IT WAS ALL PART OF THE PLAN

"There is still one last job to finish," John Smith muttered.

I left him there, digging a hole in the middle of a snowy battlefield, and headed back to the Royal Capital. I figured he was probably digging Gettan's Grave. Or maybe he was just looking for a place to bury his own past? Looking at Gettan's peaceful face as he went—so different from the monster he’d become—I couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia.

I spent a night in the capital, collected the Gold Coins I’d just laundered using those genuine banknotes, and hauled the loot back to the hideout.

John Smith had been kind enough to heal my wounds with that ridiculous magic of his. Even the hideous scar on my back had vanished, leaving my skin as smooth as if nothing had ever happened. He really is a miracle worker, isn't he?

My body was healed, and my heart felt lighter. I wanted to believe it was finally over. But those last words Gettan spat out—'The Cult'—were stuck in my head like a bad song.

What the hell happened to him to make him change like that?

Was my revenge actually finished?

If Gettan was just a puppet being danced around... then the True Enemy was still out there somewhere.

I finally made it to the hideout and lugged my Gold Coins over to the safe. I popped the door open and nearly choked.

"What the...?"

The safe was empty. Cleaned out. Not a single coin left.

As I stood there like an idiot, a Black-clad Woman appeared behind me without making a sound. Talk about a dramatic entrance.

"You must be Yukime of the Snow Fox Company," she said. "Or should I call you one of the bosses of the Lawless City?"

I spun around, my heart hammering against my ribs. Standing there was a stunning Elf with Platinum Hair.

"Who are you?" I asked, my hand already inching toward my Iron Fan.

"I am Alpha. A member of Shadow Garden," she replied coolly. "Judging by that look on your face, he hasn't told you anything yet."

"Alpha..."

I knew John Smith—or Shadow—was the Leader of Shadow Garden. But he’d never actually brought them up. Typical. The man is a vault of secrets.

"So, you're his little business partner," Alpha said, her eyes scanning me. "And the woman Gettan of the Great Commerce Alliance once loved."

"What’s your point?" I snapped.

"I’m here to deliver a letter. I already opened it—force of habit—but it felt right to give it to you personally."

"What is this?"

She handed me a single, weathered envelope.

"The Great Commerce Alliance is going to collapse before the day is out," Alpha explained. "I’ve been busy 'recovering' assets before they vanish. This was in Gettan's Room. It’s addressed to you... think of it as a final testament."

"Gettan's...?"

I took the letter and started reading. The first thing I noticed was how messy the handwriting was. Since he was blind, he must have struggled to write it all by himself without any help. But even in the crooked lines, I could see his old penmanship. It felt... warm.

The letter was a long confession to me and the people of our old village. He spent most of it cursing his own weakness. Then, things got dark.

"The Cult of Diabolos..."

The name of the monster that had turned Gettan into a shadow of his former self.

I finished the letter and looked Alpha straight in the eye.

"I’m a creature of the Lawless City," I said. "I’ve heard rumors about an organization running things from the shadows. Information is my business, after all."

"That organization is the Cult of Diabolos," Alpha said. "And Shadow Garden exists to burn it down. He—Shadow—is leading that charge."

"Lord John is doing all that...?"

"He probably knew the Cult was behind your past the whole time," Alpha said with a small, knowing smile. "That’s why he stepped in. He didn't just save you from ruin; he showed you the way forward."

"Ruin? What are you talking about?"

Alpha’s smile widened. It was the look of someone who knew the ending of the book while I was still stuck on chapter one.

"The Mitsugoshi Company is actually just a Front Company for Shadow Garden."

"Wait—what?! No way!"

"Everything that’s happened—from the very beginning—has been dancing right in the palm of his hand."

The realization hit me like a physical blow. That day in the Lawless City, when I first pitched my plan to Shadow... my destruction had been set in stone the moment I opened my mouth. He could have crushed me along with the Great Commerce Alliance.

But he didn't. He gave me a path. He saved me and pointed me toward the True Enemy.

"Lord John... he did all of this?"

"Sorry about the safe, by the way," Alpha added, not sounding sorry at all. "We’ve confiscated all the Gold Coins."

"Right... and with that, the Mitsugoshi Company survives the credit collapse."

"And they’ll seize every single trade route the Great Commerce Alliance used to own. Their monopoly will be absolute."

"So Lord John... I mean, Lord Shadow, saw through the entire thing from the start. He played us all."

"If you want to call him a traitor, go ahead," Alpha said. "He’s the type who’d just shrug and accept the blame anyway. But before you do, think about the path he’s opened up for you."

I shook my head. As if I could ever hate him.

"I’m not that ungrateful. I’m the one who tried to mess with the Mitsugoshi Company in the first place. Lord Shadow could have erased me with a snap of his fingers."

"True enough."

"He saved me. That’s the only fact that matters. And now I have a target. My revenge won't be over until the Cult of Diabolos is ashes."

Alpha nodded, looking satisfied with my answer.

"We’re prepared to take you in. If you’re willing, keep running the Snow Fox Company. You’ll be our link to the Lawless City, handling the kinds of jobs the Mitsugoshi Company can’t touch."

"I see. Mitsugoshi takes the light, and Snow Fox takes the shadows. Is that the play?"

"He’s already cleared the way for you. Juggernaut is gone. You’re the undisputed queen of the Lawless City now."

"He even predicted that? Seriously... we really are just dancing on his palm, aren't we?"

"Every single one of us," Alpha replied.

We both shared a smile—the kind of look you only see on people who are hopelessly obsessed with a genius they can't even begin to understand.

"I look forward to our partnership," Alpha said.

"Likewise. Although, I’m starting to realize Lord Shadow has quite a lot of 'important' people in his life. It’s a bit of a headache."

"Oh? What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing, just talking to myself. Here, you might as well take the Gold Coins I brought with me today, too."

"Much appreciated. Once we’ve stabilized the credit collapse, we’ll make sure the Snow Fox Company is well taken care of."

And so, we walked out of the hideout together, plotting out a future that—let's be honest—Shadow had probably already written in his head months ago.