Stealing is bad

My morning started a little later than usual but I am not worried about that. When I went to Fiona's house, I saw Hazel playing with Jade on the sofa. Fay is reading a book.

"Good morning, you two."

"Good morning, master." (Hazel)

"Good morning, dear." (Fay)

Dear? I am not gonna say anything about this change. She is allowed to call me whatever she likes.

"What are you reading, Fay?"

"It's my diary. I used to write it daily before going to Gaia. I had totally forgotten about it and Eden found it last night. So I thought I would read it to embarrass myself." (Fay)

A diary! I never thought of writing one. And I didn't have much to write anyway.

I sit next to Hazel. Aura goes to check on Eden. Jade was sitting on Hazel's lap but she made her way to mine soon.

She went a step further and climbed on my head and fell asleep there. I stop moving completely.

"She sure is attached to you, master." (Hazel)

"I didn't even spend that much time with her."

I wonder, why is she so attached to me? I didn't even spend that much time with her.

"She is comfortable around you, master. Like a child trusting its parent." (Hazel)

I reinforced her on my head so she doesn't shake or fall off. She is sleeping. Let the sleeping kitten sleep.

Aura comes back.

"Where is Eden?"

"She is playing with Tiana and Aegis." (Aura)

"They sure have become close. And Aera should be with them. So I don't have to worry about their safety."

Eden is maturing and Tiana is learning. Their growth rate is good. I get up to leave for the guild.

"Master, where are you going?" (Hazel)

"To the guild. I wanna discuss about The Tomb further with Ms. Maria."

"Let's go then." (Aura)

Aura gets up and holds my hand.

"What about Jade, master?" (Hazel)

"I will take her with me. She is sleeping peacefully so I don't want to wake her up."

And we embarked on our journey to the guild. Aura is not shying away. She is practically glued to my arm. Her chest is pushing my arm. She is leaning onto me as we walk.

The people around us have gotten used to us. They gave us a brief look and then resumed their work. So they have finally gotten tired of seeing me flirt with the girls.

When I pushed the guild door open, everyone looked at me. But then they went back to their jobs. I see Ms. Maria at her counter.

I go to her with Aura. She let go of my arm before entering the guild.

"Good morning, Mr. Belmont. You are a little late today as well." (Maria)

"Well, had a late morning. I was a little too exhausted last night. So I had to rest for a little longer. What is the situation regarding The Tomb?"

"The guild master would like to have a word with you. He is waiting for you in his room." (Maria)

Ms. Maria takes me and Aura to his room. She didn't say anything about Aura so I didn't say anything either. When she opened the door, a saw a familiar face.

I have had a brief conversation with him before. It was just after coming here. He gave me my rank and after that, we hadn't met until now.

"Welcome. I was waiting for you, Clive." (Christopher)

"It has been a while, guild master. I hope you are doing well."

"Take a seat. And you are?" (Christopher)

"Aura Belmont. His wife." (Aura)

He asks who Aura is and she gives a short and to the point answer. He didn't ask much about it.

I bring out the item in question. Of course with the barrier. Christopher is at awe.

"This is the first time I have seen one of The Tomb. To think this small casket is actually a portal to Hades." (Christopher)

"You actually believed my analysis."

"Well, I did have my reservations. But I reported this to the Mage association and to his majesty. His majesty believes that your analysis is correct. But the Mage association director is still not convinced.

He is coming to assess this matter himself. I hope you have a good surprise for him." (Christopher)

"You should have said so. I don't have anything fancy ready for him. But I will see what I can do to entertain him."

A new character? Now of all times. It's a hassle. And 10 minutes later, a knock was heard.

"Enter." (Christopher)

I look at the door and see the person entering. A middle aged man. Probably the same age as guild master. He has a gaudy gown on and is holding a big polished cane with a crystal embedded in it. That's probably a magic staff.

He looks at me and Aura and smirks.

"Welcome, director Oswald. Have a seat." (Christopher)

The director haughtily takes a seat and looks at guild master. But then his expression changed.

"Christopher, what is that small casket on your desk?" (Oswald)

"It's the artifact. The Tomb." (Christopher)

He snickers like he is holding his laughter.

"Have you become a total idiot, Christopher?That's just a plain casket. You have been duped. Is it this guy? The so called B rank who dove to the bottom of Yves lake and retrieved it." (Oswald)

He points his finger at me.

"Yes. He is Clive Belmont. B rank adventurer. But why are you claiming it to be a normal casket?" (Christopher)

"The Tomb is a mysterious artifact. It always exudes miasma. That thing is just a plain imitation of The Tomb. He is lying." (Oswald)

Director Oswald looks extremely proud. His face is euphoric with his imminent victory.

"Clive, what do you have to say?" (Christopher)

Guild master probably knows that I can use barriers. That's why he is letting Oswald go on about me being a fraud. But I better do something quick. Aura is becoming annoyed with this Oswald.

"Director Oswald, can you use recovery magic?"

"Yes. But why do you ask?" (Oswald)

I cancel the barrier around The Tomb. The complexion of the guild master and the director changed instantly. Guild master is breathing heavily as he moves away from his desk.

Director Oswald ran for the door but he couldn't open it. Seeing their pitiful situation, I put a barrier around The Tomb again and heal them slightly.

"Miasma has no effect on me or my wife. So I put a barrier around it for everyone else's safety. What do you think, director? Is it the genuine artifact?"

I put some weight in my voice. He talked a lot of trash about me. So I intimidated him just a bit.

The conclusion was that the director would take it for further analysis and I have been rewarded for the discovery. It's a generous amount so I have some money for the time being.

I put the pouch in my storage. Let's not call it singularity anymore. It's a bit different from singularity.

"Should we go home?"

"How about we sightsee?" (Aura)

"Good idea. You lead then. I heard that you went to the northern part of this town."

"Yeah. It's not a good area. But it can do for now."

We keep walking and Jade is still sleeping. She hasn't woken up once this entire time. But someone bumped into me.

A boy half my height bumped into me. He apologized soon and ran off.

"Did you notice it?" (Aura)

"Yeah. Although my pockets are empty, he put his hands in and tried to grab whatever was inside."

The kid was swift. He clearly tried to grab everything in my pockets.

"Let's follow the kid. He didn't steal anything but he tried to. We should teach him that stealing is bad."

I think I am going to put my nose into someone else's business but stealing is bad. I need to teach that kid a little life lesson so he doesn't do it anymore.