[Late at night, Simon put on the [Scarab Badge] and [Green Flower Ring], climbed out the window, left the mansion, and headed beyond the estate.]
Miss Elisa lay tucked beneath her covers, furtively reading [Simon’s Log].
It felt just like when she was little and secretly read comic books under the covers. There was also the thrill of peeking through a hidden peephole and spying on someone else’s private life.
Come to think of it, there was nothing strange about the male servant bringing the [Green Flower Ring]. It was a healing item. But why bring the [Scarab Badge]? The badge’s ability was [Purification], which was useless against gangs. Worse, it glowed when activated. The light wasn’t particularly bright, but it would be extremely conspicuous at night.3
Maybe he was worried about running into evil spirits?
[Simon carried no lantern, relying on his memory to navigate the streets. The darkness became his best disguise.]
Not carrying a lantern at night really did make him difficult to spot. If he encountered a patrol officer, all he had to do was crouch somewhere dark and he could avoid trouble.
The estate was some distance from the East District. Elisa followed the male servant’s movements while dozing off from time to time.
[Simon arrived in the East District. He stole a set of clothes hanging outside a window, left behind two shillings, and disguised himself as a porter who had just finished the night shift.]
A secondhand shirt cost around six pence, while an old pair of trousers cost about one shilling. The male servant had paid a fair price. The extra six pence would cover the cost of the owner waking up in the morning, cursing all the way to the secondhand market to buy replacement clothes. Heh, poor people never bought new clothes.
[Simon walked along the streets of the East District. The stench of sewage drifting through the air told him he was nearing his destination.]
He actually hasn’t been stopped by any gangs. The male servant is pretty good at disguising himself.
[Simon made a circuit around Brown Street. He didn’t find any cluck-clucks, only a tavern.]
Cluck-clucks? What’s that supposed to… Oh, that. Pretty fitting, actually.
[Simon entered the tavern. It was already past midnight, and there were no customers inside, only gang members counting coins.]
[There were ten gang members: four seated and six standing. Among those seated, a middle-aged man with a scarred face was clearly the one in charge.]
Unlike the gangs in the Archipelago, the gangs of the East District were much more fragmented. Almost every street had its own small gang, with none of the large organizations that controlled an entire district or city.
That was only natural. Small gangs were easier to control and less likely to cause serious trouble. This was the royal capital, after all. The fact that gangs were allowed to exist at all was already a sign of lax governance.
[The gang enforcers assumed Simon was a drunk who had wandered into the wrong place and told him to get out.]
[Simon swept his gaze over the ten men. From their eyes and the calluses on their hands, he judged that they were all skilled fighters.]
This was the headquarters of a small gang. Of course they were all skilled fighters.
[He also noticed the scar-faced leader reaching toward his waist. The man appeared to have a gun.]
It was only natural for the boss of a small gang to own a gun. If anything, the fact that only the boss had one showed just how far the gangs of the royal capital had fallen.35
All right, the enemy’s strength has been analyzed. So how is the male servant going to make his move? Elisa wondered.
Ten skilled fighters, plus a handgun, and on top of that, this was their home turf. The situation was grim. The male servant had only just become a supernatural being, so he probably couldn’t take them all on.
If I were the male servant, I’d have two options. First, leave for now; wait until there are fewer people in the tavern, then launch a surprise attack.
Second, show off my strength by taking down two or three of them, then negotiate with the scarred man. Find out what’s going on with little Beth’s family and warn them to stay away.
Which one will the male servant choose?
Elisa gripped the [Mirror of Mist], ready to use [Mirror Traversal] to support him at any moment.
[Simon told the gang members that he hadn’t come to the wrong place. He was here to take on all ten of them.]
You’re going that far? Can you really handle them?
Elisa sat up in bed, watching [Simon’s Log] with concern.
[Simon scattered a handful of small copper coins.]
The copper coins struck the floor with crisp clinks. The tavern was dimly lit, with tables and chairs filling the room, and the rolling coins quickly vanished into the shadows beneath them.
As the leader of the Brown Street gang, Rupert possessed exceptional powers of observation. He recognized the little copper coins as quarter-pennies. There were ten in total.
He couldn’t understand why this reckless fellow had thrown out a handful of coins. Was he trying to distract them by scattering money? Only children would think quarter-pennies were worth much and stoop down to pick them up.
On the table before him lay the gang’s earnings for the week, twenty-four pounds in total. After paying his men their wages, he would be able to keep ten pounds for himself.
How could someone like him possibly be tempted by such worthless little copper coins?
Huh? Why am I under the table?
Staring at the little copper coin in his hand, Rupert was confused at first, then suddenly horrified.
Not good!
A fierce rush of air came from behind his head. Rupert reacted instantly, rolling forward to dodge while reaching for his waist and drawing his revolver.
As he completed the roll, he spun around, leveling both his gun and his gaze at his attacker.
The attacker spread his arms, revealing the copper badge on his chest. It was shaped like a scarab.
A bright light flashed from the badge.
Rupert was only a meter and a half away. The light from the badge wasn’t particularly bright or dazzling. He remained on guard, staring straight at it, assuming the light was merely a sign that something had been activated. Instead, a sharp pain suddenly stabbed through his eyes, and tears blurred his vision.
What’s happening?!
[Simon used the [Scarab Badge], causing the badge to light up. He then used a Truth ritual. He reckoned that those who stare directly at the light will suffer intense pain in their eyes and temporarily lose their sight.]
On her bed, Elisa stared blankly at the Log.
So the “Scarab Badge” can be used like that?!
Isn’t your [Truth] ritual way too unfair?!
That gang boss looked like an experienced fighter. If the [Scarab Badge] had emitted a blinding flash, he definitely would have looked away. It was precisely because the light wasn’t dazzling that he fell for it without realizing the danger!
[Simon marveled at how useful the [Scarab Badge]’s [Flashbang] ability was. The effect was excellent.]
No, the [Scarab Badge]’s ability is [Purification], not [Flashbang]! Apologize to it right now!
Elisa rubbed her forehead and lay back down beneath the covers.
The male servant’s methods were more underhanded than the last. I worried about him for nothing! I should be worrying about the gang members’ mental health instead!
[The effect of the coin scattering on the other gang members was about to wear off. Simon kicked at the boss, but he dodged his attack.]
What? He can still dodge even though he can’t see?
Elisa sat up again and reviewed the Log, quickly arriving at one possibility.
He’s a Transcendent!
Hang in there!
She threw off the covers in one motion. Without even taking the time to change out of her nightgown, she grabbed the [Mirror of Mist] and poured spirituality into it.
Gray mist spread across the full-length mirror. Using the location marker she had left within the [Green Flower Ring], she quickly locked onto the male servant’s position and found a reflective surface inside the Brown Street tavern.
She slipped into the mirror.
Then she slipped right back out again.
Looking at [Simon’s Log], Elisa sighed helplessly. She had worried for nothing yet again.
[Simon confirmed that the gang boss really was a Transcendent He had broken free from the coin-scattering effect far too quickly and had even demonstrated the ability to pinpoint positions by sound.]
Rupert kept his eyes shut and rolled again, knocking over a chair as he dodged the attacker’s side kick.
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. If he hadn’t been a Transcendent of the [Enforcer] domain, with combat intuition and the ability to pinpoint positions by sound, that last attack would have taken him down!
But now, the situation had been reversed. He had already won.
A smile curled across Rupert’s lips. Keeping his eyes shut, he aimed his gun at his attacker.
[Pinpointing by Sound] couldn’t give him an exact position, but his revolver held six rounds. He refused to believe he couldn’t land a single shot.
His right index finger tightened, pressure building against the trigger. Just before the gun fired, he heard a clink.
It was the sound of a small copper coin hitting the floor, off to his right.
No! Why did I have to notice that?!
Rupert felt an overwhelming desire for money surge through him. The urge was so powerful that he dropped his revolver and uncontrollably lunged toward the little copper coin!
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