“Really? What is it?”
“Are you familiar with the concept of ghosting?”
‘So the fundamental truths of romance are universal across all worlds.’
But still — the head of an information guild, and the best he had to offer was ‘ghosting.’
“…I know roughly what it is.”
At that, the guildmaster uncrossed his legs and leaned toward us.
“There is nothing quite so wretched as being ghosted. Absolutely maddening. You can’t sleep at night from sheer frustration.”
“……”
“Are they dead? Are they alive? Did they simply not receive my messages? Honestly, the aggravation is beyond words.”
He was practically pleading his case.
“…Excuse me. You said you’ve never been broken up with, yes?”
“Correct. Being left is not a concept that exists in my personal dictionary.”
Hmm. Beside me, Emily gave a skeptical murmur. I shared the sentiment entirely.
‘This man sounds exactly like someone who has been thoroughly ghosted.’
“In any case, that is the most reliable method I know. Ghosting.”
It was not that simple, however. And if the person in question was the sort of villain who tended toward psychopathic tendencies, it was considerably less simple still.
“If I ghost him, he might track me down and kill me.”
“…My. You’re seeing someone rather formidable, it seems.”
“He’d probably find a way to locate me regardless and—”
“Hmm. Quite a possessive person as well, by the sound of it.”
Of course he was. When Kael had first come to find me, he had said it plainly — if I intended to run after taking his virtue, he would not let me go quietly.
The guildmaster folded his arms and fell into a contemplative silence. After about a minute of determined deliberation, he snapped his fingers.
“Then how about this method?”
“What method?”
“An identity change. You erase your existing identity — or simply abandon it — and begin living under a new one.”
‘Wait just a moment.’
That was a rather large undertaking, wasn’t it?
“Isn’t that illegal?”
“Of course it’s illegal. How else does one go about disappearing? Illegality is the fundamental prerequisite of a proper escape.”
“……”
It was said that Kael’s reach extended to every corner of the empire.
‘…But then again, he barely interacts with anyone socially. His actual network of connections might be far narrower than people assume.’
It wasn’t entirely without appeal.
“Mmm. The trouble is, this option is a bit expensive.”
The guildmaster rubbed the chin of his mask.
“How expensive?”
“Quite. It being illegal, you understand.”
He said it with complete conviction.
Setting aside the cost for a moment — there was another problem.
“But you said it’s illegal. So if something goes wrong, I could end up in prison?”
“My dear customer. This is one of the empire’s premier information guilds.”
“…Yes, I see.”
“And I? Am a person of considerable ability. I am not the kind of operation that falls apart easily, I assure you.”
‘…Somehow I still have my doubts.’
But in the original story, the Black Guild had been among the empire’s top information guilds. Even the Crown Prince — the male lead — had come here to purchase intelligence. So it had to be reputable.
‘Although — the guildmaster did seem to be mixing in some exaggerations during the ghosting conversation.’
I studied him with undisguised suspicion. Before long, Emily cut to the practical side of things.
“What would the cost be? The fee for the information, and everything else?”
“Information fee — twenty-five gold. Initial deposit — twenty-five gold. Identity change — one hundred gold. A total of approximately one hundred and fifty gold.”
“That much?”
One hundred and fifty gold, roughly converted, was enough to purchase several buildings in the capital.
“Is that not a bit inflated?”
Emily asked this in a voice that was quiet and faintly ominous. A small crease had formed between her brows.
The guildmaster cleared his throat.
“Ahem! Not at all. That is calculated at the absolute minimum. If you do proceed, I’ll make a special allowance of ten gold off for the two of you.”
“Only ten gold? We discussed a hundred gold at another guild.”
Emily had entered negotiation mode. The claim about visiting another guild was, of course, fabricated. Yet she sat with her arms folded, calm and unassailable, rather like a strict and exacting professor.
She held that posture and added:
“This is not how one runs a business.”
“W-well, you should have said something sooner… fine, ninety gold! That’s my absolute limit.”
“We’ll think about it.”
From one hundred and fifty down to ninety.
A forty percent reduction — but there was still a problem. The personal allowance came with records Kael could access, didn’t it?
“Actually — I’ll need to pay using my personal allowance.”
“Oh?”
“In which case, my partner might be able to see the transaction history.”
“Wow, he gives you a personal allowance? Mmm, enviable.”
“……”
When I fixed him with a look of icy disinterest, the guildmaster flinched like a startled cat. Then he raised one finger.
“There is a solution for that too.”
“What?”
“Money laundering.”
‘I beg your pardon.’
You want me to launder the duke’s own money against the duke?
I pressed my lips together and exhaled sharply through my nose. Emily, undeterred, followed up immediately.
“And the cost for that?”
“Laundering would run about fifty gold, but we’ll do that for free. Just leave a ten-gold tip.”
“So, ten gold in the end.”
“…Oh.”
Emily had summed it up in exactly two sentences.
The guildmaster — who had been trying to squeeze something extra out of us under the guise of a free service — found himself outmaneuvered and fell silent.
Wait. Before any of this — was money laundering even feasible in my situation?
‘Jince is attached to me at all hours.’
I raised my hand tentatively.
“Actually — one moment. I’m being followed.”
“You’re being — ‘followed?'”
The guildmaster startled visibly.
“Yes. The consultation here — it’s all kept strictly confidential, isn’t it?”
“Oh, absolutely! Not a thing to worry about there. Complete confidentiality! Airtight security! You have my word — oh!”
“……”
“Oh dear…”
In the midst of his overly enthusiastic gesturing, the guildmaster knocked his own mask askew.
Which was how I caught a glimpse — red hair, and vivid green eyes.
“…That was an accident!”
He gave us a hasty wink and hurriedly rearranged his mask back into place.
He was, in a word, an absolute shambles. And shameless with it.
‘Something feels very off about this.’
‘Is this place actually trustworthy?’
* * *
“That was a bit suspect, wasn’t it? What kind of guildmaster lets a customer see his face?”
“Exactly. And forget identity changes — the pricing was pure guesswork from start to finish.”
Emily clicked her tongue.
“Here you are — your macaron set.”
“Thank you.”
I had bought macarons for Kayrin. He didn’t eat much of anything else, but the dark chocolate ones he accepted without fail — even if he grumbled about it — and ate every last bite. I bought an extra box each for Emily and myself while I was at it.
We left the shop and made our way toward the carriage.
We were just crossing through the fountain square when I noticed something on the bench where Kayrin had been sitting the other day. A man was curled up there, huddled tightly under a layer of newspaper. His clothes were worn and thin, his back curved with age.
“Emily. That man over there — is he homeless?”
“He seems to be, sleeping under newspaper like that.”
“He’s got a broad build but he looks very thin. I doubt he’s been eating properly…”
I looked down at the macaron box in my arms.
“Should I offer him some of these?”
“What if he turns out to be dangerous?”
I glanced around. It was the middle of the day, and the square was full of people.
“I have an escort knight assigned to me, remember. Should be safe enough.”
“Ah — the liaison who got attached during the attachment operation?”
“Yes, except it turns out he’s less a liaison and more a full-time shadow. Everything I do probably gets reported straight to Kael.”
“A secret escort knight — something like that, then. In that case, yes, it ought to be safe.”
“Right. Let’s just give these over quickly and go!”
We walked toward the bench where the old man lay.
“Excuse me.”
“Mm?”
The old man — wearing a worn, wide-brimmed hat pulled low — stirred at our voices and sat up.
‘He’s taller than I expected. Quite a large frame too.’
“We have some of these — would you like a few? We bought too many to finish.”
“Oho. Now there’s a rare young lady. A noble, are you?”
“Yes. They haven’t been touched, so they’re perfectly clean. Well then — we’ll be on our way.”
“Hold on. Young lady.”
“Yes?”
The old man nudged his wide-brimmed hat up with the tip of one finger.
Beneath it — a pair of deep, vivid eyes, clear as the open sea and strikingly blue.
“Do you happen to have a husband?”
