By the Grace of the Gods (LN) - Volume 11 - Chapter 16

Chapter 7, Episode 36: Conversation of the Puppet Masters

In the capital city, the glimmering lights of noble manors and high-class establishments lit up the dark of night. The glittering cityscape had been described as “a field of fallen stars,” and that “a single view was worth a thousand piles of gold.”

One man stood at a window of his manor gazing out at that view. “What of our operation in Gimul?” he asked, still facing the window.

Behind the man, another wearing a well-tailored suit and an obscure mask emerged from the shadows of the room. “We managed to increase crime temporarily, but it has been dealt with more effectively than we had anticipated. With crime steadily lessening, our plan is sure to fail.”

“Your concern was well grounded, after all... Ryoma Takebayashi. You had mentioned him to me, but I must admit I had underestimated him. I didn’t expect him to accommodate all of the new job seekers we sent in. A brutish solution of throwing cash at the problem, but effective nonetheless. But how come there’s no sign of the duke backing him up? Don’t tell me the boy has enough money on his own.”

“There’s a chance we didn’t catch the exchange, but the larger the bill, the harder it would be to hide. The goods most likely came from Ryoma Takebayashi.”

The first man showed a hint of dissatisfaction. “Do you know exactly who the boy is?”

“Nothing more than previous reports. We contacted an underground guild that specializes in reconnaissance. The only points of information we received on him before the Jamils brought him out into the city is that he was a hermit in the forest, that he was born in a village within the Sea of Trees of Syrus, and that he was probably treated badly in said village.”

“Is he from the underground, like you?”

“I considered the possibility, but found no evidence that he has any connection to the underground or its guilds.”

“There are many factions of underground guilds, aren’t there? Could one of them be trying to cover up intel on him?”

“True, the guilds are far from united. There are specialized guilds for each job like thievery, assassination, fraud, smuggling... However, I suspect one would be unable to find information on Ryoma Takebayashi because of the special nature of the Sea of Trees of Syrus, and his own abilities acquired from that special land.”

“If you’re sure, then we’ll set aside his origin.” The man turned around from the window to face the man in the mask, his eyes gleaming like ice. “Eliminate Ryoma Takebayashi at all costs.”

“Are you certain...? The duke has clearly put a lot of stock in the boy. He will have something to say about it.”

The man by the window scoffed. “For some time, Reinhart has been approaching our noble friends at balls to deter their involvement, which means they are taking things seriously. It’s a matter of time before we’re revealed. Some of our more timid comrades have turned to protect themselves, but you won’t find me begging for mercy. If I was going to be sorry for it, I never would have planned it in the first place. If our time is limited, the best we can do is strike back as much as possible. The more Reinhart treasures Ryoma Takebayashi, the more pain our next operation will bring him. I do have a vendetta against him for sabotaging our operations. The boy will pay for interfering with matters beyond his understanding!” The man spoke with more and more gusto...or perhaps madness.

Seeing that the man had forsaken the possibility of retreat or surrender, the masked man gave up on trying to persuade him otherwise. “Understood. I will design the best plan to accommodate my client’s wishes. That is my job, after all.”

“I admire your professionalism. Let’s get into details. What tricks do you have in mind?”

“If attacking Ryoma Takebayashi directly, you will need several well-trained fighters to do the job and to isolate the target before the attack. The target should be worn out as much as possible. Considering the reports on him, he would rather bring harm to himself than those close to him, which has driven him to actively sabotage our plan. Therefore, without having to interact with him directly, he is very unlikely to ignore trouble in the city or with someone close to him. If both were to happen at the same time, he would be stretched thin.”

“Is all of this necessary for a mere boy?”

“I believe that is the bare minimum required for a successful operation. That boy holds powers we still don’t know about.”

The man by the window considered the past reports. “All right. I trust your decision. Let’s go with that.”

“Thank you.”

“The boy has destroyed every plan we could conceive. We must take every possible precaution. I must correct myself... I keep thinking that a single child can only do so much.”

“Indeed, there is only so much that regular children could do. Our target just happens to be a boy outside the scope of what is normal. I was only lucky enough to see him in person, which helped me readjust my expectations early on.”

“Come to think of it, you used to be undercover in the guild, right?”

“We needed to set the stage for our initial plan.”

“What did you see?”

“I more felt it. When I realized that our initial plan was thwarted, I used a convenient request from another client, and as a form of petty revenge, sicced some money-grubbers his way. Watching his tactics, movements, and the air about him... It’s difficult to explain, but the boy is dangerous. He should not be approached directly if we can help it.”

“If he makes you say so...”

The man in the mask was a planner, the brain or command center of the underground guild that planned crimes, prepared supplies, and gathered human resources. They were the adviser to people like the man by the window, the clients of the underground guilds. Even in those guilds, certain trust and experience are expected for those in charge of planning or executing a quest. Especially because the slightest mistake could cost the team their lives, the weight of expectation on their leader was greater than other professions. Naturally, most planners were longtime criminals who had their hands in many gigs. The masked man had been introduced to his client as a young but talented planner, and had proven his usefulness until now. Because the man highly esteemed the planner, he was all the more surprised by the masked man’s confession.

“I am very much inexperienced,” the planner said. “In reality, the boy has ended three of my plans already.” Despite his self-deprecation, the planner sounded confident.

The client sensed a fire for revenge in his tone. “Very well... Let’s get back on the topic at hand. I’ll leave the details up to you. If possible, I want you to go after the president of the Morgan company. He has aided both Ryoma Takebayashi and Reinhart. His loss would come as a blow to both of them.”

“As you wish.”

“And now that I’m adding provisions to the original request, how much do I owe you?”

“Let me gather the men for the job first. But this is a result of my first plan failing. A plan B. I’ll have a heavy discount for the fee.”

“That’s fine by me, but send me the bill sooner than later. You won’t be able to collect the money from me when I’m imprisoned.” The man smiled. “Oh! If you’re going to give me a discount, I’d like to add another task.”

“Go ahead.”

“If I... You need to...” the man quietly explained.

“I can take that as a request, but are you sure? It may only hurt you in the end, and if you end up in that situation, there would be no way to cancel or change the plan.”

“That’s fine. I’ll spend as much money as it takes to pay back Reinhart and the Jamils. Here, take this too.” The man took an ornately designed sword off of the wall and presented it to the masked man. “A jeweled sword of orichalcum that my great-grandparents obtained. You could melt it down and still fetch a good price for it.”

“It must be a very valuable piece... This will pay for Ryoma Takebayashi’s elimination and your additional provisions.”

“If you’ll accept it, that’s fine with me. Saves me the time to gather the cash.”

A deal was struck.

As soon as the masked man took the sword, he vanished into the shadows. The man left behind returned to gazing out the window with a sinister grin on his face.