The Elusive Sorcerer

Chapter 131

The three of them exchanged glances before tension swallowed the corner of the alley.

'James Moriarty? Who's that? I've never heard of him at all...'

They began weighing Zavi's identity, the name sounding familiar and suggesting he came from the West.

"So, Mister... bamboo hat," said a man wearing a classic tailcoat over a white shirt. "Could you tell me why you're here?" His deep dark-brown eyes scanned Zavi from head to toe.

'So this is how a man from Nature dresses.'

"... James Moriarty?" said the man in the hat. "Are you from Nature?"

Nature. Almost everyone in that province carried the same two-word naming pattern. Zavi only realized this after the man in the hat tried digging into his true identity. Still, he had already prepared a plan that would allow him to survive under these circumstances.

"Yes, your intuition is absolutely correct," said Zavi, lifting the front of his bamboo hat to reveal his face, even though he knew they could only see it vaguely.

They exchanged confused looks before the man in the hat spoke in his heavy voice;

"Looking closer, your face is hidden beneath that bamboo hat. There must be a special reason why you came to us, right?"

Zavi chuckled softly and said in admiration,

"Sir... you're quite sharp. No wonder not just anyone can enter Chavez..."

The sarcasm faded as Zavi lowered his bamboo hat and spoke in a low voice, almost a whisper:

"I can help solve the problem in this city," he said with a sinister smile before continuing, "But of course, there's a price."

"A price?" Nison repeated with a calculating gaze.

Zavi nodded and said, "The price isn't expensive. Just 15 Pace, and you can hire me to solve this city's problem."

Nison, the man in the hat with brown eyes and dark circles beneath them, combined with the same suit style as his two companions, looked confused by the offer.

As they tried thinking further ahead into the future: if the five Chalog living inside that mansion were killed, then the people of Chavez would finally be freed from the shadow of fear.

After much consideration, and since they were also from the Vertan security department in central Chavez, they reflexively checked the remaining money inside their tailcoat pockets to see whether it would be enough to pay for Zavi's extermination service.

Nison pulled several crumpled Pace bills from his jacket pocket and was shocked by how little money remained.

'Damn it, these five Pace are enough for two days of food and drinks, and I haven't even been paid yet. But will this extermination idea bring long-term good for us?'

The man in the hat, named Jackson, began considering the money he still carried.

'This... might be enough to pay him... Of course, if we split the cost...'

He glanced at his two friends, hoping they would chip in together.

Nael, a dark-brown-eyed man who looked as though he'd lost sight of the world itself from constantly staying awake lately patrolling narrow alleys, finally spoke in a tired tone;

"James Moriarty," said Nael, "I, uh, I mean we... would like to hire you to exterminate those Chalog."

'Asking further about the man in the bamboo hat isn't really my habit,' Nael added inwardly while letting out a deep sigh, as though he'd finally be freed from this burden.

Zavi smiled faintly and said in a slightly louder voice, "Thank you for your cooperation."

After skillfully observing the surroundings, as though unwilling to waste the moment, Zavi quickly added;

"So, how many monsters are living inside that mansion?"

"Five, as far as we know," they answered in unison.

Zavi stroked his chin, thinking briefly before asking, "What Type is living in that house?"

'If it's a Silent Type, I'll back off and leave it to Aaron.' Zavi glanced behind him, staring at Aaron, who seemed to be watching something.

Jackson and Nison appeared to be thinking hard, trying to remember what kind of Chalog Type inhabited the mansion.

The two of them already knew the answer for certain and were about to speak, but Nael beat them to it.

"Hunter Type, five of them, wandering around inside and usually coming out near evening. That's all I know."

Zavi nodded and said in a slightly heavy tone,

"The system is simple, send the money first, and afterward you can choose whichever Chalog body part you want as proof."

"Hmm, then can we take the legs?" Nison muttered.

Jackson, hearing that, rejected the idea of legs as proof and finally voiced his personal opinion.

"The head... can we have the monster's head?" Jackson asked in his heavy voice, narrowing down any possible cheating Zavi might attempt.

Nael agreed with the suggestion by nodding, while Nison, who previously wanted the legs as proof, finally accepted it wholeheartedly after realizing there was truth in the idea that legs were probably the worst proof he could've asked for.

After considering it briefly, Zavi agreed to the request. He stretched out his hand with his palm wide open and said;

"15 Pace, please hand it to me first."

"Can you really be trusted that easily?" Jackson asked doubtfully. "How about I give you 5 Pace first, and the rest once you've brought back the creature's head?"

"Hmm, not bad either. Oh right, I forgot to ask the most important information. Where exactly is the Chalog terrorizing the people of Chavez?"

Without hesitation, Nael answered, his voice even louder than before.

"At the turn leading to Vader Street, on the corner, there's an abandoned mansion. You'll easily find the alley because on the sidewalk at the entrance, there's a tray filled with various flowers. A golden plate filled with water, and Norn delicacies alongside opened coconuts."

Zavi instantly understood what Nael meant.

'A way of paying respect to Goddess Nagreitta, huh?'

He nodded before finally speaking while tilting his bamboo hat forward.

"Thank you for the information." Zavi wore a faint smile, one that made all of them understand exactly what that smile meant.

With a tired expression, Nael pulled out the remaining 5 Pace and dropped it into the bamboo hat.

Zavi took the money with relief, slipping it into the pocket of his fur-lined jacket before turning away from the three of them.

After walking several steps away from where he'd been talking, Zavi stopped a few meters from Aaron, who was standing alone and looked confused after realizing Hana and Mine had disappeared.

"What did you do to those women?" Zavi asked to make sure.

Aaron looked confused and couldn't answer immediately. But while glancing at Zavi, who looked far more energized than before, he finally explained how the two of them had disappeared.

"I told them to look for a proper place to stay."

"Using your treasure stash?" Zavi asked before continuing, "I've got a job. Want to come watch it?"

"A job?"

Aaron didn't understand, and only then realized Zavi hadn't wanted the 50 Pace he had split earlier. But in truth, Zavi simply didn't want to get used to constantly receiving free money without putting in any effort.

"Maybe I'll just keep an eye on you," Aaron said thoughtfully.

"Alright then. We're heading to Vader."

'South Chavez, right?'

Zavi walked steadily, and the moment he stepped out of the alley, his eyes swept across several people already going about their activities.

The two of them immediately blended into the crowd and headed south toward Chavez, to Vader Street.

6:30 AM.

After walking for several minutes, Zavi was startled when he arrived in southern Chavez and saw airships beginning to operate, flying at an altitude of roughly a hundred meters.

'Must belong to someone important ruling over Chavez...'

After muttering to himself, Zavi straightened his gaze forward, staring at the rusted iron fence, the crooked framework, and the claw marks lining the mansion walls inside.

He swallowed hard as he leaped onto the surrounding wall with the help of his abilities and spirituality.

He looked down at Aaron, who stood below with a slight frown in his eyes.

"Aaron, just wait down there. I might need your help if I get cornered."

Aaron nodded and said, "Alright. Good luck."

Zavi immediately jumped down, pressing down his bamboo hat, causing his jacket to flutter briefly before he landed on the ground.

A rancid stench stabbed into his nose with every step, making his breathing uneven as Zavi stood before a massive faded black-brown door.

Zavi pushed the large door open with trembling hands, and the sound of grinding wood along with suffocating air hit his face the moment the door creaked open.

With the pistol he'd obtained back then in Minehold, Zavi raised it level with his head using both hands. His eyes swept through the surroundings, wary in case the Chalog attacked silently.

Then, while standing on the second stair, Zavi heard a low groan echoing from the corridor to the right, instantly causing him to point the old brown pistol without blinking once.

Thinking it might've been hesitation making him hallucinate, Zavi immediately continued climbing the stairs.

Until he reached the final step, where he was suddenly startled by a Hunter Type Chalog whose face was almost directly in front of his.

Startled, Zavi reflexively pulled the trigger, and the bullet pierced through a painting of a pale-faced woman wearing a luxurious and elegant red gown, its frame hanging along the corridor wall.

Then, he immediately dropped himself lower so he could comfortably observe the Chalog's movements.

Realizing there truly was a Chalog, just as the three men had described, a Hunter Type, Zavi became completely serious. He wasn't joking around anymore because for now, he had chosen not to use his powers.

Bang!

A second gunshot rang out as he saw the Hunter Type Chalog charging wildly down the stairs.

Zavi instantly shifted to the right to evade it.

Then...

Bang!

The bullet tore through the air at blistering speed and struck directly into the leg of the Chalog that had previously resembled a black panther.

Aghhhh....

The Chalog's roar made Aaron, who had been leaning against the wall near the fence, instinctively glance backward.

"So it's started, huh?" he muttered softly before his gaze swept around the area.

Inside the mansion, Zavi busily searched for an opening while continuously running to avoid the Chalog charging at him in erratic movements.

Eventually, he arrived beside the grand staircase, waiting for the Chalog to emerge from the corridor.

The moment the Chalog stepped out of the corridor, blood splattering with every step it took.

Zavi, wearing a tired smile after playing with it for quite a while, pulled the trigger.

Bang! Bang!

The bullets inside the magazine were gone.