I pulled out my camera and opened a portal back into the city. Stepping through the other side into a dark alleyway where no one would be watching. I continued to walk forward, into the main road and following the crowd dressed in exotic garments. We were all heading towards the same destination, the opera house near the heart of the city, and the largest around.

  Even if the large crowd it was attracting were absent, its larges size compared to its neighboring building and the exaggerated design gave it presence. And that made it hard not to notice even from a distance.

  Inside, I walked over to the entrance leading to the private seating area, but a guard blocked the path as I stepped closer. I produced a letter from my coat with a special sigil stamped onto it, but he still didn't budge. That amused smirk and outstretched hand said it all.

  "Yeah yeah..." I huffed as I reached back into the dimensional pocket for a small pouch of gold, and then handed it to him. He weighed it in his hand, and once it was deemed sufficient, he finally granted me passage.

  I found the door with the same number plaque that was stated in the letter, and stepped through to get to the box seat where the informant would be at. I immediately saw him, past the opened red curtains. He turned his head slightly at the soft click as the door shut itself behind me, but almost immediately ignored it to view the performance below.

  I helped myself to the meat and cheese platter, taking the entire charcuterie board with me as I took my seat beside him. He still paid me no mind, only catching a few glimpses here and there before finally saying,

  "From our little exchange, I wasn't expecting to meet a representative of his instead."

  "The old man's been decommissioned for a while now," I explained with a mouthful of aged cheddar. "I thought he'd tell you that."

  "Oh please," he scoffed. "I've only briefly known him from a mutual exchange more than a decade ago, but I do remember that he's one to leave out the finer details."

  "I feel ya bud..."

  A long pause followed as the opera singer sang an octave higher, drowning the hall with his booming voice. It was only after this part of the performance concluded and they resumed with something more mellow did the informant continue.

  "Let me preface this by saying that I apologize for my... reservations going forward. Do understand that I am wary of you and your affiliates. For this is quite a tumultuous time we're in, and I do not know where you stand in all of this."

  I rested the board down on my lap, freeing my hand as I reached into coat for two small cylindrical objects wrapped in a deep red napkin. I placed it on his armrest and watched as he slowly unfurled the fabric to reveal two severed fingers, with rings bearing the respective family insignia of the two deceased.

  "Their deaths will not be taken lightly, you know?" he said calmly as he brought the golden band under the dim light just to make sure. Wasn't as unnerved as I thought he was going to be, just goes to show how long he's been in the game.

  "Oh sure, hate it when a long established member gets caught up in a disaster. Nobody could've seen it coming."

  "What sort of disaster?" he asked with a knowing look in his eyes.

  "Landslide. Crushed by boulders on their way to town. Flattening their bodies into paste, surely they wouldn't notice something's missing."

  He let out a quiet snort while placing the fingers down on the napkin and sealing them back inside of the damp cloth.

  "Don't mistake my amusement for complacency. As a matter of fact, it's the opposite. Your gesture could be interpreted as either your willingness to further our cause, or freedom to enact whatever you want in the name of your own. Either way, you are unpredictable and dangerous. So tell me, why I should help you?"

  "Hmm...? But as the saying goes: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. I couldn't care less about your politics, Simon, but the old man has a strong feeling that we're dealing with the same pest here, even if you don't think too highly of them just yet."

  "The main threat keeping the Artists' Guild on their toes are the small faction of nobles trying to impede on our rights. Though I doubt that's the common enemy that you were talking about, so throw in a bit more detail, would you? Those in parliament have no shortage of enemies."

  "The Demonic Cult, though they might've rebranded already."

  Simon let out a heavy sigh as he sunk back into his seat. The expression on his face wasn't that of concern, but a mix of exasperation and exhaustion. Like hearing of a chronic mole infestation in his field.

  "I see... Those people again. Last we've heard of them was more than a decade ago of course, when that predecessor of yours gave us a tip regarding their operation. But much like when our fathers and grandfathers tried to put an end to them, a few slippery bunch always manage to escape our grasp and build back their cult from the ground up."

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  "So, you got intel on their newest gig?"

  "Just a hunch, a few whispers here and there about some "new world order". Almost exclusively exchanged in noble circles."

  "Does it involve the mages? Because they sounded more than happy to kick you commoners out."

  He shook his head, but the doubt in his expression said it all. He must've noticed that I was staring, unflinching, and began to rack his brains for an explanation that would satisfy me. Even if it was a hypothesis that he had just concocted.

  "They're a stubborn bunch. Puritans as well, so I doubt they'd seek help from demonic forces which they saw as filthy. But assuming that this new philosophy spread around the nobility is related to the cult, and this new world order is some promised utopia where the aristocrats reign supreme once more..."

  "Sounds exactly like what I heard those two mages wanted."

  "But I still doubt their involvement with it, like I said they are stubborn. What's most likely happening is either they begrudgingly chose to turn a blind eye, or in all their hubris thought they could cast them aside once the cult has exhaust all its uses. Which, let's be honest, how many times have you heard of a mage thinking he could control something far bigger than they are only for it to blow up in their faces?"

  "Too many to count. Surprised it isn't used more as a cautionary tale."

  But there was no stopping human arrogance. Especially for those that firmly believed that they possessed a higher standing and live for a higher cause compared to the rest.

  "Anything else you need to know? Because I'll be gone once the show's over."

  "You are a parent, aren't you?"

  "Yes, but I don't see how that is of any importance," he then squinted his eyes and lowered his tone. "Unless you're planning to somehow turn that into blackmail, but I wouldn't consider that if I were you."

  "Do I look like I'm dumb enough to consider it in front of you?" I could see that he didn't appreciate my quip, but I pushed on and clarified my reason for the sudden curiosity. "Since you are one, then you must know what's been floating around with kids these days, no?"

  He was still skeptical, justifiably so. Had to wonder why the stark contrast between this topic and the one we've just discussed. And as a father, mentioning both a cult and children in the same conversation must've set off a few alarms in his head.

  But this was a transaction. And as much as he didn't want to, he was obliged to ask,

  "What do you want to know?"

  "Loosen up a little," I chuckled at his unnerved tone. Different to how he had conducted himself earlier. "I just need everything that you know about this girl that the crown prince has been gushing over. If you've heard anything about her."

  "Fiona, huh? Her background is not a well-kept secret, but the more you learn about her, the more intriguing she becomes. Though anything more than that, I won't be able to provide. Not out of safety or principle, but because there's truly not much that can be said about her."

  "That's fine. I just need to know where to start."

  "Alright then. Fiona is..."

  ??????

  "...an ordinary girl."

  I had waited in anticipation while Alicia struggled to form an answer. Had expected her to answer almost immediately with a long rant, or at least described Fiona using a more insulting description.

  The anger was still there, visible in the way her brows furrowed. But a part of it was directed inwardly at herself. For struggling to find the faults in Fiona, for losing the affection of her fiancé to someone who she considered to be lacking in so many ways.

  "That's it?"

  "What more can I say?" she shrugged. "Her only notable achievement—if you could even call it that—was getting adopted by the Grand Magus of the Mage Tower and placed under his tutelage from a young age. Most would wait for years before they could even get a drop of his wisdom, and some orphan is being taught magic from scratch exclusively by him."

  "Didn't you say that mages are elitist?"

  "Yeah, and that's the question everyone's been asking since she first made her appearance here. If you ask her directly, she's gonna spout something about love and pity every single time like a broken record. But honestly, just one look at how the Fraternity acts around her is enough to know there's something else at play."

  There was more that I wanted to ask about Fiona. But I know that she only provided one half of the picture. From what I saw, they tend to avoid one another, even avoiding eye contact altogether. And when they interact it was seemingly tense and bitter.

  Plus, it was getting a little late. I don't want to chase curfew at the last few minutes before the time limit. And I rather asked her about something, or someone, far more important for my cause.

  "You hit that boy earlier today in weapon combat."

  "He deserved it," Alicia scoffed. "Zefer has been the class clown since enrollment. Get into trouble with the teachers, gets mediocre grades, and always fail his practicals in the most spectacular ways. I usually ignore his shenanigans, but I never thought he'd throw our match for some laughs. A goddamn idiot is what he is..."

  Geez... Where was this level of effort when it was Fiona's turn? Now I was starting to think that it'd be easier to try and patch things up between her and Fiona than to get her to just talk with Zefer in a civilized manner.

  "Have you ever wondered why?"

  "Because he's a jackass who gets a kick out of humiliating himself, that's why!"

  "Okay... But have you ever considered that maybe it could be the opposite?" I paused. Letting the silence feed into her curiosity. "Faking mediocrity takes skill, you know? And I'm sure you noticed it during your fight, right? He was holding back."

  "Are you trying to insinuate that he's more talented than we all give him credit for?"

  "We'd only know for certain if we give him the chance, won't we? So let's meet up like this again, with Zefer next time."

  I threw the offer in the air, and half-expecting for her to immediately shot it down, but instead it looked like she was actually considering it. I waited with bated breath for her answer, but I had feeling deep down that she wasn't going to make it easy for me.

  "Fine, but let's make it a study group. I can tell you more about Feuille and this academy, but I also want something in return aside from the entertainment of seeing you try to convince me otherwise about Zefer."

  "W-what do you want?"

  "Let's see... The only class I struggle with is advanced magical theory. There's a test coming up next week, if you can ace it then I will recognize your expertise and agree to this arrangement. Deal?"

  "Deal."

  She was a little unnerved at how I readily agreed to it. She must think that I was either confident or just stupidly determined. But really, I just knew that I was going to cheat my way into a hundred, or whatever grading system this world used.

  "Alright then, see you in a week, Ms. Tojou."