Two young individuals sat at a table in an inn. The young man appeared calm while eating his food, while the girl nervously stared at him.
"You should eat," Noah advised without looking at her, continuing, "The food isn't that good, but it's better than whatever they served you in that slave place."
She wasn't sure what to say; the food was decent. She couldn't determine if he was a noble or not; he talked and walked like nobles, but lacked their wealth and influence.
"Are you sure you're okay revealing your identity? I mean, assassins usually work in the shadows," she asked, still not eating.
"Yeah, it's fine. You won't tell anyone about it," he said, giving her a small smile. "You don't even know my name, and you don't have any connections. Plus, I haven't started my work as an assassin yet. My first target is that fat man from before."
She couldn't understand this man; he discussed serious matters so casually.
"I don't know if you're brave or foolish," she said with a sigh.
"I just don't care. Your talent may be one of the best in this kingdom, but I've seen countless talents better than yours. You may have a family or friends to care about, maybe even some revenge, but I have none of that. All I care about is enjoying my life," Noah said casually.
She was shocked again; this man truly had nothing to lose or gain from all this; he did it purely for his enjoyment. She had a talent for business, and one of her abilities was to read people. This guy never lied since she met him, which scared her the most.
"If I follow you, can you guarantee I'll live a better life?" she asked to confirm his words.
"Yes, there's no one in this world who can guarantee a better life for you than me," he replied, still not telling a single lie.
"Who are you?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
For the first time, Noah was perplexed; he didn't know what to say.
She noticed his confusion and explained, "I have the ability to confirm if someone is lying, and since I met you, you never did. I don't understand who you are and what gives you the audacity to promise something like that."
He smiled, not too surprised about her ability, and she noticed that. "My name is Noah, no last name yet, and no noble title either. My goal in life is to enjoy it and have fun. I'm a doctor and an assassin. Well, I'm yet to officially become one."
She was shocked again but didn't say anything, just kept using her ability to ensure he didn't lie.
"Why do I have the guts? Because I can make my power grow rapidly, so I'll soon be the strongest in this world."
"WHAT!!!" she yelled, startling everyone in the inn. She noticed their reactions and sat there, embarrassed.
"He didn't lie; he really has such a thing, and he tells me all that," she trembled.
"Don't dwell on it too much; I told you because I'm sure you'll follow me from the start," he said while continuing to eat casually.
He frowned. "How do you know that?"
"It's easy, actually. Even though you seem cold, you're more like a scared kitten. I know what cold people look like, and you don't fit that description," he said, startling the girl. She had been thinking of running but calmed down after a while.
"And I have everything that could help you. If you're a bit smart, you'll realize that your best option is being with me," he paused, placing two copper coins on the table. Then he stood up.
"Your first mission is to find a good mansion for rent and stay there until I come again to find you," he said before walking away.
Reve didn't know what to do; she hadn't answered his question, and he was already giving her missions. She couldn't take her eyes off him until he disappeared.
'I do want to follow you, but at least give me the time to answer,' she sighed and stood up, knowing he was going to steal that guy's money, and she knew he would have money for the mansion, so she started looking around.
"Hey, Sara, I don't like the missions. So, stop giving them to me. Whenever I need knowledge about something, give me a mission to obtain it, okay?" Noah said. He didn't want to be waiting for a mission all the time and receiving random tasks. At the same time, he didn't want to acquire everything at once, so he thought of this idea.
"As you wish, master."
Noah was now on top of the slave market building, wearing a black T-shirt and black pants. He looked like a beggar, but he didn't care because he had stolen those clothes just ten minutes ago.
He sneaked into the building through the top window. The moment he landed, he found himself in a room big enough for a hundred people to have a party. Slaves were sleeping there, but he ignored them and walked to the bedroom of the fat man. He found him engaged with a young girl who looked about fifteen or sixteen.
Noah didn't have a dagger, so he simply walked up to them. The girl saw him first but didn't appear scared; instead, she seemed relieved. Noah approached the man and delivered a punch to the back of his head, causing him to lose consciousness.
"Thank you, sir, thank you," the girl cried as she stood up from under the fat man.
Noah nodded and started to search the room.
"If you're looking for his money, it's in another room, sir," the girl said, still crying but surprisingly calm.
'Sara, show me her stats,' Noah requested.
Name: Talia
Talent: Mid
Danger: None
Job: Slave
Power: 10
"What is your talent?" Noah asked, out of the blue, startling the girl.
"I... I know how to make clothes very well," she stammered.
Noah's eyes lit up. "Do you have family here?"
"Yes, sir, my mother and aunt are here as well," she said, full of anticipation.
"Good. Go find your contracts and your family's, then burn them. Afterward, come to me, but don't make a sound and don't wake the others. If you do, I'll leave you here," Noah said, his tone a bit cold.
The girl didn't hesitate; she rushed to the lower floors to search for the contracts.
Noah went into the other room and continued searching for money. Ten minutes later, Talia returned with three contracts.
Noah glanced at her and sighed, then used a spell to burn them to ashes. Talia's eyes lit up again, and she started crying tears of relief.
"We don't have much time. Go get your family," Noah reminded her, returning to examining the money he had found. After a while, he sighed at how little the fat man had possessed. He had only found 30 gold and about 60 silvers.
"Do all slave traders have this little?" he sighed again and walked out.