The Broken Halo

Chapter 12: 12: A Merchant

One of the things Simon had done in the five years after he stole from Roy, his previous employer, was to plan his next heist.

He obviously could not steal from somebody else so quickly since he was certain that it would put the tribe on high alert. He needed time for the tribe to relax and not expect another robbery.

Besides, with the money he stole from Roy, he and his mother could eat three times a day for a whole year without problem. And they could also afford to buy some other things with the money.

However, such reckless spending would definitely attract suspicioun from other members of the tribe. So both he and his mother agreed on just eating better food.

And that made living a whole lot easier for them.

Eating three meals a day provided him with enough nutrients, and with that, he was able to work out more than normal.

From the age of five, he had begun working out, and though age five was an extremely young age for humans to start working out, he was a demon.

And one-horned demons had thrice the physical strength of an average male.

His constitution was one thing that stunned him in his earlier years, and although he already knew that demons were much stronger physically, being a demon and feeling the strength he had was an entirely different feeling.

Moving on from that, Simon knew that he had to choose his next target and also plan carefully for his next heist, and that he did.

For five years, Simon had carried out a total of five robberies. One per year.

This was a small number, but in their tribe, his actions caused many to cough out mouthfuls of blood in anger and disbelief.

Every single person he robbed was ’rich’, and what he always did was to sometimes leave clues that hinted at another rich individual or an enemy of the victim being the culprit of the robbery.

This caused tension and chaos in the tribe at first, but on his third robbery, somebody saw a flicker of his figure in the middle of the night, and it was this person that dispelled the fight that would have occurred after the clues he left behind in the victim’s house.

News of a sneaky thief who always left behind clues to implicate another person in the victim’s home spread across the tribe, and when Simon heard it, he was amused and intrigued.

Being a thief was something he did not fancy because of his status on Earth in his previous life, but if he was been honest with himself, he enjoyed every night where he robbed an unsuspecting demon.

There was a thrill to it that made his demon heart beat with excitement every time he performed a heist, especially when it was successful.

There were various reasons for his successful heists. Subtly observing the victim for a long period of time, careful planning, and his cat-like traits.

Even at a young age, he instinctively knew how to make his steps silent and he also knew how to control his heartbeat. His instincts were high, and his reflexes and agility were extremely high.

All of these and several other physical capabilities he possessed allowed him to be able to successfully rob people.

Even after word got out that a thief was robbing the rich, Simon attempted his fourth heist, and he succeeded.

When he did, chaos and disorder welcomed their tribe with opened arms, as the rich formed a group that was hell-bent on catching the thief.

A bounty was placed on Simon’s head, but a year passed and nobody was able to catch the thief.

For people who were suffering, waiting a whole year just to be lucky enough to catch a thief was absurd.

The rich of their tribe gnashed their teeth in anger, and the tribe entered a state of ’peace’… or at least peace in the sense that the entire tribe was not looking for a single thief.

Because of Simon’s acts against the rich, it gave more demons the courage to try and do what he did.

But every demon that tried… failed.

Stealing from the rich especially when they were alert and filled with rage was stupid. But starving and suffering people with no hope, would do anything to survive.

Anything

However, Simon was patient. He observed without caring about the consequences of his actions on the tribe.

He had no feelings for the tribe in the slightest, and the only person he cared about was his mother who had suffered a lot for him.

This was evident by the fact that Simon did not bother to make any friends his age despite being so young.

Some had tried, especially after seeing him practicing with the sword, but Simon’s coldness and unwillingness to relate caused nearly every kid and adult in the tribe to label him a loner.

A boy whose only friend was a wooden sword.

And then, Simon robbed the fifth unlucky individual.

The son of the tribal chief.

His act of successfully robbing the son of the tribal chief was what made there to be patrol guards in the tribe, and Simon knew that he had to put a pause on the heists.

Although he was smarter and careful than many of the demons here, he was not stronger in the slightest. If he had to fight one of the patrol guards, he would lose without a doubt.

They were all at least Lesser Demons, and Simon had not awakened his demon heart, attaining a Flickering Heart.

So, Simon knew he had to stop. Besides, he had gathered enough money for him and his mother to be able to sneak out of the tribe and enter a clan.

That was the main reason he continued robbing over the years, and when he heard that a clan member or a merchant was coming to their declining tribe, he knew it was an opportunity for him.

And the following day, a merchant arrived in their tribe.

But it was not what he expected in the slightest.