The man peered at the face that had emerged from the darkness of the cell's corner. Not a trace remained of the former polish of the ultra-wealthy merchant.
He was thin, haggard. His cheekbones protruded as if stretched over grey, dirty skin. His eyes, sunken into dark hollows, burned with a feverish, almost insane light.
Upon seeing Saigo, Linsy scrambled up from the stone floor, dressed in a greasy, torn shirt and tattered trousers that reeked of prison mold.
"Saigo! Brother! You're here! I'm so glad!" The words tumbled out incoherently, confused. He rushed forward, his grasping fingers feeling Saigo's shoulders, his arms, as if checking if the man before him was a mirage. A tremor ran through his hands.
"Glad you're alive," Saigo said, his brows slightly furrowed, allowing the inspection. His voice was even, but it held not a trace of his former contempt.
"And I'm glad, my friend! What's happening out there?" Linsy stammered, his gaze darting towards the door. "No... Were you captured too? Bad... This is bad! So our plan was definitely exposed! You didn't tell them anything, did you?" Linsy rattled on, not waiting for an answer, not meeting his eyes. He was wound up like a toy, pacing the cell and muttering incessantly. "We need to think of something! Testimonies! Yes, the trial is soon, and we must say the same thing! Ah, that scoundrel Akno... A pathetic liar! But we'll deal with him yet! My friends..." He fell silent, suddenly realizing the absurdity of his words within these walls.
Saigo didn't disillusion him, didn't tell him that his "friends" had disowned him faster than rats flee a sinking ship the moment they heard of his arrest.
He had thought about the question of their shared fate – Linsy and Akno – for almost the entire night. On one hand – Akno must die. By the law and by the golden rule of the Cotto Clan, for botching the job, for setting him up, and for his boundless idiocy. For justice.
But on the other hand... If the client dies by his hand (and the decision on Linsy's life was his to make), wouldn't that be a blow to the clan's reputation, and an even greater one at that? Clients must be confident: Cotto doesn't just fulfill contracts, but also protects its clients.
Saigo had decided that the latter was more important, but one question remained: Was Linsy himself willing to pay with his life for Akno's death? After all, his empire was utterly destroyed because of that runt. Would this revenge be more valuable to him than his own chance at freedom?
"Linsy..." Saigo interrupted his stream of words. The merchant started, as if waking up. "Akno... is being released. You too."
The merchant froze. His sunken eyes widened to their limit. His brain seemed to hang, processing the unbelievable.
Then – an explosion. With inhuman speed for his emaciated state, he flew at Saigo and wrapped him in his bony embrace. Greasy locks of dirty hair, the smell of an unwashed body – Saigo didn't push him away or interfere.
After all, this man, though a swindler to the core, was still his client. Moreover, he had endured hell in these dungeons and – more importantly – hadn't cracked. He hadn't betrayed him, or the clan.
And a "trifle" like enduring his stinking embrace – Saigo could tolerate that. Purely out of respect for the merchant's resilience.
"That's so good! Praise the gods!" Linsy exhaled, stepping back, his eyes suddenly glistening with tears. Sincere? Hysterical? Saigo didn't bother to determine their exact composition.
"You're not upset that Akno is being released too?" he asked, watching the reaction.
"To hell with that dog!" Linsy waved his hand, but a faint bitterness sounded in his voice. "He'll croak out there anyway! With his character? I guarantee it! And he'll do it very soon!" His words held not just malice, but the confidence of a connoisseur of human souls. A holy certainty that Akno would dig his own grave.
Satisfied with the answer, Saigo sat down on the single rough bench by the wall.
"Linsy, I need to tell you something." And he began - a long, frank account.
Of his arrival in the capital, the escape from the ambush, and the fight with Marcus on the wall. Of the grand, destructive battle with the Empress herself and the palace burned to the ground. And finally, of Katarina's request... and that Linsy was now penniless.
Everything was either confiscated or in the process of being confiscated.
Linsy listened in silence. First with bated breath, then with growing horror, and finally – with a clear measure of relief when Saigo finished with the phrase: "...and I chose your life." The merchant stared at him for a long time, unable to move. Then he silently extended his hand – not for a hug, but for a handshake. A firm, manly handshake of sincere gratitude.
"I'm glad, brother," Linsy's voice was hoarse but firm. "That you made the right choice. And that ram Akno... to hell with him. He's not worth our efforts." In his eyes was gratitude and... a strange acceptance of his new, empty reality.
Saigo stood up. "Well then, this way out. Your... personal belongings will be returned to you." He hesitated. "I'd give you money, but..." he spread his hands, indicating his modest clothing. "My things..."
"Don't!" Linsy waved his hand, and a familiar, old smirk of an adventurer suddenly flared on his haggard face. "What you did for me... is more than enough. I'll manage." He straightened his back, and a shadow of his former self-confidence appeared in his posture. "After all, I am Linsy! Head of the Silver Caravan! I will rise again! You'll see!"
Saigo only smiled – sincerely for the first time in this conversation. One could only envy the merchant's optimism.
"Then I'm happy for you. And, I'm off."
"Where?" Linsy became alert.
"I still need to visit Akno."
Linsy's face contorted. He grabbed Saigo by the sleeve, shouting right into his ear. "Punch that scoundrel in the face! From the bottom of my heart! For me! For yourself! For... for everything!"
Saigo nodded without a word. He would have done it anyway. He slipped out of the tight grip and left the stinking cell, slamming the door behind him. A shadow of grim hatred and the anticipation of justice fell upon his face.
"Now – to Akno."