Nathaniel's POV:

"Don't you want to have fun tonight, handsome?" asked a thin, malnourished-looking woman. She grabbed my forearm and pulled it close to her small cleavage. "Only for ten silver coins." Her warm breath caressed my ear as she leaned in close.

Charlotte, who was sitting next to me, frowned and pushed her slightly, saying, "Shuu, shuu."

The woman backed away from our seat, but not before glaring angrily at Charlotte. My little sister didn't seem to mind and simply gave her a triumphant, mocking look. On the other hand, Novem was seated at the opposite end of the table, keeping a wary eye on everything. Even though it was the second such location we had visited, she was dumbfounded by the women dancing while receiving money. We hadn't discovered anything suspicious, just some relatively thin women, possibly due to a lack of nutrition or drug addiction. While the drugs were illegal, they were not what I was looking for, and I didn't care.

"Wank that ass, bitch!" Yelled a fat man sitting at a nearby table.

The setting was similar to a tavern, but with scantily clad women waiting on tables and others dancing to the beat of percussion instruments like tambourines and bongos, the rhythm was strange but catchy. Was this medieval reggaeton? I didn't know, but we needed to find something quick because Novem appeared to be passing out in this place at any moment. Fortunately, she was too shocked to react and drive us home.

I swept my gaze around the room; it wasn't particularly elegant, but it wasn't sloppy either. The site was constructed of dark wood, and the lighter-colored tables were separated by several meters to avoid confusion, as the place was undoubtedly busy. My peripheral vision caught a rather long table in the corner with several intimidating-looking people guarding its occupants. A slightly older man in expensive-looking clothes was laughing and playing with his 'friends,' while some women hovered around him like flies.

'A merchant?' I was certain he was not a nobleman, because everyone usually leaves their greetings and reason for visiting our city with our mother, so the only people who could afford such clothes, aside from the nobles, were the merchants.

A short man stood next to the man, wearing dark glasses, a coat made of what appeared to be some animal skin, and a somewhat rotten smile that was only accentuated by the man's waste of money.

'So he's the owner' I deduced with a simple glance.

"Please bring me a cup of alcohol." I told a passing waitress.

Novem frowned. "Young master." She said hesitantly, regaining all the composure she had lost upon entering this place.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to drink it, but I need it to strike up a conversation with that table." Novem watched me with concern as I clarified, discreetly nodding my head in the direction of our destination.

This was the second time I'd get up and talk to the owner of one of these establishments. We could just tell Novem to get the information from him; it would be easier because she was a woman, and I'm sure with a little flirting, he would fall, but I wanted to show Novem that we were trustworthy because I needed her to trust us more and not be like an overprotective mom all the time, and it would also gradually change the image she has of me in her mind.

"(Does it fall within your skill range?)" I inquired, not taking my eyes off my little sister, who was discreetly watching the table.

"(Yes)"

"(Good, stay tuned; any indication that he is aware of something is beneficial to us.)"

A wooden cup with metal rivets, overflowing with white foam, fell in front of me. "Here you go, sir," the waitress said, a seductive smile on her face.

I took a silver coin from my pocket and handed it to her as I waited for her to leave so I could start my plan. But she appeared to misinterpret my actions as she leaned in closer and used her index finger to pull down a little more cleavage, revealing a bit of her dark brown nipple in contrast to her pale skin. Novem squeaked the chair on the floor as if she wanted to get up, but the waitress noticed and winked at me before it was too late. Her hips swayed as her ass moved rhythmically with each pass. As she walked into one of the restrooms, she looked back as if inviting me.

I slowly rose from my seat, under the scrutiny of both women at the table; Charlotte silently watching me, and Novem concerned, as if the sight of a nipple had ruined my innocence. With one hand on the cup, I pushed the chair behind me.

Before I could start walking, Charlotte grabbed my shirt sleeve. "Where are you going?" Her voice was somewhat monotone, and her aura was colder than usual.

"To the restroom," I said.

Charlotte's soul seemed to have left her body. Her eyes had lost their radiance, and I could hear her muttering about killing someone for a split second. Novem appeared to be about to drag me into the shadows to take me home when a dark miasma fluttered lightly beneath her feet.

Her antics made me laugh lightly. "Don't worry." After that, I stood up and walked in the opposite direction of where that woman had gone. "I'm not going to use that restroom."

'Novem needs to stop being so protective or she'll cause problems.' As I dodged the waitresses running around with bottles and cups of alcohol in their hands, I thought to myself. When I blocked their view of their favorite dancer, some men booed.

I examined the cup in my hands. The cup was engraved with the short name D'colide. I nodded in agreement. From the moment I walked in, I knew this place was different from the others. The name convinced me that this was the location where I would meet the man who would take me to Lena. I had seen the name before when we were in the carriage with my mother; I had not recognized it then, but now that I had the full name and not just a portion of it, I knew that the owner of the "D'colide" chain of businesses had ties to the black market. It would take a few days because I didn't want to appear suspicious by suddenly asking compromising questions, but gradually I would gain enough confidence for him to think abput the location or how to get it. We couldn't just arrest and torture him because, if he didn't know anything, it would be a waste of time and possibly the loss of the only way to find out where Lena was.

I entered the restrooms. Some drunk men were vomiting or staggering their way to one of the cubicles. I simply ignored them and spilled half of the bottle on the floor, but not before smearing some of the liquid like lotion on my neck. I placed the cup in my mouth, where a bitter and slightly sweet taste spread across my tongue. I spit out the dark yellow liquid after a brief experiment. When the aroma of alcohol reached my nose, I nodded in satisfaction. I'd be suspicious if I didn't smell alcohol in a place like this. This would negate everything. I wasn't going to act too drunk, just enough to make them relax their guard.

'Good,' I thought, lightly whacking my cheeks until they were slightly red; it wouldn't last long, but it was better than nothing. A few men looked at me, puzzled, but I ignored them.

I walked out of the bathroom with a hesitant grip on the nearly empty cup, a little wobbly but almost imperceptibly. I looked around; Novem was being harassed by a girl, and Charlotte was laughing. That would keep her occupied for a while, but I didn't have to take too long because the overprotective Novem would be concerned if I spent too much time with 'bad influences,' as she referred to them.

I ignored the throngs of people around me. I also ignored the woman I had given a silver coin to, who was exiting the bathroom on the other side of the building with a frustrated and angry expression on her face. I'd squandered enough time. I rushed to my destination. Some creepy-looking men stood around their table, presumably as their guards. They gave me sharp looks as soon as I got close to the table, squinting their eyes as they scanned me up and down. According to what I saw of the system scanning their character, they look like a veteran soldier, but only in terms of strength. In experience, I wasn't sure. They noticed the cup in my hand and my slightly crooked gait, and their guard immediately dropped, revealing their lack of commitment.

When I approached them, they took a step forward and folded their arms in front of me. They were a head taller than me, which would have scared most people away, but I simply bumped into them and staggered backwards, pretending I hadn't noticed their presence.

"Oops, excuse me gentlemen," I said, trying to go around them.

One of the men extended his arm and blocked my path. "This is a private area." His rough, thick voice was tinged with annoyance.

"Huh~? But I wanted to play." I said it, stretching out a few words to sound drunk.

"Stand back." The guard said again, putting his hand on the gun's pommel as a warning.

I ignored him, instead pointing a finger at the older man who was currently laughing as he won his game. "You!"

"You, indeed!" As the man scowled at me, I repeated. "What is the stake? I have some extra cash that I'd like to spend."

The man simply laughed scornfully, waving his hand, which made a clinking sound due to the jewelry he was wearing. "Piss off, you couldn't even pay for a drink at this table."

The table erupted in shrill, exaggerated laughter as they congratulated him on his joke and the man gloated. I couldn't help but think of the boot-licking dogs he referred to as his friends. I was certain that they would betray him at the first opportunity. I reached into my right pocket as they laughed and ignored me. As I searched for the coins, I made an awkward jingling sound.

When the table stopped laughing, I extended both of my hands to them and asked, "Is this enough?" I inquired, holding a handful of gleaming gold coins in my hand.

The man looked at me with interest, while the short man smiled and whispered something to the man, who laughed as if he had a good idea.

"Let him through" he finally said, and the men moved out of the way.

"Thank you, thank you~" I bragged as I passed them.

"Successful infiltration." I thought, somewhat jokingly. Now... How should I approach them now that I've gained access to their inner circle?