Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

Chapter 654: A City Stranger Than Fiction And More Horrid Than a Nightmare

Monty had done countless scouting missions for the hero at this point. Melting into the shadows and disguising himself came to him as naturally as breathing. Sometimes, he would even forget who he was and instead play out the role of whoever it was that he was impersonating so perfectly that even the most suspicious guards simply let him into their city.

Today was no different. Posing as an old beggar with a hunched back and a cane, he begged in Asmarethʼs name to be allowed into this strange city. Clad in the glamour of magic, his skin was sagging just enough to convince even the blind locals to keep their distance from him. They knew he was there even though they hadnʼt seen him before or even heard him walking around in their streets, and in spite of that, their sharpened senses due to their blindness made sure that they could feel him at all times without losing ʼsightʼ of him.

Monty was no stranger to their senses either, as they climbed up and down his body as if an invisible pair of hands was sizing him up at all times.

ʼBlind, each and every one of them…How?ʼ The eye–plucked sockets in their heads were covered with a blindfold, and yet the constant drainage of blood gave away the disability that they were hiding. ʼI can still feel their mana, though. All of them might be mages from the constant pressure around me.ʼ

Clicking his tongue, Monty continued with his rouse. He wandered and begged, all the while making his way closer to what appeared to be the rulerʼs domicile. But as he walked through the streets of the city, he couldnʼt help but admire the rustic wood houses closely packed together in a long line. Unlike the interconnected streets of Athenia or the spiralling path of Elenaris, this city had rows of houses that followed an incredibly precise symmetrical pattern.

As for its end, it held but one larger house–or rather, a small mansion. Nothing too exorbitant, a mossy and vine-brambled mansion for royalty. Monty tried to approach the place, but noticing about a hundred guards guarding the outside of the mansion, he decided to move the task for later and instead get himself something to eat and figure out what kind of city this was.

Having gathered more than enough money to buy himself a meal, he limped past the middle line of houses and moved to what appeared to be specialized places. Shops, inns, and clerics lined this section, and from the look of things, the further one ventures right, the more specific the establishments would get.

ʼLeft is a residential area and right is shops and services.ʼ Making a note of the matter, he headed for a rundown looking in. The floor creaked as he walked, and the patrons inside seemed poor, just as his own appearance suggested. Figuring that he would fit right in, he took a chair at an empty table and finally allowed his aching back to rest.

ʼFinally, pretending to have a hunched back might just give me one one day.ʼ With a sigh, he turned to the dusty counter. But he didnʼt have to call out to anyone as a blind human maid was already making her way to him. For a moment, the flow of her amber hair and the glow of her skin almost blinded Monty. Mesmerized by her empyrean charm, the spy had to remind himself why he was there. ʼFocus–Focus, Monty–youʼre not here to be distracted.ʼ

Shaking his head, he waited for the maid to get closer. The hint of rose quickly tried to ensnare Monty once again; however, keeping himself bound to his duty, he lifted a finger and told her to bring him their cheapest meal. The girl nodded before disappearing into the background, but not before the young spyʼs eyes noticed her hips and the creases of her buttocks that hung out from her short skirt, gyrating like a hypnotistʼs watch.

At an age where he shouldʼve already picked a lover, Montyʼs mind was drifting elsewhere these days, but the thought of supporting his sister, Lincy, pulled him right back.

ʼMaybe some day, but not when Iʼm on a mission.ʼ And with that thought, he acted right, ate, and then left the inn. Wandering about all day had tired him, but to sleep in an inn as a beggar was bound to raise suspicion. Thus, taking to a corner of the street, he sat down with only half his eyes closed. Keeping an eye on everyone passing by, the spy tried to get some sleep without letting his guard down completely.

ʼI should report back to Athenia soon. This city seems harmless, but the people serve Asmareth. Not sure what kind of god would let his faithful go blind, but it shouldnʼt be too hard to persuade them away from him.ʼ

At the break of his first wink, Monty decided to change location due to the weight of the localʼs presence on him. Wandering about for a while, he eventually found a closed alley where nobody could sense him. But right as his eyes began to flutter from drowsiness, he noticed a pair of guards heading in his direction from the other end.

If it werenʼt for the fact that he hadnʼt slept in three days, perhaps he wouldʼve found some way to escape, but the drowsiness in his bones turned him limp, and the next thing he knew, he was inside that brambled mansion.

Lying on top of a soft bed with the birds chirping in the background, he simply stared at the ceiling and asked himself.

”How long was I asleep?” Getting up, he quickly looked around the lavish room. Maroon wallpaper stretched across the walls, and the bed was confined within translucent drapes with a vanity table on the opposite side. But as none of it told him much, he looked to the window and charged right at it.

To his surprise, he was still in the city, and instead of night, it was daytime. But how much time has passed? A few hours? A day? Maybe even a week? He had no idea, and despite that, he quickly found his clothes resting on the vanity table before heading out of the room to escape the place. However, right as he rushed past the hall, he was left stunned by the deceptive size of the mansion. What seemed to be a humble building from the outside was as big as a coliseum from the inside. And in the main hall where he currently was, the master of the house sat waiting for Monty to arrive.

”You must be the spy,” whispered the crescent-mask giantess.

”He must be.” Added her husband, masked the same way and a giant as well.

Frozen in fear, Monty couldnʼt move an inch. The colossal creatures were twenty times his size, if not more, but as he would soon learn, he had nothing to fear, so long as he didnʼt try to storm against the hospitality of the giants. An aid, perhaps? Or was it all deception on the giantʼs part? It would only take a few hours for Monty and even Raven to find out…