Today, absolutely, was also a fructuous day. Brant couldn't hide his smile all over his face. It was pure happiness to watch his comrades enjoying the party after his jailbreak. It is usually not good to have a high bounty on the head, but the incident last night proved that sometimes it does something good.

Let's assume there is a man, for example, who could break the jail with no problem. When he has no other choice, he can turn himself on to the authorities with his friends to get his bounty for his living. Considering surveillance of Rinascita, there are few people who are capable of that - but certainly Brant was one of them. His comrades in the Troupe of Fools, especially Roccia, show no hesitation when they have to do so. That proves their trust for him, but sometimes he thinks the Troupe needs to improve their financial status.

Although, there might be some weird points on their strategy. Even if his skills are extraordinary, how could he manage to escape the prison every time, without a single failure? People talk a lot about his continuous success; someone says he has a demon with his side, and another says there is a hidden master key, which is able to open all locked doors in his hand. Nobody knows the fact, so everybody loves to make their guesses.

The truth, however, is much simpler than those rumors. There is a natural, ordinary reason for his easy escape from the toughest prison: He has a partner. Not just a mere partner, no other than the mastermind of the biggest family of Rinascita: Cantarella Fiscalia herself.

“Seems you decided to drink a beer. Just right after you get your money back.”
“I can’t decline their offer, can I? See how happy they look. They don’t have to worry about money for another three months. We deserve to raise glasses.”

He wasn’t surprised when the soft, calm voice suddenly emerged right before him. Considering how skillful Cantarella is and what she is capable of, he took this meeting fair. She could pop up from anywhere and vanish with no real traces. She proved her ability well enough already to be the head of the Fisalia Family. 

There are countless people who want to remove competitors in the family. Just like in the Montellis, the environment of the Fisalias requires individuals to do anything when required to survive, even if these are illegal or immoral. The fittest becomes the strongest, and by only doing so survival is ensured. 

In the game of Fisalias, there are only two possible outcomes: victory, or death. Even Cantarella will agree with that assessment. 

Her position in the family is so firm that nobody could object. Lady Carlotta in the Montellis also shows flawless perception and skills all the time, but Cantarella makes decisions for the entire family. That is a simple but huge difference. Even though Brant thought the gap between two is pretty narrow, he considered Cantarella’s position a bit ‘higher’. 

Of course he is not in the correct position to compare them; she helps him escape his ten or twenty year sentence in prison. It could be a life sentence. So technically, he owed her life. 

“Gentleman, with my due respect, it will be my duty to deliver you an advice that you will be broken again if you increase your outcome after new income.”

He couldn’t stop coughing. Her indiciation is correct, as always. Good medicine tastes bitter; that’s why her words are painful. It was really bitter. 

“Unfortunately, Lady Fisalia, I can’t run from the party since I am the captain.”

She didn’t reply. She just watched him with seductive, unfathomable eyes and shrugged. She was pretending she doesn’t know about the details again; just like she did to the Church. It was one of the typical ‘weird’ moments when people had a conversation with her.

There was a shiver flowing around his spine when being observed by her deep, cold eyes without emotions. It was eerie when she considered which lies could be mixed well with certain facts. The most creepy thing, however, was when she pretended she had no knowledge about the situations she exactly programmed. 

Cantarella was a master of deception. Her ability to control non-verbal communication was on the level of true perfection. She loved to trick people around her to believe her words as they prefer with countless delicate, tightly regulated reactions. By doing so she could lead the entire conversation and relationship towards where she expects it to be. She didn’t even have to do that a lot of times; just once per person. 

Although Brant wasn’t afraid of her manipulation due to his nature as an actor, her behavior was surely a big subject of caution. There were several reasons she was out of the Church’s control. Cooperation between them was established before the Rover became the Laureate; even before the Rover entered Rinascita. 

He was still trying to find a way to weaken the authority of the Church at the moment, but it seemed to be almost impossible. They ordered people how to laugh, how to cry – and even how to feel happy. They were so powerful that they dominated entire society, and the troupe was so powerless that the city forgot their existence. 

However, the name of Cantarella Fiscalia, the mysterious lady who doesn’t care about their authority at all, was well-known to him even then. She seemed to be playing with the Church, fooling them and even let them act as she wanted. 

He tried to establish contact with her since he heard about her, and he still thinks the connection did a lot of mutual good – but at the same time, he considered that dangerous. He couldn’t say the relationship between them is ‘ideal’. Here is one of the reasons, or the signals:

“Oh, then I might have to consider recording my expenses for you as a debt in my book.”

Brant was the Captain. He knew when to trample into the storm, and when to retreat from it. His intuition was sharp when he was analyzing threats, and he trusted it deep inside of his heart.

He couldn’t feel comfortable when he was confronting her. All of his strategies seemed unreliable, and all of his thoughts seemed already read. He knew she had no intention to acquire the troupe as her asset, nor to draw them as her ally, but there was still something ominous beneath her leisurely face. 

“Please, don’t be nervous like that. I always manage my book properly when I make things for you, and for the troupe. It is totally legal, and clear. There is no debt collection necessary for now.” 

Yet still she didn’t clarify anything. She might do that when she needed to do so – she was so meticulous and detailed that he couldn’t help but feel amazed. 

“Perhaps you have some books with debts around your shelves already?”
“Who knows. It will be faster for you to drop by my office and find out on your own. Do you want to have an appointment?”

He was not kidding, and she wasn’t either. His strategy was identical to hers, and he wasn’t sure how to react to that. He was much more familiar with the Fiscalia’s way than he evaluated himself. 

“I will ask you when I have some free time. Would you like to tell me your purpose for visiting here, lady? You must have a lot of tasks to do, I assume.”
“That’s correct, gentleman. However I am the head of the family, as you know pretty well. I control the publicity, accuracy, quantity and quality of information flowing around the house. If you are able to hold all of those in your area, I bet you can….”

She just shrugged.

“Yeah, you surely can decide what you want to do, and what you need to do.”
“Exactly. You’re sharp, as always.”

Cantarella clapped for a short time. She probably calculated how much and how long she needed to clap her hands; but he wasn’t bothered. It wasn't sarcasm, but was an honest expression. 

“After our dear visitor from Jinzhou became the laureate, we are watching some good signals on countless diseases that made Rinascita suffer for a long time. I enjoyed watching old men scream and cower in fear under the secret chapel in the cathedral as well.”
“I heard their only hobby is complaining about the current situation of the city.”
“I believe so, but I won’t say anything about unconfirmed news. What I can confirm is their recent actions. They are losing their power, influence, everything. They are under pressure, and getting desperate as the time passes. We need to take action quickly so those frightened animals don't get loose and don't try to destroy everything around them.”

Brant realized she was here for some ‘official’ businesses, not for any personal matters. She had clear and logical purposes; his head began to overflow with thoughts and expectations. 

She didn’t send any representatives, and she didn’t want to meet him in other places. She needed to come here by herself, and she wanted to be here, the few places completely free from the Church. It must be an urgent matter; he took back usual smile and became serious. They had already cooperated a few times before, but he believed this was the most important one.

“I assume you already know I am not here for any trivial matter. This must be considered as an important, secret task which needs to be done as soon as possible. I hope your opinion is the same as mine.”

“Your attitude towards the matter represents a lot of things to me. Would you like to share it?”

"Absolutely. We care for Rinascita, just like the Montellis. Justice must be served when the Church becomes unpredictable and unstable, so they can be eradicated while not damaging the current system."

His head tilted. Her words are still vague a bit; he needed more details.

“What are they going to do, lady? Is Rinascita in danger?”

"Not yet, gentleman. However, I received some unpleasant news forty three hours ago. An old preacher, who is exiled and abandoned from the mainstream of the church, seems to be suggesting the conclave to declare a national emergency."

"What could they achieve by doing so? It seems illogical.”

“Well, we both know one thing about them, Captain Brant. They will do anything to protect their power and safety. What I want to know is the origin of that illogical suggestion. An individual with a malfunctioning point of view, or a group full of desire to keep their vested interest? I believe you are the best candidate to solve my curiosity.”

It has a much bigger scale, but surely a doable task. Brant nodded without a single hesitation.

“Quest received. What would be my compensation for this task then, lady Cantarella?”

“Oh, let me see. what about a date with me? I could give you a day.”

He didn’t react at all, as she does every time. Brant just smiled, since she wasn’t clarifying anything again.

He knew the day of the lady is not an easy thing to acquire. There were plenty of people who would die for that. He didn’t consider it not precious; he just didn’t need to be sincere when she was not sincere to him as well.

Cantarella, however, seemed quite satisfied with his reaction. She took a letter out from her waist. The letter was sealed with purple wax, which contained the same family symbol in her umbrella. 

“I wrote everything you need for the operation. Good luck and have thrills, Captain Brant.”

He took the letter over from her. He knew it must be a hard task to fulfill, but he was not a man who avoided challenges. His heart filled with determination for the new sail. 

“No problem, lady. We will meet again.”
“Yes, we will meet again… much faster than you might think.”

The ethereal woman didn’t say anything after the conversation was over; she was already far away. He looked into the wax again. He initially thought the wax resembled the color of the deep, unfathomable abyssal sea, but he came up with a much better idea; the color of her hair. 

He can’t figure out why that is a better idea, though.