Chapter 86: Gathering information when you are rich is simple.
I spent the next two days practically locked inside the inn room.
I did not leave.
I did not go shopping.
I did not personally search for information.
My entire routine consisted of meditating, sleeping, reviewing my spell models, and allowing my body to finally recover from the hell that had been my escape from Arcangrove Tower.
Little by little, I felt my strength returning.
My mind became clear again.
I raised my hand in front of my face.
A small luminous sphere appeared above my palm.
It shone brightly.
Stable.
Without the slightest fluctuation.
Mana restored to maximum...
The sphere disappeared.
I leaned back in the chair and began organizing everything mentally.
It has been two days...
And whoever is pursuing me still has not appeared...
If it were an acolyte specialized in tracking...
They would have already used magic to locate my mana waves or my scent.
My expression became serious.
Then no...
Most likely, it is not an acolyte.
I slowly closed my eyes.
It is certainly some kind of magical tracking creature...
That was the most logical hypothesis.
Scent-tracking creatures possessed senses far superior to humans.
Some could follow trails left days earlier.
If that was the case...
My plan had probably delayed its pursuit.
But it had not ended it.
At that moment, the Biochip discreetly projected some information onto my retina.
[Report]
[Probability of pursuit permanently interrupted: 18.4%]
[Probability of pursuit merely delayed: 81.6%]
I agree with this report.
During those two days, I remained extremely discreet.
The only noteworthy event occurred the previous morning.
Someone knocked on the door.
When I opened it...
I found a man wearing the uniform of the city’s public security.
Behind him were two soldiers carrying some gifts.
Fruits.
Cheeses.
A bottle of wine.
The man showed a polite smile.
—Sir Knight...
—I come on behalf of the Monolith City guard.
I observed him silently.
—The brother of that poor idiot who tried to steal your horses works with us.
—He begged me to come and offer an official apology.
I nodded once.
He continued.
—I would also like to know...
—Which noble family do you come from?
I smiled beneath my fake mustache.
—A small family.
—Very far from here.
The man insisted.
—Which kingdom?
—I have traveled for so many years that I no longer even consider myself to belong to a kingdom.
I answered calmly.
Throughout the entire conversation...
The Biochip monitored every movement of his.
[Emotional analysis]
[Curiosity: 63%]
[Respect: 28%]
[Hostility: 2%]
[No indications of offensive intent.]
After a few minutes...
He realized he would not be able to extract any information.
He said goodbye politely.
As soon as the door closed...
I immediately returned to my silence.
...
On the night of the second day...
I changed my clothes.
I put on a simple black robe.
I pulled the hood down until it completely hid my face.
I carefully opened the back window.
I looked to both sides.
Silence.
I jumped.
I landed without making any noise in the narrow alley behind the inn, crossed a few streets, and reached another dark alley.
The shadows completely concealed my presence.
It did not take long.
Some figures appeared, walking hurriedly.
They were some small criminals that I had recently gathered.
As soon as they recognized me by my clothes...
They slightly bowed their heads.
—Sir...
—You have returned.
My voice came out deliberately hoarse.
—And?
—Did anything strange happen around Monolith City?
Before I could even finish...
One of them pushed the others aside.
—Me!
—I will speak first!
He was breathing so quickly that he almost stumbled over his own words.
—In the neighboring village...
—My aunt’s cow gave birth to a calf without legs!
—Everyone said it was a curse!
Instantly.
The Biochip responded.
[Behavioral analysis.]
[Target is not lying.]
[Brain waves stable.]
I nodded.
I threw a silver coin.
He practically dove to catch it.
Another man approached.
—My cousins disappeared in the forest.
—The hunters found huge wolf tracks near the location.
[Analysis completed.]
[Information considered truthful.]
Another silver coin changed hands.
I had created a small network of informants.
Thieves.
Beggars.
Troublemakers.
People who knew every corner of the city.
At first...
They tried to deceive me.
They invented absurd stories just to earn money.
The Biochip confirmed the lies.
Without saying a single word...
I broke both of his arms in front of everyone.
Since then...
None of them dared to fabricate information.
Money attracted them.
Fear kept them honest.
It was then...
That an extremely thin man appeared, stumbling.
His entire body was covered in scabies.
Ticks crawled through his messy beard.
He breathed desperately.
—Sir...
—Sir...
—They found corpses...
I immediately raised my head.
—Corpses?
He nodded several times.
—Human corpses.
My eyes narrowed.
—Breathe.
—Calm down.
I slowly removed a gold coin from the pouch.
The golden shine immediately made his eyes widen.
I raised it in front of him.
—Tell everything correctly.
—And this coin will be yours.
—With it, you will be able to sleep with as many prostitutes as you can afford.
The man swallowed.
He took several deep breaths.
Then he began.
—I just heard about this today.
—Near the mill, on the outskirts of the city...
—Some bodies were found.
—All the blood had disappeared.
—People are saying it was the work of a demon.
—The lord of the city has already sent soldiers to investigate.
While he spoke...
My mind began connecting the events.
The mill...
It was dangerously close to the area where I had erased my traces before entering the city.
The Biochip also completed its analysis.
[Estimated truthfulness: 97.8%]
[No indications of deception detected.]
My gaze became distant.
Without saying anything else...
I placed the gold coin in his hand.
He almost fell to his knees from happiness.
I completely ignored his reaction.
I turned around.
I slowly left the alley.
I returned to my room in silence, carefully closing the door behind me.
The flame of the oil lamp flickered slowly, casting shadows across the stone walls.
I crossed my arms and began organizing all the information I had gathered up until that moment.
—Biochip...
—Gather all collected data so far and calculate the most likely identity of the creature pursuing me.
[Beep!]
[Tracking analysis initiated...]
[Data used:]
[Tracking interrupted after use of Aroma Removal Potion.]
[Reappearance of pursuit near the last location where the scent was lost.]
[Corpses found completely exsanguinated.]
[Absence of previous indiscriminate attacks.]
[Continuous movement toward Monolith City.]
[High olfactory tracking capability.]
[Reduced number of observed targets.]
.
.
.
.
[Most likely hypothesis: tracking hematophagous magical creature.]
[Probability: 81.7%]
[Primary tracking method: body odor.]
[Estimated number of pursuers: 1 to 2 individuals.]
I breathed slowly.
So that was it...
I crossed my arms again.
My gaze became cold.
My plan was simple.
Mix my scent with that of thousands of people.
Animals.
Food.
Sewage.
Smoke.
Alcohol.
The more different odors existed...
The harder it would be to locate mine.
And during that time...
I would gather enough information to prepare a counterattack.
Apparently...
The plan had worked.
At least partially.
What a shame...
I looked at the nearly empty small bottle on the table.
The Aroma Removal Potions are almost finished...
I shook my head.
It was a somewhat expensive item.
Even among acolytes.
Now...
There was only enough left for three more...
Maybe four days.
After that...
They would run out.
And without that protection...
It would not matter how far I ran.
Sooner or later...
The creature would smell me again.
I slowly closed my eyes.
Within just a few days...
There was no distance far enough to disappear completely.
My hand slowly clenched.
As soon as it expanded its search area...
It would find me again.
My decision was already made.
It would be better to resolve this as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, if I were followed to my true destination...
It would only bring problems.
[Beep!]
[Probability of trackers reaching Monolith City within less than 24 hours: 89.4%.]
Twenty-four hours...
That was less time than I expected.
Although there was a tacit agreement among Mages to avoid involving human populations in their conflicts...
There were always exceptions.
Madmen.
Fanatics.
If that creature decided to enter the city...
There would be deaths.
And in the middle of that chaos...
If some mage came to investigate and discovered my true identity...
I would end up being held responsible for a large part of the collateral damage.
Creating a disturbance of that scale was exactly what I wanted to avoid.
So...
The solution is simple.
I create a trap and attack with everything I have.
I opened the room door.
I calmly walked down the stairs.
The tavern hall remained exactly as it had in previous days.
Mugs clattered against the tables.
Men shouted.
Others sang while completely drunk.
The smell of cheap beer dominated the entire environment.
As soon as he saw me...
The innkeeper moved two customers aside and quickly approached.
He bowed respectfully.
—Sir...
—What do you require?
I discreetly looked around before answering.
—I need to find someone.
He raised an eyebrow.
—Can I help you?
I nodded.
I leaned slightly over the counter and explained in a low voice exactly the type of individual I was looking for.
—Someone accustomed to working outside the law.
—Someone who knows the forests around the city well.
When I finished...
The innkeeper smiled.
—No problem.
—Mercenaries practically do not exist around here.
—But I know some bandits.
—I can put you in contact with them.
I nodded with satisfaction.
—Excellent.
Before I could climb the stairs again...
He seemed to remember something else.
—Ah...
—Lord Lorty, the lord of this city, sent men earlier.
I stopped.
—He wishes to meet you.
I smiled beneath the fake mustache.
Natural.
It did not matter where a knight traveled.
They would always be warmly received by local lords.
A warrior of that level represented prestige.
Protection.
Military power.
If Lorty discovered that I was, in truth, an acolyte...
The reception would probably be even more exaggerated.
He might even try to bind me to the city by offering wealth, titles, or family alliances.
—I have some urgent matters to resolve.
—Ask if we can reschedule this meeting for the day after tomorrow.
The innkeeper immediately nodded.
—As you wish.
Before climbing the stairs again...
I stopped for a moment.
I looked at him.
—One more thing.
—The steak served here is surprisingly good.
He smiled proudly.
—I am glad you enjoyed it, sir.
—Then send another portion to my room tonight.
He bowed.
—It will be my pleasure to serve you.
...
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