Anyone who has played Blood and Bone would inevitably develop a disdain for the Empire.

While their strength is disgustingly overpowering, forcing cooperation upon everyone to ease gameplay, allies as despicable as these are a rare breed.

Their actions are inherently off-putting, and a swift backstab is the standard practice if you let your guard down for even a second.

They’re a bunch of lunatics who will do anything as long as it benefits them.

And that’s how I grew certain of one thing:

The Empire must have had a hand in this incident.

There’s a level of despicableness that, once crossed, strangely turns into reliability.

If it’s the Empire, they’re undoubtedly brewing something abhorrent. If it’s the Empire, you can bet they’re up to some downright dog-like trickery.

I placed my trust in the Empire’s despicableness.

‘Now that I think about it, that fake Black Fang was just too bizarre.’

Well, that much was obvious.

I couldn’t wrap my head around their motives at all.

The idea that they came to steal something from the black market falls flat since they didn’t even glance at the largest warehouses.

Claiming they came for slave liberation? That’s contradicted by the numerous slaves who lost their lives to the Black Fang’s bombs.

If their purpose was genuinely humanitarian, there had to be better means than terrorism.

Besides, why would they target this specific black market?

Only the protagonist from the prequel and I know that the Archmage is already dead.

To the world outside, this place is still advertised as being run by that legendary Archmage.

There wasn’t a more inappropriate place for a heist than this.

So why do it?

The reason is strikingly simple.

There had to be a reason for it to be here.

A motive to strike the black market.

And that brings me to a reasonable suspicion.

What if that fake Black Fang was in cahoots with the Empire?

The Empire’s disdain for this black market was established as fact even in the prequel.

Oh, they definitely had a motive for this kind of act.

‘Then, why go impersonate the Black Fang?’

That too can be deduced to some extent.

Using enemies to control other enemies—such tactics were the playbook of the Empire throughout the prequel.

From their viewpoint, they probably aimed to sow conflict between the Black Fang and the Archmage.

Plus, many unsuspecting guests of the black market also got roped into this terrorist act. Naturally, only the wealthy noble class frequent this place.

‘This could be a bit of a stretch, but…’

Perhaps this was part of the Empire’s cunning strategy.

Think of the current scenario.

What if the Empire publicizes this terrorism as the handiwork of the Black Fang?

What happens when they place the blame for this disaster, which cost many civilians and nobles their lives, squarely on the Black Fang?

What if public sentiment turns against the Black Fang, portraying them as the villains who orchestrated this massacre against all nobles?

It wasn’t hard to conceive.

In a blink, the Black Fang would be reduced to nothing but an extremist revolutionary group hell-bent on annihilating all nobles.

‘Now that’d put a hitch in the revolution.’

That much is obvious.

The reason I held the Black Fang’s revolutionary potential in such high regard was that they had exhibited more common sense than I expected.

They don’t harm civilians.

They don’t slaughter people just for being nobles.

Their rebellion targets solely the imperial royal family.

If things progressed like this, the Black Fang had a solid chance of securing the nobility as their allies.

Not all nobles are malevolent, despite the Empire’s corruption.

Surely, some might be persuaded to become valuable allies.

Considering the strength of the Black Fang, some might even be willing to betray the Empire for their own gain.

Yet, if matters unfold like this… the Black Fang turns into the public enemy of the Empire’s nobility.

Being merely a visitor at the black market doesn’t justify a death sentence.

Certainly, some may approach with grim intentions, but others are just here hunting for rare materials—as pure as that sounds.

Didn’t I also come just to shop, without any ill will?

If this incident leaks out, the damage to the Black Fang’s image will be inevitable.

Even those nobles who were somewhat friendly towards them would do a complete turnaround.

Facing down the imperial royal family is a tough enough task without inviting more enemies into the fray. This was something the Black Fang had to prevent at all costs.

‘I guess this is my time to step in.’

With that thought, I couldn’t help but let a small smile escape.

In this current situation.

I had only one mission ahead of me.

To ensure that the Empire doesn’t spin the event any way they like, I need to establish our stance firmly beforehand.

This wasn’t a massacre orchestrated by the Black Fang.

Rather, it was a measure to punish those responsible for the massacre of civilians in Black Fang’s name.

“Siel. Make sure this goes unnoticed, handle it carefully.”

With my words, Siel leaves a trace of magic. In due time, this message will pulse upward into the sky with a deafening boom!

In essence, this marks the Black Fang’s inaugural official statement, a cause for celebration.

Well. I’m not really a leader of the Black Fang. Leaving a statement on my own does scratch at my conscience a bit.

‘But this isn’t the first time something like this has happened, is it?’

I already recognized the Black Fang’s tolerance for such matters after the incident with Lien.

Assassinations of imperial knights, erasing their leadership, dealing with dark mages—all in a day’s work.

Among the feats attributed to the Black Fang, the annihilation of an elite force was something Lien pulled off.

I’m certain of it, having witnessed it firsthand.

Still, in the public eye, that’s treated as a Black Fang operation. And they’re not denying it either.

Their rationale must be straightforward.

Claiming such actions as their own helps build the reputation necessary for the revolution.

The Black Fang is not some incomprehensible group of monsters.

They are a revolutionary group that acts surprisingly sensibly.

This statement will certainly bolster the Black Fang’s activities. Hence, I held little expectation of backlash from their end.

They’ll probably give it a pass, much like before.

And even if I’m wrong and the Black Fang becomes furious over this, I still have Lien and Siel, so I wouldn’t fret about it.

‘If this goes well, perhaps I should attempt a face-to-face meeting with them.’

They seem to operate in a way I respect and there’s some semblance of understanding; a powerful force that could act as effective allies.

“It’s done,” Siel announced.

It ended so quickly I worried the spell might be off-kilter. But amazingly, there wasn’t a single flaw to nitpick.

The completion was downright artistic.

I’ve felt this way before, but Siel is indeed as much of an overachiever as Lien.

If not for a poorly drafted contract, their pure magical talent alone would have even the Archmage drooling with envy.

‘Is this what it means to be a protagonist’s comrade?’

It’s incredibly comforting.

Though, their personality does spark a tiny concern.

‘That kid is just way too innocent.’

Given the absurd demand of leaving a statement in the name of the Black Fang,

And as expected, Siel uttered not a single question.

They simply complied with my command.

They’d probably nod along without hesitation if I asked them to endorse me.

I appreciate their commitment, but I can’t shake the worry of whether such innocence will make it in this world.

While mulling over these notions and stealing glances at Siel… I suddenly realized something odd.

Now that I think about it, whether it’s Siel or Lien, why has Miss Rubia never asked why I’m doing this?

I’m literally impersonating the Empire’s most infamous secret organization and leaving a statement behind, and she’s got nothing to say? Doesn’t that seem odd?

So, curiosity struck, and I posed the question to Miss Rubia—wasn’t she ever curious about why I was engaging in such outlandish behavior?

“I, I support whatever you do. So, if there’s anything you need, feel free to tell me.”

But instead, all I got was a jumbled response.

The situation made it unmistakably clear what was happening here.

“It seems like you still don’t fully grasp it.”

She must still be half-asleep, stuck in a fog of misunderstanding.

Siel is one thing; she’s really pushing the envelope. How has she managed to live in this harsh world while being so scatterbrained?

And her personality is bizarrely overly kind. It truly begs the question of how she found success in business.

In our potion venture, which involves duplicating money,

Miss Rubia is supposed to play a crucial role, yet my trust in her as a business partner was plummeting at breakneck speed.

I had hoped to leverage her know-how in promotion or networking, but now I was genuinely worried about getting this business off the ground.

‘She didn’t seem to be listening at all when I explained the business plan earlier.’

Well, despite everything, it’s only right, out of loyalty, to share the profits, however unreliable it may seem.

I still remember the amount I’ve borrowed so far. And given the help I’ve received, it’s essential I at least return three times that amount to save face.

“Oh, no! I, I completely understand everything! I totally empathize with you!”

Seeing my troubled expression sent Miss Rubia into a frenzied exclamation.

Has she somehow ingested something strange?

While I processed the absurdity of the situation, Miss Rubia continued her nonsensical tirade.

Saying things about overthrowing the Empire together, genuinely agreeing with my ideology.

Her voice quivered as though she were putting her life on the line for some ideological examination.

This was an utterly incomprehensible situation.

After a moment’s deliberation… I began to piece together what was happening.

The cause of Miss Rubia’s sudden bizarre behavior.

I had a rough idea of what might have gone wrong.

‘What in the world did Asher put in that drink?’

I couldn’t thank my lucky stars enough for not drinking the alcohol provided at the VIP seats.

I knew Asher had problems, but I never imagined he’d stoop so low to pull something like this on his auction house customers.

I could only retract any public declaration of support for Asher.

The abhorrent thought of him exterminating so many fake Black Fangs without blinking an eye, all while drugging Miss Rubia to this extent—

It sent chills down my spine.

Truly, that guy was a perpetual well of horror stories.

What kind of a monster does that?