Mencer looked at the pendant in his hand in disbelief. Was it really that easy? What he had enlisted all his guards and attendants to do in order to catch the thief, the Prince had done with a few words.
"Better?"
The Prince looked at Mencer's face. If he was going to enter the real world of nobility and politics, he had a long way to go. But he was young. There was still hope. Feltor glanced at Baryt.
He, on the other hand, was going to be dangerous in the future. If Baryt stayed at Mencer's side, both of them would certainly have a bright future. That is, unless something happened, of course.
Mencer looked up as he came out of his stupor. He faced Feltor with a serious expression.
"Thank you."
Feltor could feel Mencer's heartfelt and earnest feelings of gratitude.
'I knew this was a good idea.'
Feltor had been a little worried when he saw the depths of Mencer's hostility. Fortunately, the feelings for the necklace were stronger than the feelings toward the thief.
Mencer bowed for several seconds before looking up again.
"However, I will not be able to work together with this cretin."
Mencer gestured in Lu's general direction with disgust on his face.
"Technically speaking, you wouldn't be working together. It would be more like working in tandem, maybe? You'll be doing your separate things at the same time."
"Regardless, I do not want to associate with him."
Feltor shrugged and raised his palms in defeat.
"Well, if you don't want to take back your treasured condensation art, that's up to you. Or you can look somewhere else for a thief willing to do a noble's bidding."
Mencer was about to say something when Baryt tapped him on the shoulder.
"Don't be rash, Young Master. You need this condensation art. And it's as His Highness said. We won't be working together. We will travel and act separately once we arrive. You will barely have to see his face."
Mencer sighed.
"...Fine. But if this thieving bastard does something that he's not supposed to or something that irks me, this is the end of our arrangement."
Feltor nodded.
"Of course."
With an agreement reached, Mencer and Baryt had no more to talk about with the Prince. They took their leave with the Prince's permission.
"Mind filling me in?"
Lu took Mencer's seat without asking for permission to sit in the Prince's presence.
"I'm sure you've already figured most of it out."
"Sure. You want me to tag along with Mencer, probably to Imra. There, you want me to steal something. To do this, Mencer needs to do something. I also need to pick up the condensation art Mencer mentioned. I'm not sure what you get out of all this, but that's the gist of it, right? I need the details."
"You're not going to say no?"
"Can I?"
"No."
"Exactly. Now. Details, please."
"Yeah, yeah."
Feltor nonchalantly waved his hand, dismissing Lu's request.
"We'll do that when you can hide your world essence. Imra isn't a place you want to go to—"
"I can."
"Can?"
"I can hide my world essence."
Feltor's eyes opened wide, and he took a proper look at Lu for the first time since the white-haired man entered the room.
"Well, I'll be damned. I guess you're ready to set off whenever then."
"Yeah."
"Didn't I give you the technique yesterday?"
"Yeah, I stayed up late."
"Huhu…!"
Feltor chuckled and smiled ominously before breaking out in laughter.
"Mahaha!"
Pride tinged Feltor's laugh.
"Excellent!"
Lu looked at the Prince with worried eyes. He would still get his pension if his boss went crazy, right? Wait, the Prince wasn't his boss, was he?
'Shit.'
"Who else is as great as I am?!"
Feltor boasted with a prideful expression while looking and acting all smug.
"You?"
Lu doubted it. He had learned the technique in one night, not the Prince.
"...Ah. Yeah. You're pretty good, too, I guess. But I'm the one who saw your potential and spared your life instead of giving you the death penalty for stealing from a royal guest."
"...Okay."
Lu wasn't sure about that logic. It seemed a little far-fetched. It would also mean that his Master had decent insight. Lu refused to accept it.
"Anyway, can we get started on the details now?"
Lu couldn't stand seeing the usually composed Prince be so prideful, so he tried to hurry the conversation along.
The Prince noticed Lu's awkward face and hurriedly composed himself.
"Ahem. Right. The details. The details of the heist. The heist in Imra. The details of the heist in Imra that you're going to execute. I will get you the details. But if you're ready to set off, I'll have someone check on our lovely envoys from the Kingdom and see if they're ready."
Since Mencer and his attendants might need some time to get ready, Feltor prioritized that before he started giving Lu more details of the heist they were planning, but he focused on Lu's assignment. The details of the entire heist would surface later.
Lu had to sneak in and take a specific item that Feltor needed. He also needed to snag a certain condensation art that the mark had stolen from Count Lito a few generations ago. It had been collecting dust for whatever reason.
But Mencer apparently needed that condensation art, and asking for it would be humiliating, and it would reveal Mencer's Blessing. So, they needed to steal it.
'What a mess.'
Lu shook his head. The world of nobles and politics was so annoying.
They couldn't ask for it because the ones that had stolen it were a generational rival to the Lito Countdom. They would ask for an outrageous sum or not give it back at all. It would also be a stain on Count Lito's honor. It would be like he was begging his enemies for handouts.
'Why come up with so much bullshit? You don't need that many reasons to steal something.'
To Lu, it all sounded like excuses. Mencer and Count Lito just wanted to steal from whoever the rivaling count was.