The God of Jesters
Chapter 496 - 8.02.4 Malidi

Chapter 496: 8.02.4 Malidi

Heavy things will only slow you down, and weapons will make you appear striking anywhere you go. This is why most of the weapons that Rosso would have been able to acquire had been dealt with one way or another.

He was a mortal on the surface, a mortal man to whom a small knife would be enough for self-protection. A knife that remained in his pocket, as for how normal that Knife was, only Rosso understood this.

But I am going back to the topic. Due to the habit of traveling light, there is not much to sell on his body, meaning the only other option left for him is to either steal directly in the city or journey out for a bit, find a perfect target, and steal from them.

Well, that would be what he would have done, if not for the time limit.

A week was too little. Which is what put him under some pressure. "You need money?" Heroth asked the one-eyed boy who kept swiping his bleeding eye from time to time. "For the eyes?" He asked a bit more.

But Rosso just shook his head. "I have medicine for it, I just got a bit overconfident today and didn’t take it, the result, you can already see." His words were carefully crafted, he can’t show weakness in front of such a strong being, nor can he come off scared. So he weaved a lie as fast as he could before answering. "But it’s true that I needed some money..." He looked at the bracelet for a bit. "... But all I see is more trouble my way."

The bracelet was a good item there was no denying it. But from the fact how easily he killed the previous owner of the bracelet without it ever doing a thing, Rosso had an idea of its weakness, so although he appeared a bit happy on the surface over the specialty of the bracelet, he also showed some disappointment due to how he would be unable to sell it safely anymore.

Only the strong can retain their wealth, and for a weak individual like him, this wealth was nothing more than trouble. The worst part was, that even with this bracelet being exposed to two random people, he still didn’t get what he wanted. "... I needed over 120,000 Dirium for something. But I guess I can forget about it."

With his mission failed, Rosso understood that the only path left for him was to borrow the help of the person he spoke to on the small communicator before. The object that was termed Pager in his memory was a hot potato in itself, as he can’t trust the individual on the other side.

Though it would be a big mistake if you were to think that Rosso would borrow money from them. ’It’s a group, they have established themselves for longer in this city, meaning they might be able to help me look for him.’ he was directly going to use them for his mission, the bartender’s Guild be damned. Wasting any time further on them would be disastrous for him.

"That is a big amount, I don’t even have that kind of cash on my body... but I might have a way." Heroth seemingly interested in Rosso offered some help.

"What do you mean mister?"

"The issue is that the bracelet is too dangerous to be sold by someone of your stature, most will choose to steal it over your dead body... but they won’t do the same with him."

"I might not look much, but I used to be an adventurer on the seas, and have developed a certain level of self-defense skills which come in handy."

"Not to mention, I am pretty uppity with the enforcer of the Vermilion birds, they would listen to me and buy this off of me if I show them as an item belonging to me." Heroth boasted of his skills, his relationships, and even his bargaining skills, before he turned to look at the boy and asked. "So, what say you?" He asked.

But Rosso, he just refused.

"Thank you for showing goodwill, but I prefer if you keep the bracelet a secret... as for the money, I can manage it at a later date. I am not in a hurry." Excuses after excuses, Rosso then left the shop, before giving Arahi one last look.

’Hoo.’ And the moment he walked a bit further away from the shop, his body started to wobble a bit. ’This was too much stress.’ It took his everything to remain calm in that shop and this is ignoring that beautiful girl.

’That old man... I don’t want anything to do with that monster.’ He opened his right eye which had turned bloodred since a while ago. "The false eye was close to collapse, which would have rendered him blind for weeks before it could have recovered.

’That man is a monster.’ It would be a lie to say that Rosso didn’t consider Heroth’s offer as good. Considering the strength that man hides, Rosso understood that his bracelet was truly nothing to that old man, so handing it to him so that Heroth could sell it elsewhere was not an issue.

That is, if not for the fact that Rosso didn’t even wish to stay near that man, his right eye might go blind if he stayed there any longer. And who knows why this man is hiding so deeply, nor does Rosso hold any interest in finding the truth.

’Stronger than the forbidden text...’

Ignoring the messed up meeting he had in the pawn shop, along with a wonderful meeting, Rosso went back to the shop and resumed working again after giving a small excuse over his eye which had turned blood-red. "Wash it and keep it close with a cloth, pink eye can spread." With those suggestions from his boss, Rosso resumed his work in the butchery shop.

Unaware that there are some new faces following him now.

*****

: I had been expecting you. : Tell me, what do you want? : Why call me?

Due to the small screen, only a bit of text can be sent between each other, but Rosso didn’t mind it much, he just asked. "I have been forced into a corner, limited by money, I can’t accomplish what I need."

: Money, is it? : Tell location, and we will: Send it to you.

"No, not money, I would prefer if you just help me find that man directly... but I warn you beforehand, I am merely following the trace of people looking for that man... I have no actual trace of where he is."

: Following people who are looking for him? : Enemy or friend?

"Radiant Knights, consisting of Two Grandmasters, one approaching the level of Aura Master... they are dangerous, I only live because I can maintain some distance from them."

: Who are you looking for? : Who is so important that Radiant Knights are after him?

At such a question Rosso wondered if he should reply or not. The party on the other side can be an enemy, no, he already considered that party to be an enemy, which is why he came up with this little plan of his to begin with. ’Some sacrifices are necessary.’ Rosso had made up his mind.

The target he was looking for might be unknown to commoners, but to those in power, that man’s name is synonymous with Scholar. If they think of the term Scholar, that man’s name will come to their mind automatically.

Meaning if he were to give out the same descriptions he had given in the Bartender’s association to the person on the other side, they might be able to come up with a conclusion on their own as well. So why hide it?

"Malidi, Riktor Malidi, the Scholar of the Forbidden World." An old scholar with no strength of his own, but somehow capable of exploring the forbidden zones and exposing their secrets without much effort.

Of course, effort doesn’t mean it doesn’t take time. Malidi was infamous for disappearing for years on end even before he was deemed a criminal by the whole world. Now, on the run, his habit has turned for the worse.

: Malidi... I know that name.

The individual on the other side spoke before going silent for an hour, probably to look for some detailed information on the matter before a new reply came. : You are right, there had been some: odd activity among the Radiant Knights: They appear more conservative now.

The answer was simple, if the Radiant Knights can be silent for so long, it would only mean that they are doing something in the dark.

: Their headquarters is empty...

"I have looked it up and found that a total of thirty-five knights had entered Rudrain in the last six months, among which only five have left for some other missions, which when added with the fifteen knights active in eh city beforehand, makes it a total of fifty-five knights, most probably undercover, looking for Malidi."