How to Make a Sinner Sleep - Chapter 41: Chapter 41

The first and most crucial thing to own, that he did not currently posses, was gold. He had a small but meager amount scrapped together from various tasks over the years, but it wouldn't remain to be enough in the future.
Information required money. Items required money. Everything had a value stuck on it, and most were numbers he couldn't afford.
Tonight, his intention was to listen to the vague chattering, stealing information from snippets of conversation. Of course, his expectations were low. The other objective was to sell information and create a reasonably sized sum for himself.
In the future, should anything happen to him, Arlo would still live a comfortable life. And he supposed Niklas or Noah could spare some change in light of their friendship.
He lingered in the back of his seat, half submerged in deep, wallowed darkness.
Only when most of the deals had been achieved and exchanged, did he open his mouth to speak. Not too loudly, not too softly—he needed to talk in a manner that made heads turn, but didn't sound exaggeratedly arrogant or ridiculous.
Waiting until the end of the discussion, when everybody expected nothing more to happen. That was the perfect time for him to speak.
Rich emerald eyes gleamed behind the sockets of the bone fox mask, and he allowed a smile to grace his observing lips.
"I would like to sell my services."
Before any could raise questions, he spread his arms languidly. "To kill, to steal, to investigate. Of course, I am under no obligation to accept, but should your task be to my liking, I can guarantee success."
There was a silence—to be expected, considering he was an unknown character. No matter his appearance, one wouldn't easily expose themselves to a person with no reputation. He was aware and prepared for that.
Raising a single finger in the air, he continued, "For the first time, I only ask for 10 gold coins. I will state now that I will not bother or kill any innocents."
Then, having said all that he wanted to say, he leaned back into his chair calmly, without a hint of impatience. As if he didn't care whether any chose to request his services, as if it were trivial and spoken out of mere boredom.
He first felt the stares—as scrutinizing as the day he walked down the Academy halls, and each student came to the hypothesis of his identity. How each student determined his character based on rumours, and deemed him unworthy.
However, this was the playing field he'd grown up in, of trickery and mockery. Of judgment and arrogance. It was different, in all the ways that mattered.
But after being with others for so long...
...he wondered how the stares would feel if he weren't sitting there alone?
"I will buy your service." The statement came from between crates, where the light didn't reach, and a man leaned against the wall.
All Kaden could see was an outstretched, long and slender leg that rested against the wall. Several heads attempted to peer at the source of the low, enthralling voice, to no avail.
However, the fox-masked man paused, allowing the words to tide over his mind and pull away at a recent memory.
The masked person in the forest.
It was a man who didn't want to be seen, and would ensure that to remain so.
Kaden smiled pleasantly at the shadowed space, making no attempt to outline the man's body or face. He wasn't curious about an employer's identity—he was curious about the benefits they could give.
Unfolding his hand, he stretched it out to the darkness. "And tell me, what service do you require of me?"
"The first task, in which I will provide payment upon receiving information, is the location of a particular man. He is a Blessed, and requires a high level of caution. I do not ask you to engage with the target, but to find clues to where he roams."
A spark of interest lit up in Kaden, though he made no move to reveal it. "I see. Is the target violent—will my life be in danger if I accept your task?"
"If you aren't a barking dog with no bite, then you won't be in danger. He does not engage in those who don't attack him first."
"Now, you seem to be a person of many capabilities." Kaden took initiative to break one of the rules; asking questions outside of deals. "Why don't you capture him yourself?"
He concluded that he could chalk it up to suspicion, to have a gage of his employer's ability, and if this task was a trap.
Kaden shivered, as if whatever lurked in the shadows were staring directly at him.
"I could," agreed the voice, a low rumble in the silence. "However, he will be especially alert to me. The target is not human."
"If not human...?"
"A dragon." The two words are stated calmly, even as a slither of surprise snaked around the room. "He is a member of the dragon species."
Kaden parted his lips in surprise, before a smile stretched across his face, mad and simmering in a clear confidence, displayed to all. "Is that the only reason I should be careful?"
"That is the only reason you need to know."
"Then I'll agree to your task, you who hides behind a mask." His words contained a trace of mockery, and if that bothered the shadowed man, he didn't show it.
The darkness took shape, peeling away from the pitch black that spanned over the floor, peeling away to reveal the shape of a slender man, a hanging and frayed scarf wrapped around his neck, and body covered in scaled armour.
He wore a mask that completely hid his features, standing in front of Kaden with a lowered gaze.
In response, Kaden tipped his hat playfully, a tease dancing along his fingers.
The man ignored him.
"And for the second task—which I will accept your offer of ten gold coins as my payment, is to find these ingredients." He procured a square of neatly folded paper and offered it to Kaden, who accepted it with a smile.
The fox unfolded the paper, skimming through the list. Most, uncommon ingredients that could be foraged in the forests or other areas.
Nothing too complicated.
However, who was Kaden to deny his first wonderful customer, which he would happily abuse the wealth of—kindly, of course.
Not to mention, a man with an aura like this couldn't be a normal person.
Since Kaden didn't share the list of ingredients either, coupled with the piercing air of simmering power around the man and the first request, others in the room would suspect the list to be something special or rare.
And Kaden, of course, wouldn't clear up any misunderstandings caused by assumption and belief. Not to people he would likely never see again. He wouldn't want to ruin their imagination, would he?
The rest of the meeting was dull in Kaden's ears, nothing of importance to spark his interest. Unfortunately, it would be some time before he could afford to request tasks.
A reputation built from scratch, money gathered from nothing.
It was more pleasant than groveling and begging Reed for more money, discarding his pride for mere gold. Even when he'd been a young boy, he was still a name many didn't underestimate.
They treated him like a true rat on the streets—with suspicion and violence. They didn't look down on him for having large, young eyes, or that the roundness of his features had yet to leave him, despite his hollow body.
He left, blindfolded by the mold of darkness resting over his eyes once again, and departed in the carriage. Distantly, a blurry figure in the shadows, he saw the organizer waving leisurely.
Kaden cocked his head, and didn't raise a hand in response. Though the organizer seemed to pretend to be older than he was, the sinner had no doubt he was young.
And the young men or women in this side of the world were deadly and cruel.
There was no trivial conversation this time in the carriage, though Kaden found that to be just fine. He'd been tense in the shoulders, careful of every person's actions.
It was exhausting.
He fixed the black hat on his head, leaning back into the comfortable seats. When the carriage rolled to a slow stop, he tipped his hat in gratitude, leaving behind a single gold coin on the seat.
By the time both heels clicked onto the stone ground, the carriage had already disappeared into the mist.
However, as his ears perked and his breath steadied, he heard a second pair of footsteps beside him, shroud by the fog of the deep evening. Kaden stopped, not daring to continue to his room where Arlo peacefully slept.
A smile curled his lips as he peered sideways, brushing a finger over the gold coin in his pocket. "Do you intend to follow me back to my room for tea?"
The large and slender figure stepped out of the fog, building the image of a man veiled in darkness that even the moonlight couldn't penetrate. A mask settled over his face, with two protruding, curved horns at the top.
"It's merely a coincidence."
"I don't believe in such things." smiled Kaden. "Or at least, I only believe when they come from people who don't seem to lie."
The man considered his words and tilted his head. "Do you take me for a liar?"
"Do you want me to think otherwise, Mr. Mask?" laughed Kaden lightly, gaze flickering to their surroundings with deep caution. He couldn't go back—where should he go, what should he do?
There didn't seem to be any others gathering in the fog, so it wasn't an ambush or a trick. Perhaps, Kaden dared to believe, it was truly a coincidence.
But he had the feeling it wasn't the case.
He wished he had a watch or timepiece on him, to check how much time had been wasted. Arlo wouldn't remain asleep forever, and though Kaden had reasons to suspect the child to already be awake and waiting, he wanted to hurry back.
Kaden would have to return to the Academy soon, using his weekends or free time to accomplish the man's deal.
He intended to spend the remainder exploring, and allowing Arlo to do the same. There was no way to rush his search of information—secrets and misdeeds could only be found when they were ripe for the picking.
The next time he visited Corpus, the beautiful and luxurious capital, it would be alone. He also needed to meet with Reed at some point, lest the other seek him out first.
His mind weighed by things to do, instead decided to wonder what to eat tomorrow. He hadn't lied when he said he knew of all the best recommendations to eat—though whether he'd tried them or not was a different matter.
Then, he turned his head and found himself being regarded by cold, fathomless black eyes, settled in the hollowed space of the horned mask.
"You're still here?" blurted Kaden in surprise.
The man—Mr. Mask—seemed to look with a faint amusement. "I don't recall saying I was leaving."
"You're right, I suppose. Well, do you want something then? My pockets are empty, and a deal has already been established between you and I—and the night is still young, and I would like to sleep."
"Can you sleep well?"
Kaden frowned at the inquisitive question, randomly placed in their conversation. Nevertheless, it wasn't something to hide and he waved his hand. "Not well. But I can sleep."
"You haven't found any remedy?"
"If you're asking because you'd like to sell me something, I'm all ears." smiled Kaden carelessly, not taking the other seriously. Then he paused, thinking to the warmth that recently rested in his bed. "I do however have a remedy that suits me."
It was shameless to mention, and Kaden also had no intention of remaining by Noah's side forever, but it was true. The dragon's breath provided a cure to his insomnia.
Anyway, the masked man had no way of knowing the details.
However, Mr. Mask stared at him deeply, standing on the cobblestone streets while fog shroud his legs, creeping up his figure.
Kaden yawned, growing impatient. "I asked, what else do you want?"
"Your name." said the man finally in a low voice. "What name do you go by?"
There were many names he could've given, stamped onto him throughout the years. More than names, they were titles.
The Dog of the Royal Family, but those who scorned and suspected the Royals.
The Roseus Curse, as they had once did by the colour of his hair as he skirted around the streets, murder to his name with the only clue being the glimpse of pale pink, caught in the wind.
However, he tapped on the bone mask and smiled wickedly. He much preferred a name chosen by himself, or at least, tied to this new life of his.
Because here he was, another person compared to the past. Things had already begun to change, made by his own hand or by those he encountered. The tragic fate was already destined to twist.
Kaden lifted his head to the sky, admiring how the clouds masked the stars that normally twinkled high above. A lone star pulsed when the cluster of clouds shuffled.
He'd been lying low recently, but he supposed it was time to step knee-deep in the murky waters he once lived in.
It was time for his revenge.
"You can refer to me as Mr. Fox."
And though the other man's face was blurred by some enchantment, Kaden could've sworn that the ghost of a smile quirked the man's lips.