Mog's POV:

I saw Faevyre motion and say, "Alright, let's head in!"

I frowned and asked, "Wait! You want us to go in, just like that? With no plans whatsoever? Also..." and then I pointed at Jackson, who was wagging his whip-like tail adorably, "How is he going to get in? If I recall correctly, places like this don't let pets inside, let alone a large dog monster like Jackson!"

This time, Livia was the one that answered my query, "Would they dare block us high-ranking servants of the Fidelis family? And it is even on legitimate grounds. Anyone that stands in our path would be a criminal, and we can execute them on the spot."

Faevyre nodded in agreement, "It's just like the little lady says. Nobody fucks with one of the eight great noble families except the other seven or the imperial family, and this brothel sure isn't under one of them. Perhaps this place is under that old whore, Tanicia, but even she doesn't dare to fuck with us, figuratively speaking, although I guess she would be more than happy to fuck with us literally for the right price...? Screw it. You get the picture. In any case, even if she has a hand in this little joint here, that slippery woman would prefer cutting it off from her if it causes her too much trouble. Besides, her main joints are the high-class ones and not something low-tier like this, and I don't see her marking anywhere, so it probably doesn't belong to her and probably belongs to some low-level shithead. We can expect minimal resistance at most."

When I heard the name Tanicia, I made an odd face. As a child growing in the slums, I naturally knew about the current local bosses, and Madame Tanicia Hermina Petronaxia was one of them. My father, Rizor, worked for 20 years under Tanicia before I was even born.¹Yes, and she still looks middle-aged. I knew that out of the three great bosses in Lamaria, Tanicia was the most influential, and she held great power over even senators. Also, each of the bosses was not a weakling, being a mighty B-ranker at the very least, with Tanicia herself being a known A-ranker. Rizor warned me to never mess with them, and especially Tanicia. And now, I just heard someone talking about that frightening woman as if she was some common harlot!

Although I had much to say about what Faevyre said, I still had a crucial question to ask, "What if we run into an ambush? While you, Borso, and Jackson would probably be fine, Livia and I might die from even a good hit from an F-ranker!"

Are you kidding me?! I am just a regular 10-year old boy! Just a single good hit to the head by a blunt object can cause me brain damage or kill me! I am not like you C-rank powerhouses. Even Livia, this tomboyish young lady, appears to be more powerful than me!

Faevyre, however, showed a look of disdain and said, "Oh, please, kid. You are seriously overthinking this. In this shithole, do you think these thugs would have a proper ambush prepared when they are not expecting us to come? Even if one of them makes an ambush, I will detect it before they can act. You are more in danger of being sexually assaulted by some drunk pedophile that mistakes you as staff... Ok, maybe not you, but Livia, so Livia, make sure to stab them in their half limp dicks if it comes to it."

As I cringed from the thought of stabbing others in their manhood, Faevyre did not say anything else and walked to the brothel with the others, so I quickly followed.

When we were just about to enter the brothel, one of the scantily dressed prostitutes stopped them in a panic, "H-Honorable guests, you are most welcome to enter our fine establishment, but please leave your large D-Dog outside."

Faevyre remained silent as I watched her pull out a badge bearing the Fidelis family symbol and say, menacingly, "We've arrived on the orders of young mistress Consentia Fidelis to arrest a few scumbags that stole from her! We believe that they are here, so If anyone blocks our way, they will be dealt with accordingly as an accomplice!"

As her legs shook in fear and stuttered, I noticed the prostitute's face turning a shade paler "M-Please accept my sincere apologies for the inconvenience I caused you. Please come inside, M-Madam..."

"That's more like it," Faevyre said with a snort. Then we went into the brothel.

As we walked inside, I saw men sitting on benches and chairs, chatting and laughing while drinking cheap wine and eating fruit and served by almost naked hostesses. The hostesses sat next to some of the customers and flirted with them, while others made out and did strange rhythmic movements with their hips with loud moans. There was, however, a minority that heard the commotion from outside and stared at us in fear. I could tell what they were thinking, as I was in their position just yesterday.

Stealing from a great noble was punishable by death, and being an accomplice was the same as being the main perpetrator. The great nobles had the privilege of acting before a proper trial as part of the empire's governing force. As such, unless you were from a senator's direct family or above, crossing a great noble was tantamount to suicide.

This time, they stole from me, her property, and thus from her, my owner, which means we have a legitimate reason to detain or even kill them if they resist. Although Faevyre could have charged them with suspected treason, such a charge was beyond our authority to say without evidence, and it would probably backfire since the entire brothel would go into a panic, allowing the criminals to escape in the chaos. Because of that, theft charges were adequate for the circumstances.

While Faevyre and Borso ignored the scene of carnal desire in the room, Livia and I observed it with curiosity. It wasn't like I didn't see people do it in the alleys a few times, but I still found it intriguing. I then turned to look at Livia, who had her gaze fixed on the scene. Under her hooded face, I could see that she was blushing a bright red as she looked at the two who were gyrating their hips. I could see that she was shifting her legs uncomfortably as if she had a rash.

"Livia, are you ok?" I innocently asked.

"Hya?! I'm perfectly fine! So just ignore me!" She yelped like a cat who had her tail stepped on in response to my voice and said in a panic while turning her crimson face away from me.

"If you say so..." I scratched my head.

"Jackson, did you find their tracks?" Faevyre asked Jackson as I was perplexed by Livia's odd behavior.

"Woof!" Was the answer we got, as it started pacing inside the building.

Soon enough, Jackson led us to a flight of stairs that led up. Jackson did not hesitate to go up the stairs, ignoring the first and second floors and heading directly to the third floor.

On the third floor, I saw veiled rooms, and from them, I heard the pained(?) moans of women and the grunts of men, along with the sound of colliding flesh. It didn't take a genius to know what they were doing in those rooms.

Jackson took a whiff of the air and led us to one of the rooms, where two thuggish and naked men were spit-roasting a single prostitute. Their belongings, including their weapons, were placed on the other side of the small room, and they appeared to be inebriated. I recognized them as the two men who annoyed me about selling my house multiple times and also the ones that kidnapped me.

I said to Faevyre with certainty, "That's them."

"Sigh... it seems like we overestimated them," Faevyre said as she rubbed her nose-bridge. But then her face brightened and twisted into a wide grin, sending inexplicable shivers down my spine.

She fixed her gaze on both Livia and me and said, "You're in luck, kids. The guys we are after are both inside that room and are both only F-ranked. They look drunk and are in a state of sexual arousal, reducing their thinking ability and weakening them, and they are even naked and unarmed. This is an excellent opportunity for you to practice rogue takedown techniques."

Livia immediately beamed and said, "Thank you, teacher!"

Unlike Livia, however, I was not as enthusiastic and said, "I never practiced a takedown technique, and I only know some theoretical knowledge from my father."

Faevyre reassured me with a confident smile and said, "Don't worry, kid, even if you screw up, I have the confidence to make sure you won't get permanently injured."

I bitterly smiled at her, "So that means that if I screw up, I will still get beaten up by them, right?"

Faevyre smirked devilishly, "You catch on quickly. In a normal situation, failing a takedown could result in death, so being beaten up is a lenient punishment."

She then let out a malicious laugh, "Also, this is a rare case where their nethers are exposed and probably erect, so I want you to..."

After whispering to us her plan, while Livia looked indifferent to it and nodded, I unconsciously closed my legs, and with a cramped pale face, I asked, "Do I have to? Cant I target their leg tendons instead?"

Faevyre nodded, "Yeah, that could also work, but... Can you pull that off? It's not like they have their backs to you or you are skilled enough. Besides, don't you want to get back at them for selling you into slavery? Also, as a rogue, sometimes, you need to play it dirty. If we only play by the book, we will sooner rather than later die."

"Sigh... fair enough..." I said with a reluctant sigh. But then, a different question popped up, "Wouldnt they die from the excessive bleeding, though? Erno wants them alive, you know."

Faevyre pulled out a potion with red liquid from inside her cloak and waved it, "Mid-tier healing potion, courtesy of the mistress. Don't worry. As long as you don't pierce their vital organs, I can assure you they will not die, so make sure to not stab them in the chest, head, or neck."

"Erm, I also have an objection..." Livia said with a bright red face.

Faevyre smirked as she looked at her, "What, don't tell me you are embarrassed to show some skin? You were having breakfast with us in the morning with nothing but underwear, you know."

Livia replied meekly, "Yes, but I never tried this before... And that part where Mog needs to... Is that necessary?"

Faevyre let out a sigh and said, "Livia, as a female rogue, you have a physical disadvantage against guys, so you need to use your natural weapons. I taught you this before. And that part with Mog is part of the act to make things more believable."

"Uuuu..." Livia whimpered.

I could only offer a pitying look at her as she removed her cloak and tunic, leaving her in but her underwear and sandals. Strapped behind her back, on her plump butt, was her pugio, ready to be drawn when needed.

Faevyre nodded and said, "Good, now do as I told you. Go."

Livia and I shared a look and nodded at each other, and I was the first to enter the room.

When I entered the room, the two thugs who were spit-roasting the prostitute didn't stop their thrusts and cast an annoyed look at me.

When I entered the room, the one thrusting from behind, an unkempt man with a normal build, short hair, and unkempt stubble, saw me enter.

The thug frowned and said while still moving his hips, "Scram, dirt-blood! We are busy here! Go bother your whore of a mama!"

The thug that was thrusting from the front, making the prostitute gag, also took a look of annoyance at me and said, "Yeah, go to your mama, dirt-blood! Oh, right! If she is a non-orc, do bring her here, we will make sure to give her a good time!"

I narrowed my eyes and inwardly sneered - If you knew that, under this cloak, is the kid you kidnapped and sold last night, I would like to see you two still laughing so gleefully. Now then, just like Faevyre taught me.

I put on a bright smile on my revealed lips and said, "Congratulations, dear guests. I am the brothel owner's slave, and I am here to send you a gift."

The two thugs slowed their pace slightly, and the prostitute gave me a puzzled look, clearly not recognizing me. I did not care about the prostitute's gaze, however, and continued.

"My master has recently acquired a new... employee, that he wished for someone to break in." I then gestured at the room's entrance, and Livia, consciously covering her privates, came into the room, blushing a crimson red. Her tomboyish nature was gone, replaced by a cute and shy girl.

I watched as the two thugs' eyes lit up and their hip movement stopped to a hold. The prostitute had an even deeper look of doubt in her eyes.

The first thug asked excitedly, "You mean, we can break her in? Just like that? No payment whatsoever?"

I gave a genuine smile at the success of the plan and said, "Yes. The owner deemed her as not compliant enough and wanted someone to break her in. Isn't that right, little bitch?"

As I said that, I raised my right hand in an open palm while saying in my mind, forgive me, and brought it down on her plump butt.

Smack* "Ah!" Livia yelped and held her jiggling rear as she blushed to the point where blood could almost drip out and stared at me with a mixture of shame and blame. Anyone could tell that it was shameful for her.

Seeing her look at me like this, I inwardly cried - Don't hate me for it! It was Faevyres's stupid idea! Blame her!

While swallowing the bitterness in my heart, I let out a fake smile and said, "As you can see, she is still too shy to work, so he wants someone to break her in first. You were both chosen randomly by the owner, so enjoy her to your heart's content!"

"Hahaha! Now that is more like it! Sorry about earlier, kid. Here, take this and buy yourself something good to eat!" The second thug said as he rummaged in a coin purse and tossed me a large copper coin, which I caught with a fake gleeful smile. "Thank you, dear guests, thank you! Please, come over and enjoy yourselves!"

That was not part of the things Faevyre told me to say, but I had to improvise at this point. I watched as the two thugs pulled out of the prostitute and tipsily headed towards us unwarily. Meanwhile, the prostitute exuded suspicion while also being intrigued by what was about to unfold.

I reached into my cloak and silently pulled out my pugio just as the first thug was about to reach Livia.

The first thug gleefully said, "Come here, girly! Let me teach you the wonders of the world of adults with my awesome rod!"

The second thug followed with a lewd smile, "Yeah, we will be real gentle with you, so just cooperate with us!"

Livia acted all shy and tender, but they were unaware that she had already pulled out the pugio from behind her back and was ready to lash out in a heartbeat.

Just as the first thug's hand was about to touch Livia, we both lashed out in sync on the unsuspecting thugs.

Ssshluck* Snipp* Pshh* Splat* "AHHHHH!!!!!!" Smack* Thud*

At that moment, a few things happened.

I stabbed with all my might the second thug's sack, cutting it open and causing copious amounts of blood splash on both me and the ground. I could swear I saw a ball-shaped chunk of meat falling out too. The thug, in response, screamed and backhanded my face before I could respond, sending me to the ground. I think I also cut my lip from that. It hurts.

Livia, on the other hand, used a slashing motion to sever the first thug's dick, causing it to splat to the ground. Blood and urine spurted from his stump, staining the ground and Livia in front of him, who tried to step aside quickly but failed. To her great disgust, her body got stained by a mixture of bodily fluids, staining even her underwear in it. This thug also lashed out a punch on reflex, but unlike me, Livia managed to dodge it with grace, so she wasn't hurting on the floor.

As they succumbed to the excruciating pain, the two thugs crumpled to the floor, their bleeding nether region covered in their hands.

"Kyaaaaa!!! What did you do?!!!" Shrieked the prostitute that was finally awake from her shock.

Before I could reply, Faevyre already walked into the room and flashed the Fidelis family token, "Shut the fuck up, you damn, dirty whore! Do you see this? I am a high-ranking servant of the Fidelis family under orders to arrest these two bastards! Get in our way, and you will be an accomplice!"

The prostitute's already pale face turned a shade paler as she shut up in fear at those words.

Faevyre didn't spare her another glance and took out the healing potion, and with indifferent disgust in her eyes, she poured a tenth of the potions content on their wounded nethers each, making the bleeding stop and even causing the wounds to heal slightly. Still, both of the thugs were disabled on the floor, unable to do anything but groan in pain.

It was only then that Faevyre turned to me, who was still lying on the ground recovering from the backhand, and said, "Open wide, kid."

I looked at the potion in her hand and realized what she was trying to do, so I opened my hurting mouth and let her drip a few drops of the potion's red nectar. I noticed a gradual reduction in pain a few moments after I swallowed the sweet-tasting nectar in my mouth, which tasted similar to the honeyed wine I once tasted while my father was still alive.

"Thanks," I said curtly.

"Like I said, courtesy of the young mistress. Thank her, not me." Faevyre shrugged.

She then smiled and said to both Livia and me, "The both of you performed OK for the first time, but you need to practice your avoiding skills. Let alone getting hit by the enemy's counterattack, even letting bodily fluids land on you is something a good rogue can avoid. We will make sure to practice it once we return."

Livia said in disgust, "Can I go wash up now?"

Looking at the dirtied young lady, Faevyre let out a chuckle and said, "Sure, young lady. We can arrange that." She then barked at the frightened prostitute, " Hey! Whore! Where do you have clean water in this shithole?!"

The frightened prostitute stuttered and said, "A-At the end of the hall w-we have jugs of w-water to c-clean ourselves w-with..."

Faevyre turned to Livia and said, "Well, you heard the harlot. Go wash up and get dressed."

While Livia rushed out of the room, I heard the thugs moaning and sobbing from the pain and anguish. Froth and bile spilling from their mouths.

The first thug had one hand on his maimed nether, with the other holding his severed dick. He murmured between sobs, "M-My dick... The bitch cut off my dick..."

The second thug was not only tearing but also frothing from his mouth. He cast a gaze containing a mixture of bewilderment and hate towards me and asked in a squeaky voice, "Why...!? Why did you do this to us...? What have we done to you to deserve this...!?"

I removed the hood of my cloak, revealing my face, and asked a smile, "Remember me?"

The thug looked at me with confusion in his eyes, trying to determine who I was. Suddenly, his eyes shut right open, and his pupils contracted into pinpricks and stared at me as if seeing a ghost!

With spit and bile spilling from his frothing mouth, he said in a squeaky and gurgly sound, "You!!! That slum brat we sold to the dark auction! H-How is this possible?!"

I smirked at the thug, feeling avenged of the wrong done to me. I crouched in front of him and said, "Veona heard my plea for help, that is what. I was lucky enough to get bought by a mistress that valued me enough to make me a high-ranking servant for some reason. And that mistress just so happens to be a scion of one of the eight great noble families of Lamaria, the Fidelis family. When my mistress heard of what happened to me last night, she even got angry for me, her slave, her property. I am truly touched!"

As the thug stared at me in disbelief, a sincere and natural smile blossomed on my face, "I need to thank you. Without you, I would have continued to steal on the streets, fearing getting caught, living alone in a dump, and living like a dog. Now, I have a better life than most people in this city. I have good food, a warm bed, a sturdy roof, a relatively safe job, and most of all, people who give a damn about me, a little pickpocket from the slums, so thank you! Thank you for giving me this opportunity!"

The thug stared at me unblinkingly, seemingly too shocked and angry at my heartfelt revelation. The next moment, he lost consciousness with his eyes rolled to the back of his skull, puking more bile from his mouth. I did not know if it was from the pain, the anguish of losing his ability to procreate, or from being too angry at what I said, but watching him like this brought a strange sense of satisfaction.

Suddenly, I felt a pat on my shoulder as Faevyre's gloating voice sounded, "Good job, kid! You caused a person to faint out of anger! Even I didn't manage to do that yet!"

I rubbed the back of my head innocently, "I didn't plan on it... Although it did feel satisfying."

Faevyre nodded. "Agreed. Few things are more satisfying than revenge."

She then glanced at the clothes of the two rogues in the corner of the room. She took the thug's clothes, ripped them into rags, knocked out the first rogue with a chop to the neck, and then tied both of them up. She then called Borso to come in and take them.

Borso, who saw the scene of the two naked men with mangled privates didn't seem to mind it that much, seemingly used to it.

She then called Jackson and said, "Jackson! I have a treat for you!"

"Woof!" Jackson, who had the size of a grown lion, entered the room with his whiplike tail wagging and sat down in front of Faevyre with an expectant look.

Faevyre pointed at the severed dick lying on the floor, "See that? That is your treat! Go get it, boy!"

The next scene I reckoned would haunt my dreams tonight, as I saw the beast eat the dirty piece of flesh right out of the floor, chew on it a bit, and then swallow it. I then heard a thudding voice as I saw the poor prostitute behind me faint on the bed, with a patch of yellow urine between her legs.

Faevyre turned to look and also had a slightly guilty look as she picked up the thug's purse, fished out a small gold coin, and tossed it to the unconscious prostitute. "Sorry about that... Consider it as compensation and cleaning fees."

She then took both of the thug's purses and tossed them to me, "I already checked the purses. They both have around 150 silvers each. I'm guessing they have a stash somewhere or this is all they have."

I had a strange look on my face, "But I was auctioned for 10,000 silvers at the auction, though..."

Faevyre's eyes boggled, "Fuck! Seriously?! You're worth like 3 years of my salary! Wow, those nobles sure know how to spend alright..." She then thought for a bit and said, "Yeah, I don't think they even got 300 silvers from selling you. They probably didn't know your worth and just sold you on the spot to the auction house and then received a small lump sum. The auction house then appraised you themselves and auctioned you while taking a risk. Oh well, not like they would have kept such a sum on their person. They would have probably deposited it in the temple of his excellency, Nyengorath."²Historically, temples served as the ancient banks, which is why you hear in history lessons about sacking the temples. The more you know~

Nyengorath was the god of wealth, trade, and safekeeping. In the Lamarian empire, his temples serve as banks to the public and nobility alike. Those who steal from his hallowed grounds are cursed. The strength of the curse can vary, depending on how much they stole. Even then, a temple of Nyengorath has guardians guarding it around the clock, with usually B-rankers and above present, too. That is why only crazy people or professionals with some way of protection try and steal from the temple.

In the unlikely event that they have money deposited there, the mistress could sue the temple for the two thug's savings because they stole from her, so I did not need to worry about it.

I took a look at the two poor suds in Borso's arms and asked, "So, that's it? Are we going to get my dad's ashes now?"

Faevyre thought for a bit before answering, "Darling, Jackson, and Livia will go back to the mansion with the thugs. I will go with you to take the ashes, just in case."

I sincerely smiled at her, "Thanks."

Faevyre waved her hand, "Meh, It's fine. Just a few minutes of walking and digging."

She then leaned asked me in a mischievous tone, "So, did the young missus tush feel nice on your hand?"

Not noticing her tone, I answered honestly, "Yes. It felt bouncy, yet firm..."

Faevyre's face twitched uncontrollably as she looked in the direction of the door, "Pfft... Good going, kid! I salute your courage!"

I looked at her puzzled, not noticing her gaze, "What do you mean? I just did what you told me to OUCH!!!" I felt someone pinching the fatty side of my waist and twisting it hard. That almost hurt like getting backhanded to the face!

Looking to the side, I saw Livia puffing her red cheeks as she glared at me with embarrassment and had tears in her eyes.

I knew that, at that moment, I fucked up.