Arc 3, Interlude

Malvin was seated on a lavish sofa surrounded by all things glamorous—various paintings adorned the walls, drinks so expensive they might as well be liquid gold, a crystal chandelier hung above him, and an intricately designed table fitted with jewels stood in front of him. The sofa he lounged on was collared in black and gold, plush and soft as a cloud. Around him, maids and a butler stood ready to fulfill any command the man seated in a similarly extravagant sofa in front of him would give.

"No matter how many times I come here, I'll never get used to this... how fucking wasteful," Malvin spat out. The man in front of him, smirked. "It's my coin, Malvin. I can use it however I want," he replied, waving his hand around.

"I know that, Viktor, but that doesn't mean I can't call out how stupid all this shit is," Malvin retorted, unimpressed by the extravagance. Viktor shrugged, the smirk never leaving his face. "You'll never change, Malvin. Anywho, let's discuss your request."

"Discuss?" Malvin asked, his eyes glaring at Viktor.

"Yes, Malvin, discuss. What you have requested of me is quite... delicate. If anyone outside of my residence finds out, then I'll be thrown out of Ironhelm like garbage," Viktor explained, punctuating his words with exaggerated motions of being tossed out. Larkin clicked his tongue. "Tch, that's your problem. If you can't keep something like this from getting out, then you deserve none of this trash to begin with," Malvin added, expressing his impatience. Viktor, playing along, made a dramatic hurt expression. "Oh, Malvin, how harsh. It's hard to believe that we used to be so close," he said, trying to evoke sympathy.

Malvin looked at him in disgust. "Shut up and just do as I say. It's not like you're doing this for free anyway," he commanded. Viktor nodded, acknowledging the transaction. "That is true, I suppose. But how does our guest feel about this, I wonder?" Viktor turned to see a man with green hair sitting on another lavish sofa. Unlike the other two, he looked down at the ground nervously, beads of sweat forming on his face. *How the hell did I get into this situation!?* Azure thought to himself.

"His input doesn't matter," Malvin asserted, treating it as an absolute truth. *Of course it does, you asshole!* Azure raged at Malvin inside his own head, lacking the courage to voice his frustration.

Viktor waved Malvin down. "I know it doesn't, but I still want to hear his thoughts."

*Go to hell, both of you!* Azure screamed inside his head once more, but outwardly, he managed to stammer, "I-I'm okay with whatever wi-will happen." His voice quivered with nervousness.

"Is he from a circus, by the way?" Viktor asked, prompting Malvin to shake his head. "That's just his natural hair color, and before you ask, we tested."

Meanwhile, Azure looked between them, thinking, *Why does everyone think I'm from damn circus? It's not that unnatural to have... green... hair.* He realized how dumb his thoughts were as he pondered them.

*Anyway, what do they want with me?* Azure pondered, feeling perplexed. He wasn't a higher-up under The Shadow Baron; he was, despite not liking the way he was often described, just a punk. Nothing more than a lackey. *Scratch that. I was the lackey of lackeys, literally the bottom of the barrel trash when it came to The Shadow Baron. So why is this bastard doing this to me?* It didn't make any sense, no matter how much Azure thought about it.

"Hey, Malvin," Viktor called out.

"Huh?"

"Does he know about his abilities?" Viktor asked, and Malvin didn't even have to answer. The confused look on Azure's face spoke volumes, answering the question on its own.

Malvin started tapping his foot, growing increasingly impatient. "Now, are you going to take him or what?" he demanded. Viktor raised his hand, and one of the maids promptly approached, pouring tea into all three of their cups before gracefully retreating to her position. Viktor picked up his cup, sipping the tea with deliberate slowness, as if to exacerbate Malvin's impatience. Finally, he set the cup down and, with a mischievous smile, urged Malvin, "You should drink a bit. It's fantastic."

Malvin, reaching his boiling point, shot up from his seat, his hand clenched into a fist, ready to strike Viktor. However, before he could land a punch, Malvin felt a firm hand on his left shoulder. Turning, he saw a man with brown skin, dressed in a butler uniform. "I would recommend you not do such a thing," Eirv advised. Viktor gestured for Eirv to step back, attempting to defuse the situation. "Come on, Malvin. Getting so easily angered isn't good for your blood pressure. Sit and have a drink," Viktor calmly suggested. Eirv released his grip on Malvin's shoulder, and with a begrudging expression, Malvin sat back down.

Meanwhile, Azure, witnessing the tense exchange, was, to put it elegantly, shitting his pants! *Goddess, why me?* he lamented, anxiety coursing through him.

Malvin reluctantly grabbed his cup and proceeded to gulp down its contents, treating it more like cheap beer or ale than a refined tea. "Now, tell me, are you going to take him or not?" Malvin demanded, his impatience clear. Viktor, seemingly unfazed, looked a tad surprised at the manner in which Malvin consumed the boiling-hot tea. "Are you okay? That tea wasn't exactly cold," he remarked.

Malvin, uninterested in the niceties, snapped back, "You're really going to drag this out, aren't you?" Viktor waved off the comment. "Fine, fine. Sorry for wanting to have a bit of fun. I'll take him. Don't worry your scary little head over it."

"Thank goddess," Malvin muttered, immediately getting up from the sofa and making his way out. Viktor, attempting to keep a friendly tone, suggested, "What, you're not going to stick around a bit to catch up?" Malvin, without a word, flipped him off while walking away, not bothering to look back. "Rude little... ugh," Viktor grumbled.

Turning his attention to Azure, who remained nervously seated, Viktor instructed, "Well, Eirv, take him to, you know where. We have to put him to work immediately." Eirv gave a slight bow before seizing Azure, who anxiously asked, "Can, uh, can you at least tell me where I'm going?" Viktor smirked and replied, "Nope, it's more fun this way," as Eirv dragged the apprehensive Azure away.

Viktor took another sip of his tea, savoring the flavor as he leaned back on the plush sofa. Deep in thought, he contemplated the intricate web of schemes and machinations unfolding around him. *So many moving pieces,* he mused internally. *How am I going to keep track of all of them?*

Setting down his cup, Viktor rose from the sofa and strolled over to a nearby window. Gazing out at the city below, he pondered, *Well, I guess it doesn't really matter. I'll come out on top anyway. I always do.* With a confident smirk, he embraced the unpredictability of his grand design, ready to navigate the chaos and emerge victorious, as he always did.