Chapter 85: The Full Circle [End of Book 1]
Tom had managed tomit a crime within five minutes of entering the Noble District.
In his defense, Nveins side-entrance had left him with little other choice. Speeding down the neat cobblestone path, Toms silhouette would have been no more than a shadowy blur that flickered past the gazes of any onlookers until he rounded the first corner in his line of sight.
Finding himself in an alleyway that was nked by two walled enclosures, Tom sought refuge in the shadows cast by the three-storey building to his right. The alley he was standing in was too narrow to field intense footfall, only wide enough to manage two people walking side-by-side across its length. He focused on his enhanced sense of hearing, trying to discern if there was anyone approaching his location, or more importantly, if either of the two buildings nking him were currently popted.
It only took Tom a minute before he made his decision. With an outburst of movement, he scaled the three meter tall wall. Two steps in quick session to kick off the wall, beforetching onto its coping and then hoisting himself up almost effortlessly was all it took, the entire process a matter of moments.
Bncing himself on the top of the wall again proved no challenge for his proprioception stat, as Toms gaze turned to the lockless window on the first floor.
He leapt forward calmly, falling short of the window itself but catching on to the intended target. There was a light thump as he dangled from the windowsill, soon by one hand as he used the other to gently push it open inwards.
Hoisting himself for a final time, he was in.
Tom closed the window behind him and then deactivated [The Shadow] card, now that he was sure that the residence was unupied.
He took in the room hed found himself in, before shaking his head.
This wont do, he muttered under his breath, not even bothering to scour through the closets.
He winced as the door he was pushing open creaked loudly, the grating sound loud enough to alert anyone in the house. The presumably childrens bedroom he was currently in,plete with a pink wooden closet, a cot that was roughly three-fourths the length of an adult version and half a dozen cloth-dolls that were clothed in miniature dresses, spilled out into a hallway.
At the end of the hallway was another door, likely the master bedroom. Tom decided to explore the living area first, discovering an open-n kitchen whose version of a stove was powered by a ruby red stone that was shaped like a tear-drop.
Finding no value in thefortable looking loveseat, sparsely popted bookshelf or the dining table, Tom turned around and began to move to the only room that was left.
There, thankfully, he found what he had been looking for.
I really dont like masks, Tom grumbled under his breath as he plucked the ufortable wooden mask off his face and tossed it into his inventory. Then he chucked, as a wry thought struck him, <em>Ironic. </em>
On the king-sized bed before himy five sets of outfits, all in the same Noble Houses livery. Red and Gold. The livery of House Nezaria, which was presently led by Lord Ramav Nezaria, the Noble directly in charge of the Kingdoms trade and finances and the Kings right-hand man.
Serawin had caught his lie the first time around because he didnt have enough knowledge on the Noble House he was feigning loyalty to. Tom wasnt going to repeat the same mistake twice.
Thanks to Alephs lessons, he had a good idea of the basic political structure of every Noble Family, more than enough to pass off as the lowest social rung of citizens living in the District those employed in non-essential roles on a permanent basis like custodians, chefs and groundskeepers among other professions. In a world popted with magical cards, Syrelore Kingdoms definition of essential seemed to revolve aroundbat and fields that facilitatedbat.
Alchemist was argely coveted and often even revered position, while gardeners were content simply by being allowed to live in the District.
To that end, Tom intended to introduce himself as a gardener. Coming across as humble and uninteresting was perfectly suited to his needs.
He also knew a thing or two about maintaining awn, having done the chore for pocket money for his neighbors in histe teens.
Standing before a polished mirror, Tom took in the unfamiliar man meeting his gaze. His skin was a warm hue of bronze, eyes amon brown. The smile ying upon his lips was gentle and disarming, even with the knife scar marring his right cheek.
The man named Zark was a dungeoneer, if a pretty middling one at that. Nevertheless, even amidst only bright bronze stars, he had taught Tom a very useful skill one that he might even need to rely on to aplish his objective.
The coat he had chosen was more than a little tight, the trousersing up a little short but there was nothing too out of ce.
He was just another face in the crowd, one amongst hundreds.
Now, it was time to head to the ce he was originally supposed to have upon arriving in Artezia.
A den of both current and future powerhouses, a training ground where young, pliable minds were forged into trained weapons capable of felling both phantasmal beasts and dungeoneers alike.
A ce where a single misstep; A lone faux pas was enough to blow his cover amidst dozens of unknown card abilities and methods in the hands of their skilled and perceptive wielders. There would be no fighting back against that cascade, his end would be as swift as it was inevitable.
As Tom exited the residence the same way hed broken into it and blended into a throng headed in the direction of the za, a wave of uncertainty hit him.
Only a few months had passed since hed arrived in Artezia. He had been a convenience store clerk with no notable aplishments to his name and now he was contemting going up against a ruling ss that had magical powers at their beck and call.
Had he gone insane?
No, Toms whisper was lost amidst the footfall of the crowd.
The grin that tugged at his lips wasnt something he could fight against.
<em>No, he was just a fool. </em>
And he was headed directly for-
<strong><em>The Academy.</em></strong>