Chapter 7: Steel Assassin(2)

“Yeah, I’m heading out.”

“Business wrapped up quicker than I thought, huh?”

I extended my hand toward the guard.
It was time to retrieve the items we’d handed over on entry.

“My gun. And the dagger too.”

“Almost forgot. Hand them over.”

The guards returned my pistol and Cynel’s dagger.
I tucked the gun back into my jacket.
Cynel, relieved to have her dagger back, gazed at it with an almost affectionate look.

On the way back to the office from Valiant’s base, Cynel, checking her dagger, spoke in a low voice.

“Dark merchant…”

“…”

“You’re pretty incredible, boss.”

Dark merchant.
That single phrase seemed to have struck a chord with her, just like it had with Mr. Trillo.
Cynel was clearly under a big misunderstanding.
But I didn’t have the guts to correct her outright.

“…Just old stories. Let’s grab some food.”

I’d said it myself, so I had to bear the embarrassment that came with it.

Clairvoyant Lehman Cavernant.
He was the undisputed top information broker at Cross Network, a man who’d risen from the city’s underbelly to its peak.
His belief that information moves the world meant his office was a hub for countless pieces of intel.
And to get that intel, hundreds of calls flooded his office daily.

“Urgent request from Mr. Trillo.”

As usual, Lehman was sorting through gathered intel when one of his subordinates rushed over with news.
An urgent request meant a client was willing to pay extra for immediate information.
Hearing the client’s name, Lehman quickly connected the dots.
Mr. Trillo, the boss of the criminal organization Valiant, was hunting the assassin who’d killed his right-hand man.

“Mr. Trillo? Valiant’s boss. Bet he’s asking about Ironclad again.”

“No, it’s… he wants info on the dark merchant, Percival Smith.”

“Percival Smith? Never heard of him.”

The urgent request was nothing like Lehman had expected.
Faced with a completely unfamiliar name, he stood up, scanning the office as he spoke.

“Anyone know anything about a Percival Smith?”

Lehman couldn’t possibly manage every piece of information himself, so his office was staffed with plenty of assistants.
One of them, Brian, flinched at the question.
He’d been startled by the name of an uninvited guest who’d visited a few days ago.
Lehman, not missing Brian’s reaction, approached him.

“Brian, you seem to know something about this Percival guy.”

“Uh…”

“Spit it out. If we don’t deliver, Mr. Trillo’s gonna lose it.”

“Well, it’s just…”

Brian was a seasoned assistant in Lehman’s office.
Lehman could tell from his reaction that Brian was holding something back.
It wasn’t uncommon for Brian to hesitate when the info was unreliable or incomplete.

“I know it’s a new name, so I don’t expect much. Just give me whatever you’ve got, and I’ll toss in a bonus.”

Blink. Blink.
Brian, who’d been hesitating, perked up at the mention of a bonus and finally spoke.

“It’s… something I heard.”

“Doesn’t matter. What’s Percival Smith do?”

“Percival Smith… he’s a badass information merchant.”

Lehman, amused by Brian’s crude phrasing, let it slide, recalling how Brian often roamed the back alleys for intel.
Dark merchant, Percival Smith.
From what he’d just heard, the guy sounded like a bigger deal than expected.

“And?”

“He’s got high-level info but doesn’t sell to just anyone.”

“Oh, really? Then why’s this the first I’m hearing of him?”

A brief silence.
Brian, racking his brain, recalled the rest of the nonsense he’d heard and managed a reply.

“He made his name in some far-off foreign land but recently set up an office in this city.”

“A big-shot info broker from abroad, huh? Makes sense I wouldn’t know him.”

“Exactly.”

“Good work. I’ll make sure you get that bonus.”

Lehman patted Brian’s shoulder and walked toward the phone Mr. Trillo had called on.
He grabbed the receiver from his staff and took the call himself.

“Been a while, Mr. Trillo.”

– “A WHILE? I don’t see you often ‘cause you never know anything useful.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve already dug up plenty on this dark merchant Percival.”

– “Hmph. If I hadn’t gotten that, I’d be at Jackson’s, cursing you out all day.”

Lehman’s face soured at Mr. Trillo’s jab.
Drunkard Jackson, one of Lehman’s competitors at Cross Network, was always second to him but ran a formidable information network.
Thinking of his annoying rival, Lehman pursed his lips to calm himself before soothing Mr. Trillo.

“Easy now, just hear me out.”

– “So, what’s Percival Smith’s deal?”

“From what I’ve got, he’s a top-tier information merchant.”

– “Hence the dark merchant title. What else?”

“He’s picky about clients, and the info he deals in is high-value.”

– “Sounds like a big shot. How’d I not know about him till now?”

The first part alone might’ve raised doubts about the info’s reliability.
But luckily, Lehman had just gotten more details from his trusted subordinate, Brian.

“He’s been operating mostly in foreign lands. He’s new to the city, so it’s no surprise you haven’t heard of him.”

– “As expected of Clairvoyant Lehman. You’ve got the goods.”

“We’re not like the others. Hope this helps.”

Fortunately, Mr. Trillo seemed satisfied, and Lehman breathed a sigh of relief.
It looked like he wouldn’t be dealing with complaints from him anytime soon.