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The Scarlet Mansion, one of the most powerful groups in the eastern countries. A group that has powerful and influential, but also had a history that was even older than most kingdoms that existed in Edea.

It was founded by none other than the first-ever hero that was summoned to Edea; Micheal, who did not return to his world and had chosen to develop the eastern lands that were once uncharted territory. The followers that went with him as well as the family Michael formed were the founding members of what is now presently known as the eastern kingdoms.

"Can I inspect this token?" Raizer spoke in a politer tone this time as he was afraid of offending someone who had an unfathomable background.

Kazuya nodded without hesitation and watched as Raizer cautiously inspected the token. Though he had no real connections with the Scarlet Mansion or even the eastern countries in his previous life, Kazuya was not worried about what the sly manager would see as this token was given to him by none other than Natsu himself.

"This mark… belongs the hero of magic…" Raizer couldn't believe his eyes.

Kazuya's predecessor was not only one of the members that had been able to join the eastern countries' most powerful groups, but he had also been given the privilege to establish his own branch. This was due to the fact that not only was he a hero, but he was also a hero that had feats that could be compared to the group's founder.

"(A member of Natsu-san's group in the scarlet mansion…)" Gazardiel could not help but rea.s.sess his opinions about Kazuya.

If the boy was really from that group, it could explain the reason why he was not concerned by his ident.i.ty as a necromancer. The Scarlet Mansion was a group that did not care about the power struggles of any kingdom and would only move if either their members were involved or their interests were threatened. Belonging in the branch of the hero did not discriminate against dark magic gave some credibility to Kazuya's claim that he really did not care whether Gazardiel practiced magic or not.

"Have you confirmed its authenticity?" Kazuya smiled as he looked at Raizer who already lost any shred of arrogance.

"Yes, this is indeed the real thing." He respectfully placed the token back on the counter.

These tokens were very special not only because of the materials and craftsmans.h.i.+p. The fact that they were tokens that were connected to the lives of those they were bestowed upon made it a ward against those who might harbor bad intentions towards those who wielded these tokens.

The mysterious group itself wasn't easy to be part of so the Scarlet Mansion was very protective over its members that many n.o.ble houses or even kingdoms have suffered because they had messed with whoever had the tokens.

"I was instructed to only show this token in special circ.u.mstances so I would appreciate it if the fact that it showed up here would remain a secret." Despite the warm smile on Kazuya's face, the atmosphere had suddenly turned cold.

Killing intent was directed towards Raizer. Now that Kazuya's affiliation was revealed, very few people saw him as an innocent young man anymore. Most people who were paying attention were merchants, they would have no right in being one if they did not know anything about a big ent.i.ty such as the Scarlet Mansion.

"I understand. I promise you, if word of this gets out, not only will I resign from my post, I will also make sure that I will find out who opened their mouths and regret that they ever did so!" Raizer glanced around the room and made himself clear.

He might be a person who would sell out anyone for profit, but Raizer knew that there was no way he could spend any of the money he made if he was dead. This was not the first time that a member of the scarlet mansion had been identified travelling around different territories. Those who were aware of this were always wary around their treatment of anyone from the eastern countries.

"I'm glad I was able to find someone easy to talk to." Kazuya maintained his smile as the cold atmosphere dissipated as if everyone who felt it only imagined it.

"I will get the staff working on your permit and credentials quickly." He turned to the receptionist and gestured for her to do it quickly. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Hmm…" Kazuya pondered for a moment. "From the reaction of many of the people, my carvings seem to be a lucrative product?"

Though Kazuya initially had something else planned to say if ever he met this person, he thought that the unexpected realization he had about his carvings would make his next move a little less suspicious.

"Honestly speaking, these are works that many people would consider masterpieces. I would have believed it if you said that you were an artist rather than a traveler. These two carvings, in particular, would demand a high price to the people who greatly admire the Eberbach family." Raizer estimated.

"I see… Since you offered, will you be able to distribute them and help me gather what I need before I continue with my travels?" Raizer's eyes lit up as soon as he heard Kazuya's words. He never expected the young man to strike up a deal with him.

"I would be more than happy to a.s.sist you if I can. It may sound like bragging but there are very few people who can get what I cannot here in Maynira." He confidently declared.

"Well aside from money, I need to procure quite a number of personnel to replace the ones that have been lost or I regrettably hired during my journey. I would still need to pa.s.s through a not so recommended terrain in the south to get close to my destination after all." Kazuya smiled as he hinted where he had been planning to go.

Raizer, as well as Gazardiel tensed up as soon as they heard this. Though not everyone was able to understand what the mysterious young man meant, some of them were informed about the shady businesses that Raizer was involved in.

"(So… this is why this kid was talking about the city of Vane…)" Gazardiel thought. There were many things that started going on through his mind as a connection towards someone he had respected a very long time ago had appeared before him out of the blue.

He couldn't help but wonder if fate was playing a cruel joke on him. Gazardiel was currently planning on accelerating his plans due to the opportunity that was presented when Jorelle met with Kazuya.

Since Gazardiel had finally been able to find out the young man's ident.i.ty, he felt that he no longer needed to stalk Kazuya. He intended on leaving silently as he also needed to process the surprising information as well as the emotions that have surfaced on him because of what he had just learned.

"(Looks like that did the trick...)" Kazuya sensed that old man Gazardy had started to retreat from the scene.

Kazuya finally ran into some good luck. As the past few days have stressed him out, he did not expect that his visit to the a.s.sociation today would allow him to clear multiple objectives. Not only was he able to fool old man Gazardy, but he was also able to establish a connection with Raizer who Kazuya a.s.sumed would have taken a few visits to catch the attention of.

"Shall we continue our discussion elsewhere?" Raizer was all smiles as this sudden business opportunity was something that he had never expected to land onto his lap.

"Sure, lead the way." Kazuya nodded and followed the manager towards the a.s.sociation's stables where they boarded Raizer's personal carriage.

Many of the merchants who were left behind in the a.s.sociation quietly discussed what had just happened. This was the only time they would be able to do so as they were afraid of the threat that Raizer had announced towards them.

However, these merchants in the capital were not stupid. Though Raizer's threat indeed scared them, they were much more afraid of the consequences of offending someone that was part of the mysterious force that had remained immovable ever since their founding.

A young person who looked like he was from the east who they never took a second look at turned out to be someone they could never offend. The merchants who stepped up to take advantage of him could only pray to themselves that Kazuya did not take their offence to heart or they would never be able to sleep soundly at night.

"Come to think of it, was anyone able to get a good look at him?" one of the merchants who tried hard to remember Kazuya's features suddenly asked out loud.

This caused the other merchants to be startled. Not only did they realize that they had not embedded how the young man from the east looked in their minds, they also doubted if the young man had cast some sort of trick so that they wouldn't be able to use their trusted memories to remember what he looked like.

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Inside the carriage, the merchant Raizer had realized one of the most important things he had neglected.

"What is it?" Kazuya of course noticed the hesitation that Raizer was showing while repeatedly glancing towards him.

"I do apologize for forgetting such an important thing but how should I address you, young master?" he nervously spoke.

Raizer solely focused on his own greediness that he did not even glance at the application paper Kazuya had submitted to the a.s.sociation. He felt awkward as he did not know how to address Kazuya properly as he wanted to further his connections towards this young n.o.ble.

"Kouzuki." He replied without even taking a glance at Raizer.

"Very well young master Kouzuki. May I inquire as to what type of individuals are you specifically looking for? Are they to be of service to you when you attend the Vane Academy?" Raizer inquired.

Though Vane Academy was known to be an inst.i.tution that did not distinguish between n.o.bles and commoners, it did not stop many people who had the capability of bringing in subordinates to the city. n.o.bles in particular brought servants so that they would be able to maintain their lavish lifestyles while most of the others were used towards various other means.

"Race or age does not matter. All I require is that they do not have any sort of serious crimes and the odds of betrayal are low." Kazuya finally took his eyes of the carriage's window to look Raizer in the eye.

"(Does this young man not know how slavery works?)" The merchant couldn't help but give a wry smile.

This seemingly cunning young man had an innocent side of him which made Raizer a little bit relieved. Though he was wise, from what he could tell, this must be the farthest he has been from his homeland.

Betrayal meant death for the slaves. He couldn't help but think that the cause for this eastern young n.o.bles's journey to go awry was because of the betrayal of the companions that they had chosen.

"Rest a.s.sured young master Kouzuki, I will only offer to you the most prized personnel that should be worthy of your companions.h.i.+p! I do not like to brag but the sealing arts here in Maynira do not have a blemish on them! Betrayal or disloyalty to them would equal to death and suffering!"

"That is good to hear. Now we should discuss the matter about what I can earn from my carvings. This way, I will have an estimate of how much I would need to make in order for me to be able to pay for the personnel I get from you as well as have an amount to be able to continue my journey." Kazuya initiated the business talks.

Though he did not think that Raizer would dare to scam him because of the ident.i.ty he presented, Kazuya wanted to show that he was not one to be taken advantage of. Though he only implied that he was in need of money, with his unrestricted access to the royal castle's vault, how can he be short of cash?

What he needed was time. The time to be able to make ample preparations before he finally leaves the royal capital of the Zweifel kingdom.

Although Kazuya had already made plans on what he needed to do before he even went over to Edea, those plans were based on the fact that he would arrive at the same time that he had arrived previously.

Now that he had arrived, many months before he was originally supposed to arrive, with all the changes he had been responsible for already, he had many considerations to think about.

The talk continued until Kazuya was promised to be shown different portraits of important people who he could make the most money out of. These were the personages like the Benino, Alicia, and many other n.o.bles that belonged to the king's faction.

Though Kazuya was not happy with what he heard, there was no doubt that he could carve figures of most of these people even with his eyes closed. Since they were the ones partly responsible for his fate in his first life, how could Kazuya possibly forget them?

"We have arrived, young master Kouzuki. I welcome you to my very own sl... *cough* servant market."

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