“There’s one other thing I want to tell you—what I was going to say, before we got interrupted yesterday,” Alrynn remarked.

Kezati looked up at him. “What is it..?”

They were on their way back to the noble’s estate, the necklace safely tucked away in Alrynn’s coat pocket. Not a single bit of it was visible—it took a lot of looking to realize it was there at all.

“There’s nothing protecting mercenaries, legally,” Alrynn said. “In the end, it’s up to us to decide what’s the best course of action. Usually the government doesn’t get involved if it’s a couple of bandits or black market dealers or whatever. In those cases, we’re doing a job they were too lazy to do on their own. But when it comes to average civilians or, worse, someone that’s actually high enough on the political ladder to be more than a number? Things get tricky. It doesn’t matter what our reasoning is, we’re no better than murderers at that point.”

“I didn’t think you accepted those kinds of jobs,” Kezati pointed out. “If it possibly meant hurting an innocent person, you weren’t going to get involved…”

“I haven’t, personally, but I’ve seen it happen a lot, and it has other uses, too. A lot of the time, it comes down to what you think is right and how much evidence you have to back you up. Even if no one is directly involved, things can get out of hand very quickly if you annoy the wrong guy. You’ve got to use your brain, act smart, and defend yourself—not just from the dangers of the job, but also from the rich guys who think they own everything.”

Kezati nodded, but… it seemed like so much—he didn’t know if he was ever really going to be able to understand it all. Yeah, it hasn’t been that long since he started, but he looked at Alrynn and couldn’t help but feel like he was supposed to be better. At this rate, the only thing he could see himself doing was dragging down the only person he even hoped to be able to rely on…

Just then, he felt Alrynn pat his shoulder. “And, kid? Don’t stress about this. You’re doing great.”

There wasn’t any time for a response, because they soon reached the gates of the noble’s estate. Alrynn went over to the buzzer and, after the frankly obnoxious beep, said, “It’s Alrynn, that mercenary you hired. Me and my partner are coming because we have an update for you.”

There was a pause, then a female voice muffled by static responded, “The gates are already unlocked. The master will greet you himself at the front door.”

Alrynn pushed open the gates without an issue even though, if it was anything like the gate’s in Kezati’s old home, they were thick and heavy. Then he just gave a curt gesture for Kezati to follow him and then started walking through the expansive courtyard.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Kezati knew what wealth in Vresta looked like and, damn, did this place look like it. It immediately brought to mind what Alrynn had just been talking about—the nobles who thought they owned the world.

“What are we going to tell him..?” Kezati asked nervously as they waited by the front door. He tried to keep his voice down and words vague, because he didn’t want to give anything away. “Are we being honest, or..?”

“You’ll see,” Alrynn responded. “It all depends on what he’s going to try to tell us.”

It wasn’t a moment later that the door opened and the noble was waiting there. He made no motion to welcome them inside, or even gave a single hint of a smile at the sight of them. “Well, do you have anything?” he asked impatiently. “I’m a busy man, you know. If you don’t have the necklace then you’re just wasting my time—and likely yours, too, since you should be spending it looking. I’m going to want it back soon, you know…”

“What we talk about here actually depends on how quickly we can get it for you. You don’t have any more information about it?”

“I believe I—or, rather, someone else I’d hired—was able to pinpoint where the thieves were. They were downtown, unsurprisingly in the nastier parts of it. Wouldn’t be surprised if they had guns. Oh, and as a fair warning, I’m only paying collateral for one bullet hole —you’re a human, not a demon, nor a practice target. Preferably, you shouldn’t even have that many holes…”

Kezati couldn’t help himself from dryly remarking, “I’m sure neither of us want to get shot either, so hopefully that won’t be a problem…”

“Remind me when you want the necklace, again?” Alrynn prompted, keeping his attention on the commissioner.

“By next week,” the noble returned, quickly becoming unable to hide his annoyance. “My brother is going to be sworn in as mayor then. I would use the necklace for a… gift of sorts. Nothing more than a joke between siblings, you see, and certainly nothing that should prevent you from getting it.”

“We heard a rumor that it was a Relic. Do you know anything about that?”

“It’s nothing that harms people, as long as it’s in the right hands. Nothing you need to worry about.”

Kezati understood what was happening and pressed, “But it does do something, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, but it doesn’t concern you. Now, I’m quite certain you’ve got better things to do than to stand here and ask stupid questions. Go on now, that necklace isn’t going to find itself!”

He practically shoved them back into the garden—well, further into the garden, since they’d never really left it. “And don’t return until you’ve gotten the necklace, understand?”

He didn’t even give time for a response before he took a step back and slammed the door on them.

“So, what do you think we should do..?” Kezati prompted, looking at Alrynn.

“What we think is right,” was Alrynn’s simple answer. “I’d say we basically confirmed what the other man had said. Now it’s up to us to do the right thing, regardless of whether or not a paycheck’s involved.”