FF Chapter 78: Meeting with Reinhard (Patreon)

After I recovered from the shock of seeing Reinhard here at the Landau Theater, I narrowed my eyes at him. Lina, who recognized his voice, looked back and glared at him.

“What are you doing here?” I demanded.

Reinhard gave me an innocent look.

“Whatever do you mean, Lord Wulfe?” he asked. “I am-…”

I released some of my pressure.

“I am not in the mood for games, Reinhard,” I said in a cold voice. “You are interrupting our outing. Say your piece and then leave. I won’t tell you again.”

Reinhard paled under my pressure, but otherwise didn’t react. While I didn’t use my full pressure, it was still impressive for someone who was neither an Aura master nor a magician. I wondered if his divine power played a part.

“Fine.” Reinhard said through gritted teeth.

I retracted my pressure.

“Tch.” Reinhard clicked his tongue in displeasure. “Northerners are no fun. You lot are always too serious. Haven’t you heard of a joke?”

This was the second time that someone accused me of not having a sense of humor.

“If someone doesn’t laugh at your joke,” Lina said, “That just means your joke wasn’t funny in the first place. Don’t blame us for your failure.”

Reinhard clutched his chest.

“You wound me, Lady Lina.” He said. “I’ll have you know that I am a very funny person.”

“I see.” Lina said, sounding unconvinced.

“Speak, Reinhard.” I said. “You have until the play starts before I toss you out of here.”

Reinhard grinned.

“Well,” he said. “In that case, we have plenty of time.”

Before I could ask what he meant by that, movement on the stage caught my attention. A man walked onto stage. He looked like either a wealthy commoner, or a minor noble. I guessed he was the Landau Theater’s manager.

“Dear guests,” the manager said, his voice pitched to carry, “I’m sorry to announce that tonight’s showing of ‘The Miser’s Wife’ will be delayed for the next half hour. We have encountered some difficulties while preparing for tonight’s performance. As recompense, we will offer everyone here complimentary drinks.”

As he spoke, employees of the Landau Theater went around and handed out drinks. This placated the crowd of theatergoers, who grew restless by the delay.

I looked over at Reinhard and eyed him with suspicion.

“Did you have anything to do with this?” I asked.

Reinhard shrugged.

“I didn’t want anything to interrupt our conversation.” He said. “Don’t worry. No one got hurt.”

I studied him for a moment, before coming to a decision.

“Fine.” I said. “Just say what you have to say, and then get out.”

“Very well.”

With that, Reinhard walked over and sat down next to me.

“I don’t remember inviting you to sit down.” I said.

Reinhard raised an eyebrow at me.

“Come now, Lord Wulfe,” he said, “Don’t be petty. After all, we’re partners now.”

“Allies of convenience.” I said, correcting him. “For now.”

Reinhard made a dismissive gesture.

“Regardless,” he said, “We’re on the same side.” His expression grew serious. “More so than I expected.”

“Have you found something regarding the task we gave you?” Lina asked.

Reinhard nodded. I figured as much. That was why I didn’t throw him out right away. When we met Reinhard at his casino a few days ago, he offered to help us with the favor for Princess Henriette. He would help us find out who was stealing money from the orphanages under the princess’ patronage, as well as their backers. In exchange, we would help him deal with a rival group of criminals.

“The ones responsible for your dear princess’ troubles are a gang within Haven called the Black Gallows.” Reinhard said, his voice filled with disgust. “They’re a nasty group. They’ve committed every crime imaginable. Theft, kidnapping, murder, and so on. My hands aren’t clean either, but I’m a saint compared to the Black Gallows.” He snorted. “They’re also the people I wanted you to take care of for me.”

“What a coincidence.” I said, my voice dry.

Reinhard nodded.

“It is.” He said, sounding sincere. “At least on my end. It’s entirely possible that some greater force worked to bring us together.”

That… wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility. Both Reinhard and I wielded divine power. Like the priests and priestesses of the Church of Light and Darkness, we were instruments of the gods’ will. It was possible that our respective patrons brought us together for some purpose.

“Did you find out who is backing the Black Gallows?” Lina asked. “The Black Gallows themselves are just the tail of the snake. We need to take out the head of the snake if we want to deal with this problem at its root.”

“Yes.” Reinhard said, a cynical smile on his face. “It appears that not everyone in the Church of Light and Darkness supports Her Imperial Highness.”

It took me a moment to understand what he meant.

“A priest or priestess is backing the Black Gallows?” I asked, shocked.

“A group of priests and priestesses.” Reinhard said, correcting me. “There is a small, but influential, faction within the Church of Light and Darkness that seeks to undermine Princess Henriette…” He sneered. “… Even if it means innocent people must suffer.”

Lina clenched her hands into fists, before she relaxed them and sighed.

“This doesn’t surprise me.” She said. “Much as I wish otherwise.”

It surprised me. As the representatives of the gods in the mortal realm, I always held the priests and priestesses of the Church of Light and Darkness to a higher standard. Finding out that they worked with a group of criminals in order to undermine Princess Henriette left a bitter taste in my mouth.

“You seem disappointed, Lord Wulfe.” Reinhard said.

I took a moment before responding.

“I am.” I admitted. “I expected better of the Church of Light and Darkness.”

Reinhard looked surprised by this.

“You’re surprisingly naive, Lord Wulfe.” He said. “At the end of the day, the priests and priestesses of the Church of Light and Darkness are human. They’re as fallible and imperfect as everyone else.”

I’m not sure if that was Reinhard’s attempt to console me. If so, it failed. In fact, I felt even worse. Lina patted me on the shoulder, a sympathetic expression on her face.

“Did you find out any names?” Lina asked. “Or is that the extent of your findings?”

Reinhard reared up, an offended look on his face.

“Of course I found out their names.” He said. “Who do you think I am?”

“A scoundrel.” Lina answered without missing a beat.

Reinhard scowled and opened his mouth to respond, but I held up a hand to forestall them.

“Just tell us their names.” I said.

Reinhard grumbled a bit before he answered.

“High Priest Rudolf Gunther and his followers.” He said. “In public, they pretend to be neutral. However, in truth, they support Prince Cornelius.”

I frowned. If this High Priest Rudolf had a surname, that meant he came from a noble house. The name Gunther sounded familiar, though I couldn’t quite recall anything about that family. I racked my brain for a moment, before I remembered something about them. They were a family of central nobles who had strong ties with the Church of Light and Darkness. Other than that, there wasn’t anything notable about them. No wonder it took me a little while to remember them.

“In that case, we can assume that Cornelius is behind this.” Lina said, an annoyed expression on her face.

It appeared that Prince Cornelius hadn’t limited himself to just Leopold. He also targeted his own sister, and perhaps even Prince Jeremias as well.

“Perhaps not.” Reinhard pointed out. “High Priest Rudolf could be acting on his own.”

I shook my head.

“It doesn’t matter.” I said. “If this High Priest Rudolf offered his support to Prince Cornelius, and His Imperial Highness accepted, then the latter bears some responsibility for the former’s actions. Regardless of the truth, we have to stop them.”

Lina and Reinhard both nodded.

“Dealing with the Black Gallows won’t be a problem.” Lina said, a thoughtful expression on her face. “However, High Priest Rudolf is another matter.”

I nodded, a grim expression on my face. The high priests and high priestesses of the Church of Light and Darkness were all powerful and influential figures. They were second only to the Grand Priest, the head of the entire Church of Light and Darkness. Unless we found solid evidence proving High Priest Rudolf’s involvement with the Black Gallows, he would be able to escape punishment.

“Did you forget who I am?” Reinhard asked, letting out a derisive snort. “I wield the divine power of fortune and misfortune. Fate itself is mine to command.” He puffed out his chest. “With me around, finding evidence to implicate High Priest Rudolf won’t be difficult at all.” He deflated somewhat. “However, even if we find the evidence we need, I don’t know if we’ll be able to use it.”

That was another obstacle we needed to deal with. Like House Kaltbrand and the Tower of Magic, the Church of Light and Darkness was protected by the Pact. This gave it a high degree of autonomy and protection. This made it difficult to punish High Priest Rudolf ourselves. However, as Princess Henriette and Prince Cornelius proved, it was possible to influence individual priests and priestesses within the Church of Light and Darkness.

“Our best option is to find another high priest or high priestess to help us.” I said. “That way we can avoid the Pact altogether and have the Church of Light and Darkness punish High Priest Rudolf in our stead.”

Reinhard frowned.

“Assuming any of them are willing to help us,” he said.

I nodded.

“I have someone in mind.” I said.

“It can’t be anyone who supports Henriette.” Lina cautioned. “Otherwise, it will look like she’s trying to attack High Priest Rudolf.” She frowned. “In fact, it can’t be anyone with strong ties with any noble house, for much the same reason.”

“Don’t worry,” I said, “The man I have in mind is rather famous for enforcing the law and punishing evil. His integrity is beyond question.” I grinned at Lina. “It’s someone we’ve both met.”

Lina gave me a confused look, before her eyes lit up with understanding.

“Ah, him.” She said. “Yes, he’s perfect. If we provide that man evidence of High Priest Rudolf’s misdeeds, he will take action.”

Reinhard looked between the two of us, an annoyed expression on his face.

“Would either of you care to enlighten me?”

I shook my head.

“Not yet.” I said. “We first need to see if he’s willing to help us, or if he’s even in Haven. I don’t want to give you false hope.”

Reinhard eyed me with suspicion.

“Ugh, fine.” He said. “Keep your secrets. I’ll figure it out myself.”

Of that, I had no doubt.

“Is that all, Reinhard?” I asked. “Or did you have some other business with us?”

“Hmph, are you that eager to get rid of me?” Reinhard asked.

Lina and I glanced at each other, before facing him again.

“Yes.” We said in unison.

Reinhard looked disgruntled by this.

“Fine.” He said. “I know when I’m not wanted. However, I do have something else to discuss with you.” He looked at Lina. “Rather, with Lady Lina. Please stop interfering with my casino. It’s my main source of income.”

Lina’s expression turned haughty.

“Consider that your punishment for laying your hands on my younger brother.” She said.

I looked between the two of them.

“What are you two talking about?” I asked.

Reinhard sighed.

“Would you care to explain, Lady Lina?” He asked. “Or should I?”

Lina smirked.

“Oh, it’s nothing big.” She said. “I just directed the Pink Orchid Trading Company to purchase all the breweries, wineries, and distilleries that do business with Reinhard’s casino. We then doubled the price of alcohol sold to him.” Her smirk deepened. “He tried to get around this by finding other merchants and suppliers to work with, but then we took control of those as well.”

I stared at her in astonishment. House Guld liked to throw money at their problems until they went away, but this surpassed even my expectations. I disliked Reinhard as well, but this seemed excessive. After all, he never hurt Emmerich. Reinhard just detained him.

“Yes,” Reinhard said, “And I’m asking you to stop. What will it take? An apology? If so, I’m more than willing to offer one.”

Lina gave him a look so cold that I felt a chill run down my spine, and it wasn’t even directed at me.

“I want you to remember this.” She said, her tone matching her expression. “I could’ve done much worse to you, if I had wished to. Take this warning to heart. Do not trifle with House Guld. You may be the Trickster’s favorite, but you are not untouchable.”

Reinhard maintained a composed expression, but he couldn’t stop himself from swallowing.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He said.

Lina nodded and looked away from him.

“Good.” She said.

Reinhard stood up.

“In that case, I shall take my leave now.”

“You have a good evening, Reinhard.” I said.

Despite my dislike of the man, he had fulfilled his end of the bargain. The least I could do was treat him with the minimum level of politeness.

“You as well, Lord Wulfe.” Reinhard said, both surprised and pleased. “And Lady Lina.”

With that, Reinhard exited our box. He had impeccable timing. The moment after he left, the manager for the Landau Theater walked onto the stage again.

“Dear guests,” he said with a smile on his face. “I apologize for the delay. We are now ready to begin. Please enjoy tonight’s performance!”

***

The Miser’s Wife turned out to be an interesting and unusual play. It was about a woman named Christa, a beauty who came from an old but impoverished noble family. One day, while collecting herbs in the woods, she came across an injured stranger. Christa took this injured stranger home and nursed him back to health. When he awoke, she learned that his name was Harald. Over time, the two of them fell in love with one another.

However, it turned out that Harald had a secret. He was a prince and the injuries he received were from a failed assassination attempt. To hide from his enemies, Harald kept his identity a secret and pretended to be a hunter; at least at first. As he fell in love with Christa, and she with him, he kept his identity a secret from her as a test. He wanted her to fall in love with him as a man, and not as a prince.

Unfortunately, trouble befell the couple. A wealthy baron named Claus, who had a reputation for being a miser, approached Christa’s family. He would pay off their debts and raise them from their poverty, in exchange for Christa’s hand in marriage. When Harald learned about this, he demanded that Christa run away with him so that they could be together. However, Christa chose her family’s well being over the man she loved and married Claus. Harald grew furious over this and left.

That was all in the first act.

The second act began just after Claus and Christa’s marriage. At first, Christa resented her husband. Not only did he have a reputation as a miser, but he forced her to choose between her family and the man she loved. Despite this, Claus treated her with respect and kindness. In time, Christa warmed up to Claus. She also learned that he wasn’t a miser at all. It was all slander from his enemies, who were jealous of his wealth.

To her dismay, Christa began to fall in love with Claus. At first, she felt torn between her love for Harald and her love for her husband. However, as Christa learned more and more about Claus, her love for him grew stronger. Right around this point, Harald returned. This time, he no longer hid his true identity as a prince.

Thus ended the second act.

The third act began with Harald explaining what happened to him after he left. He returned to his kingdom and defeated his enemies. However, in order to secure his position he married a princess from another kingdom. Despite this, he still loved Christa. He offered to forgive her for her betrayal and asked her to be his mistress. While they couldn’t marry one another, they could still be together.

Christa, like any sensible woman, grew furious with him. Harald had known about her family’s position, yet kept his true identity a secret. He could have helped them and married Christa. Instead, Harald forced her to choose between him and her family, all in an asinine attempt to test her love for him. Worst of all, when he returned, he asked her to be his mistress and acted as if he was doing her a favor. This killed any lingering love she had for him.

To Harald’s surprise, Christa told him to leave and never come back. He refused and grew obsessed with her. The rest of the play consisted of Harald’s attempts to make Christa his, most of which failed. It all culminated in a kidnapping attempt. Claus worked with Harald’s remaining enemies in order to rescue his wife, and succeeded. The play ended with Claus and Christa living happily ever after. As for Harald, he ended up stripped of his position and banished from his kingdom.

I found myself engrossed in the play. So much so, that when it ended I felt like I had woken up from a dream. Moments later, the audience let out thunderous applause. I shook my head and looked at Lina.

“What did you think?” I asked.

She smiled.

“I liked it.” She said. “It was different, but good.” She pursed her lips. “It reminded me of another play I watched a few years ago. I don’t remember the name, but it had a similar story. However, in that play, the female lead never fell in love with her wealthy husband. Instead, she continued to pine away for her lost love. When she discovered that said lost love was a prince, and had married a princess after he left her, the female lead fell into despair and killed herself.”

I frowned.

“That’s foolish.” I said. “I much prefer the ending to this play.”

Lina chuckled.

“So do I, Wulfram.” She said, before her expression grew serious. “Just know that if you ever attempt to test me like Harald tested Christa, it won’t end well.”

I gave her a wry smile.

“I’m not stupid enough to do something like that.” I said. “Besides, you’ve already proven your love for me several times by this point. I’d be a fool to doubt you now.”

Lina smiled.

“Good,” she said, “At least you’re aware.”

With that, Lina and I left our seats and made our way back home.