[Ya questioning my ability? I’ll show ya what it means to be a craftsman. Give me those things you claim to be weapons.]

Jellal laid his saws on the table for the old man to grab. Picking them up and inspecting them he’s surprised to find they were actually made from a shadow wolf’s jaw. Rather than saying they’re made from a jawbone it would be more accurate to say they’re simply repurposed from one.

[Ya call this a weapon? It’s just a friggin bone nothing more, nothing less. To think ya want me to make a scabbard for a bone, how laughable.]

[It may be a bone, but it’s enough to deal with annoying store owners who talk big without being able to back it up.]

[Humph, to throw together a belt and scabbards for these things I don’t even need an hour. Why don’t ya run along and play while I fix up yer toys for ya. And don’t forget to ask yer mommy for a gold piece to cover the costs.]

Having convinced the owner to quickly make what he needs Jellal takes a step back, allowing Silica to come to the counter.

[It’ll be two gold for the cape little missy. Of course if yer willing to sell the leftover hide I can bring it down by fifty silver. What do ya say?]

Instead of answering she looked back at Jellal who was still hanging out in the shop. Getting a nod in confirmation she does the same to the old man’s delight. Of course, he’s unaware that Jellal agreed because he wants to get rid of as much money as he can from his bag. The amount of space a single gold coin takes up can’t be compared to how much fifty silver wastes, making his decision easy.

Walking next to Silica, Jellal throws two gold and fifty silver onto the counter in a rough manner. Some of them try to roll away only to be snagged by the owner’s surprisingly dexterous hands.

With the cape paid for he quickly swipes it off the counter and unfolds it. Satisfied with its looks he tries it on. Compared to his handmade cape he had used preciously the difference is like night and day.

The fur plume’s especially high around the neck as it sits comfortably on his shoulders. A finely crafted chain clasps the two sides together near the neck but is barely visible through the fur. Considering he wasn’t around to be measured the length is just about perfect, coming down to just above the back of his knees.

Having time to kill before his order is ready Jellal decides to set out back to where the merchant association and adventurer’s guild are, leaving Silica confusedly standing in the shop. Rather than doing something to bring trouble upon herself she makes up her mind to act like none of this ever happened.

As expected, Jellal has a tail when he leaves the shop. Compared to the thugs from before they’re more discreet, but it’s still plain as day to him that they’re following him. Curious why they’re following him he ducks into an alley and whips out his trusty chair, waiting for them to arrive.

The stalkers try to act discreet as they walk past the alley but when they glance over to find their target sitting in a chair facing their direction it’s obvious they’ve been found out. Instead of pursuing him any further they abandon their mission, returning to the merchant association to report.

Seeing that they aren’t joining his little game he decides to start a new game. After they leave he chases after them following them in the most blatant way possible. Since they aren’t blind they catch on quick and try to lose him by ducking into an alley.

Instead of following them into the alley he finds where they’re headed and cuts them off so they run into him before they have a chance to leave the alley. Their previously casual stroll changes into a frantic sprint as they attempt to escape.

Reaching the end of an alley, excitement blossoms in their hearts when they see it’s empty. Just as they’re about to step out, Jellal pops around the corner and stands in front of them. They slam on the brakes before turning around and bolting.

This continues for a solid five minutes before Jellal finally gets bored of messing with them. Looking around suspiciously they find no signs of their pursuer. They take a step forward before jerking their heads around, looking in every direction in paranoia. Convinced they’ve lost him they revert to their calm demeanor.

Suddenly a hand firmly grabs each of them by the shoulder. Stiffly turning their heads, their faces become pale when a certain mask wearing individual enters their vision.

[What a coincidence to run into you two here. It seems like we just can’t manage part with each other doesn’t it? I’m curious, how much do you get paid to risk your lives like this. It must be a lot. I know I wouldn’t follow around someone who’s prone to killing people who provokes them. Could it be, you’re doing it because you secretly have a death wish you want fulfilled? If that’s really the case you could have just asked and I would have taken care of it for you; no act necessary.]

The pair nearly break down into tears hearing Jellal. The scariest for them isn’t the contents of the message he’s conveying but the manner in which he’s doing so. His voice is calm and he speaks to them in a polite tone as if he was having a friendly chat instead of blatantly threatening to take their lives.

[Why do you look so flustered? It was only a joke. I couldn’t hurt a fly even if I wanted to; I don’t have the strength of will to see lowly beings that are below me dying so pointlessly. I’m sure this was just a misunderstanding anyways. The reason you were running around in a panic must be because you’re lost right? Don’t worry, I’ll help you pitiful lost sheep find your way home. It just so happens I was about to head over to the merchant association myself. Why don’t I show you the way? We can’t stay together all the time though. After all, I need to have a … chat, yeah a chat, that’s it. I need to have a chat with someone who doesn’t know how to keep their mouth shut.]

As Jellal weaves his narrative he releases their shoulders, using his hands for dramatic gestures and poses instead. The pair want to retort his obvious lies but are too afraid to do so. He gives them a light shove on the back as he helps them find their way out of the alley.

[It’s just down this street here. Do you need me to hold your hands or will you be fine on your own?]

Mocking them one last time he sets them free on the main road. They escape as quickly as they can while trying to act casual despite their nerves. This results in a conspicuous stiff high speed walk toward the merchant association, completely failing what they set out to do.

No longer bothering with them Jellal continues on his way at a leisurely pace. Arriving in front of the merchant association and adventurer’s guild he has to decide which to enter first since he needs to stop at both.

Ultimately he decides to start with the merchant association since it shouldn’t take much time to handle his business. Approaching the store he notices a number of guards moving in different directions. One of them spots him and they quickly wave him down.

‘I thought they’d be making arrests in connection with Sir Holt so why are they wasting time waving me down? Ah! I forgot to hand over the evidence to Kite before I left. They must have confidence in their men to send them out without knowing if any of them are crooked.’

He returns a wave of his own before continuing into merchant association. His reputation must have already started spreading amongst the guards since they didn’t show any sort of negative reaction to him disregarding them.

Rather than waiting in line he walks over to the rightmost counter.

[Do me a favor and tell old Isaac to come over here. I have, business, to discuss with him.]

[I’ll need to see your proof of membership first. If everything checks out I’ll get him right away for you.]

[It seems you’ve misinterpreted my pleasantries as a request. Allow me to be a bit more clear this time. Go bring old Isaac here or I’ll go find him myself. Understood?]

Seeing a group of guards following Jellal the worker quickly ran off to report to the higher ups. While he’s waiting for the worker to return the guards cautiously approach him.

[Sorry to disturb you, but we have a matter of the utmost importance to speak with you about. Naturally we’d prefer if you came with us to the guard station, but procuring a private room temporarily will suffice.]

After careful deliberation he decides using a private room to speak with the guards won’t hurt. Turning in the direction of a worker who’s minding their own business he starts acting like he owns the place.

[Hey you! Take us to a private room. When your colleagues come looking for me be sure to send them there as well, and don’t forget to tell them to knock before entering.]

Seeing the group of guards next to him the worker reluctantly nods in agreement. The group passes into the hallway and are directed to the first available room. After letting them inside the dejected employee marks the room as in use and leaves to find someone to keep an eye on the room while they go make a report detailing what happened.

Inside the room Jellal sits down behind the table while the guards stand, cramped together in the small room. Without wasting time with small talk he pulls out Sir Holt’s files and spreads them out on the table.

[I already know what you want and I don’t mind giving them to you, given you agree to some small conditions first. To start with, every person in the room must look through the files before you take them. In this way if one of you happens to be crooked they won’t be able to hide it by swiping their file. More importantly I want you city guards to agree to purchase the weapons and armor I procured from a bandits’ den not too long ago. Of course, since you’re out there working hard to protect the people I won’t rake you over the coals. As long as you agree to buy all of them paying half price is more than enough. So, do we have an agreement?]

[I’m sorry but we can’t decide to purchase items on behalf of the entirety of the city guards. If it’s a must we can try to scrape together some money and hope to be compensated later, but we can’t guarantee how much we’ll be able to pay. If you can accept that we agree to your terms.]

[Alright we’ve reached an accord. You can collect the items from me if you have a way to carry them. If not I can drop them off at the gate when I leave later tonight. Don’t forget to negotiate well with your boss to cover your costs, and give me additional compensation if possible.]

Jellal leaned back in his chair while the guards scrounged together every coin they could muster. They don’t know how much of what they’ve heard from Kite is true but they aren’t about to take a chance and offend someone over what little money they have on them.

After passing him the money they take turns looking through the files as per the agreement. Having witnessed how committed the guards of this city are once again Jellal finds himself wondering how they were recruited. He can’t imagine gathering so many loyal and trustworthy people to act as city guards was an easy feat to accomplish.

When the last of them finishes looking through the files they collect them off the table, splitting them evenly amongst themselves.

[We have a lot of work to attend to so we can’t guarantee we’ll be able to pick up the items. If we can’t we’ll let the guards at the gate know you’ll be coming. On the off chance we’re able to collect them it’s imperative we know where you’ll be.]

[Sounds like an excuse to keep tabs on me. That being said, it doesn’t matter if you do that or not. If you want to find me I’ll be in town until the order I placed is finished, which will be less than an hour. During that time frame you can find me in this area on the main road.]

The guards confirm with a nod before piling out of the cramped room. Jellal stays behind in the room to wait for Isaac to show up. In the meantime he plans to make use of the privacy provided by the room.

Reaching into his bag he pulls out the seedling he bought earlier in the day. Using his mana he influences it to grow so he can make another mask. Growing from the top of the mask down it begins to form, mirroring the original.

When the size and shape are about right he stops its growth. Pulling out a throwing knife he begins cutting the eyeholes. The top parts of the eyes are straight lines slanting down slightly as they move toward the center of the mask. The bottom slant slightly more before turning at an obtuse angle and meeting up with the top part.

Taking out the eyepieces he cuts a groove in the back of them before putting them back in. Controlling the vines he leads one into each of the grooves, gripping them tightly. He moves the vines around to confirm they can move the eyepieces in and out of place as needed.

With the eyes working as intended he moves on to the mouth. Starting from one side he cuts small wedges all the way across, giving the mask its own set of teeth. When he reaches the other side he cuts a pair of grooves on each side of the mask, one on the top half and the other on the bottom. The same way he did with the eyes he uses vines to hold the two halves together.

Worried about stability he cuts a few extra grooves, leaving the middle free from vines. Testing the mouth it opens and closes fine, though looking a bit creepy with vines looking like the shredded corners of the mouth. To add to the theme he cuts three chin grooves into the lower part of the mask.

Finishing things off he cuts apart his old shirt to act as an inner liner for the mask. To get it to stay in place he has the vines grow through it intermittently. The roots at the top of the mask twist together into five spikes sticking up from either side.

Content with the new look he puts away his old mask for safe keeping and tries on the new one. The vines reach around his head to keep it snugly in place as he puts it through its paces.

A few minutes of waiting later and there’s a group of people walking down the hall. Stopping and knocking on the door without entering. Using wind magic Jellal pushes the latch in causing the door to slowly swing open.

Isaac, Violet and her look alike walk into the room along with the two stalkers from before. Out of the group only the ladies have calm appearances. Everyone else is rightfully nervous given the circumstances.

[I don’t need to tell you why I’m here, do I? So, Isaac, do you have anything to say for yourself?]

[He didn’t tell anyone where you were going. I-]

When he calls out Isaac the secretary tries to stand up for him only to be met with an intense wave of killing intent.

[I didn’t ask you. Well Isaac, I’m listening … for now.]

[As per protocol I filled out paperwork detailing what stores I recommended my customers to after you left. Although the stores I recommended are on file, who I suggested them to isn’t.]

[Oh, then why were those two following me after I went to the stores you mentioned? Surely the merchant association doesn’t have the manpower to send people to every store that was recommended to customers today.]

[Humph, brats nowadays only like when people kiss their asses. They would rather wait for someone else to be free to give them a good smooch then do business with me, arrogant brats.]

Reaching up to his mask Jellal covers the closed eyeholes while he moves them out of the way. After rubbing the mask for dramatic effect he loads mana around his eyes and spreads his fingers. His glowing eyes stare at Violet through the eyeholes.

[Do you have any way to prove what he said is true? If you were a well-respected reputable business I would give you the benefit of the doubt, but unfortunately that isn’t the case.]

[And what happens if we can’t prove it? Are you going to murder someone in broad daylight?]

[Kekeke, you catch on pretty quick. Are you going to let someone else pay for your mistakes? If you hadn’t foolishly abused the information at your disposal we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Will you be able to sleep at night knowing your actions are the cause of one of your employee’s death?]

A small stare down confirms her fears that the man in front of her is one hundred percent serious. Unwilling to trade a trusted employee’s life for her pride she relents.

[Daisy, go bring old Isaac’s work file for today.]

Daisy gives a small nod before leaving the room with long strides. A short minute later she returns with a single sheet of paper. After being handed the paper Jellal skims its lacking contents, revealing Isaac’s monumental three business transactions for the day. At the top is a list of items bought along with the quantity, next is a store recommendation, and last is the stores he suggested to Jellal.

[It seems you got lucky this time, but I won’t be so kind if something like this happens again.]