After listening intently to the thieves' conversation while hidden in the shadows of their camp, Kaizen was able to gain useful information for his mission.
Still, learning that the theory that the Library of the Magi had been attacked was true, and that Alina had bravely resisted, left him with a strange feeling of tightness in his chest.
During the two weeks of preparation for his battle against Taznaar, he had become very involved with the librarian, developing a kind of friendship with her, a special relationship, I would say.
Now he felt it was his duty to find her and bring justice for what had happened, not only for the Craft of the Bow, but also because she was a friend.
With that thought in mind, Kaizen considered his next move while still standing behind one of the tents.
Thanks to the conversation of the two thieves near him, he knew that he had to find their leader personally and get him to reveal everything he knew about the library attack. However, Jeff, the leader of the rock thieves, had been in the main tent since he arrived at the camp, so cornering him would not be an easy task.
I need to find a safe way to get to his tent and then wait for the moment when he is alone, because if I make a mess now, I am sure I will spend a lot of mana until I reach him. Kaizen thought. He knew how to recognize the moments when he needed to act like an idiotic, insignificant tank, and the moments when he could not.
When he came to this conclusion, he looked around more carefully and noticed that less than a meter to his left, there were some clothes on a crate. These clothes reeked of alcohol, but were identical to the clothes worn by all these thieves, i.e. old and tattered.
That will have to do. Kaizen confirmed mentally, letting a brief, closed smile bloom.
After making sure he wasn't in anyone's line of sight, the player reached out to take the smelly clothes and put them on. He then stepped out from behind the tent, the hood of the cloak covering his head, and began to walk normally. Since he was literally the same as most of the thieves in the camp, he didn't attract anyone's attention, and all the thieves continued to talk and go about their business.
And Kaizen was lucky this time, because a few seconds after he left the back of the tent, the former owner of the clothes came back to get them. He had a slightly flushed face and was wearing nothing but white underwear because he had gone to take a bath. At first, the thief wasn't even confused, just annoyed at his companions, after all, he was in a thieves' camp and it was normal for some things to go missing, especially the things of idiots like him.
After scanning the camp with his eyes, Kaizen quickly found the least direct path to the back of the operations center tent so he could hear their conversation.
As he approached the front of the tent, he saw through the gap in the entrance that the leader was sitting at his table, surrounded by his companions and looted treasures. There were many iron objects and gold coins in chests.
The thieves were gathered around the table, and their shadows, cast by the lantern, danced on the walls of the canvas tent. They were in a meeting, discussing a matter that now concerned them deeply.
"... I haven't told you anything yet, except that you're all big enough not to panic, so it's time to stop keeping this a secret. Folks, the famous band of nomadic thieves is moving through our region," said the thief leader. "We all know that they are known to be brutal and ruthless. We must take precautions to protect ourselves."
-n0ve1、com "That's not good at all." One of the thieves agreed.
"They could come here and try to steal everything we have or interfere with our looting areas. We have to act before it's too late, boss."
"I agree. I knew these guys would come here one day, the other parts of the forest are either suffering from fires or the expansion of the big villages," said another thief. "But what can we do? We can't just leave the area for a while and come back when they leave. This is our territory."
"Of course we will not stop protecting what is ours!" Their leader roared angrily, pounding his fist on the table. "We must tighten security around the camp. We must be more vigilant than ever, and we will send our scouts to watch over them constantly until we are ready to finally attack them during the night."
"But what if they do just that and attack us at night?" asked another thief. "We won't be able to see anything in the dark, we won't be able to see them approaching in the forest."
"We need more guards on patrol. I want you to keep a shift routine. I want each of you to guard this place. If you see anything suspicious, don't hesitate to alert the others and me." Jeff said.
"But what if they outnumber us? We'll never be able to fight them off."
"I trust you," the thief leader said, standing up. "We are a group. We will stay together and fight together. They won't surprise us, and if the scouts realize we're in big trouble, I know a big guy who owes me a favor now."
The thieves glanced at each other. There was a mixture of determination and concern in their eyes. They knew that facing this famous group of nomadic thieves was a difficult task, but they also knew that they had to protect their territory. With one last look around the camp after leaving the main tent, they dispersed, ready to do whatever was necessary to keep their home safe.
Kaizen took a deep breath and entered the tent after everyone had left. Only the leader of the thieves remained in the tent, looking anxiously at the flickering flame of the lantern.
"What now? What do you want?" Jeff asked impatiently, turning his head in the direction of the silhouette entering the hut.
But when Kaizen pulled off his hood and revealed his face, the thief leader's nervous expression turned to a mixture of surprise and confusion.
"Who are you? I know you're not one of mine," he said.
"You will tell me everything you know about the attack on the Library of the Magi." Kaizen said firmly.
"And who are you to threaten me, boy? I'm not easily intimidated. In fact, I don't know anything about what you said."
Kaizen couldn't back down, so he pulled back the left part of his cloak a little, revealing a very thin sword in its sheath. This sword was unlike anything the simple thief had ever seen in his miserable life, this sword radiated a strangely intimidating aura all on its own.
"I know you have contacts with the magicians who did this, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to find out the truth. And make no mistake, I can be very persuasive when I need to be. Come on, start talking."
The thief leader's eyes widened as he looked at the sword, but he was also bold.
"I've already said I don't know what you're talking about, boy. And even if I did, I wouldn't share it with a complete stranger. Now answer me, who are you and who are you working for? You understand the situation you're in, don't you? One scream and every man in this camp will be here in less than ten seconds, and they're not in the habit of keeping their cool like I am. Jeff affirmed, maintaining his defensive posture, and then smiled. "You may be very persuasive, but I am also quite resistant to pressure."
Kaizen knew that he would have to be cunning to get the information he wanted from these people. Hiding his sword again with his cloak, he tried to approach the leader in a different way, only without losing the aura of intimidation.
"Try screaming and you will see what a real bloodbath is. You think you know what danger is and that you know what death is, but I swear you only think that because you have never seen me fight. I understand that you don't trust me, and I don't expect you to. But think of what you and your group can gain by working with me. Maybe there is something you want, and I can help you get it if you give me what I want.
The thief leader seemed to ponder Kaizen's words.
"I see what you're trying to do, but I can't risk it yet. I need to know more about you and your intentions before I share confidential information," he said, crossing his arms.
Kaizen understood the position of the thieves' leader and knew that he would have to gain some of their trust to, shall we say, make them more inclined to reveal the information he sought.
"You want to know about me, don't you? Well, I don't usually talk to thieves, but since I need information, I'll give you this vote of confidence. I come from Midgard, a place outside of Olaynore."
The thief leader's eyes widened again and he asked loudly:
"Midgard?! The fantastic land outside the realms?"
...
Edited by: DrHitsuji
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