Chapter 63 Order

“I’m truly sorry. You’d barely arrived in town, and something like this happened.”

Ingram, sheriff of Kalanfor, apologized to Xia Nan and Alton with complete sincerity.

Joey still dangled from one of his hands.

After struggling for a while and realizing there was no chance of escape, the thief had lowered his head and gone silent.

Ingram was wearing the same armor and uniform Xia Nan had seen outside the inn earlier, but his neatly combed blond hair was now plastered down by rain.

“If you’ve suffered any loss, I’ll compensate you personally.”

There was no polite formality in his tone.

His expression was so earnest that Xia Nan had the distinct impression that if they asked for the uniform off his back, Ingram might actually hand it over.

Alton simply shook his head and glanced at the motionless Joey.

“It’s fine. He didn’t manage to steal anything.”

Then he grinned.

“Besides, I already lost all my money at the Bagful of Gold. Even if the kid had succeeded, all he’d have gotten was an empty pouch.”

Joey’s head snapped up.

He stared at Alton in disbelief.

Then his eyes slid toward Xia Nan, full of obvious regret.

He’d picked the wrong target.

Xia Nan’s face remained perfectly calm.

The seven silver and three copper coins in his pocket suddenly felt much heavier than before.

Ingram, meanwhile, seemed to misunderstand.

Apparently assuming Alton was complaining about the Bagful of Gold being a gambling hall disguised as a tavern, the sheriff’s expression turned awkward.

He forced out a stiff smile.

“About the Bagful of Gold… I don’t have many good options there. The adventurer… ah, the owner behind the place has some connections in town, and I…”

“Hahaha, that’s not what I meant.”

Alton, who had been wearing a rare serious expression since the attempted theft, finally broke into a smile.

Seeing the stern sheriff stumble over his words was apparently too amusing.

“Let’s just leave it at that.”

He waved a hand, making it clear Joey was Ingram’s problem now.

Xia Nan didn’t interfere.

The matter barely concerned him in the first place, and since Alton himself had no intention of pursuing it, there was even less reason for Xia Nan to get involved.

As far as he was concerned, it was just an unpleasant little interruption during their mission.

Ingram himself was much more interesting.

Xia Nan had only gotten a quick look at the sheriff outside the inn earlier.

Now that he had time to observe him properly…

Something stood out.

Ingram’s equipment was noticeably better than that of the other law enforcers Xia Nan had seen in Rivervale Town and Kalanfor.

His plate armor was thick, fitted, and well maintained.

The one-handed flanged mace at his waist had a distinctly personal style, nothing like the standardized equipment carried by ordinary guards.

Give him a small shield and he would look less like a town sheriff and more like a capable adventurer.

Even the garment beneath his armor was unusual, a conspicuous yellow-orange.

Then Xia Nan’s gaze caught on something.

Embroidered on the inside of Ingram’s cuff was a golden sun.

Ingram didn’t notice his stare.

He visibly relaxed after hearing Alton’s answer.

“I still owe both of you an apology,” he said earnestly. “If you run into any trouble while you’re in town, and there’s anything I can do to help, please tell me.”

The matter was already settled.

Alton hadn’t lost anything, and he wasn’t the sort to think more highly of someone just because that person happened to be a sheriff.

He gave Ingram a casual farewell, then tugged Xia Nan away.

Once the two adventurers were gone, Ingram’s face hardened.

He turned toward Joey.

“How many times have I told you? If you’re in trouble, come find me. Why are you still doing this?”

Joey, who had been silent until now, jerked his head up as though the question had struck a nerve.

“I need money!”

“You need money? Klav has been hiring for days. He’s short on workers. Why didn’t you go there?”

“He said I’m too weak to carry anything!”

“What about Old Harvey?” Ingram’s voice rose despite himself. “I took you there personally, didn’t I? What’s your excuse this time?”

“I listened to you!”

Ingram frowned. “What?”

“I did what you told me. I worked for that old bastard for two months.”

“Watch your mouth. He is still-”

“He didn’t pay me!”

Ingram stopped.

Joey’s lips curled bitterly.

His eyes had reddened, though with the rain pouring down his face, it was hard to tell what was water and what wasn’t.

“I worked for two months. He didn’t give me a single copper coin.”

The rest of Ingram’s rebuke died in his throat.

He opened his mouth.

Closed it again.

For a long moment, he said nothing.

Then he sighed.

His hand loosened from Joey’s collar, lowering the young thief back to the ground.

“I’ll talk to Harvey.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Ingram reached behind himself, pulled out a somewhat deflated money pouch, and tossed it over.

“Use this for now.”

His expression tightened.

“And don’t do this again.”

Joey caught the pouch without answering.

Then he turned and vanished into the rain without looking back.

Splash, splash.

Hurried footsteps approached through the flooded street.

Two grim-faced guards rushed toward Ingram, only slowing when they were almost on top of him.

“Officer, something else happened!”

Ingram immediately turned. “What?”

“We found a prostitute’s body in an alley on the south side of town.”

The guard swallowed.

“It’s the same as that sailor.”

Ingram’s expression sank.

He turned sharply, the mace at his waist tapping against the leather armor at his thigh.

“The left arm again?”

“No.”

The guard’s face was pale.

“This time it was the entire right leg.”

Boom!

Lightning split the sky.

The thunder that had been gathering deep within the clouds all day finally broke loose.

The rain, already heavy, became violent beneath the rolling thunder.

Within moments, Kalanfor vanished behind a gray wall of water.

Cold rain streamed down Ingram’s face.

His head lowered slightly, and the shadow beneath his prominent brow and nose hid his expression from view.

Through the roar of the storm came a single, muffled command.

“Take me there.”

…

Rumble!

Rain hammered down beneath the thunder.

Xia Nan stood beneath the eaves of a roadside building, but the wind still drove bean-sized drops sideways hard enough to sting his face.

Beside him, Alton remained delighted by the storm.

His bright eyes darted from place to place, and Xia Nan had no idea what was going through his head.

“That sheriff just now…”

They were already some distance away when Xia Nan finally gave in to his curiosity.

“I saw a sun embroidered inside his cuff. It looked familiar. Was it-”

“Amaunator.”

Alton answered before he could finish.

As though he’d known exactly what Xia Nan was going to ask, the halfling didn’t turn around.

Instead, he rose onto his toes and peered through the dense rain toward the eastern side of town.

There, above the low, gray silhouettes of countless buildings, the tip of a tall spire could just barely be seen.

It shimmered with faint golden light.

[Keeper of the Eternal Sun]

[God of Contracts and Order]

• Amaunator.