How to Make a Sinner Sleep - Chapter 28: Chapter 28

To Noah, Kaden was a person he'd only just begun to unravel the layers of tightly buried mysteries.
Yet he would say he had a reasonable understanding of the man plagued with dirty rumours, the man who was a miserable cook and had insomnia that haunted him at night.
However, under the dim lights of the bar and the quiet whispering that surrounded, Noah felt unspeakably unfamiliar with the man beside him.
Kaden's expression was hidden, disguised by the skeleton mask, as his lips curled sardonically. He leaned in casually, as if he belonged in such a filthy scene of schemes and sins.
"You aren't the only one aware of these places." said Noah slowly, voice deep and musing. He had an urge to leave in that instant, drag the man away before his expression would warp anymore into something cynical.
Kaden tilted his head. "I didn't dare think so. But I am much more familiar with it than you think."
He was standing neck deep in an ocean of blood, created by his own doing. And on the land far away, with perhaps splatters on his clothes, was the prideful and just hero.
Noah felt the distance separate the two of them, even as they sat side by side. And for a reason he couldn't understand, he despised it.
Niklas clapped his hands together, throwing the sweet drink back before waving for another drink of his own strange concoction. "Now, now. We can't disband after only being together for less than a day!"
As he spoke, a figure staggered over, a sultry smile on their hollowed face. Kaden recognized the boy from his previous visit, sprouting more bruises than before. His bones protruded more vividly, wearing the terrible mark of purple and healed scars.
Coupled with his soft and fragile expression that wasn't destroyed even with his malnourished, the youth likely attracted a certain group of nobles.
The ones that wanted to vent their darkest thoughts and desires.
"May I help you gentlemen? I'm rather experienced in many subjects." smiled the youth with tired curved eyes. "It must be fate that we met—I originally had no plans of visiting this location today."
Kaden stretched out a hand to block Noah or Niklas from speaking, ignoring their confused glances. He chuckled, leaning towards the youth. "How can I trust you when you look as if you can hardly stand?"
The youth stilled, seeming to be familiar with his voice. However, with the many customers he serviced and approached, the sounds blurred together.
"Appearances are deceiving. I'm capable of quite a lot."
The youth's voice didn't tremble as he spoke with an charming confidence, despite his appearance.
Kaden chuckled wryly. "I don't doubt it."
In a world less cruel, or born a little more lucky, perhaps he would've done worked his way to the top, becoming an influential figure.
But it was hard to claw your way to the top when given nothing.
Kaden's gaze wandered to the clenched fist that the boy hid at his side, betraying his calmness. For him, selling himself was a means of survival. Even if he had to remind himself daily to prevent him from spiraling into an inescapable vortex of despair.
Kaden rolled the coin in his pocket, uncomfortable. Even if he'd grown up witnessing such things, it was impossible to be completely indifferent.
Finally, he closed his eyes and sighed deeply.
The youth flinched, terrified of having offended the noble before him. He shrank his body slightly, as if prepared to be hit.
"Heads or tails?" said Kaden finally, parting his eyes into narrow slits as he smiled lazily. The boy flushed in surprise, confusion scattering across his face.
"...h-heads?"
Kaden moved the golden coin between his fingers before flicking it into the air. It spun high, spinning until it was snatched and slapped over the back of a hand.
The man removed his hand, revealing the shiny portrait of the King's noble profile.
"Aren't you lucky?"
The boy lifted his head warily. "...sorry... what does that mean?"
"It means you've won this bet." said Kaden in a relaxed tone as he slid the coin back into the safety of his pocket. "And I'm obliged to buy some services from you."
"Kaden." warned Noah darkly, making the youth shudder in fear.
"Worry not, my dearest puppy." Kaden waved his hand dismissively, turning back to the tense youth. "Tell me, are you willing to accept my proposition?"
"What are the terms?"
It seemed that the boy wasn't completely foolish. Of course, an utter idiot wouldn't survive until now.
"I'll promise you a payment of 1 gold every month that I visit. The same day as today, the same time."
The youth's eyes widened in surprise. Although he could make such amounts after sacrificing his body to the filthy rich, it was difficult to have a consistent payment.
Then, he straightened his back and smiled flirtatiously. "And the conditions?"
"Nothing I'll need the expertise you're proposing. I don't have any intention of sleeping with a stranger anytime soon. Unfortunately."
The youth's expression fell, entirely confused now. There weren't many nobles who asked for anything else since his appearance vividly told the story of poverty, and many looked down on his ability to do anything but cry out in bed.
"I want you to keep an eye for rumours in this bar. Any kinds of interesting rumours, whatever you deem important enough. I trust your ability to figure it out."
Niklas lifted his head in surprise, wide eyes fixated on the pair. Noah observed deeply, falling into a ruminating silence.
"An intelligence job?" Panic flashed in his gaze. "I'm flattered for your trust, but do you really thing I can—"
"I do." Kaden raised his eyes, the piercing green in the hollows of the skeleton mask. The stare was resolute, and told of no lies.
The youth fell silent, clamping his mouth shut. To obtain a gold coin was enough to feed him, even if he had to get by frugally. It was enough that he could cut down on his nightly services, and allow himself a little bit of rest.
Additionally, he often came to the bar regardless, so he would only have to be a little more careful and observant.
And...
He peeked at the noble's relaxed gaze, slowly drinking from the glass on the table with patience. There were no signs of the man's intention to lash out or hit him.
The youth rubbed his bruised wrists, swallowing hard.
Niklas chugged another glass of his alcohol, having spent enough time watching in silence as he leaned forward, winking. "Don't think too hard about it—whether you find information, we'll pay you. You need only agree, what do you think?"
He'd been assessing the situation, and after determining that Kaden knew how to handle it—and the fact that having an insider was of benefit, he easily volunteered his help.
The youth, hearing Niklas' voice, swept his gaze over in surprise. Niklas raised his eyebrows with a carefree smile, and the youth flushed and looked away hurriedly.
On the side, Kaden breathed a sigh of relief under his mask. After all, how could he afford to pay a gold coin every month?
He was prepared to beg at Reed's feet for allowance, sacrificing his pride. A part-time job was impossible considering his reputation, and the monitoring that Reed often kept on him.
As for where Niklas would get the money, he didn't care since the man already offered to pay. Niklas should have the means to live an affordable lifestyle, anyway.
The youth, charmed by Niklas' words and Kaden's elegant nobility, hurriedly nodded. "Then I'll do it, please."
"Wonderful." Kaden's lips split into an alluring smile as he nodded. "We'll pay you upfront today, and then the next time we meet. Go home after for tonight, and tell nobody of this. It won't be me regretting the consequences."
A hint of fear crept onto the youth's face before quickly dissipating. Kaden waited for Niklas to pull out a gold coin, nodding at him as a hint.
Niklas stared at him blankly. "What do you want?"
"....." He couldn't admit he had no money in his pockets himself! Why did his friend have to be dense... should he abandon the lucky gold coin he carried?
Conflicted, Kaden reached a hand in his pocket before hearing a finger tap on the table. He turned his head as Noah silently, stretched under his cloak, pulling out a shiny gold coin. He stretched out, brushing past Kaden, placing it firmly on the table.
The youth stared at it with bright eyes, a newfound glow of life beating in them. He didn't dare grab it immediately, glancing at Kaden for confirmation.
Kaden glanced at his wonderful wallet—friend with joyous eyes. He didn't really want to abandon the coin he used to calm himself down, so it was perfect. He nodded perfunctorily.
"Take it and leave. Remember, I will be waiting a month from now."
The youth nodded eagerly, pocketing it like a treasure, before he nodded politely and turned to leave. Kaden watched him, before standing up and removing his robe, wrapping it around the skinny body that wore revealing clothes.
Kaden sat back down, dressed in a casual button down and vest that gave him a casual academic feel. It was an outfit borrowed from Holly, not too extravagant nor too plain.
Since the skull mask covered a good portion of his face, and also distorted his overall expression, he chose to abandon his cloak.
"Don't lose it." said Kaden simply, feeling cold by just watching the youth earlier.
A dark red flush spread across the boy's face, rarely treated with such manners. He nodded again, clutching the cloak that felt like silk against his dry skin, and stumbled away. Before exiting, he bowed once again clumsily.
Kaden watched, chuckling to himself. "And that's the same person who was confidently seducing me earlier, hm?"
He shook his head, turning before he froze. Niklas stared at him with a glittering expression, wriggling his eyebrows obscenely. Although his face couldn't be seen, Kaden could see the pull of his skin near the eyes.
"...what is it?"
"You're such a gentleman, aren't you Kaden? I've been enlightened—you're indeed the type popular with men and women alike without even knowing it!"
Kaden's face fell, eying Niklas as if he were delirious. "I feel like you get more ridiculous by the day."
"Come on, show me some of your charm! You're so confident and proud with others!" exclaimed Niklas, scooting his chair closer.
Kaden scooted his chair back, and Niklas came even closer. Kaden moved back a little more until he bumped into a familiar warmth, and he wobbled. A pair of hands naturally moved to steady his body.
Tilting his head back, he met the dragon's collected gaze. "Careful."
Kaden looked away. "Of course."
Niklas wriggled his fingers in the air obscenely, and Kaden could also see the gross expression on his face even with the hinders of a mask. "What? My touch isn't allowed, and his is? I believe I've known you longer—we met before school even started."
"...a brief hour of talking doesn't exactly make a large difference."
"But it does, because it's an hour of speaking to me, and an hour is all that I need to befriend a reclusive fool."
Kaden shot him a look before glimpsing down and realizing that the hands stabilizing him were still naturally placed at his waist, as if a decoration. He stared, then slowly reached down and pulled Noah's hand away, scooting back to his original spot.
"Thank you."
Noah nodded in return.
In the corner, a hushed whispering crept over to their table. "A hundred gold for a vial of blood? That's easy money."
A woman scoffed, sneering. "Easy? Do you think finding those creatures, or even finding a way to take their blood is easy? They aren't fools—they'd rather fight than give up their blood. Blood is a medium that can be used to shackle some, after all."
The man shook his head. "No, you just have to know where to look. You can't possibly think they're all strong enough to defend themselves."
"Get off your high horse, damn idiot."
Noah's keen ears listened quietly, before he stood up with an imposing air, walking slowly to the table with tumbles of the black, ragged cloak following behind. Dark eyes gazed arrogantly through the hollow slits in the skeleton mask.
The woman staggered back, raising her head at the shadow. "Hey! What's the problem, buddy?"
Noah turned his head, each movement slow and unbothered which added to the threatening disposition. "What were you talking about?"
The light hit the side of his mask, painting harsh shadows along the skeleton grooves and cuts. The woman shivered, feeling the dark gaze consuming and deadly, like the eyes of a beast.
"Your response?"
"That— There's a new mission that's been spreading around the Kingdom. Don't even think about a little town like Perro, there are those in the capital who know of it! For anybody who collects 100ml of the blood of a powerful species can get 100 gold!"
"Define powerful species."
The woman swallowed, glancing at her companion who shook his head, sweat dripping at his forehead. In the distance, at a table, two similar figures peered at them coldly through skeleton masks.
Without a doubt, this was likely an organization that couldn't be questioned.
The smiling and relaxed man who wore a bone rabbit mask, leaning against the table while sipping on an oddly coloured drink. His eyes never strayed, seeming to take in their every breath, every blink.
The man behind the skeleton wolf mask before them had a natural sense of silent, simmering dangers, with a natural air of dominance as he lowered his dark gaze with an indifferent frown.
As a person participating in deals with nobility, the woman knew how to dissect different figures, knowing who and who not to offend.
She glanced over at the last of the three masked men, a lean and tall body sitting elegantly back in his seat. His attention seemed focused on his drink, slowly enjoying the alcohol under the lowlights, unbothered by everything else.
Then, his pale eyes with a colour she couldn't make out in the distance, slowly rolled over to peer at her calmly. The corner of his lips curled into a languid smile.
Almost as if daring, 'Do you dare to remain silent?'