The tavern by the sea was bustling with activity tonight, which was the case every night a ship was departing or arriving at the docks. Not long ago, Natsu would pray to the Light to make the next boat belong to her, but now she would not need to. With Qianfan's removal from the scene, the entire coast of Hokydo was hers to claim. All boats around the island were part of Natsu's fleet. Any piece of gold and silver exchanged through any transaction here would eventually end in her pockets.

The pockets of the Murderous Widow.

Natsu put her chopsticks on the empty plate when Manshik, her new right-hand man, entered the tavern. He might not be as clever as Pantu, but his loyalty was not something she would ever question—not after his heroic stand with her against Qianfan. Loyalty was all that mattered these days.

Natsu grabbed a cup of ale to wash down her dinner, glancing at her new deputy, who stood away from her table, as if respecting her moment of solitude. She beckoned him over, and at once he dragged forth a chair to join her.

"What is the frown for? Any trouble with the coastguards?" Natsu asked the stocky man she had temporarily delegated to handle all business matters on her behalf. Overseeing the works of her new quarters was more laborious than she had expected, but for the time being, it had a priority over everything else.

"It's the new recruits, Natsu." He clenched his jaw. "I'm far behind the number you demanded."

After plundering more than enough from Qianfan's coffers, the Skandivian mercenaries had had no desire to stay any longer in Hokydo. Natsu had to rebuild her own army now. "Do you imply that fifty men is an exaggerated number?"

"It's not about the number you set, Natsu." Manshik seemed hesitant to continue.

Natsu put her half-full cup on the table. "What is it about, then?"

"It's our reputation, Natsu." He swallowed before he added, "It's not helping."

"My reputation, you mean," Natsu scoffed.

"Forgive my candor, Natsu, but what you did with Diachi and his folks was not the best way to attract new followers."

"I wasn't trying to tempt the men to join me. I was deterring them from even thinking of hurting me."

"They fear you; that's for sure." Manshik gnashed his teeth. "But they also fear the enemies you always create. No one can fight everybody and win."

"Did they believe so when Qianfan fought them all? Or was it alright because he was not a woman?"

Manshik heaved a sigh. "The men are afraid, Natsu. Afraid that with you, there will be more blood than coin."

"Cravens," Natsu spat. "If they are too faint-hearted for the sight of blood, then they had better plow fields and milk cows."

Manshik smiled nervously. "Maybe you should have prevented the Skandivians from leaving." After a moment of uneasy silence, he asked, "How are the building works going?"

Natsu had a strange feeling about this question. Manshik was not the chatty type. "Good," Natsu said curtly, hoping her vague answer would prompt Manshik to reveal whatever was crossing his mind right now.

"Good." Manshik nodded, his eyes hollow. "Hopefully, your new fortress is ready soon."

Alright. This is becoming too irksome to tolerate. "Does my new fortress bother you, Manshik?"

Her stout right-hand man exhaled. "It doesn't. The shortage of coin does, though."

After acquiring Qianfan's business, coin should be the least of her problems. But building a fort with stone walls and watch towers was eating through her coffers like fire through dry grass. "It's temporary, Manshik. Once the building works are over, we shall never have such a conversation again."

"My men are growing uneasy by the day. Business is flourishing, they know that, and yet, they get scraps." Manshik leaned his elbows on the table. "I need to tell them when this tight situation will end. With the struggle I'm having with new recruits, I do hope to keep my current crew."

Natsu didn't wish to lose more men either. A fortress without soldiers manning it would be as useful as an empty scabbard.

Jirou, whom she had posted at the door of the tavern, hurried inside and strode toward her, his hand on the hilt of the new sword strapped to his belt. "Someone says he must meet you urgently."

Natsu eyed Jirou's blank facial expression. "Someone?" She couldn't help chuckling. "He didn't tell you who is?"

"I asked him about his name, but he insisted that it wouldn't matter." Jirou shrugged his broad shoulders. "He mentioned something about a meeting you missed with his master, though."

His master? Was that an errand boy of some boss she had promised to...?

The missing meeting, Natsu. Wake up! "Hells and demons," she muttered. "Let him in," she urged Jirou, and then she turned to the scowling Manshik. "We shall resume our conversation later." Hopefully, not.

Her new deputy nodded in understanding as he pushed to his feet. While he was walking out of the tavern, Jirou ushered the mysterious visitor to Natsu' table. A stout, clean-shaven man donning a grey cloak. Pantu's contact, she thought. Did Pantu send him, or did he come directly to me?

Natsu gestured for her visitor to sit and for Jirou to leave. Not sure how to start this awkward conversation with the masked mage's contact, she said, "I must say I didn't expect you to come to me." That was not a lie. It was his master whom she was expecting. "How is your master?"

"Furious and astonished," the cloaked man said flatly. "You were the one who requested that meeting with my master, and yet you didn't come."

Because Akira found me first. "Against my intention. My mother and my son were kidnapped, so I had to stay to rescue them." She looked the cloaked man in the eye. "I have no doubt your master would understand."

"My master doesn't like his time to be wasted." The cloaked man gnashed his teeth. "You still want the fifty thousand dragons or not?"

Natsu found herself swallowing. Yes, she had given Akira her word, but the sound of this insanely huge sum was mind-boggling. Especially, with the turbulence she was facing with her crew. The timing of this man's visit was surely a work of the Light Himself.

The cloaked man tilted his head. "Natsu Sen?"

Only one-fifth of this sum would cover all the expenses of her new fort. What was she even thinking of?

Was it her word to Akira?

You shouldn't have promised him anything, Natsu. You had already done your part of the bargain when you revealed the plans of the masked mage to him. Your promise was just a moment of elation when your son was given back to you.

"When?" she asked.

A smile spread across the cloaked man's face. "Two days."

"What?" Natsu exclaimed, a few diners nearby looking at her. When she glowered at them, they pretended they were busy with their meals and drinks.

The cloaked man smiled crookedly. "Is it too hard for you to pull off?"

The way he undermined her was not amusing. "You sure you can pull it off? You need one day at least to return to Sun..." The way his smile grew wide made her pause. He can't return faster than that. Unless... "You are a mage, aren't you?"

The cloaked man stared at her, the same crooked smile still plastered on his face. "Two days."

"I need a down payment."

The cloaked man's smile faded; something Natsu wouldn't complain of. "Your agreement with my master didn't include any down payments."

"My agreement with your master didn't include those two days either."

He stared at her thoughtfully, then said, "Your full payment is part of the cargo you are going to transport." He leaned forward. "You will be paid in full even before you complete your mission. How does that sit with you?"

It wasn't ideal, but the arrangement wasn't that bad either. "Tell your master I will be there in two days."

"My master will be pleased to hear this." The cloaked man rose to his feet. "There can be no mistakes this time. Many lives are at stake, yours included."

Natsu folded her arms across her chest, peering at the man donning the grey cloak. "If you know me well, then you must understand that threats do not work well with me."

"It's you who does not understand." He gritted his teeth. "Your meaningless pride won't do us any good if you fail. This operation is huger than you think, and so is its reward." The right side of his mouth quirked upward. "I wonder if you will ever need to work again."

The cloaked man gave Natsu a slight bow before he ambled toward the door of the tavern, leaving her in a storm of thoughts about the idea he had just suggested.

The idea of retiring.