Three days had passed since that meeting with Sanma. Both respected the customs and toasted to their business relationship. Basil returned to his base in the depths of the slums, taking some time to absorb the profits from that deal with Gurad.
It was two in the morning as Basil wrote in his office. He was scanning the paperwork that corresponded to entering legal businesses. He had dedicated two years to crime; doing something legal gave him a sense of renewal.
Maybe I could dedicate myself to this... hehehe.
He examined his office while laughing at himself. The place had changed quite a bit since he killed Hall Gaustin.
For Paul and Wiry, absorbing the profits consisted of multiple expenses, mostly focused on building headquarters and forging important paperwork. They had a tight schedule, but Basil took the liberty of decorating his office with part of the loot.
Wiry could only sigh; it wasn't the first time Basil had shown such eccentricity. On the other hand, Paul did not hide his anger but could do nothing more than vent it in alcohol.
Basil was not as indifferent as he made them seem; he knew that if he generated discontent among his people, they would rebel. That's why he was handling the remaining paperwork until late at night. His eyes already felt heavy; he cast glances around his office to avoid falling asleep.
Ah, the world should be magenta... nobles have a fascination for such boring colors.
During the day, he liked to let light fill the room, reflecting off the color of the violets on his desk. Because of this, he left the window behind him open. But with nightfall came a unique chill from Promise City. Basil had no choice but to close it.
He looked at the walls; there was a detailed painting depicting the capital of the kingdom, Dawn City. He had taken it from Gaustin's vault; its value was quite high. It was made by Master Gem, a highly renowned artist.
Paul did everything possible to convince his boss to sell it, but Basil fell in love with the painting. After an hour of complaints, Basil stopped bothering him and agreed to sell it next week.
Master Gem, no doubt he is a master. That man makes me concede points to nobles; he is worthy of being from the Gem family.
He tried not to pay more attention to it, but he couldn't stop looking at it. There was something peculiar about the painting.
Hm... those views, there's only one place in Dawn City that can have them: the castle. It must have been there. But Master Gem is a Disciplinary Wanderer; perhaps he could have flown easily.
Nostalgia flooded him as he thought of his hometown. But after that feeling came another one: anger. With that, he stopped getting lost in the painting and looked at a small ivory artifact on his desk.
The device was shaped like a small hummingbird. A crank was between its two delicate wings. It had a milky white color, characteristic of ivory artifacts. Beautiful blue lines ran across the object, crossing through its wings and body, concentrating on its eyes.
How charming, but I like it more when blue shines. It matches better with white.
That was the artifact Sanma had given him. It had a simple function: to transmit messages.
Basil had already had one like it before, but it wasn't very effective. It had more commands than its small size allowed, so it was normal for it to fail.
I'm no ivory craftsman, but as far as I know, there should be at least three commands in this artifact: fly, reach the designated location, and transmit the message. No, should I also add 'listen' command? Yes... surely I'm missing one, like speed or dodging obstacles... Yes, that's quite a few. I'll ask Sanma to get me a larger messenger.
Basil reflected on Sanma. He already knew he had many connections but now had to reaffirm it. Ivory craftsmen were quite regulated by the Grand Headquarters and the royal family. It wasn't impossible to be one, but one had to go through many tests and inspections.
They were limited in Promise City, but Sanma managed connections with at least one of them.
If I could have an artesan... Hm.
Basil's thoughts were interrupted by a *knock knock* coming from the door. He tucked away the communicator in his pocket and cleared his throat.
It's very late; did something happen?
—Come in.
The door opened with a creak; Basil expected Paul or Wiry to enter and didn't rule out Castian either. However, he was surprised when he saw an unknown woman walk in.
She showed an expressionless look while his mind raced at full speed.
Who is she!? I don't recognize her; she's not someone who works for me. How could she bypass security!?
The unknown woman had a peculiar appearance, with brown skin accompanied by crimson hair. She had a pretty face, but what caught Basil's attention the most was her clothing, similar to that worn by the Lumanos.
He seemed lost watching her, but his hands were moving to a case at his waist. He opened it swiftly and pulled out a syringe, which he injected into his body without delay. Not only that, but he also tugged on a small cord that connected to a bell on the floor below.
That should be enough to alert Castian.
As the liquid Ivory traveled through his bloodstream, Basil flashed a false smile at the woman.
—Good evening. Aren't your methods rather cordial? Generally, assassins have the courtesy to attack from behind.
The woman looked at him intently. Basil couldn't explain the meaning of that gaze.
—It seems you're having a misunderstanding, Mr. Basil. I haven't come to kill you. At least not yet —she spoke in a tone that leaned between neutrality and mockery.
She managed to get past all my men; she's probably a Stealth Wanderer. Perhaps a higher grade than Paul. But I don't see any tattoos... That could mean she's hiding them or that she's a Stealth Disciplinary.
—Well, I'm glad you're willing to talk. Didn't the great Hex say that diplomacy is the most beautiful kind of battle?
The woman responded with a dry laugh.
—You talk too much for a mere con artist.
Basil put on a dejected face; his posture looked feeble.
—For such beauty to tell me something so cutting... there's no doubt my life is full of sins. But I also feel happy; you've taken the trouble to investigate my criminal career.
Who sent her? Did Gurad ally with someone else? She seems to have information about the extermination of companies. Maybe Sanma betrayed me?
Basil's heart began to pump hard; traces of smoke were escaping from his Ivory grille.
I can no longer postpone this conversation.
Basil's response didn't seem to please the woman, whose anger was reflected in her eyes.
—Hm, you accept your sins with pride; how horrifying. I hope you can accept the punishments with...
—Well, enough of this chatter.
He leaped from her chair in a blink; the revolver in his hand was aimed at the woman's head. She hadn't finished speaking when several loud noises were heard. Basil coldly emptied the barrel of the gun. However, he realized that the woman was still there, unharmed. To his surprise, Basil could still see the bullets. They seemed frozen in mid-air.
Well, there's a reason she was so calm.
He couldn't reflect much on it; the woman was already advancing with a furrowed brow. Basil lifted his chair and threw it at her. The seat was quite heavy, but the Ivory in his blood enhanced his physical abilities.
This guy thinks fast.
The woman; Merlian couldn't help but admire his battle instincts. He seemed to know the basic principles of Wandering Law.
However, tonight is not your night.
—The time of furniture will stop —she spoke with a powerful voice, flooding the room. She pronounced it with great speed but could be easily understood.
The chair aimed at Merlian stopped in mid-air. Then she turned her gaze and saw the open window. There were no traces of Basil.
A spark of rage showed in her black eyes but disappeared instantly.
Well, I'll leave it to others; he won't get far.
Basil jumped from rooftop to rooftop with abnormal strength; his jump easily reached three meters. At some point, he tore off his shirt, revealing smoke escaping from his chest.
A Disciplinary! What was her Wandering Law about!? Wasn't it focused on stealth!? Why didn't I recognize her!?
—Enemy attack!
His shout resonated through the silent streets, fading within seconds. Only an occasional silence remained, interrupted by the sudden leaps of the young man.
This silence is abnormal! Did she take care of my men too!?
He couldn't check; he had to get out of range of Wandering Law. He knew that the only reason he had fled so far was due to that woman's whim.
I estimate it's been four hundred meters; just a little more! I'm sorry for you, Castian. But neither of us wants me to die here.
Thinking of the great man made him feel sad. He was probably dead.
The only man I could trust... I'll remember this, whoever you are.
He kept jumping with determined eyes. His eyes were getting teary, but no tears came out. He had no time for lamentations, so he gritted his teeth and continued his escape.
Not far from there, in a dirty alley, there were two people whose elegant demeanor contrasted with the filth. It was an old man and a woman.
—Merli can be very cruel when she wants, giving hope to that poor boy. Hehe, remind me not to make an enemy of her. —The old man spoke with a raspy voice. He had a strange look as he evaluated the man jumping from roof to roof.
The woman was also reflecting while looking at Basil, her face was expressionless. Then, she spoke with a powerful voice that resonated throughout the neighborhood.
—Those on the roof will see how flora grows on their skin.
Basil heard this and turned pale.
Two disciplinarians!
He was about to jump to the ground, but it was already too late. He looked at his arms in horror; his skin was turning green with every passing second!
He didn't even have time to curse before he kept jumping. The situation was getting worse; he could still escape from the first law, but he didn't know how far he was from the second.
Still, he persisted in his escape, clinging to a burning nail. Although there really wasn't any, Basil still wanted to believe in it.
Did I... lose?
Basil's gaze turned grim. Even in that situation, painful memories surfaced. He remembered that night when he swore with tears of blood never to lose again.
For Basil, those memories were fuel for his determination. Then, he gritted his teeth fiercely as he pulled out the communicator.
Never! I refuse to lose! There's still another way!
He turned the crank with difficulty. The vegetation had already grown quite a bit, embedding itself through his skin and twisting through his nerves. Hydrangeas sprouted from his body, giving off a floral fragrance. Sadly, Basil was too busy sinking into pain to notice its scent.
When he completed the turn, the blue lines of the device glowed. The hummingbird's eyes blinked with a sky-blue color, waiting to receive the message.
—Call the Grand Headquarters, give them my location; the eighth block of the deep neighborhoods, near the park. Tell them my numbers.
Basil launched the hummingbird and both continued on their way. He was already quite tired; the roots in his muscles hindered his movement.
I would have fallen long ago if it weren't for the Ivory in my blood...
Thinking of this, Basil looked at his chest. The smoke coming from that fissure had decreased significantly. He only had a few seconds left of power.
And indeed, the smoke stopped coming out and with it Basil came to a halt. His feet couldn't hold him anymore and he fell from the roof, hitting the ground.
Fortunately for him, there wasn't much distance between the floor and him. He only broke his legs. Basil knew this because they weren't moving; pain didn't give him any clue. After all, his whole body felt pain.
He let out a faint groan as he breathed heavily; his eyes felt heavy. He would lose consciousness if he got distracted even a little.
He couldn't see it fully, but he knew his body was at its last moments. He could barely see his own hands since the plants embedded in his face hindered his vision. But anyway, he wouldn't have been able to see them; he was sure he was surrounded by plants on every inch of his skin. Instead of skin, he would have found green bark.
I can't... Not yet... I can't fall here.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps. He turned his head with difficulty trying to recognize the people.
There were three: two men and one woman. The closest were the youngest: the girl and one of the mens. The remaining man stayed behind them, watching Basil with curiosity.
—I didn't expect it to end so quickly... —said the young man accompanying the girl; there was confusion in his tone.
—What did you expect? He's just a mortal. He has nothing to do against us.
—Yeah, you're right... I guess I expected too much.
Both exchanged a meaningful look at the man on the ground. Basil could barely make them out, noticing a notable arrogance on their faces.
Basil's pride grew like a flame consuming everything. There was only one person who could look at him like that. The rest had to swallow their arrogance; Basil always showed them that he was much more.
He tried to get up with difficulty; his body burned in agony with even the slightest movement. But he didn't care; the burn on his face burned a thousand times more. He had to get up, break those two's noses and extinguish their flames of arrogance.
So they would never look at him like that again!
The vegetation on his body twisted, playing with his nerves and muscles, causing him extensive pain. Filled with that burning sensation, he gritted his teeth and struggled to rise. He shot a look full of arrogance at the two young people. His frail posture and fierce eyes created a stark contrast.
The girl and the boy stepped back a bit, not bothering to hide their surprise.
—Such fierceness...
—This is...
Before he could continue, the man behind them approached Basil. They were just a step away. Basil contemplated a smile on the man's face.
—I don't know about you, but this is exactly what I expected.
Then, he extended his hand to touch Basil's forehead and spoke with a powerful voice.
Another disciplinarian!?
—The next one I touch will fall into a deep sleep.
Basil's surprise didn't last long; he fell asleep as the sentence ended.