The Elusive Sorcerer

Chapter 158

He had mistakenly believed that experiencing autonomous movement would grant him understanding. In reality, he gained nothing at all, like a fledgling bird that watches hundreds of adult birds fly past from time to time without ever learning to fly itself.

At the corner of Kan Alley 39, James Moriarty arrived at the previous location, not with his clone.

He was slightly surprised to see all of them hiding in the alley under the dim glow of streetlights and lanterns, leaving six horses and the money and jewelry behind the open gate.

"What exactly are you all doing?" was what James Moriarty wanted to say, but he held himself back because it would ruin his image.

Knowing that James Moriarty would arrive, Luis and Evelina walked toward him, followed by the ten men, with Luifis acting as the pistol and revolver that controlled their lives and deaths.

"Why did you suddenly disappear?" Evelina asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

James Moriarty remained silent for two seconds before saying firmly, "That is none of your concern, and my business of capturing them is finished."

Without hesitation, James Moriarty immediately revealed his true purpose for coming here.

"Where is my payment?" he asked with the same unwavering gaze.

Evelina looked at Luifis.

"Give him the money."

Luifis nodded as he holstered his revolver and pistol without the slightest hesitation.

As James Moriarty's sharp gaze swept across them, he looked at one of the people he had controlled earlier.

He flicked a piece of jewelry toward him, and the man named Nuken caught the pearl ornament with a look of disbelief.

"...Is this for me?"

At first, Nuken did not believe it, but after seeing James Moriarty nod, a relieved smile immediately appeared on his face, which had previously lost all meaning in life.

Meanwhile, Luifis reached into his suit, took out a sum of money, and said firmly, "This is your payment, and thank you for accepting this job."

Several bills disappeared into James Moriarty's suit pocket.

However, it was not over yet. There was still one more surprise that left them briefly speechless when James Moriarty revealed his true objective after glancing at the gold and jewelry behind him.

"Your leader? Where is your leader now?"

The bald, mustached man looked at him.

"You mean Boss Wohel?"

'Damn, I just remembered his name.'

After a moment of thought, James Moriarty quickly added:

"Tell me where he is now."

With an unloaded revolver, James Moriarty intimidated them all as he prepared to pull the trigger.

The thin-framed nobleman from the fallen Monelli family, Owen, stepped forward as a shield for his companions.

"He... is already dead. Or rather, he disappeared this morning and was declared dead..."

Evelina was immediately shocked when she heard that.

"How could that man be dead?"

'This... this doesn't fit my plan to pit James Moriarty against him... even though I've already made the outskirts safe.'

Owen Monelli looked at her skeptically.

"If you don't believe me, just ask them." His fear-filled gaze swept over his companions.

Aris nodded.

"Owen is right. Boss Wohel died this morning."

Another man named Fatir spoke softly, "Whether he's truly dead or just disappeared after leaving subordinates scattered throughout the outskirts, you won't be meeting him. That man is extremely cunning when it comes to business."

Not wanting more trouble, James Moriarty immediately revealed his true intention for letting them live.

"What are your names?"

They seemed hesitant, but Owen Monelli answered immediately, caring about nothing except surviving.

"Owen Monelli."

James Moriarty nodded and gestured for him to come closer.

Time seemed to slow as the other nine men sank into their own thoughts.

'We're doomed... how stupid can you be to answer that man's question!' Fatir thought while looking at the four men standing before him.

'Pretty bold of him to follow that man's orders.' Nuken thought with a nod.

The bald, mustached man thought:

'This is bad. I hope that bastard doesn't call on me.'

The man wearing a classic hat standing beside Aris thought:

'What exactly is he thinking? I know Owen is very skilled at deception. But against that man, I'm not sure those tricks will work.'

James Moriarty observed them carefully, aware that each of them was thinking about Owen. It was merely intuition from reading their expressions, nothing more.

"Owen," James Moriarty said calmly. "You will be the primary diversion in the operation two months from now."

Owen froze and looked at James Moriarty in confusion.

"Eh...?"

The nine companions who had been worrying about Owen's fate also became confused after hearing those words.

After dismissing Owen, he continued with his plan.

"What is your name?" James Moriarty asked, pointing at a man standing behind Nuken.

"Wildan," answered a brown-haired man whose hair was combed back.

"You are part of the diversion team."

James Moriarty continued selecting people carefully.

"What is your name?"

"Geron," answered a man with straight black hair standing beside the bald, mustached man.

"You will be part of the initiator team," James Moriarty said calmly, sensing that Geron was hiding something.

He continued doing this until he had selected people for each group, which he then divided into three teams.

Initiator, diversion, and execution.

"Nuken, Fatir, Geron, and Aris will be in the initiator team.

"Wildan, Owen, Azza, and Culha will be in the diversion team.

"Rapal and Zojan, the bald mustached man. You'll be in the execution team with me and those two."

James Moriarty pointed at Luis and Luifis without even knowing what exactly he was planning.

"Tell us what you want," said Culha, the disheveled-haired man who had been observing James Moriarty's behavior earlier.

"We are going to take these goods and sell them at the Ountakana Auction," James Moriarty replied, slipping his revolver into his belt.

Evelina, who knew about his insane plan, was left speechless.

'Moriarty, are you really going through with this? Still, with a fallen Monelli noble in Ratastusan, I feel much more confident about the plan.'

She cleared her throat, walked over to him, and said in her calm voice, "Then I'll leave it to all of you and... don't forget to share the profits from the loot."

James Moriarty smiled faintly, trying to tease her.

"As you wish, beautiful lady in the red dress..."

"You will be part of the initiator team," James Moriarty said calmly, sensing that Geron was hiding something.

He continued doing this until he had selected people for each group, which he then divided into three teams.

Initiator, diversion, and execution.

"Nuken, Fatir, Geron, and Aris will be in the initiator team.

"Wildan, Owen, Azza, and Culha will be in the diversion team.

"Rapal and Zojan, the bald mustached man. You'll be in the execution team with me and those two."

James Moriarty pointed at Luis and Luifis without even knowing what exactly he was planning.

"Tell us what you want," said Culha, the disheveled-haired man who had been observing James Moriarty's behavior earlier.

"We are going to take these goods and sell them at the Ountakana Auction," James Moriarty replied, slipping his revolver into his belt.

Evelina, who knew about his insane plan, was left speechless.

'Moriarty, are you really going through with this? Still, with a fallen Monelli noble in Ratastusan, I feel much more confident about the plan.'

She cleared her throat, walked over to him, and said in her calm voice, "Then I'll leave it to all of you and... don't forget to share the profits from the loot."

James Moriarty smiled faintly, trying to tease her.

"As you wish, beautiful lady in the red dress..."

His expression turned serious as he looked at them.

"And one more thing, you must make sure they don't escape..."

After saying that, the role of James Moriarty faded as Zavi became himself again.

"Please keep those valuables safe, alright?"

Shortly after whispering that to Luis, Zavi's body vanished, swallowed by the night fog and the lingering steam that covered part of the streets.

Luis smiled bitterly.

'I'll be waiting for your next crazy stunt, Mr. James Moriarty.'

On the other side, Evelina approached Luifis and whispered, "Take them to that place."

Luifis nodded firmly.

They watched as Luis guided everyone in loading the gold and jewelry. They had been ordered to find carts nearby and attach them to pairs of horses.

The ten men from the tax collector group could only shake their heads and follow his instructions.

They packed everything up and brought the twelve horses to the location Evelina had designated, following Luifis's orders.

Late at night, they arrived in Ource, in Dolley, and stopped at a place filled with lights, yet strangely deserted.

It was an old building belonging to the Kalderan family, one that Evelina could access without her father's or family's knowledge.

The ten men stayed there. They could not escape and survived on bread and water twice a day.

It was truly miserable, but they endured while waiting for the reward from their efforts to survive over the next two months.

....

In Ource, the days passed as swiftly as the lives of flies and dragonflies.

After recovering and no longer being able to endure the pain in her back, Mine was finally allowed to leave the hospital. Aaron was finally free from having to watch out for demons or other supernatural creatures that might attack him. Hana gave thanks as she sang hymns in praise of Goddess Nagreitta. Meanwhile, Zavi was grateful that things had returned to how they were before.

He did not find the striking differences among the three of them strange. Especially Mine's hair, which had begun to grow longer, and Hana's face, which looked cleaner than before.

This included the formal clothing they wore: black suits, white shirts, and red ribbon ties that enhanced their elegance and complemented features that suited their appearance better than their previous outfits.

Aaron remained the same, though his physical and mental condition had changed significantly.

He no longer dwelled on his failure in that battle against the jinn. Instead, he had accepted that every battle could end in defeat, a draw, or even death itself.

They soon continued their journey, traveling farther and deeper into Semilir before reaching their ultimate destination.

The great city of Kuranda awaited their arrival.