Ilusia Kingdom, royal capital, northern commercial district, a certain tavern.
The doors were shoved open, then quickly shut again, bringing in a faintly cool breeze that slightly dispelled the stifling heat inside. Lafitte hurried in, breaking the sensual atmosphere within.
The usual elegant smile on his face had been replaced by a trace of barely perceptible gravity. His sharp gaze quickly settled on Dawn beside the round table. He strode forward, ignoring the curious or displeased looks cast his way by the women, bowed slightly, and presented a thick stack of densely written contracts along with several sheets marked as highly classified documents.
Dawn lifted his eyelids slightly but did not reach out to take them. He merely curled his long fingers casually through Kong.
In an instant, every sheet in Lafitte's hands seemed to lose all weight. They drifted free of his grasp and floated before Dawn, lining up one by one as if pulled by invisible threads, quietly displayed in the air.
Dawn's gaze swept rapidly over the contracts and the classified intelligence obtained through hypnotic interrogation. His expression remained utterly calm until he finished reading the final page. Only then did he nod in satisfaction, a pleased curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"You did well, Lafitte. You put a lot of thought into this."
"It was my duty, sir."
Lafitte paused slightly, and a suitably measured hint of worry flashed through his raised eyes.
"However, during the mission, I discovered an unexpected situation. One of the underworld bosses we signed a contract with had another identity: he was an intelligence agent affiliated with the Charlotte Family.
"I only uncovered this hidden memory through hypnosis after he signed the contract. I'm sorry, Captain. I may have inadvertently brought you a formidable enemy."
As he said