Refrain from Obsession - Chapter 14 - 4. Step by Step

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Step by Step

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Aer, who had obtained her exit pass the day before, finished her preparations for going out and neatly packed the healing stones into her spatial bag. As she gathered her gold coins last, she muttered.

“I should also inquire about opening a bank account when I visit the information broker this time.”

Of course, it wasn’t for a legal account, but for creating a slush fund. Surely, an information broker would know how to do that.

“It was information that appeared in the original work too……”

Aer, who was muttering while tying the strings on her hat, checked the time and hurried outside.

“Wow, the weather is so nice.”

The cool breeze under the warm sunlight made her feel good. Aer hurried to where she could catch a carriage.

On weekends, many students went out, so the academy provided free carriages for outings. As long as you make a reservation in advance, you can use them anytime.

“Ah, Louis!”

Spotting him who had arrived earlier, Aer ran over.

After first confirming the thick glasses he was wearing without fail today, Aer inwardly sighed in relief.

‘I was flustered when our eyes met last time.’

There was something peculiar about his gaze. Whether it was because of the mysterious purple color, or for some other reason, once you looked into them, it felt like you couldn’t escape, as if enchanted.

‘It’s fortunate he’s wearing glasses.’

Aer was somehow glad that only she knew his bare face.

“Have you arrived, Aer?”

“Yes!”

“Shall we get in, then?”

“Shall we?”

As Aer was about to board the carriage, Louis extended his hand. Seeing him escort her, Aer shyly expressed her gratitude.

“Thank you, Louis.”

She felt grateful to him for extending his hand in consideration of her, even though he was a commoner and probably not used to escorting.

“It’s nothing.”

Louis swallowed hard at the warmth that gently touched and left his hand.

Having never had physical contact with anyone other than his mother since birth, it took considerable courage.

But seeing her in a regular dress instead of a school uniform, he couldn’t help but offer his hand.

The carriage provided by the academy was utterly crude. The makeshift steps in front were narrow and high, making it seem difficult for her to board in her shoes.

As Louis got on the carriage and closed the door, the coachman who had been waiting suddenly set off without a word.

Inside the rattling carriage, Louis, who hadn’t yet sat down, staggered.

“Oh oh?”

As the surprised Aer reached out her hand, Louis stretched his arm over her head. Fortunately, he didn’t fall, but the glasses Louis was wearing fell onto Aer’s skirt.

With their eyes meeting at close range, Aer couldn’t think of avoiding this time.

The sunlight coming through the carriage window made even his pupils clearly visible. They looked just like beautiful amethysts, and she stared as if mesmerized.

Somehow, looking at them made her feel at ease, and she gazed without even breathing.

“……Aer?”

“……Yes?”

“I’m sorry.”

Louis, having regained his balance, picked up his glasses from her skirt and sat down on the opposite seat. He put on his glasses as if to hide his slightly reddened face.

“Ah….. It’s okay.”

Feeling her throat dry for no reason, Aer cleared her throat and turned her head towards the window.

As their knees slightly touched in the narrow carriage, Aer and Louis looked out different windows.

After that short but intense moment passed, they arrived at the downtown area near the academy. The academy was located in a city called ‘Latina’, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the academy sustained this place.

The two, having arrived in downtown Latina, briefly looked around the lively streets before moving on.

“By the way, do you know where to sell them?”

Selling healing stones wasn’t an easy task. Usually, high-value items like healing stones, awakening stones, and magic stones were managed by merchant guilds.

These guilds were operated by noble families, and most of the distribution and sales were predetermined.

Of course, they wouldn’t use the guilds since they had no intention of revealing the source.

“Of course. Just trust me and follow along.”

Aer moved her feet while looking around for the information broker she knew from the original work.

Whenever they were about to be pushed around by the crowd due to it being the weekend, Louis would grab Aer’s sleeve and pull her close.

Each time this happened, Aer couldn’t help but smile. His touch was timid, but he pulled her without hesitation when people approached.

“Ah, I think it’s this way.”

The information broker, despite working secretly underground, had a name that meant ‘light’ – ‘Luce’.

Perhaps because of this, the place where you could meet the information broker wasn’t in a gloomy back alley, but in a popular cafe at the center of the bustling area.

‘Gratia’, the most popular cafe in downtown Latina, was a chain cafe that also had branches in the capital.

There were two lines to enter. One line was for customers using the cafe inside, and the other was for takeout. The two stood in the line for customers and waited.

The sweet scent of desserts and fragrant tea wafted through the air. Aer considered having tea after visiting the information broker.

At that moment, it was their turn. Aer whispered this to the approaching waiter:

“I’d like to have a mint-flavored cake and a cool hot chocolate……”

Although Aer spoke quietly so others couldn’t hear, she inwardly sighed in relief when she saw the waiter’s eyes widen slightly.

She had seen it in the original work, but it was her first time actually using an information broker, so she was a bit nervous.

“I’ll guide you separately.”

Following the waiter, Aer, and Louis climbed the stairs leading to the second floor instead of the first-floor hall. The waiter didn’t go all the way up to the second floor but turned a picture frame on the landing sideways.

Then, what they thought was a wall smoothly slid to the side. The waiter pointed to a gap barely wide enough for one person to pass through and said,

“Please enter first.”

“Alright.”

Aer and Louis entered the gap one by one. The waiter entered last and pressed a button inside, and the wall returned to its original state.

After walking a bit down the corridor, they saw a door.

“Please wait a moment.”

The waiter entered the room first. After a short while, he came out and said,

“Weapons are not allowed inside. May I check you briefly?”

Aer and Louis, who naturally hadn’t brought any weapons, underwent a quick inspection and entered.

The room was so white it made one suspect the owner’s obsessive cleanliness. From the desk to the bookshelf and sofa, all the furniture was white.

And the figure sitting in the middle of the room was also completely white. From head to toe.

The only places with vivid color were his eyes and lips.

Aer immediately recognized who he was. He had appeared briefly in the original work.

‘Isn’t that Astin, the head of the information brokers? Why is he in Latina?’

She was surprised to see a figure who should have been in the capital, but she didn’t show it on her face.

“……Welcome.”

Astin also remained silent for a moment before slowly opening his mouth. Aer was completely certain from his slow, drawing speech. He was exactly like the character from the original work.

‘Slow speech but quick hands, wasn’t it?’

To ensure she got a proper price, Aer straightened her chin and took out a healing stone, tossing it in front of him.

“It’s a healing stone. It’s low-grade, but there’s quite a lot.”

Astin picked up the healing stone that had fallen on the desk and examined it closely.

“……The purity isn’t bad. But what do you want me to do with this?”

“I’d like you to sell it. Of course, I came here because I have no intention of revealing the source, right?”

“Well….. I know that without you saying it.”

“I think a 10% commission should be sufficient.”

“Eh….. For such an illegal sale, 10% won’t do.”

“……Considering the quantity, I think it should be enough?”

“How much quantity are we talking about? Even considering that it’s usually 30%, I think I should at least get 20%……”

Astin looked up slightly from examining the healing stone. The figure who had directly brought him from the capital to Latina was watching quietly.

“Hmm……”

As Astin appeared to be contemplating, Aer placed her spatial bag in front of him. Then she took out all the healing stones inside.

Thud, roll roll.

The healing stones that fell off the desk dropped to the floor, but the sound was muffled by the carpet.

“……There are quite a lot.”

“This is the quantity for this one-time sale. I have more.”

“That sounds like you’ve discovered a source of healing stones.”

Astin tilted his head slightly. His glossy white hair fell to the side like a curtain.

A healing stone mine that even he, the head of information brokers, didn’t know about. His red eyes shone even more vividly.

“But…… Did the person next to you also come to sell?”

At Astin’s question, Aer nudged Louis’s side slightly.

Only then did Louis take out healing stones from his pocket and place them on the pile of healing stones on the desk.

Watching his actions, Aer slightly covered her mouth. She felt like her jaw might drop from astonishment.

Just 3 stones!

“……Well then, let’s do this. If you continue to deal with us in the future, I’ll only take 10%.”

Aer, who had expected to haggle more, quickly agreed to Astin’s words.

“Alright. Oh, and……”

Before asking if she could open a bank account, Aer glanced at Louis.

Thinking this wasn’t something to say in front of him, she hesitated, but he came closer and whispered.

“Please include mine in the contract as well. I’ll step out for a moment.”

After Louis left the room, Aer approached Astin and asked quietly.

“By any chance, can you also open a bank account here? Of course……”

An illegal account…..

However, Aer had to close her mouth for a moment.

Because Astin wasn’t looking at her. He was staring intently at the door.

As if he could see Louis by looking that way.