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Chapter 14
After gaining practical management control of the Lapis Lazuli Guild,
Lian’s top priority was a major organizational restructuring.
In other words, modernization.
The strategy was to improve operational efficiency to increase profits.
By calculations, they might even double their profits by next spring.
“Doesn’t matter. Do as you like.”
Isabelle’s attitude suggested that, although she wasn’t entirely pleased, she would let him handle it since it had been promised.
Of course, there was some pushback among the guild members.
But most complaints were resolved with wage increases.
Additionally, with the subdivision of departments, the pressure of forced dismissal had disappeared.
On the whole, everything seemed to be going smoothly.
That is, assuming no unexpected variables appeared.
“Alright. Nothing seems wrong with this… Huh?”
Lian’s hand froze as he was about to sign the documents he had just reviewed.
From the sheet he was looking at came a strange, muttering whisper.
“What the…?”
Lian examined the document again carefully.
It was a draft regarding an investment in a certain mine.
A copper deposit had been newly discovered in a coastal cave on an island not far from the southern port.
The plan was to invest part of the initial development funds in exchange for shares and receive half of the ore at market value.
“What’s this? There’s clearly nothing wrong.”
Even after reviewing all the attached materials, nothing seemed unusual.
But since he heard the auditory hallucination, he couldn’t ignore it.
Especially at the exact moment he was about to sign.
“Wait a second. Could it be…?”
Lian untied the bundle of documents and separated one sheet.
It was a report from the Royal Geological Survey.
Strangely, only from this report did the disturbing, muttering hallucination appear—like the mumblings of a madman.
“Forgery? Or did some bureaucrats commit corruption? Ugh, this feels dirty and uncomfortable.”
Clicking his tongue, Lian bundled the documents back together and, instead of signing, drew a long red diagonal line across the page.
He placed it atop the other pending documents.
“Hmm. Who knew this could even be useful in a way like this…”
He found himself once again curious about the true nature of this ability.
“Wait.”
Lian alternated his gaze between the documents and the quill.
Wouldn’t it be easier just to sign everything without bothering to check?
Perhaps the mysterious hallucination would filter out the problematic ones on its own.
“…Stop overthinking. Just focus on work.”
Lian shook his head and refocused on the documents.
An ability even he didn’t fully understand—overreliance could lead to a catastrophe.
Knock, knock, knock—
The knock on the door interrupted Lian’s work once again.
“Lian. Isabelle urgently requests your presence.”
“Yes, I’ll be right there.”
It was common for Isabelle to call for him, so at first, he didn’t think much of it.
Clack-clack—
But when he heard metallic footsteps that didn’t suit the mansion, he sensed something unusual was waiting.
“…Good day, Leon.”
“Hmm. Always working hard.”
“Was that incident resolved well?”
An organized crime using slaves as assassins.
It could have been his responsibility, so the case naturally caught Lian’s attention.
“That case has gone cold. All the merchants who sold those slaves were killed.”
A surprisingly complicated case, involving some powerful faction.
Could a high-ranking noble be behind it?
But Leon only gave a wry smile and brushed past Lian.
It seemed he hadn’t come to seek advice from Lian this time.
Lian pushed aside the uneasy feeling and entered Isabelle’s room.
“You called for me?”
“You’re here, Lian. Sit over here.”
“Yes. Though I noticed a visitor came by earlier.”
“…Not a visitor, more like an uninvited guest.”
Lian sat across from Isabelle, noting her displeased expression.
On the table between them were a few scattered parchment documents.
“Uh, Isabelle?”
Isabelle held a gold goblet and remained silent for a long moment.
The uncomfortable silence deepened the wrinkles between her brows.
“The lord has accused our guild of colluding with a spy.”
Finally breaking the silence, Isabelle’s sudden statement was completely unexpected.
“Excuse me? Just like that?”
“Yes. The authorities caught a Bordian spy.”
Naturally alarming, the mention of his homeland made Lian flinch slightly.
“It’s not like our guild is the only one dealing with the authorities…”
“Read this first.”
A complaint sealed with the lord’s stamp.
It detailed a confession from a spy claiming there was a collaborator within the Lapis Lazuli Guild.
Unfortunately, the spy died during interrogation, leaving their identity unknown.
“This is….”
“They’ll conduct a large-scale investigation in three days. They probably intend to use this as an excuse to dig through everything.”
A clearly malicious move.
A simple request for cooperation would have sufficed to catch the traitor.
But instead, the authorities accused the entire guild.
Lian could already foresee clients cutting ties to avoid getting caught up in this mess.
“Lian. You probably know the guild members better than I do, right?”
“You want me to find the traitor?”
“Yes. Fortunately, we have a three-day grace period.”
Isabelle nodded calmly while sipping her drink.
“And if the confession is false? The traitor might not even exist.”
“Even if they don’t, we’ll make one.”
It was a question with an obvious answer.
In such cases, appearances mattered more than the facts.
“I’d like to point to Diego, but bringing him back to this island in three days would be impossible…”
He had just quit his work and seemed to have fled the island.
Suspicious, to say the least.
“And Lian, your hometown is Bordia, right?”
“…Isabelle?”
“It’s a painful loss, but losing an arm is better than losing your head, wouldn’t you agree?”
She casually threatened to make him a scapegoat if necessary.
“…I’ll find them no matter what.”
Lian nodded, forcing a bitter smile.
Lately, the gap between dreams and reality seemed to be growing more noticeable.
Lian felt like a shrimp caught in a whale fight.
Not inaccurate. This was clearly a conflict between two powerful forces dividing the island.
But he couldn’t understand the lord’s actions.
The Lapis Lazuli Guild was the economic backbone of Madela Island.
He could understand attempts to check its power.
But plotting to crush it outright?
“Hah. Look at how much tax we pay… Makes me want a guillotine, seriously.”
Lian slumped in his chair.
Perhaps the traditional French approach is the best solution to conflicts with nobles?
“How am I supposed to find a possibly nonexistent traitor in just three days? What am I, a wizard?”
There was only one wizard on the island anyway, the lord’s court magician.
So there was no help to be had.
“…Alright, let’s organize our thoughts.”
The guild had 58 members, excluding staff and guards in the annex lobby.
Everyone frequently visited the authorities for various reasons, making them all potential suspects.
And suddenly, he was supposed to identify the collaborator in three days?
Even if one truly existed, figuring it out was extremely difficult.
Interviewing members one-on-one would raise suspicion.
It would effectively give the real culprit time to destroy evidence.
“Damn it. Let’s start digging and see what comes up.”
Sitting alone wouldn’t yield answers.
Lian got up and headed toward the guild office in the annex.
“Good work today, everyone.”
“Good day!”
“If you have trouble adjusting to the new tasks or encounter any issues, please let me know.”
As he greeted everyone and looked around the office,
some still regarded him with scornful, dissatisfied eyes.
If he really couldn’t find the traitor, even people like them would be…
Lian wandered around the office, listening in on conversations.
“Hey, have you been to the authorities lately?”
“No. Why?”
“There was that unusually polite guy, freckles, red hair. Haven’t seen him for days.”
“Could he have been involved in that family murder case?”
“No way. If that happened, people there would know.”
Apparently, the authorities kept the spy’s capture secret.
They were probably trying to lure the traitor who didn’t yet know.
If so, anyone investigating that person’s whereabouts could be considered suspicious.
“You know? Bordia’s silverwork is surprisingly good. Not something you can just dismiss as barbaric.”
“What? Where did you even get that?”
“Don’t worry! Got it from Aslan’s merchant. Seems they trade with Bordia via Rondel.”
“Wow… those desert folk are ruthless.”
Lian’s ears perked up again.
Why was this person interested in enemy artifacts?
It could easily lead to trouble.
Suspicious behavior, indeed.
“Hey! My friend Lian! You look down today, what’s wrong?”
“Ah, Miguel. Nothing much. Just didn’t sleep well last night…”
“Oh, I see?”
Miguel squinted, giving him a knowing look.
“Don’t push yourself too hard, friend.”
He laughed and patted Lian on the shoulder before leaving.
Come to think of it, why did he once try so hard to stay in the guild?
Was it really just economic reasons?
Or perhaps…
“Damn it! I’m going to lose my mind!”
Lian pressed between his eyes and let out a long sigh.
Once suspicion took root, it seemed endless.
Everyone’s actions looked suspicious.
If only the hallucination would point someone out.
“Wait… is that really impossible?”
Lian rested his chin and thought carefully.
Whenever the whisper had appeared before, something always happened.
He had always recognized it that way.
But what exactly was this mysterious voice?
In some ways, it felt similar to a shaman receiving a divine message.
“Let’s try.”
Lian closed his eyes and cleared his mind, meditating.
The whisper, which only drew attention when heard before…
Now, he focused to hear it actively.
“……”
But he only heard the surrounding noise.
He remembered the childhood hours spent wrestling with a spoon, trying to mimic psychics from a past life.
Just as he was about to get frustrated at being unable to sense anything tonight—
Heard giggling—
From the far corner came the faint sound of a small child’s laugh.
