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Orario- Daedalus Street

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Daedalus Street, also known as a city architect's worse nightmare. Located in between Orario's east and south east Main Streets, Daedalus Street is a residential area for the poor class citizens in Orario. A place where the rich and pompous would deem utterly beneath their time and notice and also a place where the shady elements of the city would often thrive due to the lack of oversight from the authorities.

When one first arrive to this particular area of the city for the first time, the first thing that they would notice is how they need to crank their necks upwards to see how high the buildings are due to the many layers of building being built upon each other. Imagine an Olympic stadium, and each row of the seats there represents a row of buildings. But that's not all, the entire district is also a maze, within a bigger maze, within a slightly bigger maze. The whole place reminds me of that one painting from M.C. Escher.

The paths just don't make sense. They sometimes end abruptly and likes to twist around convolutedly. Imagine trying to get somewhere but in order to get there, you'll have to walk down a street, crawl through a window, jump off a bridge to the path down below and then climb a ladder on the side of a building to reach it.

Yeah, whoever designed this part of the city is either very drunk or high. Quite possibly both.

Without prior knowledge of the layout, if one could even remember something so complex in the first place, one would find navigating this place to be a challenge even with all the signs in place telling you which path to take to get to where.

Thankfully, with how frequent I visited this place with Syr in the past, as well as on my own, I'm already quite familiar with which path that I should take in order to reach my destination.

Before I came here, I actually made a detour and went to the local general store to buy a single bottle of apple cider there. While not particularly a requirement or anything for who I'm about to visit, it's more or less a tradition now for me to buy him a drink whenever I paid him a visit. With my purchase made, I make my way into the maze, using the shadows to hide me from the view of those with malicious intentions lurking in the same area.

I navigate the street in an unhurried pace, using my memory to guide me through the many twist and turns, ups and downs, and one time needing to vault over a low wall as a shortcut. But after a bit of traversing the confusing paths, I found myself walking into an a wide open area that also serve as the unofficial public square in this district.

There were many people from various races mulling around and minding their own business. I can see adults going about their day or chatting with each other under the shades the buildings provides and a bunch of children playing with each other, using whatever they can find as toys and playing whatever games their childish minds could conjure up.

I stopped walking to avoid a group of them running past me, shouting and squealing with childish glee as they continue their game. I watch them go with a small smile before continuing onward.

Contrary to popular belief, this place isn't as lawless as people who has never been here made it out to be. Sure there are thieves and cutthroats living in the area but crimes rarely ever happen here. Even when they do, it's mostly just small stuffs like mugging or theft.

The villainous scums that had gathered here are mostly here to lay low anyway. With the entire mess with Evilus still going on, they know not to go to far and cause too big of a ruckus or they'll risk bringing in the cavalry that is the Ganesha Familia to start poking their noses here. Once that happens, they'll lose all their freedom and their activities will be severely restricted for a long while because Ganesha Familia members will be patrolling the area.

Because of that, they'd actually help out in keeping the crime rate as low as possible in this district and even rat out people from Evilus to Ganesha Familia when they were discovered in the area. Hell, there's even an unwritten rule about no committing crimes during the day and that civilians are not to be harmed that everyone follows without fail. Why? Well, that's because the one enforcing it is scary and has no qualms in making an example out the person who broke that rule. Brutally. No one in their right minds wants to piss of the top dog of the district that's also a level 5 after all.

I went through the square and continue making my way deeper into the district. It wasn't until I found myself in a dark street where foot traffic is nonexistent did I stop for a moment. I scan the area carefully until I spotted what I'm looking for and made my way towards it.

As I proceed down the path, my attention was focused on a very old looking beggar sitting by his lonesome on a cardboard with an old wooden bowl placed in front of him. Not quite so out of sight that you won't be able to see him and not so visible that you'll easily notice him if you aren't paying attention.

From a single glance, one can immediately tell that this person had completely forgo personal hygiene but that's to be expected considering his lifestyle. The old man's white hair was long and in disarray, hiding most of his face from view and his has a scruffy long beard with twigs sticking out of it hid it even more. He only wore some kind of ragged trousers that is no doubt scavenged from a trash can, leaving his upper body bare to show his bony and dirt caked frame and sickly pale white skin.

Right now he's currently leaning his back against a wall and snoozing away, completely unconcern of the flies flying around his body or crawling into his slightly open mouth.

I strode over to him, ignoring the stench that assailed my nose with ease and proceeded to kick him on his leg once I got close enough.

"Youch!" he cried out in alarm, his entire body lurch away from the wall and his arms flail upwards instinctively to protect his face. "Who's there!? What the hell do you want from me you damn thugs! I have nothing to giv-" His tirade ceases when he finally realize who it was that kicked him. "Oh, it's just you, brat." The old man finishes in an annoyed tone as he glare at me with a pair of milky pale eyes. "By the Gods boy, will you stop kicking me whenever you find me asleep!?"

I simply shrugged with a smile. "Sorry, habit." I told him as I toss the apple cider right at him. He simple reaches out his hand and caught the flying bottle without even looking.

By looking at his eyes, one can be forgiven for thinking that he's blind. Hell, I even thought that he's blind myself once upon a time but now I'm just uncertain. I have no idea if he's really blind or not since sometimes he does things that suggest that he actually has eyesight. Other times however, he'd act like he's really blind, convincingly so.

Maybe he isn't and he just pretending to be or, maybe he is and is pretending to be able to see. But in the end, it was simply not that important to me at all so I didn't bother finding out.

"Bah, you would think that your parents would've taught you how to treat your elderlies better by now."

"Well, they probably would if they were still alive." I pointed out dryly

"Ah yes, I've heard. An infant dragon on top of a trap spawn right? My condolences." He said, nodding to himself as he recalled just what had happened to my parents. I have no doubt that he heard the news from other sources since I had never told him anything.

For those of you who don't know, a trap spawn refers to the Dungeon's habit to spontaneously spawn a bunch of monsters on top of unsuspecting Adventurers. It's called a trap spawn mainly because it's like stepping into one; not the most original of names but very self explanatory. Imagine traversing down the Dungeon normally and then bam! You are now surrounded by a bunch of monsters ready to ruin your day.

While it won't spawn any monsters stronger than the ones on the same floor, the sheer numbers that will appear are enough to make anyone caught in the trap crap their pants. It won't do much against high level Adventurers who can just breeze through the monsters but when it's a bunch of low level ones, it's safe to say that it would be their unlucky day. Or their last.

What was originally supposed to be a regular journey down into the Dungeon went TARFU all over their faces.

It's just goes to show that even an ancient, malevolent, life hating entity can be a dick sometimes.

"Don't say things you don't actually mean. It makes you look like an ass." I deadpanned.

"True, but it's the norm to offer condolences to those who had lost loved ones."

"Yeah, but I'd rather that they have a smidgen of sincerity in them."

"Well, you know what they say: 'beggars can't be choosers'." The old man said as he smirked at me.

I rolled my eyes at him before getting to the reason why I'm here. "You got what you've promised right?"

The old man nodded and immediately pull out a folder from...somewhere that I'd rather not talk about. "Why of course. I always keep my end of the deals that I've made. Unless the person I made a deal with plans on betraying me first of course. In which case, I would totally betray them first." He told me with a grin while waving the folder in front of my face. "But as long as you remember keep your end, we won't have any problems at all."

I took the folder and stash it inside my shirt so it doesn't get seen. "Don't worry, I remember." I reassured him. Kinda hard not to when we came to an agreement just the day before.

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Flashback- One Day Ago

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"Hey there old man, I see that you haven't kicked the bucket yet." I greeted him with a grin.

He scoffed at me and looked somewhat offended at my comment. "As if I would die so easily, and will you stop kicking me whenever you find me asleep!?" He demanded angrily at the end, rubbing the sore spot on his thigh which I had kicked earlier.

"How else will you know that it's me and not someone wearing my face?" I replied.

"Bah, you're a paranoid bastard as always. So, how have you been? Not getting into any trouble again I hope." The old man said as he lean back against the wall and regarded me with curiosity, a lone milky pale eye peeking out of his long bangs as he 'looked' at me.

"So and so. Got involved in someone else's mess but what else is new?" I told him with a nonchalant shrug of my shoulders. "Did you miss me or something old man?" I let out a smirk as I ask him that.

"You? Not particularly. The free drinks that you always brought with you though, that I miss. I'm just worried that you'll eventually forget about poor old me and taking all the free stuffs with you."

"Oh please, as if I could ever forget the pungent smell you emit." I rolled my eyes as I toss him a bottle of ale that I have brought with me.

He caught it from the air with ease without looking. He held the bottle up to his ears and began shaking it. After a moment of listening to the contents whisk away in the bottle, the old man broke out into a grin. "Oh ho~ Amber Ale I see." He noted happily. How he keeps guessing the drinks correctly without even looking at them I'll never know. But then again, do I really care? "Thanks for the drink. Why, if you keep bringing my such nice things, I might start to think that you're after my own heart." He let out a hoarse chuckle as he set the bottle down on his side.

"Oh, don't flatter yourself. The only ones who would even go after you are the ones you've pissed off too badly. By the way, I'm not just here to see how you're doing this time. I'm actually here to use your services as well." I informed him as I lean against the wall next to him and cross my arms together.

The old man's head seem to jerk slightly in surprise at my words. He slowly turn to look at me, his eyes narrowing slightly as he study me with interest. He was silent during the entire him he was examining me but he finally spoke after a brief moment. "Blowjobs are a hundred Valis." He replied with a grin, revealing that there's a bunch of missing teeth from his mouth and the ones that are left in there are yellow and crooked.

I rolled my eyes at him again, completely unamused. "Your other service, old man. I'll have you know that I'm straighter than the pole that your mother danced on."

"Bah," He made a disappointed sound as he wave a dismissive hand at me. "You're no fun. At least pretend to be shock or embarrassed or something. So, what do you need to know? I must say, I most certainly didn't expect you to come to me for this at all."

"Who else could I go to? You are the only information broker that I'm acquainted with and if I try someone else, they won't take me seriously at all because of my age." I pointed out.

Yep, that's right. This old man isn't actually a beggar, that's just a cover that he came up with. He's actually an information broker.

But that's not all; he's also known as the King of Beggars in Orario's underworld. Impressive title right? Since he's called a king, you would assume that it meant he's some kind of ultra strong beggar that stands out among the rest, earning him the mantel of king by beating up all the other beggars right?

Nope. Totally wrong. I meant king as a monarch with subjects to rule over.

You usually see beggars scattered all over the city right? Those are all his men. Every single one of them. In fact, if you see a beggar out in the street, high chance that he or she is there to gather information and deliver it to this old man over here so people can buy it from him.

It may not look like much but his information network is so great that he knows every little thing that's happening around Orario. The only other group that could rival him in that regard is the Hermes Familia since their information network spreads outside of Orario. The old man could beat them when it comes to information regarding the things inside Orario but when asked about information outside of of it, he'll come up short.

I also suspect that he has photographic memory because he is able to remember everything his people told him. I guess that's why he chose to become an information broker. I have a sinking suspicion that the old man has other methods to get his information because there's just no way in hell he can get all that intel that he has just from eavesdropping beggars. Oh well, I'm not in on his secret information network so it's very likely that I'll never know how he does it.

The funny thing is, I met the old man by complete coincidence 4 or 5 years ago during one of my many escapades back when I was younger. I got into a some little trouble and needed help and he just so happen to be there, playing the part of a normal beggar.

I asked if he wanted to help me and he agreed, after I kicked him awake and threw some coins at him of course.

Since he helped me out back then, I had decided to thank him by visiting him every so often to check on him and to keep him company for a bit. There's also another reason why I chose to do so of course. I had felt that something was off about him back then, a gut that told me that there's more that meets the eye about the old man. Feeling curious as to why, I decided to investigate a bit. It turns out that my gut feeling was right on the money as I found out that what he really does after spending a lot of time with him.

Well, I didn't actually found out per se as he told me himself after I bugger him relentlessly for his secrets. You could say that we're friends or acquaintance or something along the line but in all honesty, I think he only kept me around because I entertain him.

"Hmm, that's true. So, what do you want to know? If you're actually coming to me for information, then it must be something really important."

"What's the latest news on Gale Wind?" I asked him. The point of the question is to know whether people knew about Gale's status. If I knew how many or just how recent they knew, I can deduce how much time I have before people start showing up to claim her head.

He raise an eyebrow at the question. "Now just why are you looking for information about a killer like that?"

"Personal curiosity." I told him.

The old man humphed in annoyance and look away. "Fine. Keep your secrets then. As for Gale, rumors has it that she died in a ditch somewhere but you know what they say about rumors, best take it with a grand of salt. Still though, there hasn't been a single sighting of her since the Rudra Familia was completely destroyed by her. There was a report that she was seen leaving the scene while heavily injured so there's some credibility to those rumors. No one takes on an entire Familia alone and comes out smelling like roses after all."

I nodded in acknowledgment, a thoughtful expression donning on my features. So either no one knows Gale survived and is recovering at the Hostess of Fertility or news just haven't reached the old man yet. That's good. It means I have some time before I have to worry about assassins.

But still, we won't be able to conceal Gale's presence anymore once she starts working as a waitress there. Someone would definitely recognize her in some way and news will start to spread. I suppose I just have to make good use of the time I have before then.

"That's not all you wish you know, yes?" the old man inquired. "I have a feeling that there's more you want to ask. Knowing you, you'd most likely have too much questions and is looking for the right one to ask."

I grimaced slightly when he hit the jackpot. It's true that there's plenty that I wanted to ask him but each question would cost me. He is an information broker after all and he doesn't give things out for free. Add to the fact that the higher level of confidentiality of said information, the more it'll cost. I can't help but hesitate when I wonder just how much this next question is going to cost me when I don't know how much I already owe him for the first one.

Well, I'm already prepared to use my entire savings if need be. If it isn't enough that I'll just ask if he could put it on my tab while I farm for money in the Dungeon. "Well, if Gale Wind was still alive, who do you think will be hired to finish her off?"

The old man regarded me with those empty pale eyes of his before he showed a crooked smile. "Ah, so she's alive then. Now how did you manage to come across that information boy?" He asked curiously.

I was unconcern about letting him know about that particular tidbit. There was no point trying to hide it from him since he'll find out eventually anyway. Better to let him in on the truth and build up some trust so I can continue to use his services later on if I ever need to again. "By complete coincidence. She's alive and is currently in the protection of Mama Mia." I told him, neglecting to mention who found her and brought her to Mia's place. He'll figure it out in his own time anyway.

He nodded, looking satisfied that one of the rumors circulating around has been debunked as well as acquiring the location of a very wanted individual. "As for your question, there are currently six individuals who has the skills and means to finish off Gale Wind that's up for hire. These individuals are the ones with no qualms in killing other people in cold blood just for money and are currently in Orario at this moment."

The old man pause and gave the place a quick scan, eyes searching for any listeners before turning back to me. "They are called: Zoro, The Vagrant; Lunoire Faust, Black Fist; Erin and Evan, the Dóiteáin Brothers, Alwin Naehice, Stalker; and lastly, Chloe Rollo, Black Cat." He informed me and I cataloged the names inside my head. As expected, the old man knew just who I need to look out for and saved me a lot of time by providing me a list of people to focus my attention on. It looks like coming here was the right choice after all.

"Hmmm, and you're certain that it'll be these guys?"

"Ha! I'd stake my own reputation on it. It's all about the statistics my friend. You ask for who will most likely be hired to kill Gale Wind and these six have the highest percentage to be the ones to do it." The old man gave a gravelly laugh as he slap on his knee, sounding completely confident in his answer. "Not counting ones who might be looking for her for personal reasons of course." He added as an afterthought. "Those people are not even worth mentioning due to their general incompetence and stupidity. The girls working at the pub will be able to deal with them easily enough."

If he put it that way I suppose there's no reason to doubt him. The old man has a reputation of always being correct with his information to look after; if he's willing to stake it on something then you can be assured that it's 100% true. Besides, it'll defeat the purpose of asking him if you're just going to question everything he tells you.

I push myself off the wall and gave the old man a small smile and an appreciative nod. "Thanks for the info old man. How much do I owe you for it?"

"Oh? Leaving already? Are you sure you don't want to know more? I can tell you what I know how about these people operate if you want." He offered.

I snorted and look at him with a deadpan. "And just how much will that cost me?"

"Much more than the information you gave me about Gale of course." He replied with a hearty laugh.

"Yeah, no thanks. I can do the research on my own. So, how much?

"Hold your horses young man. Before I tell you, I need to know what do you intend to do with said information I've just given you."

"Why?" I replied in confusion and a bit of suspicion.

"Just humor me." He told me with a completely unreadable expression.

I frown a bit and thought about his question. Lying to him is generally a bad idea as there's a chance that he'll learn the truth. That might create a rift between us that I don't need. Still, there shouldn't be any problems in telling him as he isn't one to blab unless he's paid to and no one important knows that I exist on account of me being a nobody.

With that in mind, I answered him truthfully, while being cryptic on the details of course. He's an information broker, it's wise not to tell him too much. "To find out more about the people you told me about of course." I stated.

"And what will you do once you've done so?"

I frowned a bit more, wondering just why he's suddenly so interested in what I'm doing. "I'm going see if I can create countermeasures against them, duh. Why else would I need information about them in the first place if not to beat or stop them?"

The old man rolled his eyes at me before asking another question. "And where exactly do you plan to get said information, from the Guild?"

"Well, that's the plan."

"Pah. You're wasting your time then. The most you'll get from there is a long queue and an even longer waiting time for them to dig out the records for you." He told me, scoffing at the idea that I have.

I let out a thoughtful hum as he does has a point. I won't be able to get my hands on the records right after I ask for them as he had said. It'll take a bit of time for the guild staff to search through the archive for the profiles I've requested and some paperwork to sign before I'm allowed to read through them.

Even then, the best you'll get is their public data which doesn't tell me much at all. "Then what do you suggest?" I asked curiously, wondering what he has in mind, he wouldn't have brought it up if he didn't have an alternative.

"Simple, you get it from me. In case you need to be reminded, I'm the one holding monopoly on all the information around here. I know everything there is to know about these people already, down to the kind of underwear that they wear." He grinned at me, showing me his poorly maintained teeth.

I can already feel my wallet shrivel up and died just from hearing his suggestion. Of course he would want to do more business with me. As much as I want to use the easy way he's offering, I can't. I simply don't have that much money to spent. "And if I don't accept and went with my original plan?

"Then you won't find anything substantiation there, not for the lack of trying mind you. The Guild just isn't the best place to go to if you're looking for how people like them operates. Trust me, I've checked. I'm sure you have other sources to dig information from but as you know yourself, they'll take more time and effort. By the time you finally find something useful, weeks will already passed and the attackers will have already made their move. But you already knew that, don't you?"

"Tch." I click my tongue in annoyance at how limited my options are is being fling at my face. So my options are either to waste time looking or just use the shortcut he's offering me. It's not really that hard of a choice to make to be honest, the more time I waste means the less time I have to prepare for the dangers that's to come. I just hope I've saved enough to be able to pay for it.

"I'll take your offer." I said grumpily, feeling the day where I'll be able to pay off my Familia's debt is even further than before.

The old man nodded happily. "Good then. I'll start writing their details down and I'll have one of my people inform you when to come back once I have everything written out. I believe it'll be ready by tomorrow, should give me more than enough time to properly write everything down. Don't want to leave anything out by accident because I'm rushing now do we?"

"Sure thing. So, how much do I owe you for everything? I know for a fact that the info about Gale is isn't enough to cover information you're going to give me." After all, it's a well known fact that information about Adventurers are the most expensive thing out there. The more dangerous someone is, the more expensive the information about them costs. There's no doubt that the ones the old man had told me about are in the level 3 to 5 range so the price must be quite high.

The old man let out a hum as he stroke his beard thoughtfully, most likely calculating the price in his head right now. But his answer surprised me as well as making me suspicious. "No charge."

"What are you planning old man?" I asked, eyes narrowing warily at him.

He let out a mirthful chuckle. "Oh, no need for that distrustful stare boy. You've been good to me these past few years so think of it as me paying you back. If you're that suspicious then think of it as a free trial for your first time. Next time you come to me for information, I'll charge you as much as I charge my other customers."

Despite how sincere he sounds, I can't bring myself to believe him at all. In my experience, being given something so valuable for free like this usually meant that something was up or that person is planning something. No one gives something freely and not expect to get something back in return after all.

The question is, just what could the old man want out of me? Even though I never told him anything about myself, I have no doubt that he has already found out who I am and what Familia I'm in long ago. He should know about my Familia's financial situation so it can't be money that he wants.

Could it be that he needed me for something? But that's just silly. I'm a nobody. I haven't even done anything worth noting for me to be considered a viable asset yet.

Being unable to grasp his true intention, I could only intensify my suspicious stare at the man.

The old man noticed and let out a sigh, visibly deflating in disappointment. "Fine then. It's because you're a wild card and is no doubt going to make things more interesting. I don't want you to die before whatever this is could reach it's climax because you went in half-baked. There, happy?" He told me as he shot me the stink eye.

Ah, that is actually more believable. Since he already knows everything that's going on in Orario, he must be dreadfully bored. He had claimed before that he has a complete grasp of every organization here in Orario and everything they do will fall within the expected perimeters he had set for them. The only things that can keep him entertained now are surprises and wild cards. Which apparently meant me for some reason.

At any rate, it's best not to keep looking at a gift horse in the mouth. Since he's giving me info for free, I should just be glad I won't have to empty my entire savings for someone I don't know. "Thanks, I guess? Oh, before I go, you mind keeping people off Gale's trail for me for a while?" I wasn't really putting much hope that he would but if he did then it would definitely increase the amount of time I have before people come sniffing.

The old man gave me an incredulous look. "Are you asking me to lie to my customers, boy? Trust is the most important currency in this line of work you know?"

"Would you rather have Mia Grand coming after you for endangering her employees?"

"That's a good point." He quickly conceded. "Fine, I won't tell them exactly where she is, only the general location. That's the most I can do for you without risking my neck and my reputation of being a reliable source of information."

"Thanks, I appreciate it. I'll pay you back for it sometime." I grinned and started walking away, feeling glad that I didn't come all the way out here for nothing.

-0-

Present time

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Even though I said I would fulfill my end, I still don't have the slightest clue how to go about fulfilling it. Ah well, I'm sure things will work itself out in the future.

"And thanks for this, it'll most certainly save me a lot of time." I said in appreciation before turning around to leave.

"Don't do anything stupid now." He called out. "Need I remind you that these people are not ones you should mess around with. They are all cold blooded killers and they won't hesitate to remove you from the picture completely if you ever so decide to get in their way." he warned me sternly.

"I am aware of that old man. Rest assured that I'm not stupid enough to put myself in harms way without preparing for it." I gave him a dismissive wave over my shoulder.

"Didn't you get yourself beaten black and blue last time?" He replied dryly.

I turn around to look at him while walking backwards. "That was the plan." I told him with a serious look on my face. "How else am I going to deal with those guys other than having them arrested by assaulting a child in broad daylight? I was a pint size brat back then. There's not much I can do against three fully grown adult you know."

"With your smarts, I imagine that you could've think of many ways that doesn't involve getting yourself beaten up."

"In hindsight yes, that's true." I admitted sheepishly. There was a lot of methods I could've use back then if I think about it now. I guess I just wasn't in the right state of mind to think of them back then. "Ah well, at least it all turned out fine right?"

I can see him scoffing at me before shaking his head with an amused smile on his face. "Just take care of yourself you crazy bugger. I'll miss getting free stuffs from you if you kick the bucket."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll try not to die. See you next time you senile old coot." I turn back around and left the area, mind already wandering towards what to do next.

-0-

With the information of potential assassins in hand, the best thing to do is to find some quiet and private place to read them and plan accordingly depending on what I learn.

Well, it what I would've done had I not had an unexpected encounter right in the middle of leaving Daedalus Street.

"I'm sure that the kids will be glad to see you back Cain-san." Syr chirped happily as she walk next to me. It would seem that today is her day off so naturally, that meant she's going to use her free time to visit Maria's orphanage here in Daedalus Street. Right now we're both making our way deeper into the district in order to reach the orphanage.

Why would an orphanage be opened in an area such as this you ask? No idea. It's probably opened there for the sake of all the kids left behind when their parents dies from mysterious circumstances. This is still a shady place for back door deals after all.

"You think so? Should I be worried then?" I replied as I glace over to her. Right now Syr is wearing a white one piece dress and holding a basket that's producing a delicious aroma in her hands. I have no idea what's inside but it definitely smells better than the old man, that's for sure.

Meeting Syr here was a surprise for me as it was for her. But since we're both already here, she asked me if I wanted to accompany her to the orphanage to play with the kids like I used to. Since I did promise her that I would not long ago, I figured now's a good time as any and I can go through the intel I've acquired later.

"Oh absolutely." Syr replied happily. "I can guess that the kids would rush out to tackle you the moment they see you." She told me with a giggle.

"Oh joy. I'll need a new spine then." I said dryly, already imagining the scene where I would be dogpiled by a bunch of rowdy and excited children the moment I enter the gates.

"You'll be fine you big baby. Sure they may be a bit enthusiastic in their greetings but I'm sure you can handle it." Syr reassures me with a light pat on my back.

"You're only saying that because you're not the one being buried under a pile of giggling bodies." I pointed out, causing the girl to shoot me a mischievous smile. "So, how's our resident sleeping beauty anyway? Had she woken up yet?" I ask, changing the topic to the recent excitement in our lives.

Syr shook her head with a slight frown. "She hasn't I'm afraid. So far all she's done is sleep and I'm starting to worry that she might not wake up at all." she told me, sounding extremely worried for the elf's well being.

"Hmm...it's only been two days since we found her so it's still alright for the time being." I told her, trying to be as reassuring as I could. But if the elf doesn't wake up after the third day then we'll really need to worry about her dying from dehydration.

"I see..." Syr said softly, her gaze seemingly unfocused and her mind obviously still on the elf.

I gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze to knock her out of it. "Don't brood over what you can't control Syr. You did all you could already so chin up. As cliché as it sounds, you'll just have to believe in the elf that she'll pull through on her own."

"Right." Syr nodded.

"So, have you thought of a way to keep her from running away or doing something stupid?" I said, hoping to get a conversation going so that Syr doesn't dwell on negative thoughts.

"I have. Mama Mia and I both thought of a surefire way to keep her around." Syr told me confidently. "Just as long as she doesn't realize what it is that we're up to that is." She added with a sheepish chuckle.

"Do you need my help?" I offered.

Syr looked thoughtful as she consider my offer for a moment before shaking her head. "It's alright Cain-san. I think it's better if it's just the two of us handling Gale-san for now. The less people knowing what we're up to the better you see."

"Alright then." I nodded in understanding. I can see why she would want to keep her plan to as few people as possible. The more people who are in on it means the more people will have to keep track of what the other had said. Otherwise, they'll end up saying something they shouldn't or something that didn't match the story, thus tipping off the elf that something's up and making her suspicious. "I suppose you have the situation well in hand already so I'll leave her to you. But you'll keep me updated if anything changes right?"

"Sure thing." She agreed readily.

"Really?" I replied in surprise, not really expecting her to agree so easily. "I thought for sure that you would say no just to keep me from getting into trouble."

"I've thought about it…. but I have a feeling that it won't stop you from trying to keep us safe by doing what you think is necessary on your own." Syr said as she gave me a pointed look, causing me to shrug with a small smile.

"You got me there." I admitted.

"If I keep you informed, then you'll at least know what's going on and will be better prepared to deal with whatever trouble that may pop up, right?"

"I'll most certainly to whatever I can…." I said with a thoughtful frown on my face. "First thing I need to do is to make sure that the Inn is secured. Then I'll start-"

"Nope!" Syr spoke up before I could start listing the things I could do to prepare for trouble. "Let's stop thinking about dreary things for now. Today is such a beautiful day with such a nice weather out so let's not ruin it by talking about assassins and bounty hunters. You don't even know if they will be any at all, Cain-san. I know that it's always a good thing to be prepared but do you even know what to prepare for? The way I see it, you'll just be wasting your energy trying to be ready for every little thing that may not even happen."

I grimaced slightly as I realized that Syr's right. Without knowing which one of the bounty hunters or assassins that will be coming, I'll just be wasting time and resources preparing for every single possibility. Beside's, I haven't even read the file yet so there's no point in planning right now. "Yeah, I guess that's a good idea. There's certainly better things to talk about instead of speculating when and how bounty hunters would show up. So, what do you wanna talk about?" I asked her, wondering what she has in mind.

Syr thought about it for a minute before she lit up with a smile. "Oh, I know! You can tell me about your adventures in the Dungeon. It's always interesting to hear about the things you encounter and do in there."

I chuckled slightly. "Sure, sure. But I'd rather save it for the kids during story time so I don't have to repeat myself. We can talk about something else in the meantime." And so we went on our way, chatting about pointless everyday things as we move to our destination.

-0-

Orario- Outside Maria's Orphanage

-0-

The orphanage itself is an old church that was built a long time ago. It had undergo many repairs and renovations to the point where it's appearances had changed drastically since it's construction. It's so old that no one alive remembers when it was built or what it's original appearance looked like. Well, maybe except for the Gods but I doubt they would even care to remember.

But despite the worn out look the orphanage has going for it, the structure still manage to hold strong against anything the elements can throw at it.

Right now we're both outside in the backyard. Syr is currently sewing up holes and tears on the children's clothes with two very curious kids sitting nearby watching her work. By now she had already worked through most of them already as there's a small pile of neatly folded clothing in the basket next to her. "I see that you're still popular with the kids as always Cain-san." Syr said, giggling in amusement from her seat on the porch stairs.

"You think?" I replied wryly as I look at all the children all around me. They were all napping soundly under the shade of the tree that we're under. Well, all but one that is. The only one who's still awake among the horde of children is a little Chienthrope, nesting comfortably on my lap with a blissful expression on her face while I gave her a head massage. She's currently resting the back of her head against my chest and I can tell that she's enjoying herself a lot as I could feel her tail wagging and brushing against my stomach.

"Of course. Otherwise they wouldn't have drop what they're doing and rush out to greet you the moment you step into the gate."

"Ah yes, it was a very… warm welcome." By warm I actually meant painful. I didn't make three steps past the gates of the orphanage before I was bombarded by multiple child sized missiles and buried under their combined weight.

While I was being suffocated by the brats, all I could hear was them crying, welcoming me back happily or just rambling nonsense that kids usually say. But throughout the clamour assaulting my ears, I can easily pick up Syr's amused giggle among the noises. She was obviously nearby to observe my plight and had no intention of helping me out.

Once I managed to pry myself off the pile, Syr and I went through the usual routine whenever we came over. We greeted the owner of the place, Maria Martel, and started helping her out around the Orphanage with chores and keeping the kids entertained. Us keeping the kids busy is something that Maria extremely grateful with as it's hard to get anything done when you're being bugged by attention seeking children all the time.

It should be noted that being the kids plaything is mainly my job while Syr took on the chores. Believe it or not but Syr actually has the easier role because trying to keep up with all these bundle of energies is extremely exhausting, especially for someone who's old enough to be their grandpa.

However, that's the thing of the past as my condition is not the same as it used to be. Thanks to the large increase of my stats, I didn't even feel winded after running around the courtyard for hours on end, trying to capture all the kids in a game of tag. The kids however, seem to take my increased stamina as a challenge and ran even harder than before.

After a few hours of playing without stop, the kids finally expended all their energy and were too tired to continue playing. They were quite satisfied and happy after spending the entire morning and afternoon playing with me (Read: Abusing me for their own amusement) but sadly for me, I wasn't allowed to rest just yet.

After playing with the horde and watching them go do something else that doesn't involve me, I decided to find a nice shade to sit down under to rest. Just as soon as I manage to sit down under a tree, I found myself being surrounded by a completely different set of children, this time, they're all beast humans.

They rushed towards me the moment the saw me sitting down, all demanding head pats from me like I used to do in the past. I tried to say no at first but I was assault by the sight of a bunch of kids making puppy dog eyes at me. Face with such a ruthless onslaught of cuteness, I could only do what they asked without complain like a faithful servant. I strongly suspect that Syr may have a hand in teaching them how to utilize such a terrifying skill.

And so it is, I was forced to let children sit on my lap while patting their heads for an entire hour straight, with each getting their own turn evenly spread among them. Those who had their turn was content to just nap on the side and those who were tired from playing too much joined in as well.

"Alright, time's up Fina-chan. You can get off my lap now." I said to the little Chienthrope on my lap, looking like she's about to doze off at any moment as I run my hand through her head one last time, ruffling her cream coloured hair in the process.

"Mnn….five more minutes." the 5 year old muttered out.

"Can't do kiddo. If I give you 5 more minutes than the other kids would see it as unfair and will demand the same thing." I told her with a dry laugh as the thought of being stuck here for even longer came to mind. My legs are already numbed from being sat on for so long so I really hope it doesn't come to that.

"…." The girl didn't reply and became oddly quiet.

"Fina-chan?" I call out to her but didn't receive any answers.

Feeling curious, I lean over a bit to investigate. I found out just why she's so quiet when I saw that she had already doze off. Well, it certainly explains why I couldn't feel her tail brushing against my stomach anymore. Thankfully, Fina was the last one among the children who wanted head pats so I don't have to suffer from numbness any longer.

I carefully pick the child up from my lap and place her on the grass next to the rest of the kids and slowly stood up. The action was accompanied with the feeling of pins and needles all over my legs which I easily ignored. Then I started kicking my legs in the air one at a time to work out the kinks so they would recover faster. Even though I won't be affected by it, it's still an uncomfortable feeling that I'd rather not put up with if I don't have to.

Once the numbness faded, I began walking towards where Syr was. She saw me walking her way and move to the side so there would be a spot for me to pass through the stairs. Instead of passing through, I sat down next to her and gave a small wave to the two kids there when they greeted me before running off together, most likely looking for something more fun to do.

"Finish with the head patting session already Cain-san?" Syr asked as she shot me a playful smile.

"Fortunately for me, yes. I don't think I can stay seated like that any longer. If another batch of kids came over wanting the same thing, I'd probably toss whoever was seating on my lap into the air just so I can run away and hide." I answered her with a tired laugh, causing her to laugh lightly at my joke. Little did she know that I was actually being serious. "By the way Syr-chan, can I ask something from you?" I began, looking at her with a hopeful expression. There's something that I've been meaning to ask her, something that I had just thought of when I saw her fixing up clothes for the kids.

Syr regarded me with a curious expression. "Oh? What is it?"

"I was wondering if you could teach me how to sew." I said as I nodded towards the shirt in her hand that she was in the middle of fixing.

"Of course I could." She agreed easily enough. "But why the sudden interest?"

"To repair my own clothes of course. I've already lost count of how many sets I had to throw out because of all the holes I keep getting. It's not like I can keep on wearing them you know." I told her. Actually, I could keep on wearing them like nothing's wrong but Naaza wouldn't let me for some reason. Then there's the fact that no one in my Familia has any tailoring skill so I'm forced to buy new ones when the old ones get too tattered. "I'd rather not keep wasting money when there's an option to just fix them so here we are." I told her. Learning how to sew also opens up the option to make pouches or create more pockets that I can stuff things into so it could be pretty useful.

"I see. I'll be happy to teach you but I'm almost done already. You'll have to wait until next time or bring something you can use for practice on your own."

I nodded. "Sure, I have plenty of damaged clothing to practice with back home. I'll bring some over the next time." With my piece said, the conversation died off. Syr went back to fixing the piece of clothing in her hands, humming a song while I watch the kids as they play around in the backyard and making sure that they don't get into anything dangerous.

Now that I'm not doing anything in particular, I find myself starting to feel restless. There's this itch there that I can't explain and it's rather annoying to deal with to be honest. For as long as I can remember, I've always been this way. I need something to do, something to keep my body moving and to get things done. The more things left unfinished the more I feel like I have to do them. Staying still in one spot just seem impossible for me.

Funnily enough, the only times that I can be stationary without any issue is during deployments where I'm waiting in an ambush, scouting or sniping. It's rather sad that the only time where I can feel at peace with not moving around for long period of time is when I have to kill people.

It wasn't until minutes later of agonizing idleness did Syr, bless her soul for saving me from the boredom, start up a conversation again after she put her stuff aside. "Cain-san, are you feeling better?" Syr suddenly asked, causing me to look at her in confusion.

"What do you mean? I feel fine."

Syr wasn't amused by my answer and looked at me with a stern frown. "You know better than to lie to me Cain-san. I know that you've been feeling tensed these past few days and you've got a troubled look on your face right now so something must've been bothering you. You're still worried about Gale-san aren't you? Is that why you're so worked up?"

"Psh, of course not. What makes you say that?" I denied, even though I knew that it would be futile against someone like Syr. "Why would I worry about someone I don't even know."

"Well, maybe not about her specifically but what she might bring with her unintentionally. You're making the girls worry about your well being you know. Who knows what they'll do if you keep it up."

"Really? It can't that bad could it?"

"You were slipping back into old habits Cain-san. Anya and May were getting worried that you might completely revert back into your old self." She stated worriedly, causing me to grimace slightly.

"That bad huh? Is that why you were so insistent in getting me to come along with you back there?"

"Partially. The kids do miss you too so I figured I could get two birds with one stone with this arrangement."

"Heh, so like you to not waste opportunities. Thanks for looking out for me then." I told her sincerely, smiling ever so slightly.

"Why of course. We all worked really hard to get you to where you are today. It goes without saying that we don't want to see you turn back into to how you were before. Besides, weren't you the one who told me not to worry about things we cannot control?"

"Geez, you make it sound like I was a horrible person or something."

"No, not horrible. Only apathetic." She told me while shaking her head slightly. "The old you would've finished Gale-san's off the moment you realize who she was and you would drag me away to safety by force. Afterwards, you would return to see if her body was still there and collect the bounty yourself." She doesn't sound accusing or disappointed, it's more like she's merely stating the fact. I have a feeling that she's only saying this to show me just how much I have changed since back then.

I remained silent as I couldn't refute what she had said and frowned contemplatively. That certainly is something that I would've done back then. Hell, I've briefly considered doing it back when we found Gale but instead I hesitated, something the old me never would've done. In the end, I felt that the safety of Syr took priority over the money I could get from Gale's head. It's just goes show how much I've gone soft while living my life in this world.

I felt someone's hand on my shoulder and I dart my eyes over to see that Syr and put her hand there, smiling comfortingly at me. "There's no need to think too hard about it Cain-san. You're becoming a better person and you shouldn't feel bad for it. Had you not change and remained as you were before, you never would've been able to enjoy life as you have right now. So the way I see it, it's a positive development."

I nodded silently, realizing that she has a point. Was it really that bad of a thing that I began caring more than beyond myself and my family? Well, I do have more friends now so I suppose so.

"Alright, I think I've rested enough already." I said as I push myself off the stairs and stood up. "I think it's time to wake those little monsters up before it gets too late, otherwise they won't be able to sleep tonight and will have boundless energy to burn throughout the night. Gods know that Maria-san will have my hide if that ever happens under my watch."

"Alright then, good luck." Syr replied with a giggle, knowing full well that I'm going to be busy fending for my life from the horde again the moment they woke up from their slumber.

-0-

Orario- Blue Pharmacy

-0-

After a full day of messing around with children, it was time for us to head back. Syr suggested that we both head to the Hostess of Fertility together but I declined stating that I still need to get back and cook dinner for my Familia first. The second reason why I wanted to head back first is to drop the file somewhere safe and hidden so I don't have to worry about it being discovered constantly or losing it.

But being the gentleman that I am, I walked her to the pub safely first before I head on home on my own.

Once I reach my destination safely without any incident, I store the file in my room, in a secret compartment underneath the floorboard that I've made to put my stuff that I don't want others to see. There's not much inside right now aside from the useless grimoire and other trinkets that I've found over the years.

After I'm certain that the file is safely hidden away, I went to the potion room to ask if Amid would like to join us for dinner. But with how reluctant she was to accept a single cup of coffee, I have no doubt her answer would be in the negatives. Still, it's only polite to ask since she was already here.

And as expected, Amid's answer was no so we ended up only having dinner without her. I've briefly wondered if we should lock all the doors and windows next time to keep the girl from leaving until she had dinner with us. I realized that I was a bad idea as it could be considered kidnapping and her Familia would not take kindly to that so that idea was tossed aside.

Then I head off to work.

There's not much to say once I was there actually. Things went along as usual and I spent the evening at the back, cooking away for hungry Adventurers and civilians alike.

The only interesting that happened was after I returned home and was asked by Miach to come to his room so he can check my injury, something that he's doing right now as I sat on a chair shirtless with my back facing him.

"Hmmm. Well, it would seem that you will be healed completely by tomorrow." Miach announced after examining my back. The news was unexpected but a welcomed one. I could feel myself getting excited at the prospect of being able to fight in the Dungeon again but I immediately clamp that feeling down before it could get anywhere.

"Really?" I asked, voice filled with doubt as I don't want to get my hopes too high unless he wants to say I still need to wait 1 or 2 more days before I'm really good to go. "It's only been a couple of days hasn't it? Isn't that a bit too fast?"

"Yes, really. Adventurers tend to heal a lot faster than normal after all so your speedy recovery is to be expected."

"Does that mean that I'm clear to go back into the Dungeon again?" I look at Miach with a hopeful expression.

"Of course. You're free to head back there starting tomorrow." He informed me.

I smiled at the good news.

"I suppose you'll need to inform Naaza afterwards so she can prepare herself for the journey as well." He added.

And the good cheer that I was feeling instantly crash and burn and what's left of the smothering remains was worry. Oh right. I won't be going in the Dungeon alone anymore. I thought as I remembered the agreement I had with Naaza.

I was starting to feeling very worried about placing her in a danger zone. Doubts started to form in my mind on whether or not I would be able to protect her properly in there. The Dungeon is a very unpredictable place fraught with perils so I have no idea just what await us there. Will something bad happen again like the last time we went in there together?

Will she be hurt because of my carelessness?

I clench my hand into a fist tightly. No. Unacceptable. It's my fault that she wanted to do this so it's only right that I do everything in my power to keep her safe. I'll find a way, somehow. Even if it cost me my life.

"So What are you going to do about your part time job? Are you going to quit now that you're going back into the Dungeon?" Miach asked me, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Well….I suppose I can keep the job for now." I said with a thoughtful look. "I mean, it would be bad to quit so soon after begging to be hired you know. If I pace myself properly, I'll still have more than enough stamina to work for the night." There's also the thing going on with Gale Wind and I want to see how everything works out first before I decide on whether or not I should quit.

"Cain-kun." Miach sounded rather aggravated when he said my name, most likely due to the fact that I'm going to be doing way more than before my impromptu break if I went through with my decision.

"I know, I know. Don't overwork myself." I said with both my hands held up in a gesture of surrender. "Don't worry Miach-sama, I know my limits more than anyone so I know when to stop."

Miach just let out a defeated sigh, knowing full well that he can't change my mind. "Very well then. But before you leave, let's update your status since you're already here shall we?"

"Might as well." I gave a casual shrug and simply waited for Miach to fetch his things.

While he was busy updating my status, I took the time to think of how I was going to go about keeping Naaza safe in the Dungeon as well as reminding myself to give the file that I've acquired this morning a look through before I sleep.

"Cain-kun?" Miach suddenly spoke up midway through updating my status.

"Yeah?" I replied, playing half attention to what Miach have to say as my mind was mostly elsewhere.

"Apparently, you managed to acquire a magic spell." He informed me, sounding surprised.

My wandering thoughts came to a grinding halt. Uh oh. The thought went though my mind as I suddenly remembered the grimoire that I had used not long before and that I had forgotten to come up with a plausible excuse for suddenly having a spell in my arsenal. Well, this will be fun to explain.

-0-

Finally! This chapter is finally done after so long! Remember when I said during that last chapter that I could get this chapter out as soon as I finish filling in the blanks? Downloading Destiny 2 was a bad idea. But don't worry though, I've deleted it now so it should free my a lot of time for- oh look! A new Dragonball game!

Don't get me wrong, Destiny 2 is not a bad game or anything, if anything it's actually a pretty good game. The combat is really fun and engaging, more than I ever expected but the only problem I have with it is it's story. It's a mess. I've just hopped in the game and every NPC talks like I've done a shit ton of epic things that I've never done before. Who the hell are all these enemies factions and why do they hate my guts? I just got resurrected for crying out loud.

Anyway, Cain is finally getting his magic revealed...during the next chapter. Mainly because I have no clue where to end the chapter if I keep on writing. We might end up with 30k words for a chapter if that's the case. Kinda like how my first story ended up to be honest. I learned very harshly that no one wants to read 30k words in a single chapter that day.

Since we're already here, can you guess what Cain's magic is? There were plenty of guesses already but none had gotten close to the answer so far. While it's been fun reading people's theories, I can't help but wonder if I should offer a hint just to make things easier for you guys.

The hint is on the grimoire, that's all I'm gonna say.

But that's not all, during the next chapter we'll get to see Naaza and Cain exploring in the Dungeon, Ryuu waking up and the appearance of two soon to be waitresses. Maybe not everything in a single chapter. Maybe it will? Who knows? I certainly can't control my muse.

Last thing to address is the pacing of the story. Is anyone tired of the slow plot development yet? If so then I can try and speeding things up. With 'try' being heavily emphasized of course.

Welp, this is it for this chapter. Ta ta for now.

PS: Sorry if the last part felt rushed. I wanted to get this out before Chinese New Years because I'll be hella busy during then.

With that said, Happy Chinese New Years everyone!