At two in the afternoon, Isaac walked out of Amorton Manor with someone beside him.
"Mr. Fenn, are you sure you want to see him?" Isaac looked at the man beside him.
"That's right! That guy ambushed me out of nowhere. I deserve an explanation!" Fenn nodded emphatically, then lowered his voice. "Um, uh, you're sure he's reasonably easy to talk to, right...?"
Isaac replied helplessly, "All I can say is that, from what I saw when I met him, he... was at least willing to talk, though he's not exactly the gentle and polite type."
Fenn looked relieved and was about to speak when a voice sounded beside him. "Oh? Sounds like someone wants to settle a score with me?"
Fenn jolted, practically leaping two or three steps backward. Only after putting some distance between them did he get a clear look at the newcomer.
At some point, Carlo had appeared less than two steps away, watching him with his arms folded.
Isaac silently took two steps back as well, leaving room for the two parties involved.
Fenn glared at Carlo for quite a while without speaking. Finally, he forced out, "This time... I admit defeat. You got me."
"Mm-hm. I don't need you to tell me how good I am," Carlo replied.
"But!" Fenn drew a breath. Though he seemed to be trying to sound imposing, he actually looked more like he was trying to work up his courage. "I'm warning you, the big shot behind me is not someone to mess with. You took something you shouldn't have, and sooner or later-"
"All right, all right. Big shot this, big shot that, day in and day out. Just listening to you is exhausting." Carlo waved a hand, cutting Fenn off. "Go back and tell that Miss Vilka that Carlo Schuster took the book. She'll understand what happened. That young lady is considerate; she won't blame you, so don't worry."
Vilka? Isaac thought about the name. At least in Palmer, there was no particularly famous "Vilka."
Fenn froze, his eyes going wide. "How did you know-"
"How did I know who she was?" Carlo tilted his head. "When we first met, didn't I tell you I knew who the big shot behind you was? Or did you think that even if I knew, I'd only know her cover identity?"
Fenn couldn't speak for a long moment, his expression shifting between shock and confusion. Finally, he managed, "...You know Miss Vilka?"
"More or less," Carlo said. "So just pass the message along. She won't make things difficult for you, and she won't settle any scores with me either."
Fenn's expression shifted. When Vilka had given him his assignment, she had used another, more prominent identity. He had thought that even if others looked into her, they would at most uncover that identity and back off of their own accord because of how prominent it was.
Yet not only did the guy in front of him know that person's identity, he also seemed quite familiar with her?
Watching from the side, Isaac also had a better idea of the situation. Carlo clearly knew far more about the force behind Fenn than Fenn had expected, which gave Isaac a deeper understanding of his employer's capabilities.
Fenn was silent for a long while before sighing. "All right. Since you know Miss Vilka, this is out of my hands. I'll report what happened to her."
He turned to Isaac and nodded. "Kid, until we meet again. Don't point a gun at me next time."
Isaac nodded goodbye. "See you. I also hope you won't pretend to be a ghost in the middle of the night again, Mr. Fenn."
Fenn snorted and strode back into the manor.
Isaac watched Fenn disappear through the manor gates, then turned to see Carlo staring at what he was carrying.
"What is it?"
"Is that quilt of yours very valuable?" Carlo pointed at the bundle of bedding.
Isaac looked down at the rolled-up bedding in his hand and coughed. "Every little bit I can save helps, and I've had this quilt for two years. It's reasonably warm."
"How thrifty. Looks like I won't need to give you a quilt."
"Hey!"
Carlo looked away, and Isaac quickly brought the conversation back on track. "How are we getting to Vista?"
Nearly three hundred kilometers of wilderness lay between Palmer and Vista, with all kinds of other species to avoid along the way. An ordinary convoy usually took at least a week and had to hire enough guards to ensure its safety.
"Two ways," Carlo said. "One is to take the intercity route like normal. The other is to take a shortcut."
Isaac understood at once. "You mean you'll roll the dice?"
"Clever." Carlo put his hands back in his trench coat pockets. "But this isn't the sort of thing to do in the middle of the street. Let's find somewhere more secluded first."
Isaac looked around. The street where Amorton Manor stood was quiet to begin with, but people still passed by occasionally. After a moment's thought, he pointed to a narrow alley beside the manor. "There shouldn't be many people over there."
The two turned into the narrow alley and walked deep inside. After making sure no one was around, Carlo stopped and pulled the pair of dark golden dice from his pocket. Isaac stood to one side, carrying his suitcase and roll of bedding.
Carlo tossed the dice up and caught them. "Then, will Carlo Schuster and Isaac Lessing be directly teleported, safe and sound, to the porch of 122 Red Maple Street in Vista? The check value is... 5."
"That low?"
"What did you expect?" Carlo gathered the dice back into his palm. "If it were just me, it would be a bit easier, since I'd only have to look out for myself. But teleporting two people over safe and sound is considerably harder."
Isaac was silent for a moment. "What happens if the check fails?"
"If it fails, we'll have to take a carriage there the normal way." Carlo shrugged. "Besides, sometimes failure is a good thing."
"Huh?"
"For example, if the description isn't precise enough and only asks for us to be teleported there, a successful check might send only half a person over, or leave us stuck in a wall or underground. That would be quite something. It'd be better for it to fail and do nothing." Carlo weighed the dice in his hand. "And because I have to add the conditions 'safe and sound' and 'teleported to the right place,' the check value is pushed even lower."
Isaac imagined it and thought they might as well take a carriage. He was just about to say it would be better to play it safe when he saw the two dice leave Carlo's hand.
Hey, hey, at least give me time to prepare myself... Isaac was startled.
The two dice rolled across the ground. One stopped first, showing a 3. The other rolled two more times before stopping, also showing a 3.
"33. Looks like it failed." Carlo glanced at the dice and raised his chin. "Your turn."
Isaac had no choice but to bend down and pick up the dice. He weighed them in his hand, then threw them.
The two dice collided and bounced on the ground. One landed on 5, while the other wobbled to a stop on 2.
"25... It really is difficult." Isaac handed the dice back to Carlo.
Carlo put the dice back in his pocket. "Come on. Let's see if there are any carriages available."