Although Billy didn't stand out in the first town, he sure got a lot of attention when he crossed the gates of the capital. The guards didn't stop him, but they certainly looked at him for quite a while. He wondered if it was because he looked so poor looking in comparison to the people coming and going. Billy had thought that looking like an adventurer on a day off would be a good disguise, but it seemed that it didn't work.
In any case, Billy hurried to look for an alley where no one would see him, and while it took some time since the capital was bustling with people, he eventually found it. He had planned to look for Icarus using his magic, but then he realized that he might end up alerting the woman as well… so he gave up on that. It was better not to do anything too complicated without knowing her basic abilities.
"Well now, if I were a super fast dumbass, which place would I choose to watch someone without letting them notice?" Billy asked while rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"You don't, I am the one who finds you," Icarus suddenly appeared and then said. "By the way, do you really think that i am a dumbass?"
"Never mind that, I can finally see the reason why a super powered pickpocket would choose this place to live," Billy said.
"Never mind that… As usually, you play by the sound of your own drum," Icarus said after a long sigh. "Regardless, you came quite fast considering how many obstacles there are between your home and this place. Follow me."
Instead of using his speed like usual, Icarus lead Billy to an inn in the corner of the capital. It was a pretty cheap and simple place, but since only those who didn't have much money used that kind of inn, they were free of the stares that Billy felt earlier. An inn was a nice place for Billy to be. He used three-fourths of his reserves of mana, so he had to do his best and recover as much as possible before meeting the female thief. Still, he couldn't imagine how Icarus could keep an eye on someone from such a place. It was obvious that the woman would target the buildings closer to the castle.
Icarus' room in the inn looked like it had never been used. Billy could tell that he only used the chairs and the windows to watch the people moving around. Billy finally could understand how come he found her. Someone like a thief would definitely live in that kind of part of the city, but it didn't seem like she normally lived at an inn.
"My guess is that the city has a large sewer system and she is using those to hide," Icarus explained after he sat down. "Although I told you that I was keeping an eye on her, I only saw her a few times and I am monitoring her actions here."
"Like monitoring her stealing record? I think it is pretty obvious that you will only confront her if she tries to leave the capital and you will tell that when you stop hearing about those crimes," Billy said.
"Can you blame me for that? I am trying to be careful… I don't want to mess up and create an enemy," Icarus said. "Besides, who knows what her skills let her steal."
Billy hadn't considered that. The powers of the thief woman shouldn't be limited to only stealing material stuff like money or jewelry. It would be pretty scary if she could steal things like skills and status… Billy didn't even want to think of what else she could steal. Their abilities were that insane.
"What is your plan?" Billy asked. "She might be operating here for a while, but it doesn't mean that she will stay forever. It makes me wonder why she is taking her time… It shouldn't be difficult for her to get what she wants.
"That is why I don't have many ideas as to how to talk with her, I don't understand her actions," Icarus said.
Billy didn't have it either. If anything, it seemed that a direct approach was the only and better option. If things are dicey after they ask about her intentions, it will be better if they fight and crush her.
"Let's not waste time thinking about possibilities, it will be better if we face her without wondering about too many scenarios," Billy said. "I will check the sewers for a few days and then we will talk with her."
Although Billy said it tomorrow, he slept until midnight and then went to check the capital at night. It was most likely the time that the female thief would work, but the chances of them bumping into each other was pretty low since she would target the richest areas of that place. In any case, it would be pretty suspicious for two people to walk together at night, and since Billy didn't want to show his Flash to Icarus, that worked for him to do his work alone.
Regardless, it wasn't hard to find the entrance to the sewers. Still, most of them were in the upper-class area of the capital, and the others in other regions were tightly sealed. Still, Billy easily sealed them with his magic. As one would expect, it smelled a lot since the system was used by the whole capital. That was kind of amazing since Billy had never heard of a sewer system in that world… Even the toilets at home worked properly because he used Earth magic and created his own sewer system.
In any case, with much reluctance, Billy touched the wall and used his Earth magic to get a good feel of the entire paths below the capital. As expected, it was a low-key labyrinth. Still, Billy created an extra path toward the inn just in case and while he was drawing the map of the sewers.
