitor, we'll be able to find something."
Derek got up from the sofa as he dusted off his suit.
"You'll stay here for the time being. If your prediction turns out to be true, we'll have a handful to deal with, but you'll get what you want."
I also rose with Derek, bowing politely as he walked off.
The moment the door clicked shut, I collapsed back onto the sofa, an exhausted sigh escaping my throat.
"...All I can do now is wait."
My mind flashed through images of the people around me—Nana, Mana, Lena, Kana, Ave, and the many other familiar faces.
If I truly were to succeed with this plan, our relationship would definitely change drastically. Whether its for the better or the worse, is yet to be determined.
'I just hope they won't hate me when the time comes.'
"I'm doing it all for them after all..."