"I'm sorry, with my current position, I really can't..."
"It's okay... I understand... it's just..."
Medea bowed his head apologetically and started to explain, but Ava stopped him standing up slowly on her shaking legs.
"If you didn't make Zorivia mess up my plan to make big money after the bovine epidemy spread across the Wondalandor, even full ten big gold coins would be nothing, but now... ugh... Six big gold coins... six big gold coins... I feel like I'm going to faint... no, but... Theo is worth it...!"
"..."
What the hell is she talking about? Since when have I made Zorivia do it? And why is Tee suddenly involved in this? Is that a joke?|
Ava started fanning her flushed face with both hands while mumbling to herself, causing the black-haired boy to observe her in silence while his thoughts raced through his head.
"I... I'll go bring the money. Wait here... Umm, toilet."
"Alright."
She will?! Even though she could hire skilled mercenaries for less than a quarter of that?!|
Then the girl declared before reporting to the indifferent soldier as the stunned boy watched her leave, thinking up a storm.
"...tssssss..."
When Medea and the soldier were alone in the room, the boy hissed like a balloon losing air and clenched his head with one hand as if he was in pain.
"...are you alright...?"
The supposedly indifferent soldier gulped down his saliva and asked, observing the struggling boy.
"I'm fine... it's just... just..."
The boy cowered, and his shoulders trembled for a second.
"She's actually so stupid she's giving me a headache! I can't believe I considered her an equal! Even for a moment. I guess all her intelligence must have gone to potion making or something."
Medea gritted his teeth and spat through his teeth, straightening his back while the foolishness of another human being was physically hurting him.
"Shh... even whispering might not be a good idea. Her uncle has excellent hearing, boss."
The soldier flinched and looked around carefully before putting his finger to his lips.
"...!"
"..."
The boy flinched and nodded in realization, to which the soldier nodded back before returning to indifferently staying on guard.
A few minutes later, Ava returned carrying two inconspicuous pouches.
"I got us some more snacks!"
She declared loudly and opened one of the pouches revealing large cookies with nuts and raisins mixed into the baked dough.
"Here, I've made a lot so you can take this home with you. They are really good. If you don't believe me, just ask mister Paul. I shared them with him and his companions already!"
The hazel-haired girl chirped, trying to sound confident, but her nervousness was a bit too apparent.
Still, with the soldier named Paul being on the gang's pay list, nothing was discovered, and Medea accepted both the cookie and the tied pouch that contained something much harder than confectionary.
Something that was just the size and weight of six big coins neatly stacked on top of each other and probably even tied with some sort of strap to prevent them from jingling loosely... As well as a piece of parchment that must have been filled with detailed instructions about the request.
"Thank you, I greatly appreciate this gift."
Medea hid the purse with more money than most commoners could earn in their lifetime and took a bite out of the cookie.
It was on the bland side, with the nuts and raisins overpowering the dough to the point of being dull.
"Delicious."
"Thank you~!"
He lied as if it was second nature to him, easily fooling the pixie-cut girl.
Later the same day, Medea, back in his dark-blond wig, entered the meeting room in the gang's hideout after knocking on the door in a specific manner.
"Tsk. You really must be dumb to show yourself in front of me looking like that despite what I told you before!"
Oliver spat to the side at the sight of the wig-wearing boy and shook his head in disbelief.
"Force of habit. Here is the payment – young Miss Ava said that a note with detailed instructions is inside too."
Medea shrugged his shoulders while taking out the neat pouch and walking all the way to put it in front of Oliver.
"Did you check the content?"
The dark-blond-haired man glanced at the pouch before squinting his eyes at the serious-faced boy in a wig.
"No, I am just an errand boy. I can do it now if you wish so."
Medea denied casually, reaching back for the pouch.
"As if!"
Oliver scoffed, snatching the pouch from Medea's reach and opening it.
"Oho~!"
The man's eyes shone with greed as he fished out a stack of five gold coins neatly tied up so they wouldn't jingle.
"I knew it! Those bastards made a fortune on the miraculous tonic! If you idiots didn't get scared, our gang would be rich already! Hah. No problem, anyway. Now that the real brain of the group is back, things can be fixed!"
He laughed before pocketing the money, not without even checking if the ribbon it was tied with had traces of being untied and tied up again.
"...hmph... at least you start to learn your place! You will definitely not take part in the operation."
Oliver added, shaking the neatly written note from the pouch and putting it up to his face to read the instructions.
"I'm an errand boy anyway. Being in the field isn't part of my duty."
Medea added in an agreeable manner, nodding his head without changing his expression.
"Damn right, it isn't! Oh, and I learned that you have been trying to keep that promising kid, Theodore, from joining our gang! Who, in the fuck, do you think you are?"
Oliver hid the note, too, and glared at the disguised boy.
"The kid you are talking about, mister, is living in a mansion full of royal soldiers. He might want to join a gang, but it is very possible that in case of being caught, he would not hesitate to sell all of us out to save his skin."
"Bullshit! If the royal knights from the mansion trust him, then he is that much more of a valuable asset!"
Medea explained, but the gang leader spat at him and declared in annoyance.