Ryden's eyes remained fixed on the window, tracking a suspicious silhouette. He watched as the figure easily forced the latch from the outside; it could manipulate metal. To his surprise, the intruder was not the threat he expected. It was merely a young boy, moving with a fluid, unnatural speed as he merged into the shadows of the room.
Why would a child crawl into a space where adults were occupied with such filth? Ryden noted that the boy showed zero interest in the depravity unfolding on the bed. He darted from one corner to the other, moving as if the three animals rutting nearby didn't exist at all.
Ryden caught the glint of something metallic in the boy's grip: a golden chain snatched from the noble patron's discarded trousers. With a casual flick, the boy snapped the link and tossed it into the empty air—a dimensional rift that swallowed the gold whole. Ryden's eyes widened.
The brat wasn't just a trespasser. He was exactly the thief they'd been hunting.
Ryden sent a sharp pulse through the air, using his wind ability to alert Akiro.
The wet thud of humping and rhythmic moans continued to echo within the four corners of the room, but the sound had faded into a dull, white noise for Ryden. His focus had narrowed entirely onto the thief.
Akiro, meanwhile, was already moving through the adjacent room. As a water-user, he could slip through the thin wooden walls with ease, though the effort drained him rapidly. He moved with a calculated precision, mindful of his reserves; he couldn't afford to run out of charge before the real fight began.
The worst was yet to come; he was pinned within the grain of the wood. The target room was a brine-trap, thick with a salty atmosphere that leached his moisture and bottomed out his reserves. Every second spent stuck between the walls felt like being shriveled from the inside out. All he could do was cut his eyes toward the roof beams, spotting Ryden perched above.
Then, he saw the silhouette prowling the dark. The Teumessian Fox. Akiro's gut twisted; Ryden remained calm, and he wondered if his partner even realized what kind of beast was currently hunting beneath him.
His eyes widened as he finally glimpsed the animals on the bed. He couldn't fathom how Ryden endured such a raw, erotic display without flinching. The moaning was thick and constant, a heavy sound that gnawed at the senses. This Lustful Brothel truly lived up to its name.
Before his attention could fully drift toward the filth on the bed, the fox's movements snapped him back. The brat was stripping the room.
To their surprise, the thief leaped onto the bed, but the three animals didn't notice a thing. From the beams, Ryden finally saw it wasn't a normal mortal—he caught the sight of perched ears and a crimson tail. He didn't know it was a Teumessian fox, only that it wasn't a mortal.
For a second, they thought the creature wanted to join the act, but its eyes were locked on the noble's hands. Gold rings with gaudy designs covered every finger, and his wrists were heavy with bracelets.
The fox looked irritated by the hostesses' noise, but he stayed still. He was waiting, looking for the right gap to snatch the gold without anyone feeling his presence.
Ryden grew more alert, tracking the fox's every move. He suspected the heist might turn violent just to secure those gems. He was also becoming agitated—why hadn't Akiro backed him up yet? Had he been snared by some leechers outside and missed the signal?
He'd personally cut Akiro's balls off if he'd chosen to indulge in his own filthy desires instead of fulfilling the mission.
Ryden had no idea Akiro was struggling on the wall just below him. Akiro desperately wanted to call out, but doing so would only alarm the suspect.
What was he supposed to do now?
The Teumessian fox tried to reach for the noble patron's hands while the man was lost in a lustful ecstasy. Although the fox was young, he understood how a mortal's body focused its energy when primal instincts took over. The boy knew every touch was now being converted into fuel for the man's desire.
The young boy smirked. He had a massive haul to take home tonight. The jewelry on the man's hands would fetch a high price on the market, for sure.
Ryden was prepared to lunge. His invisible wind chains were set, waiting to be activated to capture the boy.
Meanwhile, the boy smoothly removed the jewelry from the man's fingers and wrists. He seemed a total expert at these heinous acts.
Ryden activated the chains, ready to snag his target—
"Achoo!"
A loud sneeze interrupted him. The fox bolted out the window, thinking the noble was allergic to his fur. Only a glint of its aura remained, vanishing in seconds.
The invisible chain ended up enveloping the three animals on the bed, pinning them down. It was a gravity chain.
"You're too heavy. Get off me!" the noble groaned at the hostess on top of him.
"I... it wasn't me," she managed to reply. The pressure was too strong for her frail body.
"Shit!" Ryden cursed, immediately releasing the gravitational effect. He put the three to sleep before they could see him.
He should have done that from the start to avoid witnessing such a grotesque show.
He headed down to catch the thief but was interrupted again.
"Hey, bro! Help me out here first," Akiro shouted.
When Ryden turned, he saw a pair of eyes in the wall that startled him. Why would a wall have eyes? But the voice was familiar. It sounded like Akiro.
"Bro, quit staring. You're making this worse," Akiro grunted.
"Oh, it is you. Were you just sitting there watching that filthy scene?"
"I wasn't. I tried to pass through the wall but got stuck. I didn't know these walls were made of brine-stone."
Ryden sighed in disappointment.
"You could have slipped through the space under the window or the door gutters. Why go through the wall?" Ryden scolded him while breaking the masonry. "You're paying for this," he added, referring to the damage.
"Thanks!"
Akiro was finally freed. He easily shifted back into his normal form.
"Now what? The thief escaped, thanks to your help," Ryden complained sarcastically.
This was their first mission in their leader's place, and they were likely to fail and embarrass the whole group.
Ryden was about to follow the fox by jumping out the window, but Akiro stopped him.
"What?" Ryden was irritated now. He didn't understand why Akiro was acting so strange; he couldn't see any drive in Akiro's eyes to catch the thief.
"Didn't you see the form of that fox? That was no ordinary fox, Ryden. It was a Teumessian."
"Teumessian or whatever creature it was, our mission is to catch it—Wait, what? A Teumessian fox? Are you sure?" Ryden's eyes widened.
If Akiro was right, catching a Teumessian fox was no joke. Those creatures had been annihilated by the kingdom long ago. How could one be here in the city?
This mission was no longer theirs to handle alone. They needed to report it to the guild; a discovery like this involved the safety of the entire kingdom.
Ryden could not even debate Akiro if he said it was a Teumessian fox. Akiro's family—specifically his great-grandfather—was one of the mages who had subjugated a clan of the creatures. He had been equipped with knowledge about those foxes from the start of his training; it was a core part of his family's legacy.
They both sighed in disappointment over the failed mission. Maybe if Erus were with them, he could have done something to turn the tide.
They reported the incident to the brothel's owner but held back the full truth. They kept the detail about the Teumessian Fox to themselves, leaving the owner to believe the suspect was simply a skilled thief who was difficult to capture. Akiro and Ryden knew this was no longer a simple mission; they needed to call in extra help from their side.
Both decided to inform the guild master immediately. In the dead of night, they headed back to the Castle of Lions, but upon arrival, they found the guild master was not there. Still, knowing their leader had returned to the city today was a massive relief.
While Akiro and Ryden rested in the guild after the failed mission, Nick was being defeated by the booze. He had downed a full barrel of hard wine and could barely stand. He didn't even know where he was. Only the mask of Erus anchored him, a reminder that he was still safe even as the world spun around him.
"Will he be alright?" Cana asked as Erus guided Nick back to his carriage.
"He should be," Erus answered, before throwing Nick inside. It was a total drag. "Why did you do that?" Erus was caught off guard as Cana cast a sphere shield around the carriage.
"I don't want any news disturbing your peace," Cana answered simply. She turned and headed back into the inn to help clean the kitchen.
Erus was left outside, dumbfounded. He knew what she meant. Cana had made a move like a real strategist to protect him. He wasn't used to having anyone cover his back like this.
But it somewhat touched him.
When Erus entered his room, he hesitated, unsure if it was his or someone else's. The space was now open, the mess completely gone. Everything was arranged neatly. It even smelled like a noble's study; too sanitized. And there was another scent—one that could actually make his heart race.
Just what had Cana been doing while he was away? Had she handled all this cleaning and rearranging in the few hours he was outside?
When Cana entered the room, she found Erus sitting on the table, right where she had organized his mess. His arms were crossed, waiting for her.
"Ahm, I thought you were asleep already," Cana said, avoiding his gaze. She suspected it was because she had touched his things without asking.
"What were you doing the whole day while I was away?" Erus asked. His tone was serious.
Cana pressed her lips together.
She had fixed his place, washed his clothes, and even cooked for him—so why did he sound displeased? She was only fulfilling the duties of a slave.
"I... I fixed your room without your permission? I also washed your clothes?" She touched the tip of her nose. "Look, I'm sorry I did those things without asking. I just thought those were my duties as your slave."
"Tsk! Let me be clear. I was serious when I told Nick you are my apprentice. You wanted me to teach you, right?"
Cana nodded.
"Did you even hear me say once that you have to serve me or that you are my slave?"
Cana shook her head. "No, you did not."
"That's it, so stop treating yourself like one. I did not bring you here to serve me. You don't have to change your way around me just because there are other people."
Cana raised her head and looked straight at Erus.
"Are you sure?" Did he mean she could publicly touch him—especially his abs? But that would look immoral, so she brushed the thought away.
"Are you planning to strip me naked in public?"
"NO! Of course not," Cana answered abruptly. That was uncomfortably close to what she was thinking.
Erus secretly grinned. He just caught the glint in her eyes as she glanced at his stomach. He shook his head and jumped down from the table.
"You did great here. I had no idea it could be this spacious. And the scent—was it intentional?"
"Thanks?" Cana was a bit confused; the scent just smelled nice and relaxing to her. "What about the scent? I used lavender and jasmine."
"Next time, just use lavender and avoid too much jasmine. Okay?"
"Okay, but why? What's wrong with the jasmine scent?"
"It makes people crazy."
Cana had a thought about what Erus said. Could jasmine scent really drive people crazy? Good thing she only mixed a droplet of it. Next time, she wouldn't be using it.
After the long, tiring day, Cana decided to take a bath. She felt slimy from doing chores all day. But before she went out to use the common bathhouse, Erus had reminded her to keep her shield on. She shouldn't trust anyone.
The bath was a wholesome experience for Cana. It was warm, like submerging her body in a spring filled with herbs. She didn't need a massage therapist; the bath alone was relaxing, easing her nerves and removing all the physical tension and stress she had accumulated throughout the day. She stayed there for almost an hour.
When she got back to Erus' room, he was already peacefully sleeping on the floor, but now he had a clean mattress and pillows. He didn't even wake up when she came in. It seemed all the tiring days prior had finally forced his body to give up and rest.
The sight of Erus lying there so defenselessly made Cana smile. It wasn't because she was thinking something naughty; she was just glad he had actually managed to relax.
The scent combination she used had been intentional, after all. It hadn't failed her expectations and had served its purpose. But she was definitely avoiding the jasmine scent next time.
She also climbed onto the bed, but before lying down, she released the aura of her blue flame and let Erus' witch mark absorb it. Even though Erus wasn't using the Reaper's power, the mark was still consuming energy; it remained constantly alert against any threat to his life. It wasn't strictly necessary, but that was simply the nature of artifacts acting as familiars.
"I'm definitely not your slave, Erus," Cana whispered, a smile tugging at her lips.