[Third Person's PoV]
Yukime was in her office, seated and rummaging through some paperwork with a serious expression, silently pondering.
"I hope this isn't a bad time?"
Hearing the sudden voice, Yukime jolted in her seat and quickly turned around. She breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that it was only Shadow, sitting on a sofa in a relaxed manner.
Yukihime then appeared from Yukime's shadow and bowed her head. "My Lord."
"Yukihime," Shadow said with a nod, before turning to look at Yukime. Yukime smiled, and before Shadow could start a conversation, Yukime bowed her head.
"Thank you…" she said, her voice filled with gratitude. "Thanks to you, I'm able to see my mother once more. I will forever be thankful and try to repay this debt in any way I can."
Shadow waved her off. "It's nothing. It was just a small matter to me." Shadow crossed his legs and gained a serious expression while his voice deepened. "I would like to help you with a goal you have, a goal that could be of some benefit to me, if you aren't opposed to it. It could be the start of our cooperation."
Yukime was confused, unsure of what goal Shadow was talking about, but as if he were reading her mind, Shadow continued.
"As I'm sure you are aware, Mitsugoshi and the Great Merchant Union are currently having a turf war," Shadow began.
Yukime nodded. "Yes, I'm already aware of that. It has gotten to the point where they are going for each other's throats in the shadows, all due to the rate at which Mitsugoshi is growing."
Shadow nodded his head. "Since you're planning on using your company, The Snow Fox Trade, to benefit from the two fighting, I'm offering my cooperation so you would have an easier time and better benefits."
Yukime's smile grew weary. "You're aware of that, huh? And that the Snow Fox Trade is something I own…" She then stood up and gained a seductive look.
Shadow raised a brow as Yukime sat next to him, her Yukata sliding down a bit from her shoulders. She slowly reached over and put a hand on his chest. "You seem to know a lot about me. I wonder what else you know, or perhaps I can inform you of the things you don't?" she said with a cheeky and seductive grin.
Shadow didn't seem fazed by her seduction. He grabbed her chin and made her look at him before he leaned down towards her.
Yukime started to get shy, thinking, 'Oh wow, this is fast, it's happening, he's going to kiss me!' She happily closed her eyes and puckered her lips.
That is until she felt Shadow's hot breath near her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. "I'm sorry, my dear, but your little act of seduction needs to be better than that, and at a different time. We're discussing business, after all."
Yukime let out a little pout before she nodded in understanding. "You're right. I am indeed looking to get involved in the fight and benefit from it. Your cooperation would definitely be most helpful."
Yukime, who had her arms wrapped around his and pressed her chest against him, looked at Shadow in a perplexed manner. "Forgive me for prying, Lord Shadow, but what do you hope to gain out of all this?"
Shadow put a finger on his lips. "That's for me to know…" He then tapped her nose with the same finger. "…and you not to."
'My lord, forgive me for asking, but do I have a chance of knowing what you're planning?' Bellion asked from his shadow.
'Yes, I'm planning on testing the girls. We're up against the Monarchs and Rulers after all. I want to see how far they've grown and if they can make any improvements,' Shadow explained.
'But, my Lord, will we even need them? Wouldn't we be enough to take care of all of them when the time comes?' Bellion asked in confusion.
'Yes, no doubt about it. But knowing my girls, they would want to jump in headfirst against the fight. They would want to take care of the problems for me without me needing to do anything. So before they do something crazy, I want to test them and make sure they have the necessary power to do it.'
'I see… You have found some loyal partners, my Lord,' Bellion praised with a small smile.
'Aren't they the best?' Shadow inwardly grinned.
After his conversation with Bellion, which only lasted a second in the outside world, Shadow focused on Yukime, who was nodding in understanding.
'He's right, it was too presumptuous of me to ask him that.'
Shadow smiled towards Yukime. "While we're cooperating, I won't be working as Shadow or Azrael. I will be using another alias. A new persona, if you will."
Shadow then shattered like glass and turned into multiple beautiful blue butterflies. Yukime looked at her hands in amazement as she watched the butterflies appear out of nowhere and flap around her.
She held out a finger towards one of them and watched as it landed on her finger. The group of butterflies surged and regrouped in front of her, revealing Shadow wearing something completely different.
He wore a black and white three-piece suit with a cape over his shoulder, a top hat on his head, and a black domino mask with white lenses, making it impossible to see his eyes. He wore white gloves, and in one hand, he held a black cane with a golden handle.
He took the top hat from his head, twirled it a bit, and did a gentle bow, holding his top hat to his chest. "The name's Merlin, darlin', Merlin the Grand Magician," he said in a British accent.
Yukime looked stunned before she then asked, "A Grand Magician?"
Merlin just smiled charmingly. "Miss, it appears you have something behind your ears."
Yukime grew confused until Merlin reached over and pulled a rose from behind her ear, presenting it to her. "For the lovely lady," he continued to smile charmingly.
Yukime blinked a few times before she blushed. "Thank you," she said, taking the flower.
Merlin twirled his top hat once more and put it back on his head. He then gained a confused look as he reached over and lifted his top hat, which revealed two filled wine cups.
He took them from his head and handed one to Yukime, sipping the other himself.
"How are you doing that?" Yukime asked in awe as she took the cup and sipped. "Oh wow! It tastes amazing!"
Merlin put his gloved finger hovering over his lips while he still held his cup of wine and smirked cheekily. "A Magician Never Reveals His Secrets."
Merlin then tapped his cane on the floor, causing a smoke screen to appear. When it dissipated, Merlin was already gone.
When Yukime looked around the room, she saw Merlin sitting on her main chair like he ruled the place, with his legs crossed, swirling the wine before taking a sip. "Now then, shall we continue discussing our cooperation?"
Yukime nodded her head almost in a daze as she held a rose in one hand and a cup of wine in the other.
[Third Person's PoV]
"So, what plan do you have in mind, Mr. Sha— I mean, Merlin, sir?" Yukime asked, assuming that since Merlin wanted to cooperate with her, he must already have a plan in the works.
Merlin smirked as he twirled the wine glass in his hands. "We start by destroying the trust people have in both companies," he said, taking a sip of wine.
"And how do we do that?" she wondered, curious.
Merlin continued to smirk as he snapped his fingers, conjuring two stacks of bills: one belonging to Mitsugoshi and the other to the Great Merchant Union.
"We make counterfeit bills," he said, as if it were common knowledge.
Yukime was surprised to see so many bills. She got up and reached out to take hold of them, but her hands just went through them.
"These are merely illusions. I'm giving you the idea; I need you to execute it," Merlin said, his charming smile never leaving his face.
Yukime put a hand on her chin. "Counterfeit banknotes, huh… I see, so they won't really have any value."
"Oh, but they do," Merlin said, putting down the glass and interlocking his fingers. "As long as everyone else believes they have value, then they are the most valuable thing in the world."
Merlin reached out his hand towards her, which took her by surprise. He spun her a bit before sitting her on his lap. Holding her chin, he whispered, "Want to hear a saying I firmly believe in?"
Yukime's tail swayed back and forth as she nodded, her mother looking at her with a small smile.
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
"To those who know better, these sheets of paper are just that—sheets of paper. But to someone else, that sheet of paper may hold the same weight as gold."
"Now then, the same goes for deposit receipts. If you print too many of them, people will start to question their origin…"
"They will begin to ask questions like, 'Does the bank really have enough gold to pay us all back?' And when everyone demands all of their gold back at once, the trust will crumble, and both Mitsugoshi and the Great Merchant Union will go bankrupt after issuing all those banknotes," Merlin explained with a sinister chuckle, which caused Yukime to shudder with sadistic pleasure.
'What a frightening man to be able to think of this plan. I'm truly glad I'm not his enemy. I don't even want to think what would have happened if I hadn't met him earlier.'
Yukime smirked as she raised her wine glass towards him. "I understand. Let's make these counterfeit bills. You can leave the production and circulation to me, and I guess I'll leave dealing with those who start sniffing around to you."
Merlin smiled as he grabbed his own glass, and they did a little cheer before both downing the rest of the wine.
"I'm sure you already know—"
Before Yukime could continue, Merlin nodded. "You must be talking about Gettan, right? And how he's one of the main people behind it."
Yukime laid her head on Merlin's shoulder. "Nothing ever escapes your eyes, does it?"
As she rested her hand on his chest, she then said something that had been plaguing her mind, "I honestly don't know what to do with him."
"On one hand, he killed my mother and almost killed me if it wasn't for your interference, but on the other, I'm alive and reunited with my mother, so I don't see the need to continue carrying this hate for him inside me," Yukime said.
Yukihime scoffed, "You may not carry any hate for him, but I do. If you're not going to kill him, I will. You, my daughter, have too kind of a heart.
"It amazes me you've grown to this point. When you have an enemy or someone that opposes you, you end them, and don't think about giving them second chances. Like my lord once said and taught the others, a good enemy is a dead enemy."
Yukime let out a sigh, "I understand what you mean, I truly do. I guess what's holding me back is the memories we once shared. Gettan wasn't always the way he is today, which is why I'm hesitant."
Yukihime simply scoffed as she sat down, crossing her arms.
---
The Great Merchant Union Headquarters:
"So one of the Four Leaves was slain?" a blind wolf beastman asked as he sat arrogantly in his chair, looking down at the chubby, brown-haired informant.
The informant was kneeling, unable to look Gettan in the eyes as sweat rolled down the side of his face. "Yes, he was on a mission to raid Mitsugoshi's carriage while disguised as a bandit, but was attacked during the process. They all appeared to be slain in one sword strike…"
"Well, spill it out, you want to say something else, don't you?" Gettan asked irritably. Although he was blind, his heightened senses allowed him to perceive things invisible to the naked eye.
"Umm… Well, they also appeared like husks when we found them, as if a vampire had sucked them dry," the informant added.
'The incident at Lawless Town wasn't too long ago. Could it have been vampires that intervened?'
"Did you see any bite marks on their necks?" Gettan questioned, a hand on his chin as he pondered.
"That's the thing, sir, there weren't any. The only wounds they had were singular slash wounds."
A magical pressure bore down on the informant, causing the floor to crack around him and pressuring him to the ground. "If it had nothing to do with vampires, why bring them up in the first place?" Gettan asked through gritted teeth, letting out a growl.
With great strain, the informant began to apologize. "Forgive me, sir. It was all to give you a visual of what occurred. Please have mercy, I have more to inform you."
Hearing this, Gettan lowered the pressure, allowing the informant to let out a sigh of relief. "The Leaf that went out wasn't fully recuperated after fighting the monsters that spawned. That may have led to his defeat."
Gettan put a hand on his chin as he began to ponder. "Are the others getting the physical treatment they need?" Gettan asked.
The informant nodded his head. "Yes, Lord Gettan."
"Would they be able to recuperate in time for a mission right now?"
This time, the informant shook his head. "I'm afraid not, my lord. They wouldn't be able to perform at full strength during their mission."
"I see… It looks like I need to make some calls if I want this to work. It shouldn't lower my chances of getting a seat at the Round Table. If it works, we will be able to dispose of a thorn in our side," Gettan mumbled before standing up.
"You are dismissed. I have something to do," Gettan said as he exited the room, leaving the informant behind. The informant let out another sigh of relief, thankful he gets to live another day.
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GOT IT