Chapter 8
I jumped up from my seat.
‘Is this guy crazy?’
Would anyone do something that could ruin someone else’s life?
“Leave the job to a stupid astrologer who can’t even manage her own money?”
Fortunately, Kin didn’t see me as that extraordinary a talent…
“Nothing to lose, really. If you don’t catch her, it’ll just be revealed that she’s a fraud. If you do, great.”
‘…That bastard!’
I clenched my fist under my sleeve.
‘I want to grab those gray hairs and pull them out!’
While I trembled, trying not to show Kin that I wanted to yank the hair off Checker’s head, Kin seemed to have quickly organized his thoughts and nodded.
“You’re right. It’s a bet with nothing to lose.”
I screamed internally.
‘No way!’
“Astrologer, bring me specific information about the counterfeit coin maker. The time frame… two weeks should be enough. Your star won’t be that incompetent, will it?”
This human is definitely a walking disaster who strolled right into my life.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t keep saying things like this every time we meet!
A sigh escaped me.
‘I came out here for seventeen gold coins and now I might quickly exit this world.’
Should I feel honored that a poor girl from the slums somehow managed to get a ticket to the afterlife worth seventeen gold coins?
…Anyway, the important thing here isn’t the value of my life.
“Esmeralda, you got a request from the boss to catch a con artist, right? How are you going to find them?”
Ricky, who always had the fastest rumors, came up and nudged me.
“Are you going to wander around with that weird stick again this time?”
Seeing my worried expression, he could at least pretend to be concerned, but he looked like he was openly excited.
I shook my head.
“Sigh, what do I expect from you…”
“Expect what?”
“This time it’s about finding a person, so it’s different from last time. To be told outright to find a scammer… I have no idea how to even start.”
“Can’t you figure it out with your crystal ball or cards?”
I almost said, ‘I’m not a fortune teller, how would I know?’ but unfortunately, my current identity was that of a fortune teller.
I swallowed the words.
“…I need concrete clues to ask the cards or the stars. What can I do if there’s nothing to ask about?”
“So your ability has some rules too? Complicated.”
Ricky scratched his head. I grabbed his hand and held it tightly.
“Ricky!”
“What? Why are you groping my hand?”
“Help me! You said you know the rumors around here best. You don’t need to do much. Just say a few words while I’m around.”
Ricky was young but had an unusual ability.
He was an Awakened who could blend into a person’s shadow. In other words, Ricky’s skill was perfect for eavesdropping or subtly acquiring information.
‘No wonder he’s Kin’s right-hand man at the heart of the Ashen Fortress.’
Because of this ability, Ricky had access to more information than others.
I had to get his help somehow.
“No way. Why should I bother helping you?”
Ricky tried to pull his hand back, and I quickly spoke.
“Do you think I’d ask you for free? Of course, I’ll pay!”
Ricky’s hand relaxed a bit.
Sure enough, this guy was like me. He loved money. So much that he could be called a miser!
“…How much?”
“Ten gold coins upfront, and one gold coin for each additional time you help. How’s that?”
“Per time? Not bad. Fine, I’ll accept.”
In an instant, we sealed the deal.
It seemed like a very unfair contract, but what could I do?
After all, my life was worth more than ten gold coins.
With at least one ally on my side, I felt a bit relieved.
Next, I had to find someone related to the investigation.
“Six suspects came up, and we searched them completely, even under their underwear, but found nothing.”
Pretending to be an investigator, he chewed the ends of rolled-up tobacco leaves and waved his hands.
“None of them are the one. We need to find new suspects. After months of running around, we’re completely screwed.”
“Can I see their faces personally?”
“I told you, none of them. Don’t you trust me?”
“To trace the culprit’s steps, one must first check the flow of fate…”
“What are you talking about?”
“Wait a second.”
Ricky slipped between me and Chuck and tossed a small pouch at Chuck. Chuck’s eyes widened as he opened it.
“This is… oh!”
“Chuck’s favorite Sant San tobacco leaves. You said the lady confiscated them all recently?”
“Kid, where did you steal these like a little rat?”
Chuck laughed and sniffed the tobacco leaves.
“Ha! What a feeling! You gave me something hard to get, so I can’t stay calm. Come on, I’ll give you the list of suspects.”
Oh, bribery during work, and now he’s showing the data. The Ashen Fortress is truly rotten.
Ricky followed behind Chuck, winking with one eye and mouthing something.
‘Charging separately for the tobacco leaves?’
This kid really is sharp as a twig.
There were six suspects in total: four men and two women, ages ranging from their 20s to 60s. Naturally, all had criminal records.
The report confirmed what Chuck said: they were all ordinary, decent criminals. There was no evidence of the culprit.
“What do you feel? How is it?”
I could feel Ricky and Chuck looking at me with curious eyes.
I collected the cards I had placed on the report with a solemn expression. A meaningless gesture, but I had to at least pretend I wasn’t using any power—it was part of my showmanship.
“Hmm… It’s hard to say for sure. As I said earlier, I’ll need to see their physiognomy directly to be confident.”
I looked confident, but inside I was worried.
‘Chuck has narrowed the suspects well, but I hope the culprit is among these six!’
If the coin forger was among them, keywords related to coin forgery would appear!
After getting Kin’s permission to go out, I stepped outside.
I followed Chuck with Ricky trailing behind.
The village attached to the Ashen Fortress was larger than I expected. There were many children, and it was lively. They didn’t seem wealthy, but impressively, not a single child was begging.
“No hungry kids here.”
I muttered this, and Ricky nodded in agreement.
“Right. These are bastards, sure, but they at least feed the children. That’s why I like this place.”
I opened my mouth slightly.
“Oh…”
In this messed-up world, to see some kind of child welfare is surprising. And in a place like the Ashen Fortress!
Seeing my astonishment, Ricky bragged a little.
“Impressive, right? That’s all thanks to our boss. You’d be shocked at how well he treats his subordinates. Hehe.”
His voice carried admiration bordering on worship for Kin.
‘Well, he’s a teenage girl too.’
At that age, it’s natural to idolize something.
Even more so if the idol is a ruthless but handsome crime boss… it’s not that strange.
“We’ve arrived.”
Lost in thought, we reached the first suspect’s house.
–Bang bang bang!
Chuck knocked hard on the loosely closed door.
“Hey! Aaron! Open up! If I count to five and you don’t, we’ll break in!”
Soon, the door creaked open.
“…Chuck? Why are you back? The investigation’s over. I told you it wasn’t me.”
A pale, weak-looking man came out. Having never seen sunlight or eaten properly, his face looked hollow.
I stared into his eyes, and his profile popped up.
「Name: Aaron
Race: Human
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Hometown: Gerk Basin
Traits: Chronic fatigue, bibliophile, quack, behind-the-scenes operator, Awakened (Alchemist)」
