30: Sneaking around at Night

"So, remind me again about what we are doing? Why do I have to be out here in the middle of the night and help you break into the parking garage?"

Bianca asked as she yawned, trying her best to keep herself awake.

After a long time, she had finally found time to catch up on her sleep, but the half-dragon had to come and ruin it. She would not have paid him any attention, she knew this. And yet, she felt curious enough to come down and check it out.

"Tsk, curse me and my curiosity. I knew I should not have allowed you to speak me into coming here."

Bianca complained before she walked over to the storage shed and used her magic to open the door. She was curious about what was hidden behind that door as well.

The door opened, and Bianca did not see anything that caught her eye. She also did not sense anything that could alert her to some kind of magic being held in here.

"Well, I don't see anything. Perhaps the boss was just a little bit out of it. He did have to deal with Aria Duskwood at work. You should cut him some slack—"

"Hey, what's this? Hey, human, what is this black and shiny thing? Can we eat this? Or do we use it for something else? I cannot feel any magic coming out of it."

Bianca looked at the 'shiny black thing' that Asger was pointing to, and she immediately saw the bike he was pointing toward.

It was a nice and expensive-looking bike that seemed to have cost a lot. But Bianca was not the best judge of that kind of thing…mainly because her family had a lot of money, and she did not have to consider cost most of the time.

"That's a bike. We use it to get from one place to another. Maybe that was what the boss was trying to hide. I bet he did not want us to know that he had bought a bike."

Bianca's words made sense in her mind, but the half-dragon, who did not know much of the world, felt confused.

"So…this is a mount? What a letdown! I totally expected something else. But I guess my curiosity has been satisfied now. Let's head back before Liam comes to check up on us."

Asger looked disappointed, and he opened the door to the room to head out. But as soon as he did, he froze in shock. Bianca, who had yet to look out, suddenly looked at the door as well.

"What are you both doing here? Would you mind telling me about it? Isn't it quite late? You both should be in your beds."

Liam asked in a passive-aggressive voice. He did not sound angry, and that was what made the young pair even more scared. They could feel his disappointment in their bones.

"H-H-Hey, boss! We were totally not trying to check on what you hid in this store. We were just…trying to find something. Yeah! That's right! Please, believe us."

"T-That's right, human! We were just curious. We promise we did not mean anything by it."

Asger agreed with Bianca, making sure to try and appear as harmless as possible in front of Liam.

The pair looked like they were regretting their life choices, and it made Liam reflect on all the decisions he had made up until now.

"Is that so? I guess I have no choice but to believe you, huh? Is that what you want me to say? Sorry, but I don't want to forgive you. How about you both head back to your rooms before I get even more annoyed?"

The young pair let out a sigh of relief at Liam's words. They felt relieved that Liam did not sound as angry as they thought he would be. They walked to their rooms, not realizing that their punishment was just beginning.

[User has activated locking magic. The targets will not be able to escape their rooms until the duration of the magic expires.]

Liam hated to use the system in this way, but he also knew that he needed to teach these kids some manners so that they would stop looking down on him.

"Those kids sure are lucky that what I did not take did not harm my beauty much. I don't think I would have been able to hold my temper if anything happened to it."

Liam complained before he sealed the store away using his magic. This way, he was sure that no one else would be able to get inside the room except him.

The next morning, he woke up first, feeling refreshed. But the same could not be said for the two kids who had been lurking around the store last night.

"Hey, human! What did you do last night? I tried to open the door to my room, but it won't open. What kind of magic did you use?"

The half-dragon asked in a serious voice. Liam did consider answering, but in the end, he remained quiet, sending mixed signals Asger's way. It made the half-dragon agitated.

Even Bianca was a little more serious and on edge around him after that. She continued to sneak glances toward him the whole time.

That did not escape Elder Erin's notice, and he decided to ask Liam what happened.

"Are those two alright? I don't like you upsetting Bianca much, but you might want to be careful around that boss. Just because he's playing nice with you now does not mean he cannot change his mind."

The old magician spoke with certainty as he tried to warn Liam, and Liam understood where the old man was coming from.

But he could not bring himself to feel scared of Asger. The contract they had made would ensure that Liam stayed safe from the half-dragon, no matter what.

'Then again, the contract only states that I will be safe. It never said anything about others. I guess I should be a little more careful.'

"I understand, Elder. I will make sure to be vigilant. I should head out now, or I will be late to work."