Shane looked at Duke Everlue's finger—trembling nonstop as it pointed at him—and scratched his head in annoyance.
Wasn't that reaction a bit much?
If there was another complaint filed, that really would be troublesome. Master Makarov would probably be stuck grumbling about it for ages again.
But the thought only flashed by. Shane quickly tossed that "side issue" back where it belonged—into the pile of problems only the guild master should have to deal with.
He wiped the half-smile off his face, turned serious, and went straight to the point.
"Duke, relax. I'm not here to cause trouble. I just heard the Heartfilia family has been collecting Zodiac keys, and I'm curious whether they contacted you."
Everlue jerked his head away, refusing to look at him. "I—I have no obligation to answer you! And get out of my estate, now!"
Shane felt a wave of helplessness at the predictable resistance.
He honestly didn't think he'd done anything that outrageous—last time he'd only given the man a little scare. Was he really going to hold a grudge this hard?
Looks like the gentle approach wouldn't work.
Shane quietly stood up, forcing what he believed was a friendly smile onto his face.
That simple movement made Everlue and the surrounding servants tense like bowstrings.
Shane lifted a hand and casually swept it across his eyes—
Humm.
A deep, crimson flame ignited soundlessly in his pupils.
Eye of Karma.
"Your Grace, I'm truly curious," Shane said, leaning forward slightly. The flames in his eyes seemed to spin, drinking in light… and courage.
"Can you tell me? This is really important to me."
Then, in the most earnest tone imaginable, he added, "If you don't tell me, I'm scared I might—accidentally fall into becoming a dark mage!"
"F-fire! Your eyes!"
Everlue didn't even hear the rest. His entire mind was seized by those burning pupils.
Inside the flickering flames, he seemed to see the most humiliating, miserable scenes of his life:
The panic of being chased by a vicious dog as a child. The shame of being mocked for his short, fat body as a teenager. His father's sneering contempt as an adult, calling him useless—
All those failures he'd buried and refused to revisit rose up like ghostly shadows lit by fire, gnawing at his sanity.
Everlue screamed in terror and scrambled backward on hands and feet, his bloated body skidding across the carpet in disgrace.
…It worked that well?
Even Shane was a little surprised.
Eye of Karma could reflect a person's "karma," stirring guilt and fear—but he hadn't expected it to be this devastating on someone as mentally flimsy as Everlue.
He quickly stepped forward and bent down, "helping" the duke up as if supporting a shaking child. His voice became impossibly gentle.
"Don't be afraid. Look—if you answer properly, the fire won't be there anymore, right?"
As he spoke, Shane willed it, and the flames in his eyes quietly died out, returning to their usual deep black.
The servants and attendants exchanged panicked looks.
Rush in to protect their master? They didn't have the courage.
Stand still? That looked like gross dereliction of duty.
They were trapped—frozen in a tense, strange stalemate.
With the "Karma" gone, Everlue collapsed on the floor, gasping. Cold sweat soaked his luxurious velvet robe.
After a long while, he finally caught his breath, his eyes filled with fear and submission.
He decided that no matter what this plague demon asked—if he could answer it, he would. Anything to get Shane to leave as fast as possible.
"Heartfilia—Heartfilia did contact me!"
Before Shane even asked again, Everlue blurted it out like beans spilling from a sack, terrified the flames might return if he hesitated for even a second.
With Everlue finally cooperating, Shane steadied his thoughts and asked, "Then why is Virgo—uh, Virgon-san—still here? Did you refuse them?"
"Refuse?" Everlue snapped automatically. "Heartfilia offered a reward beyond imagination. How could I refuse?"
Then his voice dropped, a little guilty. "I-I just… didn't want Virgo to leave so soon. I agreed with them that I'd hand over the key later."
Shane's expression sharpened. He caught the key detail instantly.
"Oh?" His voice turned serious. "When did you agree to deliver the key?"
Everlue muttered, "End of May—Heartfilia said at the latest, it must be delivered by the end of May."
End of May?
Shane's eyes brightened. A plan began to take shape in his mind.
He forced down his excitement and guided Everlue onward. "So, Your Grace—have you decided who will deliver such a precious key?"
Everlue seemed to realize where this was going. "N-not yet…"
Shane leaned closer, putting that horrifyingly "kind" smile back on his face.
"I think," Shane murmured softly, almost like a whisper in his ear, "you should hire someone… reliable enough. For example—mages from the Fairy Tail guild. Don't you agree?"
Do I get to disagree?
Everlue saw faint sparks flicker in the air and swallowed his protest whole.
His only thought was: get this monster out of my house.
"Then it's settled." Shane straightened with satisfaction. "Have someone send the request slip to the guild later."
"As for specifying who should take this important job…"
He paused meaningfully. "I don't need to say it out loud, do I?"
What could Everlue say?
Like a frightened quail, he nodded hard.
Watching the short, fat man look as wronged as a bullied housewife, Shane couldn't help touching his own face.
Weird. Why did it suddenly feel like he was the villain in some story, shaking down nobles?
"Then we're agreed. Don't back out," Shane said, re-centering himself. "Don't back out—or else… you know."
He waved casually and turned toward the door.
Everlue stared at his back like it was the grim reaper's cloak. Only when Shane's hand touched the doorknob did Everlue finally release the breath he'd been holding.
That plague demon finally left—
But before he could fully exhale, that devilish figure suddenly poked his head back in through the doorway!
"Oh, right," Shane added cheerfully, as if he'd just remembered. "Your Grace—don't forget, I came today just to wish you a happy New Year. I didn't do anything out of line."
"So please don't go to the Council and make any… unnecessary complaints, okay?"
Everlue's heart nearly leapt out of his throat. He clenched his molars and forced the words through his teeth:
"Of course!"
"Good."
Shane nodded in satisfaction, thinking that the guild master had it hard enough—if he could spare Makarov even a little headache during the holidays, he might as well.
Then he finally left for real.