LUCIUS

LUCIUS WAS upset about the pyrocaster who killed himself after being apprehended. Bags of mercs were already in his palms, then they slipped through the gaps between his fingers. He could have used the monetary reward for the vacation he had been longing to enjoy on an island south of the Kingdom. But that was life. Things would not go your way sometimes.

He might have lost thousands of mercs, but he gained a crucial piece of information. He started asking around about the Liberatti. To him, it sounded like a clandestine organization that attempted to destabilize or—as their name suggested—to liberate the Kingdom. And a clandestine, it was. Not even him nor the Capitol Constabulary had heard of them before. But he was certain about one thing: they were a terrorist group responsible for the attack on the Senate.

Lucius still got a shot to get rich and live the life that he had always wanted. Tracking down one of the assailants was a side quest he was thrilled to take. He earned the reward from the Constabulary—this time, it was not just an expression of gratitude—though he failed to earn the one from the Marchadesch baron. Now that was over, time to go back to the main quest: solving the late king's murder.

The capital city was still mourning the senators who died in the assault. Their tears for the late king had not dried up yet, then here came another tragedy. The two gruesome incidents struck fear in the hearts of the easygoing citizens. The once busy areas of Polarcus became almost deserted. Parents locked the kids in their houses. The number of constables roaming every street in the city doubled. Most establishments closed temporarily, either to mourn with everyone else or out of fear for another potential attack.

With the entire city paralyzed, Lucius and his partner Isabella found it hard to hail a carriage. They intended to visit the Grand Cathedral of the Church of Arcanus and ask the high priest for the list of registered arcasters who could have murdered the king. They waited for half an hour outside their office, but no carriage drove past them. Left with no choice, the duo had to walk their way from the downtown district to the hilltop area. And that was going to be one long journey.

"Why does the world seem to have stopped for these people?" Lucius was walking as fast as his legs would allow him. He did not want to be late for their appointment. "I understand the need to mourn the dead and be cautious, but they're cowering in fear! And those arcasters who attacked the Senate? Fear is like mother's milk to them. It nourishes them. Gives them the sense that they've accomplished their goal."

"The king was murdered and twenty senators were killed," Isabella reminded him. She hastened her steps as she was lagging behind. "If terrorists could attack the supposedly most secure district in the capital city, they surely could target the less secure areas. Hence the concern for the people's safety."

"But constables have been deployed across the city!" Lucius flicked his right hand to the law enforcer at the corner of the street. "People should feel much safer now than the moment after the Senate attack. Their protectors are everywhere!"

Isabella shook her head. She struggled to keep up with her partner's pace. "The presence of constables means the capital city isn't as safe as it used to be. They will only feel secure once things get back to normal. And have you forgotten? We're dealing with dangerous arcasters. They're not just some petty robbers or trespassers."

Lucius sighed. Danger was part of his trade, so whatever imminent threat was present did not matter to him. He had been used to it since his arcane hunting days. "The people could have at least kept modes of transportation running."

They strode along the sidewalk of the downtown district. Lucius was on the lead while Isabella was still behind. They walked past the shops that used to be open around this time. Even their favorite restaurant had to close.

"If you hate walking all the way to the hilltop district, can't you ask a favor from the Captain?" Isabella finally caught up and was walking beside him at the same pace. "Surely, he can lend us one of their carriages?"

"Unfortunately, all constabulary carriages have been deployed to patrol the city." Lucius glanced sideways at his partner. He had already thought of that option. "Solving the king's murder is important, but securing the capital city is more important at the moment. Don't worry. Once we get our reward from the crown prince, I will buy my personal carriage."

"Two questions: Where are you going to keep it? And how are you going to maintain it?"

"I can ask Kaj to look after the horse and the carriage. A bag full of mercs will do the trick."

"That's child labor!"

"I'd like to think of it as giving an opportunity to a street urchin. You saw the happiness in the kid's face when he received his fifteen percent share of the reward. Am I not benevolent enough?"

Isabella let out a sigh. "If the Senate Committee on Labor summons us to answer questions about illegally employing a child, I will deny any involvement with you. You're on your own."

Lucius snorted. "Almost half of the senators were wiped out in the attack. They don't have the time nor the manpower to deal with petty issues."

"Petty? Really? Child labor can land you in jail if you're found guilty!"

"They need me to solve the royal murder. Until that case is closed, I am untouchable."

"As long as you don't drag me to prison, I don't mind if you spend years being incarcerated."

Lucius narrowed his eyes at her. She was supposed to be his ride or die. "We're partners, aren't we? You should go wherever I go."

"Not in jail."

"Lucy!"

The duo came to a halt, turning in the direction where that raspy voice came from. They reached the border that separated the downtown from the uptown district. As they made an about-face turn, a man wearing deep red coat greeted them with a smiling face. He was walking ahead of a cart being drawn by a horse. In it, a large crate was guarded by two other men wearing the same colored coat. They also had three more horses with them.

"Rufy!" Lucius called back.

The cart stopped by the streetside as the two men walked toward each other. The man in red coat had crimson hair with curls. A thin, linear scar across his left cheek was hard to miss. They shook hands, bumped their chests, and patted each other on the back.

"It's been a while since I last caught a glimpse of your shadow," Lucius greeted, stepping back. He needed to tilt his head up because he was inches shorter than the man before him. "What have you been up to?"

"Ever since Bennett—sorry, I should still call him King Bennett, right?" Rufus muttered, his worried gaze roamed around for anyone who might have heard him. Thankfully, no one was in the area except them. "Since the dead king disbanded the brotherhood of arcane hunters, my boys and I have been out of job for years. I took pity on our comrades, so I formed a mercenary group and recuited them. We call ourselves The Sun Ringle."

"That name rolls off the tongue," Lucius lied. His former colleagues could have been more creative with the name. But they were more known for their marksmanship than their creativity, so it was hardly surprising.

"How about you?" Rufus slapped his arm, making him flinch. "I haven't heard from you in a long while. And aren't you gonna introduce that pretty lady over there? Where are your manners?"

"Oh, sorry!" Lucius gestured to the woman who stood behind him. "This is Isabella Melchior, my partner—"

"Romantic partner?" Rufus cut him short, his jaw almost dropping to the ground. "You got married already? When was the wedding? And why was I not invited?"

"Business partner," Lucius corrected him. That was not the first time he got misunderstood. "I used to tell you about her when we were still in the brotherhood, remember? The one who provided me with potions and all that jazz?"

"Ah, that brilliant alchemist!" Rufus clapped his hands once, a hint of recognition flashed across his face. "Sorry, I almost forgot about her. You didn't get the chance to introduce her to us."

When arcane hunting was still a legitimate profession in the Kingdom, Lucius and Rufus used to work together. They always competed on who could catch more bastard arcasters in a single day. There usually was a wager. The winner would take a cut from the loser's bounty reward while the loser would receive some form of punishment. It became a sport for them. Rufus was Lucius' senior, for the former was three years older than him and more experienced with the gun.

"My name's Rufus Clinton," the gunslinger introduced himself, removing his sturdy right glove and offering his hand to the lady alchemist. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Same here! Lucius has told me quite a lot about you." Isabella shook his hand and smiled at him. "He said you're a better marksman than him."

That's a lie! Lucius thought, furrowing his eyebrows at his partner. At the very least, they were almost equal in terms of marksmanship skills. He would always score nine out of ten while Rufus would do a perfect ten.

The older gunslinger's lips twisted into a smirk, partially flashing his sparkling white teeth. "Did he also tell you that I'm better looking than him?"

"Even if that's true, he won't probably admit it—"

"Isabella and I are working together in an agency that I have built." Lucius tried to change the subject. "I missed the thrill of the chase so I created a job that pursues bad arcasters."

"So I heard and read. Saw your name in the Arcerean Archive one day. Quite a big shot now, aren't you?"

"Well, not really—"

Rufus put his arm over Lucius' shoulders and turned the latter to his comrades. "Hey! I'm friends with the famous arcane tracker in the Kingdom! I used to beat him at the target range!"

Lucius's head was locked into the gunslinger's arm. The latter had gotten much stronger. When he managed to break free, he smoothened his trench coat with his palms. "Looks like you just came back from a mission, judging by the large crate with you."

"We're surprised by the strict security at the city gates." Rufus jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "They almost barred us from entry! Thank goodness we have our papers so the guards didn't hold us for that long. It's been a while since this city was on high alert."

Lucius darted a glance at the large box in the cart. Its contents made him curious. "What kinds of mission does your mercenary group accept? I know that mercs are hard to come by, but I hope it's nothing illegal."

"Illegal?" Rufus slapped him hard on the back, the air almost left his lungs. "We may be a mercenary group, but we're not into accepting illegal transactions. We act as escorts to packages being transferred from one province to another, or to the capital city. Who will dare to steal a crate such as this one when there are experienced gunmen guarding it? Only fools will."

"Oh?" Lucius glanced at the box again, observing three small holes on one side where fingers could fit in. "So you escorted this box all the way from Polesin?"

Rufus creased his forehead. "How did you know?"

"Your boots." The arcane tracker pointed at the gunslinger's footwear. Everyone around him looked in that direction. "There's distinct mud stuck in the soles." He pointed at the horses' feet next. "The same mud's also on the hooves of your horses. That type of mud can be found only in Polesin. Nowhere else."

Eyes blinking, Rufus furrowed his brows at him. "You're just making that up, aren't you?"

He smirked. "You got me! I merely assumed that you've gone to the farthest province in the western part of the Kingdom judging by the size of your party. Speaking of which, where's the other one?"

"The other one?"

"There are four horses, but there's only three of you here." He cast a sidelong glance at the two gunslingers. "The cart you rented to carry that crate doesn't come with a horse, I presume."

"Ah! Silva has to run some errands for us. He's gonna meet us in the headquarters once he's done."

"I see." Lucius stared at the crate again—this time, much longer. Something was in there that caught his attention. He could not keep his eyes away from it. "By the way, what's inside?"

"I could tell you, but I would have to kill you." Rufus reached for something inside his coat's pockets. His smiling face became serious. A few seconds later, he bursted into laughter. "Just kidding! Our wealthy client asked us to retrieve an artifact from Polesin. I told him I can do it alone. But he insisted to bring three of my men. As long as he's paying for the services of my boys, I don't mind."

"Your services must be costly!"

"It depends on the mission." Rufus took one step closer to his former comrade, standing taller as always. "Look, I know you already have a gig. But just in case you're looking for the thrill that we used to enjoy in arcane hunting, you can come and join us! Even your partner here. You two are very much welcome."

"I don't see how escorting an artifact from a faraway province can be as thrilling as hunting." Lucius faked a smile. He did not train himself so hard just to be a bodyguard of some sort. "No offense, but that job sounds boring—even if the price is right."

"Maybe you'll change your opinion once you get a taste of it. Still, the door will always be open for you. If you haven't lost your touch, you can be a valuable asset in the group. Like the good old times. You can visit the port area and ask where The Sun Ringle is. People there will point you in the right direction."

"Thank you for the offer. Let me think about it. For now, Isabella and I have a royal murder to solve."

"Hold up." Rufus raised a hand. "You're investigating the dead king's murder?"

Lucius nodded. "A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to instantly get insanely rich. Who will be foolish enough to let it pass? Definitely not me."

"If you earn hundreds of thousands of mercs once you solve that case, I guess there will be no need for you to join my group."

"Well, I can turn your gig into my hobby. Boredom is my number one enemy."

"I look forward to working with you, Lucy. Again."

"See you around."

After bidding them farewell, Lucius turned around and walked away with Isabella. His partner was about to whisper something, but they halted when they heard a strange noise.

Thump!

Lucius looked behind him, his gaze quickly landing on the crate. The sound came from that box. That was for sure. He glanced at Rufus' comrades whose hands slid into their pockets. He swallowed the lump in his throat. This is bad.

"Sorry for that noise," said one of the two men, chuckling nervously. He stood beside the crate, his body covering the three small holes. "My hand carelessly slapped the crate."

"Very well, have a safe trip to wherever you're going!" Lucius waved at them before striding off. He quickened his pace and his partner caught up with him.

"You seem to be curious about what's inside the box." Isabella looked over her shoulder to catch one last glimpse of the cart that turned to the street going to the port area.

"There's a human being in that crate." His eyes looked straight ahead. They reached the uptown district. "I saw a pair of blue human eyes through the holes."

"What?!" Isabella grabbed him by the wrist, making him turn to her. "So why didn't you stop them and save whoever's inside?!"

"It's not worth—"

"Because Rufus is your friend?"

Lucius' eyes locked into a staring contest with Isabella's. He averted his gaze as he heaved a long sigh. "Because it's none of my business. And I only mind my own business."

"Really? You know that someone might be in danger, and it's none of your concern?"

"I'm not an officer of the law. Neither are you. We work outside the circle. I don't have the authority to inspect their belongings. Also, it's not our fault that the constables at the city gates or on the streets failed to notice something suspicious."

"But as a concerned citizen—"

"They had their guns pointed at us!" Lucius cut her words short. He did not want to yell at his partner, but he was getting annoyed by her. "When I asked Rufus what's inside the box, they reached for whatever's in their pockets. Guns probably. I know those men very well. They're good shots. In that close range, we'd be dead before I can even touch my revolver."

"We can report them to the Constabulary."

"We can. But they'll probably find nothing once they visit Rufus and his gang. He isn't an amateur. His works are almost flawless."

Isabella clenched her fists. Lucius noticed it. He also felt bad that he could not do anything. If he tried to, blood might be spilt on the streets of the capital. He could put up a good fight against three experienced gunslingers. But his partner? She might be killed in the crossfire. He would rather not risk it.

"Let's focus on our real mission, shall we?" Lucius told her. "As what the believers always say, let's leave that person's fate to Arcanus."

For those who read the first version in 2021-2022, the language of the entire chapter (except a few lines) has been translated to English.

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