General Dalson

"What do you mean, our people lost him?" I stopped in my tracks and turned to the Mage.

"They lost the trail," he replied simply.

A moment later, my fist hit the light pole, putting a dent in it. A team led by a major and two hired rogues was chasing the thief when the thief disappeared.

The thief was no ordinary one; he had just stolen the artifact from Baron Tomalin.

That makes it four artifacts stolen.

There were seven, but we recovered three with our and Mariha's intelligence, but thieves with the other four artifacts have disappeared. The more time passed, the less likely it was that we would find those artifacts.

If we cannot find them, there will be grave consequences.

Lord Thorn had been in a great mood for the past few months due to the rapid growth in the city, but if an artifact were truly stolen, it would dent the city's reputation.

Which means it will affect investment, and that is not something the Lord wanted to see.

He is already threatened with what will happen if something like this were to happen.

"Tell them, find the thief. Search through every corner, if they have to, but I want the thief and the artifact he had stolen," I ordered, before moving ahead.

I am powering Criminal Scan at full power as I am moving around, but these bastards have planned carefully.

Once they hide, they become very hard to find.

I have to find them soon. Currently, the city is in lockdown, but we won't be able to keep it that way for long. Inam is a big port city, and pressure is already building on us to open the gates.

"Is anything from Mariha or our own sources?" I asked, and he shook his head. "Nothing new, but they are keeping their ears open," he replied, and I wanted to hit something again.

Minutes passed, and I was moving through the street slinging orders when my ring lit up.

'Overseer Veyrault wishes to talk to you, General,' rang in my mind. I was about to say later, when I stopped, as I realised who it was that wanted to talk to me.

It's a Madam of Velvet Garden and not a regular madam either, but the overseer. She is one of the highest-ranking, bearing the same rank as Mariha and Vanis.

She is someone one should have a good relationship with, but right now, I don't want to talk to her.

Every moment I waste here might help the thieves escape the city.

"Please tell her I am busy; I will contact her in the afternoon," I replied.

'Too busy for information about the thieves, General Dalson,' said the enticing husky voice as I was about to cut the call. As I heard that, I stopped in my tracks.

I could feel the eyes of the men on me; the conversation was in my privacy, but my sudden movement made them alert, and they looked around, their hands on their weapons.

I shook my head and resumed walking.

"Do you really have information, Overseer?" I asked directly and prayed with all my heart that she would have something. I really need to catch the thieves before they escape the city with the artifacts.

'Yes,' she replied.

"I would be grateful if you would provide that to me," I said, immediately. There was no reply, and for the moment I feared the connection had been cut, but it's active and more stable than it should be.

'It's not a problem, but not for free, General,' she stated, and I wanted to curse at the whore, but I calmed myself down.

"I am sure Lord Thorn is more than willing to pay you the price required for the information," I replied, and she let out a melodious laugh as if I had told her the biggest joke.

'I do not want money, General," he said, and my expression became serious.

The women of Velvet Garden…They are smart and wily, as the people say.

She does not want money, nor does she want Lord Thorn to know about it. It will be a deal between the two of us, with the price being a favour.

Has Silver put her up to this? I couldn't help but ask myself. Is he trying to interfere with Inam's political matters?

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

I pushed those thoughts away. I do not care about any of this. If I don't find the thieves and artifacts, I will lose my position, and many are more than willing to replace me.

"Fine, if the information works, I will owe you the favor," I agreed. 'Favours, General,' she replied. I gritted my teeth, fine 'favors' as long as the information helps.

'I have information on three artifacts and thieves who stole them, one artifact is in…'

…

Roblan Shine

Fuck fuck fuck!

I cursed as I moved through the dark alleys, sensing them closing in. Law's Tail is an incredible skill; it is the reason I have not been caught so many times.

Today, it has saved me as well.

How did they find out about that spot? I asked myself. I have been extremely careful. Even the group didn't know about the spot until they succeeded.

My skill Sealed Directive would reveal the location of the spot only if the job succeeded.

Of the four of my teams, only one succeeded, and I went to collect the artifact from a secret location that would be revealed only after the success, but I sensed a trap.

They were waiting for me, and if not for my skills alerting me, I would have been caught. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

My cover would have been blown. It would have destroyed my life and reputation.

I work in the underworld, but I don't want to live in it. I like my respectable merchant persona, and I want to die in it, peacefully. Those who live in the underworld rarely have that comfortable a fate.

It could still happen.

I could feel their trackers' skill; they were closing in. I am resisting, but I won't be able to do it for long.

I have to find a way to get out.

A few minutes later, I reached a small inn. It is one of the few that I had booked. I slipped past the night clerk and reached my room.

I have placed a few things here, like a makeup kit. These things help reduce the effectiveness of tracking skills.

Counter skills aren't the only way; these types of solutions helped me more than I could remember.

I need to get out of here fast. I will think about the losses later; I have a whole life in front of me to recover from them. As long as I am alive and not behind bars, I will recover.

I went directly to the bathroom and removed the kit from behind the counter.

"It will not help you."

I mixed the quick dye and was about to apply it to my hair when I heard the deep, sonorous voice behind me. I turned fast, bringing out an enchanted, hidden dagger. I keep it for my safety.

I may not be a fighter, but I am still a Lv. 40 powerhouse. Many of those who underestimated me ended up losing their lives.

I also kept my finger on Secret Escapes. It is my trump card, and I will use it if there is no choice.

I saw the red figure sitting on the throne-like chair.

He looked real, but I know he is not. He is a big man, but not big enough to be a giant blood.

He is wearing a beautiful red-black suit with raven-black hair. Silvery smoke masks his face. I could see nothing but those deep blue eyes, fixed on me.

"Who are you?" I asked, bringing out my aura and pushing my presence skill.

It immediately covered the entire room, but to my utter shock, I could not sense the man at all.

As if he were not here.

"My name didn't matter, but if you want to call me something, then call me Mister Red," he replied languidly, as if it really didn't matter what I called him.

"Why do you say it will not help me?" I asked, watching him carefully. "Because Halmis Yaros had just joined in the hunt for you," he replied.

That statement alarmed me.

That man is a hunter; he has a specialised class that helps him track and hunt people. I heard Ralis Thorn had hired him for a month at a great price.

"I did not sense his skills," I said. I didn't sense it; I should have. The man is not Lv. 50.

"Then you should really focus on your class," he replied unhurriedly. I looked at him suspiciously; he could use the chance to attack me, but I quickly shook my head.

He is powerful. So much so that I couldn't even sense him; if he wanted to kill me, he would have already done so.

So, I closed my eyes and focused on the class; at first, I sensed nothing other than the tracking skills I had felt earlier, and was about to give up, when I sensed something very faint.

I had to focus on everything to sense the skill finally, and when I did, my eyes widened.

I opened my eyes and saw the figure watching me just as before.

"How long do I have?" I asked while looking at the exit. "Fifteen minutes, ten at least," he replied in a voice filled with confidence.

"What do you want from me?" I asked finally.

Of course, he wants something. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have shown up and shown willingness to help me.

As for his coming to stall me, I do not believe it. If they had known where I was, they would have come already. There is at least one mage in Ralis Thorn's service who knows short-distance teleport.

"To save you, of course, Vice-Guildmaster," he replied, and I shuddered.

I was hoping he wouldn't know my true identity, but no such luck. Means my plan of disappearing after getting his help had just gone down the drain.

I hope it's not an artifact; he wants.

"Why?" I asked. "As you can see, I do not have an artifact on me," I added, to which they laughed.

It is deep and sonorous, like his voice.

Artifact is the only reason I could think of for him trying to help me. I am not trying to lessen my chances of survival; I am just saving time, given that my survival is in his hands.

"No, I do not want stolen artifacts," he replied. "Though I would be more than willing to buy them at a fair price, if you can get me the ones without trouble attached,"

Hearing that, I felt relieved.

"Then why do you want to save me?" I asked. "Because I want you to work for me," he replied simply.

It surprised me. It shouldn't have been; I have nothing other than my levels and connections.

Still hearing that, I wanted to say no immediately, but I also knew I wouldn't be able to escape without his help.

"I will not sign any contract or agree to an unreasonable skill pact," I stated, and he laughed. "I do not need you to sign anything," He replied.

I heaved a sigh of relief.

"I will contact you if I need anything. There won't be any pressure on you to agree. If you do, I am going to pay handsomely for your services." He said, and I wanted to snort at that.

He knows my identity, and unless I want to abandon that, run away, I cannot say no to him.

I know people like him; if I tried to run away, he would hunt me down. So, at least for a short while, I will do as he says, until I get out of his clutches.

"Very well," I replied.

As I had said that, I felt the power covering me. It was only for a fraction of a second; it disappeared as it came, taking all tracing marks with it.

"You can go back to your inn, Vice-Guildmaster. As long as you do nothing suspicious, you will be fine," he said, and he disappeared from the room.

I stayed frozen in my place for several seconds before walking toward the door.

Most of the worries I had been feeling when I came inside earlier had disappeared, but now other thoughts came into my mind. Like, who was this man, and what had I gotten myself into by agreeing?

I pushed those thoughts away; they are not important.

The most important thing is getting out without being captured or killed. There will be time to deal with things I had gotten myself into.