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As Sasha nodded, Id continued.
“From now on, keep all unnecessary equipment in my Subspace Pouch and carry only a longsword and a shield. Quickness and speed seem to be the most important things in dealing with Aura Beam owners, so you’d better always keep your body light.”
Id presented Sasha with a belt-shaped armor, a longsword and a small shield to mount on his forearm.
“This is the armor Lara told you about earlier. Try it on.”
When Sasha put on the belt and activated it, orange armor covered Sasha’s whole body, accompanied by a satisfying sound.
“This is good armor, but can we defend against an Aura Beam with this?”
“Your Aura Blade is on its way to its zenith. I definitely saw that man’s Aura Beam momentarily be stopped by your Aura Blade that day. I’m sure the armor’s Anti Physical Force will help you.”
Sasha nodded but looked unsure. Spica told him.
“The sword and shield are magic items that have the best performance among Vega’s collection. They are the works of the Grand Wizard Riegel, who contributed to the foundation of the Icarus Empire and was also the founder of the Icarus Wizard Tower. Since very powerful Reinforcement spells are engraved on them, I believe they won’t break like last time.”
Sasha put the round, convex shield less than thirty centimeters in diameter on his left forearm, then clasped the hilt of the longsword. Looking at it, Id said,
“Judging from the Aura Blade you showed that day, I think you might be able to obtain Aura Beam much faster than I initially expected. You might be an Aura Beam user in several years. I believe this equipment will protect you in the meantime.”
Sasha said, stroking the blade with his left hand.
“Shall we spar? It’s been a long time.”
Id said, smiling.
“Don’t be in a hurry. You need to recover first.”
Sasha was stubborn, so the party left the hunter’s log house the following day for Kurban. Five days passed until they could see Kurban’s outer ramparts since they slowed down and moved only thirty kilometers a day. Approaching about two kilometers from Kurban at dusk, Id’s party stayed in the woods and waited for the day to darken completely. Id asked Selena
“Can you ask the Sylphs to look around?”
“The Sylphs are checking a radius of about ten kilometers, so they’ll be back soon to tell me the results.”
After a while, twelve Sylphs flew over Selena’s head and twirled. What the spirits said could only be heard by the Spirituals who summoned them, so the others could not hear what the Sylphs had reported to Selena. After the Sylphs flew away again, Selena said,
“There are some hunters and woodcutters nearby, but no one seems to be tracking or following us. I’ve asked them to keep an eye out, so they’ll let us know as soon as any suspicious ones show up.”
Id said,
“Good, then when it’s completely dark, let’s go over the outer ramparts. Sasha, will you be able to manage?”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m all better now.”
Lara and Selena changed into black robes, usually worn by nuns. Spica wore Lara’s dark gray suit and wrapped her blonde hair in a gray scarf. Id and Sasha wore dark navy clothes and wore black mail coifs on their heads, which Id took from the Subspace Pouch. As the sky darkened, Selena sent a Sylph to find the section of the castle wall with the least guards, and the party safely crossed the outer ramparts into Kurban, avoiding the surveillance of guards. Having entered a dark alley without lighting, they changed their clothes again. When the party had crossed the ramparts to avoid the guards' eyes, they wore dark clothes and hid their bright hair to prevent the reflection of light, but if they walked around the city in that state, they could catch people’s attention. Lara wore the best clothes she had, and the others changed into plain clothes. Looking at the party’s attire, Lara said,
“I think that’s enough. I’ll find out where the Thieves’ Guild is, so act naturally without attracting people’s attention, following me.”
Lara spoke, looking at Id.
“To request the Thieves’ Guild for something, you need to look rich. If you have suitable jewelry in your Subspace Pouch, lend it to me for a while.”
Id took a brief look at Lara and took a small case made of cocobolo from his Subspace Pouch.
“I think this will look good on you. It’s a gift for you.”
Birds, trees and a valley were elaborately carved in relief on the cocobolo case Id gave Lara. The case itself looked pretty expensive. When Lara opened the case, a set of emerald jewelry appeared. The set, consisting of a necklace, earrings, and a ring made of emerald and platinum, looked modest at first glance, but it was one of the finest masterpieces of Vega’s collection. Stunned by the glittering emeralds for a while, Lara asked Id once she had snapped out of her stupor.
“Is this your proposal?”
As Id blushed and tried to say something, Lara interrupted him and said,
“I’m kidding. Why are you so embarrassed? You said it was a gift, so I’ll never give it back.”
As Id nodded with a smile, Lara was adorned with jewels. Lara led the party while Sasha and Selena paired up, and Id paired up with Spica to follow Lara from a distance. The two pairs walking in a complicated alley looked like lovers. Lara took her party to busy streets with colorful lights. The Thieves’ Guild and Intelligence Guild headquarters were usually in fashionable areas that led the city’s night culture. The two guilds, where intelligence was essential, emphasized entertainment districts of cities where a lot of information was gathered and set their headquarters in the middle of these entertainment districts, disguised as restaurants or inns. Even if there was a headquarters in the city's outskirts, most of the members had no choice but to work in the city center.
Streetlights were turned on all over the small square, and Lara, standing on one corner of a six-way street filled with hotels, bars, dance halls, and restaurants, went further to a young man smoking cannabis standing by the door of a small bar. The young man, who appeared to be about the same age as Lara, was small but had sharp eyes. Lara asked the young man.
“Did Hermes come to this city today?”
Lara’s question was slang used by members of the Thieves’ Guild and their clients, meaning they want to buy information from the guild or request it for a case. The young man, who quickly rolled his pupils and looked over Lara, answered her briefly and went into an alley.
“You should ask Hermes about Hermes.”
Lara followed the young man. He circled the complex back alleys for about fifty meters and stopped in front of a five-story building. The antique-style building was hung with a sign saying Hermes Inn. Lara entered the inn without hesitation, passing the young man standing by the main entrance of the inn and taking out cannabis. She approached the front desk and asked a man who appeared to be the inn’s manager.
“Do you have suites?”
Except for luxury hotels in large cities, it was uncommon to run suites, but when people dealing with the Thieves’ Guild asked for suites, it meant they wanted to request the guild for an expensive case. The manager looked carefully at Lara’s necklace and handed her a key that read ‘307’. The party, who followed Lara into the inn and were sitting on the sofa in the lobby, also took rooms. Perhaps because there were not many customers at the inn, the manager gave up two rooms on the third floor as requested by the party.
After a while, the party gathered in Lara’s suite room. The suite room, consisting of a bedroom and a living room, had a large double bed, and two long sofas were placed on both sides of the living room, making it seem comfortable and spacious enough for five people to stay at night. There was also a bathroom in the room, so everyone unpacked in Lara’s room and took turns bathing to relieve the fatigue of the trip. Lara said while Selena was taking a bath.
“The Thieves’ Guild will be monitoring everything we do anyway, so we don’t have to worry about it anymore. Let’s take a rest here and go down to the bar in the basement at about eleven. They must take requests at the bar. The jewels you gave me definitely attracted some attention, Id. The Thieves’ Guild here must think we are appetizing prey by now.”
