Volume 9 Chapter 3 Watching The Levy Merchant Guild
While Al waited for Barbara's signal, he raised the height of the 'Floating Eye' spell to about 30m (� 98.4ft). This height allowed him to see the lord's mansion and the bell tower of the sun god Pyros's church from a distance. Since the eye was within the Levy Merchant Guild's property, there should be no issues. However, if it crossed into another shop's area, it could trigger magic detection and alert the guards, especially since a nearby shop sells spellbooks and is linked to the magician guild.
This was Al's first time using the 'Floating Eye' spell to view the city, and the scenery was impressive. The border city of Lester is built on a hill, and the Levy Merchant Guild is located on a slightly elevated street. To the south, he could see the Holden River and the distant Grover River. To the west, the Sipree Mountains were visible, while to the north, there was a river with a ferry. To the east, the sea sparkled brightly. The view was a bit hazy, but using the 'Sensory Boost' spell could make it clearer.
"It's about time everyone has taken their positions. Try to deactivate it. And if you manage to deactivate it successfully, please signal me."
Al heard Barbara whispering next to him, so he lowered the position of the eye created by the 'Floating Eye' spell and directed his view downward. There was nothing particularly unusual around. The eye from the 'Floating Eye' spell, which Al could see, hadn't changed its position from earlier.
'Dispel Magic.'
With Al's spell, the eye from the 'Floating Eye' spell popped and disappeared easily.
"It's gone."
After informing Barbara, Al focused on the view from his 'Floating Eye.' He couldn't see the expressions of the two people he mentioned, but they seemed unchanged, suggesting they were likely not magicians. While pondering this, he saw a black carriage parked on the northern main street of the Levy merchant guild. It suddenly moved aggressively, nearly hitting a passerby.
"There's a carriage moving strangely. The black carriage that was stopped about 50m (�164ft) north on the main street... My eye will follow it."
"Please do."
Al's eye began to follow the carriage. The carriage seemed to be for four people. The driver wore a robe, making it hard to tell their gender. The carriage moved north on the main street and then turned west at the ring road intersection, heading towards a residential area. It didn't speed up, blending in with other carriages and pedestrians, suggesting there was no one following it.
After a while, the carriage entered a busy area with medium-sized shops, leaving the residential street behind. It then turned east where the main ring road crossed West Avenue. Al thought that if this was the destination, it would have been quicker to go south on West Avenue instead of north on North Avenue. This indicated they might be intentionally avoiding the Levy merchant guild and taking a longer route, making the carriage seem suspicious.
The carriage stopped at a large building on West Avenue called "Golden Dragon Inn." It looked like an inn. Al lowered the 'Floating Eye' carefully to avoid entering other shops' areas, as the distance was long and could cause him a headache. First, a big man in leather armor got off, followed by a short man in a black hooded robe. A man and a woman in leather armor also exited. The armored pair appeared strong and were alert to their surroundings.
"This place seems off. How about over there?"
Barbara whispered to Al. Al reported that four people had exited a suspicious carriage at the Golden Dragon Inn. One of them wore a hood that covered their face. Al used his 'Floating Eye' to get a better look at the hooded man. Suddenly, the hooded man stopped and seemed to notice the eye. Al quickly moved the eye to confirm the face. He saw a glimpse of it, but then the hooded man cast a spell, and the view from the 'Floating Eye' went dark.
"I got found out; 'Dispel Magic' was used. I only saw a glimpse, but I think it's an older man with gray hair and many wrinkles."
"If he used 'Dispel Magic,' then he's probably the culprit. Good job. It's definitely the Golden Dragon Inn. Al, can you head over there? Reginald, go with Al to the Golden Dragon Inn. You should have some influence there. In case of an emergency, prioritize Al's instructions. And make sure not to let Al get hurt."
The well-built man who was with Barbara nodded seriously. He looked to be in his late twenties. He was a handsome guy with neatly styled brown hair. This seemed to be Reginald. Al recognized his face. He was the man who had been next to Naresh when he was hit by a spell from the leader of the Blood-Soaked Bandits.
"I'm sorry. I want to go, but more than half of my guards are following Sir Naresh, so I'm a bit short-handed here. I can't reduce security, so I can't leave this place. I want to find out who it is, but don't push yourself too hard."
"It's okay. Reginald, let's go."
Al said that and started running toward the (Golden Dragon) inn.
* * *
Al and Reginald arrived at the Golden Dragon inn. Al noticed that the carriage he had seen earlier was not outside, so they went inside. The inn was luxurious, making Al feel a bit uncomfortable. Inside, there was a reception area with two men and two women.
"Welcome. Hello, Sir Reginald."
When the man and woman noticed Reginald, they bowed politely. It seemed they were familiar with him, just as Barbara had said. As Al and Reginald approached the reception, they described the features of some men and asked if any guests matched that description. The reception man hesitated at first, but when Reginald insisted it was important for the Levy merchant guild, the man finally agreed to help.
"A merchant came from the royal capital, calling himself Sir Snowden. He paid well and had 4 guards with him, so we thought he might be someone of high status rather than just a merchant. However, we did collect the proper lodging fees, and we didn't inquire further. It seems he stopped his carriage in front a little while ago, but he quickly returned to the carriage and left."
Al and Reginald exchanged glances. They had escaped quickly, just ten minutes after being seen. It was clear they were cautious. The name "Snowden" was likely fake. They asked the receptionists about his whereabouts, but they didn't know. Al and the team asked more questions and discovered that Snowden and his group had arrived at the inn three days ago without a reservation, paying for a week in advance. They also found out that the carriage they used belonged to them, and the youngest bodyguard was the driver.
"Was this their first time here?"
While Reginald asked politely, Al peeked over the reception counter. There was a ledger that seemed to be open when the receptionist answered the question. I should check which room Snowden rented.
"Yes, they said it was their first time here. They seemed really interested in the city's layout, attractions, and local products."
Since they were out, Al wanted to see their room, but they weren't criminals, so it wouldn't be easy to bribe someone to let them in. The two decided to head back to the Levy Merchant Guild to report what they found out to Barbara.
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