The market was just as crowded as before. Evan even thought that this place would never quiet down. It was already well into the afternoon, but the buying and selling activities were still as lively as earlier. He couldn't imagine what it would be like in the early morning when the market was at its busiest.
Now Evan was on horseback. Determined not to stop for any reason, he had decided in his heart that if someone fell because his horse "bumped" into them, he would assume it was just a small trick to extort his money. This time, Evan hardened his heart.
Entering the market area, he could hear grumbles and annoyed murmurs. His horse strutted proudly, head held high, as if it knew its owner didn't want to be bothered. People thought Evan was too arrogant to ride his horse through such a crowded street.
Evan didn't care.
He scanned every intersection in the market, looking around in all directions. But all he found was confusion, overwhelming confusion. Everyone was moving, jostling, shouting. Some were running, walking, moving too slowly or too quickly. Evan felt there was no way he would find the girl he supposedly bumped into if the market continued like this.
"I need a new approach," he thought, dismounting his horse. He decided to lead the animal, guiding it to a narrow alley and tying the reins to a post. He stroked the horse's soft, white mane. As if understanding Evan's thoughts, the horse sat down to wait.
"Smart animal," he praised, then turned around and began to explore the market.
He figured his white horse stood out too much. The horse was tall and easily seen from a distance. Evan thought the girl would surely be scared and hide if she saw the white horse. That is, if she really was the thief who stole his dagger.
Evan headed to the butcher's section. He came here because earlier, he had seen many beggars and homeless people sitting along the road in that area. Maybe the girl had turned to stealing out of necessity and was somewhere among these people.
However, after combing the area for a long time, he found no trace of her. In fact, he didn't see any girls at all. Just elderly women and middle-aged women, certainly not the girl he was looking for, begging along the road next to the butcher stalls.
Evan decided to move on.
Now he went to a cleaner section, the clothing district. Maybe the girl was here. Perhaps she had already sold the dagger and used the money to buy new clothes, Evan thought.
He walked through the market's narrow alleys, large streets, and even inspected one of the larger clothing shops. At one point, a shop assistant approached him, suspicious because he kept circling the area without touching a single piece of clothing.
"You're scaring us," she said. Evan understood right away—those words were a polite way of saying, "Get out of here."
Evan left and continued his search.
An hour passed, and he felt it was all in vain. Most of the people in this district seemed wealthy, and the clothes being sold were expensive. Looking around, Evan realized this area was the cleanest and best-maintained part of the market. He reconsidered—there was no way the girl would come here.
He decided to leave.
But just as he was walking away, he heard a commotion behind him.
"That little devil is a thief!" someone shouted. "Catch her!"
The shouts grew louder, accompanied by gasps of shock from the crowd. Evan froze.
He moved to the side of the road. The uproar became chaotic. As the person in front of him stumbled and fell from being pushed, Evan saw a masked girl running frantically. In her right hand, she held a small black pouch filled with who knows what.
Behind her, a fat man in luxurious clothing lumbered in pursuit, his body dripping with sweat. His breath was ragged.
"Thief... thief..." the man wheezed and finally gave up, letting his two servants continue the chase. He dropped heavily to the ground right in the middle of the street.
The masked girl had already gotten far ahead.
Evan watched her, then decided to join the chase.
***
The girl turned into a narrow alley outside the market, weaving through residential houses until she reached a dead end. She was panting heavily, sweat covering her neck and forehead. Her eyes widened with fear as she searched for an escape route. Unfortunately for her, there was none.
"Stop, thief!"
The two men chasing her had caught up. The masked girl turned and quickly hid the stolen black pouch behind her back. The two men saw her eyes glaring out from behind the mask.
"No!" the girl shouted. "I'm not giving up this gold!"
One of the men growled. "You naughty girl. Don't you know you've stolen someone's property?"
"Do you think I'm stupid?" the girl challenged, her voice rising in pitch. "Your master has plenty of pouches under his cloak—I saw them. This one is the smallest. I only took one, and he still has ten others. Why are you making such a fuss? He won't suffer any loss!"
One of the men lost his patience and lunged forward, trying to grab the girl's shoulders.
She dodged. Her movements were quick, not learned but more like instinct, suggesting she was used to escaping the hands of those she had stolen from.
The other man moved to catch her as well, but the girl evaded him. She dodged and then kicked one of the men in the back. He stumbled into his companion. Seizing the opportunity, the girl bolted.
The chase resumed through the residential area near the market. The little masked thief in her shabby clothes made of rough fabric seemed determined not to surrender. She was resolute in holding onto her stolen gold.
After running for several dozen meters, she saw the two men were back on their feet and closing in. The young thief quickened her pace.
As she rounded a corner, she spotted a narrow alley. Without hesitation, she darted into it. But after only three steps, she shrieked as her body was suddenly flung into the air, followed by a loud thud as her right shoulder slammed into the ground. The girl glared up, seeing a red-haired youth standing with one leg extended in front of him.
"Damn you!" the girl cursed.
The young man frowned, then extended one hand toward her. "Give me back my dagger."