“Uhh, he’s broke?”

“No, you moron. If my guess is correct, it means he operates strictly from the shadows.”

“Th-The shadows?” Gaion echoed, gulping.

Liz bit down sharply on her thumbnail. If the man had set up base in a place like this, it could only mean he was purposely hiding. He’d been manipulating the slums from behind the scenes, making a conscious effort to avoid his enemies by staying out of the spotlight. Now that she knew this, the building’s slight slant took on an eerie aura.

“Our opponent may be stronger than anticipated,” Liz concluded. “How much malice swirls inside that house, I wonder?”

***

As Liz and Gaion gazed upon the house, within it, Zenos and Lily sat leisurely around the dinner table, the atmosphere tranquil.

“Good work today, Zenos,” Lily said. “Have some tea.”

“Ooh, thanks, Lily,” Zenos replied.

It was a quiet moment of relaxation after a day’s work, with the aroma of citrus wafting from the cups and gently enveloping the table.

Lily blew softly at her teacup. “By the way, what did Loewe say?”

“Oh, that. Apparently one of her men passed out while on patrol. Zophia and Lynga also came over and said the same thing.”

“I wonder what happened.”

“Who knows? Either way, they all were more than happy to eat lunch together before they left. I swear they think this place is a cafeteria or something.” Zenos brought the cup to his lips, looking around. “Where’s Carmilla, by the way? She always shows up for tea.”

“She said she had a feeling and was going to wait on the second floor.”

“Is she back on her horseshit again?” Zenos asked. He sipped on his tea, then lifted his head. “Hmm? I thought the tea smelled different, but it tastes different too.”

“Does it? I tried some new tea leaves today. How is it?”

“It’s good. Refreshing, and it goes down easy.”

Lily chuckled. “Yay!”

The mastermind’s hideout remained enveloped in an endlessly cheerful atmosphere.

***

Outside the clinic, Liz and Gaion’s foreheads glistened faintly with sweat.

“Wh-What do we do, Lady Liz?” Gaion asked nervously, peering at Zenos’s home from a distance. “Do we raid the place, now that we know where it is?”

Liz glared coolly at her lackey. “You’re serious?”

“Y-Yes. I mean, the place’s falling apart, so we can crush it.”

“Are you daft? The man who controls the slums from the shadows is in there. That appearance must be a bluff. The exterior is most likely just an entrance, leading to a vast underground base.”

“I-I see...”

“And besides,” Liz continued, loosely crossing her arms, “our objective isn’t to kill him.”

“It’s not?”

“How many times do I have to explain it until you get it? Is your head just for decoration?”

“I-I’m sorry!” Gaion replied, shrinking back in fear.

Liz let out a heavy sigh and continued, “If the ruler died, the races’ alliance would likely fall apart, and this would render them vulnerable, yes. But that would simply bring us back to the previous state of affairs. Picking fights on three separate fronts is a hassle.”

“Yeah, but we’re not gonna lose!”

“It would nevertheless take too much time, time that others from the Black Guild might take to intervene and further complicate things for us.”

“Th-That’s true.”

“So, I get close to the mastermind, use the power of my succubus abilities, and turn him into a puppet. That way, control of the slums will effectively fall to me. That’s the plan.”

“R-Right! That is the plan!”

Liz stared up at the mastermind’s hideout, looming over them like a shadow in the twilight. “Now the issue is how to approach him.”

“Why don’t you just pay him a visit?”

“Undoubtedly he’ll have powerful guards. It would be difficult to meet with him.” While she could manipulate them one by one, dealing with them all at once would be hard.

“So...what now, then?”

“What, indeed,” she mused. As she was about to speak, the door to the hideout creaked open.

“Lady Liz! S-Someone’s coming out!”

“A guard, perhaps. Hurry, hide!”

The two quickly blended into the shadows and watched as a small girl with blonde pigtails walked out with a broom and began to sweep in front of the house while humming a tune.

“I-Is that a powerful guard?” Gaion asked.

Liz was silent for a moment before replying, “You moron. That’s probably just a caretaker.”

“R-Right, yeah, probably.”

“Hmph. Think about it. Guards kept as caretakers could easily catch you unaware and murder you in your sleep. It makes sense to have a powerless girl close, instead. Keeps the roles separate.”

“Th-That makes sense. What a smart guy.”