Seeing who walked into his office, Daskar let out a sigh.
"Look, Marina. You're not the Guild Master anymore, remember? Even so, trying to meet with the lord of the territory without so much as a prior appointment — that's a bit much, don't you think?"
Setting the document he'd been reading on his desk, Daskar leveled the remark at her, and Marina nodded with a perfectly serious expression.
"You're right. Under normal circumstances, maybe so. But today, I thought I'd solve one of your problems for you, Daskar — well, not completely, but close enough."
"My problems? In that case, it's the matter of a certain someone standing right in front of me."
"Oh, how interesting. Has something happened to me?"
"...Hmph. So what is it you want, then? I've got plenty of problems."
She probably realized she could never win an argument with him. Looking thoroughly displeased, Daskar nonetheless prompted Marina to continue.
Knowing about his childhood — and especially having the ammunition of his childhood marriage proposal to Marina ready to deploy — Daskar had no choice but to surrender unconditionally. Rather than have something that could truly be called a dark history dragged into the light, he decided it was wiser to let the conversation proceed quietly.
Naturally, Marina understood exactly what was going through Daskar's head, but she chose not to press the advantage and instead got straight to the point.
"Are you aware of the situation Rei is currently caught up in?"
"Yeah. He got tangled up in an internal dispute with that firm which recently set up in Gilm. Same as always."
At Rei's personality — no, in this case, his nature. Perhaps it was better described as a trouble-attracting disposition. Daskar smiled with exasperation, yet somehow as though he found it genuinely amusing.
"It seems your intelligence network is functioning properly."
"Of course. Rei is an important figure in more ways than one. I make sure to keep thorough tabs on everything happening around him. Including the fact that you, Princess Vihera, and Byune have formed a party called the Crimson Lotus Wings."
Marina wasn't particularly surprised that he knew about the party's formation. After all, the fact that he was already aware of Rei's involvement in the Spiel Firm's internal dispute meant his intelligence-gathering was considerably detailed. If he knew that much, it wouldn't be strange for him to know about the Crimson Lotus Wings as well.
"That's right. And there's been a development in the matter Rei is caught up in. Do you know about it?"
"A carriage crashed into the branch office, and in the confusion, the branch manager's guard was killed, right?"
"Yes. We captured the assassin who killed that guard — Keena — and managed to get some information out of her..."
At Marina's words, Daskar finally let his surprise show. He may have known about the assassin, but the fact that Marina and the others had already captured her clearly hadn't made it into his reports yet.
...Though that was only natural. Barely any time had passed between Marina handing Keena over to the guards and arriving at the lord's manor. Marina had simply been faster than the Guard Force's reporting chain.
"...So? What are you asking of me? Knowing you, Marina, there's a reason you're sharing this information."
"Of course there is. First, it appears the man who commissioned Keena was the one serving as Precious's guard. If that person tries to leave Gilm, I want you to detain him — within the limits of what's feasible — and notify me."
"Well, the moment someone commissions an assassin to eliminate a target, they're unquestionably a criminal. I can't let someone like that roam free... but if I don't know what they look like, there's not much I can do, is there?"
"That's true. So, only as much as is possible. And regarding Keena herself... she's an assassin by trade, but from what I gathered in speaking with her, her personality isn't particularly bad. Her skills are decent, too. She'd be perfectly serviceable as a member of the Prairie Wolves?"
"You want me to recruit a criminal assassin? Isn't that a bit unreasonable?"
"Is it? By that same logic, the Prairie Wolves were originally bandits, weren't they?"
"...Self-styled righteous thieves."
"From the perspective of ordinary people, there's no difference. Besides, I'd like Keena to help us out a little with the Precious situation. As compensation for that cooperation, how about you spare her from execution and take her on as one of your subordinates?"
Daskar frowned, pondering Marina's proposal.
His direct intelligence organization — the Prairie Wolves included — was by no means overflowing with personnel. And from past experience, he knew Marina's eye for judging people was reliable. Given that, it might be worth considering her offer.
He did think so. The reason he couldn't simply nod along was, ultimately, that he had reservations about the idea of embracing an assassin.
But even so, Daskar weighed what would best serve the interests of Gilm — of the Margrave Larcus's Territory — and eventually gave a nod.
"Understood. I'll accept your proposal."
In the end, Daskar agreed to Marina's plan. There were certainly issues to work through, but being able to bolster the Prairie Wolves' ranks was something he genuinely appreciated.
...Incidentally, while the Prairie Wolves had once been the name of a righteous thief band, it now served as the designation for Daskar's direct intelligence organization. Their numbers were currently far from sufficient. Egg, who led the unit, had brought in a few old acquaintances, but the shortage of personnel remained a real problem.
If Marina had found someone she deemed suitable, he had no intention of objecting. Naturally, this Keena would need to be vetted by Egg, but judging by Marina's demeanor, there was little worry of her being rejected.
The internal conflict within the Spiel Firm was somewhat problematic, but even that wasn't particularly unprecedented. Well, for it to escalate into such a large-scale confrontation was perhaps a touch unusual, but it wasn't as though similar situations didn't exist elsewhere.
Weighed against the benefits Gilm stood to gain, minor issues were hardly worth worrying about.
"Thank you. That helps us out a great deal."
"Yeah, glad to hear it. Now, I have work to do, so once you're finished with your business, kindly see yourself out. Unlike a certain someone, I'm a busy man. ...Here."
Even as he spoke to Marina, Daskar swiftly drafted a document and held it out. It was a writ that, once presented to the Guard Force, would authorize Keena to be utilized relatively freely.
Under normal circumstances, something like this couldn't be handed over so casually, but even though Daskar found Marina difficult to handle, he trusted her. He didn't hesitate for a moment.
"Thank you. Then I'll get moving right away."
"Right. ...I appreciate it."
With Daskar's brief words of gratitude at her back, Marina left the office with a small smile.
To Marina, Daskar was someone she had known since he was a boy. Seeing him serve so capably as lord of the territory, she couldn't help but feel a swell of pride.
Leaving Daskar behind, Marina set off immediately for the Guard Station.
Right in front of the cell at the Guard Station, Vihera was lounging with Byune at her side.
...Yes, lounging. Behaving as though the spot in front of a jail cell was no different from a room at the Wheat Inn where they always stayed.
"I'll say this even though I'm the one who got caught... but why are you making yourselves so comfortable here? I'm not going to run off even if you don't keep watch, you know?"
Keena spoke to Vihera with a look of mild exasperation.
But the person she addressed didn't seem to pay Keena's attitude any mind as she replied.
"It can't be helped. There's a chance the other side has already figured out you've been captured and might send someone to silence you. If that happens, do you really think you could handle it from inside a cell — bare-handed, at that?"
"That would be difficult, obviously. But even so, I could see them trying it somewhere else, but would they really come all the way to the Guard Station?"
"Normally, no. But the person who commissioned Keena might be Precious's guard — the one pulling the strings behind this whole incident, remember?"
"...Now that you mention it, you did say something along those lines. So that's why you're standing guard? Going to all this trouble just for me?"
The cell Keena currently occupied was what was known as a solitary cell. Someone who had caused a disturbance in the city would normally be placed in a block with multiple cells, often sharing a single cell with several other people.
But Keena was the only one here. No one else was around.
This was directly because Vihera had spoken to the guards about the possibility of an assassin coming. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't listen so obediently to the word of a single adventurer, but the fact that the information had come from Vihera — a member of the Crimson Lotus Wings — carried significant weight.
Marina, the former Guild Master. Rei the Alias-Bearer. The Crimson Lotus Wings, which counted these two among its members, had been established for less than a month. Yet given who its members were, it was only natural that the party commanded immediate respect in matters of trust.
...Vihera herself was also an exceptionally skilled adventurer, but her name recognition in Gilm wasn't particularly high. As for Byune, her fame was even lower than Vihera's. Even so, the mere fact that she belonged to the Crimson Lotus Wings entitled her to such consideration.
"That's how deadlocked things have been. Honestly, I have no idea why Precious would do something to expose his tail like this, but this incident is the perfect opportunity for us. If we bring the person who commissioned you right to your doorstep, you'll be able to identify them, won't you?"
"...For the record, I may not look it, but I am a professional from the underworld. I'd rather not sell out a client."
"Oh? But if things stay as they are, it's the executioner's block for you, isn't it? Cooperate with us, and you just might live to see another day."
"Huh?"
She had no idea what Vihera was talking about. Keena stared at her in bewilderment, but Vihera tilted her head for a moment before apparently remembering she hadn't mentioned Marina yet.
"Right now, Marina is meeting with the lord of this territory. If the negotiations go well, Keena will be recruited into Gilm's intelligence unit. ...Of course, if you'd prefer death over that prospect, I won't force the issue."
"I'll join the intelligence unit!"
Keena's shout came at a speed that could only be called reflexive.
She had steeled herself for death, but if there was a chance to survive, it was only human nature to want to take it. What's more, though she hadn't let it show, Keena had in fact been fully prepared to escape before her execution could be carried out. Whether through a forced breakout, or by seducing one of the male guards into helping her, or some other method entirely...
Regardless, for someone who had been scheming along those lines, the chance to dodge execution through legitimate means was an opportunity she couldn't possibly pass up.
At Keena's shout, Byune — who had been idly scanning her surroundings — briefly turned her gaze toward the cell. She appeared bored, but in reality, she was keeping watch so she could react the instant an assassin appeared.
However, while Byune possessed a respectable level of ability as a thief, she was the type whose talents leaned heavily toward combat. Unlike Set, she couldn't sense an approaching opponent with absolute certainty. Even so, her ability to detect irregularities in her surroundings as a thief was sharper than Vihera's.
Even Byune had been caught off guard by Keena's sudden shout, inadvertently turning toward the cell. She immediately resumed her surveillance of the area.
"That was a quick decision. Well, I'm glad to hear it. ...So, just to confirm: you're fine with joining the intelligence unit?"
"Yes. If it means I won't be executed, then that's fine. ...I am a little curious about this intelligence unit, though."
For some time now, rumors had been circulating that Gilm's intelligence unit had grown dramatically in strength, and as someone connected to the underworld, Keena was well aware of this. She never imagined she'd end up joining them herself, but that only made her more curious about what kind of organization it actually was.
"Apparently, Rei made the introduction, and the lord of Gilm recruited them."
"...That boy really does have his fingers in everything, doesn't he."
At Keena's muttered exasperation, Vihera had no words to deny it. It was an undeniable truth — anyone who spent time alongside Rei would learn that soon enough.
"Mn!"
Amidst the conversation, Byune suddenly let out a sharp cry.
The tension woven into that single syllable made it unmistakably clear that something was happening.