Stolen Blueprints

"If we do clash, it won't be an easy opponent. I recommend cooperating with Dyke's side to get a reasonable number of people." 

Gang, gang… . 

I've taken on various commissions from corporations, mercenaries, criminal organizations, and scavengers, but this is my first time dealing with a gang, aside from the time I was with Amnak Pharmaceuticals. 

Unlike others who follow the rules to some extent and fit in with the order of the underworld, these are criminals who were born lawbreakers and are stimulated by violence. 

If you were to deal with it, how much burden would you have to be prepared for? 

What are the chances that support coming from Dyke's side will help? 

Regardless of how prepared Leo was, it is always advisable to assume the worst and prepare accordingly. 

If Panoa's support is completely lost and he is left to face Cigar Bang alone, he should start preparing little by little from now on so that he can deal with the unexpected situation rationally. 

It was something that had to be done at least before Dyke's second commission began. 

While Leo, who had roughly gathered his thoughts, picked up a glass of whiskey, Jenny brought out a laptop and turned the screen upside down. 

"Just look at this for a minute." 

"what?" 

"I've compiled about 5 anonymous requests targeting wizards and designated requests targeting you. Check them out." 

I wasn't thinking about taking on a job because I was still thinking about getting my body together... .. If Jenny says something like that, it must not be something she says without thinking. 

Leo immediately grabbed his laptop and started looking through the list of requests she had compiled. 

Two from the corporate side. One from the office. 

The first three requests are common ones that require the firepower of a wizard in common conflicts that occur on this floor. 

The fourth request was again from the scavengers, seeking a useful scrounger type wizard who would volunteer to explore the underground waterworks. 

And finally. Leo stopped when he found a name that seemed somehow familiar, and quietly looked up at Jenny. 

"… … " 

Sebastian. 

The name of the broker who had given him a business card last time was written there. 

Considering that it was a place name request that named exactly half of the people, the parties involved are probably certain. 

"Is this how brokers do business these days?" 

"Well, but if you look at the amount I'm asking for, I don't think they're just trying to make sales." 

The advance payment Sebastian offered to recruit Leo was a whopping 22 million cells. 

To this extent, it was difficult to think that it was simply to attract Leo's attention. 

"I think he's looking for you because he has something he really wants to formally entrust to you. Don't you think you could be of help with this?" 

"hmm….." 

Leo rested his chin on his hand and sat deep in thought, but on the other hand, he couldn't help but feel curious about the appearance of a client he had never expected to see. 

According to what I heard from Jenny before, the clients he mainly deals with are mostly wealthy individuals rather than organizations. 

And, among those customers, there will undoubtedly be quite a few who are well-versed in the workings of a business. 

If we could eavesdrop on the internal workings of such companies, especially Dyke, through Sebastian… . 

That might not be a bad deal. 

"Are you okay?" 

"I told you; it doesn't matter to me. If you were planning on working with that guy, you would have gone to see him a long time ago. And…" 

"And?" 

"My name is already on the deep web as your broker." 

Leo, seeing Jenny's playful grinning expression, couldn't help but laugh along with her. 

To be able to make such a pun, having just seen off such a vicious guest, is a very sensitive person. 

And Leo didn't find her personality that bad. 

"Okay. Then let's go and have a look." 

"I'll contact you to ask if you'd like to submit an acceptance request. Do you know how much Sebastian annoyed me the last time I was called to the assembly?" 

Was it that he had already been working on both material and spiritual matters without knowing it? 

Instead of responding, Leo just smiled and left the bar. 

# 

District 45. 

A small bustling area where Sebastian's office is located. 

The 40s district has relatively little development, so it does not receive many benefits from the city government in terms of public safety or welfare, but it is no different from the completely abandoned 50s district. 

It's hard to say that the people living in this street are all those good citizens, but isn't it still a neighbourhood where people live, even if they lack some sense of ethics? 

In that sense, Sebastian's office was quite unique, and in some ways, it matched his first impression well. 

Instead of an ordinary building, it has a metaphysical design that seems to have been designed by an architect. 

Sebastian was smiling kindly in front of a building with a soft, streamlined shape that would have been acceptable if it had been located inside the 10th district. 

"Welcome. Is this your first time seeing me since I saw you at the bar?" 

"… … Is this your office?" 

"Then should I have called someone to someone else's office? Just come in and talk." 

As you pass through the splendid lobby reminiscent of an art gallery and climb the spiral staircase, you see a cozy office with a backdrop of pure white marble. 

A man who had been loitering in front of the office door got up and awkwardly greeted me. 

"Oh, nice to meet you." 

He is an older looking man with grey hair and an old suit. 

Rather than fitting in with the world, he seems more like an ordinary office worker…. If Sage of a pharmaceutical company gets older, will he look like that? 

A bruise on her lip stands out, seemingly out of place. 

Sebastian introduced the man very naturally. 

"This is Madison, who came to my office for personal reasons. This is the magician class. She is a very capable freelancer." 

I don't know when we worked together and now, we're talking like this, but there's no reason to hesitate to put gold on your face. 

Leo let the man named Madison go into the office first, then whispered to Sebastian. 

"The advance payment that was posted on the deep web was this guy's, not yours, Sebastian." 

"Did you notice?" 

I was waiting for Leo outside the office door, but if there was a new guest, the story was obvious. 

Sebastian just wanted to hire Leo, so he resorted to this trick of double hiring him. 

Despite Leo's comment, his expression did not change at all, and he skilfully opened the office door and responded. 

"It's a method that is openly used among brokers who are familiar with each other. First of all, changing brokers registered on the deep web is very cumbersome, and temporarily borrowing customers is much more convenient. Since we are paying each other anyway, it's not a big problem." 

"I haven't said anything yet about accepting the request." 

"Isn't this a problem that can be solved by listening to it first and then deciding?" 

As Sebastian sat down with three cups of coffee ready, Madison began to speak with difficulty. 

Blueprint 

He is said to be the head of the development department of Autable, a fairly well-known automobile company in the Balkans, and is in charge of a new model project that is a matter of life and death for the company. 

The problem is that the blueprints for the model that was completed at the end of the project were stolen by a group of freelancers of unknown origin while being transported. 

The scars on his face are said to have occurred during an altercation with the robbers. 

"I would like to recover the blueprints as intact as possible, but if not, I would like to hire you on the condition that the leaked blueprints be completely destroyed." 

Sebastian gently comforted Madison, who was fidgeting even while telling her story, as if she was going through a lot of emotional distress. 

"Don't worry. The half-wizard is a very capable person who has never failed a single request so far. I'm sure he'll be of great help." 

"… … … ." 

Leo looked at him in bewilderment at his absurd assertion. 

That's not wrong, but it's not right either. 

I've been living a pretty hard life up until now, but I haven't even had ten major projects that could be called requests, so what's the use of saying something like this? 

But Madison quickly regained her composure, as if she had found some comfort in those words. 

Sebastian continued to coax and comfort Madison with great care, extracting the information he needed for the request, and eventually successfully sending the calm office worker back to his home. 

Sebastian watched Madison drive away in a shiny silver sedan, then silently took a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it. 

A lighter floating in the air lights itself and smoke rises. 

Leo watched the scene quietly and sipped the remaining coffee. 

Looking at that sight, I could understand to some extent the hardships of the service industry. 

After standing silently for a while, he turned his head and asked Leo. 

"What do you think?" 

"I don't know what it means." 

Leo responded coolly. 

"What else can you know, other than that this guy named Madison is lying?" 

"… … If you knew that, there would be no need to talk at length." 

Sebastian, who took the seat at the head of the table where Madison had been sitting, nodded at Leo with a satisfied smile. 

There was a sense of satisfaction in that gaze, as if it were not disappointing expectations. 

"The only injury you got while fighting off a robber who was trying to steal the blueprints was a bruise on your lip. There's a limit to bragging… It's embarrassing to hear." 

A new project from Otterble Corporation. 

The robbers who came to steal the blueprints knowing about their existence blatantly revealed their tracks, but Madison was released unharmed? 

It's ridiculous to send someone away with only a bruise on the lip after having a fist fight. 

The Balkan ecosystem that Leo knew was not such a kind and friendly place. 

"There are two possibilities I can think of." 

Sebastian took the wine from under the table and skillfully filled two glasses, saying: 

"Madison is lying and colluding with the robbers. Or—" 

"I colluded with him and was betrayed in return." 

"That's correct." 

If he had simply done this in collusion with the robbers, there would have been no need to come to Sebastian. 

When it comes to playing the role of a good victim, the people in this world are the only ones who can't even play a supporting role. 

But if he had decided to steal the blueprints and then been betrayed by his group, then it would be a different story. 

A secret that can't be told to anyone, not even the company or the robbers. 

A situation where a freelancer is needed to solve the problem on your own. 

This was exactly the area where a broker named Sebastian could help. 

"So, what do you plan to do?" 

"I'm sorry Mr. Madison, but I have a pretty good relationship with the president of Otterble Corporation." 

Sebastian answered, lifting the smartphone he was holding in his hand. 

"All the conversations I had with him will be recorded and sent to the president's mailbox. Ms. Madison will probably have a hard time coming to work tomorrow because she has to meet with the police." 

"… … … " 

He is a person who is truly worthy of the saying, "He may smile brightly on the outside, but he has a knife in his stomach." 

To Leo, Sebastian's appearance seemed closer to that of a typical broker than Jenny's. 

Sebastian quickly changed his words as if he had noticed Leo's thoughts. 

"Of course, I would never do such a trick against our wizard. The reason I showed this to you in person was to reveal my trump card and gain your trust. Do you think I'm crazy enough to wield an electronic device and slap a wizard with it?" 

…. The fact that the words flowed out like flowing water was similar to Jenny's. 

In any case, if Madison really was trying to steal the blueprints and got stabbed in the back, there was a set course of action to be taken. 

"In the end, what we need to find is not Madison's confession, but the robbers' whereabouts." 

"The bounty hunter who catches criminals as easily as eating rice, this is the time when you need to show off your skills. Are you willing to accept the request?" 

I wondered why he was called in to do this job, but it turned out to be a decision made after seeing his career in catching criminals. 

Of course, he probably didn't know how Leo tracked down the criminals, but it must have been a pretty sharp judgment. 

At least, he thought about what Madison's situation was and how to resolve the request before calling Leo. 

I think it would be worth working with a broker who is this careful and has such good judgment. 

Sometimes, it's not the content of the request that makes the decision, but the person. 

Leo made a decision. 

"Okay. But I'd like to be compensated with something other than cash." 

"Hmm, customers who want something other than money tend to be picky. Let's hear it anyway." 

Sebastian responded calmly as if he had expected Leo to make such a request. 

'How much should I say…?' 

I don't plan on telling Sebastian everything right now, but I should at least let him know that there are companies trying to get in on the action. 

Of course, Dyke would likely not be pleased with this behaviour… but honestly, it was none of Leo's business. 

Since designing the first operation like this, Leo has already lost trust in Panoa. 

In this situation, it is foolish to keep your mouth shut and insist on maintaining credit. 

Rather, Leo intended to actively leak Dyke's name in the future and use it as a suitable shield. 

So that people like Beck from Cigar Bang, whom I ran into this morning, would have to worry about the people behind him instead of trying to take their anger out on Leo. 

Even though I was willing to endure the hostility, there was no need to endure unnecessary hardship in the process. 

This is especially true when dealing with a partner who can't even do his or her job properly. 

Sebastian slowly rested his chin on his hand and became lost in thought as Leo gave him a somewhat concise explanation.