Arcadia's Ignoble Knight: Dark Elf Arc

Chapter 47

The next morning, everyone woke up and Elincia reapplied the illusions on herself, Caspian, Derek, Erica, and Sylvia before they traveled downstairs to get some breakfast. Of course, the inn they were staying at was a cheap tavern and didn't serve breakfast. They traveled into the bazaar.

As a permanently enclosed marketplace where goods and services were exchanged or sold, the bazaar looked like a large plaza surrounded on all sides by buildings. The only way to enter was through several hallways, side passages, and staircases that led into the buildings, which was where the more affluent merchants and guilds worked.

Unlike the shopping district that Erica had taken him to so long ago, this place didn't cater only to fashionable clothing for women. As their group entered the bazaar via a large archway with a vaulted ceiling, a massive space opened before them, people traveled to and fro despite the early hour, and numerous stalls hawked their wares.

Aside from clothing, jewelry, magitech, and various other items, there were also venders who sold food. While walking around, Caspian wiggled his nose as a number of different scents penetrated his olfactory senses. There were so many that they all mixed together and created a pungent odor. He could only be happy that an elves sense of smell was not as good as their eyesight or hearing.

"Caspian, what are those?" Elincia grabbed onto his arm, tugged, and then gestured toward a stall selling what looked like fried meat and vegetables on a stick.

"Are you talking about the kebabs?" asked Caspian. "Do you want to try them?"

"Yes, please."

Caspian went up to the vender and waited for him to finish dealing with his previous customer before heading up himself.

"How much are the kebabs?"

"One kebab for 10 drachma. Two for 15," the vendor said with a hearty laugh.

Caspian nodded as he reached into a pouch at his hip and pulled out his money purse. "I'll take ten."

Drachma exchanged hands and Caspian came back with ten kebabs on a plate. He handed them off everyone. While each of the women only had one kebab, he, Derek, and Christo ate two as they walked toward a less crowded section of the bazaar.

"I believe we need to come up with plan to infiltrate Earl Gorossalaine's estate," Caspian said as they stood huddled in a corner. He kept a wary eye out for any people who might be potentially listening in, straining both his eyes and ears.

"I feel like we have become criminals," Sylvia muttered with a bitter grimace.

Erica rolled her eyes. "As expected of you Sylvia. So caught up on taking the moral high ground that you never manage to accomplish what you set out to do."

"Let's please not fight right now," Elincia said in a voice that seemed soft and meek but was underlined with steel. "We really can't afford it."

"My apologies," Erica muttered blithely, shocking everyone. "Oh, don't give me those looks. I know I'm in the wrong here. I am just... worried."

"About Collafloore and Tiffania." Caspian nodded in her direction. "If they are inside that mansion, Elincia and I will find them."

"The way you say that makes it sound as if you two are going alone." Cassidy furrowed her brows as she looked between the two of them. "You aren't going alone, right?"

"We don't have much choice," Elincia said with a gentle but resigned smile. "While I can ask Loki to cast an invisibility spell on everyone, we can't all afford to go inside. We'll need people on the outside who can rescue us should things go south. Also, among the seven of us, Caspian and I are the most suited toward this task."