"Wait, where are you going at this time and hour?" Gesine looked at me with suspicious eyes; she knew I was up to something.
I mean, if you see someone wearing an all-black outfit going into the night, you'd be suspicious, right? Or maybe that's just me, but clearly Gesine knows.
"I'm just meeting a friend." I am indeed meeting a friend, so there's no lying in this.
"Alright, just come back before midnight. I'll prepare dinner, so come back early." She went to her room and closed the door; she acted a bit wifey there.
The sun has yet to set, so I waited. It will only be a couple of minutes. Then the time has come; the outer streets were dark, and the lights in the house lit up. Darkness has swallowed the light; it was time to move.
"Gesine! I'll be going now. Don't wait for me!" Sounds like I'm a husband leaving my wife for work, doesn't it?
"Sure, sure," she replied.
I opened the door and went out into the city. It was a beautiful place. I'm talking about the inner part of the city that we currently reside in, but only a few blocks away was the outer part of the city, or you can just call it the slums.
It's not really full of garbage and poor people, more like the ones who earn below average. To me, it seemed pretty normal, and it's just the place that I'm going to.
Where else can you find a shady organization that trades information? Definitely not in the prosperous part of the city. It's common sense since the emperor lives in the castle at the very center, and many nobles live in the nicer parts. It's pretty usual to have patrols here and there.
I did ask about the infamous information group, but no one seems to know, or they are just hiding it.
Though I find it really strange that one part of the place was lively; there were lights and street vendors, and the other half was a quite dark place. Well, not entirely, since I happened to stumble upon the infamous red light district.
At this point, I was circling the entire outer part of the city, and I needed to pass through this place in order to get to the other side.
"Hey zaddy, why don't you come and have some fun?" As I entered, I was immediately invited by a woman. She was beautiful, but at this point, I had already seen a girl far more beautiful, so things like this suddenly became normal.
"Pass," I quickly passed by them as they continued to invite any lustful man who walked past them.
The entire place was freaking crowded. There were so many men, and these very men might have children and wives. They have mouths to feed, and they choose to indulge themselves in pleasure. Are these the people I saved? The ones who I saved by sacrificing my very body and mind, my allies, my companions?
Without even knowing, I was kneeling in the middle of the street. My breathing was heavy.
I need to stop and calm down, but I couldn't. Normally, the Gods would comfort me in this, but where are they? No one is here to help me. I'm alone again... ha.
If only they were still here, maybe they could've stayed with me in this cursed world to which I was brought.
"Are you okay?" I heard a girl's voice. My face, which was facing the ground, looked up, and I saw a girl. She was wearing a prostitute's clothes.
Another one? Can't they see my situation? These people are irritating me. "I'm fine." I wasn't going to show my weak side, so I stood up, but I realized my feet wouldn't move.
"This must be fate to meet you in this busy street," she looked at me and smiled brightly like an innocent maiden. "I'll help you; there's nothing bad in this, alright?"
I'm having trust issues here. A prostitute inviting a man into her house is still like going into a brothel.
People were looking at us as they passed through. Eventually, we'll get a busy crowd here. It'd be nice if there was a healer, but I don't think my feet were damaged; it was just a mental issue.
"I'll trust you on this, but I swear to the goddess Leticia, your head will roll if you touch me."
"Hehe," again she smiled so innocently. "I promise in the name of the goddess Leticia that I won't touch you."
And with her help, she carried me like a damn princess. Don't underestimate her; she was really strong physically. I don't know how men would handle her in bed, but I don't think the bed will survive that fierce night.
She went deep into the alleys, but at the end of it, there was a small house. I'm guessing this is hers? It was nighttime, and the place looked really haunted. Do I need to exorcise this place first?
She knocked on the door three times. I thought she was living alone. She waited a couple of minutes, and no one answered. Then she just busted the door open. I'm surrounded by crazy girls.
She laid me down on an old couch that looked like they found it off a rich person's dumpster. There's nothing wrong with it; it's still perfectly fine, just old.
Leticia Cassia Echidona and the rest of the Gods, why am I surrounded by weird women?
Then she came back running with a glass of water, "here! Drink."
"This isn't filled with weird stuff, right?"
"No! You can trust me!"
It looked suspicious, but the water didn't look like it was contaminated, so I guess it should be pretty safe at least. I drank the water, and there was nothing wrong; it was indeed safe.
"Is there anything else you need?!"
"A long stick or a cane. I can't stay here any longer than this."
"No!"
"Ha? What do you mean no? I need to go, so don't stop me!"
"I said no! You can't leave when you can't move, and I'm not helping you!"
This damn girl, I don't know if it's her kindness or just wanting me to stay here, but I still can't move my damn leg.
"Hey! Why are you shouting?" There was a male voice that entered the house; it felt familiar, and it really was.
"Lucas?" It was the dude that I was looking for. Who knew I'd meet the man himself without going around asking his underlings.
"Huh? Who did you bring home?" He was asking the girl.
"Come down, brother! He was just an injured man I found on the street!"
"Injured? He looks fine to me! Maybe you just brought him home because he's handsome." Thanks for the compliment, Lucas! But he doesn't know that it's me.
I should tell him. I moved towards him and punched his face. "Lucas! Esmond here!" He flew towards the wall and looked at me with confusion.
"Esmond! What are you doing here?" See, he knew it was me from my punch. He was my punching bag back in the day.
"Esmond? The hero Esmond?" The girl glanced at me.
Oh god, this freaking idiot! Why would you go and shout my name? Well, I mean, I'd be surprised if an old friend suddenly comes by, but this is just stupid. Lucas knows I'm like a wanted criminal here.
"What are you doing here?" he asked me.
"Information." This man has one strange attitude when he's with me, and all that he is, this fun and cheerful guy, but when business is involved...
"I see you came to the right place, and since you're the hero, you're a VIP." His tone and face became more serious as he walked up the stairs and called for me as well.
We walked down the hallway, and the place suddenly exuded more serious and rich vibes.
"So, what kind of information are you looking for, Esmond?" he looked like a shady businessman.
"Have you heard about the empire up north?"
"I may have or may not." This bastard is getting sneaky with his words. He led me to a room; it was a place where no sound from the inside could go out; it was soundproof.
"You know that this type of information is a bit pricey."
"I know." Yes, I definitely know, even though I know that I don't have a single coin on me. He still has a debt to pay, so might as well.
"That time when your father was being hunted by demons, when the demon Gods' army took your village, I saved your father, didn't I?"
"You did, and I'm grateful for that."
"Then you should know that..."
"I'm grateful that you let him live and gave me a chance to kill him later on." Ah, what? Did bro just say he killed his father?
Well, this is bad, really bad. I was relying on that favor to get free information. Now what should I do?