Chapter 47

Rey’s heart was racing as he stared at the coordinates.

His fists were tightly clenched, and he felt his eyes growing bloodshot.

‘Why would Alicia be in the Black Market?’ Instantly, he knew she couldn’t have been there willingly.

She was clearly in some kind of trouble.

‘Is it because of Billy? I’m sure it’s him!’

Remembering the face of his former best friend was enough to make him grit his teeth.

He was extremely annoyed.

Despite his annoyance, Rey felt a wave of relief wash over him.

‘At least I found her. Ditching the rest and coming here on my own really was the right move.’

Rey managed to slip away from the watchful eyes of the Investigation Squad and come here on his own after they split up to look for clues.

Thanks to that, he managed to slip into the Black Market space.

‘I simply guessed that I could use their network or information channels to find Alicia.’

Rey had figured they would use Tracking Magic on their Items, but he didn’t expect it to be this detailed.

He also didn’t like the implications that it brought to the table.

‘If they can always track any Item I buy from them, then am I really safe from their prying eyes?’

However, after Aldred explained the process to him—revealing the implication of doing something of the sort—Rey realized they probably wouldn’t resort to that.

And even if they did, he would know.

‘I better hurry, though. Since we’ve located the Item, it would have alerted the one who has it.’

In Rey’s mind, that person was Alicia.

‘If she’s surrounded by the enemy, they might see the glow and recognize it as Tracking Magic.’

That meant he had to get to her before she was moved from where she was.

‘It’ll be difficult to memorize all these routes in such a short period, but I have no choice.’

He was in a hurry.

Even though he was unfamiliar with many places within the Black Market and the target location was quite far from his current position, Rey knew he had to find a way—and quickly!

As he was contemplating his next move and getting ready to leave, he was met with an unexpected suggestion.

“If you do not mind, Sir Ralyks, I'd like to come with you.”

Rey’s surprise was well hidden behind his black mask and the poker face underneath.

‘What? He’s a broker, isn’t he? Why would he want to leave his place of work for me?’

Had Aldred sensed his unease and decided to help? Or was there something else at play here?

In the end, Rey had no choice but to ask directly, “Why?”

Then, the answer came forth in a calm, calculated manner.

“There is a possibility that your target might start moving after you leave this place. To keep track of their movements in real-time, it’s best I accompany you.”

Aldred explained that he had a syncing device that connected to the Tracking Device in the room.

They could use it to get an accurate read on the map and detect even the slightest movements of their target.

“What do you say?”

It was a good reason. However, for the currently skeptical Rey, it wasn’t enough.

“Why would you go this far for me? I might be a prized seller, but surely you aren’t mandated to go as far as leaving your place of business for my sake.”

As Rey said this, he noticed a slight change in Aldred’s expression.

From his small, humble smile emerged a crooked look and his demeanor took on a menacing quality not typically found in a businessperson.

… It was the kind of face you’d expect from a thug.

“Someone dared to steal a product from the KariBlanc Group. Not many are foolish enough to do something so stupid.”

As Rey heard this, he watched Aldred’s twisted smile grow even wider.

“I’d like to see who did this with my own eyes, as well as watch them be punished as much as they deserve. Of course, I’d also like to ask you to leave some for us once you’re satisfied.

Rey knew how merciless the KariBlanc Group could be.

He wasn’t sure if bringing an agent of theirs on this mission was the right thing to do.

However, when he weighed the pros against the cons…

‘He can see the real-time location of the ring, and he knows the Black Market much better than I do.’

Rey already knew he had no other option.

“Fine. You can come along with me.”

“Thank you, Sir Ralyks,” Aldred replied with a slight bow, causing Rey a bit of discomfort in the pit of his stomach.

He still wasn’t completely used to being called by his alias.

‘I’ll have to get used to it, though.’

As Rey stole one more glance at the beeping red dot on the map, he narrowed his gaze.

Impatience grew within him, and his body was prepared to dart out that very moment.

“You’re the only one coming with me, right?” He asked Aldred.

“I would have liked to take a small group to display some of our power, but I realize that it might inconvenience you quite a bit,” Aldred replied.

Rey nodded slightly. Knowing the KariBlanc Group—the little that he did—this ‘small group’ could end up being a squad of a hundred men or even more.

‘Mobilizing such a force would take time, and I’m in a hurry.’

“So, how about this, Sir Ralyks? I’ll only take one person with me. That’ll make just three of us on this expedition.”

Rey only needed to think about it for a second before nodding in agreement.

“Perfect!” Aldred clapped his hands together with a bright, genuine beam, erasing any trace of the malevolent grin he had displayed moments before.

Rey made a quick mental note to be wary of Aldred—more than he was before—and the entire KariBlanc Group.

For now, though, something else was at the forefront of his mind.

‘… Alicia!’

“Very well then.” Aldred made for the door with purposeful excitement.

“Let us depart!”

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[A/N]

Thanks for reading!

What do you think will happen next? Any thoughts?