Chapter 213 Ch 211: The Thief

Chapter 213 Ch 211: The Thief

'To think that there was still something that could surprise me like this. This world had more to it than I could have imagined. And now I am getting excited.'

It did not take long for Yohan to start chasing the thief around as well. And the kid who had stolen his parcel decided to look behind finally.

"You will not be able to escape me, kid."

Yohan ran after the kid, knowing it was easy to catch up to them. But despite that, he decided to give the kid a head start since it was amusing. The kid seemed not to find it as amusing as Yohan did.

The kid decided to try and shake Yohan off. He had the advantage of knowing these streets pretty well and he could also blend in easily.

'Too bad, kid. But I have my system with me. You will not be able to escape me.'

Yohan slowed down his speed, allowing the kid to run around in circles a few times to try and lose Yohan. But ultimately, he decided it was time to confront the kid once sufficient time had passed.

The kid likely thought that he was safe and took the small parcel out of his storage space. Then he held the parcel in front of himself and shook it slowly.

"You know, it's bad manners to shake someone else's parcel like that. You could end up breaking it, you know."

Yohan finally came out from the shadows which caused the kid to flinch and almost drop the parcel. But even if he did drop the parcel, Yohan was certain that he would be able to save it in time.

"Y-You! How are you here? N-No, why are you here? I am certain that I lost you. I m-mean, I don't know why you are here."

The kid tried hard to play innocent but Yohan was not buying his act. The parcel in the kid's hand had the seal of the Abstel household which was proof that it had been stolen.

"N-No, don't come near me or I will scream. Don't try and test me thinking that I won't. T-Then you will get in trouble with the authorities. The queen loves us common people and-"

"Sorry kid, but the only one in trouble with the authorities will be you if you don't give the parcel back. It's for Lady Rui Abstel after all."

The kid flinched, almost as if he had been shocked by that name. He looked at the parcel, then at Yohan, and then back at the parcel with a horrified expression.

"I-It belongs to L-Lady Rui? I d-did not know that. I mean, who is Lady Rui?"

The kid still tried to pretend to be innocent and Yohan almost broke out into laughter. The more he saw that kid act, the more amusing it became for him.

But he was already short on time so he could not sit around and enjoy this.

"Kid, do we need to do this right now? No one will be supporting you if you get accused of stealing from a noble."

The kid finally realized that he would not be able to fool Yohan and he fell to his knees. His legs lost all strength as they hit the ground in shock.

"N-No, that cannot be. I-I just wanted to be good and earn some cash. P-Please don't report me in."

Yohan almost grinned as he watched the kid beg desperately. Desperation and want were the emotions he thrived on. And it would be nice to have a spy in the middle of the town who could run errands for him.

'I guess it would not be too bad to take this kid under my wing. At least, it would help me sneak around a little easier.'

"Tell you what kid. I will let you go this time around if you agree to work for me. I will even pay you for your efforts. So, what do you say?"

Yohan was not a generous man but he knew how to pretend to be generous and make others lower their guard.

Often enough, when a hand was lent to someone in their times of desperation, they remembered it until they died. Yohan could see it working in front of his eyes.

The kid suddenly looked at Yohan like he was his last hope. That more than made Yohan sure that the kid would take his extended hand and join him.

"I-Is it really alright? You are a nobleman as well, right? Don't you hate people like me?"

The kid asked with a shy face. He seemed not to be able to look Yohan in the eye but even that was tolerable by Yohan.

"No, not really. I don't mind your attitude or your place. Tell you what kid, I am not a nobility of this world as well. I just happened to get lucky to earn my place. So as a senior, let me offer you advice - when the opportunity strikes, don't hesitate to take it. Who knows what opportunities it would present you with."

The kid looked down in thought but Yohan could already see that he was about to agree. It had not taken long for Yohan to ensure the kid into his trap.

"A-Alright, I got it. If you are willing to pay me, then I guess I can work for you. So, what do I need to do first?"

The kid asked, looking shy and nervous. He was likely expecting to do very dangerous work for getting paid.

"First of all, let's make it official that you are employed by me. It will protect you as well as me if we need to prove your identity. Here, you need to sign your name."

Yohan presented the kid with his system screen. All this kid needed to do was to sign his name at the bottom and the contract would be finalized.

Yohan waited for the kid to finish but the kid did not move. He stared at the contract with harsh eyes and Yohan was suddenly worried.

'What happened? Is there something wrong with the contract? Did this kid read it through and realize that he is selling his soul to me? Then, should I get rid of him to protect myself?'

Yohan's brain was working overtime as he decided what to do. He had various thoughts to try out but he held it all in by force.

"What is wrong? Have you changed your mind about working with me? If so, then we really cannot do anything about it."

Yohan was about to close the contract when the kid broke out of his trance and looked up with panic.

"N-No, it's nothing. I want to sign this contract but I cannot read or write it. I don't know how to sign as well."

The kid looked distressed, thinking that he would not be able to sign this contract if he was not able to read or write.

Yohan breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he realized that his secret was safe and sound for now. He did not need to worry about the kid betraying him.

"It's alright kid. You can just tell me your name and I will write it down. You can just stamp your thumb on the contract to make it official."

Yohan knew how to work around the restrictions of not having a literate person sign with him. It was all he had learned from Zane before.

'Who knew those corporate dealings would help me out in this way?'

Yohan had certainly not but here he was.

"I-Is that so? My name is Ron. So, where do I need to stamp my thumb?"

Yohan quickly wrote Ron's name and had him sign the contract. It happened too fast and then Ron looked to be at a loss.

"Ron, head to this address and give them this note. These people would take care of you and your family for the time being but you will need to do what they ask of you. And once a week, you will need to record what is happening in this small ball, alright?"

The ball Yohan handed over to Ron was a magical device he had stolen from the previous realm. It could be used to transmit recordings to its paring device which Yohan held.

This way, he will not need to commute to get important news. He could have Ron get it for him.

"A-Are you sure that is all you want from me? I can be of much more use to you, master Yohan."

Ron seemed excited to serve Yohan but Yohan was not as excited to have Ron do all his work for him. There was a limit to what a kid would be able to do for him.

"Yeah kid, this is all you need to do. For now, just learn to read and write, and get more skills. Once you can stand on your own feet, we can talk about more work you can do."

Ron looked excited and full of vigor. It seemed as if he had found his purpose in life and was ready to achieve it.

'Well, I don't know if I should feel guilty for dragging the kid into this mess or glad for him because he escaped a horrible fate.'