In the nameless orphanage of District 42. Entikkan silently stared at a check placed on the desk. A mere piece of paper donated by Maximilian Ebenholtz. With this money, they could fix the leaky roof. They could replace the boiler that turned freezing every winter with a state-of-the-art mana engine. They could feed the children plenty of special meals with meat and fruit, and furthermore, they could take in more children wandering the streets. And even after all that, there would be plenty of money left. “.......” Entikkan quietly sank into thought. The nobles of the Empire usually scorn all Subspecies indiscriminately. Among them, the Yaken are particularly discriminated against. It’s obvious even to the point that commoners show aversion. However, Maximilian was different. He had gone out of his way to bring them back after they were taken by the police, and had gone out of his way to express goodwill toward the Yaken race. No, even before that. How did Maximilian even know that they had been 'arrested'? “......Was it you?” Entikkan looked at Eric Tariq in an old picture frame. Eric was a man of few words. The very embodiment of the silent and rough stereotype that comes to mind when one thinks of 'Yaken'. Just one of the many Yaken. He was born in a nomadic tent in the wilderness, grew up feeling the winds of that land, met a wife who was also a shepherd, and wandered for his entire life. To him, borders and the annexation by the Empire meant nothing, and after his wife died, they meant even less. A man of the wild, whose whole life was about forging a path where there was none, someone who never blended into civilized society. If such a man had moved a pure-blood noble of the Empire like Ebenholtz... If he had instilled kindness toward the Yaken into such a high-born aristocrat... “That would be one hell of a comedy.” Entikkan muttered a self-deprecating sneer. Eric was a love-hate relationship for him. He loved him as a brother, but always resented his irresponsibility for wandering while ignoring reality and dying away from home. And yet, is it people who ultimately open the hearts of others? ─Knock knock. A knock broke his thoughts. “Yes.” An orphanage staff member entered hesitantly. “Uh, Director. The food supplier’s credit is overdue again…” Entikkan looked up as he put the check into the drawer. There was no longer any worry on his face. “It’s alright. From now on, you won’t have to worry about money.” “Sorry?” “The salaries for this month were delayed a bit, weren’t they? I apologize. I'll not only pay the overdue wages but also give out generous bonuses for your hard work.” He hadn’t originally intended to use this money. Money from a noble, especially when the intention behind it was unclear, could be poison. Entikkan himself held an instinctive hostility and suspicion toward the Empire’s nobles. But somehow, he felt that maybe Maximilian might be different. In any case, there was nothing Maximilian could gain from him, and more importantly... “If there are any children among them who seem to show Talent, please make a list.” With this money, he could finally do more than just provide material things. “Starting today, I plan to give them proper education.” Even the children in the orphanage could now dream, and make those dreams come true. It was far more important than something like his pride. *** In a pitch-black space where vision was completely blocked. In this place, even the distinction between up and down was vague, this was the Veil. A ghost coordinate that didn’t exist on any map, crafted by an unknown wizard, and a secret point connecting to the cause. A place where only permitted shadows could set foot─ “Menshi has been selected as Maximilian’s personal secretary.” A voice echoed. Comrade Sensi, wearing a rabbit mask. She was not only the sole survivor of the Gigantes destruction operation, but also one of its key executors, and her status in the organization had been elevated by one level. “That’s good news.” A shadow responded. Although it was unknown how long it would last, being able to grasp even part of the movements of Maximilian, the most important surveillance target, was valuable in itself. “Is Menshi that woman? The one who kept sniffing around.” “Yes.” “I thought she was just an ordinary Yaken, but she's quite capable." He nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly looked at Sensi. "Sensi. How is your condition?" “.......” She remained silent for a long time. Instead of an answer, a faint suppressed groan escaped through her tightly clenched teeth. “......Maybe it would’ve been better if I had died that day.” The memory of that day was faint, but Sensi had received help from someone unknown. The destruction of Gigantes had been successful thanks to that man. However, Eagle had been a traitor, and Tagan, who had been with them for a long time, had died. Because of that, she was deeply wounded both psychologically and physically. “Take some time to rest. So you don’t draw suspicion.” “......Okay.” Staggering, she stood and left the Veil. “.......” Left alone, the man, one of the administrators of the Veil, opened a desk drawer. He created a new file labeled ‘Menshi – Yukia Tariq’ and slid it deep into a file cabinet. *** I investigated the noble who had gone on an expedition with Eric Tariq in the past. By alternating between moderate pressure and persuasion, I obtained an accurate account of that day. As expected, the noble had rejected the route Eric had suggested, and Eric, despite the noble’s unreasonable demands, fulfilled his duty as a guide and fell to his death. The Empire had so many fucking bastards like this. I secretly dispatched a search team, but it would take some time. Still, even if his body had perished, it would suffice to recover the artifacts he had possessed during his lifetime. There’s a chance. Crafted items imbued with mana are not easily damaged by the passage of time, nor do they decay. "......Is this the place." In any case. Today, I arrived at a premium auction held on the outskirts of the Imperial capital, dealing only in good-bloodline animals. Schatz accompanied me as a bodyguard. “There are a lot of dogs. And horses too.” Schatz’s expression was slightly flushed with excitement. I went straight to the large dog section. Among them, one breed clearly stood out. Aran Shepherd. As the name “Aran”, daringly borrowed from the Empire, suggests, it’s a hexagonal-balance breed beloved by the royal family and nobles alike. Supposedly, it didn't lack in any aspect, bravery, loyalty, intelligence, or physical ability. Yip! Woof! Yipe! Inside the fenced area where newborn large dogs were barking solemnly, my gaze locked on one particular pup. A Shepherd with odd eyes─ one blue, the other golden. Sitting calmly, looking up at the sky. It was the very one that had adorned the front page of the newspaper before my regression. ──[Special Feature: Meeting the Heroic Dog with Miraculous Eyes, 'Leo']── ......The story of the hero dog Leo, who precisely located State Secretary Emelton of the New Cabinet under the rubble during the recent terror attack and withstood the collapse using mana, is moving the hearts of the Republic...... ──── Not only humans, but even beasts can wield mana. It’s rare, but those called Spirit Beasts instinctively use mana to enhance their bodies or expand their senses. “Oh! Sir Knight!” At that moment, the owner of the dogs ran up. He brushed back his blond hair and smiled. “You have a good eye. These are top-grade Aran Shepherds guaranteed by pedigree documentation. All of them have exceptional mana sensitivity, and their intelligence is on par with children. They already understand basic commands.” Sit! Stand! Jump! The young dogs immediately understood and followed their master’s words. Schatz’s eyes widened. “Ooh.” I pointed to the odd-eyed one. “What about that one?” “Uh... Ah~ Sir Knight. That one is part of the auction.” “That’s bothersome. Just write an appropriate amount yourself.” I handed him a blank check. The owner’s eyes popped wide open, and Schatz had a face that looked like she wanted to take the other puppies too. “Sir Knight. A few more of them would be good to keep as guard dogs at the Genen Branch.” “Then do that. You choose.” “Thank you!” Schatz went right into the pen and began looking over the puppies, and the owner wrote down an appropriate price and returned the check to me. “Yes. Let’s go with this.” “O-oh, I’ll get everything ready immediately!” Leo. I plan to raise this guy in the Ebenholtz way. Which means I’ll be feeding him elixirs. If he’s capable of using mana, then he should be able to fully absorb elixirs too. “......Huh?” Suddenly, I spotted a familiar face. It was Julian. Dressed in casual clothes, he had a bundle of fluff tucked at his side. “Sir Julian?” “Hm?” Woof! Woof! The white puffball tucked under Julian’s arm suddenly barked at me. It wasn’t an Aran Shepherd, or a Daybons, or even a hunting dog. It was a small dog, purely cute and tiny, with no sign of combat ability whatsoever. Julian spoke. “Pomeranian. A guard dog with the bloodline of a lion. Excellent sense of smell and wide area detection, perfect for raising at a mansion.” “Ah, I see.” "What about you?" “An Aran Shepherd. Name’s Leo. He’s got heterochromatic eyes.” I showed him Leo. Woof! Woof! The Pomeranian barked. "Did you like dogs?" Julian asked, and I nodded with a smile. “Doesn’t the Empire need hunting dogs too?” From now on, I’ll start building the logic to protect Subspecies like the Yaken, treated like hunting dogs. My power and wealth will be the foundation, and my words and actions will be the justification. “I see. Well then, have a good weekend.” “Yes. You too, Sir Julian. Raise it well.” Julian left, stroking his Pomeranian, and before I knew it, Schatz returned with five Aran Shepherds. Her arms were full of squirming puppies. “Schatz. Are there still people tailing us these days?” I glanced at a car parked not far away. Some guys were following even on weekends. “Yes. Probably from a direct agency. Shall I take care of them?” “No. Don’t provoke them for no reason.” I smiled as I petted Leo. “Reutern II wants to see me?” "Yes. It's probably about money. He was one of Gigantes's shareholders too." “I know. Tell him I’ll meet him tonight.” I have a gift for that bastard I’d love to beat to death. Well, as the old saying goes, give an extra rice cake to the person you hate. (https://ktell.tistory.com/entry/Korean-Proverb-Give-an-Extra-Rice-Cake-to-the-One-You-Dislike) “It’s about time I started the plan.” ...... Inside a private room in a luxury restaurant. “Thanks to you, everyone’s jealous of me~ Even those palace knights were drooling~” Reutern II boasted as he sliced into a rare steak dripping with blood. Hanging from his neck like an accessory was the master-grade mana stone cube I had sent him. It looked utterly unsightly, but I pretended to admire it and nodded. “It suits you well.” “Doesn’t it? But hey. I heard you’re filling the vacancy at Gigantes?” “Yes. It just happened that way.” “You’ll make a lot of money... Ah, no, that’s right. I heard you lost a lot on that failed investment too?” Though it was a face I wanted to kill, acting was necessary. There’s no easier pawn to move than this guy. Among the royal palace’s idiots, he’s the one with the best bloodline. “Yes. It was quite a large sum.” “Ah~ I’ve got a lot of expenses myself these days. Keeping up appearances costs a fortune.” Reutern sent me a subtle look. It was a sign, he wanted something. “You know, I really backed you hard during the Gigantes bid, right? Do you have any idea how much I spent drinking with those bureaucrats~” “I know.” To the bastard babbling bullshit, I smoothly pulled out a document envelope and placed it on the table. “So I prepared this. A bearer bond designed just for you, Lord Reutern.” “......Oh?” Greedy sparkles appeared in his eyes. I recited exactly what Dieter had explained to me. “It’s a bond issued by a special-purpose company established in the Canilan Independent State. On the surface, it looks like a normal bond from a trading company, but it’s designed so that funds laundered through several shell companies all converge here.” Basically, it meant handing over the entire profit earned from laundering and liquidating dirty money. “If you just hold onto this bond, you can exchange it for cash at any bank in Canilan without any ID verification. In pure cash, this much should come in every year.” I held up my fingers. Reutern’s eyes gleamed with greasy greed. “......Heh.” Gulp. The bastard swallowed hard. He set down his utensils and leaned forward. “You’re giving this to me?” “I came here from the beginning intending to give it to you, Lord Reutern. Thanks to you, I also won the military procurement contract.” Reutern’s face lit up brightly. “Wow, Max. You’ve really changed! Before, you couldn’t even look people in the eye properly, and you stammered when you talked. The first time I met you, I really thought you were an idiot! Hahaha!” I forced a bitter smile. This fucking son of a bitch talks like an asshole even when I’m giving him money. “To think that same Max has grown this much! I’m proud of you~ Is there anything else I can help you with?” “Nothing at all. I don’t have many acquaintances in the royal palace anyway, so just staying on good terms with you is more than enough.” “Ah~ Listen to this guy, he speaks so nicely too. I like it, I really do. Then I’ll gladly accept this.” Just as Reutern was about to snatch up the bond. I firmly grabbed his wrist. “But, Lord Reutern.” “W-What is it?” “There is something important.” Lowering my gaze seriously, I spoke in a low voice. “Please make sure to keep it secret. If word gets out that I gave you this bond, it’ll be a problem. You know how people in the palace are.” “Ah, of course! You know I’m tight-lipped, right? Don’t worry.” I gave a small nod and let go of his wrist. Reutern, now all excited, tucked the bond into his inner pocket and drank wine with glee. “Max, if any other guys start causing trouble and asks for money, just tell me! I’ll shut them up right away!” The shell company and bond now in Reutern’s possession will, before long, be leaked through an anonymous tip-off to one of the royal palace’s direct agencies. The contents of the tip will probably go something like this: “knight Maximilian, of the Ebenholtz family, is laundering funds embezzled from the military contracts.” Lutz, department head of a palace's direct agency, will never overlook such an obvious and suspicious money trail. With his eyes fixed on me, he’ll tenaciously pursue the source, and at the end of that trail, he’ll find Reutern II, not me. When that day comes... I will simply watch from afar. “Max, have a drink too!” “......Yes. Thank you.” We clinked our wine glasses together with a smile. Clink. To burn away the annoying things, all it takes is a single matchstick. ~~~ Merry Christmas everyone!🎄