Chapter 222: Buried Alive (2)

The boy wanted to buy Isaac?

"Four roti!" the red-haired boy who appeared out of nowhere blurted out without context. "Isn’t that a fair price? So won’t you sell him to me?"

Perhaps because he stared at me with such pleading eyes, but for a split second, I seriously considered selling Isaac. I mean, after sealing him inside a medallion, I did hand him to that T&T magician for free before. The sorcerer with the black dots had likely been gleefully using Isaac for research.

However, this time was different. Whether it was four roti or four hundred seiron, selling Isaac was out of the question. Sure, part of me wanted to get rid of the cursed bird, but truthfully, I’d grown fond of him.

Isaac had gotten me into some dicey situations, but the outcomes had always been good. He’d never outright betrayed me and was still useful in many ways. Just earlier, thanks to Isaac, we got through the city gate smoothly, didn’t we?

"Hey! What are you hesitating for? You should’ve just rejected him right away!"

"Relax. I was going to refuse. Don’t freak out."

"Who's freaking out...?"

"I must respectfully decline."

The boy frowned. "Really? Are you sure? You won’t change your mind?"

"He’s not for sale."

"

Aw

, that’s too bad. What kind of spirit’s inside that machine? What if I really want to take it apart?" The boy stared straight at me, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

I doubted he’d back down that easily. The boy was skilled enough to slip past my detection until he was right beside me. Despite looking like a red-haired human teen with large, clear eyes, his identity was a mystery.

"Isaac, this kid seems pretty dead set on having you. Can’t you drive him off?"

"Haa... It won’t work."

Isaac responded,

"He’s being protected by the Lunar Spiritlight of the New Moon. If he’s like this during the day, he’ll be even more troublesome at night..."

"Protected by the moon?"

"Yeah. Judging by his looks, he’s probably a direct descendant of the Blue Wolf. He’s got incredibly pure energy, completely incompatible with me. My spells won’t work well on him."

"Hmm..."

"Don’t even think about beating him up. You’d be the one getting thrashed."

A werewolf, then. Running into a kid like this before even getting settled in the capital was disorienting.

Looking me up and down, the boy said, "There’s something else I want."

"What is it?"

"You. I want you."

That caught me off guard.

"Sorry, I’m not really in need of money. How about you just walk away?"

Clink.

I casually fiddled with the coin pouch I got from the Temple of Yemera.

"

Hmm...

I see. You even decorated your crow with shiny stuff. Still, I want you. If I brought you to the sister I know... I bet you’d be a great match."

"Excuse me! What kind of nonsense is that?!" Rubia cut in sharply.

"

Whoa

. She’s a weak human, but I felt a hint of killing intent. But still... wouldn’t it be better for this skeleton to serve the greatest necromancer? She’d love it."

The boy had seen through my identity instantly. This wasn’t some lucky guess or intuition—he knew. Could there be more people like this in the capital?

Anyway, he mentioned the greatest necromancer. Only one name popped into my mind.

"We’re not in a master-servant relationship. It’s incredibly rude to go around demanding this and that when we’ve just met."

"

Hmm...

" The boy scratched his head.

"Nice! Have her scold him for you!"

"What are you even saying?"

Despite having scolded the boy, Rubia had no combat ability.

"That kid’s spirit is protected even during the day by high-grade spiritlight."

"And...?"

"The higher-ranking the wolf bloodline, the fewer females there are. The stronger the male, the worse he is with women."

Ridiculous. I wasn’t about to shove Rubia forward like that. I had another idea.

I asked the boy, "Is the necromancer you’re talking about Gith-Za-Rai?"

"

Huh

?" The boy blinked, then grinned with a slightly proud expression. "Wow, so you’ve heard of sister Gith. Yeah, if you want to be called a necromancer, you gotta be at least at her level."

So he

was

talking about her. If he knew her and could sneak up on me like this, then there was only one possibility.

"You... are you from the Red Flake?"

The boy’s eyes went wide. "

Huh

? How did you know?"

Isaac and Rubia both appeared shocked.

"Gith-Za-Rai is in Red Flake? You just keep surprising me. How do you know all this stuff?"

Even Isaac hadn’t known that, but the pieces were falling into place. Assassins from the Red Flake guild. Information about them was top secret, obviously.

"If my identity’s exposed... that’s a problem."

I could feel faint energy radiating from the boy. From the tips, his red hair began to shift to blue. The temperature around us slowly plummeted.

"Well, this is fun to learn, but man... the situation just turned real awkward. What now?"

Isaac was already predicting my defeat. He tried to laugh it off, but I could sense a tinge of regret; he didn’t want to lose a fun toy like me. The boy’s hair stood on end, and a bluish gleam filled his large eyes. His aura became visible—it was so thick and dense that I couldn’t see an opening.

My chances of winning seemed slim. Above all, Rubia would die if she got caught up. This was a mess I’d caused through my knowledge of past cycles. No one else could fix this for me. I had to resolve it myself.

"Hey. How about we talk for a second?"

"

Hm

? No need. If you know who we are, you have to die."

"I’ve got secrets about your friends. Are you sure you want to miss that?"

"

Hmm...

Okay. I’ll listen a little. Then I’ll kill you."

I led the boy aside and whispered, "If you kill me, Gith will scold you. Are you sure that’s okay?"

"

Huh

? I’ve never heard of her raising someone like you. Are you bluffing?"

"Gilaut. Owain. Andrei."

"What?!"

"Fenrir. Hamelain. Those are the five Dullahan she keeps."

"That’s right!"

"And I’m the sixth. Her hidden ace."

"So that’s it...!" His mouth dropped open.

I just casually sold out Gith-Za-Rai and her five Dullahan. I didn’t have any malicious intent; it was just the easiest way to make this wolf kid back off. Even if Gith-Za-Rai found out, I’d just explain later. Still, the boy seemed unconvinced.

"Acting on your own,

huh...

But why aren’t you helping Sis Gith? Isn’t she working on something important?"

If he really was Red Flake, there was one more thing I could give him.

"You want me to spell everything out? The Starlight Azure Fox is on standby to jump in at any time. The current firepower is more than enough."

"Whaaaat...! Incredible...!" When I mentioned the fox-masked sister, the boy gasped in awe, almost looking dazed. He shook his head a few times, then looked at me with clear trust. "So why are you in the capital? Is it related to that mission?"

"Well, in a broad sense, yes. I’ve got business with the T&T group."

"Wow. I want to do stuff like that too, but they say I’m too clumsy and not delicate enough."

His shoulders slumped, all his earlier boldness completely gone.

"Still... It's fun being with everyone. But when you meet Sis Gith, please tell her for me. I want to do secret missions in the capital too."

"She’s not even a full member, is she?"

The boy’s eyes sparkled. "Right! Right! You even know that? You really must be someone special to Sis Gith. But, y’know... everyone’s totally afraid of her...

hehe

."

"I’ll make sure to tell her."

"Thanks! Then, since I’m grateful, I’ll be your guide around the capital!"

"No need. I don’t need help."

I had enough on my plate already, so I didn’t need extra variables messing things up.

When I politely waved him off, he smacked his lips as if disappointed, and gave a small nod. "Okay... I’m Lumen. Lumen Valdorf. Remember me. Here’s a bribe!"

Clink!

The boy turned out his pockets and dropped four silver coins into my hand, before vanishing.

Lumen, huh.

I think there was someone by that name in Red Flake. And Valdorf... I’d definitely heard that name somewhere before, but I couldn’t recall exactly where. Probably because it wasn't important.

I returned to my group. They were visibly surprised to see me return after a secretive whisper session with the boy. Moreover, with four roti in hand.

"Why’d you shake that money out of a kid?"

Not quite what happened, but I stuffed the coins into my pocket casually.

"How did you do that? He didn’t seem like the type to give up that easily... Was he really part of the legendary assassin order?" Rubia asked.

"You’ve been traveling with him this long, and you’re still surprised by stuff like that? Once I recover my strength, a brat like that is just...

bam!

" Isaac responded.

"You said you were weak against him."

"Just saying. If I brute-force it with pure strength, it’s not a problem."

"Well, I talked nicely and he went away peacefully. Anyway, Isaac, I’ve got a question."

"What is it?"

"How sharp is a werewolf’s sense of smell?"

"Depends on how active it is. But typically, ten to twenty times stronger than a wolf’s. He definitely memorized our scent."

"

Hm

..."

Something didn’t add up. I had a portion of Gith-Za-Rai’s skull transplanted into me, leading me to obtain the Essence Absorption skill. Did the kid not catch the scent of her bones? That didn’t make sense...

If Lumen were a werewolf, he should’ve approached me because he’d sensed Gith-Za-Rai’s lingering trace, instead of seeing Isaac’s curse. Yet, he stood right next to me and said nothing.

"That boy... he was a werewolf, right?"

"Of course."

"I could feel it too... he had a strong wolf-like presence," Rubia added.

There was only one conclusion. The Essence Absorption skill remained, but Gith-Za-Rai’s trace has completely disappeared from me. It left a bit of a bitter taste and a twinge of guilt. Another reminder that the only substance that carried over between regressions was Lurium. Malphas’ mark remained on me for that same reason.

***

Once we passed through the long tunnel beneath the city gate, a dazzling plain of light unfolded before us. An endless stretch of white marble—a brilliant space that felt like a painting.

"So this is the white plaza..."

"It’s also the imperial parade ground. It’s been a long time since I came, but it’s still dazzling clean."

It was midday. Each step scattered reflected light in every direction, dizzying the eyes. Fine for a sightseeing spot, but definitely not ideal for walking around every day.

"Is this plaza designed to intimidate visitors? It doesn’t seem very functional."

Isaac shook his head. "No. It’s meant to intimidate other nobles inside. There’s an easy way to walk across it without getting blinded. Just fill the whole space with troops. If you can’t do that, don’t even try to show off."

We strolled a bit under the blinding sunlight.

"But shouldn’t we go to a jewelry shop now?"

Rubia’s suggestion caught my interest.

"I agree."

I wasn’t in desperate need of money, but I was curious about the value of the gems we brought from the temple basement. My Accounting skill couldn’t appraise gemstones.

"Let’s find the biggest store in town. Isaac, what do you think?"

"Quality over quantity. I didn’t like most of what we picked up anyway. I’ll sell them all and grab something prettier."

***

We asked around and arrived at the largest jewelry store in the city. To reach it, we had to walk down a long flower path, but even getting past the entrance seemed like a challenge. Two bald guards stood at the entryway, crossing their halberds, clearly signaling us to turn back. I didn’t hear anything about needing a reservation?

As we got closer, they fixed us with an intense glare. One even seemed to say, "Get..."

I had no intention of making a scene here.

[Skill: Fear Lv. 1 activated.]

"

Ghuh...

!"

"

Eep...

!"

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Just a subtle activation to avoid drawing attention. Fear was really a convenient skill. The guards stepped back three whole paces, and their halberds moved aside. Naturally, Rubia walked between them with ease.

"They’re quite kind, aren’t they?"

"Well, somewhat."

Soon, we stood in front of a five-story building, entirely dedicated to jewelry.

"Oh my! Welcome, dear custo—" Even here, we weren’t greeted warmly. The woman at the entrance glanced up and down at Rubia, then trailed off awkwardly. "

Hmph

.. Why did they let them through outside?"

She was whispering, but we could hear it all. Actually, it was said loud enough to be heard. Two men in black leather outfits trailed behind us, eyeing us suspiciously. Were they trying to escort us right back out?

A small use of the Fear skill made even those guards blanch and cough nervously as they stepped away. And I barely even used it. We probably seemed like trouble to them.

"What’s wrong?" I asked.

"

Uh... um...

"

I hadn’t used Fear on the store clerk, so she had no clue why her guards were freaking out. Rubia took her time browsing the displays.

Just then, the clerk furrowed her brow and pointed at Isaac on my shoulder. "Excuse me, but you’ll have to leave that outside."

What, seriously?

Should I use Fear here? The guards already seemed pale as ghosts. If I used it on this frail woman, she could drop dead on the spot. Besides, there were too many eyes on us.

"Isaac, they want me to leave you outside."

"Heh. They’re talking about the sword. I already made myself invisible to them."

Wait, when did he do that?

"That’s kind of a problem."

I looked around. Other people were walking around inside just fine, swords at their sides. Even the fancy-dressed ladies had knights escorting them. Maybe mine was too big?

The clerk sighed deeply. "

Ugh

, what are the guards even doing? I swear, they’re useless..."

"I told you to do invitation-only service! Full invitation-only!" a female guest said.

A woman flanked by four guards fanned herself dramatically while eyeing Rubia up and down. "I don’t want things that have been touched by any hands..."

Another lady in a gown narrowed her eyes and sighed. "Just because you wear plate armor doesn’t make you a knight. That thing’s not even from a known maker..."

"Probably some bumpkin girl from the countryside. Just wants to touch and ogle things without buying, and ends up getting in other customers’ way,” added a female clientele.

What was this?

"This is the largest jewelry store, right?" Rubia asked with a smile.

"Ah, yes. Oh my, miss! You’re looking at this one? Great eye!" The clerk barely acknowledged Rubia before darting off to serve another customer.

They were clearly trying to drive us out. Maybe it was Rubia’s outfit? We did spend two hours picking it out, but I guess the desert wind wore it down.

Still, we couldn’t exactly trash the store just because of that. Even if the marquis wasn’t around, there were still three swordmasters stationed in this city. Not to mention the Wizards of Azure.

"Excuse me," Rubia said as she stepped closer to a display case.

"Done browsing? Then it’s time to go," the clerk snapped, not even turning her head.

That was when Rubia smacked Isaac on the back of his head.

WHACK!

"

Guh!

"

Clatter!

Jewels spilled out of Isaac’s beak. Glittering gems cascaded onto the glass display case.