244 Mission Accomplished

"Did you call for me, Mr. Hymes?"

Luuk van der Meer was standing in the gap between the door and the wall, looking curiously inside the detective's office. In the dark, four candles had just been put out, the smoke still rising to the air.

Valentine Hymes was sitting weakly on the chair; his face had turned almost as pale as the first winter snow. The man was out of breath and the shirt he was wearing was soaked in his own sweat.

"*Panting* I need some... stamina powder, please," he requested with difficulty.

It was the first time Luuk had seen the man that exhausted. It was almost as if the detective had used all of his stamina at once.

Ever since becoming a Jeweler, Luuk had always kept spare pouches of different herb mixtures in his pocket for emergencies. Taking out something from the left pocket of his pants, he handed the pouch to the drained detective and stepped back.

*Inhale*

The yellow powder entered Valentine's nostril and down his lung, gradually recovering his stamina. It felt to him like the fresh, cool water entering his throat when he had been parched for days.

"Thanks. You saved me," the detective gave a thumbs up to Luuk.

"What did you just do anyway? I could feel the energy from outside," Luuk asked, curiously looking for clues.

The desk in front of the detective had a blue book surrounded by candles and besides those objects, there was nothing else out of the ordinary. The book itself didn't look striking, but Luuk could faintly feel some kind of sinister energy coming out of it.

"I just cursed the people whose body parts you've stolen," answered Valentine shortly.

"So besides sensing curses, you can also do curses?" asked the man in somewhat surprise.

He couldn't comprehend any more how many abilities the detective in front of him had. It seemed that his theory about the different personalities of the detective having a different set of abilities would be the most correct, although he couldn't ask the man to confirm.

"Yes," Valentine nodded.

"What curse did you put on them anyway for you to be drained like that?"

Valentine relaxed his sitting position and smiled proudly.

"I made them decades older. But there were so many targets, that's why it took a lot out of me," he explained.

Surprised, Luuk's jaw dropped. He didn't expect the detective had that kind of ability. Making someone grow not just years, but decades older is a very scary ability.

"Really? That's possible? And is it permanent?"

"No, it's not. At most, in a few days, they will start going back to normal. It should be enough for our client to live a normal life."

"And after they're back to normal, won't they be searching for the one responsible?" asked Luuk in concern.

"They will if I don't do anything. But with them being old like that, it will be easier to alter their memories," explained Valentine.

Luuk understood now. Since the detective's memory implant ability is limited per day, he must not be able to finish the job in one day, and if he was not mistaken, it took a lot of stamina to implant a thought to just one person. That was why he weakened all his targets first so he could take his time.

"Dealing with a lot of people is difficult, right?" Valentine added, self-mockingly, and then looked over his shoulder, "If only our abilities were not single targetted, G."

"So can you use that kind of curse in combat?" Luuk changed the topic. There was genuine seriousness in his question.

"No, it's not possible. First, the material I used for the curse just now was very expensive, so it's not worth using only on one or two targets-- unless we're rich. Second, it took me too long to prepare for the curse. Maybe if I am stronger in the future, I can use another type of curse with cheaper ingredients," explained Valentine, sounding almost like Graham.

Hearing the word expensive, Luuk became alarmed.

"How much exactly was it?" he asked carefully.

"Ten guilders..." replied Valentine shortly.

The young medical student gasped. Spending ten guilders just for one ability was indeed outrageous. Luckily, they targeted a lot of people at once this time, so the cost was balanced out by the result.

"Let me guess. You'll ask the client to reimburse the money?"

Valentine nodded firmly.

"Anyway, it's time to send that man home. The situation is safe for him now. Leave me alone for a while," Valentine asked.

Luuk did as he was asked and left the office, returning to the living room where Derrick Damreau was sitting. The drug smuggler looked at the young Thief with expectation.

"So how was it? What did Mr. Hymes say?"

Sitting on the sofa facing the pool in the back, Luuk looked at the client and smiled a little.

"He said the situation is now under control. You can go home after paying. Those people will never bother you again, unless you do another stupid thing, of course."

Derrick's eyes opened wide and there was a pleasant surprise on his face, like someone who had just won the lottery. He couldn't believe what the man said but at the same time, it was really easy to believe if he remembered how the detective handled the ambushers.

"Really? That was too fast! I just came here today!" he exclaimed in joy.

"Well, that's Mr. Hymes for you. As for the amount, you can wait until he comes out," Luuk explained.

Not long after that, the detective came out of his office. His green eyes were somewhat brimming with expectation as he walked towards the sofas. The man then took the spot near Luuk and looked straight at his client.

"So, Derrick, as Luuk has explained, your problem has been taken care of now. You can go home in peace. I assure you, no one from that gang will ever bother you again," said Graham full of confidence and assurance. He then smiled wide and added, "Now, it's time to pay for the service."

"Yes, yes, sure. How much do I have to pay?" said the smuggler.

Graham's smile became even wider and the sparkles in his eyes brighter.

"Ten guilders for the service, twelve guilders for the materials I had to buy, one guilder for the breakfast and beer, five guilders for Luuk's service. So the total amount is... twenty-eight guilders. It's cheap, right?"

The detective had used divination to see if Derrick would be able to pay that amount, and the result came out very positive. That meant that the amount, although hefty, was still affordable for the smuggler.

However, the client still gasped in surprise.

"A-alright..." he said weakly, "But I don't have that much cash on me right now. I have to go to the bank first."

"That is understandable. Do you need an escort?" offered Graham.

Although the detective said the problem had been taken care of, Derrick still felt somewhat unsafe, so the escort offer was like a breath of fresh air to him. Without thinking, he nodded.

"Then Luuk can go with you. Don't worry, he can also fight well. And for the extra service, you can pay him two guilders," said Graham, "Meanwhile, I have to take care of something else."

Derrick gasped again.

"Luuk, can you give me some of the yellow stuff," said Graham vaguely.

Understanding what the detective meant, Luuk stood up and handed the man some more pouches containing yellow powders. After that, he looked at the client.

"Are you ready, Mr. Damreau?"

Weakly, Derrick nodded.

Graham returned to his own bedroom while Luuk left the villa with Derrick Damreau. They took the shortcut again and walked out to the sunshiny street outside.

"Where is the bank?" asked Luuk.

"This way."

The two men then walked west, towards the area of the street where more establishments were located. Naturally, Luuk wanted to walk fast, but Derrick didn't look like he was in a hurry, so Luuk matched the man's speed as not to leave him behind.

"Anyway, what did Mr. Hymes do to the gang members?" asked the man curiously.

Looking straight ahead, Luuk shook his head.

"I don't think it's something I can tell you," he refused to answer.

"I understand. But it's something supernatural, isn't it? I know supernatural stuff is real," said Derrick seriously.

Luuk was slightly surprised by the man's statement. However, thinking back about the man's occupation made it much less surprising. As a drug smuggler, Derrick must have been tangled with many different kinds of people, and it wouldn't be strange if some of them were Contractbounds. He must have been exposed to the supernatural world then.

"We can call it that way then if it's easier," Luuk said vaguely.

"No wonder it was done pretty quickly, and the material was so expensive. Supernatural materials are very expensive, aren't they?"

Luuk nodded.

"Yes, they are,"

"But, is Mr. Hymes always that calculating with money? Even the beer was counted towards the total amount," Derrick asked casually.

Luuk chuckled.

"You've only met him today. If you go to Sloten, maybe you can ask all the public motor carriage drivers about a customer who always haggles every time," he joked.

The two men had entered the busier part of the street, so they could no longer talk about private stuff without people accidentally eavesdropping.

"This part of the street is very different from our villa," Luuk commented.

There were restaurants with ocean themes on the right, with the sea behind them, while on the left side of the street, stores and other facilities were lined up. There were clothes stores, convenience stores, and even money changers for tourists from another country. A tourist city indeed gave off a different vibe.

"This is where the tourist bait places are. Everything here is overpriced, but since they are close to the villas and resorts, tourists just come here for convenience. Besides, the ocean view is another plus point of this street. I don't recommend buying anything here, though. You can get them much cheaper if you go to a different part of the city," explained Derrick.

The smell of grilled fish filled Luuk's nose and attracted his attention. He looked to his right to find a restaurant clerk wearing a shirt with palm trees print on it grilling seafood in front of the restaurant. The liquid dripping from the fish and the charred smell wet his mouth. However, when he checked the price written on the small blackboard at the front, he retracted his eyes.

"Thirty pennings for grilled fish? That's too much money!" he complained to Derrick.

"I didn't set the price, man." he shrugged, "But, I told you."

The Thief and the smuggler kept on walking, the former no longer having any interest in looking around. Although the food displayed was mouth-watering, the price would make him regret it afterward. The same applied to the clothes on sale. They looked pretty interesting and 'oceany', but they were sold at an exorbitant price.

The deeper they walked into the busy tourist street, the louder it became. The bars, cafés, and restaurants each played their own music to attract customers, and the sounds of the tourists chattering and laughing added to the noise.

"How far still is the bank?" asked Luuk. He didn't seem to be too comfortable being in the crowded street.

"It's just at that corner. You should be able to see it from here," Derrick pointed at a building in the distance.

In the corner of the street, there was a tall building with the name 'The Bank of Tulp' on it. Although it was not as big as the other branches, this particular one was decent enough for the location that it was in.

After finally arriving at the bank, Luuk waited outside while Derrick got in to talk with the teller. It didn't take the smuggler long to withdraw his money, after which he returned to his bodyguard who was waiting outside.

"Anyway, is there another way back? That street is just too noisy for me," Luuk asked.

Derrick seemed to be thinking first before answering. According to his memory, there should indeed be a detour that was much quieter, almost as quiet as the eastern part of the street.

"Yes, I'm sure there is. This way then," he pointed.

Luuk followed the man and the two of them turned left at the corner where the bank was and then turned left again to a smaller street.

The street in front of them was indeed much quieter, and Luuk liked it better than the main one.

However, at that moment, he noticed that there were people who had been watching them since they left the bank. His instinct told him that the people were up to no good. They must have been targetting Derrick, who had just withdrawn a lot of money.

"Some people are targetting your money. Act natural, I'll protect you," Luuk said quietly, almost whispering.

Derrick wanted to look around, but the man beside him tapped his shoulder to remind him not to do that. His heart began beating fast as he walked down the quiet street.

Luuk could feel that behind him, there were two people approaching them. There was also another suspicious-looking individual in front of them, leaning against the lamp post. He was wearing a beanie and a turtle-neck sweater that could almost cover his mouth. Although he was pretending not to pay attention to the two men walking towards him, Luuk could feel that he was eyeing Derrick from time to time.

The two of them walked naturally, approaching the man in front of them. The moment they were close enough, Luuk secretly made a swiping motion with his right hand while whispering.

"Your pants are mine..."

Suddenly, the man's pants disappeared and reappeared in Luuk's hand, who quickly threw it to the two people following him. The man with the sweater instinctively covered his private area in embarrassment while swearing.

"Get them!"

One of the people following them, who turned out to be a man in his early-forties with magnificent facial hair, shouted.

Luuk, however, was already prepared and flung the severed hand in his left hand. The hand that was attached to a piece of rope hit the other person, a thin man with a hoodie on, and grabbed his face.

"Your balance is mine!"

The Thief pulled the severed hand which was now holding a glowing orb.

The hooded man, who was trying to run towards the target, suddenly stumbled awkwardly, falling face-first to the paved ground. He tried to get up but somehow he just didn't have enough balance to stand up straight. He fell down again and couldn't get back up after that.

Seeing that the bearded man had a thin figure, Luuk quickly used another Theft.

"Your belt is mine!"

The man's belt disappeared from his apparently oversized pants, causing it to fall off. With the pants in the way, he couldn't run properly and fell down as well.

"Now run!" signalled Luuk at Derrick while discarding the belt.