After leaving the cafe, I walked around town trying to figure out what to do. If I wanted to really be rid of my family, I could only see three options. I didn't like that.

The first was moving again. It'd be easy enough to buy a real ticket to Praor Swa, use some of my remaining funds for a proper magic-aided disguise, then embark across the ocean to one of the other continents. The issue with that was I'd be leaving Danio to fend for himself, though perhaps Rajal would look after him still. The other issue was that I didn't want to run away. Run away from the Viscoti name. Run away from Father. That'd be admitting defeat. The final issue was that I needed to be in Brugge to kill King Enosh XXI. This would have to be a last-case scenario because I'd also need to find another way to learn magic then, too.

The second was to kill Lando. Then Boyet since he'd surely follow if Lando didn't return. Not sure if Father would come himself after that; he could just send a small army as he has in the past to kidnap me in the middle of the night. I could also return with Lando and kill them much as I had in my second life, but it would be a waste of time. I'd also hope King Naedove didn't send a small army after me for killing his favorite duke, and I didn't have enough political power here to resist that. If anything, this would just drag out our entanglement.

The third option was to fake my own death. I wasn't sure how I'd pull that off, but that was why I was walking aimlessly around Brugge even though I was still so fucking sore from fighting that demon. Why hadn't Di'at mentioned the repercussions of [Synchronize]? That asshole probably hadn't on purpose just to watch me suffer.

In the slums, I checked in on my cache. Everything all how it should be. I needed to meet with the Triam Drana soon. They had a meeting set up with Rashania and Co that had slipped my mind. Thankfully it was next weekend. I welcomed a chance to get to know more about the group Rajal had called the Rashirat when he knew full well just how awful they were. Maybe I should ask him about that.

I headed back to the red light district and to my apartment. I found the place empty but a note scribbled on a piece of paper in the worst penmanship I'd seen in a while: Buying books - R. Not sure why Rajal left a note but at least I didn't have to worry he'd taken the kid and ran off. Kidnapped orphans probably sold well enough on the black market.

Using magic to cool a beer, I watched the street from my balcony. Such a mix of people, skin colors and hair colors, types of clothes. Some had staffs. Some swords as big as me strapped to their back. Most people didn't have weapons but baskets full of the day's shopping. Fresh fruits and vegetables. Loaves of bread. Or they were holding the hands of a kid or a lover. Carrying a baby. Arm around a naked shoulder heading toward a brothel here or there.

If I hadn't gone to meet Lando, would he have been able to find me? He would've had to go to the academy, and even then, I had ways I could avoid him still. Maybe ridding myself of them immediately wasn't in my best interest. If Father was that desperate for me, didn't that mean I had the upper hand in some ways?

If I really did owe a large sum of money to the Triam Drana, would they let someone like me pay it off so easily? The son of a duke? It didn't matter if I was the forgotten third son, especially with the way Lando pressed to pay it off so he could bring me back to the estate as soon as possible. That desperation was what groups like the Triam Drana preyed on. Why couldn't I prey on it, too?

A group like the Triam Drana would probably ransom me. I didn't want to actually be kidnapped, but if I stayed out of sight, then how would he even know if I was kidnapped or not? I'd need some help to stage it, but the potential amount of money I could swindle out of Father was worth asking for it.

Of course, I could also end up with a knife in my back. The Triam Drana weren't loyal to me. I'd keep an eye out still, and if they proved untrustworthy, then it'd be better to know now than later.

I changed clothes back into something Trygve Teigen would wear and headed to Kashana Casino. The guards seemed to recognize me because no one stopped me from heading upstairs to their boss's office. The same woman before stopped me on the second floor.

"Hello again," she said. "Been a while since we last saw each other. Are you here for trouble?"

"No," I said. "I'd like to talk to your boss all the same though."

She squinted at me, then she nodded. "Wait here. I'll let him know you're here and bring you back when he's finished his current business." She gestured to a door to our left and then opened it.

The room was an entirely red-colored lounge, lights dimmed, mirrors on every wall. There was a tufted lounge chair in the middle, oversized so that even some of the tallest of people I've seen would be able to comfortably be pleasured. Not quite the waiting room I'd imagined for Arne but it made sense all the same.

It wasn't too long before she returned and had me follow her to Arne's office. He looked ragged but stood up, rounded his desk, and offered his hand when I entered. He was more receptive, welcoming. Was that because of Danio?

"Trygve," he greeted. "Been well? Danio getting along?"

Yeah, it was Danio. Did he have a soft spot for kids? Did he have his own? Or perhaps he had his own but lost them?

"Well enough, both of us," I said as we sat opposite each other on some couches off to the side of his desk. The windows overlooked the street below. He'd seen me coming. "I heard you were pleased with the potions."

"Yes, though I haven't received more since the first trial batch. Are you here to negotiate the rest?" He sat forward, putting his elbows on his knees. He was taking me seriously this time. Perhaps too seriously.

"I'm here on different business. I want to pay you to kidnap someone for me."

The old man's eyebrows shot up. "Who are you wanting kidnapped so badly you'd come to me? Can't you do it yourself?"

"Gerard Viscoti," I said. "He's the son of a duke, and apparently he's in town and his family is desperate to have him back. He owes me some money. A lot of money, actually. I'd like to get it back with interest."

"So you want us to do your dirty work." He let rip a riotous laugh, slapping his thigh. He gestured to one of his guards over. They were different from the ones before, seemed perhaps a bit more capable but their guard was lowered. That meant he hadn't wanted to seem hostile to me.

"Like I said, I'll pay." I shrugged as the guard pulled out a little tin of cigars and offered one to Arne. "Is it too different from your normal line of work?"

"Not at all, but I don't want your money." Arne cut the tip of the cigar, then looked to me. "Want one? Might be too much for your young lungs."

That almost made me say yes. "Appreciate the offer, but I don't plan to stay long enough to enjoy it. So you won't do it? Or do you want something else from me?"

"Yes," he said simply. He gave me a toothy grin before concentrating on lighting his cigar, taking a long puff, leaning back, and letting the smoke billow from his mouth into the air between us. Smelled sweet. "A favor for a favor."

Instead of asking him what favor he wanted, I waited for him to elaborate. He enjoyed his cigar for a long minute, then finally conceded. An unreliable informant had become compromised and Arne wanted them gone as soon as possible. If Rashania and Co could trace it back to them, it'd be bad, so he'd been trying to come up with a solution. Then I showed up.

I got the man's name and address and instructions to kill him ahead of our meeting with Rashania and Co then left. It'd be difficult to kill the man during the week while I was at the academy. Garta wouldn't be as easy to slip past as Huxley had been. Though he may be uninterested in where I go, it was best that he didn't know I'd left at all. Tespana House's orientation week was supposedly centered around clearing a dungeon, and if I waited until the end of the week, I might run out of time.

My best bet was to go tonight. So back at the apartment, I had dinner with Rajal and Danio. Rajal was a surprisingly good cook. Annoyingly good, even. I waited for everyone to fall asleep then left from my bedroom window, climbing up to the roof and going from there.

The man lived in the slums. His address led me to a door to an underground living space where the floor was thick with mud and it smelled like rancid sewer. He didn't hear me come in, of course, and he didn't see me creep into his bedroom. A closet of a space with a cot that looked like it was one night from breaking.

"D-demon didn't.... didn't come..." he whispered to himself. His back faced the door, and he was curled into a fetal position. He was shivering. "Qu-quest failure... Quest... Quest... Quest... Demon d-didn't..."

I touched his arm, and he didn't even flinch.

"Didn't come... Summon... Failure. Failure. Failure."

Killing him was probably a mercy.