In a dim basement chamber somewhere beneath the estate, Ebar watched the blonde "beauty" rifling through his home on the crystal orb's display, his expression darkening by the second.
"Damn Fairy Tail. They've clearly noticed the surveillance crystals I've hidden around the estate, and she still hasn't so much as slowed down."
Ebar had no idea that Sorano was deliberately keeping this from Lucy. He simply assumed the three of them didn't think him worth taking seriously.
Just then, of the two bodyguards standing behind him, one tall and one short, the taller one spoke up.
"Now hold on, this isn't what we agreed to at the start. Sure, the job our crew took was to deal with the mages who've been harassing you lately. But Fairy Tail's a different story entirely. The Holy Ten alone has two members from that guild, and one of them is Kabe, the strongest man in Ishgar. On top of that, he's also our Queen's husband and the Prince Regent of this kingdom. Going after mages from that guild is basically asking to die."
Once he finished, the shorter man beside him chimed in as well.
"My brother's right. Sure, we're mercenaries, we'll do just about anything for the right price, but we're not idiots."
Hearing the unmistakable hint that the two brothers were looking to bail, Ebar's nerves spiked, and his mind started working through the angles.
Fairy Tail's current standing was undeniably terrifying these days, more than enough to give anyone pause. But that didn't mean these women had the right to look down on his authority and go tossing his home upside down. Besides, Ebar had recently caught wind of a rumor circulating among the nobility. Word was that the Prince Regent held no small amount of resentment toward men of their standing, and was even suspected of pushing the Queen to move against them. There was no hard proof, but plenty among the nobility already harbored resentment toward the man and were eager to see him fall. Ebar himself had nothing but contempt for Kabe, some jumped-up nobody who'd lucked his way to the top on a woman's coattails.
If he could catch these three burglars and hand them over to the powerful nobles who bore a grudge against Kabe, he could win their favor. That could be his chance to claw his way back into genuine noble circles, maybe even reclaim the fief his family had lost. Restoring his house's fortunes wasn't out of the question either. The thought of it was enough to let greed win out over fear in Ebar's heart. Looking at the "beauty" in the crystal orb again, something calculating flickered in his eyes.
"Heh heh heh. Don't be so hasty, gentlemen. Hear me out on a proposal first."
Ebar spoke up at last, twirling the ends of his thin, curled mustache with an air of complete confidence as he laid it out.
"You two are worried about Fairy Tail's retaliation afterward, aren't you? But look at the situation as it stands. It's clearly Fairy Tail's people who came here with bad intentions, breaking into my private residence to steal from me. No matter who's behind it, that's a serious crime, and all the more so when the target is a distinguished noble like myself. Once I have ironclad proof of her theft, I'll report it straight to the Queen and let her pass judgment. Once word gets out, Fairy Tail's reputation will take such a hit that they'll be too busy managing the fallout to even think about coming after you. And of course, as thanks for helping me protect my property and my life, I'll pay you both double, under the table."
For all that Ebar looked short and unimpressive, the man clearly had a gift for persuasion. His little speech was enough to talk the two brothers, who'd already been halfway out the door, back into staying. Their faces still showed some hesitation, but neither of them brought up leaving again.
Seeing this, Ebar gritted his teeth and spread his hand.
"Five times the pay. If you're willing to help me hold these three mages here, I'll pay you five times the agreed rate. And it won't go through your guild either, it'll go straight into your hands."
With an offer like that on the table, the two brothers didn't need to think it over any further. The shorter one dropped to one knee at once, bowing his head under the weight of gold.
"Boss, we're at your service. Just tell us what to do."
Watching the two of them snap right into work mode, Ebar looked thoroughly pleased with himself.
"No need to rush. Let's let our little mouse keep scurrying around for a while longer. Once she finds what she's after, we'll show ourselves together and take her down. With witnesses and evidence both in hand, I'd like to see how that jumped-up nobody explains this to the Queen."
A glint of cold cunning flashed through Ebar's eyes as he settled back behind the crystal orb, perfectly content to let Lucy go on wandering the estate, none the wiser.