Tales of secrets and lies.

The room fell into a heavy silence. Gurad and Hall had a cold look. Damino, on the other hand, looked at him with a mix of fear and admiration.

—You're late, Basil.—Hall did not hide his displeasure. The person he least wanted to see had arrived—. I thought you would stay at your base, as you usually do.

Basil moved forward until the moonlight reflected on his face. He let out a silent chuckle while looking at Hall.

—Well, today is a special day for the company. I wanted to come and celebrate with everyone!—The smile on his face faded, accompanied by a sigh and a slumped posture. An aura of melancholy surrounded his silhouette—. Am I not invited?

—Cut the show; it's pathetic.—Gurad stepped forward energetically, looking ready to break the young man's face.

Basil reflected on his words. After a few seconds, he lifted his head. The sad appearance vanished in an instant.

His gaze was completely calm, seeming indifferent to any feeling. But everyone present could see it, a small trace of pride in his eyes.

—You're right, Gurad. I don't have to act like this.—His tone was calm and measured, as if stating the obvious—. Why bother pretending? With one order, they'll bring me your head on a platter.

—Damn fugi... for someone who suggested bribing us so we wouldn't attack you, you have a giant ego.

A spark of anger flashed across Basil's face.

—Enough of this nerve battle.—Hall raised his hand—. If you need to kill each other, let it be when I'm not sponsoring it.

—Tsk...—Gurad stepped back, frustrated.

—And as for you, Basil.—Hall's gaze turned threatening—. I won't tolerate any more offenses. You may not know it, but this is a professional environment.

—Hm...—Basil only responded with an embarrassed smile. The same smile that faded in seconds.

Then he jumped onto the couch and sat next to Damino, positioning himself in front of Hall.

Damino looked at him intently, with deep doubt in his eyes. Basil noticed this. Curious, he asked.

—What's wrong? Do I have something on my face?

—Hey... how were you able to do something like that?—he asked quietly.

Basil showed him a smile; he was about to respond, but Hall's strong voice stopped them.

—with this, finally, Gaustin Company will dominate the city's textile market.—His wrinkled face wore an unusual smile—. Our efforts have paid off.

—Stop with the empty words. Maybe the fool will follow your formal talk, but I won't.

Hall shot him a sharp look but said nothing. Gurad came from the south; his fierce behavior was understandable.

A few seconds of silent reflection passed. Without further delay, he pulled out a bag from his pocket and threw it at Gurad.

The man caught it and opened it. Inside were exactly twenty-one gold suns.

A joyful expression marked his face. It was rare to invest so little and gain so much; that night he had earned too much. And there was still more to gain...

Hall showed a nostalgic face while watching Gerad. Damino thought his father was lost in memories of the past. However, he couldn't be further from reality.

Hall was thinking about the present. Both gangs had benefited from this deal; they were going to take some time to assimilate their resources. Once this period ended, conflict would begin in the slums.

It was highly likely that both gangs wanted to use it to help in the battle. Hall had taken this into account when accepting the deal, so he was careful not to leave clues implicating him in this event.

But even so, he couldn't supervise Magenta Seraph's actions all the time. Who knows if they took evidence for themselves throughout the process?

If only that idiot Damino hadn't given him so much power...

Still, he hadn't been idle. He had asked his people to gather all evidence implicating Magenta Seraph. If Basil dared to threaten him, he would return the same card using the Great Headquarters as a shield.

You're not the only one who knows how to scheme from the shadows... Hm?

It turns out that while reflecting, Basil was watching him. The merchant noticed it. For the first time in a long time, an arrogant smile appeared on his face.

You really like gold, huh...

—is something happening, Basil? Do you want your share right now?—Hall spoke with a mocking tone.

Basil received half of what he stole, earning an enormous amount in those two months.

But do you still want more? You should have been a merchant; you would have gone far with that greed.

He waited for Basil to respond, passing several silent seconds since the question. Even so, Basil remained silent; his gaze had a strange glint of expectation.

Uncomfortable with that look, the merchant increased his caution.

—Hey, didn't you hear me? —He pulled out the bag he had prepared for Basil, even shaking it a little.

But that didn't catch Basil's attention, who remained focused on Hall.

Under his constant gaze, the old man began to think quickly, searching for the reason behind his behavior.

Basil had always shown greed in many of their conversations. Every time he saw the glint of coins, his eyes sparkled with an obsession without limits.

Why isn't he looking at them!? Wait... It could be...

Then, a clarifying idea struck him like lightning. At this idea, he couldn't help but laugh at Basil's shamelessness.

—Ha! Don't tell me, kid. Do you want me to increase your payment? —It made the most sense.

Once he paid him, his group would be able to fight freely with the Thorns of Desire. Preparing for this, Basil wanted to gather as many resources as possible.

—I'm not going to do it even if you look at me like that. —His laughter filled the room. It was liberating to see that lunatic begging silently. But even so, Basil's gaze didn't change. A good amount of time passed like this.

—...? I'm serious... —He slowly stopped laughing.

You, fool, age has made you arrogant. Gurad looked at Hall over his shoulder. He had some expectations, but he was nothing more than a short-sighted old man. Although he couldn't blame him. From the beginning, he had played into Basil's hands.

—Hey! Haven't you understood!? —Hall threw the bag at Basil's feet, but he didn't even bother to look at it.

Damino looked at Basil, confused. He didn't know why he was acting this way. At some point, he felt an ominous sensation.

—Damn it, speak! —The old man stood up from the couch. He could also feel something strange. Something was wrong, terribly wrong.

Suddenly Basil's gaze, which had previously been one of expectation, turned into one of sadness.

A sigh escaped his lips. Then he gave Hall a look that he hadn't seen in a long time, a look of pity.

—I'm disappointed in you, Hall Gaustin. The great Hex will condemn you.

Hall and Damino turned pale. They knew the implications of that phrase. Without thinking twice, Hall drew his weapon, ready to kill Basil.

But at the same time, a figure emerged from behind the couch. A man completely dressed in black positioned himself behind Basil, holding a revolver in his hand and aiming it at Hall's head with a cold look.

A loud bang echoed, leaving Damino half deaf. When he opened his eyes, he could see his father's corpse slumped on the couch.

A hole was in his forehead; blood shot out like a fountain.

—Ahhhhh! —Damino couldn't believe what he saw; his body writhed on the couch as he tried to move away from the corpse as much as possible.

In the process, he lost to gravity and fell to the ground. He forgot to get up out of panic, he could only drag himself with difficult, his goal was the door.

But he couldn't get far; the man in black grabbed him by the hair and slit his throat.

—Kuh.... Ba... dit... —Unintelligible words spilled along with his blood; the man in black assumed they were curses.

Basil turned his head. The corpse was five steps from the door. He calmly stood up and approached the body.

—What's wrong, little one?

Gurad asked him, but there was no answer. Basil stared intently at the corpse; his face was unreadable.

This lasted only a moment. Instantly, he turned his head towards Gurad. A perfect smile spread across his face.

—It's nothing. —He began to walk towards him; behind him followed the man in black—. Now let's talk business.

—Let's move first; I prefer to talk far from a crime scene.

—Sounds good.—He knocked on the door twice. It opened and several men entered; the group was a mix of both gangs.—Take care of Hall's corpse; make it look like Damino committed suicide.

The men from Magenta Seraph nodded and got to work. Meanwhile, a big man entered the room.

—Have you taken care of the safe? —Basil's eyes sparkled upon seeing him.

The man simply nodded. Then Basil patted him on the shoulder and began to leave.