Chapter 13 The Thief and the Most Wanted
The lazy sunlight breaks through the windows of the small pub on one side of the town, lighting up the gloomy atmosphere in this compacted space. Such lights are similar to the likes of silk robes, beautiful yet comforting. Not only is this place ideal for cooling off in summer times, but also is it surrounded by a relatively peaceful environment for drinking.
That's why Leone loves this place.
Especially if she's not the one to pay.
"Woah! That was refreshing!" Judging from the drinking gesture, Leone is definitely not the typical drunk who wastes their lives on the side of the roads. Her athletic body shape with her outstanding assets can guarantee a unique sense of charm when she is letting loose on her drinks.
Just as she is going to take another round with her 0.3-gallon monstrous bottle, her instincts kick in as they tell her that the man on the other side of the table has something to say.
"This is definitely refreshing… Would you like some as well?"
"No, no, no thank you… That's not what I was going to say…"
Tatsumi twitches his eyelids as he holds up his hands.
"So… Can you tell me the secret to being an officer now?"
Holding the table firmly, he locks his eyes with those of Leone's.
"Oh, yeah, that's right."
As if she has suddenly realized something important, Leone throws a mysterious smile back at the innocent boy in front of her.
"The secrets to being an officer," she lowers her voice significantly, "are contacts and money. Without anyone of them, you will have a hard time becoming an officer in the military."
Taking notice of the serious attention she is receiving from the boy, Leone continues with her statement.
"If you can pass me some coins of yours, then it would be really easy for me to contact my friend in the military. In the end, my friend will take care of everything for you in a short period of time."
She extends one of her finger outward, trying to capture the attention of the innocent boy.
"The intensity of the population outside of the commanding post suggests that the people desiring to be in the military composed of the ones not just from outside of the city. The people living inside this city were also waiting in line for their chances. Due to the high living standards of the capital itself, the residents here should all have some form of connection with the central government and enough money to afford land and public services. If a single villager can be admitted into the military with such ease, then it is imperative for your friend to be with the higher ranking generals. In that case, you will also be in relation to this general, which indicates the possible identities of yours can either be those related to the politicians or those in the military. Either way, you would have had enough economic foundation to afford better alcoholic beverages than the wines in this small pub. In the essence, the clothes you are wearing reflects an approximated age of more than three years, which is not aligned with the traditional protocols of the politicians or the military officials. You may have decided to wear this clothing without the consent of your superiors, but your increasing heart rate and your body temperature tells me otherwise. As a result, young lady,"
Looking up from his notebook, Hei's monotone strikes to a pause.
"Why are you lying?"
Just as Tatsumi is taking out all of the money Leone required earlier from his baggage, a small break emerges from the trio. The time seems stopped for a second or two.
"Damn."
With an expression of complete shock toward Hei followed by a short smirk toward Tatsumi, and before the latter can react to the situation in front of him, Leone sweeps the money bag on top of the table with her long arms and dashes outside.
"AHHHHH! My Money! Damn Thief!"
Five seconds after the fact, Tatsumi finally realizes what just happened in front of him. Burning with anger, the young lad charges toward Leone's direction with his long sword on his back.
Taking everything into his views, Hei turns his head and decides to continue his work in his notebook.
After half of a minute…
"Welcome!"
The cheerful voice can only be contrasted with a Tatsumi overwhelmed with internal misery.
"I lost her…"
"Predictable. She is definitely more familiarized with the layout of the capital than you are."
Concluding completely objectively, Hei's statement only adds another shade of embarrassment onto Tatsumi's face.
Is this Tatsumi's fault? Partially. If he had not been so naïve in trusting complete strangers, then he would have not been cheated so easily. Talking about cheating, this basic level of deception should be discovered in the first instant…
But Tatsumi fell for it.
"Instead of shaming yourself into a complete idiot, the better action should be thinking of a way to pay for the wine the woman had consumed."
…
…
…
"Um… Hei… do you have any money?"
"Spent all of them at the entrance gate."
"What…"
It seems like every question Tatsumi asks will end with an irrefutable answer from Hei; however, no matter what, the owner is still waiting to be paid.
Searching through everything he has, Tatsumi finally gathers enough money for the staring owner; however, it seems like the poor boy is completely depleted now.
Not noticing what Tatsumi is doing, Hei turns his head to the dark orange sky outside of the pub.
"Stars."