Beneath the Veil: The Broker's Gambit

The skin is scorched to the point of peeling off, and the limbs are frozen in grotesque twists. 

The internal organs would be so shrunken that they wouldn't be able to move at all from their place. 

But even in the midst of all that, the sight of him somehow holding on to his lifeline with the sophisticated magical power management skills unique to manipulation magicians gave Leo a different kind of impression. 

Leo took out a new pack of cigarettes and squatted down at her bedside, looking down at her quietly. 

"Blueprint." 

"Hehehe...you, you vicious bastard…cough, cough!!" 

Trisha, who had been coughing incessantly, let out a hollow laugh. 

"If you give it to me now, I'll spare your life. You don't plan on throwing away the lives of your comrades, do you?" 

As he spoke, Leo lifted his index finger and pointed at the still unconscious Mount. 

Trisha flinched at the movement, which did not generate any magical power, and let out a small sigh. 

Her mouth opened slowly. 

"Phew… It's been a while since I handed it over to Madam. Yes, just as you said… I haven't found a customer to sell it to yet…." 

"...." 

I had somewhat guessed that the identities of the robbers who betrayed Madison were freelancers, but hearing it directly made me really annoyed. 

Leo held back his anger and contacted Sebastian, summarizing the information he had obtained so far. 

There aren't many brokers in this industry who use the nickname 'Madame' while hiring freelancers like this, so if he has a wide network of contacts, he'll be able to negotiate with them in no time. 

The only thing left is how to deal with these two people… 

Leo looked down at Trisha, who was gradually becoming quieter, with a calm gaze. 

The aversion to killing an enemy once defeated by risking one's life has long since disappeared. 

However, Leo wasn't sure whether it would really be beneficial to kill Mount and Trisha right here and now. 

No matter how dirty this street is, killing and betraying one's partners is something to be reluctant to do. 

The reason they were able to hit Madison in the back of the head in the first place was because he was a criminal who leaked the company's project, and he was in a position where he didn't have to fear any repercussions if he betrayed them. 

Leo had a hard time guessing what kind of repercussions would come if he killed these two men. 

'... It's funny.' 

Even though it's been a while since I vowed to rise to the top of the underworld and risk incurring resentment, my head still wants a reasonable outcome and forces me to make rational decisions. 

You must clearly determine your purpose and carefully examine the path. 

Otherwise, the talent Leo so relies on will take him in the wrong direction too quickly. 

Fortunately, Leo's worries did not last long. 

At that moment, when Trisha's coughing sound had completely disappeared, someone's voice began to be heard from the air. 

[How about we slowly let go of each other's hands?] 

"....." 

Yeah. Actually, I kind of expected it. 

If Madame was so deeply involved in this matter, it wouldn't have been strange if she had kept an eye on it. 

However, I didn't know that Madame herself would come to this place. 

When I turned my head in the direction where the voice came from, I saw a woman who had come closer and squatted down, stroking the head of the unconscious Mount. 

Despite the dark night, a small parasol slung over her shoulder and a pitch-black trench coat that extends down to her feet. 

Even a pitch-black veil that completely covers the face. 

There was a woman there who looked like she was wearing a silk veil wrapped around her body. 

She glanced back at Leo and continued. 

[I feel like I took out my anger on my fragile children, but I want them back before I die. They are too precious to be broken now.] 

"You know what I want, right?" 

[I have a short temper.] 

"...…" 

[But you have the right to say such things. Take it.] 

As she said that, the woman took out a thick paper folder from her bosom and threw it at him. 

At that moment, a spurt of crimson blood rose from the air, grabbed the iron file, slid down, and dropped it in front of Leo. 

The appearance and movement of blood flow that is hard to believe even when seen with the eyes. 

An innate talent that is similar to, yet completely different from, a blood mage who controls blood through magic. 

Leo muttered as he picked up the file. 

"It seems that vampires these days are good at brokering." 

[Just doing what suits your aptitude. Will I ever be able to get Trisha back?] 

Leo silently stepped aside to allow the blood she had drawn to touch Trisha's body. 

Now completely unconscious, bright red blood flows into her mouth, and soon her breathing stabilizes. 

"...…" 

It's a bit of an awkward sight to see in person. 

Madame, who had skilfully controlled her blood flow to transport the two people, looked back at Leo. 

"There's one thing I'd like to ask." 

[As long as it's not too sensitive a question.] 

"…..Why did you give up on the blueprint so easily? Isn't it too pointless to give up the blueprint, considering that you worked with the development team of Otterble to push forward with the plan?" 

As he spoke, Leo shook the blueprint he was holding in his hand. 

Madame didn't say anything, but given the current situation, it was obvious who it was that had joined hands with Madison to steal the blueprints. 

In other words, I couldn't understand why she, who had been leading the plan well up until now, would give up the work just because two of her subordinate freelancers were in danger of dying. 

Madame shook her body vaguely as she heard Leo's question. 

As if holding back laughter. 

[Why should I tell you that so plainly?] 

If you don't want to talk, there's nothing you can do. 

It just seemed like that curiosity could never be resolved unless it was now. 

Madame's eyes lit up as she saw Leo's calm expression. 

[Jenny, I heard that kid picked up the gem, but that was just a rumour. It's almost finished.] 

"....." 

[I'll tell you this now, since it's meaningless... .. That's right. I didn't see any value in keeping the blueprints. It was much harder to find a place to buy them than I thought.] 

She meekly told me why this deal had been made. 

[Sebastian, because that kid was moving so fast, the blueprint I was holding was leaked all over the place as a new development project for Otterble. Furthermore, the blueprint was quite different from the direction Otterble had been pursuing, which was a disadvantage for us. In many ways, I can only say that it was bad luck.] 

As she spoke, the madam's eyes glowed red beyond her veil. 

Although he spoke calmly, it seemed that he was feeling quite annoyed by this incident. 

But that was only for a moment, as Madame, who had calmed down in an instant, stroked Trisha's drooping head. 

[This child is a friend with a rather unique talent among the children I have. Of course, he is not as talented as someone like you, but he has talent that can be used in this field. If I can save such a child with a few worthless pieces of paper, it wouldn't be a bad deal.] 

"…..I see." 

Leo nodded absentmindedly to what Madame said. 

In fact, Leo was also a little surprised by the magical talent Trisha had shown. 

It is meaningless to compare him to someone who has pushed all his magic-related talents to their limits, but it is clearly an uncommon talent for Leo to be able to handle manipulation magic, which requires a certain amount of care when using it, so skilfully. 

Even more so when you consider that she was trying to engage Leo directly from the front rather than supporting the mount from the rear. 

You can tell just by looking at his strong spirit and boldness. 

She could definitely become a higher level wizard than she is now. 

At least among the wizards Leo had personally seen, he was clearly one of the most talented. 

Even considering that the deviations among the wizards he had personally seen were extremely extreme. 

Madame, who was about to turn around and disappear, stops. 

[Oh. I forgot to tell you this.] 

Internal Affairs 

As Madame waved her hand in the same manner as before, a flower formed in the bright red blood and something appeared from its inner peak. 

I wondered why he was taking the time to tell me something so great, but what was revealed inside was a photograph. 

[There was a rumour going around that there was a fight between Jenny's bar and the thugs from District 48.] 

Leo silently picked up the photo she handed him. 

Beyond a single photograph set against a hazy night sky, a blue, lightning-like torrent rose. 

[This is a photo of a battle that the boss of the Cigar Bang gang participated in. I got this from my children, so it's probably not information that's circulating on the market.] 

"...." 

Leo ignored Madame's words and looked closely at the dragonfly captured in the photograph. 

Of course, this was not a simple natural phenomenon. It was not even a common magic that Leo could use. 

A unique magic of the lightning series. Among them, it is an applied technique that only wizards of a certain level can use. 

Visionary magic that the current Leo does not possess. 

Madame's words, heard late, add more confidence to Leo's guess. 

[I heard a rumour that you are a very skilled lightning wizard. I brought it because I thought you might be interested. Do you like it?] 

Leo remained silent as he answered her question, knowing the answer to what she asked. 

"…..This has nothing to do with the price of the transaction. Why are you telling me this?" 

It goes without saying how important it was to Leo that the gang boss had learned lightning-type unique magic. 

If he continues his collaboration with Dyke, it means that Leo may meet an electric magician for the first time in this world. 

And that might be the breakthrough for his previously blocked magical research. 

[I like talented people.] 

Although I can't see it, I can almost see her smiling faintly through the veil. 

[How beautiful are the flowers that have not yet bloomed, and how fleeting they are. Is there any need to explain? Let's just say that he is a person who has met such talent.] 

Although Madame had not finished speaking, Leo immediately realized what she wanted to say. 

Interest and greed for talent. 

If he had openly expressed such feelings, it would have been impossible for him not to desire Leo, who was right in front of him. 

[With talent like yours, you'll be able to bloom on your own someday without anyone's help. It seems like you already know that yourself.] 

"....." 

[But I can make you bloom with a much more beautiful flower than you can imagine. And please know that I don't give that help to just anyone or indiscriminately.] 

Madame, who had checked Leo's expression, turned around with a look of satisfaction. 

[Don't worry, come visit the castle sometime.] 

There was no further questioning or answering. 

It was only for a moment that Madame's figure disappeared from the spot. 

Leo let out a small sigh as he realized with his strong magical powers that she had jumped hundreds of meters in an instant and disappeared. 

A vampire so powerful that you'd hardly believe he's working as a broker. 

He is a force that cannot even be compared to Jude Russell, whom he faced. 

He's probably a vampire who's been around for a very long time, but I can't understand why someone like him would get into this industry. 

The offer she made was quite tempting, but Leo did not make the mistake of naively believing her words. 

On this earth, extending a favour without any reward is as fleeting as a flower blooming in the mud. 

And Leo didn't think Madame was that kind of flower at all. 

If you just pass it off as a scouting by a common broker, that's all there is to it. 

Leo took another bite of his cigarette, then silently unfolded the blueprint and examined its contents. 

"...That's what it meant." 

Didn't you say that the blueprint was different from the direction that Otterble was pursuing? 

As soon as Leo saw the blueprint, he immediately understood what that meant. 

Inside the paper, there was a very delicate drawing of a large two-wheeled motorcycle. 

The identity of the new project that Otterble, famous for being an automobile company, was promoting was precisely the expansion of its product line. 

"It's a bike…." 

Leo, who was staring blankly at the blueprint, snickered. 

Isn't this an item that is too difficult to covet from the start, even for Leo, who doesn't have any other means of transportation? 

It might not be a bad idea to buy one later if the opportunity arose, but it wasn't something to think about seriously right now. 

'We should at least refrain from doing so until we have a means of escape, or at least some magic, to do so safely.' 

The more I think about it, the more I realize that research into teleportation magic is urgently needed. 

As he had recently been dealing with a series of people who seemed to be on Leo's radar, he felt he needed to come up with some more countermeasures in case of an emergency. 

Preparation and prevention can never be overdone. 

Leo, who was behind the wheel of a Jeep with its front end completely blown off, blew out a long stream of smoke from a cigarette he had lit with his left hand. 

Boohoo!! 

Step on the accelerator and quickly leave the empty lot. 

In the front yard of the abandoned building in the middle of the night after work was done, only a single passenger car with one wheel missing was left. 

# 

After meeting Madame, the aftermath progressed quickly.