Chapter 13: The Deal

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Chapter 13: The Deal

Whether to get into the carriage or not was a choice for Charlie, but not a question. Since the other party had gone out of his way to find him, running away before he knew the man’s intentions would be the worst possible option.

Vic raised an eyebrow slightly as he watched Charlie hesitate for only a moment before climbing aboard without the slightest hesitation. “Mr. Blaze, you certainly have courage.”

Charlie sat down opposite him. “You aren’t the first person to say that, Mr. Vic.”

The first person to say that is currently in the basement.

The carriage slowly set off. Vic looked at Charlie, who had simply sat there quietly after getting aboard, as though he really were nothing more than a man catching a ride, and asked, “Aren’t you curious why I was waiting for you here?”

Charlie answered politely, “Although I don’t know why, I still appreciate your generosity, Mr. Vic.”

Vic smiled. “Ever since I came to Magipo, everyone has called me a black-hearted merchant. This is the first time I’ve heard someone describe me that way. You’re a little different from what I expected. Perhaps you’re another person entirely in front of that Eagle-Eyed Salomon. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have let you leave so easily.”

Having heard that much, Charlie knew he could no longer brush the matter aside so easily. His expression turned serious. “What are you trying to say?”

“The Black-Armored Knights came looking for you to question you about the theft, correct?” Vic stopped beating around the bush. His one exposed eye fixed on Charlie. “I’m here for the same reason. The city lord’s treasury was recently robbed, and among the stolen items was a piece of jewelry I had previously sold to him. The jewelry has been recovered, so they asked me and the administrative official to come and verify it today.”

Charlie said nothing. He had no idea how much this man knew about him, or how much he had been manipulating behind the scenes. In any case, the more he said, the more likely he was to say something he shouldn’t.

Vic continued, “Along with the jewelry, several precious collectibles were stolen, as well as something capable of causing a storm throughout all of Totolando—even Captain Salomon doesn’t know it exists to this day.”

Charlie was surprised. “You’ve already found the thief, but you still can’t determine what was stolen?”

Vic rested one hand on his cane and leaned back against the carriage wall. Stretching out his long legs, he took up most of the carriage, his posture utterly relaxed. “Because this thing has been subjected to an ancient spell. It is no longer in its original form, and when its surroundings change, it can even undergo corresponding changes at random. In your eyes, it could be a pebble by the roadside, a book sitting on a shelf, or even a living creature. Although that guru stole it from the treasury, I believe she probably doesn’t know what it actually is. She doesn’t even know—”

Vic deliberately left the sentence hanging. His one exposed eye watched Charlie’s expression closely. His gaze was forceful and undisguised, yet he wore a smile and continued in a light tone, “that she has already stolen it.”

Charlie felt a chill run through him. Almost instinctively, he thought of the book he had just gotten back, tucked inside his clothes. But before he could make a move, Vic seemed to see straight through his thoughts. “Don’t worry. It’s not your book.”

“You know?”

“Although Salomon is still completely in the dark, don’t underestimate the strength of the Black-Armored Knights. That book has already passed through his hands. If there were really something wrong with it, there is no way they could have found nothing. According to their investigation, the book indeed wasn’t stolen by the guru. It was simply an old book some down-and-out merchant at the market used to prop up a table leg. The guru picked it up and made a deal that cost her nothing, trading it to you for ten copper coins.”

Hearing this answer, Charlie didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He decided it was best not to discuss this world-shaking magic tome any further. Clearing his throat, he asked another question. “But shouldn’t the person who lost the items—His Highness the Prince—know?”

His Highness the Prince was the city lord of Magipo, the younger brother of His Majesty the former King of the Garland Empire and the current king’s biological uncle.

“You’re clever. Shouldn’t you have figured it out already?”

“What?”

“Because His Highness the Prince doesn’t want anyone to know exactly what he lost, either. After all, once this thing becomes public knowledge, the storm it causes will be far more serious than a mere theft.”

At this point, Vic smiled again and asked, “Do you want to know what this thing actually is?”

“Is this something I ought to know?”

“There is no question of whether you ought to know. The only question is whether you want to.”

Charlie was already caught up in this matter, so of course he wanted to know what it was. But there was no way the other man would tell him so easily, and Charlie wasn’t particularly interested in being trapped inside a carriage and forced to find out under these circumstances. So he said—

“Oh.”

If you have something to say, spit it out.

Damn it, I hate men who talk too much.

The answer was somewhat beyond Vic’s expectations. One could say the man before him had courage, yet everything from his posture to his expression showed that he was on guard around Vic, cautious to the core. But calling him timid would not quite be accurate either.

Vic couldn’t help recalling what he had seen that night. “I know. The barber is with you.”

If learning that the crystal ball was broken had left Charlie with a tingling scalp and a vague sense of unease, this was something else entirely. Now he was genuinely horrified.

Just how many eyes were watching Gray Hat Street?

Was this what Totolando was like?

There were no surveillance cameras, yet everyone was a surveillance camera. There was absolutely no privacy.

Charlie knew that Vic wouldn’t have laid everything out in the open like this if he intended to report him. Even that crystal ball incident from earlier could be interpreted as a gesture of goodwill.

Although this man had previously been traveling with that administrative official, he didn’t seem to be working for His Highness the Prince. And yet, he somehow knew secrets even Salomon was unaware of.

A black-hearted jeweler from Pato City…

“What you want is the barber? No, I should say, you want that thing too.” Although phrased as a question, Charlie’s tone was certain.

Vic did not deny it. Instead, he smiled and suggested, “This matter is far more complicated than you imagine. The deeper you get involved, the more dangerous it becomes. Hand the barber over to me, and I can guarantee that, whatever the outcome, you won’t be dragged into it. If you wish, I can even arrange for you to leave Magipo.”

But Charlie found such a guarantee utterly unconvincing.

Charlie looked him straight in the eye without the slightest hesitation. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll turn around and expose you?”

Vic’s expression did not change. “Why don’t you try?”

Charlie was certain he had never met a man so confident. He was confident because he was powerful, making him nearly impossible to deal with. But Charlie had knocked the barber unconscious through his own ability and locked him up through his own ability. Why should he simply hand him over?

“Mr. Vic, I don’t know you. Perhaps in your eyes, I have no choice but to trust you. But if something can truly threaten my life or death, that means there is nothing else I can’t afford to lose. I can choose you, I can choose the Black-Armored Knights, and I can even make a deal with the devil.”

“Is that why you became a necromancer?” Vic asked.

“Yes.” Charlie’s expression stiffened, but he immediately accepted the identity of a necromancer without hesitation. He guessed Vic had probably seen him and Ben working together to knock the barber down through the carriage window. Given the presence of the skeleton and Charlie’s expression at the time, it was reasonable for Vic to conclude that he had embarked on the path of a necromancer.

That meant Vic might know only this much about his secrets.

The threat that had been on Vic’s lips never left them. Instead, he changed tack. “Then how about we make a deal? The barber is the bargaining chip. What do you want in exchange?”

Charlie had been completely unprepared for the question, but fortunately, he had a good memory and quick reactions. He immediately rattled off a list of ingredients. “Luck root, henbane seeds, salt-crystal powder, swan feathers, elf tears.”

These were the ingredients needed to make the Talent Awakening Potion.

Vic was almost laughing from exasperation. “Mr. Blaze, you’re being far too polite.”

Charlie replied, “Since coming to Magipo, this is the first time I’ve heard someone say that about me. Thank you, Mr. Vic.”

Charlie threw Vic’s own words back at him.

“Is that so? You really do seem somewhat different from the Charlie I’ve heard about.” There was a hint of scrutiny in Vic’s gaze.

“No one could go through everything I’ve experienced and remain completely calm and rational, Mr. Vic.” Charlie did not flinch. His eyes held an unprecedented firmness, even a glint of resolve. “The Charlie Blaze of the past is already dead. One day, I will return to the distant Southern Capital Prefecture with a new face.”

Those half-truths, spoken by Charlie, left even the black-hearted merchant Vic, who was accustomed to dealing with all kinds of people, unable to distinguish truth from falsehood for a moment.

In the end, Vic simply laughed it off. “Do you know where I first heard about you?”

Charlie remembered what he had heard earlier at No. 22 Emerald Street. “Mindo Tower?”

Vic seemed to have thought of something amusing, and his tone turned teasing. “Legendary Mage Babaji, the master of Mindo Tower, is one of the most renowned Legendary Mages in all of Totolando. Yet you, Charlie Blaze, have been to the Higher Academy of Magic and almost every mage tower in Magipo City, but somehow managed to miss his. He’s very angry.”

“…………”

This was a plot twist he never saw coming.

Why hadn’t the original Charlie gone to Mindo Tower? Charlie maintained a calm expression as he hurriedly searched through his memories. After a moment, he finally found the answer. It was because Legendary Mage Babaji was said to accept only students with exceptionally high talent. After all these years, he had taken very few students, and he was often nowhere to be found, appearing and disappearing without a trace.

Charlie hadn’t gone because he hadn’t held out any hope in the first place.

Seeing Charlie at a loss for words, Vic’s mood immediately improved considerably. By then, the carriage was nearing the boundary between the Southern District and the Western District. Vic lifted the curtain and glanced outside. “I can’t gather all the materials right now. If you trust me, I can give you part of them first and provide the rest later.”

Charlie assessed Vic’s credibility. Honestly, he had no desire to deal with this black-hearted merchant. High risk did not necessarily mean high returns. But turning back and seeking out the Black-Armored Knights wasn’t a good option either. And he was already worried about being stuck with the barber, unable to get rid of him…

“I have one last question,” Charlie said.

“What?”

“The barber has a disguise skill. He’s using my face right now. If you can’t restore him to his original appearance, I’d rather kill him than let you take him away.”

Who knew what kind of trouble the barber might cause while wearing Charlie’s face? That was far too unpredictable. And as for whose face the barber would take after Vic took him away…

Charlie figured that a merchant like Vic wouldn’t make a losing deal. Even turning the barber into Salomon would be more useful than turning him into some insignificant Charlie.

Vic did not disappoint him. He agreed without hesitation. “Done.”

Charlie was equally straightforward. “How do we make the trade?”

Vic’s lips curved upward. “All you have to do is wait for me at Pinecone Tower. I’ll come to you at the appropriate time.”

With that, the carriage stopped, and Vic personally opened the door for Charlie.

Charlie got out and stood at the crossroads, watching the luxurious black carriage disappear into the distance. After a long while, he muttered, “He only took me halfway. What a cheapskate.”

Whatever. I’m already here, and things look pretty lively up ahead. There should be plenty of shops. I might as well buy some basic alchemy materials and start my alchemy experiments.

Charlie carefully wrapped the thing he had quietly slipped off the carriage in a piece of cloth and tucked it close to his body. Then he started walking again, continuing forward with an expression as though nothing had happened.

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