Braun leaned against the railing on the hospital rooftop, leisurely observing the street below. The inconspicuous Communication Pea in his ear was faintly warm.
On the other end of the line, Wito was relaying every detail of the discussion to him.
A completely unfeigned smile slowly spread across Braun's face. He pressed the Communication Pea as though he could feel his companions' excitement through it.
"A kingdom entirely our own? Quietly growing in the Muggle world?... Wonderful."
He spoke lightly, laughter rolling from his throat.
"Do you need me to make any preparations on my end? For example, use the Acolytes' identity to hand out a few calling cards in certain places, or... send certain people little gifts in advance to smooth the way?"
"No, there's no need," Wito said. "We want this force to have a clean background when it is born, free from any outside interference."
"So if you want to help, Wien, you can do so personally. There's no need to involve the Acolytes."
The idea was somewhat naive, much like how Wade himself occasionally came up with ill-timed opinions and convictions.
But Braun did not object. Instead, he let out a low, delighted laugh.
"I wholeheartedly approve."
His voice carried a rare, almost solemn note of promise.
"Call for me whenever you need me. Every kingdom needs its shadows."
After ending the communication, the relaxed smile on Braun's face slowly faded.
He glanced at the distant streets, then did not linger. Turning around, he pushed open an inconspicuous door leading into the building's fire escape and headed downstairs.
A few minutes later, Braun pushed open a heavy soundproof door marked "Authorized Personnel Only."
Beyond it, the walls and ceiling were snow-white, the floor milky white, and the sheets and cabinets all pale in color. The