FF Chapter 72: Twist of Fate (Patreon)

Nothing eventful occurred over the next few days as Lina and I waited for the others to finish with their respective tasks. Until we knew who to go after, there wasn’t much either of us could do. The most notable thing that happened was when I reported my meeting with Princess Henriette to Mom and Dad. They both looked disappointed when they heard that she didn’t plan on fighting for the throne.

I almost brought up the idea of supporting Leopold, but decided against it at the last minute. While I was angry with Leopold and his family about what they did in the Barrens, I hadn’t witnessed most of it first hand. I only heard about it. Mom and Dad, on the other hand, lived through it. So, for now, I planned on keeping silent.

As for Princess Henriette’s request, my parents entrusted me to handle the matter myself. They grew angry at the idea of someone stealing from orphans. When I told them about the price I demanded from Princess Henriette, Dad barked out a laugh while Mom complained that it was unnecessary. However, despite her grumbling, she wore a pleased expression on her face.

While we waited to hear back from the others, Lina and I focused on our other duties. I assisted Dad as his heir, which wasn’t difficult since I had been doing the work already. Lina continued acting as the lady of Kaltbrand Manor, with Mom’s blessing, while the latter focused on her duties as the knight commander of the Order of the Coldsteel Blade.

Lina and I continued working together on organizing our own engagement party, which I found amusing. Our parents, all four of them, offered to help but we declined. Organizing the engagement party together meant that Lina and I spent plenty of time with one another. We were both loath to give this up. Our parents must have realized this, and retracted their offers soon after.

To my surprise, Mother and Mika visited Kaltbrand Manor a few times in order to see Mom. I knew that Mom liked Mika and doted on her, but I was worried that she wouldn’t get along with Mother. However, to my relief, I had been worried about nothing. Mom and Mother became amiable acquaintances with one another, though they weren’t friends yet. I hoped that would change over time.

The days passed like this, peaceful and quiet, one after the other. However, despite this, a part of me remained worried. I feared that the peace and quiet was a prelude to strife and conflict. Something was bound to happen, sooner or later. Four days after our meeting with Princess Henriette, I was proven right. Alois came to me and said that Emmerich had been detained by a criminal.

***

Everyone involved in the matter regarding Princess Henriette’s request all met within my study. It was late afternoon, almost evening, with the sun heading towards the horizon. A tense silence filled the study. It was so quiet, one could hear a pin drop.

I sat at my desk, with my fingers steepled, glaring at Alois. He sat in front of me, his head hung low with shame. Maria sat next to him, an annoyed look on her face. Lina stood next to me, her hand on my shoulder, a cold expression on her face. She broke the silence first.

“I entrusted Emmerich’s safety to you, Alois,” Lina said in a frosty tone, “Because I thought you were capable of watching over and protecting him. Instead, you return and tell me that some two-bit thug has taken Emmerich. It seems that I overestimated your capabilities.”

Alois flinched.

“I apologize, Lady Lina.” He said. “I have failed you. There is no excuse for my incompetence. I will accept any punishment you deem necessary.”

“I may be speaking out of place,” Maria interjected, “But I don’t believe the fault lies with Alois, at least not all of it.”

Lina turned towards Maria.

“You’re right,” she said, her tone sharp, “You are speaking out of place. This is a House Guld matter. You are not a part of House Guld. Do not interfere.”

I placed my hand over Lina’s. She looked at me. Beneath her frost exterior, I saw the worry and fear in her eyes.

“We’ll get him back.” I said in a reassuring tone.

Lina took a deep breath and nodded.

“Yes, we will.” She looked at Maria. “I apologize for snapping at you, Maria. You didn’t deserve it.”

Maria accepted the apology with a nod.

“I can understand your feelings, Lady Lina.” She said. “I’m the same way towards my sister.”

I turned towards Alois.

“What exactly happened?” I asked him. “How did some ‘two-bit thug’, as Lina put it, get his hands on Emmerich?”

“It was my fault.” Alois said. “Over the course of our investigation, Lord Emmerich and I heard of a man named Reinhard. He is a rising figure within Haven’s underworld, one who amassed a significant amount of power within a short amount of time. A little over a year, if the rumors are true. The most surprising thing of all was that no one had heard of him before then. This Reinhard seemingly appeared out of nowhere.”

Maria nodded.

“That is similar to what we’ve heard.” She said. “During our own investigation, we heard about this Reinhard as well. He grew his strength by either convincing other criminals to work for him, assimilating their powerbase into his own, or eliminating them altogether. According to the rumors, he plans on taking complete control of Haven’s criminal underworld. As such, some have started to call him the King of the Underworld.”

“How grandiose.” I said. “What does this have to do with Emmerich?”

Alois sighed.

“When we heard about this Reinhard,” he said, “Lord Emmerich and I suspected that he was involved with the orphanages under Princess Henriette’s patronage. As such, we decided to investigate him further. Reinhard owns a casino in Haven’s Outer City called Twist of Luck. Lord Emmerich and I went there, after disguising ourselves of course. The plan was that Lord Emmerich would use his mental magic to gather information while we gambled.” He shook his head. “This is when things went wrong. Somehow, Reinhard’s people figured out that Lord Emmerich was using magic. I suspect that they had their own magician on hand. Regardless, they accused Lord Emmerich of cheating and took him into custody. We tried to resist, but the odds were against us.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“Why did they take just Emmerich into custody?” I asked. “If the two of you were together, why not both of you?”

Alois pulled something out of his jacket. It was an envelope.

“Reinhard’s people let me go to deliver this, Lord Wulfe.” He said.

He handed the envelope over to me and I opened it. Inside was a letter. My eyes widened as I read the contents. It was an invitation for Lina and I to meet with Reinhard at Twist of Fate.

“This Reinhard must have known who Emmerich was when he took him into custody.” I said, frowning. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent an invitation like this.”

“He’s a bold one.” Lina said, reading over my shoulder. “Why else would he dare to lay his hands on my brother?” Her grip on my shoulder tightened. “I wonder how bold he’ll be after we burn down his casino and kill his people.”

Maria cleared her throat.

“I would advise against that, Lady Lina.” She said. “At least for now. We suspect that the reason why Reinhard was able to accumulate so much power in such a short amount of time was that he had someone backing him. This backer may be the one targeting the orphanages under Princess Henriette’s patronage. If something happens to Reinhard, his backer may cut ties and erase their tracks.”

Lina stared at Maria for several long moments.

“I see.” She said. “So, you’re suggesting that we gather more information and find out who Reinhard’s backer is first?”

Maria nodded.

“Besides,” I said, “If we made a move against Reinhard now, that would endanger Emmerich. Let us get him back first before anything else. We can always punish Reinhard later.”

Lina nodded.

“Yes.” She said. “Emmerich’s safety takes precedence.” She sighed. “And our best chance of getting him back is accepting Reinhard’s invitation.”

I grimaced.

“It appears so.” I said. “We could try and take Emmerich back by force, but that would take time.”

Lina clenched her jaw.

“I don’t like this.” She said. “It worries me that Reinhard knew who we were. This feels like a trap. By accepting Reinhard’s invitation, we could be delivering ourselves into the hands of our enemies.”

I nodded.

“That is why we must make preparations for that possibility.” I said. “If this is a trap, we’ll make sure to turn it on our enemies.” I looked Lina in the eyes, trying to convey my sincerity. “Regardless of what happens, we will get Emmerich back. I promise you that.”

“Thank you, Wulfram.” Lina said, relief warring with the worry in her eyes.

We turned back towards Alois and Maria.

“Now then,” I said, “If this is a trap, then we need to make sure that it fails.”

They both nodded.

“As for you, Alois,” Lina said, “I’ll save your punishment for later, after we have rescued Emmerich. Understood?”

Alois nodded.

“Yes, Lady Lina.” He said.

The four of us put our heads together and came up with a plan to deal with Reinhard and his people. If the invitation wasn’t a trap, good. If it was, well, Reinhard would regret making enemies of us.

***

Several hours later, Lina and I found ourselves at Reinhard’s casino, Twist of Luck. It was located in one of the richer neighborhoods within Haven’s Outer City. The sun had set by this point, bathing the city in darkness. However, the multitude of street lamps in this area kept the area well lit. In contrast to the slums we visited when we went to see Princess Henriette, the streets here were clean and well-maintained. Lina and I arrived in a nondescript carriage, to avoid attracting undue attention.

On the surface, Twist of Luck didn’t stand out much. It looked like the other buildings in the area, which consisted mainly of small manors and townhouses. A small fence marked the property’s boundary. However, two things differentiated it from the rest of the neighborhood.

First was the number of people who entered and exited the building. That alone set it apart. According to both Alois and Maria, most of the people who frequented Twist of Luck were rich commoners and lesser nobles. What Lina and I saw matched their reports.

Second, armed soldiers guarded the casino’s entrances. There were at least a dozen, and that was just on the outside. No doubt there were many more inside. While many families hired guards to protect their homes, few could afford this many.

After taking a look around the area, Lina and I marched right up to the front entrance. Walking into a potential trap like this was foolhardy, but we had taken several precautions with that in mind. Lina and I both carried warp scrolls on us, which were keyed to secure locations outside of Haven. If something happened, we could just rip the scrolls and escape. I had enough mana to bring Lina with me, so we only needed one scroll. However, the second one was for Emmerich.

We had also stationed several of our people around Twist of Fate to keep an eye on the place. This included a large number of Blue Shadows, employees of the Pink Orchid Trading Company, and a contingent of Coldsteel Knights and Golden Rose Knights. These three groups were led by Maria, Alois, and Sir Kane respectively. If our people noticed any suspicious activity, or if Lina and I didn’t exit the casino within a few hours, then they would storm the place.

While I was an Aura Master, and wielded the coldfire, I had learned my lesson. Complacency and arrogance led to one’s downfall. Caution and care were necessary, even for the strongest among us. I wouldn’t let myself get caught off guard, not again.

The soldiers guarding the front entrance eyed us with suspicion, but made no move to stop us as we entered the casino. Once we were inside, we saw that Twist of Fate’s interior didn’t match its exterior. It was luxurious and opulent, almost to the point of gaudiness, and that was just the front hall. Beyond it was the main hall, which took up most of the space within the casino.

There were dozens of tables, each one dedicated to a different game of chance. There were card games, dice games, and many more. Gamblers crowded around them. A cacophony of noise assaulted my ears, and I had to use mana to block some of it out. People shouted out bets, laughed when they won, and cried out when they lost.

A haze of smoke filled the air, thick and cloying, which came from the myriad of pipes that people smoked from. Mana crystal lamps flooded the hall with light. There were uniformed guards stationed at several locations. They were there to keep any of the patrons from growing too rowdy.

Servers, all of them young and attractive women, flitted about the room. They carried trays of drinks, and plied the patrons with alcohol in the hopes that they would spend more of their money. Each server wore a bright smile that almost seemed sincere.

As Lina and I took everything in, we witnessed as a middle-aged man grew too handsy and groped one of the servers. The server lost her smile and slapped the middle-aged across the face. He grew angry and attempted to grab her. However, two of the uniformed guards intercepted him first and marched him out. The middle-aged man resisted, shouting out threats as he did so, to no avail.

A balcony overlooked the main hall. However, it was difficult to spot. Despite the multitude of mana crystal lamps, the balcony was shrouded in shadows. It was easy to miss, unless one looked for it.

All in all, I hated Twist of Fate. It was a noisy and chaotic space, where people indulged in their darker impulses and satisfied their vices. A part of me wanted to tear this place down and erase its existence from the world. However, I held myself back. Lina and I had other plans for tonight.

Before we could put those plans into motion, a woman approached us. Two of the uniformed guards accompanied her. She had a thin and willowy build, with tanned skin and brown eyes. Her long brown hair was tied back in a severe-looking bun. Large glasses adorned her face, hiding most of it. She wore a simple and modest dark blue dress.

The woman stopped in front of us and bowed.

“Lord Wulfe,” she said in a polite tone, “Lady Lina. Welcome to Twist of Fate. I am Rosemarie, Reinhard’s aide and second-in-command.” She stood up straight. “We’ve been expecting you. If you would follow me, I will lead you to my employer.”

I narrowed my eyes at Rosemarie. From her demeanor, it was obvious that she had been taught etiquette and decorum. Based on the lack of title and surname, I suspected that she either once served nobles, or was a fallen noble herself. That happened on occasion. Some families lost their status as nobles for one reason or another and became commoners.

“I’m surprised that you recognized us right away.” Lina said, wearing a polite smile on her face. “I thought it would take you people a few minutes at least.”

Rosemarie nodded.

“My employer warned me to keep an eye out for you two.” She said. “You also look similar to your brother, Lady Lina. This made it easy to recognize who you were.”

Lina’s smile widened a little. The sight of it sent shivers down my spine.

“Where is Emmerich?” She said. Her cold and harsh tone contrasted with the smile on her face. “Give my brother back to me.”

“All in good time, Lady Lina.” Rosemarie said. “However, my employee wishes to meet with you first. Afterwards, we will return Lord Emmerich to you, alive and unharmed.”

Lina studied her for several long seconds.

“I’ll hold you to that.” She said. “If you break your word, I’ll pluck out your eyes and feed them to the crows.”

The two uniformed guards glared at Lina with menacing expressions on their faces. I stepped forward, shielding Lina with my body.

“Enough.” I said. “Lead us to your employer, Rosemarie. The sooner we get this over with, the better. As you can see, my fiancée is not a patient person, and neither am I.”

Rosemarie nodded. Despite Lina’s threat, she remained unruffled.

“Very well.” She said. “Please, follow me.”

With that, Rosemarie turned and walked off. We followed behind her, and the uniformed guards fell in behind us. They made no attempt to hide their anger towards Lina. I was tempted to put them in their place, but I held back. Our goal here was to retrieve Emmerich. I didn’t want to start any trouble until then.

Rosemarie led us outside of the main hall, through a series of hallways, and up a few flights of stairs. We ended up in front of a set of double doors. Rosemarie knocked on the door.

“Come in.” A voice said from within.

Rosemarie opened the door and entered. We followed her, while the uniformed guards remained outside. On the other side was an office. Like the rest of Twist of Fate, it was luxurious and opulent. However, it was far more tastefully appointed. Rare and beautiful works of art decorated the office, including a few paintings that were worth a small fortune each. On the far side was a glass door that led to the balcony that I saw earlier, the one that overlooked the main hall.

Between us and the glass door stood a wooden desk. Sitting behind the desk was a man who, at most, looked only a few years older than me. He was tall and thin, with the brown skin of someone from the Mistwood, but the black hair of someone from the Barrens. His eyes were silvery blue. He wore an expensive outfit, one that even Sieg wouldn’t be ashamed to wear.

The man wasn’t handsome, at least not in the traditional sense of the word, though he had a rakish charm to him. He looked like the sort of person who would seduce an innocent young maiden, and then abandon her the day after. A smirk stretched across his lips, as if life was a joke and he was the only person in on it.

On the surface, the man didn’t seem that dangerous. He wasn’t an Aura user or a magician. Despite this, I remained vigilant. This was because I could sense a faint hint of divine power coming from him. He wasn’t as mundane as he appeared to be.

Rosemarie walked over to stand beside the man.

“Lord Wulfe,” he said, standing up as we entered the office, “Lady Lina. Welcome to Twist of Fate. My name is Reinhard, and I want to make a deal.”