"You don't say," Cleon cast a fleeting glance through the empty frame of the window.
And sure enough, they were there, looming from just beyond the estate's border.
Cleon squinted his eyes.
"Those are Gilwart's men, alright."
His face darkened.
While not yet absolutely certain, he could tell what they were trying to do.
Gather a huge crowd in a low-key manor, then trash and burn the whole place up.
For as long as no one caught the perpetrators, the damage would be minimal enough for the guards not to pursue. It was mostly an abandoned lot, after all, so no one would pay any mind if it were to go up in smoke.
Because if Gilwart was willing to put on such a show, then that could only mean one thing.
He already paid the guards to simply look the other way.
This was a huge port town.
And its sparse policing force could hardly stop any crimes, rather than actively preventing them. So not a single soul would bat an eye if the young master's business, while still just an expensive dump of a ruin, would go up in flames.
Business as usual.
Gilwart, as one of the town's high merchants, could easily get away with it.
Cleon, however, had no plans of letting the man do as he wished.
"Go get someone to ask them what they are doing," he calmly commanded.
This wasn't the first time for Gilwart to use this tactic. He already destroyed three noble clans before pushing the development of his own family with the funds he robbed from the ruins left in his wake.
That's how he became one of the big merchants to begin with.
But the stories of those bloody events spread far and wide. And Cleon, often appearing in appropriate circles, heard all about them.
Gilwart could only run amok as he wished for as long as the news wouldn't get away. For as long as he kept things on the low, no one would pay any mind. Not the city guard, not the other nobles, nor any good samaritan. That is, unless… things would get out of hand.
No one would normally bother to react. But if given proper justification?
If his play would tragically backfire, leaving him exposed?
Cleon squinted his eyes.
He had long since planned appropriate contingency plans for if he ever became the victim of such a vicious power-play.
And the easiest way to go about it was to make everything way too loud for Gilwart's men, still too few in numbers for their plan of overwhelming the place, to ignore.
Cleon's name had a lot of sway in high circles. And if his men were to be seen fighting for their lives while trying to fend off Gilwart's attack, the word would spread like lightning.
And before the powerful magnate would turn his head, he would be facing a joint invasion of the alliance of the nobles.
While nowhere near as powerful as they were in the countryside, Gilwart stepped on the shoes of the local nobles. And they would be more than happy to jump on any opportunity to hit back.
'I never expected to use it so soon, but…'
Cleon looked around the half-cleaned second floor. He could see the potential of this place. And now that he was here, he could much better picture the few hints young master gave him when describing the project he had in mind.
This place had great potential. But if Gilwart's men were to succeed, it would be all for nothing.
Why were Gilwart's men attacking?
Cleon, while nowhere near as informed as the brothels, did hear some news.
About an upstart merchant with great wares for an even better price. How said merchant became a sensation overnight. And how he did so while stepping on Gilwart's toe, given how he had the monopoly over aromatics in the town.
Cleon didn't need to be a genius to connect the dots.
And the resulting picture?
'So that's how it is,' he thought, breathing out a long sigh.
His glance shifted, tracking one of his men as they stepped out to the back of the estate before directly approaching one of the gathering groups.
The two sides measured each other with long glares. Neither uttered a word.
Cleon's man rested his hand on the pommel of the short sword hanging off his belt.
The men on the other side of the fence hardly even squinted.
"Boss," one of Cleon's veterans peeked out from behind the doors. "We are ready."
"Go."
The time seemed to slow down a bit.
By the fence, the two sides continued to stare each other down. What was happening at the front, Cleon could only try to guess.
Then, a wave of energy cut through the air.
A subtle signal, only noticeable by those who already expected it.
Cleon's veteran at the back wasted no time. By the time he was still pulling his sword out of its scabbard, its blade was already shining with the mana he was imbuing into a spell coated upon the sword's edge.
But the other party was by no means incompetent.
They backed off quick enough to avoid any attacks, rendering the sudden ambush an entirely pointless escalation.
Cleon's man, however, merely smirked as he allowed the momentum of his weapon to carry his arm as he sliced his blade up into the air.
Energy in the air surged, pulling away as if it was suddenly attracted to something. And a moment later, a beautiful streak exploded with vivid colors in the sky.
A second later, a series of similar blooms appeared all over the remote district.
Then, without any added fanfare, everything ended.
But what were all those fireworks for, then?
One of the attacking officers clicked his tongue.
"Let's get out of here!"
A simple order.
They didn't have the numbers to just swarm the place. And unless they had an absolute advantage, how could they cover the retreat of those who spilled blood or set the fire?
Turning away… the officer twisted at his hips and swung right back.
The single instant Cleon's men lowered their guard, Gilwart's men attacked.
'They know they have no time for a full-on fight, so why…?'
Cleon watched as the last semblances of peace devolved into chaos, with both sides indiscriminately unleashing their spells, abilities, and auras.
'Still,' Cleon's hands grasped hard at the empty window-frame as he observed the situation. 'We just need to wait for the reinforcements."
He breathed a heavy sigh.
It would still be some time before other merchants and nobles oppressed by Gilwart's monopoly would gather their troops and mount the mission. So until then…
Things didn't take anywhere near that long, though. Because instead of reinforcements, it was the young master that appeared, hand-in-hand with that luxury whore that somehow became his assistant of sorts.
And the price that came with the girl?
Cleon didn't even want to imagine it.
But now that the owner had returned?
He couldn't help but be curious.
'Just what is a guy, who made Lady Shen follow his side, capable of?'