Novel Bin Chapter 24: The Slums (3)
Chapter 24: The Slums (3)
Leon is in danger.
It was Kayla who first reacted to those sudden words.
Leon? Why Leon?
Seeing Kaylas face, the gnome broke into a bright smile.
Ah! You must be the second student Leon mentioned! So cute!
Y-yes.
Kayla was taken aback when the gnome suddenly grabbed her own cheek.
Regardless, the gnome looked at Kayla fondly, as if she were a younger sibling.
It was an odd scene.
And understandably so. Because based solely on her appearance, the gnome appeared to be in her mid-teens at most.
Dale looked at the two indifferently and pounded the table with his palm.
Only then did the gnome snap back to reality.
Oh! Im sorry! I got carried away
Tell me what happened to Leon. Why is he in danger?
Well, the thing is
Tears welled up in the gnomes eyes. She spoke with a quivering voice.
Leon hasnt come home since last night
Leon?
Kayla asked in surprise, to which the gnome nodded.
Yes. Since we started living together, hes never stayed out without telling me. I thought it was because hes been busy building a school or something. But its strange for him to not return this late without any word!
Hmm.
It must be something serious! Maybe, maybe hes been captured by some bad guys!
Kayla murmured to herself.
Now that I think about it, Leon. He mentioned he had a wife.
The gnome blushed as if she were embarrassed.
Leon talked about me, huh? Though we havent had our wedding yet.
As Kayla recalled her memories of Leon, she turned to Dale and asked.
Hmm. But didnt Leon rush home last night saying his wife was waiting for him?
Thats right.
Dale nodded and started piecing together the information.
Leon, who had been gathering funds to build a school. His fiance, whom he hadnt yet married. His disappearance.
Dale had seen similar cases a few times before.
Sorry for you. It seems Leon might have switched to another woman. It happens often.
The pattern where someone clings to their partner during tough times, only to leave them for someone else once they succeed.
Leon didnt seem like that kind of person, but then again, one can never truly know what is inside other people.
The gnome froze at Dales blunt words.
Kaila who was listening nearby glared at Dale as if he were trash and said.
Sometimes I think Sir Dale is a bit of a jerk.
The frozen gnome then shook her head as if that couldnt be possible.
That cant be true. Leon and I have known each other for 20 years. If he had a secret lover, I would have noticed.
It wasnt a vague hope but a firm conviction.
Such unwavering certainty was worth believing in.
It seems something really did happen to Leon.
Dale asked her.
So, what do you think happened to Leon?
The gnome, after a moment of contemplation, cautiously replied,
I think he might have been kidnapped by the thieves guild.
The thieves guild?
The thieves guild. Kidnapped. Dale looked at her asking for an explanation at the sudden comment.
The gnome explained hesitantly.
Well, you might not know, but in the slums, when word gets out that someone has come into money, its common for mercenaries or thieves to show up and extort them.
Dale nodded his head. He remembered Harkin mentioning something similar before.
Recently, it seems that rumors have spread about Leon making a modest fortune while working with a knight.
It wasnt an amount worth making such a fuss over.
The gnome nodded in agreement.
I think so too. But lately, the atmosphere in the slums has been quite unusual. Especially for Leon, its even more dangerous.
More dangerous?
Dale asked, to which the gnome responded with an unsure expression.
Im not exactly sure myself. I heard rumors that theres been a fight between the fence and the thieves guild. Since Leon works with the fences, I think he might have become a target of the thieves guild.
Hmm.
It was a plausible conclusion.
But in that case, instead of kidnapping Leon, they would more likely kill him
However, Dale did not voice this thought in front of her.
He still had some humanity and restraint left in him.
Although the likelihood was low, there was also a possibility, as she thought, that they kidnapped him to threaten their enemies.
The gnome hastily grabbed Dales hand and pleaded,
Please, Sir Knight! I heard from Leon that you are a very kind person! You even share food with needy children
Leon is exaggerating.
But youre the only one I can trust, Sir! I will definitely repay you!
Her tone was quite earnest.
Kaila who was nearby didnt say anything, but it was clear she hoped Dale would help too.
Dale thought to himself,
Trustworthy, huh.
At first, he was accused of being a monster, but now hes considered a person who could be trusted.
Dale nodded his head.
Alright. Ill help.
He had no tasks anyway and was just killing time.
He didnt expect the gnome to offer much in terms of a reward, but it would be enough for a pastime.
Really? Thank you so much! Im truly grateful!
The gnome was overjoyed almost as if Leon had already been found.
Kayla also said happily.
Since its too late today, why not start early tomorrow morning? Oh, and Leons wife
Natalia. Carlsons daughter, Natalia.
Natalia should stay here for the night too.
Oh? Would that be alright?
Haha. We have spare rooms right now.
Kayla spoke self-deprecatingly and let out a bitter smile.
The inn was still nearly empty with only a few flies buzzing around.
Natalia smiled awkwardly and said,
Then Ill impose on you for just one day.
The two women soon engaged in trivial chitchat.
Natalia tried to sound cheerful while suppressing her worries about Leon.
Dale who had been quietly watching the conversation between the two women climbed the stairs.
Kayla asked.
Heading up early today? Have you finished your writing practice?
The quill broke.
Oh When we find Leon, Ill ask him for another one.
Alright.
Dale entered the room and lay down in a daze. Unable to study, he found himself with spare time.
With time on his hands, he could think of nothing else to do.
Today, all he thought about was Leon.
He was a small man with big dreams.
He thought about the gnome who looked nothing but a child yet was humorous, talkative, and sometimes surprisingly perceptive.
Leon has disappeared
Suddenly, an old memory came to his mind.
There was a time when a child ran away from the orphanage and that caused a great commotion.
Dale had searched the entire neighborhood with his grandfather, and it wasnt until late in the evening that they found the child crying under a playground slide.
How relieved Dale and his grandfather had been at that time!
Looking back, it remained a fond memory.
Dale wondered if this time would turn out similarly.
He spent the rest of the night lost in thought.
***
Natalia and Dale left the inn at the crack of dawn.
A baker preparing dough, mercenaries busily setting off on assignments, traders displaying an array of indiscernible items.
The city buzzed with people starting their day.
Natalia moved briskly with her short legs and skillfully weaved through the crowd.
Dale just walked.
People around him naturally made way.
Natalia was very talkative, much like Leon.
She chattered non-stop even while walking, and it was mostly about Leon.
Really, Leon gets so absorbed in one thing that he loses all sense of his surroundings. I bet he didnt even notice the thieves because he was so engrossed in his thoughts about that school of his.
That so?
When I see Leon this time, Im going to give him a piece of my mind. Really, I wonder how hed manage without me.
Though she grumbled and sighed heavily, her affection for Leon was clear to see.
Dale silently listened to Natalia as they walked.
And that continued for a while.
Natalia stopped walking and looked up at Dale.
Im curious about something.
Whats that?
Where are we actually going?
I was following you.
I was following you, sir?
?!
They looked at each other in silence.
Surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the busy people, time seemed to stand still for the two of them.
Natalia, who had an awkward look on her face, looked at him and asked.
So, what should we do now?
We could start by visiting the thieves guild.
But theres not just one or two thieves guilds. There are at least three well-known ones and many more smaller ones.
Who would have thought being a thief was such a popular profession?
But when you think about it, it wasnt that strange.
When Dale first arrived in this world through the game, he encountered robbers more often than monsters or demons.
The two fell into deep thought again.
If it was true that Leon had been captured by a thieves guild, they first needed to figure out which one it was.
She said it was an organization at odds with the fences. So that means
Dale spoke up.
If its the fences, they might know something.
Eh? Oh, right.
Guide me to the fence that Leon worked with. You know where it is, right?
Of course.
Once their destination was decided, Natalia moved swiftly.
Dale had to walk with great strides so as to keep up with her.
Natalia left the city through the east gate and moved skillfully through the streets of the slums.
The east side streets are busier than I thought.
The slums were not small in size.
Various nations had fallen to demons, and the refugees had flocked to Irene.
Of course, not everyone could enter the city.
Some nobles and capable commoners managed to get inside the city walls, but most settled outside.
Now, with so many people gathered, the population living in the slums was similar to that within the city.
Where people congregate, money follows.
While there were wretched streets in slums, there were also quite prosperous areas.
This place was one of them.
The commercial street built in the east maintained a certain level of order and security.
Along the street, stores with neat signs lined up shoulder to shoulder.
Although they look decent on the outside, most of them are involved in illegal activities in one way or another.
The fence they were seeking out was a prime example of this.
They were not merely middlemen in the trade of stolen goods. Such a role would leave little profit.
The most lucrative trade involved creating the stolen goods themselves.
Killing innocent people and stealing their equipment; wouldnt that create the perfect stolen goods?
Ah, weve arrived.
The place where Natalia stopped was in front of a two-story building with a green roof.
Dale could now read the words on the sign.
[Tomos Store]New n𝙤vel chapters are published on
Dale asked her.
Is this the place?
Yes. Leon frequents this shop almost like its his workplace.
At first glance, the shop appeared to be a general store that handled everything from weapons and armor to daily necessities and old books.
Dale opened the door without hesitation.
Welcome, dear customer.
An old gentleman with a finely groomed beard greeted them politely.
His manners were of noble elegance, yet they didnt seem to be a mere imitation of aristocracy.
Is he someone who originally served a nobleman?
Natalia visibly shrank in the presence of the gentlemans dignity.
Dale, on the other hand, didnt really care.
As Dale approached, the old gentleman looked a bit surprised but soon smiled.
Oh look here. What an honor to have a knight of such renown visit us.
He said with a hint of sarcasm.
Dale asked.
You know of me?
Of course. Theres hardly anyone in the slums who doesnt know of this sire. Youre known for sharing food with the children, arent you?
Hmm.
Dale had thought it a trivial matter, but had such a simple gesture really become the subject of widespread rumors?
The old gentleman then asked.
What brings you to our store? You dont seem to be here to browse our goods.
Dale cut to the chase.
I heard that Leon often did business here.
Ah, Leon, you say? Indeed, a sharp and quick-witted young gnome. And what about him?
Hes been missing for a while now. Do you know anything about that?
The old gentleman seemed to be thinking for a moment as he stroked his beard with his right hand.
Then he smiled mischievously and said.
Well Setting aside why youre asking us, why should I tell you anything?
His attitude was markedly hostile.
Dale thought that perhaps this was because he was a heretic.
There seems to be no easy way around this.
Nonetheless, it looked like he knew something. Dale gently nudged Natalia on the shoulder.
Wait outside.
What? Oh, yes.
Natalia quickly opened the door and left. Thud. The door closed again.
The old gentleman looked at this scene with a hint of mockery.
What is it?
Dale looked around the room without responding immediately.
As expected of a store dealing in stolen goods, a faint smell of blood mingled in the air. The smell made Dale tense.
Dale spoke calmly.
It seems theres been a misunderstanding.
Their eyes met. The old gentleman faltered slightly at the sharp glint in Dales eyes that was visible even through his helmet.
Dale said.
If you dont want to get beaten up, spill out everything you know.