Grey checked inside his robe after feeling something.
But his coin pouch was already gone.
He instantly started looking around, but there were only a few people looking at him and the child since there was a collision.
And they weren't close enough to steal something.
How?
He didn't know how they already knew he had money. But he also wondered how they pulled this off.
When he looked back, the kid was still on the ground, holding his head. Grey immediately snatched the kid's wrist.
Even though he thought he could earn the money again if it were to be stolen, after he lost it, he regretted the thought. He didn't want to work extra to pay for the school.
More than that, this money was not his but Talas's. He hadn't spent a single cent and instead raised Grey with his own money.
"Where is the money!" he shouted in the boy's face.
To his surprise, though, the kid gave a scared response and started crying.
This little sh*t! Does he think playing to the audience will work with me?
Of course, the first thing that came to mind was that the kid was trying to gain others' sympathy.
But something was weird. Even though a bigger crowd was gathered in spite of the late hour, the kid didn't even raise his head, and he seemed like he was really crying.
"Tony!" A sound came from behind the small crowd. "Tony! You are here!" A middle-aged woman entered the crowd and saw Grey holding the kid's wrist.
"Sir! Aren't you ashamed of attacking a little boy?" The woman ran to the kid's help, only to be met with Grey's angry eyes.
Is he also with the thieves? This is too grand for a mere pickpocketing.
The thieves shouldn't even know if there was much money in the pouch, so this act seemed too much to Grey.
And he was right.
"The kid has nothing to do with this." Another man divided the crowd. His long, white beard and hair showcased his old age.
He was wearing a simple brown vest over a green shirt and baggy trousers, not reflecting any of those "wise old man" characteristics his beard and hair brought.
Grey looked at the man and questioned what he was saying.
"I am sorry for what happened," he said with downcast eyes. "But this kid is not part of their plans. You were just unlucky."
Grey, understanding what the old man meant, let go of the kid. The woman instantly snatched the kid and retreated away from Grey.
Grey, of course, didn't believe anything a random old man said, but it would be weird if they used so many actors for a simple pickpocket.
And the old man seemed like he had an explanation.
"Young man, thank you for letting the kid go. I am Roget, the chief of Mila."
Only after he said it did Grey look around. The people around didn't give much reaction, meaning what he said was correct.
The old man continued, "Would you mind coming with me for an explanation? I don't think talking here will be appropriate."
Grey looked at the kid once again, who flinched together with the middle-aged woman beside him.
Sigh... I am still dumb.
He walked toward the boy and said, "I am sorry I scared you." And then, turned around and nodded to the chief.
He also needed to talk to the chief.
---
They arrived at the center of the village after Grey followed Roget, the chief, for a few minutes.
He had the chance to see the monument from the bottom to the top since he was near it now.
The pillar-like monument wasn't fully round. It was more like it had countless edges, so many that it looked round when looked at from far away.
Is this a chimney?
Since its size was the same from its base to its highest point, Grey thought it looked like a chimney of something underground.
Seeing Grey's questioning eyes, Roget said, "It is rumored to be one of the oldest structures on the world's surface."
"Don't you know if it is true or not?"
"No way! I am not that old. Even my predecessors didn't know. Some say it dates back thousands of years."
Grey didn't respond. This was one of the things he wanted to roam the world after he was done with his first quest, the academy. So, he noted it down. He could check this place later.
Roget's house was close to the center. Since he was the chief, he was supposed to respond to anything throughout the village.
Grey had already realized that there were three paths forking out from the center. One headed toward where he came from, the village's entrance, and the shopping area.
Another one was probably heading toward the living area since he saw some other houses that way.
He also saw a bigger structure, which was probably the inn Viola had mentioned first. It was obviously big enough to host up to fifty people at the same time, which was a lot for a small village like this one.
But no matter how much he thought, he couldn't think of anything that could be at the end of the third path.
The first two paths already had their related buildings closer to the center, making it easy to know which one was which. But not even one person was going toward the last path.
He could check that later, though, since he entered Roget's house after him.
Inside was as simple as Roget's clothes. Just a simple table and four chairs around it in the living room, he was invited.
This house was just a bit bigger than his house, or Talas's house.
"Have you come for the festival?" Roget asked first, probably to ease the mood.
"No, I came from the village in the southwest. I am going to the capital," Grey answered. Then, he realized he had never given his man. He was angry at the thieves, but he didn't need to reflect his anger on this innocent old man. "I am Grey."
"What? Wait a second. Are you Talas's son?"
The question shook Grey. Talas had never told Grey to call him father or anything. He didn't know if he was even counted as a son.
He was just someone who was kicked out by his own father. So, even though Talas had raised him, Grey didn't know if he did that to be a father to Grey.
Still, this was his own problem, not the old man's. So, he answered, "Yes, I am."
"Ah, you have become a grown-up. I saw you once when I visited your village 7-8 years ago. You probably won't remember me."
He didn't really remember him. But it was for a different reason that Roget had thought. Grey didn't lose his childhood memory since he wasn't a child back then.
So, he just didn't remember Roget, probably because he didn't need to remember. But Grey didn't want to talk about that now.
"I was pickpocketed. Do you know who did it?"
"If I did, I would have already apprehended them. Unfortunately, I don't know."
"Then, how do you know it wasn't the child?"
"Because this is not the first time. I know what you are thinking. You are thinking that the child distracted you while someone else stole your money."
"Isn't it what happened?"
"No. You were pickpocketed because the kid collided with you. The pickpockets here don't work like normal thieves, following the rich. Instead, they roam everywhere and steal from those who are already distracted. This is the Art of Stealing."