"Ha ha ha ha ha..."
I found it strange that what he could do was cover his face and laugh out loud. Well then, it was something I expected immediately I identified this scenario as one where the boss is pretending to be the bartender, he was special amidst all of them, it would take this kind of person to lead these brawls without brains.
"Why would you think that I am the boss?
"How unusual, will you keep lying... when you are clearly different from the rest of them"
He smiled, "I don't know what you are talking about sir"
"You're a druid..."
Immediately the air changed, his gaze changed from a timid expression to a murderous-filled gaze. He squinted his eyes and looked at me, his red eyeballs faintly glowed.
"It seems you are not just a blockhead brawler, you're really sharp..."
"Blockhead brawler?" It must have been because I decided to be reckless with my fight, he thinks I am a blockhead.
"However sir, I am not the boss." He said, sticking his gaze upon mine.
"Then the assistant?"
"Not that either..." He said, and slowly rolled his sleeve.
"Restrain"
The silver chains crawled out of the floor and bound his legs, he shot out his hand towards me but was deflected by ars praesidium, he was sent flying and bound by the chains he couldn't stand properly. I stood up and slowly walked towards him.
"How come? you are a mage? But I was sure you are a martial art practitioner, seeing how you fought just now." He said, in aghast.
"That? I was just playing around. And I can't call myself a mage you see. So I will be doing the questions while you'll be doing the answering. Who are you?"
A magic circle appeared and produced a thin ice lance as I asked him.
He sighed, "My name is Challan and I am not the boss of this place."
"Then who are you?" The ice lance slowly neared him as I asked.
He looked at me, "That I cannot tell you... aaaaagggggggghhhhhhh!!!"
The ice spear pierced his right hand instantly, he must have thought I couldn't do it.
"This is glass ice, it's not like every other ice... it will slowly freeze your blood, organs with every breath you take and when it finally reaches your heart, it will freeze and shatter your body like ice, don't think its meant to just freeze you for a duration. However since it's a spell I innovated, I can undo it if you speak now."
He looked at how the glassy ice began to spread around his arm, "Please, stop it... in exchange, I will give you the information you are looking for. Don't waste your time thinking you can get it from the likes of these touts."
"Spell cancel"
The glassy ice began to break away from his hand after I spoke.
"Aren't you too trusting...?" He said to me with a smirk on his face.
"I still have your legs bound besides, I can kill you without stress if I want to."
"Aren't you overestimating yourself, you just said I'm a druid, don't you know how powerful a druid can be with a runestone?"
"Which is why I'm killing you before your hand moves."
He looks up at me from the floor on which he was seated. "You are an interesting person, I'd love to see your face."
"You are wasting my time" A magic circle appeared as I raised my hand.
"Wait! wait!! wait!!! Don't you want to know about the shadow assassins? I even happen to know where their closest hideout is. I'm probably the only one that knows in the whole of this region."
The magic circle shattered as I dropped my hand.
"Speak then, where is their hideout?"
"You can't get it even if I tell you, it's amidst the dark forest, northern end of this small town. Said to be filled with ferocious beasts that would kill instantly, people don't dare to go there and because of the black fog, it's easy to get lost if you have never been there before."
I don't know if he meant what he said but my nose could smell an intent and I was very uncomfortable with someone offering to go into danger with you just because you don't know the way. I don't trust him, or perhaps he does not know what I want to do.
"You do know I don't plan on going there to play with them?" I said to him.
"Of course, don't worry... I can't do anything, you'll be restraining me after all."
I scoffed at what he said, "Of course, you can't do anything, I'm not worried about you doing something, I'm just a man that finds it hard to trust people I don't know. So telling me the location will do."
"I don't understand why you are being stubborn, it's not like you know your way around this world yet..." Ana murmured, laying on my hair and watching the scenario.
He smiled and looked at me again, his eyes could tell me he was playing games with me and it was very uncomfortable.
"I'll tell you this much to gain your trust, I am an information broker. You should understand why my identity needs to stay secret now..."
"You think I am going to trust you with, 'I am an information broker' so what?!!" My reply shocked him, especially the part I mimicked the way he talked.
'I had thought he was a kid because of his height but it seems I am mistaken, am I dealing with an adult, then what about the kid they brought in yesterday night...?' His eyeballs were fixated on me as he dived into thought...
"Why is an information broker in a gang hideout?" My voice tore the atmosphere again.
"Would you believe me if I said I was here to dig information?"
"Oii, leave the barman alone!!" A thick voice suddenly interrupted.
~WHOOOSH~
A lightning spear shot out of the magic circle as soon as it activated and pierced his arm.
"Aaaaargggghhhh!!!" He fell to his knee, holding his right shoulder which had begun to bleed profusely.
'This guy is no joke, in an instant?! He didn't even hesitate... I've been playing games with me up until now because I thought he was the kid, but it seems I was wrong. I better get my shit straight.'
'...damnit, he startled me... thank God it was the hand, he would have died'
"You still need more training, who on earth accidentally activates a magic spell due to being startled, and you don't even have a perfect grip on your ether flow. Tsk tsk, Goshujin there's still so much to do."
I ignored her complaints and looked at the others, they had been weak because of the length of the battle, but they would soon begin to have enough strength to at least stand up. I looked at the self-claimed information broker Challan.
"Let's go," I said stretching out my hands towards him.
"Huh?" He was puzzled by the hand I stretched, I grabbed his shirt and flew out of the place breaking out through the roof.