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?!' He instantly knew that she couldn't have been there on her own free will.
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 fully annoyed.
Despite Rey's annoyance, though, he felt a wave of relief hit him.
'At least I found her. Ditching the rest and coming here on my own really was the right move.'
Rey was able to leave the watch of the Investigation Squad and come here on his own after they all split up looking 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 also considered them using Tracking Magic on their Items, but he didn't think it would 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 implications of doing something of the sort—Rey recognized that they probably wouldn't want to do something like 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 got moved from her position.
'It'll be difficult to memorize all these routes in such a short period of time, but I have no choice.'
He was in a hurry.
Even though he was unfamiliar with a lot of places within the Black Market, and the target location was quite far from where he currently stood, Rey knew he still had to find a way somehow.
… And fast!
As he was contemplating these things and getting ready to depart, he was met with the most unexpected suggestion.
"If you do not mind, Sir Ralyks, I'd like to come with you."
Rey's surprise was well hidden under 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? Was there something else at play here?
In the end, Rey had no choice but to directly ask the person involved.
"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 that to get an accurate read on the map and detect even the slightest movements of their target.
"What do you say?"
It was an honestly 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 area of business for my sake."
As soon as Rey said this, he noticed a slight change in Aldred's expression.
From his small, humble smile… emanated a crooked look. He had a very menacing demeanor that one wouldn't find 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 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." As Aldred bowed slightly, Rey felt a slight discomfort in the pit of his stomach.
He still wasn't completely used to being called by his moniker.
'I'll have to grow accustomed to it, though.'
As Rey stole one more glance at the beeping red dot on the map, he narrowed his gaze.
Impatience swelled within him, and his body was prepared to dart out that very instant.
"You're the only one coming with me, right?" He asked Aldred.
"I would have liked to take a small group in order to display some of our power, but I recognize that it might inconvenience you quite a bit."
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 two hands together as he beamed brightly.
It was almost as if he never displayed any malevolent grin before now.
Rey made a quick note to be wary around Aldred—warier 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 as he said with purposeful excitement.
"Let us depart!"
*
*
*
Thanks for reading!
What do you think will happen next? Any thoughts?
