Chapter 27: Black Market (7)

Authors Note: Here's the chapter. As always, let me know if you find a mistake, and please follow, rate, and favorite since it really helps bring more visibility ^^

His excitement hidden by his blood-crusted mask and circular lenses, Caellum glanced between Red, who was caressing the red jewel on his cane as if he were tempted to use it, and Hollow, who looked like he was still contemplating just attacking anyway, and immediately calmed down.

'He needed to remember that he was among extremely strong, possibly crazy people, including the person who was temporarily on his side.'

'Let's proceed cautiously so an innocent rabbit like me doesn't get caught up with these crazy people.'

Subtly scooting his chair back even more so that Yaga had a clear line of sight to anyone who wanted to try anything funny, Caellum cleared his throat and began his pitch.

"I think everyone will agree that the issue that we're all having is money. My old friend Red has suddenly lost his champion, whom he's invested in greatly, while my new friend Hollow here is suddenly experiencing what the business world is really like. Both of you are hurting, but instead of getting angry, why don't we shift our mindset a little bit and compromise? That way everybody wins."

"Compromise? You want me to compromise with somebody who's clearly trying to scam me? Do you hear yourself?" Hollow asked in a disgusted tone.

"Why not? Life is built on compromise. Our kingdom compromises with other kingdoms; that's how we trade, build alliances, and more. The king compromises with the nobles so he can pass certain laws and projects; the nobles compromise with each other and with merchants; the merchants compromise with the commoners; the commoners compromise with each other to survive, and in this way, everybody can live and thrive. Society is cooperative. If compromise doesn't exist, the world falls into chaos, either under the control of one person or of no one. It's one of the most important pillars of society and what separates us from brainless creatures driven only by their instincts." Caellum replied calmly before turning to Red.

'Now wasn't the time to lecture his future employee about the effects of cooperative governing and living. He needed to sell a dream that everyone could accept.'

"Since I'm not a philosopher, let's move on and address the tangible issues one by one, starting with my winnings. I'll take 1/3 of it in small coins here and now. No cheques. The remaining 2/3s to my account to use as capital for the table and games I wanted to run, as we discussed earlier, a tab for my gambling, and any other fees that come up. What do you think?"

"These…Poker and 1-Card Left, the card games that you said you invented?" Red played along willingly since the amount he had to pay out had decreased drastically.

"Yes, if you'd like, we can have a demo game in a couple of days. I really, really think an expert businessperson like yourself would enjoy the games. Especially poker. What do you say?"

Red was quiet for a bit before nodding. The less money he had to pay out, the better for him. Especially when he could reduce the amount even more by adding hidden fees.

"Acceptable."

"Excellent, let's move on. Hollow, your issue is getting paid. Unfortunately, the contract you signed dictates that you can't get paid until the end of the tournament, which seems a bit harsh. Why don't I cover what you should get today instead of my friend Red?"

"Why would you do something like that when even he won't do such a thing?" Hollow asked suspiciously.

He might be naive in certain lights, but he wasn't stupid enough to believe that this person, who looked suspicious from head to toe, who was calling this black market scammer a friend and acting all chummy with him while he was fighting, was trying to help him out of the goodness of his heart.

No way at all.

"Ah, of course it's not for free, I'm not that rich that I can waste money needlessly. After seeing you fight, I want to hire you in the future for a particular job, so you can think of this as a down payment and securing you before your price goes up. After all, everyone saw you destroy the house champion in the ring, and that kind of performance will certainly drive up some interest. I'm sure that if given the chance and made aware that you needed money, others watching the match would offer you the same opportunity. Ah, but if you don't want to accept, you don't have to. I'll just give up helping you negotiate, collect my money, and let the two of you fight it out. Well, I doubt it would just be you two, since this is my good friend Red's home ground, and I'm sure he has lots of allies hidden away. What do you think?" Caellum offered flippantly, even though his heart was pounding extra hard while he tried to communicate his thoughts to Hollow.

'Listen here, buddy, you need to accept because I don't need you becoming a black market slave! It's technically not legal, but do you think that would stop these people who are running an illegal fighting ring right in the capital of the nation? Do you think you can battle everyone in the black market, including this mage, collect your money, and get away uninjured without being caught?

'Use that brain of yours and THINK! Look at how kind and generous I am, making you aware of all the options that you have, even before you've been employed. Aren't I a great person? Don't you want to work for me?'

Maybe Caellum's mental hypnosis actually worked because even though his brow furrowed angrily, he eventually nodded while muttering.

"I'll pay you back."
'Oh, don't worry, you will.'

"We can discuss that later. Now, for curiosity's sake, how much were you supposed to earn from the fights? So I can know if I need to collect some money."

'With the way Red is refusing to pay, it has to be some obscene amount of several hundred gold coins.'

"I don't think that's any of your business, Mr. Morte. That's between Hollow and me." Red immediately tried to interrupt, but Caellum tapped his fingers expectantly on the arm of his chair while focusing on Hollow, who spoke while glaring at Red.

"3 silver coins."

"I beg your pardon? How much did you say?" Caellum asked as he rubbed his ears. Maybe he had misheard because of all the fabric on the mask?

"I got 3 silver coins since I won. It's supposed to be 4, but I rented out the wooden sword for 1 since I didn't have a weapon," Hollow repeated bitterly.

He desperately needed money, and this was the quickest way to earn it.

"Haha?"

When Caellum heard the obscenely low payment that a fighter who risked his life in a fighting ring was paid and the absurd rental fee, he couldn't help but laugh while looking at Red with an increased respect.

'4 silver? You have him out here risking his life, permanent brain damage, and physical disabilities while you only pay him 4 silver? And you rented him a cheap wooden sword for 1 silver? You don't even want to pay him a measly 4 silver while carrying around a giant ruby on your cane? Wow! I thought I had seen scammers, but clearly, you take the cake! I need to take notes!'

'And you Hollow! Are you stupid? In no world does a flimsy wooden sword cost 1 silver coin. Did you arrive in this world this morning? Do you not check market prices? Haven't you tried carving up a tree branch instead? I'm really worried about your future. Sigh. The things I do for my future employee.'

Fishing out a gold coin, Caellum quickly flipped it at Hollow.

"Tsk. Keep the change."

"I don't want your pity." Hollow spat out, even though he caught the gold coin with a conflicted expression.

"It's not pity, it's an investment. If you don't want it, after spending 3 silver coins, toss the change into the sea, throw it to the birds, or leave it on the streets. I don't care. Now let's get to the meat of the issue. The contract. Do you mind letting me see it?" Caellum turned to Red with a much happier voice.

"I think you've done enough, Mr. Morte. Anything further is none of your business. I'll have someone escort you to collect your money so you can leave." Red replied coldly, not happy with the way things were going.

"Hollow?" Caellum completely disregarded Red's words.

Hollow glanced between the man dressed in all black, sitting with a lazy posture, and Red, who was grinding his teeth angrily before speaking.

"I want to see the contract."

"….."

"Fun fact, since Hollow is the party involved, he's required by law to be able to see and get a copy of his contract. Unless you want it to be null and void, which would make this whole discussion pointless." Caellum chimed in helpfully before scooting his chair even further back as Red focused back on him.

'Was this room getting hotter, or was it just him?'

"Mr. Morte-"

BANG!

"He stays, and I want to see my contract. Now." Hollow interrupted as he slammed his foot down, leaving a foot-shaped indentation several inches deep in the cracked ground.

'…let's distance ourselves from this one too.'

Red looked between the two parties, who seemed to have formed a united front, before clicking his tongue and bringing out a thick stack of paper from a drawer underneath his desk and tossing it on top.

"This is just a copy, not the original, so if you think you can destroy it, it won't work."

Glancing at the thick stack, Caellum turned back to Hollow incredulously.

"Is this the contract you signed?"

"Of course not! I signed a single sheet of paper. He's scamming me by adding all of this extra nonsense!" Hollow yelled before grinding his teeth angrily.

"That's a bold accusation, Hollow. I assure you that everything you see is valid." Red's smooth voice sounded out as he shrugged.

"It's a scam!"

'You can't call it a scam when you didn't secure your paperwork at the time of signing. It's completely on you, you poor bastard. Seriously, what would you do if I wasn't here?'

"Gimme."

As Caellum gestured, Yaga quickly swiped the contract on the table and carefully handed it over to him after inspecting it.

With practiced motions coming from the 1 month spent reading in the Royal Library, Caellum expertly flipped through the sheets, scanning over the words until he reached the signature page at the end.

'This Red was a really funny guy, and his legal team was really funny people. What a completely fraudulent, illegal contract. If taken to court, it would never hold up, but this wasn't a court, and nothing about this situation was legal.'

'What to do, what to do?'

After thinking for a bit, Caellum began speaking slowly-

"Hmmm… where to begin. Firstly, this violates several of the kingdom's contract laws. The ink is the wrong shade; artisanal or not, wooden swords don't cost 1 silver, much less 10 gold if broken, so this listed valuation is false unless you can prove the value of the sword with 3 distinct pieces of evidence from separate sources. Perpetual contracts are no longer allowed in the kingdom; a clear end date is required for a contract. These labor conditions are akin to slavery, which is also illegal. There's no minimum compensation specified for the signee. The burden of paying for injuring house property, i.e., the champion would never fly in a court of law since a person cannot be considered property, and it was a fight agreed on by both parties. Should I go on?"

"This is not a court of law," Red said, his eyes were gleaming with ill intent.

If Morte tried to push the angle of involving the law, 3rd Argent Circle or not, he would immediately kill him, since he was the weakest person here, and the dangerous guard was staring at him before chaining down Hollow.

"Of course not, but we're both aware that these are not reasonable terms. And I'm not saying the contract is invalid, after all, both parties signed it, and ignorance doesn't mean Hollow should get a pass. But it doesn't mean you should be enemies either. The contract just needs to be tweaked in several places so that both parties are satisfied. Because, from the look of things, you're looking for a champion to replace Kanaan, and Hollow needs quick money. Red, don't you think it's better to try to win him over the same way you did with Kanaan, instead of taking such a hard stance? Seduction and enticement instead of force. Hollow, don't you think it's better to earn as much as you can and build a trusting business relationship instead of alienating such a powerful person? Compromise, gentlemen, compromise. Let's hash things out, okay?" Caellum spoke in his most convincing tone, and seeing that both parties were quiet, smiled to himself.

'Let's make a deal.'

******

"Wow. There has to be an easier way to enter this place. I can't do this every time," Caellum complained as he climbed up the steps that would lead him out of the black market underground.

His back was hurting, he felt completely out of breath, and wanted to take a break, but with Yaga behind him and a fuming Hollow behind her, the fear and tension of getting hit on the back of the head kept his tired feet moving forward.

When he finally reached the top and exited into the cramped alleyway, Caellum couldn't help but fan himself in hopes of cooling his sweaty body down.

He couldn't wait to rip this damn mask off as soon as he got back.

The area was much quieter than they were earlier, and as Caellum walked to a much wider street, Hollow walked past him before quickly stopping in front, causing Yaga to move to Caellum's front immediately.

"Did you need something?" Caellum poked his head to the side so he could see Hollow's disheveled appearance.

"I hate nobles like you. You stand for nothing, and your only concern is money. It's disgusting."

"Money makes the world go round, so you're absolutely correct in that regard. And who said I'm a noble?" Caellum replied with a sleepy yawn.

"The way you act. You have the stench of a noble." Hollow spat out as his nose wrinkled.

He had more to say, but held his tongue. After all, without the help of this man, he would have no money, would have to fight a tough battle with a mage with no weapon, and might have gotten heavily injured.

"If that's what you think, so be it. Just remember that I'm the one who helped you, and you owe me once your stint as interim champion ends in 5 months. If you run away…well, I'm sure Red will catch you if you try such a thing. Also, make sure you get your injuries checked out. Oh, and since you're pretty strong, if you have friends who are as strong as you are, tell them I'm hiring and that I pay well. And next time you sign a contract, get a copy of your own, get a 3rd party to oversee it, or better yet, drag them to the church of death to get it sanctified. See you later. Make sure you don't die in the meantime. I have a lot of use for you later."

Giving Hollow one last wave despite the dirty look being directed at him, Caellum let Yaga throw him over like a sack of potatoes, and then, they were off as she sprinted away.

Since he had memorized the way that they came, Caellum was surprised when Yaga not only used a different path, but seemed to be heading away from where they were supposed to go.

After observing for a little while, Caellum became a little concerned.

Actually, he became very concerned.

"Is there a reason we're going this way, or are you kidnapping me?"

"There's no particular value in kidnapping you since no one will pay ransom, your highness," Yaga replied calmly as she glanced over at the people who were subtly chasing them and altering her route once more.

'Oof. Tell me how you really feel.'

"So we're being followed?"

"Apt observation, your highness. I planned on losing them first unless you want me to take them out permanently?" Yaga asked a bit eagerly, causing Caellum to shudder.

'And release a biological weapon in the city and antagonize a guy I'm doing business with? No, thank you.'

"Just lose them without killing anyone. I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up when we're in the tunnels, please." Caellum yawned before really closing his eyes.

It had been an extremely long and busy day.

And as the prince actually fell asleep on her shoulder, his heavy breathing smoothing out and becoming calm, Yaga let out a smile as she grabbed several small glass bottles from the pockets hidden in her clothing.

The order was to lose the people following them without killing.

That left a lot of wiggle room in how she dealt with those black market flies trying to dig out all the information about the prince and that scruffy swordsman with the hateful eyes.

Normally, she wouldn't care, but since her daughter would be briefly tied to this little prince, it was best to send a pointed message to that nosy mage and the swordsman.