I can’t wipe out the orphans.

Also, I can’t just hand everything over to the Shadow of the Eagle knowing they’ll be sacrificed.

Yuron flatly rejected both conditions I proposed, and thanks to that, I got to show off how generous I am by bringing forth a third proposal.

Since the Guild that rejected the proposal to eliminate the source of the problem—meaning, to neatly tidy up the orphans so they don’t become an issue—still wants cooperation from the Shadow of the Eagle, there’s only one way left.

“Then let’s do this. I’ll allow the Guild to manage the orphans as they are now. However, I’d like you to take on a greater sense of responsibility.”

“…Responsibility?”

Yuron asked back in a low voice as if confused about what I meant.

“I mean, let’s say that you will manage the orphans we own, Yuron. If anything happens to them, the Guild will take responsibility and compensate us.”

If killing those orphans is such a big no-no, then the Guild should ensure that they are meticulously protected without a scratch. That was my third proposal.

This was, of course, a choice that only brought losses to the Guild… but still, it was far more merciful ethically than the previous two proposals.

I pinpointed Yuron’s shaky morality with this proposal.

“Oh, and I’m sure you understand, but for that to happen, you’ll obviously need to hand over the details of the orphans you manage, right? And also provide status reports from time to time.”

Of course, this was also a proposal that accurately captured Ashel’s desires.

While Ashel remembers all the names and ages of the orphans, only Yuron knows where they currently are and what they’re doing.

Yuron had been using that information to take advantage of Ashel, so I forced him to share it with us.

In case something happened to those kids, Ashel could check and deal with it appropriately without going through the Guild.

“Hmm…can I ask just one thing? If I accept the proposal…”

Though I didn’t think he discerned my inner thoughts, Yuron asked back with a suspicious expression, as if something was bothering him after hearing my proposal.

“…If those kids were to ‘accidentally’ die or go missing, our side would have to pay massive compensation, wouldn’t we? Am I wrong?”

He was probing whether I had any plans to secretly assassinate the orphans and then play innocent while asking for compensation.

I was speaking in a roundabout way, but the implication was clear.

“Ahaha, no way! Do we look like a bunch of beggars? Do you think we’re so desperate that we’d orchestrate some petty trick just to scrape together a bit of change?”

I burst into laughter, shaking my head as if to say what nonsense he was talking.

“Don’t worry. As long as you manage those orphans well so they don’t become an unnecessary nuisance, there won’t be any issues. We certainly don’t want to waste time and resources on something worthless.”

Setting aside the fact that my proposal was all a ploy to deceive Yuron and reassure Ashel, would the Shadow of the Eagle really stoop to such third-rate villain tactics?

Unbeknownst to Yuron, the Shadow of the Eagle was, after all, an organization personally formed by the future king of this country.

Sure, there might be occasional slip-ups at some branches, but those who would tarnish a contract made in the organization’s name with silly pranks were few and far between.

“Besides, assassins aren’t omnipotent. If your side simply protects those orphans diligently, it won’t be easy for us to leave a trace.”

Sure, if I looked hard enough, I could probably find a few assassins capable of such work, but deploying a talent like that on such a trivial task would be an enormous waste of resources.

Only after these clarifications did Yuron finally seem to understand as he nodded and signed the contract drafted on the spot.

In the midst of it, he tried to negotiate one last time, but I firmly rejected it, stating this was my final offer.

After putting on the ultimate act with all sorts of absurdities, bluffing, and bravado, I finally managed to create a contract true to my position. So I had to push ahead confidently.

If the conversation dragged on any longer, and if my bluster and lies were uncovered, things could get really messy. Don’t you think?

So I forced Yuron into a choice: either accept this condition or refuse and fight on his own with the Guild until his downfall. Yuron suppressed his animosity toward me and chose the former.

And thus, everyone lived happily ever after.

…Yuron ended up unhappy, you say?

I wouldn’t know about that.

I gave a chance to someone who, had I not helped, would have never shed the stigma of being the deluded leader of the Guild and probably met an untimely end, to become the owner of Pesengwigel.

Of course, since Yuron had no way to know his original fate, he’d naturally blame me. But really, he should’ve been grateful to me.

Because I saved him, after all.

I don’t intend to brag about it, though.

======{ Yuron Frederick }======

Right after an uninvited guest showed up with the head of an old enemy and left it as a ‘gift.’

“Huff…”

Leaning back on the sofa in his office, Yuron smoked a thin cigarette accompanied by brandy, trying to suppress his rising anger over and over.

For about an hour, he remained silent until the entire office was filled with dense smoke like a ceremonial oven.

– “It was a pleasant conversation. I hope we can continue smiling and facing each other in the future.”

The face of the woman who had smiled when saying that vividly etched itself into his drunken brain and kept fading in and out.

That face, the urge to stab a sword into the jaw revealed beneath the blackish gray helmet took a superhuman level of patience for Yuron to suppress.

He repeated to himself dozens or hundreds of times that he had to hold back because he couldn’t win by fighting.

‘Did I choose the wrong partner to work with…?’

They say regret only comes after everything is already too late. Yuron’s inner thoughts were exactly like that now.

When he flaunted his identity after massacring Daniel Furb, it seemed he acted without any real thought, making him seem like a prime target to take advantage of.

‘…I might have underestimated him.’

Who would have thought that beneath that seemingly foolish demeanor, he hid a cruel nature like a devil, sneaky like a snake?

‘Right. It stands to reason that an organization like the Shadow of the Eagle wouldn’t entrust such power and position to someone utterly mindless.’

The discretion to handle all matters within Pesengwigel shows that this person couldn’t just be a simple mid-level executive.

He was undoubtedly one of the key members with full trust from the organization.

And as with any organization, such positions aren’t given to just anyone.

Having come to that conclusion, Yuron shelved his previous biases and began reevaluating Hilde internally.

From someone who blindly focused on her own strength like a wannabe troll, to a cunning individual who uses deception to unsettle enemies while masterminding all sorts of sinister plots behind the scenes.

Those who know Hilde well might roll on the floor laughing at such a delusion, but…

‘…I must not let my guard down.’

Tragic—or perhaps comically—there was no one beside Yuron to tell him how big of a misconception this was.

Even if he suspected that someone like Ashel had given her some advice, he couldn’t come to a reasonable conclusion.

‘Yeah, it doesn’t make sense. A mere day is too short a time to build that kind of trust.’

Logically speaking, shouldn’t Yuron, who had maintained a reasonably good trading relationship until now, have any reason to jump headfirst into cooperation with a top executive of an assassination organization he had met for the first time?

That would be an obvious judgment for him.

Logically, how could he even begin to guess the true identities of Hilde and her comrades, that they were part of the hero party that joined forces with Prince Argantir to shed their stigma?

Ashel, having come to know that truth—which had dragged her into a web with international fugitives, heroes, and a prince of this nation—had chosen to cooperate.

That was not mere speculation but rather a matter of prophecy or foresight.

Of course, since Yuron was no prophet, he couldn’t have realized that truth.

He assumed that Hilde’s statement about Ashel coming into the Shadow of the Eagle was all a result of her being forced to bow to a threat of death.

‘There’s no way someone who was forced into an organization like that could genuinely serve with loyalty. I mean, that girl’s character is what it is.’

Due to a severe lack of information and some misunderstandings creeping in, Yuron kept making erroneous decisions, discarding correct ones as they appeared.

As the delusion deepened, only the pile of ashes in the ashtray kept burning down helplessly.