CHAPTER 315: CHAPTER 315: A NOBLE’S INVESTMENT

"Wait, I remember something. There’s a suspicion I’ve always had."

...

...

"And that is?"

Sela asked, patiently.

Rufus responded slowly,

"You know the kind of situation where gang members are caught by the authorities and it’s all over the newspapers?"

"Hmmm,"

Sela hummed vaguely rather than answering directly.

She didn’t really pay attention to common papers, but there was no need for him to know that.

Rufus continued.

"Well, those headlines always give different names. Members of the Vipers, the Red Fangs, etcetera."

Neither Lugh nor Sela said a word, but it was obvious they were fully, and intently listening to the words being said.

He pressed on.

"On the surface, it all looks like different organisations for different criminal cases, but what I think is that they—no, we—are all part of one central organisation. And we don’t even know its name."

Sela tilted her head slightly.

"...What makes you think that?"

He shrugged.

"Although I call it a suspicion, it’s actually quite obvious. For instance, we’re supposed to be a separate crew on our own. The Iron Dogs. And yet—"

"Hold up."

Sela interrupted, her voice sharp with disbelief.

"You guys are called the Iron Dogs?"

"Yes."

"And your nickname is... Iron Dog?"

"Yes."

Rufus nodded seeming not to fully understand the absurdity of the situation.

A thick silence settled over the gazebo like a damp fog.

He broke it first.

"As I was saying, we’re apparently a separate crew on our own, yet I still receive orders from someone up top.

And I have to hand over a big chunk of my earnings. The others don’t even know about this."

Lugh’s brow furrowed. He gestured subtly with his chin.

"What about them?"

His eyes flicked toward the three who had accompanied Rufus.

"Oh, there’s no need to worry about them,"

Rufus clarified, voice lowering slightly.

"They’re my deputies."

Sela narrowed her eyes, clearly unconvinced.

"So... you and your deputies roam the streets at night, looking for innocent victims? Like a common crew of hooligans."

"Uh well, that’s, um... I mean..."

His words tangled into themselves. Finally, he gave up and kept silent.

Lugh shifted, then turned to Sela.

"So what will you do now?"

She clicked her tongue.

"There’s nothing I can do. Trying to find their leader would take an exorbitant amount of time. Time that I don’t have now that the Se—that the event is coming up."

He nodded in agreement, but then added thoughtfully,

"Can’t you just ask Is—your mother for help?"

Sela pressed her lips together. Her voice, when it came, was quieter.

"No way. Not even considering whether she would help us in the first place... this is an idea I prepared on my own. I have to see it through, or I’ll be termed irresponsible."

She turned to Rufus and his crew, her tone shifting to something colder, more formal.

"Do you still have any of the letters from the person who gives you instructions?"

Rufus responded immediately.

"No. We were told to burn them after reading."

"Well do you remember the address from which they were issued?"

"It constantly changes, and by now we’ve already grown used to not even bothering. It’s all fake anyways"

She inhaled sharply, organizing her thoughts. At last, she spoke.

"Either way, my instructions still stand. You’ll sever all ties with your former group and begin receiving direct orders from me."

They shifted, visibly unnerved by her sudden assertiveness, but she continued unbothered.

"Another goal has been added to your operations: identifying and dismantling other units like yours. That includes investigating the true identity of your former group."

They couldn’t stay quiet after that.

"Please,"

One of them pleaded,

"We’ll actually die if we start doing stuff like that! The gang is way stronger than you—"

His words caught mid-sentence, choking in his throat.

Sela had thrown a dark pouch onto the table. Its heavy thud, followed by the unmistakable jingle of coins, sent a ripple through the air.

Rufus approached it cautiously, eyeing the nobles for any sign of trickery. None came.

Then, with tentative fingers, he picked up the pouch and peered inside.

The sheer brightness of the gold nearly gave him a seizure.

His body trembled as his eyes widened. One of his companions let their jaw drop in disbelief, unable to mask the reaction.

Sela spoke plainly.

"That’s for reorganisation and miscellaneous operations."

Her gaze swept over their appearance like a sharp blade.

"For now, get some new clothes. Presentation matters."

"My lady,"

Rufus began, unaware that the way he addressed her had shifted.

"This is... too much."

Her response was cold.

"I’m not giving that to you."

"Ah?"

"Call it an investment. You’ll pay back every coin."

He nodded sharply, cradling the pouch like a newborn.

Lugh watched with veiled interest. It was one thing for them to know she was wealthy. It was another for her wealth to reach them.

People’s loyalties, he noted, were truly fickle things.

Although Rufus had agreed readily in the heat of the moment, now that the shine of gold had dimmed, the fear came crawling back in.

"Oh no,"

He murmured.

"What have I done..."

He began to stammer.

"W-while we appreciate your... donation—"

"It’s not a donation."

"...Right. While we do appreciate your financial support, we still can’t go against the gang. Our lives are more important than money."

"No, it’s not."

The interruption came from the bearded man in the group, who spoke without hesitation.

Rufus frowned.

"Yes it—"

But a hand clamped over his mouth. It belonged to the man with the slicked-back hair.

The man chuckled awkwardly.

"Our boss is feeling unwell at the moment. You’ll have to please excuse him."

Sela watched the entire exchange with unreadable calm.

Uncertain whether she was pleased or disappointed, the man rambled on.

"We’re just vigilantes, right? Just a gang? We’re not scared—we’ll fight. Even if it means risking our lives."

The others nodded, solemn and determined. Money was truly a powerful thing.

"There’s no need to go that far,"

Sela said, finally.

"If I’m sending you on a dangerous task, it’s only natural that I arm you."

"Arm us?"

Rufus asked, voice unsteady. "Y-you mean... like knives, swords and stuff?"

Sela glanced at Lugh, then back to the group.

"Have you ever heard of firearms?"

They exchanged uncertain looks.

"Firearms...? I thought only officials had access to those."

She didn’t reply.

The realization hit Rufus like a brick. He fought the urge to palm his face.

Of course she’d have access to them. This is the freaking Von Heim manor, after all.

Sela tapped her fingers rhythmically on the table.

"I hope I don’t need to say this, but the identity of your new employer is to remain secret."

"Of course, my lady,"

Rufus said quickly.

"Good."

She paused, then added thoughtfully,

"Our next meeting will happen at the same time... three days from now."

Just as she turned to leave, she froze, remembering something.

"You know what? Bring all the members of your group next time."

Rufus blinked.

"All of them?"

After a brief pause, he nodded.

"Alright."

They were dismissed soon after, and silence returned to the gazebo, calm as it had been before.

Lugh turned toward her.

"Why do you want all their members to come?"

She responded without hesitation.

"I thought about maintaining secrecy... but I realized it might cause more trouble than it’s worth."

"How so?"

"Well, for one,"

She said,

"They’ll all need to receive proper training before they can use firearms. At least that’s what Cassius always says"

"Couldn’t you have just trained those four and let them handle the rest?"

At that, she faltered.

"W-well, you see, the issue is..."

Lugh finished her thought.

"They might not follow their leader if they don’t understand the reason for the change?"

"Yes! Exactly!"

She nodded vigorously.

Then, in a quieter voice, she added,

"That’s definitely what I was thinking."

Lugh almost smiled. But then, his face sobered. A question burned quietly behind his eyes.

"Why are you doing this?"

He asked.

"Why go through the effort?"

She blinked.

"Why? Because it’s the right thing to do."

He stared at her, unmoving.

"The right thing to do?"

She quickly corrected herself.

"No, I didn’t mean it like—"

Then she calmed, organizing her thoughts.

"There are people out there struggling,"

She explained softly.

"Meanwhile, we have so many resources. Don’t you think it’s best to put them to good use?"

Lugh didn’t answer right away. His silence stretched for several seconds before he murmured.

"...I guess so?"

Truthfully, he didn’t know. He didn’t even know the actual value of a single gold coin. He only knew his mission. His goal.

What truly intrigued him... was why Sela, a noble through and through, had chosen this.

So he asked, directly.

"What I really want to know is—"

But he never finished the sentence.

Because just then, an unexpected voice rang out from the gazebo’s edge.

It belonged to one of Isolde’s shadows.

The woman bowed slightly.

"Young lady. Young lord."

Lugh frowned faintly at the term.

Sela tilted her head.

"What happened?"

The woman answered, expression unchanged.

"We have visitors... from the Cross family."