Chapter 209: Charity Cases

Chapter 209: Charity Cases

Im sorry, who are you?nove(l)bi(n.)com

The man looks at me like Im the greatest idiot on this planet.

Are you serious? You cantwhatever. They know me as Robin Good.

I snort.

Do you think its funny?

Im sorry, it just reminds me ofnever mind. Please, go ahead.

The man has a rugged aspect. Hes clearly in his forties, or up there. He has the dangerous glint of a seasoned killer, but also the bored gaze of a public servant.

Ill make it easy, Joey Luciani. Or, if you prefer, Chandler, the man rubs his forehead. You do realize that the only reason you are alive is because of the Vanedeni [Princess], right?

Well, Robin, I say, you do realize that this house is well warded, right? You are what, a [Rogue] of some sorts?

Oh, I do, he says, slightly leaning forward. And this time, his posture is not relaxed, its the one of a predator ready to pounce. But just for a second. Then, he reclines back on the couch, relaxed. Im a mage-killer. A specialist, if you would. And yes, this place smells of so much magic that it gives me the creep. Ive seen towers less warded. Luciani, your infamous nature is well-known. But what Im here for is to try and understand if you can do business with the Fellows on the right terms. Otherwise, Im taking every single one of my man out of this deal.

You want in on the Vanedeni action, I say, finally completely awake. Hell, I really needed that sleep. Now, my brain is back in good shape. You are too careful of a man to want to get in business with an unknown and dangerous quantity such as myself. You want the [Princess] business. If the woman goes back and conquers Kome, whoever helps her do so will be tremendously rich. Beyond any imagination. And not just that, they will also be a friend of Vanedenis. And not just Vanedenis, very angry and vengeful Vanedenis.

I crack my neck. Half for the badass effect, half because they didnt place a proper pillow under it. Im delicate, guys. You should have watched for it. While I try to massage away the tenderness, I wait for the man to say something.

Anything.

But it takes a while before he talks again.

You are not stupid.

A [Mage] kills Adriana, a DRAGON, and Appius, a soon-to-be [Archmage]. And people believe Im an idiot?

You put on a very convincing act. You forgot to create an alias for yourself. And you didnt hide this face. You associated a student with the criminal underworld and insane amounts of money. I had to run around all day to keep your identity safe. You might be a very powerful [Mage], but you are as dull as they come as a criminal.

I have no idea what kind of net Valarith has around the world, Robin, I tell the guy. The woman is a bit cuckoo if you catch my drift. But I can try and set up a meeting. I must warn you, though. Her disciple, the guy that I almost wiped the ground with, is even crazier. If you try anything funnyyou know, just dont. I dont want to get involved when they exterminate your entire organization. You dont mess up with Vanedenis, Robin.

The man nods, with a lost look in the distance.

Grandpa used to say the same thing, the man shook his head. I am one quarter Vanedenis, Joey Luciani. My grandpa killed his way up to the top of the criminal world. He was one of the craziest assassins in the business. [Royal Guards] tried to hunt him as they sometimes do with some of the most dangerous criminals. Do you know what he did? He started hunting for them. He would go after them at night after they had looked for him during the day. Anyone connected to his investigation got killed. He was one of the nightmares on this continent. My old man used to say that he tried so hard to become a [Hero], or even just a warrior worthy enough to help win the war. But he needed targets that werent Ahali.

Are criminals supposed to share these stories? Arent you supposed to be all secretive and stuff?

If Im in business with an idiot like you? Not really. I want [Princess] Valarith to know that we share some of the same blood.

Fair enough. So, your grandpa, did they get him?

Who? The royals? HA! My grandpa said that he only killed strong targets because it made him level. He was a madman. He was fifty years old, and probably above level 50. Hell, some say that he was above level 60. No, the man went back to Kome to fight the Ahali. Never heard from him since. I was ten when that happened. He had married a Human here on Epretos, taught me when I was a kid. To this day, I suffered the hardest training of my life when he was around. I think I have an idea of what Im getting in bed with.

Do you?

A voice resounds in my head and, presumably, in Robins head as well since hes jumping out of the couch, already disappearing among shadows.

From the royal court, no less.

Son of a [Courtier], no royal blood in him, Robin clarified. It was easy enough to gather informations on the others. I put some of my best men on the job, considering what you are paying. We are still putting together the general profiles of every other student. The [Dean] wants a copy of those, by the way. He said hes going to pay quite a bit of money.

Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Ill talk to him, I say while getting the previous files in front of my eyes once again.

Jesus, this stuff iswow.

Poor bastards, Robin shrugged. There are more people like that than you would imagine, Luciani.

I look upstairs, where Marcellus has been hit with a [Sleep] spell from Levener when the whole thing started taking a little too long.

Man.

Robin stays silent and just observes me. He has done the deal of a lifetime with the [Princess]. Plus, its relatively risk free. More of a gathering thing, from what I gathered.

No shame in changing crews when the individuals dont fit your standards, Robin says, probably compelled to give me a piece of his mind.

I bit my lower lip with a frown.

This is fuck, I swear.

Jumping crews? I say, while my mind switches back to the person in front of me. What? And leave these people to rot? Not my style. Plus, they are not bad people. Just losers. Unlucky losers, it seems.

You like a charity case?

Nah, I like people who struggle. If they managed to get into the academy, they must have balls as hard as steel. Especially Amelia, huh?

She seems one of the most peculiar cases among your study group.

Yeah, thats putting it mildly, I say while going through her file.

Im about to enter a deep thinking session when Robins voice brings me back to the present.

Can I ask you a question?

Shoot.

Why are you doing this? Isnt the [Princess] a better teacher for magic than anything you could find here?

Not just her, but also Lord Juler, pal. And the Omnium Compendium, on top of those two. Hell, probably Levener alone could teach me more than this academy if I needed it that bad.

For fun, I guess.

You are faking a dangerous disguise that could have you killed if found out by the [Royal Guards] for fun? Are you pulling my leg here? If you dont want to tell me your real motive is fine, but dont take me for a fool.

For fun, really.

Whatever. So, what are you going to do with those people? Robin sighs while pointing at the files. And do you need more stuff on them?

I need you to pull more detailed info on a couple of them, but otherwise its enough. As for what Im going do to, its simple: Im going to help them.