"There are actually quite a few guilds like ours. Duke Savalu often sends us commissions, just like this mission."
The middle-aged guild master spoke softly.
As he explained, Marco's expression grew increasingly peculiar, realizing how vast and strange the world could be.
This Duke Savalu was connected to most of the Dark Guilds within his territory.
He didn't just pay "protection fees" to "Swamp Neck" alone—he spread his favors evenly, essentially covering every Dark Guild.
This was why Duke Savalu could mobilize 'Swamp Neck' to assassinate Jude.
The duke had issued this mission to all Dark Guilds in his territory, casting a wide net—and sure enough, some foolish fish took the bait.
Most Dark Guilds didn't dare accept this mission.
These small, local Dark Guilds weren't even well-known, so they naturally wouldn't provoke members of Fairy Tail.
Only Swamp Neck had the guts to do that.
"Duke Savalu really knows how to play the game."
Marco couldn't help but marvel.
This wasn't "protection money"—it was practically a "franchise fee."
Through this "franchise fee," Duke Savalu maintained ties with these Dark Guilds.
Whenever the duke wanted something done, he could simply "mass-message" all the Dark Guilds in his territory.
The money he spent might have been enough to eradicate some Dark Guilds, but for Duke Savalu, the current arrangement was far more beneficial.
While legitimate guilds wouldn't extort "protection fees" from him, they also wouldn't do his dirty work.
Dark Guilds, however, had no such qualms—murder, arson, kidnapping, extortion, they'd do it all.
For Duke Savalu, this money was essentially used to "domesticate" Dark Guilds as his personal enforcers.
To be fair, ordinary people couldn't possibly match Duke Savalu's ability to quickly mobilize a network of Dark Guilds.
After all, Dark Guilds themselves required a degree of secrecy.
Careless ones could be wiped out by legitimate guilds at any moment.
"Alright, so that's how you want to play?"
Marco couldn't help but laugh.
He hadn't initially realized that these Dark Guilds were all part of Savalu's local power structure!
Though this connection was maintained through money and didn't allow direct control, it was incredibly valuable to Savalu.
Dark Guilds could handle tasks that were too sensitive for the open—money well spent, indeed.
"Hand over all the evidence, and you'll serve as a witness." Marco said to the Swamp Neck guild master.
It seemed resolving this matter would be far easier than he'd imagined.
Duke Savalu's methods were far wilder than he'd expected.
The duke's actions were nothing short of digging his own grave—he'd meddled with something he should never have touched.
"I'll go get it right away... right away."
The Dark Guild master eagerly agreed.
Betraying an employer meant nothing to him—for the right price, he'd even turn on them without hesitation.
For Dark Guilds like theirs, this was the exclusive business they dealt in.
Got a problem with it? Then go handle the dirty work yourself.
Before long, the leader of the Dark Guild brought the items.
Swamp Neck had a ledger specifically recording such information.
The employer's identity, the tasks to be done and the payment amounts were all documented in the ledger.
Of course, not every employer's identity had been investigated—some trivial matters didn't warrant probing the mastermind behind them, as it was clearly seen as a waste of resources.
"Do you know the locations of other Dark Guilds?"
After tucking away the ledger, Marco continued questioning the Dark Guild member.
Since he was already here, he might as well take care of a few more in one go.
"I'm afraid you might not be aware, but the competition among our Dark Guilds is quite fierce. If our locations were exposed, other guilds might hire legitimate guilds to eliminate us."
The middle-aged man's words didn't surprise Marco.
The relationship between these Dark Guilds did indeed resemble Eisenwald—especially among the smaller, lower-tier Dark Guilds.
They generally lacked any sense of morality, and their infighting knew no bounds.
Reporting each other's locations to legitimate guilds was just another tactic.
The larger, upper-tier Dark Guilds, however, didn't operate this way.
They even formed alliances to counter the Magic Council.
"Useless fuck." Marco shook his head and cursed before kicking the man outright.
Black feathers enveloped the guild leader as several crows lifted him into the air.
The twin brothers who had attempted the assassination earlier were also taken along.
Gripping the glider, Marco took off, dragged by the crows.
Without so much as a glance at the long-frozen swamp below, he directed the crows to fly north.
A significant reason Marco found Duke Savalu so audacious was that the Fiore branch of the Magic Council was located not far from his territory.
A short journey north would bring him right under the Council's nose—yet the Duke dared to stir up trouble regardless.
Further north of the Magic Council's Fiore branch lay Crocus, the capital of the Fiore Kingdom, also known as the "City of Flowers."
Situated in the heart of the kingdom, the capital wasn't too far from the southern regions.
In a way, this served as a deterrent—the royal army could swiftly mobilize to suppress any unrest in the south.
Marco didn't head for Crocus, but instead landed at the Fiore branch of the Magic Council.
Seeking out the royal family would be far less effective than approaching the Magic Council.
Between the two useless options, the Council at least could get things done.
Though this location was labeled the 'Fiore Branch of the Magic Council', it was effectively the headquarters within the Fiore branch.
Other cities in the kingdom also housed Magic Council branches, but by comparison, this one was the de facto headquarters—the central hub within Fiore's borders.
Upon arriving at the entrance of this 'headquarters within a branch', Marco received an exceptionally high-level reception.
Despite his sudden appearance, the branch director personally came out to greet him.
After all, Marco's current reputation was nothing short of formidable.
When Marco handed over the three captives from Swamp Neck and submitted the guild's ledger, the director wore a peculiar expression, as if hesitating to speak.
"What? Is there something wrong with these?" Marco looked strangely at Felix, the branch director.
"No, there's no issue. This evidence is crucial. We will immediately hold Duke Savalu accountable and also notify the government of Fiore to see how they intend to handle this," Felix shook his head and spoke.
Of course, they couldn't let such matters slide.
Savalu clearly didn't take them seriously—this man had to give them an explanation!
"Director Felix, supporting and harboring a Dark Guild is no ordinary noble offense. We must come down hard on this!" Marco declared, believing the matter required thorough investigation and severe punishment.
"Yes, this is indeed a very serious matter and must be handled with caution. Otherwise, it could lead to significant public backlash," Felix nodded solemnly, his expression grave.
"This kind of behavior must be stopped. Such actions undermine the system of the Magic Council. He doesn't take you guys seriously at all!" Marco continued to emphasize, staring at Felix.
"..."