156 - 24 Hearts

Title: The Twenty-Four Hearts - Chapter 156 > The Northern Hare **Chapter 4: The Land of Leisure and Culture, Urun** "Alright. As long as you cooperate willingly, you'll live a long life. I have no intention of killing you." The man gave up resisting her magic the moment he succumbed to her enchantment. Asmodeus, seeing the focus vanish from his eyes, was satisfied. She then looked beyond the alleyway. Beyond the alley draped in darkness, the city lights were visible. There was no one passing by now, but anything that glows in the dark has the power to captivate attention. "Now, could you please extinguish that glowing orb?" The man obliged, nodding without any suspicion, and immediately turned off the light. They wouldn’t be visible to others now, but her eyes could distinguish objects in the darkness with just the faintest light. People passing by wouldn't pay attention to this alley. "Hmm..." Her subtle hum caused the breaths of two men to grow somewhat erratic. Thinking their response was cute, Asmodeus reached out and placed a forefinger on the forehead of the man who tried to resist her magic. The moment her finger touched him, his movements ceased, and the foolishly grinning expression turned vacant. "Recall your recent memories. All of them. Why you came here, what you're looking for, and why you're seeking it—all of it." Asmodeus slowly lifted her finger. A faint aura emerged from his forehead, trailing her fingertip. It was the man’s memories, gathering into her hand like cotton candy as she twirled her fingers. She opened her mouth and swallowed it like a candy. Once inside her mouth, the extracted memories melted, providing her with information. Despite the waves of incoming information, she remained composed. She wasn't weak enough to be overwhelmed by the mind of a mere human. Although this body might be fragile, the mind controlling it was formidable. Sifting through the torrent, she filtered out unnecessary details and focused on extracting only the essential or useful information. 'There’s an interesting story here, isn’t there?' It was merely a story that could have been overlooked but turned out to be quite intriguing. She had come to Urun to seize the shard of Valentine held by Count January. She intended to reclaim the shard, having learned from her regrettable defeat in Aslan, the capital of Philoria. Yet, upon arriving in Urun, she found a city of stunning beauty, considering it was built by humans. It was too precious to simply proceed with her mission and destroy it. The night city, expressing all sorts of desires, was extremely alluring. So, she enjoyed herself by posing as a noblewoman and consuming the memories of those who walked the night, just like this man. And naturally, she learned that nobles here were not to be trifled with. The law was severe to both commoners and nobles alike when it came to crimes. If a commoner committed a crime against a noble, depending on the situation, it could result in capital punishment. Of course, efforts were being made to prevent the abuse of this law, but she had no interest in such matters. This was merely one of the many memories she had taken from humans. Despite the numerous trivial memories, the current story intrigued her. "Someone unknown dared to infiltrate a grand noble's mansion, killed the guards and mages, and escaped with three enslaved elves." "Someone easily deactivated the seals on the elves' magic powers, seals believed to be innate to elves who are naturally adept at magic and the spirits." "The mansion's owner, Count Neyube, enraged by this, released mages and soldiers to locate 'someone.'" "Even Count's memory-tracing magic failed to capture 'someone's' face, traits, or abilities, suggesting that 'someone' possesses a powerful anti-magic item." "Hmm-?" Who could this 'someone' be? Urun’s nobles were known to each be powerful mages, allowing them to enjoy lives distinct from commoners. For someone at the level of a count, a grand noble, it’s safe to assume their magical prowess is considerable. Yet, for someone to evade a memory-tracing spell revealing their traits, face, or abilities, this suggests that they are either far superior or possess truly formidable anti-magic items. It sparks curiosity. 'Not a common thief.' Given that no valuables were touched and only elves were taken, perhaps it was a fellow elf freeing their kin from suffering, venturing all the way to Urun. "Ah. I wish someone would save me, too." But that seemed unlikely. Her face contorted in frustration. For over a hundred years, she'd been trapped in the labyrinth, and no fiends came to find her. Only her liege found her despite the eyes of other lords and kings to offer aid. Ultimately, she'd have to free herself from the seal. To think, as one of the Seven Deadly Sins of the Demon Realm, she'd been living so wretchedly. 'How pathetic.' Letting out a small sigh, she snapped her fingers. Thud! With the snap, the two men in front of her fell like puppets with their strings cut. She looked down at the collapsed men, lost in thought, tilting her head to the side. 'Let's see... there are about seven days left for the door to open?' Having sufficiently indulged in life in Urun and tasted the sticky desires of humans, she had nothing particular to do for the next seven days. Now, having come across such an intriguing story, why not seek out this renowned thief to pass the time? 'What if I can't find them?' Can't find them? Well, it doesn't matter. Urun will vanish in seven days anyway. What's the point? It's merely a pastime. She erased the memories of the two fallen men and leisurely departed as if nothing had happened. --- Two days passed. Two days were more than enough time for a juicy rumor to spread among nobles, if not overflow. Not just among nobles—merchants and various people throughout Urun were buzzing with recent, intriguing rumors. Among the nobles, especially those considered grand nobles, the shocking news was that the estates of Count Neyube and Count Hissen, both prominent mages, had been robbed. This wasn’t just any petty thief; this was a monumental figure who stole elven slaves. The thief astonishingly bypassed the elaborate security spells and guards of these grand estates, infiltrating to steal the most valuable and rare elven slaves. It was indeed a refreshing rumor. Until now, the rumors in Urun were trivial at best, such as: "A certain noble won an enormous sum at a casino!" or "Which noble lady spent a fiery night with whom?" Yet, the idea of a thief targeting a grand noble's mansion was novel and enthralling—perfect for lively conversation over drinks! People couldn't get enough of the tale, sharing it with everyone they met. Who on earth? For what purpose did they infiltrate the mansion to steal elven slaves? How did they break through the layered security spells? Elven slaves were bound with powerful seals to prevent them from using magic and spirits—how were these undone? They reveled in such stories. Moreover, seeing the squads from the Neyube and Hissen families patrolling the streets, it was clear this was no mere rumor. Consequently, the people were excited, while nobles who owned elven slaves were on edge. Avalon, the Casino. Judah found himself back here with Losin, a place he never thought he'd return to. Not by choice though. Losin demanded extra payment, claiming it wasn’t worth his while, and when Judah offered him money, Losin suggested another trip to the casino, so here they were. Having exchanged a pouch of gold for chips, Judah searched for him, finding Losin enjoying wine served by bunny girls, as the casino was known for. "Hey, your tales are the talk of the town, you know?" Judah merely chuckled softly at Losin’s teasing remark. He'd already heard enough as he was exchanging chips; the thief story captivated even gamblers, who went so far as to bet on which family might lose their elves next. "I’m betting 10 gold coins that the Seronic family gets hit." "Oh-ho, the Seronic family, huh? Alright. I’m wagering on the Bon Watch family. Don’t come crying when you lose, those 10 gold coins are mine!" That was a conversation between two well-dressed gentlemen passing by, catching the ears of Losin and Judah. "Hah, that poor guy. He’s about to lose 10 gold coins. Should we make a bet too?" Losin suggested, savoring his wine with a sly grin, prompting Judah to nod agreeably. "Then I’ll bet on the Seronic family as well." "Hey, that’s not fair! You can't ask me to bet on a losing hand—that’s conman talk!" "Remember, it was Losin who suggested the bet, not me. Come on, let’s play a few rounds. Since we're here, it’s not even my money—I'd like to win big and save a share for myself." Losin’s expression brightened at this. A truly mercenary grin, if ever one existed. He handed his empty wine glass to a passing bunny girl, rubbing his hands together as he followed. "Great! Let’s make some money again today." "Remember, if you lose, it’s not my fault." "Don’t worry, don’t worry. I won’t blame you even if I lose. Oh-ho—that table over there looks like it just opened up." Losin, thrilled like a kid at an amusement park, led Judah to the table. Yet, as they approached, he suddenly halted. "?" "Uh—might not want to play at that table. Let’s find another." "Why?" Judah asked, curious why the sudden change of heart, noticing Losin looking uncertainly at the open table. He leaned closer to whisper a reason. "Something feels off... Count Seronic is seated at that table." Count Seronic—the very owner of the next mansion to be hit. Judah shifted his gaze to the gaming table. "Who?" "The guy in the russet suit, just like the one you’re wearing." Wearing the suit tailored and enchanted by Count January, Judah glanced at his own outfit, then back at the table. The man dressed in a russet suit, with a quite distinguished beard, looked rather bored, eyeing his cards and muttering “fold” as he placed them down. "But do we really have to avoid him? We've done nothing wrong yet." "Nothing wrong? You’ve got some nerve. Absolutely not." Judah shrugged. "Why? Do you personally know him or something?" "Of course not." "Then there’s no issue. Let’s play a round or two and chat a bit, shall we?" Losin scrutinized Judah. "What’s going on in that head of yours? Have you got a plan?" "Haha, plan? Not at all. Just thought it might be fun to have a game with him. C'mon, before someone else takes the seat." "Oh, you’re insane. Don’t blame me if something goes down." "It’ll be fine, trust me." Judah moved with Losin to the table and took their seats side by side. As the two settled in, the eyes of the others at the table turned their way. ---------= Author's Notes ---------= 1) Oh my, these readers surely keep the author alive. Turning even a discharged sergeant into a work of fiction, huh? I tip my hat to such remarkable imagination. 2) Is it a bit slow-paced? If possible, I'll try to speed it up. 😥