Chapter 136 - Secrets You Should Not Touch

I walked into the shop, greeted with a familiar sight. The man at the shop before was still there, writing on a piece of parchment. His eyes were dead set on the paper, not recognizing that someone just entered the shop. 

He would occasionally adjust his glasses, then continue scribbling something.

Even after getting close to the man, he didn't seem to realize I was there.

Naturally, my intention was to speak up and ask to buy some paper. However, before the words could come out of my mouth, a sudden realization hit me.

I put my life at risk, recklessly teleporting as I navigated the alleyways. My will was stretched to its very limits, letting me perform things I never thought of before. Especially the strange experience of both relaxing and tensing my muscles.

And what was the purpose of all that?

...To buy paper.

Not to mention, a single sheet of paper.

Even worse, I would have to go back, meaning this was only half of what I had to go through.

For a few seconds, I questioned my own intelligence.

Then, without warning, burst out laughing.

"Ah! Who's there!"

The man freaked out, cringing in fear. When he saw that it was me, laughing with no abandon, he let out a sigh. As for whether it was out of relief or frustration, I wouldn't know.

"I would appreciate it if you did not close in such a fashion that..."

The man shook his head.

"...so closely resembles an assassin."

I gradually calmed my laughter and tilted my head to the side.

"Eh? Really?"

The man rolled his eyes.

"You did not create a single sound, of course you have. For nearly most of my life, I would write on a parchment. Naturally, I have learned how to pick up on even faint noises so as to properly serve a patron."

A faint chuckle escaped me.

"Ah, I didn't even realize."

The man took a deep breath.

"What even caused you to laugh, anyway? Now they will haunt me in my rest."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about something and couldn't help but do that."

The man sighed.

"...Well, I suppose it's not the worst."

I raised an eyebrow.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

The man smiled bitterly.

"My hopes rested on the event that one of my more generous patrons had arrived. However, anybody is welcome at this point."

I blinked a few times.

"Have people not been coming?"

The man furrowed his brows.

"No... the few loyal people haven't shown up for today, for whatever reason. Without their financial help, it will be hard for me to keep up."

It was then I recalled the patrolling happening out in the streets. The reason they didn't come was that nobody was allowed to leave.

However, the shopkeeper did not know this.

A tiny bit of guilt seeped into my heart. I coughed awkwardly to dispel it.

"Anyways, I came to buy a piece of paper."

The man nodded absentmindedly.

"Nothing more?"

A bitter smile formed on my face.

"I really have nothing else to spend. Don't get me wrong, I want to buy more, but can't."

The man brushed aside his hair as he sighed.

"It can't be helped. Though I appreciate your purchase anyway."

I pulled out the fifty copper coins, while the shopkeeper pulled out a parchment. As I set down the payment, I looked up at him.

"Say, aren't fifty copper coins quite a substantial amount? It should be enough for just one day, right?"

The man rolled his eyes.

"Yes, fifty coppers is far more than enough for just a day. But the issue is that the store supplies do not come out from thin air. The processes behind it are not only very technical, but expensive."

I scratched the back of my head.

"Damn... how much do you make off each parchment?"

The man readjusted his glasses with a bit of helplessness.

"Perhaps only ten coppers."

I tilted my head to the side.

"Is that enough to get enough food?"

The man smiled sadly.

"Well, it is actually more than enough during the warm summer. However, that is a little bit of an exaggeration."

He pulled out a parchment and set it down on the counter.

"The creation process is truly too delicate. Although the resources themselves amount to forty coppers, it is far too easy to fail, wasting it all."

I nodded slowly.

"Then... do you have high success rates?"

The man picked up the fifty coppers without bothering to count them.

"It really varies. There are certain days where every single attempt is a success, while on others, more than half are ruined."

I recoiled a little, surprised by the events.

"That sounds unbelievably stressful. I don't think I could spend my days like that."

The man smirked.

"And this has been my daily experience for several years now. Can you visualize how it must feel for me?"

I shivered.

"No, no. I really can't."

I waved lightly.

"Anyways, I should be going now."

The man nodded.

"We all have our business to attend to."

With that, he didn't spare me a second glance, but rather began writing whatever it was on a piece of parchment. Honestly, I was really curious about what could preoccupy him for so long.

However, because of how the counter was positioned, it blocked the work area the man used. As such, it would require me to really lean in next to him, which would just be too awkward for the both of us.

I stepped out of the shop and was about to walk out onto the streets, but remembered that there were still guards looking for me.

After securely tucking the parchment away, I got into the outskirts of the alleyway and climbed up with my nearly learned method. That method involved putting my hands on one side of the wall and my feet on the other, then climbing upwards as though walking.

Although there were a few frightening slips, I was able to get to the top of the shop without too much trouble. I followed my usual routine, peering over the edge to see if there were any guards, and hopping over when the coast was clear.

Despite spending a relatively long time in the shop, there were still quite a few guards swarming around the alleyways. They were persistent, that was for sure. However, that also meant it was taking me a while to find a proper window to hop between the houses.

And so, I spent quite a while waiting on the roofs of these suspicious houses in the middle of the alleyways.

A soft sigh escaped me as I continued to wait for the guards to clear out.

But suddenly, my sigh was caught in my throat.

"...And what are you doing here?"

Before I knew it, someone had their hand tightly wrapped around my neck and began lifting me up. After a few seconds, I realized who this person was.

Mark.

He stared at me with a casual smile, like always. However, it somehow felt disdainful.

"It isn't very normal for people to come here. Especially not on the roofs."

Mark narrowed his eyes.

"Why don't you explain yourself?"

A strong pain came from my neck, as Mark really wasn't holding back. This pain spread to my mind, as my head began to feel fuzzy from being unable to breathe.

I kicked with my legs and tried to pry his hand off using my own, but to no success.

Mark chuckled.

"Not answering?"

...How was I supposed to answer if you weren't even going to let me breathe!

I exasperatedly pointed at my neck, hoping that he would understand.

Mark blinked a few times.

"Oh, right."

He let go, prompting me to collapse onto the roof and gasp for air desperately. While one hand rested on my neck, I hurriedly looked over to the ground below me.

The guards were still patrolling the area, while not one had turned to look up. They somehow didn't notice the loud gasping sounds I made earlier.

Mark crouched down, resting an elbow on his knee.

"I would appreciate an answer now."

My eyelid twitched.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm just trying to get back to my place without the guards noticing me."

I held up my hands in front of me, as though surrendering.

"That's why I checked earlier, because I thought they would hear me."

Mark raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm? So long as I will it, no outsiders will be able to hear our conversation. But why exactly are you hiding from the guards?"

I scratched the back of my head.

"Well, they aren't allowing people to go out on the streets, so the only way to do so is by being undetected."

Mark clasped his hands together and chuckled.

"...Regardless, you shouldn't be prancing on top of these houses so carelessly."

His eyes gleamed with a dangerous light.

"After all, there are some secrets you shouldn't touch."