Chapter 32

Chapter 32

32. Plan (2)

While stretching after sleeping soundly and getting up, the nape of the neck stood on end.

‘···I stretched but why did Crisis Sense activate?’

Unless lightning suddenly strikes.

“······.”

Just in case he stayed in a motionless posture on the bed for a while. Nothing happened.

It is something one cannot know. Somehow after enhancing it seems harder to understand the mechanism.

Benrik who finished preparing to go out with an absurd heart left the room. Before going down the stairs he looked at Lucian’s room but it seemed he did not return even overnight.

Hmm···.

When coming down to the first floor whether a drinking party was held overnight, the members were spread like laundry on the torn chairs and the floor.

It is a mess separately.

It was when he was about to avoid the members laid like mines while shaking his head.

“Ugh, I will die···.”

Eyes met with the bald man who opened his eyes while holding his head.

“Hello, Jonathan.”

The eyes of Benrik who greets sank low.

Because a gray heat haze not seen before was flickering around his body.

He was a member who looked at Benrik unfavorably from the time of coming down the mountain range. Crisis Sense did not activate, but hostility flickered in the way of speaking and gaze so he avoided meeting as much as possible.

‘I was not knowing even with the crisis right in front.’

Jonathan was also the cause that Jenkinson who lost in the bet told Benrik not to go around boasting the story about the gold coin.

Whether it started to be visible because he enhanced Crisis Sense to B-grade, or a change occurred in the heart due to some matter.

One does not know up to the order of before and after, but it was clear that there would be nothing good about getting entangled.

But the guy he thought would pass by putting on an expression of ignoring as usual attached words while making a fishy smile.

“Ah Benrik. Congratulations, I heard you solved a big one this time?”

It was a tone and expression whose intention is clearly visible.

Because it was an obvious quarrel Benrik who was about to pass appropriately stopped at a thought that suddenly came to mind.

It might be an opportunity to find out about the gray heat haze.

Benrik carefully observed the heat haze flickering around Jonathan’s body and opened his mouth.

“Yes, I was lucky.”

“···Ah, luck yes. It was like that from the mountain range. The luck that doesn’t stick to me at all sticks well to you, haha.”

Words that would be reflected as humility are bound to be reflected as pretense to one who has eaten a sharp heart.

Benrik who pondered for a while this time closed his mouth while making a troubled expression instead of answering.

“···Go see.”

Then Jonathan who was making a displeased expression clicked his tongue as if the wind went out and waved his hand.

The color of the gray heat haze lightening was a bonus.

‘Hmm, does he dislike talking back?’

One does not know up to the exact meaning, but it seems it changes according to one’s response.

Benrik recalled the time he first saw the count at the lord’s castle.

At first a black heat haze clearly rose. It changed to a gray heat haze after exchanging conversation to some extent.

If something changed in between, it was one.

─Certainly it seems correct that you are Gerik’s child.

‘He became certain that I am Gerik’s son.’

“······.”

So what of that. He knew that I am Gerik’s son, what.

“Damn on earth what is it, making one angry.”

***

Benrik stopped by the bank and entrusted the gold coins then walked the market street formed as if roundly wrapping the outskirts of the great plaza.

Because delicious smells vibrated he appropriately filled his stomach with street foods and looked around the street.

There were more things to see than thought, and many people so there was fun in watching.

‘There is even a bookstore.’

The illiteracy rate of the empire is not that high. Even those who live cooped up in the mountains like Benrik could do basic reading and writing.

The reason Benrik also does not know.

The emperor must have wanted there to be few illiterates in his own country.

Now it is a bit so and later if really bored he should stop by once. Thinking so he noted the location of the bookstore.

Like that how much did he wander.

Benrik felt that the air of the market subtly changed.

“Kid! Here! Here! Our shop’s bread is delicious enough to supply even to the lord’s castle!” “No! Still fruit rather than bread! Fruits directly procured this morning from the farm near the Great Forest, come to our shop!” “Thomas, don’t lie! Seeing the fruit state it is clearly a few days old isn’t the intention to process it this opportunity!” “Bread, you of all people don’t know the intention of handing over to the child because the newly developed bread is not selling!” “This, this is cheese made by milking the sheep milk I raised myself! Want to try once?” “If you come to our shop I will hand it over at half of half the price!” “I will also hand over the fruit at a bargain!”

The bakery owner, the fruit merchant, even the shepherd who makes and sells sheep milk and cheese.

They were merchants who realized that the child is a rare noble person.

Benrik watched for a while the merchants on fire burning competitive spirit among themselves and cutting the price then bought them all.

‘If fruit remains let’s dry or pickle and make emergency rations.’

Benrik decided not to spare money as much as on eating. What is the reason he earned money while crossing the crisis of death. Wasn’t it to eat and live.

Like that when Benrik who bought foodstuffs full in both hands was walking the main road.

“Yes?”

The gaze reached the skinny man walking from the opposite side.

“······.”

A gray heat haze was clearly rising above the man’s shoulder. Of course it was a person Benrik does not know.

‘···Assassin?’

Benrik was inwardly tense while acting as naturally as possible. One does not know how amazing the backer is but he would not try to attack openly on such a main road.

Like that the distance with the man gradually closed.

─Swoosh···.

Benrik could clearly see.

The appearance of the man’s hand moving like a snake.

When he slightly stepped aside avoiding that movement full of discomfort, also the appearance of narrowly missing the copper coin pouch hung at the waist as bait.

Tsk···. The man who clicked his tongue so as not to be heard soon mixed into the crowd and disappeared.

“Ha.”

Benrik who saw that appearance let out a sigh without knowing. What was contained inside was not self-mockery, nor relief but that of realization.

“It was this.”

Gerik’s debt, the beggar girl, Jonathan who showed greed.

Finally up to the pickpocket a little while ago.

Not a threat to one’s body but damage to property.

It was the new effect of B-grade Crisis Sense.

***

Even so verification was essential.

After the incident with Giles Benrik decided not to perfectly trust the privilege.

Benrik added a walk in the great plaza to the daily routine from that day on.

In the morning he exercises at the gym behind the office, solves meals at the tavern near the office then comes out to the plaza market and repeats wandering.

Stopping by the bookstore, and stopping by the shops of the merchants shouting and appropriately filling the stomach ‘those guys’ appear.

Pickpocket guys who raise gray heat haze above the shoulder.

Benrik went through such people one by one and raised the credibility of his own judgment about the gray heat haze.

Like that when about ten days passed a strange rumor started to float among the back alley thief guild members.

“Yesterday even Snake Hand failed they said.” “Snake Hand? That Snake Hand of the Blood gang?” “Yes, even that Snake Hand could not even go near they said.” “It doesn’t make sense. We also don’t know how Snake Hand is made. You mean he knew and avoided even before approaching?”

At the young pickpocket’s words the middle-aged man without below the left wrist said in a careful tone.

“Anyway it is ominous.”

“···Ominous?” “The thought that it might be a kind of warning keeps entering.”

Actually touching Jenkinson’s mercenary group has been taboo among Bromwood’s back organizations.

Since a few organizations that touched Drenor Vinter the founder of Jenkinson’s mercenary group were annihilated in the past continuously.

But as time passed the fear of that time thinned, and among the thief guild members organized with young people as the main axis voices of dissatisfaction started to come out slowly.

In the midst of that a rumor was heard.

The rumor that the sudden rich kid of Jenkinson’s mercenary group goes around sprinkling money to the market merchants.

“If one knows Snake Hand’s face to the extent it is fine to see that our force is mostly grasped.”

Actually among dozens of pickpockets there existed not even one person who succeeded in bursting the child’s pocket.

It was not a level to pass over as simply being lucky, and having good sense.

Unless he knew in advance and avoided···.

Thinking about it appearing in the market every day once a day in such an undefended appearance was also somehow strange.

“······.”

The thief guild members met eyes with each other.

“For the time being it would be good to live as if dead mice.” “···Yes, doing so would be good.”

***

Strange.

Until the day before yesterday the appearance of pickpockets one met several people a day is not seen.

As if even arranged.

‘Did they go on group vacation?’

If he fills just three more times he could fill 100 times but it is regrettable.

Still thanks to that roughly certainty arose.

The certainty that gray heat haze means damage.

It was just when reading books at the bookstore was gradually becoming boring, and even the small events disappeared so there was not particularly anything to do.

Even so Jenkinson or Hodge only repeat the words to rest for the time being because they worked hard.

Benrik was currently a kind of mercenary aspirant who cannot even become an ungraded mercenary. If not through the mercenary group one cannot receive a proper request.

‘Shall I go to the adventurer guild.’

But even so it was not that there was nothing to do at all.

─Please find my precious cat, Mary. [Request reward: You can pet Mary!] ─Looking for a person who will subjugate the ghost appearing in the underground warehouse. [Request reward: 21-year Portnum Grace wine] ─Urgent recruitment of powder rat subjugation method. [Request reward: One sack of flour] ─Seeking clothes a virgin wore for one month [Request reward: 10 copper coins]

Those were low-quality requests close to errand level that no one does.

“Hmm.”

Benrik who was examining the bulletin board extended his hand toward the request letter that had yellowed in color because no one took it for a long time, but

“······.”

It did not reach.

Comparing slightly with Baan who released the transformation and realized, Benrik was quite short.

Even though thirteen years old he still had not exceeded 150 centimeters.

‘This is all because he could not intake sufficient nutrients when young···.’

In the moment Benrik who felt a surge was thinking─

Someone who approached along with a refreshing fragrance extended a hand to the request letter Benrik was about to tear.

─Flap

Long ears and a black eyepatch, a large great bow on the back.

“Hmm. A rumor is circulating that the one who found the kidnapped fairy is you is it true?”

The fairy-kin quarter, Bjorn fluttered the request letter while wearing a playful smile.

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