The Red Dragon Syndicate’s headquarters was located even farther east of Runerelia’s easternmost First Street on the outskirts of the capital, an area commonly known as the worker’s district. Far less affluent than the sections within the Nine Square, the worker’s district was also home to Apple House and many other co-ops, as well as more dangerous pockets known as the slums.
Several days had passed since the Syndicate had received a request from the president of a certain rural shipbuilding company, who was apparently seeking a backer in order to open a branch in the capital. This was by no means an infrequent occurrence, and the Red Dragon Syndicate followed a well-established process for such requests. First, a representative from the Syndicate’s top brass would meet with the petitioner in question to discuss the nature of their request. If the Red Dragon Syndicate saw merit in the proposal, the necessary support would be arranged, and the petitioner would then be taken to meet with Gin to exchange a formal greeting.
Incidentally, this made the Red Dragon Syndicate something of an outlier among Runerelia’s underworld organizations. The upper echelons of the Continent Corporation, the Dwyn family, or any of the other groups—including, of course, the Lotzes—would never deign to meet with a mere entrepreneur of such little importance. However, ever since Gin had taken leadership of the Red Dragon Syndicate, he’d insisted on looking each prospective affiliate in the eye and taking measure of them before allowing them to join, regardless of said affiliate’s wealth or reputation.
After returning from recuperation in Ment, Gin had personally visited those who’d requested to join the Syndicate in his absence to formally extend his support, provided they met his standards. His closest advisers had tried to dissuade their leader from these personal visits, given that his very visit to Ment had been the result of an attempt on his life, the perpetrators of which were still at large. Naturally, Gin had refused, and subsequently this meant his advisers, bodyguards, and the other members of the Syndicate’s top brass were keeping an even closer eye than usual on any hopeful petitioners.
The mysterious attacks weren’t the only disturbance in Runerelia’s underworld either. The Lotz family, who held no regard for the established rules of the shadowier side of society, had picked a fight with an up-and-coming explorer known as the Mad Hound—a fight they’d lost spectacularly. They’d publicly admitted their defeat, and in a show of alleged humility, had declared they’d only negotiate with the Mad Hound henceforth, revoking all prior arrangements or understandings with any of the other underworld organizations. Despite his recent emergence onto the exploring scene, the Mad Hound had already gained a rather substantial reputation. Therefore, his apparent selection of the Lotz family as business partners had caused the credibility of the Red Dragon Syndicate—whose territory included the southeastern branch to which the Mad Hound belonged—to plummet. Very few people had sought out Gin’s support in recent months, with today’s petitioner, a woman named Mimosa, being a rare exception.
Shuri, one of the higher-ups in the Syndicate, met with the woman first. Her first impression of Mimosa was a positive one, and their brief discussion about the woman’s plans to strike it rich in Yugria’s economic center revealed a sharp mind and a keen respect for honor rare in someone of her relatively young age. However—
“Sorry, but who’s the kid in the mask? He looks far too young to be working as a bodyguard...” Shuri frowned. “Listen, kid. In situations like this, it’s considered good manners to look the other person in the eye when greeting them. You might think it’s old-fashioned or whatever, but we’re pretty stuck in our ways. Take the mask off, yeah?”
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For some reason, Mimosa had come accompanied by a boy wearing a somewhat unnerving mask. It depicted a plump old man, his mouth open to suggest he’d been caught mid-laugh. The unnerving part was the painted eyes, wide open and fiercely intense, like those of a wicked merchant who’d just cast his business rival into the depths of hell.
The masked boy had yet to say a word. He seemed remarkably composed for someone so young but lacked the arrogant bearing one would expect when said composure stemmed from a noble upbringing. Shuri had no idea what to make of the masked figure, but never in her wildest imagination could she have predicted the introduction that was about to come out of his mouth.
“I apologize for the belated introduction. My name is Allen Rovene. Mimosa and Calmwinds have been generously sponsoring the extracurricular club I belong to at school. For the most part I’m merely here to support Mimosa, but there might also be some topics on which I can shed a little more light, so please don’t hesitate to ask. Thank you for having me.” He lowered his head.
Shuri and the other Syndicate members present were lost for words. The sheer thought of a Royal Academy student waltzing into a meeting with an underworld organization like the Syndicate was quite frankly ridiculous. To do so with no real attempt to hide their identity (apart from the weird mask) was only more absurd. And for said student to be the Allen Rovene? It was unthinkable. If the Mad Hound was the rising star of Runerelia’s underworld, then Allen Rovene was an absolute supernova among respectable Yugrian society.
Those who’d heard his introduction were reluctant to believe it, but at the same time, no one could think of a reason for the boy to lie. For instance, if the whole meeting was merely a farce and Mimosa’s companion was actually an assassin sent to kill Gin, why choose a boy? Furthermore, why make that boy assume the identity of one of the most famous youths in all of Runerelia? Doing so would—and indeed, had—only made the Red Dragon Syndicate representatives all the more wary. Personally, Shuri had ignored most of the rumors concerning Allen Rovene. The boy’s deeds, as astonishing as they apparently were, had been of no importance on her side of society. She did remember one small detail, however.
When Allen Rovene had suddenly appeared in the arena during the Nova Cup, he’d been wearing a mask.
“I’m willing to take off my mask, but for certain personal reasons, I’d prefer to do so in front of as few people as possible,” the self-proclaimed Allen Rovene continued. “I’m not carrying any weapons, but I’d be more than happy to submit to a search if it would alleviate your worries.” He stood up, holding his arms out to his sides.
Shuri remained silent. Unlike the temperamental and violent Mad Hound, it wasn’t too far-fetched to imagine a boy like Allen Rovene participating in dealings of a financial and political nature—just not when those dealings involved the underworld quite so directly. Per Gin’s policy, the Red Dragon Syndicate maintained a position of fairness and neutrality when it came to simple conflicts within noble society. That being said, the worlds of commerce and noble politics were intrinsically linked, and it was impossible to conduct business within Yugria without being involved in those power games to some degree. While the Red Dragon Syndicate didn’t openly participate, they did use their connections to smooth things over behind the scenes when any of their affiliates suffered as a result of aristocratic power struggles. But for Allen Rovene to openly associate himself with an underworld organization like theirs... Shuri couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of “personal reasons” had led the boy to accompany Mimosa in seeking their protection, but she’d wager they weren’t of a lighthearted nature. She could have simply refused his request, or even turned Mimosa and the alleged Allen Rovene away then and there. It was often the safest choice to follow your instincts when they told you danger was at hand. On occasion, however, following them meant turning your back on the very information you’d need should said danger circle back—and it nearly always did.
This isn’t my call to make, thought Shuri, who keenly understood the safety such information could provide. It’s Gin’s.