(20) It Isn't Stealing If It Doesn't Have An Owner

— Mysteriea City…

The sun rose slowly from its slumber, bathing the city shielded by stone walls in warmth.

Residents slept through the night soundly, while the guards of Mysteriea kept circling the wall in pairs. The assigned captains of each post monitored the patrols tirelessly.

Lookout towers built on the walls were the perfect place for detection. The watchmen are given a horn to sound the alarm and a telescope. If any kind of threat ever decides to attack. Each tower had at least twenty guards garrisoned, ready to respond whenever a threat was spotted.

Merlons and crenels were there to protect archers and safely attack from the walls. Between each tower around the wall, there's always three giant crossbows manned by three people to shoot the weapon, arm it with arrows and to reload it.

The guards clad in tough iron armor with the insignia of Mysteriea on their backs. A woman reaching out to the sun with one hand.

Each guard has a role to accomplish.

The wall guards are armed with longbows and swords with medium armor consisting of leather, chainmail and metal plates. The ones in the ground had heavy armor consisting of a larger amount of metal plates, cloth for padding and chainmail. The ground patrol guards are equipped with greatswords or halberds.

Mounted cavalry is always on standby, and each guard changes their shift every five hours to ensure that no infiltrations will be done and to keep fresh batches of guards with full energy to fulfill their jobs.

And that's just the outer wall. Mysteriea has three layers of defensive walls with all the guards doing the same thing for each of them. The inner wall is the most guarded because of the existence of elite guards.

Elite guards are not only heavily armored, they are also geared with the top quality weapons provided to them. Naturally, these armor and weapons are inlaid with gems, engraved with runes and are made with special metal alloys.

Each elite guard is capable of long range, medium range and close range combat. They can all use Tier-IV spells and they all possess a corresponding soul skeleton that fits their fighting style.

Outside the walls, the job of the guards doesn't stop there. Scouts with light armor consisting of leather, chainmail and cloth are armed with shortswords and dagger. They are given camouflaged clothing, an alarm horn, and a small telescope.

Signal horns are stationed outside. These hulking metal constructs can create loud and deep sounds that can be heard from the second layer of the walls.

Because of their diligence, Mysteriea City remains safe as ever.

As the sunlight woke people of the city from their sleep, a certain man also opened his eyes.

— Denur Manor…

The three stories manor owned by Viscount Denur made of white polished stone and marble that welcomed warmly the sunlight through the balcony windows, illuminating the inside.

His beautiful daughter, Nacinth Denur peacefully rested under a white sheet of silk while embracing a man's body.

Jiun Vertesi leaned on the bed frame, fully awake. Beside the bed was a white and gray marble desk.

He stared at the desk, or more specifically, the unfinished book about a martial art that he was writing down placed on it. He ignored the eloquent interior of the room, he was thinking about what to do next.

The room was scented with the faint rosiness of flowers and the sweetness of freshly squeezed fruits.

Jiun stared at the sleeping Nacinth who was still tired after making love with him last night. He stroked her long amber hair and told himself, "Not half bad…"

He rolled his tongue in his mouth before getting out of bed.

Picking up his clothes scattered on the floor, he put them on one by one.

Black pants, a loose button up white shirt, and a leather belt.

After dressing up, he walked up to the mirror and inspected his appearance.

Handsome face, blue eyes, long black hair extending to his chin and a decent jawline. His build was also muscular and pleasing to look at. It's no wonder a gorgeous woman like Nacinth fell for his charm.

Jiun came from a nice, small village. It wasn't poor, but it wasn't enough to contain his desire to become a great combat master. He pursued combat so much, and that pushed Jiun to travel all around the world to learn and teach the ways of fighting.

Soon, he became known by many people as his name spread. Jiun deserved to be known because he is a truly skilled fighter.

In fact, if Kejlar Yehedt is an Upper Tier-III to a Lower Tier-IV fighter, Jiun is a Lower Tier-IV to Medium Tier-IV fighter.

He became so famous that even nobles wanted him to personally teach their heir. Viscount Denur invited him since he was staying over in Mysteriea City. The viscount paid him a hefty sum just so that he would write a martial art that fits his son and his daughter perfectly.

And probably to rope him in the family, Viscount Denur even offered his daughter Nacinth to woo him.

Jiun has seen this trick all too many times now. But hey, if he gets to enjoy a noble's daughter, then why not indulge for a bit?

"Heh.." Jiun touched his chin and felt the shaved beard starting to grow again. "Well hello there handsome…" He began to comb his hair with his hands after checking himself out.

As he was doing this, he heard a woman's voice calling out for him.

"Sir Jiun?" Nacinth called his name from her bed. She held her blanket with one hand against her chest to cover her body.

Nacinth was not someone who could enthrall a man like Jiun if she had subpar looks. Just as she laid on the bed, there was a sense of innocence and fragility that one can feel upon gazing upon her.

"Oh, you're awake.." Jiun approached her bed and crawled over to her.

He extended his hand and stroked her cheek. "Did you rest well last night?"

Nacinth chuckled after seeing Jiun being so affectionate. "Who knows? Someone here was too energetic for their own good." She teased.

Jiun rubbed his nose. "I'll finish writing the book for you today. Hopefully that would make it up to you."

"You can stay here for a few more days, I'm sure father wouldn't mind." She then combed her hair down with her other hand.

"I'm going to get dressed now, can you leave for a bit?" Nacinth said as she yawned softly.

Jiun shrugged. "Sure." He leaned in for a kiss before leaving.

Nacinth didn't resist his advance. She closed her eyes, their lips locked for a few seconds before separating.

"Just go already…" She pushed his chest away with a playful smile.

Jiun laughed as he walked towards the door.

After leaving, he stood outside the empty hallway and shook his head with a wry smile.

'How long do I have to stay here…' He thought to himself.

'I went to Wiunlen last month.. Meaning, I should stay here for five months at least. And after that, I can go to the next city.' Jiun believed that his never ending vacation should go smoothly.

He counted how much money he has left and calculated that it should be enough to last him for a year.

'Benefits of clinging on to the rich… My goodness, when did my life's journey turn to this?' Jiun held his forehead with his palm, he didn't know whether to laugh or to be disappointed in himself.

As Jiun was immersed in his mind thinking about his life choices, a butler called out to him.

"Sir Jiun, Viscount Denur instructed me to prepare your breakfast. Follow me please." The butler bowed respectfully, knowing about Jiun's standing.

"Alright, lead the way." Jiun touched his stomach and felt that he was indeed a bit hungry.

— Wiunlen, Periphery of the Undbok Deep Forest…

Two figures ran quickly like the wind.

One was a girl with dark red hair and another was a guy with black hair.

Riang's breathing was stable as her legs ran with great strides. Although she was sweating a little bit, she felt alive. Whenever she ran like this, a smile would appear on her face.

Owen followed her tracks with no signs of fatigue. He didn't have much change in expression, but to run freely like this, he had to admit that it was fun.

He could run at his full speed without thinking about anything. It made him feel free.

Riang noticed the sun rising and said, "We should stop now.. I can't miss Teacher Tiduer's class for today…" Her legs came to a halt.

Owen gradually slowed down as well. "Alright."

"Phew… So, how do you feel? Does your body feel a bit better?" Riang asked Owen while breathing a bit deeply.

Given that question, Owen looked at the dark blue panels beside him.

==========

[Endurance Training Progress: 38/100]

[Strength Training Progress: 32/100]

[Movement Speed Training Progress: 16/100]

==========

"Yeah, it's a great improvement if you ask me." Owen was satisfied with his progress.

Riang felt good hearing that.

"I wasn't expecting you to keep up. When Teacher Tiduer told us to keep running for thirty minutes, I was barely keeping myself together the first time we did that exercise." Riang took the cloth hanging on her nape and used it to wipe the sweat off her back.

Owen knew that it was only because of his class, but since it was his advantage, he didn't disclose it, nor did he brag about it.

"It may look like I'm not tired, but my legs are hurting right now… You're quite resilient if you ask me." Owen made it look like he's just keeping his expression steady after being exhausted.

Riang had no reason not to believe what he said, so she appreciated the compliment.

"Hah, thanks… But after beating me yesterday, you don't seem to be telling the truth." She heaved deep breaths to recompose herself.

"I'm just that good at controlling my body language… It's my talent." Owen said in a casual manner.

"Do you know what mere talent can't beat? Hard work.. This is two years of progress, check it." Riang flexed her arm and showed off her biceps.

Her muscles were compact yet sturdy as expected of someone who trained relentlessly. Although Oslan fell in the same category, his progress isn't as evident.

Riang's calm and cool aura couldn't be seen anywhere. It seems that she felt more comfortable acting like herself after getting to know Owen for quite a bit.

She began to treat him in a more friendly way even if she did not trust him completely.

"I should work out more…" Owen was already thinking of doing push-ups the moment they got back to her apartment.

"Yeah, you should." Riang snickered before she decided to walk back to the town.

Owen retracted his spine into a more comfortable position and walked beside Riang. The tall trees of the forest slowly retreated behind them as they advanced.

"Also, Owen…" She raised her finger while thinking about what she should say next.

"Hm?" Owen paused.

"Why did you reject it when I offered you some sheets to sleep on last night? Isn't the floor uncomfortable?" Riang didn't see any reason why Owen would do such a thing.

"…"

'Because I wasn't going to sleep anyway.' Owen said inwardly.

"I slept just fine. I'm quite used to sleeping on hard surfaces." Owen lied without even blinking. He got used to it pretty quickly.

"It's also because I have some humility too. I'm the one sleeping in your room so it felt rude taking something from you when you had almost nothing." He added.

Truth be told, Owen didn't sleep at all last night.

Thanks to that, he got a new debuff called [Mental Fatigue].

Because of the debuff, he felt absolutely refreshed. Right now, he was at his peak when it came to brain performance. Owen could feel his focus being better than usual.

Since sleep deprivation is a good thing, Owen decided to never sleep again.

"My my, you're quite considerate. Aren't ya?" Riang gave him a knowing smile. "But seriously, I don't mind. We're helping each other, aren't we?"

"That takes me back actually... I can't sleep on hard surfaces at all… The first time I rented that place, I had no bed. I just slept on the floor and it was so hard to fall asleep. Because of that, I decided to buy a few sheets of wool which solved that problem entirely." Riang was reminiscing about the difficulties that she had to go through and how she got past them.

"And that's money well spent." Owen snapped his fingers together with a gleaming smile.

He then checked out his inventory to take out his scarf and wore it around his neck.

Owen had no problems using his inventory around Riang. It's not like she could replicate it no matter how much she studied how he does it.

Riang watched him take it out from thin air which bubbled a feeling of interest within her.

"You really can't teach me how to do that?" Riang tried to guess how the 'spell' worked to no avail.

"Didn't I tell you last night? It's something that I was born with.. I never learned how to do it." Owen sighed inwardly. That was the same excuse that he told Oslan.

Riang squinted her eyes at him doubtfully. "Why do I still find it hard to believe until now?"

Owen made use of his height advantage and placed his hand on her head and pushed down, making her look at the ground. "I don't know what to tell you, but you just have to believe it."

"Hey!" Riang grabbed his wrist and tossed it aside. She fixed her ruffled hair and said, "Can you not??"

"Grow taller first." Owen smirked. It looked like he was the older sibling who annoys their younger sibling a lot.

"I've been experiencing a growth spurt lately, so that might happen sooner or later." Riang wasn't too bothered with her height.

"Keep eating nutritious food if you don't want to stunt your growth." Owen massaged his left forearm as he spoke.

Riang narrowed her eyes. "That costs money though…"

"Money wouldn't be a problem once we reach Mysteriea." Owen took the belt out of his inventory and wore it before continuing. He did this to clear out slots so that he could store more items.

"When do we set off?" Owen also decided to ask.

"As soon as possible… But it's better if we leave with at least 5,000 copper coins to survive in such a great city of endless expenses like Mysteriea.." Riang shrugged.

After going through a conversation about money with Riang last night, Owen had a rough idea about how much money a person needs to live a good life.

And according to this newfound knowledge, Owen could see that it would probably last them around 6 days if they lived in Mysteriea. That's not including the food that they need to stockpile during the long trip to the city. But if he did, that would reduce the 6 days to just 4 days. If they're lucky, it may be just 5 days.

The good news is that Owen doesn't need to eat, drink or sleep. But Oslan still occupied a spot of resource consumption, so it's still just enough for 4-5 days.

"And how much do you have?" Owen asked.

"3,982 copper coins or 39 silver and 82 copper coins. That's how much I managed to save during 2 years of my stay here in Wiunlen."

Owen became silent for a while as he calculated in his head. "Guess I gotta work for a month and a few days to help you fill that to five thousand."

"I'm also working, so cut that to twenty or so days." Riang's tone was quick and sharp. She felt the need to remind Owen that she also earns money.

"What's your average everyday income?" Owen asked in response to her words.

Rianh calculated in her mind in just three seconds, her eyes scrunching up together as she thought. "Erm… About 20 copper?"

"Wait, then that's…" Owen used his hand to help him calculate. "You should've had about 14,000 copper coins by now. Even if I take 5,000 from that, you'd still have 9,000. Then why do you only have 3,982 copper coins in your savings?"

Riang exhaled in a very exhausted way after seemingly having recalled something.

"I know, but I also bought a lot of stuff too. Monthly rent, the wool sheets for my bed, food and water, clothes, soap to wash those clothes and for me to use to take a bath. That's why I only had that much left…" Riang's recollection of something that irritated her became evident afterwards.

Her tone shifted into anger and said, "And not to mention that bastard who stole my money! I swear if I see him, I'll beat his face until his jaw no longer works properly."

As she walked, she saw a small gray pebble and kicked it as hard as she could. The pebble was sent flying away a few meters.

Owen let her express her grievances openly. He then looked ahead to see the Flor River and a wooden bridge that was built to allow easier crossing.

"Remember what happened yesterday? I didn't know Wiunlen had a bridge to cross the river… my clothes were drenched for no reason at all." Owen sighed.

"I even tried to expose you. Who knew that I'd meet someone from my home kingdom?" Riang recalled how suspicious she was of Owen during that time when he first appeared.

But to be fair, she felt that it was necessary.

"Who knew I'd meet the daughter of a famous commander…" Owen returned the sentiment.

"Well that makes us even.. But I am curious, how did you lose your hand exactly? Did you tell the truth to Ezella?"

"I was telling the truth that bandits were the reason why I lost it. But so that it isn't completely rendered useless, I tied a hatchet to my left forearm." Owen presented his stump to add to the effect.

"Was it useful though?" Riang didn't know if it was feasible to do that.

Owen smiled as he remembered Yuhmbir's face. "It was… totally effective. I didn't have much hope when I first tried it out though."

"I'm just guessing but, have you killed someone with that?" Riang spoke out her gut's feeling.

"Psh, no.. I only escaped with it. I'm not even sure if that's good enough to kill a guy." Owen lied in such a natural tone that he almost believed it as well.

"So, when we get to Mysteriea, why are you so confident that we wouldn't have to worry about money?" Riang had to ask just to know if Owen planned it out as well.

"It's because that city has so many jobs to offer. As long as you have the stamina and drive to complete a task, you'll get paid handsomely." Owen could faintly recall his younger self grinding quests every day in front of his PC when Garden of the Gods was still popular. It was nothing but good times.

"What does being handsome have to do with getting paid?" Riang didn't understand the figure of speech that was used.

"It's just something I say to add flair. Don't mind it." Owen gestured dismissively.

"Okay." Riang just nodded.

— Training grounds…

The two of them soon reached Tiduer's hut and his training grounds. Several trainees were already there, clearly being the early bunch.

Oslan was also one of them.

The boy with pale brown hair waved at the two of them after spotting Riang and Owen from afar.

Seeing him as well, Riang and Owen looked at each for a moment.

"I'll leave you here for now. I'll be in the forest to stretch for a bit." Owen took the initiative to leave. He understood the importance of Oslan being an important character.

He had to get the two of them to bond for a bit so that Oslan could shine in later events.

"Sure, just don't die." Riang said in a seemingly unconcerned tone.

"That's technically how everyday works." Owen retraced his steps back to the Undbok Forest. But before he left, he told her, "Go ahead and talk to your boyfriend, he seems lonely while looking at us."

Riang was taken aback once she heard what he said. "B- Boyfriend??? Wh- What do you me– and…. He's gone."

She slumped down upon noticing that Owen was now far away from her.

Having nothing else to do, Riang then approached Oslan and sat next to him.

She looked at his dispirited face, unlikely of what he was usually seen with.

"You seem downcast for some reason, what happened?" Riang leaned forward, intending to look at Oslan's face.

Oslan furrowed his brows before loosening them up. "No, nothing… I guess I just had a lot in my mind." He then shook his head.

"Did Owen already tell you about including you in my plan to go to Silmoun?" Riang wanted to confirm.

Oslan's eyes widened for a moment. "He told you?"

"He told me that you'll be important to the plan. I just wanted to know if you're really serious about going with us." Riang turned to look forward while resting her face on her hand.

Oslan was hesitant to answer right away.

He answered with his voice hushed and his face looking away from her. "Why wouldn't I be? You're my friend.."

Oslan expressed his willingness.

Riang felt touched but she didn't show it on her face. She didn't want to be seen as someone with a soft side.

"It's different this time Oslan.. The journey will be dangerous. Even I can't be certain that you'll be safe."

Oslan said solemnly. "It's not like I have anything to lose… I want to help because you have a home to go to. And I don't… My family is long gone now."

"I don't want you to feel the pain of living without a family because I know that painful feeling very well." He added.

A warm feeling surged within Riang's heart.

A myriad of complex emotions made it difficult for her to respond immediately. She opened her mouth, a hundred words were doing their best to rush out, but Riang held back at the last moment.

She secretly took a deep breath and said, "Alright, it seems I can't convince you otherwise…"

"But promise me one thing." Riang told Oslan very seriously.

"What is it?" Oslan blinked cluelessly.

Riang suddenly plucked out a strand of her hair.

Upon seeing this, Oslan was shocked. His eyes focused on hers, feeling unsure of what was happening.

"If anything, make sure that you take care of yourself. Cherish your life even if you think that it's not much. At least do it for me, can you promise me that?"

She reached out her hand and gave it to Oslan.

He nodded.

"Sure, I promise that I will cherish my life and do whatever it takes for you to return where you rightfully belong." Oslan also plucked out a strand from his head and gave it to Riang.

The two of them tossed it at the same time, letting them be carried off by the wind.

This was a gesture of trust between two people. Unlike back on earth where crossing pinky fingers together was the gesture to keep a promise, this was the same way the Eslahan people did the same.

It symbolized that by throwing a strand of each other's hair, the promise is now witnessed by the world. And by breaking that promise meant that they are willing to embrace bad luck and the world's wrath for breaking someone's trust.

— Undbok Deep Forest…

Ixila walked with a large crate filled with expensive silk, jewelry, books with high literary significance and a few other stuff.

With her prosthetic arm alone, she had the strength to lift the crate quite easily.

"How long will I have to walk in this forest… Let's just hope my employer isn't lying about the location of the meetup or else that would be heartbreaking." Ixila let out a sigh that sounded closely to that of a cat's meow.

While walking, she unfolded that map on her left hand to get a better look at it.

Her eyes skimmed through the map and confirmed that she was going in the right direction.

"Seems about right… At least I think so." Ixila stored the map into her pocket.

While through the forest of incredibly tall trees, she came across an ordinary looking cave entrance. With her keen senses, Ixila felt the fading presence of a demon.

Her eyes narrowed. She held her sword, ready to unsheathe it at any time.

She looked at the cave entrance and thought to herself, 'Is it really a good idea to go inside and investigate?'

Ixila placed down the crate before scanning her surroundings for any living creatures.

Seeing nothing, Ixila decided to stop wasting any time and leapt into the darkness. "My gut says yes, so it's decided…"

*Whoosh!*

Her legs kicked off so powerfully that it brought up a small shockwave.

When she arrived inside the cave, she noticed that it wasn't as big as she thought it would be.

The cave didn't lead into any other places. It was just an opening with an empty space equivalent to a large room.

"Well that was a letdown." Ixila sighed while looking around the cave.

Like a cat, her eyes were somehow glowing inside the dark cave. Although the sun gives enough light from the outside to allow someone to see enough of the cave's insides, she still activated this night vision spell just in case she would miss something.

And surprisingly, there were no signs of a demon but merely their presence…

'So what should a demon be doing in a place like this? Is it resting or something?' Ixila mused.

Her eyes looked forward and saw a throne made of the same rocks of the cave.

The throne was exquisitely made. It was as if a sculptor poured his soul into his work, hammering on the chisel for years as he perfected each detail before eventually withering away from old age.

Apart from the rocks strewn around, it was very apparent in its presence.

"... What's this doing here?" Ixila approached the throne with vigilance. Her eyes were keen to spot any small movement that may appear any time.

She reached her hand out and stroked the smooth surface of the seat, a hint of surprise appearing on her face.

"I was expecting a trap… Can this cave get any more boring?" She heaved a heavy groan with disappointment, she was ready to leave.

But an idea flashed in her mind.

She stopped in her tracks and turned around to look at the throne.

"Hmmmm…. Yeah, I should take this" Ixila carried the throne with her right arm and left.

She didn't find a demon, but she did find a cool looking throne. Ixila took quite a liking to it.

So in a way, she was satisfied.