Chapter 52: First drink
Unfortunately for the D'argent gang, all their efforts ended up in vain, as their target has been comfortably sleeping in his inn room while they wasted many resources looking for him. While they did kill a few unaffiliated criminals who'd been operating in their territory, it was nowhere near enough to make all their effort worthwhile.
The most upset by the whole thing was Charlie however, as he was the one who had to report back to Marcel on their progress...
Unaware that all of this was happening around him, Michael wakes up fresh and early and immediately gets to work on preparing his ambush on the Viscountess. Loutiel had provided a rather detailed account of Anais plans for tomorrow, Michael had wanted to question how he knew about it but the man always dodged his questions, refusing to answer.
Still, regardless of how he got it, Michael now had a comprehensive list of the locations Anais would pass or visit before reaching her final destination. This was key in setting up the ambush on her, as he didn't think he'd be able to fight her and whatever guards she brought in a direct confrontation... She was a mage after all, and the only one he'd actually fought thus far had been Guiche, which didn't really count to be honest.
He glances at the list he'd written out before looking back up at the large building before him. This was 'No-Ratsatouille', a famous ocean-side restaurant which only served the highest echelon. The whole place was apparently enchanted to prevent the smell of sewage and salt from getting in, all while providing a beautiful direct view of the ocean.
It had large decorative stone walls with nice-looking windows that'd obviously been heavily enchanted to provide further protection. It was three stories tall, and had a bar on the rooftop where people could mingle if they wished... This, is where Michael was hoping to strike.
The other locations were good, but they all had a variety of problems in his opinion... Being restricted by their location either because the space was too enclosed or because it was too nearby to the guard barracks, or even too nearby the known Baleine hideouts that Loutiel had thankfully pointed out.
Not to mention he'd already checked them, and found that none had as good of a position as this restaurant did. The open rooftop would allow him to easily snipe the Viscountess from afar and give him enough time to escape.
The only real problem now was finding out a way to get up there without causing alarm... He doubted the restaurant owners would allow him to be there. So he'd need to scale the outside of the building and hide somewhere not visible to the people attending the rooftop bar.
Thankfully, the restaurant's peculiar design, as well as the other nearby buildings made it relatively easy to climb, especially with his rune-enhanced stats.
...
Michael crosses his arms in thought, "Hmm. I doubt I even have enough gold to gain access to the rooftop. So unless I want to risk alerting people, I'll just have to do it on the fly tomorrow. I can always try again if I fail, and if she's too difficult to deal with, I can just flee the city to avoid Loutiel... If that's even necessary..."
He nods to himself, affirming his decision and walking away. "Now... What should I do for the rest of the day? And should I go out again tonight?..." he mutters while glancing around with bored eyes that eventually land on a nearby tavern.
The place was already pretty busy despite it only being around noon. He chuckles to himself, "Well, without technology to help from being bored, of course people would start day drinking..."
To be honest, he was interested in the atmosphere, plus trying proper alcohol for the first time. He didn't want to get drunk, only see what the big deal was about... People made it look like the drink of the gods, so he couldn't hold back his curiosity. Plus, he was interested in hearing people's opinions on the things happening in the continent.
Michael enters the tavern and easily finds an empty table after having the bartender give him the cheapest drink. The table was tucked away at the side of the room, giving him a good view of the place as he tries sipping on his dr-*Cough!*
"*Cough, Cough, Cough!*-Sh-iet... What is this crap?" Michael mutters after catching his breath as he glares down at the flagon filled with murky gold liquid.
A few people nearby notice his situation and laugh at his expense, finding the image of a gloomy-looking teenager choking on some light ale incredibly amusing.
"Oi boi, try keep it down next time! It's rude not to finish a drink you ordered!" a nearby man jokes while laughing with his friends, causing an angry blush to slowly creep across Michael's face.
He scowls down at the drink, "I will conquer you, foul drink." he mentally curses while slowly taking another sip, again barely managing to keep his breakfast down.
Soon enough, the mood of the people watching him turn from amusement, to confusion, to worry, to apathy, as Michael struggles to force down the drink.
*Clunk*
He drops the empty flagon on the table with a victorious expression on his face, a fuzzy feeling in his head, and a burning sensation in his belly. Fortunately, no one was paying him enough attention to notice this amusing sight, allowing him to push the flagon away and listen in on nearby conversations.
Most of what people were talking about were just regular boring gossip, but there were a few interesting topics. Rumours of a hero called 'Batuman' supposedly prowling around at night, which was obviously just Michael's alias.
News had arrived from the capital about Princess Henrietta adopting a 'magicless' noble as her attendant. By her description, Michael instantly recognised her as Louise, which meant she wasn't completely screwed without him.
There was also Fouquet breaking into the academy. She hadn't managed to steal anything but she'd caused a lot of damage nonetheless.
Last but not least was General Gramont supposedly arguing with Princess Henrietta, Duke Valliere, and Cardinal Mazarin. This was probably Michael's fault for causing so much trouble, but there wasn't anything he could do about it now... Aside from assisting Louise indirectly by helping deal with Albion.
Michael had spent around three hours listening to people, so he decided it was time to leave and prepare for another hunt tonight. Thing's should've cooled down now with him absent yesterday, so tonight should be easy pickings.
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