’Someone’s following me!’ Nekker, halfway through his tea, realized something was wrong. He kept feeling more than one pair of eyes sweeping over him, sizing him up from head to toe.

Nekker slapped his money on the table and stood up. Just as he expected, two men dressed like sans-culottes got up behind him.

This was the most prosperous street in the Royal Capital. What kind of sans-culottes could afford to sit and drink in a teahouse here?

Thankful for his pursuers’ lack of professionalism, Nekker hailed a carriage for hire.

"Driver, to the Istani Embassy."

However, while it was easy to hail a carriage on the bustling street, it also meant the roads were congested. The carriage moved slowly. Seeing their target trying to flee, the plainclothes Security Team members immediately gave chase, breaking into a jog and closing the distance.

The carriage turned a corner and paused for a moment to avoid an oncoming vehicle, which was all the time the Security Team members needed to intercept it.

"We’re apprehending a fugitive! Cooperate!" But inside the carriage, there was only a coat, a felt hat, and a handful of scattered Copper Coins left for the fare.

A Sheriff snatched the coat and the coins, demanding of the driver, "Where did he go?!"

...

"Let me in! Let me in!" A panting Nekker burst into the Starlight Torch Tower, having already torn off his fake beard. After his plan to reach the embassy failed, he had immediately thought of a nearby safe haven beyond His Majesty the King’s reach—a place so obvious it would be overlooked.

A server moved to expel the intruder. "Sir, we are not open to the public right now."

"Kano is in here, isn’t he? Give this to him. And don’t you dare look." Nekker folded his business card and handed it to the server. He hadn’t even had time to change the title, which still read, "Minister of Finance, Royal Palace."

"That won’t be necessary. Please let the gentleman in," Kano’s voice rang out. The servers at the restaurant entrance parted to make a path for Nekker.

"A pleasure to see you." Kano was eating brunch as he received the disgraced former minister. "According to my intelligence, Charles wants to ’invite’ you back."

"If I went back now, the only place I’d end up is in His Majesty’s dungeons. But give it time, and what awaits me will be my old office and everything that came with it."

"You still want to make a comeback?" The thought shocked Kano so much he nearly choked on his table wine.

"Public opinion!" Nekker spread his hands wide. "You must have seen the public outcry my report caused. My background makes the commoners and merchants feel a certain kinship with me. Look at the newspapers, listen to the rumors in the teahouses—everyone sees me as a hero! Once the Third Level Estate Assembly convenes, only my return to office can quell the resentment of the Third Estate. Even if Charles XVI fails to realize this, I’m certain the Lord Chancellor will."

"A hero who bankrupted countless people?" Kano, who hadn’t speculated, hadn’t suffered any major losses. Besides, his assets weren’t confined to Valois. Otherwise, he might have been tempted to teach the braggart before him a lesson.

"It wasn’t me! The one who set everything off was Valon, and the news came from the Magic Guild... And that proposal for an independent currency-issuing authority... Master Kano, you voted to support me every time, yet you also ruined everything for me..."

"You’re the ones protecting that damned brat, aren’t you? Where is he? I want to see him, and I’m seeking the same protection from you that he has. Once I’m back in my position, I will repay you and the Magic Guild with all my power." In Rorschach’s words, the former Minister of Finance was a moocher with a sense of entitlement.

Kano was unbothered by the disrespectful tone. He continued eating as he spoke, "The involvement of Valon and the Mining Company was unexpected." Kano’s reply was, in turn, unexpected by Nekker. The use and protection of Valon, as well as the proposal for independent oversight of the currency authority, were all related to someone behind Kano.

"I can call him over for you. He’s just down in the research building." Kano suddenly had an urge to see how Rorschach would handle the former minister.

A short while later, after finishing a dinner roll, Nekker finally met the "mastermind" the Great Mage had spoken of—Rorschach.

He was an extremely young man, reminiscent of the detestable Valon. He clutched a stack of documents, his face a mask of bewilderment and innocence.

"Master, you were looking for me? And... Mr. Nekker? You really didn’t flee the country? In a pinch, hiding in an embassy would’ve worked too."

"..." ’How did you know I was planning to take refuge at the Istani Embassy?’ That one sentence was enough to convince Nekker of Kano’s words. The guy in front of him was definitely a little devil full of tricks!

Rorschach ignored the sour-faced, defeated man and handed the documents to Kano. "Philippe and Simon’s papers have been revised. Would you like to take a look?"

"If you think they’re ready, just have them submit. Make sure there are no formatting errors." Kano couldn’t be bothered to read his apprentices’ academic trash, even if it was high-quality... academic trash, produced under Rorschach’s guidance.

"Understood."

At last, the two Mages turned their attention back to their guest. Nekker asked the Middle Level Mage, "Where is Valon?"

"Not here, that’s for sure." Rorschach raised an eyebrow, displeased with Nekker’s attitude. ’You’re already down and out, yet you still dare to be so arrogant on Mage territory? Who gave you the nerve?’ He sat down next to Master Kano, facing Nekker.

Nekker had no choice but to accept the reality that Valon had escaped. "That ungrateful gambling addict really got off easy. But I will not leave Valois, and I will not leave the Royal Capital! I implore you to grant me safe asylum."

Rorschach saw that Kano had settled in to watch the show over his meal, which meant he had been given control of the conversation. "What’s in it for us?"

"The new currency-issuing authority! This thing they’re tentatively calling the ’Mint’ is a project Duke Melovinca is running with the Nobility and major bankers. When you first proposed the idea, you surely didn’t want to see the Church and the Guild completely sidelined, did you? But even if you participate, you’ll still need the guidance of a professional." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"A professional... you?"

"That’s right, me!"

Rorschach shook his head, pulling the bread basket that Nekker had been picking at back over to Kano’s side. "No, you’re mistaken, Mr. Nekker. We haven’t been sidelined at all." He produced a paper from his stack. "Master Kano’s apprentice, full name Philippe de Melovinca. We can speak directly with the person in charge."

"You... you’ve already colluded..."

Before the Noble Conference, Kano had worried that the proposal for the New Coins wouldn’t pass (and in fact, strictly speaking, every proposal had been rejected). He had already negotiated with Duke Melovinca beforehand. Regardless of what was said at the conference, they would rally others to ensure the independence of minting rights.

’Dammit, dammit...’ Nekker was filled with regret. He should have visited the Magic Guild the moment the Mining Company collapsed, but he had been blinded by rage at the time.

"However, you’re not entirely wrong," Rorschach continued. "Our Guild does indeed need professional guidance, and you happen to be a talent in the field of finance."

Although the entire Kingdom was in turmoil as the Gold Lang rapidly devalued, the Magic Guild’s subsidiary enterprises were mostly in the manufacturing sector. The Mages’ orders were still coming in. As long as the Guild coordinated with its continental branches to provide a certain amount of metallic currency, they could maintain normal operations.

Inspired by Rorschach’s trip to Bayern, Kano believed it was necessary to clarify the ambiguous relationships regarding rights, responsibilities, and ownership between Mages, the Guild, and its subsidiary enterprises. His plan was for the Guild and Magic Towers to register as corporations. Internally, they would take controlling stakes in the Magic Guild’s trading companies. Externally, they would influence the Kingdom’s monetary policy and consolidate all the productive forces the Magic Guild controlled within Valois.

Nekker could serve as an advisor, offering his expertise. That made him worth protecting.