*Yawn*
Ezra woke up with a deep yawn as he made clasping noises with his dry mouth.
He looked around, only for sunlight to pierce his eye-
"Ah!"
-giving him a good sting.
"Oh, you're finally awake it seems" Fredrick's voice rang out, pulling Ezra out his drowsiness.
Ezra looked at him, before asking a question that had been bugging him.
"What happen to your peculiar accent of using 'ye'"
"Huh? It was just a cover up, I thought you would have figured that out by now"
"Oh" was the only thing Ezra said before asking…
"Say, what time is it?"
"It's almost noon"
"Huh? I slept that much?" Ezra was doubtful.
"Yeah, you did, because I was here the whole time"
"Ok"
"So, what are we doing today?" Fredrick asked.
"What we initially wanted to do yesterday" Ezra answered.
"So, we are going to the gang house again?" Fredrick asked.
"Yeah, but with different disguises this time"
"I know that"
The face transformation potion lasted for eighteen hours, so Ezra's hair had turned back to silver and his eyes back to their blackish-silver, or dark silver, color.
"Alright, I'll go clean up. We leave in forty minutes" Ezra said as he sprung up and headed for the bath. While it wasn't as good as the one in the castle, it was very much usable.
'Right, I have to find an etiquette teacher, a mana technique and a combat manual for mom. I wonder how she's faring' Ezra thought.
Although it had only been two days since he wrote a letter to her, she had written back saying she had started taking etiquette classes and had chosen the rapier as her weapon.
'A rapier was it…so she's going to need a lot of movement skills to maneuver, as well as a mana technique that strengthens sharpness, swiftness and speed, rather than raw destructive power.'
Ezra thought as he organized the things he needed to do for the day.
'I can't go asking the royal advisor for more gold without saying how I spent this one…sigh…there should be about thirty five to forty gold remaining'
But…
'That's nowhere near enough'
He couldn't dilly dally with his plans, but the starting capital was bound to be huge, no, it was going to be astronomical.
The only reason why he dared to take the steps he took was because of the chance to enter the royal treasure within the next two months, as well as his knowledge of unearthed goldmines.
'Financing Black Jaws, the information agency, and finally, the gold slums plan, which would bring four to five times the money I spend, but that is long term' Ezra thought.
He had so many plans, and he couldn't let the lack of resources hold him down, but he also couldn't rush things, but all this meant…
'Do I have to go to the treasury before two months?' he wondered.
He already knew what gift he would ask from the emperor, but he needed to put a lot of things into motion before the third month arrived.
He couldn't go to the treasury too early or it would mess up some plans, so that left…
'The merchant guild. It seems I can't put it off any longer' Ezra thought as he planned what he needed to achieve before today's end.
'Is there anything I'm forgetting?' he wondered, but it didn't seem so.
And with such thoughts, he got dressed in different peasant clothes, before chugging down a transformation potion. His hair and eyes turned brown, while Fredrick's turned black, and their facial muscles became a little bloated, but unless a Master rank tried to pry, the only thing that made them similar to the real Ezra was their unchanged physique.
"Let's go" Ezra said as the duo walked out and boarded a carriage to the Dark Tooth bar.
*Clip* *Clop*
A carriage could be seen stopping in front of the slums.
Ezra and Fredrick took this path to throw off suspicion, as they navigated their way to the bar on foot.
Ezra knew that his actions would inevitably cause chaos. What he couldn't know was how big it would be.
When he arrived in the vicinity of the gang's bar, he found the place clean of all the glass shards and splintered wood, but not repaired.
Which was obvious considering that they would relocate soon enough.
What he did find surprising was the large number of beggars in the bar.
Their bodies were stinky, but not to an absurd level. Their clothes looked relatively new, for beggars that is. It wasn't torn for the most part, but the clothes Ezra wore still trounced theirs.
He entered calmly and heard an ongoing conversation that included the boy he had sent on an errand.
"James, when is he going to be here?" a beggar asked James.
"Soon, Erwin, soon" James said.
"You've been saying that since midnight!" someone protested and James did the same.
"Oi, you're free to leave if you want, so better stop complaining" James said, before he continued…
"I already bought those clothes to give you as proof, and as I said, he's my benefactor. You can't expect him to tell me his whereabouts. If he isn't here, then he will be soon" James paused again as he looked at the varying looks on their faces.
"I brought you here because I wanted you to have a chance at a life-changing opportunity, but if it doesn't matter to you, you're free to leave" James said, hammering it in their heads.
They needed him, not the other way around.
Ezra stood quietly at the side as a wide grin formed on his face.
'He'll make a good leader' Ezra thought as he made his decision, before…
*Clap* *Clap* *Clap* *Clap*
He started clapping, which called the attention of the beggars.
"James, that was-no wait, give me a second" Ezra quickly said as he realized his voice was different.
"Hmm, okay, that's better *Clears throat* James, that was an exemplary speech"
James, who realized who was talking, immediately got on his knees and said…
"It's an honor, big brother" which made Ezra's smile even wider, before the mood was cut short by…
"Are you joking? James, don't tell me that's him. He's merely a kid who looks younger than my sister"
James was about to retort when…
"And if I am?" Ezra suddenly asked.
He liked this sort of situation the most. Because he didn't have time to talk, he would show them and…
'I will use the chickens to warn the monkeys, or is it the other way around?' thought Ezra as he scrutinized the young male, who had a body more nutritious than the rest, but lanky nonetheless.
"Then I'm out of here" the boy stated as he moved to storm past Ezra, then his body froze and a fresh hot liquid poured out from between his legs.
He subconsciously felt that the earth should open up and swallow him, not to save him from the disgrace, no, he couldn't care about that, but from the devil in front of him.
He was the devil or how else would one explain such thick killing intent!
Ezra released just a little, but still very potent, killing intent.
The boy subconsciously freeze. A look of dread in his eye as a pool of yellow water formed below his feet.
Ezra smiled, but it was like a devil's grin from where the boy was standing, before moving toward the boy ever so slowly.
Meanwhile…
'I knew he was powerful, but this…this is on another level' James thought as he swore to himself never to provoke his lord or big brother.
'Although I felt it yesterday, It still just as mind blowing how a five year old kid can release such killing intent and even control it masterfully' Fredrick thought as he looked at the small monster in front of him.
All the other children were thinking along the same line as James when Ezra's voice rang out.
"Kneel" the word resounded in the ears of all, except Fredrick, like the verdict of a mighty king.
A command demanding respect as all the beggars found themselves kneeling, even the muscular boy knelt in his pee.
Then the dreadful atmosphere was withdrawn in the next instant like it was never there, the day of doom passed away and gave way for the morning air.
Yet, no one in the bar moved, all of them so still one might think them dead. They still had blank expressions on their faces until…
*Clap* *Clap* *Clap*
A familiar clap resounded, pulling the children out of their traumatic reverie as before they could scream, a voice rang out and an ironic statement was heard.
"Don't be afraid"
All the beggars could only look at the devil in front of them with weird expressions.
Seriously?! You released a killing intent that made our bodies go numb and caused our brain's to freeze, and you're saying "Don't be afraid"?!
Ezra, who realized his mistake too late, made a bitter chuckle, before calling…
"John" Erza called Fredrick.
"Yes, Kevin?" he answered immediately.
"Take this boy and get him cleaned up. Give him some new clothes too" Ezra said, pointing at the boy still kneeling in his pee.
"You heard him, get up" Fredrick said as the boy quickly stood with his body quivering.
Seeing this, Ezra thought…
'Was it too much?'
He was only trying to set an example, but it seemed he broke the boy's mind.
'No use crying over spilled milk' Ezra thought.
After all, it was the boy who put himself on a platter to be slaughtered. He would reap the consequences of his actions.
'Now that I've used the stick, it's time for the carrot' thought Ezra.
