After signing the contract with the Rizzi Caravan, Teest happily plunged into the market.
He quickly bought the clothes he needed—four linen shirts with simple patterns, brand new coarse hunting trousers, four pairs of sturdy and breathable deer leather boots, and two robes for formal occasions. To pack them, he also bought an extra hard fabric backpack.
In addition, Teest specifically chose a new belt for himself. It was made of the best cowhide, much sturdier than before, and the seller also gave a matching sheath.
When he was about to leave the clothing store, he paused and went back to buy a black cloak. After all, his new companion was a rare Lich. Due to some stereotype, Teest always felt that Nol should have a cloak.
Of course, all of these were civilian styles.
Teest changed his clothes directly, successfully shifting his style from "country bumpkin" to "good citizen with a regular job". He didn't even glance at the delicate and dazzlingly beautiful clothes in the store.
After packing these, there was still a lot of space in the backpack. Teest hummed a tune and decided to stock up on more food.
The weather was good today, and the sunlight made the fruits and vegetables particularly pleasing.
The market was bustling with people coming and going. Merchants shouted at the top of their lungs, occasionally spraying water on fruits and vegetables. The butcher set up a stove, grilling greasy cured meat and sausages, and the aroma permeated the entire street.
Teest casually juggled a red apple, moving freely among the crowd.
He definitely needed to replenish dried meat and cheese. Perhaps he should buy some honey, dried fruit, and other goodies…
"Stop." Someone called from behind. "The one with white hair, stop!"
Teest put away the apple and turned around.
The one who stopped him was a middle-aged knight, accompanied by a younger one. A typical patrol duo.
They wore dark green cloaks, no helmets, and matte silver-gray armor adorned with patterns of branches, fruits, and vines. Triangular olivine was set on the hilt of their swords, and the sheath bore the emblem of the Temple of Life—six overlapping leaves mimicking the shape of wheat.
Knights of the Temple of Life.
Their attire seemed out of place in this small town, perhaps members of the Investigation Knights. Teest relaxed his eyebrows and turned around gracefully.
"Good morning, gentleman," he said politely. "What can I do for you?"
"Identification," said the knight who had stopped him, a man of few words with caterpillar-like thick eyebrows and a very serious square face.
"Unfortunately, my ID was stolen," Teest sighed. "But my companion and I just entered the city last night. You can verify with the guards. He must still remember me."
The two knights exchanged glances.
"I just signed a contract with the Rizzi Caravan this morning. I'm their new cook. I still have the contract. Would you like to see it?" Teest said with a smile.
"Of course, thank you for your cooperation."
The younger knight smiled in return, his gaze sweeping past Teest's left ear. He looked about twenty, with very handsome features, short golden-brown hair, and eyes like a post-rain tundra. "Without identification, we need to check your belongings according to the rules."
"Understood." Teest willingly took off his backpack.
The knights led him to a corner of the market. They carefully inspected the clothes, food, and Teest's "old hunting knife".
"I also have an old waist bag," Teest mentioned. "I left it in my hotel room. If you want to see it, I can take you there."
"No need. We apologize for the inconvenience. We will verify your entry time with the guards," the young knight said as he returned the backpack.
Once Teest had his backpack on, the knight took out a silver hook from his pouch. "This is an apology for the delay. May your life be full of vitality."
"Praise the Goddess." Teest accepted the coin. "If there's nothing else…"
"Oh, one more thing." The young knight smiled. "Street kids often hang around the caravans. If you encounter them, please pass on a message—during these trying times, the church has emptied enough rooms for them to take refuge."
"The vagrants are very thieving and strong enough to protect themselves, but the children are too young," the middle-aged knight added. "Be careful, traveler."
"I remember the Temple distributes food to street kids." Teest raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't it be more appropriate for the church staff to remind them?"
The young knight lowered his eyes. "When food is given to the children, it will soon be snatched away by adults."
"We used to let the children finish eating before leaving. But then, the vagrants began circling the church, not letting the children get close, trying to force the church to revert to its original distribution system… Now, out of ten children who are still willing to go to the church for supplies, maybe not even one actually does."
"It's tough for you all," Teest remarked, pulling out an apple and taking a bite. "If I come across any street children, I'll be sure to mention it."
"Thank you for your kindness," The young knight said sincerely.
"Captain Eugene, what do we do next?" the middle-aged knight asked in a low voice after Teest had disappeared from view. "The child has been missing for several days. We need to think of something else."
"Yes," the young knight, still looking at the receding figure of Teest, responded with a bitter expression. "Actually, I've been pondering this."
"What do you mean?"
"Why Margaret Swain?"
The young knight—Eugene stopped smiling.
"Miss Swain is intelligent, but her magical abilities are average at best. There's nothing particularly 'indispensable' about her. If the goal was simply to find a sacrifice or a crime target, there are easier targets in the city. Everyone knows that when the heir of a City Lord goes missing, the Temple takes it very seriously."
"Moreover, the culprits haven't demanded a ransom or taunted the Temple. What's the real reason for taking such a risk?"
Hearing this, the middle-aged knight scratched his head. "Now that you mention it…"
"On my second day here, I had Manley and Gambul investigate separately. Over the past two years, the street children of Whitebird City have been disappearing, but not fast enough for anyone to notice."
The middle-aged knight was speechless.
It wasn't entirely the residents' fault for being indifferent. Trade caravans from different nations came and went, often taking street children that caught their eyes, or leaving behind unwanted child slaves or illegitimate children. And children grew fast, changing every year. No one really kept track of them.
Even if someone did notice something amiss, it would be hard to provide evidence. Who could tell whether a street child disappeared or just slipped into a trade caravan's wagon?
"There are too many uncertainties." Eugene sighed. "For now, we should focus on protecting the children."
"Cowards who target children… When the time comes, I'll make sure to slash that guy's face," the middle-aged knight declared with anger.
…Teest had heard something interesting from the shadows not too far away, touching his left ear.
Now it was time for another task—he wasn't the only one eavesdropping on the knights.
Hearing footsteps, it was likely a child under twelve. After the knights left, the child weaved through the crowd and quickly slipped into a dark alley.
Teest, biting on his apple, followed at a safe distance. He trailed the child through narrow lanes, houses, abandoned towers, and then watched as the child jumped down some stairs, crossed a foul-smelling ditch, and finally, Teest stopped at an entrance to a sewer.
This place was near the city walls and had been abandoned for a long time. Rust-red iron railings lay on the ground, buried in mud, and shrubs almost completely covered the entrance.
The child entered, and within three minutes, another street urchin rushed over and went straight in. Estimating the timing, Teest stood up and was about to continue his pursuit—
His nominal husband, temporary partner, and employer, the Lich who called himself "Nol", was running over, panting, holding a broken stick. He was running so hard that he almost ran into Teest.
In front of the sewer entrance, they stared at each other in silence.
"You noticed something was off too?" Teest cleared his throat and began.
"What do you mean?"
"I just saw a child eavesdropping on the case of the missing children, and I followed. But I didn't expect to bump into you here. Did you find any clues?"
Nol looked away, the corner of his mouth drooping. After a while, he hesitantly said, "Well, a kid stole something from me."
"…That's unfortunate."
Nol slapped his face. Damn, Teest didn't even try to hide the pity in his eyes. Yes, he might be the most embarrassing Lich in the world, but he couldn't just use magic on a minor, could he?
"Where's the child?" Nol tried to change the subject.
Teest pointed to the hidden sewer entrance. "I guess we're heading in the same direction."
...
The sewers had been neglected for a long time. The path was pitted and uneven like an anthill, even more complicated than a witch's home. Nol summoned a skeleton dog, which could catch the lingering scent of the children who had just passed by a few minutes ago.
"…You two idiots!"
The sewers were stinky and dark, damp and slippery everywhere. After turning about ten thousand corners, they heard faint voices.
Teest immediately stopped, giving Nol a "shh" gesture.
"Little Spoon, how many times have I emphasized? Don't steal from people coming out of the magic shop! Those guys are either magicians or the servants of magicians. If you get caught, they'll turn you into a pig with stubby legs!"
It was a child's voice, hard to distinguish the gender at this age.
"But, but he looked so clueless, like he's never faced hardships before…" "Little Spoon" tried to defend herself, sounding no older than eight.
Teest couldn't help but look at Nol, who was momentarily stunned. It was the first time Nol had been called "clueless" in his life.
"Even if he's a fool, it's still not okay," The first child said sternly. "And you, Tom. Didn't we agree? No matter what news we hear, we have to wait in the market until sunset before coming back. You left too early and might have been spotted!"
"It's been so long, and no one has noticed me." Tom sounded aggrieved.
"That might not be the case." Teest chimed in cheerfully.
He gave Nol a glance and took the lead out of their hiding place.
Inside the dark sewer, a candle was lit, and four children stood by. As Teest appeared, the kids scattered like frightened chicks, hiding behind one of them—their leader.
The leading child was about thirteen or fourteen, appearing malnourished. Under his grimy newsboy cap, his bronze-colored short hair stuck out in every direction. He wore an ill-fitting adult shirt and pants with many patches.
Among the four children, he wasn't the most robust, but he had an adult's demeanor. Even facing grown-ups, his gaze was piercing.
Teest quickly raised his hands, signaling he was unarmed. "Don't be afraid. I'm just here to retrieve something for a friend."
"That clueless friend," the shortest child muttered, glancing at Nol.
Nol was unfazed. He crossed his arms and set his face in a stern expression, determined to watch Teest's performance. This guy was eager to expose the theft, so he most likely had a backup plan.
"Little Spoon, return the bag to him," the leader said. "Sir, I apologize. She's too young and doesn't know whom to respect."
It turned out Little Spoon was a girl. Nol wasn't too surprised. Street urchins, regardless of gender, appeared as boys. They didn't have a choice if they wanted to survive.
Muttering a swear word that didn't fit her age, Little Spoon reluctantly walked over and dropped the bag by Nol's feet, then scampered back behind the leader.
Just as Nol was about to bend down and pick it up, Teest grabbed his shoulder and stared at the child leader. "Bring it out."
The leader sighed. "Little Spoon."
She reluctantly went over and produced the ring box from her pocket.
Nol: ".….."
"Apologies, gentlemen. I'm truly sorry." The leader bowed deeply.
"An apology isn't enough after we've chased you this far," Teest said coldly. "Since you don't seem to have any money, how about this. Tell me, why did he eavesdrop on the Investigation Knights' conversation?"
He casually pointed to Tom, who trembled.
The leader paused for two seconds. "Everyone says a madman entered the city. We just wanted to know when this shit would end. As you can see, we've been forced to live in the sewers!"
Teest glanced at the sweating Tom. "Really? Well, I have some good news. The kind knights said the church is taking in homeless children."
At this, he looked over all four children. The leader showed a hint of "surprise", while the other children looked to the leader with evident concern.
"Thank you for the information," the leader said. "We'll surely check it out."
"It's too dangerous. Let me and my friend escort you while it's still daylight." Teest smiled. "Dear Tom should have heard, I'm not a bad guy. I'm a cook from the Rizzi Caravan. And look at my friend, how naive he is!"
'What kind of bullshit are you spouting,' Nol thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. If this were the modern world, kids would never go with such a suspicious person.
"No, we can go by ourselves." The leader refused firmly.
"I understand your concerns," Teest replied, his smile unwavering. "How about this? I'll stay here and watch over you, and my friend will fetch the knights to escort you."
This time, the child leader's face became paler, and she hesitated before responding.
Teest's amusement grew more evident.
"Hannah! Something's wrong, Hannah—!"
Suddenly, a shout broke the tension. A chubby street urchin tumbled in, soaked in sewage, his face pale as death.
"Bacon." The child leader gritted her teeth. "With outsiders here, what are you doing?!"
"Dead-dead-dead man!" The chubby boy, Bacon, blurted out. "Uh, no, over there. There's a knight, a Temple Knight. He's dying! He's about to die!"
"Someone has to save him!"
Hannah frowned and then quickly regained her composure. She adjusted her newsboy hat and even smirked.
"Good Samaritans, your chance to help has arrived," she declared loudly. "Being so kind-hearted, you surely won't leave a dying knight and keep bothering a few kids, right?"
With that, she grabbed Little Spoon's hand and yelled, "Run!"
"The knight is that way!" Before fleeing, Bacon even considerately pointed out the direction.
Teest shook his head with amusement, not pursuing. He watched the group vanish into the darkness, sighing in resignation.
"Let's go and save the unfortunate knight," Teest said. "It's not like we're empty-handed. Those little devils are definitely up to something… What are you doing?"
Nol remained stern-faced. His hand was on the first page of the Dragon Corpse Notebook that was flickering light from magic in the dark.
"This naive guy here just summoned a hundred skeleton rats. These rats will follow them, leaving one every so often, serving as markers."
Within five seconds, Nol stood up, brushing off some dirt. "Alright, let's go save someone."
"Sometimes, you're really quite brilliant," Teest commented with a chuckle. "I almost want to give you a kiss, honey."
"No need. Thank you for the compliment, honey."
The author has something to say:
Teest: Has cunningness of an adult
Nol: Has grudges of an adult
Skeleton rats, being so weak, are only priced at 2 MP each. A great bargain!