Chapter 58
Wherever large crowds gather, incidents are inevitable.
Even more so at an event where goods are bought and sold.
The moment the scream rang out, a commotion erupted, drawing people’s attention.
But because there were so many people, all that could be heard was murmuring confused, and it was difficult to tell what had happened.
“What is it? What is going on…?”
Just as people craned their necks to peer over, someone suddenly burst out, shoving shoulders aside with all their might.
“Ugh!”
“What—kyaaah…!”
The people who were shoved stumbled, and screams erupted in a chain.
Feet were stepped on, bodies collapsed as they struggled to keep their balance.
Through the gap created by those who fell, one person came charging out.
Their face was wrapped all around with something like white cloth, leaving only their eyes visible, and one hand was tightly clutching something.
Behind the fallen people, the stall owner finally managed to poke their head out and shouted.
“M-my goods…! Hey, hey, someone catch that person!”
Despite the stall owner’s cry, the thief wrapped in white cloth did not slow down.
They dodged people who could not bring themselves to block the way for fear of falling like those behind them, or shoved aside those who failed to move in time, and ran on.
As they quickly put distance between themselves and the stall they had stolen from, they glanced down at the item in their hand.
‘This is it, right? This is definitely it! With this…!’
To escape toward an emptier area, the thief whipped their head around, scanning their surroundings.
Then, spotting a gap between buildings where there were no people, they sprinted even faster in that direction.
At the end of that path was a single person who looked like a mercenary with ash-gray hair, sitting crookedly as if resting.
And beside them stood a slender black-haired young man dressed in fine clothing.
Only the two of them.
“Hey, you there! Move if you do not want to die—!”
The thief shouted roughly.
If they did not move, he intended to plow straight through.
Yet despite the shout, the two people ahead did not dodge.
Instead, the black-haired young man tilted his head crookedly and folded his arms.
Without even taking his eyes off the thief, he silently moved his lips.
The ash-gray-haired mercenary merely shrugged and continued to watch the situation calmly from where they sat.
With the scar running across one eye, the mercenary had a sharp, intimidating impression.
They clearly did not look ordinary, but the thief thought to himself that they did not seem inclined to block his path or even stand up.
In that case… all he had to do was knock aside that frail-looking young man.
“Moveeeee!”
The thief changed direction and charged straight at the black-haired young man.
And that was the worst decision of his life.
Whir—crack!
The instant he turned his body, a hand shot forward and seized his throat.
“…Ghk—kuhk!”
Menacing dark brown eyes.
Cahena grabbed the thief’s neck with tremendous grip strength and slammed him straight into the ground.
***
“…Tsk.”
He had wondered what the scream was about, but—
Looking down at the thief who had smashed his head into the ground and passed out cold, Aquila clicked his tongue softly.
‘That is a remarkably inventive way to commit suicide.’
If he had run toward Cahena, she would not have let him go, but he probably would not have suffered such severe pain. Yet he had turned toward Aquila instead.
Between the two, Aquila must have looked like the easier target, but…
“How dare you run at our young master.”
Cahena removed her hand from the thief’s neck and cracked her fingers.
Judging by the vivid marks left behind, she had nearly crushed his neck bones before stopping at the last moment.
That level of control was not difficult for Cahena.
‘Still, she has gotten sensitive because of the Guild of Darkness.’
It would have been enough to subdue him simply, yet she had gone so far.
Aquila shook his head.
“What should we do with this one?”
“What do you mean, what should we do? We hand him over to the guards.”
“Stealing in a place this crowded… this fellow has some nerve, does he not?”
Cahena clicked her tongue.
Then she grabbed the thief by the nape of his neck with one hand and lifted him up effortlessly.
The item the thief had been holding rolled out of his grasp and fell to the ground.
‘What is this?’
Aquila crouched and picked it up.
It was slightly smaller than his hand.
The square shape looked like a box, but it was hard like stone, with no rough edges, and its surface was as smooth as marble.
Above all, despite looking like stone, it felt almost weightless.
‘…This is the black metal that only comes from the eastern dungeons.’
Aquila’s eyes widened at the unexpected object.
A pitch-black surface, as dark as an abyss, as if it would not let even a speck of light pass through.
And etched upon it were golden wave-like patterns unique to black metal.
“Did he steal something impressive in broad daylight?”
Cahena asked, lightly swinging the thief she was holding from side to side.
“…Hard to say. It is not exactly something extraordinary.”
When Aquila showed her what he was holding, Cahena tilted her head.
“…What is that? A black stone? A box?”
“It is black metal that only comes from eastern dungeons. It looks heavy, but it is very light.”
“What? Light?”
At Cahena’s doubtful look, Aquila placed the square block of black metal into her free hand.
“Oh? You are right.”
Letting out a sound of amazement, Cahena tossed it lightly a few times, caught it, then shook it near her ear.
“I have only heard rumors of eastern dungeons. So what is this used for?”
“How would I know?”
“…What?”
Cahena froze and stared.
“You knew it was black metal, did you not? From a book or whatever.”
“Of course. It has the wave pattern, and it is light.”
“But you do not know what it is used for?”
Aquila shrugged lightly.
“I said I do not know. This is not a finished item. It is just material.”
“Material?”
“Yes. This square shape is the original form that drops—rather, is discovered—in dungeons. It has never been worked on.”
“Oh. I thought someone had carved it. Dungeons really are strange places. Still, then what can you make with it?”
“A lot of things. In the east, they mostly use it to make weapons, but…”
Once melted, it would never melt again, making it difficult to handle. However, even a small amount could reduce a weapon’s weight, and once shaped, it would not melt under any heat. Those were the advantages of black metal.
When Aquila crooked his finger as if asking for it back, Cahena returned it.
“I do not know what he intended to do with it after stealing it. Still, dungeon items are rare, and this comes out in small quantities, so it would fetch a high price.”
“Oh? So he stole it to sell? Well, who knows what goes on in a thief’s head.”
Cahena shrugged, then looked at the thief’s face and finally untied the white cloth wrapped around it.
But perhaps because she had slammed him into the ground by the neck, his face was swollen, his nose was broken, and he was covered in blood, making it impossible to tell what he originally looked like.
‘…She really wrecked him.’
When Aquila shot her a look, Cahena shrugged as if it could not be helped.
In any case, aside from his ruined face, there did not seem to be anything particularly distinctive about him.
‘I thought he might be a demi-human because he knew about black metal.’
Knowing about black metal meant having knowledge of the east.
So Aquila had briefly thought he might not be human, but that did not seem to be the case.
Then again, even though Portplum was closer to the north, there were routes connected to the east, so eastern knowledge was not that strange.
It was while Aquila was looking down at the thief, who showed no signs of waking up—
“Ah! Th-th-that thief…! You caught him!”
Someone came running toward them from afar.
The first thing that caught Aquila’s eye was a large jade-colored earring hanging from one ear.
A woman who looked to be in her thirties, with white hair tied tightly back and loose, practical clothes suitable for movement.
The merchant ran up energetically, then bent over with her hands on her knees, panting heavily.
“Ha, huff…! Ah, I am exhausted…!”
She seemed to have followed the commotion the thief caused all the way here.
Aquila quickly scanned the merchant’s appearance.
‘…Eastern attire.’
It was not something commonly seen in Igrail or the central regions.
After briefly noting the cord tied at her waist, Aquila extended the black metal in his hand.
“…Are you the owner of the item that was stolen?”
“Huff…! Y-yes! I am the owner of that item…!”
The merchant finally caught her breath, lifted her head, and bowed repeatedly in thanks.
“If it were not for you two…! Thank you for catching that damned thief!”
Only then did she notice the thief’s swollen face, but although she looked startled, she did not seem to recognize him.
When asked whether she knew the thief, she shook her head.
“…I do not know him. But you see, this is quite a valuable thing.”
“Yes. I know what it is. Black metal sells for a high price.”
“Oh! You know about it? Many people do not, especially since it is in its original form.”
The merchant’s eyes lit up as she quickly looked Aquila over.
Then her previously sharp expression softened, and she smiled broadly, wrinkles forming at the corners of her eyes.
She seemed to have realized Aquila was a noble.
However, Aquila did not show it and instead held out the black metal.
“It would be quite expensive to display and sell it openly outside.”
“Oh, absolutely! This time, it happened while my escort stepped away for a moment, so I was completely caught off guard.”
“Selling it elsewhere would be more profitable than at a street stall.”
“Ah, well, that is true, but… I only came briefly because of the festival, and I am selling other items together as well.”
The merchant accepted the black metal, then smiled brightly.
“Right! Since you are here anyway, would you like to take a look? You caught that thief for me, so I will give you a discount! What do you say?”
It was obvious she did not want to miss a noble customer.
Normally, Aquila would have declined, but eastern goods piqued his interest as well.
‘If she has black metal, she might have other unusual things too.’
When Aquila glanced at Cahena, the guard shook her head as if she already knew what he was going to say.
“Did not Shen tell you to stay right here?”
Shen and Heinen were still nowhere to be seen.
That was only natural, since there was some distance between the outskirts and where the carriage was stationed.
They had gone to a designated spot to avoid obstructing traffic.
“I can wait, but this one needs to be handed over to the guards.”
“Ah, well, I could take him over myself… no, that would not work.”
Cahena scratched the back of her head.
If she went to see the guards, Aquila would be left here alone, which was not acceptable.
Nor could they have the merchant carry the thief along.
After alternating her gaze between the thief and the merchant, Cahena let out a deep sigh.
“Gnh! We have to head that way anyway… Fine, but only for a moment. Just quickly, all right? Otherwise I will get scolded!”
“Fine. Since it is on the way.”
With no other choice, Aquila nodded to the merchant.
“Let us go.”
“Yes! Come on, follow me! Be careful, or you might get swept away by the crowd!”
Smiling broadly, the merchant led the way with brisk steps.