CHAPTER 37: AMIDST THE CHAOS

"Huh? That fast?" Leonard asked, bewildered. His brows lifted up, and he faced the old man as if asking if he was just joking or not.

The old man leaned back slightly in his chair.

"I don’t care what business it is. Just make sure there’s no problem and that you can pay. That’s all that matters." His voice was calm, but there was no warmth in it.

Leonard pressed his lips together. For a second, he almost laughed at the absurdity of it. From the soldier’s actions earlier, he had expected some hard questioning, rules, maybe even conditions that would be hard to comply.

However, it turned out to be as simple as throwing money at the table. Who would have thought that he just needed to pay?

’Thankfully, I brought the money with me...’ he muttered to himself before shaking his head.

Without wasting a second, he reached into his pouch and counted the coins. Then, the soldier who went with them stood by their side to collect the payment. The soldier, once done collecting, placed all the coins on the desk.

The lord didn’t even bother counting. He just pulled the coins closer to his chest with one hand, then reached for a blank sheet of paper after. His quill wrote quickly on it. His writing was swift and precise.

After only what felt like a few minutes, he took his stamp, pressed it on the bottom part and slid the paper forward.

"Here. That’s your permit. It lasts for two years. That’s the standard time here. If you want to continue, you’ll have to pay again."

Leonard picked up the paper carefully. He held it in his hand as if it were a pressure treasure. As he saw the stamp on the bottom side that confirmed the validity of the paper, he smiled immediately.

"Thank you, my lord."

The man gave a short nod and returned to his writing, signalling that he was clearly done with them.

Taking that as their cue, the soldiers turned to them again and motioned for the door. They stepped out quietly. Their transaction ended just like that. They didn’t even stay there for 10 minutes.

"Finally, we have the permit." Once they were back in the hallway, Leonard couldn’t help but laugh.

Anika shook her head. She didn’t know if she should be happy that it was just fast or annoyed because the stupid soldier outside made their lives harder.

"I can’t believe it was that simple. Just... hand over coins and walk out with a stamped paper? That’s it?" Leonard muttered. He let out a relieved smile, a small smile curling up.

However, in the next second, his jaw tightened. The memory of that smug soldier’s grin came crawling back into his mind.

’Damn that bastard. He was acting like he was some gatekeeper to heaven. Dealing with him was harder than talking to the lord himself.’ His chest became heavy at the thought.

The permit felt precious in his hand, but not as precious as the itch of revenge clawing inside him. He wanted payback. It wasn’t something Leonard could just laugh off.

’So what can I do?’

A sudden idea came into his mind.

’Hey, System...’ he called out in silence. ’Help me get back at that guy. I don’t care how. Just give me something to put him in his place. I’ll pay.’

The familiar chime rang instantly in his mind.

[Ding!]

[Request acknowledged.]

[System Fee: 10 silver coins.]

Leonard blinked at how fast the system replied to him. It seemed like the system was just like them. Quick when it comes to money. But at least, his system was helpful.

’But only 10 silvers?’ He raised a brow. That was 5 times lower when he asked for help the last time.

’Sure,’ With that thought, he answered without hesitation. ’Take it.’

[Ding!]

[Payment received.]

[Processing the request...]

A playful smile slowly crossed his face as they walked down the hall. Whatever the system had in store, he didn’t care about it.

After a few seconds of waiting...

[Ding!]

[Target vulnerability identified.]

[Name: Serge Alford]

[Weakness: Severe phobia of rats — panic response guaranteed.]

Leonard blinked.

’Rats?’ He pictured the guard. He remembered that he was tall, loud, and full of arrogance. But he was scared of rats?

’Pft-" He snorted in disbelief.

[Just say "activate" to activate the assistance, Host. The system guarantees it will be worth it.]

’Just make sure,’ Leonard muttered.

[Don’t worry, Host.]

With that, Leonard’s smile became wider.

They walked through the heavy doors and went back into the courtyard. The same arrogant soldier from earlier, lounged by the gate. He had his arms folded, and was trading jokes with his two comrades.

He still had that same irritating little smirk on his face.

’What a perfect timing...’ The corner of his lips curved upwards into a playful smile.

’Activate.’ As soon they crossed the gate, Leonard activated it. He wanted to see the man’s reaction in realtime.

[Ding!]

[System’s Assistance has been activated.]

Leonard looked around, expecting something to happen. However, nothing changed. He pressed his lips together and patiently waited.

’Right... patient is a virtue.’

And so he waited.

Seconds after and a faint sound of leaves rustling sounded. Leonard looked for the sound. His eyes flew to the discarded crates near the end of the wall.

The sound was low at first, as if it was only the movement of air. However, as seconds passed, the sound grew. A loud fidgeting sound emerged that made their skin’s hair rise.

From the gaps between the crates and under the eaves, small dark shapes spilled out.

Rats, dozens of them, with their noses twitching and tails whipping, poured into the open. They ran along the ground in groups and dove directly at the guard’s feet.

The soldier’s face changed the instant he saw those tiny creatures. His laughter died and his eyes widened in fear. He backed away one step, then another, and another... until he paled.

"R-rats..." he choked on his own words.

His comrades froze too. One tried to shove a rat by kicking it, while another leapt up, shouting. However, with rats swarming on their area, the soldier’s knees gave out.

He clutched at his throat, stumbled, and then, as if he was struck in the head, he fainted. His legs collapsed beneath him.

Chaos erupted.

Men cursed and stamped, trying to beat the rats off. People nearby also screamed and ran away. It was only Leonard and Anika who stayed, barely showing any reaction.

Anika was initially scared. She almost shouted too when she saw those rats. However, Leonard held her hand and said not to be scared as the rats wouldn’t go near them.

And thankfully, it really didn’t

It just stayed in one place, running a few inches away and circling the area.

"Follow me, Anika."

Leonard moved through the chaos calmly. Amidst the chaos and with the soldiers focusing on chasing away the rats, the ignorant soldier was left on the side. He was still unconscious.

However, that wasn’t what caught his attention.

It was the man’s pouch that was lying beside him. It got detached from his belt when he fell.

Leonard ducked down and held it in his hand. The pouch was heavier than he expected. It was fat with coins. Leonard didn’t bother counting the inside. He just took a handful, making sure he got what he handed to the guard earlier and stuffed them back into his own pocket,

Then, with a swift movement, he tossed the pouch to the side.

While he was doing all of that, Anika stayed close at his side, eyes wide but amused. She didn’t ask any questions. Instead she was even delighted!

"Let’s go?" When he was done, Leonard faced back Anika and offered her hand.

Anika chuckled and took it.

The two of them threaded through the panicking crowd and walked away.