"It's no secret. I imagine most people have already heard." Roswaal set down his teacup. "It concerns the Witch Cult. Emilia's... let's call it an unclear connection to a certain historical figure. I knew what I was signing up for when I chose to support her. This trip is about getting ahead of potential trouble, putting countermeasures in place across my territory before anything happens."
Straightforward enough. No evasion, no double-speak.
"Makes sense."
From Roswaal's perspective, it was the only responsible move. If the Witch Cult caused serious damage within his domain and he'd done nothing to prevent it, the fallout wouldn't stop with him. Emilia would catch the worst of it. People would question her competence, and the bolder rumormongers wouldn't hesitate to fabricate ties between her and the cult itself. Once that kind of talk started, no amount of denial could stamp it out.
"You really do have your hands full, Rozchi."
"Don't I know it. If only I'd met Lady Felt sooner. Perhaps I'd have become your exclusive supporter instead."
Subaru bristled at the flattery but swallowed his retort. Like it or not, Roswaal was Emilia's only lifeline. Without him, her position would be far worse than Felt's, who at least had the luxury of caring about nothing beyond profit.
"Then the arrangement is settled. Who will accompany Emilia back to the mansion tomorrow to collect the payment?" Roswaal rose, already preparing to leave.
"Not me. I've got a full schedule." Felt chewed her lip, visibly torn. Tomorrow she needed to hit the Commoner District and spread the word about the knights' defeat, goading them into another challenge. A hundred Holy Gold Coins was tempting, but weighed against the potential haul from a second round with the knight order, the math was obvious.
"Then I'll..."
Gojo scratched his head, but Felt cut him off with a look of pure contempt. "Are you stupid? If you leave, what's the point of me drumming up challengers? What happens when the knights show up and you're not here?"
"Fair point."
"Betty is a Spirit. She stays with her Spirit Arts User." The moment Felt's gaze drifted her way, Betty took a deliberate step closer to Gojo, shutting that idea down before it formed.
With everyone seemingly unavailable, a silence fell. Then, as if on cue, every pair of eyes in the room swiveled toward Subaru.
"Huh? Me?"
"I mean, I'd love to go, but is it really okay to send me alone? That's a hundred Holy Gold Coins. If something goes wrong..."
He pointed at himself, doubt written across his face. Carrying that kind of money solo sounded like a recipe for disaster, and he'd never driven a Dragon Carriage in his life.
"Come to think of it, Reinhard's busy tomorrow too," Gojo mused, rubbing his chin.
"Wait. Didn't you say Grimm was pretty capable?" Felt's eyes lit up as she thought of the Astrea family's butler, Carol's husband. "We could ask Reinhard to send him along with Subaru. Problem solved."
Back when they'd left Meili home alone, Gojo had mentioned the couple were both quite skilled.
"That could work." He nodded.
Sending Meili was out of the question. She was still too unpredictable. If she tagged along, there was a decent chance Subaru would end up as Mabeast food halfway there, or worse, Elsa's new plaything.
"Then it's decided! I'll go tell Reinhard right now. You head out with Grimm tonight so you can leave first thing in the morning." Felt was already on her feet, practically vibrating. "Besides, you wanted to see Emilia, right? Consider it a bonus."
The thought of another hundred Holy Gold Coins rolling in filled her with giddy anticipation. Before all this, she'd never imagined money could come so easily. Back in the day, lifting a few copper coins meant risking everything. Now Holy Gold Coins practically fell into her lap like rain.
Is this what being a Royal Candidate feels like?
She asked herself that more and more often these days. And every time, Gojo earned another silent round of applause in her mind for suggesting they monetize the whole thing.
"Of course. Everything shall proceed according to your wishes, Lady Felt." Roswaal swept off his hat, bowed deeply, and departed.
"Come on, let's go find Reinhard."
Felt grabbed Subaru by the arm and hauled him away to arrange things, insisting Grimm and Subaru leave for Roswaal's mansion that very night so they could set out at dawn.
"Looks like we're off the hook. Finally, some rest." Gojo yawned and stretched.
"Enjoy it while it lasts."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Felt said if the knights don't take the bait, she'll have them challenge you directly. Don't tell me you've already forgotten."
"What a demanding little girl."
He flopped backward onto the bed without bothering to change.
"Betty, if you still love your Spirit Arts User at all, get the light for me."
"Drop dead."
A pillow sailed across the room with surgical precision and landed square on his face. Betty walked out without a backward glance.
"Ow..."
One muffled groan, and he was out cold.
The next morning, breakfast had barely been cleared before Felt was dragging Gojo out the door, Reinhard in tow. Their destinations diverged at the gate.
"I'm leaving Lady Felt in your hands." Reinhard held Gojo's gaze, earnest as ever.
"Relax. She's been fine all this time without you hovering." Gojo stifled another yawn, eyes watering behind his sunglasses. Felt the money-obsessed tyrant had pulled him out of bed at an ungodly hour. Sleep was apparently optional when profits were on the line.
"Go on, go handle your business. We've got this." Felt waved Reinhard off and seized Gojo's arm, pulling him toward the Slums at a brisk trot.
Time was money. The sooner the rumors spread, the sooner the coins followed.
Once inside the Slums, Felt navigated the winding alleys with the confidence of someone who'd grown up memorizing every shortcut. She led them to a dingy establishment that passed for a tavern and went straight to the barkeep. A few quick words, a gold coin flashed between her fingers.
The barkeep whistled. Within minutes, a pack of ragged children came pouring through the door. He gave them their instructions, and they scattered like startled birds.
Next came a handful of plainly dressed women. Same routine, same swift dispersal.
Last, a few rough-looking laborers. Same exchange, same result.
Felt nodded with satisfaction, slapped ten silver coins on the counter, and turned to leave.
"Let's go."
"Crude system," Betty observed from behind her, tone clinical.
"It works. That's all that matters." Felt didn't break stride. "And it's not like anyone's going to stiff us, considering who we are." She grinned over her shoulder. "Give it a day. By tonight, the entire Royal Capital will know. I used to take jobs like this myself. Once ran a tip about some count's mistress stepping out on him. Took half a day before the whole city was buzzing."
"All we have to do now is wait for the gossip to spread, then swing by the Knight Fortress this afternoon and see what happens."
Gojo had zero objections. The more downtime, the better. He had no desire to repeat yesterday's performance of Betty soloing the entire knight order.
They were heading back when Meili, who'd tagged along for the outing, glanced sharply to one side. A small bird fluttered down and landed on her outstretched hand.
"Big Bro, Sis says she wants to talk to you."
"Elsa?"
Gojo eyed the bird with mild surprise. He'd been using Meili as a leash to keep the assassin in check, turning the dangerous woman into something resembling an asset. But aside from sending her to gather intelligence once or twice, he'd never gone out of his way to contact her.
This time, she'd come to him.
"Let's go see her, then. Might as well let her check on you too, before she starts thinking we're mistreating you or something."
Following Meili's lead, they made their way to the Commoner District and an unremarkable inn tucked between two larger buildings. In one of the upstairs rooms, they found Elsa.
"Didn't expect you to reach out first." Gojo watched Meili throw herself into Elsa's arms. "Missing your little sister?"
"If that were all, I wouldn't have bothered you." Elsa stroked Meili's hair, smiling that quiet, dangerous smile of hers. "Roswaal contacted me."
Three words, and the room went still.
"Roswaal?" Gojo's eyebrows climbed. "Another job?"
"Don't tell me it's Emilia again."
Not just Gojo. Felt and Betty both leaned in.
"Yes and no." The curve of Elsa's lips didn't waver. Her gaze slid to Felt. "He wants me at his mansion in three days. The job is to kill everyone inside."
Silence.
Then a cascade of disbelief.
"Has he lost his mind?" Felt's voice pitched upward. "What is he thinking? If he doesn't want to support Emilia, he can just stop. Why would he do something like this?"
"It's not just Emilia." Betty's brow furrowed, her voice dropping low. "The two maids as well."
"Unbelievable. I asked him to hand over Rem, and he'd rather have her killed than let me have her." Gojo sighed, looking genuinely put out.
"Big Bro, I think you're focusing on the wrong thing." Meili lifted her face from Elsa's chest and blinked up at him.
"Don't try to be cute. I'm not that easy."
The attempt at earning goodwill thwarted, Meili buried her face back in Elsa's arms with a huff.
"When did he contact you?"
"Last night. We met this morning." Elsa produced a coin purse from inside her cloak and handed it over. "I accepted the job, as you instructed. Here's his payment."
Gojo opened it. Twenty Holy Gold Coins gleamed inside.
"Generous. Especially for a man who just told us he was strapped for cash."
"And that's only the deposit. There's more on completion."
"That bastard!" Felt's composure shattered. "I knew it. Every word out of his mouth was a lie! He's taking our money and using it to fund this garbage!"
"Subaru's going to lose it when he hears about this." Gojo could already picture it. The timing couldn't be worse. Subaru had barely left, and now this. "Especially since Emilia would've been in danger the moment he was gone."
"What is Roswaal even trying to accomplish?" Felt pressed her fingers against her temples.
"If he keeps pulling stunts like this, we should squeeze a massive payout out of him and cut ties for good. Dealing with this man is nothing but headaches."
"That's not the issue right now. The issue is Emilia." Gojo adjusted his sunglasses and fixed Felt with a steady look.
"What's there to worry about? Elsa's on our side. She just doesn't take the job. Done."
"This time, sure. Because he hired Elsa, and we intercepted it. But what about next time, when he hires someone we don't control?" He let the question hang. "You know how Subaru feels about her."
"Ugh, that idiot again." Felt knocked her knuckles against her own skull, wincing. "So what do we do? We can't exactly take Roswaal out. The man is the Kingdom's Head Magician. That kind of move would cause an uproar."
"Betty thinks the priority is figuring out what Roswaal is after."