Mel Carlo stood in a courtyard, taking a brief rest and getting some fresh air. The atmosphere in the city seemed to have grown much livelier.
It was not an illusion, nor was it because of the bright sunshine. The streets truly had become much noisier.
Just as he was about to turn around and return to the courtyard, an uninvited guest arrived.
A man dressed in leather appeared before him, looking him over with a scrutinizing gaze. Mel Carlo immediately sensed that something was wrong. The scarred man was not in the courtyard either.
Of course, he knew this was that gang investigator.
But he still had to act as though nothing had happened and turn to leave.
"Stop, brat." The man called after him.
"What is it, sir?" Mel Carlo turned back as if nothing were amiss.
"Is the stolen wallet on you, or on Anke? I'll only ask once. If you dare lie, I'll kill you immediately!" The man's hand moved toward the shortsword at his waist, his gaze cold and sharp.
Mel Carlo remained silent. He did not know where things had gone wrong. Perhaps he had exposed himself when he spent money on paper and pens earlier. That was the only possible leak. But had that merchant not left Garde Imperial City yet? Was he planning to stay in the Imperial City to celebrate the new year?
"You bought something from a merchant. If I hand these two silver coins over to the Duke's estate, I think they'll recognize them!" The man continued to press him. Once he got the truth, he would slaughter this brat. Maybe he could even use the wallet to get another payment from the Duke's estate.
Mel Carlo quickly picked out the crucial information. As expected, the money he had spent had exposed him. And this investigator had not told anyone else yet, which meant he must have other motives.
The matter of the wallet had long since been settled, smoothed over with the former boss's head. The only thing of any value now was the 2,600 Oren Mel Carlo still had.
He had originally had 3,000 Oren, but when he bought the hairpin, he had exchanged one silver coin for 95 Oren as tribute. Later, he spent another three silver coins on paper, pens, and ink, leaving him with only 2,600 Oren.
"So, sir, what do you want?" Mel Carlo put on an indifferent expression. He could not show even the slightest hesitation now, because life and death would be decided in an instant. This man's level was clearly four levels above his own, [LV5].
If the other man only wanted money, then he could settle this with money. It would not count as much of a loss to him.
"I want to know the truth. Hand over the money, and perhaps I can spare you." The man's ambiguous words were utterly untrustworthy.
Whether he handed it over or not, the man had no intention of sparing him.
Mel Carlo was not a real child. He knew what danger was.
The situation was simple: confess, and he died. Refuse to confess, and he died.
The only skills that might be useful right now were [Flying Blade], [Back Hop], and [Steal].
[Flying Blade] had a piercing effect. Whether he aimed for the throat or the heart, he was confident he could kill in one strike—unless it worked like a game, where a level 1 absolutely could not hurt a level 5. If that was the case, then this truly was his death sentence.
[Back Hop] could let him evade one attack, but only one. [Steal], meanwhile, could be used to try and take the man's shortsword. But [Steal] had not reached full proficiency yet. Its base success rate was only 30%, and the remaining 70% required him to see 320/10,000 proficiency.
After thinking at lightning speed, Mel Carlo knew he had reached a dead end. This guy had not come for money. There was no room for negotiation.
"Sir, I'll tell you everything!"
The instant Mel Carlo lowered his head, he activated [Steal] and [Flying Blade] at the same time, hurling the dagger in his hand straight at the man's throat.
The man tried to draw his shortsword to block it, but grabbed empty air. Mel Carlo's skill check had succeeded, and the shortsword had appeared in Mel's left hand.
The man tried to block with his arm, but the dagger pierced straight through his palm and buried itself in his neck. Pain struck instantly.
Terror filled him, and his soul nearly fled his body.
One hand clutched his bleeding throat while the other tried to strike Mel Carlo with all his strength. But a [Back Hop] easily evaded it, and Mel Carlo drove the shortsword into his heart with a backhanded thrust.
So when someone's throat was cut, they did not die that quickly. He had almost been hit just now.
He watched the man's health bar drain bit by bit until it changed completely from red to gray. That sense of reality made the game menu feel more like a fake contrivance.
"Sir, I'm glad this isn't a game." Mel Carlo pulled the dagger from the man's throat, wiped the blood clean with the man's clothes, then picked up the two silver coins from the ground. "Why didn't you give me a chance? Give yourself one too."
He did not choose to keep the shortsword, because it could very likely become a clue that allowed the gang to find him.
The man had underestimated a child, so he died. But who could have imagined that a six-year-old child would suddenly attack and kill him?
His breathing came in quick bursts, and both his hands and legs trembled slightly. Mel could not tell whether it was fear or excitement. He only felt as if his mind had gone blank.
Wiping the sweat from his palms, Mel forced himself to breathe and calm down.
He could not stay with the gang any longer. He had to escape this city as soon as possible. First, he needed to get out. If he could find that merchant, things would be easier. It would be best if he could take Lily and Akai with him, but if not, then he could only wish them luck.
Mel Carlo fled once again. To be honest, he had been nervous when he made his move, his palms sweating. But he had to stay calm. The slightest flaw would have gotten him killed there.
He passed through street after street. He did not know why the crowds were gathering toward the plaza, but that was not his concern. He needed to find that merchant, or leaving and entering the city would not be so easy.
"Claire, why don't you try too? Maybe you'll be the hero?" The merchant had once urged his daughter. Of course, he hoped his daughter would be the hero. There was no better merchandise than that.
"Dad, do you think I have what it takes to become a hero? Or do you?" His daughter mocked him directly.
The man raised his brows again as he sat on the carriage, watching the crowd suddenly begin to retreat. He could not explain the strange feeling in his heart. Had something happened?
It sounded like the Knight Order's swords were being drawn as well.
His instincts told him he should not stay here any longer. He should retreat first.
Not long after he moved away from the plaza, Mel Carlo found him.
Mel jumped straight onto the carriage. "Merchant, I agree to the deal you mentioned before. We leave now! Immediately!"
"You seem to be in quite a hurry..."
"Stop talking. 2,500 Oren. Not a single coin less!"
"Fine. Get in and hide in the barrel. I prepared this barrel for you in advance."
The merchant did not waste words. The dark-skinned maiden, however, looked slightly surprised. Just as her father had predicted, this child had come looking for them.
And they would gain a huge fortune from this child. Even if they could not sell any of their goods, they would not go bankrupt outright.
If they had invested all their proceeds into the merchandise, they would already have gone bankrupt this time. This was an unexpected windfall. It even felt more profitable than the goods themselves.
Mel Carlo hid inside the wooden barrel, and the carriage quickly headed toward the city gates.
This Earth Dragon, the carriage, and the unsold goods were all the merchant owned. There was no need to delay for anything.
"Hey, merchant, you're not selling your goods anymore?" Someone he had become familiar with along the roadside teased him.
"No. They won't sell anyway, so I'm just going home." The merchant did not stop. This was his most profitable haul yet, though the risk was great as well.
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