---

It was the dead of night. A starless pitch-black curtain covered the vast sky—a sharp contrast with the mellow orange twilight I'd witnessed back at Yarzon city.

My eyes had completely adjusted to the darkness.

Beyond the rocky promontory I stood atop was an ocean of clouds—white and fluffy like the wings of an angel. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen.

Beneath this heavenly sea was supposedly a bottomless void—an abyss from which you could never return.

It would undoubtedly spell death if I were to fall in. Realizing that, I slowly shuffled backward, bumping into Rysef.

「Don't fall in kiddo! Even I couldn't pull you out of the Great Nimbus Sea, haha!」

「G-good to know...」

I just had to take his word for it. Apparently, the sight of an infinite stretch of nothingness was normal in his eyes.

Along with the prospect of floating islands, the common sense in this world was something I had yet to fully understand.

「Still... the fact that you slum dwellers live here...」

An endless cliff formed behind me, stretching to the ends of the massive chunk of land we stood atop—they marked the borders of the hovering continent.

Countless wooden shacks dotted the grassy cliffs, each housing any number of slum dwellers. Most of the households were already asleep—only a couple of windows remained illuminated.

It formed a makeshift village that served as a refuge for the impoverished denizens who were otherwise homeless.

All were under the Lakua District's control.

「A good community eh? We're the only slum dweller district in Yarzon to ever settle into a spot outside the city! Be glad you found us and not those other district losers, haha!」

It was hard to believe this entire country was completely suspended mid-air. But again, that was common sense in this world.

I chose not to question the physics or inner machinations behind the levitating landmasses—or rather, waited until a suitable explanation presented itself.

It was good to conserve my brainpower anyways.

「Don't you fall victim to bandit raids and the sort? Especially in such a conspicuous spot...」

The Lakua District Village—as I called it—may have been enclosed by a thick coniferous forest, but it still lit up like a disco ball in a dance club.

Never mind the houses—pole-mounted torches lined the dirt paths paved between the wooden shacks and the smoke it produced could be seen from miles away.

Hearing my inquiry, however, Rysef laughed heartily. With his gruff voice, he wheezed and broke into a dry cough.

「Ahaha! A silly question my apprentice! If bandits were to raid this hovel, what would they gain? Run-down shacks and mouths to feed?」

「O-oh right... I suppose there is nothing to gain here...」

「Anyhow, we Sentinels are here to guide the slum dwellers—whether it be through providing food or protecting them.」

Another new term caught my ear.

「You keep going on about things like slum dweller factions and Sentinels but... I still don't get the full picture...」

I turned around and faced Rysef, who still bore his signature grin.

「Don't you think it's about time you let me in on it all?」

「Haha! I was getting bored of this meaningless small talk anyways!」

The Ashen Thief's smile once again faded into a serious glare. He sat down on the ground and began stroking his chin.

The transition was so sudden, it was as though he transformed into an entirely different person.

I was eager to finally learn about the slum dwellers and their place in this world.

「For starters, I know what you were thinking back in the sewers. You were thinking of abandoning Mel right?」

「H-huh..?」

My heart stopped.

How did he know? Was it indeed magic?

「And to answer your question: no, it wasn't magic.」

I couldn't bring myself to say anything. Fear clouded my judgment, just as it did then.

「Don't worry. I'm not angry. I actually thought you were going to run away at first. But then, you somehow figured the best course of action was to rush in to save Mel not through emotion, but rather through logical deduction. Not many children could do that under high pressure.」

「C-can you read my mind right now..?」

「Haha! Your breathing's so erratic I can't tell!」

Breathing..? Is that how..?

A chill ran down my spine.

Initially, I had believed magic posed the greatest threat to my pursuit of fortune. But as it turned out, other irregularities existed besides the arcane arts.

I should have realized it sooner as a fantasy MMORPG player.

I was so blown away by the appearance of magic I failed to recognize the presence of another important facet.

Stealth skills.

And by extension, combat skills too.

「Hm? Looks like you figured it out straight away.」

「How can you read minds through sensing people's breathings?」

Rysef took a deep breath and slowly let it out. The way he exhaled was controlled and purely based on technique. I was strangely unable to hear the air exiting his lungs.

「W-woah... How'd you do that..?」

「Given your discerning eye, I take it you've noticed Mel's delicate movements during your daring rooftop escapade?」

「You thieves are a real quiet bunch.」

「We're thieves, but we're also Sentinels kiddo. And the reason for our cautious movements is to avoid two things: getting read and getting caught.」

「So I shouldn't breathe normally?」

「You shouldn't breathe carelessly.」

I sighed and joined the Ashen Thief on the floor.

My bottom was firmly planted on the wet ground and my hands entangled themselves in between the tall blades of grass. It was nice and cool to the touch.

The nighttime breeze was brisk and calming. I had never taken in air as fresh as this.

One look at me and Rysef popped a smirk.

「Relaxing already?」

「I might as well get comfy if you're gonna drone on for a while.」

「Hehe... I like your attitude boy. You'll fit right in with us.」

「So... you were talking about how breathing can be interpreted as thoughts?」

The man returned to his solemn look of seriousness.

「Humans are honest creatures. As social animals, our bodies were designed to alert others to our every condition. We cry when we're distressed, we tremble when we're afraid, we blush when we're embarrassed...」

I nodded, maintaining a composed façade while listening intently for important tidbits.

「But this tendency to unconsciously express ourselves goes much further than purely emotions. It can be found closer to our core. It can be observed in our most idle of actions.」

「Breathing huh?」

「Exactly. Breathing is a behavior exhibited by all aerobic creatures. All animals respire, but where we humans differ lies in our brains, kiddo.」

Rysef pointed to his head and tapped twice. I was quite surprised by how knowledgeable the Ashen Thief was. At first glance, he was some carefree dunce.

But looks can be deceiving, as it so happens...

「We evolved more complex minds, which allowed us to scheme and theorize. When we breathe in, the oxygen we get directly fuels our brains. As such, different ways of thinking require different amounts of oxygen. Our breathing patterns change with our thoughts. Though useful for our primordial ancestors, in today's society filled with lies and deceit such a trait is a liability; a detrimental weakness.」

The seeds of doubt began to blossom in my mind. Unless the way we breathed had changed in this world, his explanation sounded very unscientific.

I—for one—hadn't felt anything different about my respiration.

「Where's your proof for that?」

「Proof? Haha! You sound like one of those eggheads from the Scholar's Guild!」

Scholar's Guild?

Through pursuing answers, I made a brand new discovery: guilds. In a realm of magic and fantasy, I knew I would come across guilds at some point.

I continued conversing with the Ashen Thief, interested to learn more.

「I can't explain it through words, so I'll use your sewer trip as an example...」

「Sewer trip? That's one way to describe it alright...」

「When you first heard Mel screaming, your breathing stopped abruptly before speeding up. What does that tell you?」

「Shock then fear?」

「That's right! Now—when you were thinking about escaping, what do you think your breathing was like?」

Hm?

I was stumped. How was I supposed to know that?

「Panicky? No, was it slow and heavy? Since I was preparing to run away?」

「You're not paying attention to the bigger picture, kiddo!」

「Bigger picture?」

Arduously searching my mind, I failed to come up with anything substantial.

「Haha! You lack imagination, boy!」

「So? What's the answer?」

「It's pretty simple. You were breathing away from where Mel was, which meant you were facing away from her.」

「You can tell which direction someone is facing just through their breathing?!」

「Who do you think you're talking to?! More accurately, you were breathing windward. Air from the gutters came from opposite Mel's position.」

「You're kidding me...」

I was rendered speechless—without magic, Rysef managed to demonstrate a fraction of his capabilities. Of course, I wanted to learn his ways.

「Oh yeah, Rysef—」

「It's master to you, my apprentice.」

Just like Melyn, Rysef was pedantic over the way I addressed him.

Like master, like apprentice I guess...

「Back at your place, you said you'd talk to me about my training.」

「Ooh! That's right! Almost forgot about that, haha!」

I couldn't tell if he was joking or telling the truth.

Rysef was that sort of an enigma to me. Reading him was virtually impossible and his poker face was the duality between his jovial side and his serious side.

The Ashen Thief was way smarter than he appeared to be.

「Your training, well... I'll tell you all about it once day breaks. For today, just get some rest.」

「Huh?! Aren't you gonna at least tell me what I'll be learning about tomorrow? I'd like to learn about your breathing mind-reading technique if possible!」

「HAAAH?! Don't get ahead of yourself, boy! I said nothing of the sort! I just thought it'd be important to tell you to get a good night's sleep! Quit making up expectations you brat!」

Fuming with rage, I stood up and berated Rysef over his lack of clarity. He responded the same.

「WHAT?! DON'T SCREW WITH ME OLD MAN, I'LL TEAR THAT DEAD KOALA HAIRDO OFF YOUR HEAD!!!」

「I AIN'T OLD YA STINKIN' BRAT!!! I'M STILL WELL INTO ME FORTIES!!! ALSO, TH'HELL IS A KOALA YA PRECOCIOUS LIL' SHIT HAH?! QUIT MAKIN' THINGS UP!!!」

It just had to devolve into yelling again huh..? Sounds like he reverted back to his dialect...

At the peak of our fiery exchange, a familiar voice called out to and interrupted us.

「Can you guys stop yelling? You're going to wake up the children.」

Rysef and I swiveled around to see a crimson-eyed girl carrying a lantern and bearing a stern pout. Her silky green hair was slightly wet from the bath she took.

「Mel!」

「Melyn!」

We both blurted out her name in unison.

The young girl was wearing a pale blue nightgown and a pair of matching slippers. She reminded me more of a sheltered princess than a seasoned thief.

「What's with the fancy-looking getup?」

「Oh, these? Rysef said he found these from some abandoned noble's house. It was his birthday gift for me last year.」

I slowly turned to the Ashen Thief who had averted his visage away from me. I barely noticed his face blush a bright red.

What a doting master! Wait, why is she allowed to call him Rysef and not me?!

「Hey, silverback gorilla, when am I getting a sweet set of pajamas?」

「H-huh?! Ya haven't done jack for me, kiddo! An' why should I bother?! Also, quit callin' me weird names!!!」

Melyn stared at Rysef and tilted her head.

「Hm? Rysef, didn't you say you wouldn't speak in your slum dweller dialect when talking to Zozo? It was something about establishing dominance right?」

「Mel, quit revealin' secret district info!」

The Ashen Thief was suddenly sweating bullets. My impression of the District Master slowly deteriorated.

「Don't be too intimidated by him Zozo. Deep down he's a real nice guy.」

「I-if you say so...」

I took a closer look at Melyn's outfit and realized something was different about her. It was something minor, but also somewhat major...

「U-uh, what are you looking at Zozo? Do I have something on me?」

Then, I got it.

「That leather armor you were wearing before... did you perhaps pad the chest area?」

The thief girl's blood-red eyes immediately glazed over.

「I guess in other words what I'm trying to say is... in those clothes...」

She quietly snuck up in front of me as I collected my thoughts into a single sentence. It was instantaneous, not unlike Rysef's teleporting move back at his place.

「It's on the tip of my tongue...」

And then... regret.

「You're pretty flat-chested huh?」

Crunch!

Within the same second of saying those words, a sharp pain zipped through my body. Its origins were localized in a single spot.

「NOT AGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIN!!!」

---