CHAPTER 94: The Suspicious Shoemaker

Unto the bustling life of Barl, three men set out to solve the recent mysteries haunting the city. They strolled along the sidewalk and observed men pushing carts filled with fish, clams, seaweed, and mana stones to their respective shops, located south of Barl.

Levi observed those people sweaty and exhausted pushing those carriages, using a small hint of mana, injecting energy into their bodies. But they carried a smile with them, that the exhaustion became a facade for them.

'What is so fun about pushing carriages?'

Levi wondered. Somewhat envious of the simple life these men lived for themselves and their families. It was unusual for him to be envious.

The three didn't speak a single word and after walking for ten minutes, stood outside a shoe shop that still hadn't opened yet. Strange, because every market would already have opened around this time.

Kuma whispered,

"Are you sure this is the place?"

"I am"

Levi replied, and soon a woman walked towards the shop, holding her stick. She wore a white one-piece, glasses, and a blue hat, adorned with a fake rose on it. She acknowledged the three waiting for her.

"Oh my. I have some early customers today."

And smiled,

Levi just nodded and watched the woman in her fifties, struggling to fit the key into the lock.

"This woman? Kidnapping? She can't even open a lock."

Blake whispered to Levi and Kuma.

Levi shook his head. Jumping into conclusions wouldn't lead anywhere. He trusted the lesser eye's observation and its intuition.

However, Blake's guess could also be true. Using the status windows, and appraisal power, Levi checked the woman's status. It was as normal as it could be. Nothing eye-catching or undervaluing to scoff about.

The woman opened the door, ringing the chime hung up. The store was barely big enough to fit three people and Kuma had to lower himself, to avoid hitting the ceiling.

"So, anything that catches your eye."

The woman said, making her way inside the counter, through a small door to her left.

Different types of shoes from sportswear to party heels and normal slippers filled the store. Out of all the varieties, almost a third of the shop was filled with leather shoes that students wore as per their school uniform rules, here in Barl. Though the shop was shabby, the goods it provided were quite good quality and cheaper than the ones in the city.

"Do you make these shoes?"

Levi asked, picking up one and inspecting it.

"Used to, but now only my granddaughter can do it."

The woman then pointed to a small portrait of her sitting beside a chair, teaching her granddaughter to use a sewing machine.

"These eyes and hands are useless now."

She added and watched the other two stand, disinterested in her shoes. At first, she didn't say anything but after a while her useless eyes could tell, these customers had no intention of buying anything.

The woman frowned,

"If you don't intend to buy anything, I hope you leave. I have other customers to tend to."

The sweetness in her previous tone vanished.

"And if you guys are here to rob me then- listen. This old woman won't go down without a fight."

She said, pointing at Kuma and Blake, hiding their faces with a mask and a hood. 

Levi put both his hands up and asked Blake and Kuma to do the same.

"We aren't robbers, my lady."

He said. The tone in his voice was sweeter than honey. Blake and Kuma looked at him, wondering how he put on a different face so easily.

"I apologise for wasting your precious time with the actual customers, but we are here just for inspection."

His eyes seemed apologetic and truthful that if made the old woman drop the stick and stop her old heart from falling over a boy

"Ahem- Inspection? For what?"

But she couldn't let beauty get over her head. Not a teenager anymore, after all.

"For ghosts."

Levi said and immediately he saw a reaction from the old woman. Her face went pale, her hands shook as he grabbed onto the table. Blake and Kuma knew that was a lie, but seeing how well it worked they went along with it.

"You're lying?"

She desperately asked, hoping it was a lie.

The three shook their heads, in unison. The granny took in a big gulp. She still couldn't trust them.

"What makes you think there is a ghost in my store?"

Her voice is getting more and more squeaky.

"It's not just your shop, but many other places on the island seem to be haunted by ghosts."

Levi kept on lying and it kept working.

"The recent incident must have welcomed some bad emotions within people, bringing in bad spirits into the island."

Levi added more and the granny had her heart almost jump out from her mouth.

"And what makes you able to know that there are ghosts in the town? Have you ever seen one?"

She asked, staring at Levi.

Levi, like yesterday, passed on mana into his left hand, revealing the engraving of the church's logo in his hand.

"You are a priest?"

She asked and Levi nodded. Priests dealt with curses and spirits and people often mistake spirits with curses as ghosts. The special trait of this woman, [Deathly Scared Of Ghosts] made it easier for Levi to trick her.

"I am not capable of seeing the ghosts but can feel them, and I can feel a single ghost, hiding right behind the storage unit behind the shop."

Levi used Sense and found out about the other unit attached to this shop, three times larger than this room. Kuma also sensed a flow of air from the other side, but Blake didn't. He was astonished by Levi's keen senses and a bit ashamed he still couldn't tell if it was there.

The woman rushed out from the counter and hid behind Levi.

"I will pay you. Get those ghosts out from here."

"We are here for that, and you don't need to pay. Can you give me the keys to the door over there?"

Levi said 

The woman rushed into her bag and gave him the key. Levi passed it on to Kuma and ordered,

"Open the door."

Kuma held the key, impressed by Levi's acting, walked to the door and opened the door.

He turned on a switch to the left and a yellow bulb on the middle of the ceiling lit.

The store unit was just filled with boxes of shoes, kept on large wooden shelves. Some needles in tubs of plastic and some empty wooden boxes were kept in the very corner of the room.

On one side there were two sewing machines, with fresh leather kept over it and large styrofoam boxes beside them.

Blake followed Kuma as both of them stood together and Levi, held onto by the old woman behind them.

"Do you feel their presence?"

She asked.

"Yes, but it is hiding, in the form of a rat, somewhere in this room. It must know we are here."

Levi lied and closed the door.

"Can we search through those boxes and crates?"

He asked and the woman gave permission. 

Blake and Kuma rummaged through the stuff and found nothing else other than shoes and pieces of leather, other than that, they found pieces of scrap and paper, nothing else.

Levi was also using Sense but found nothing suspicious. But when Kuma touched the wooden crate on the corner, the old woman's grip on Levi's hand tightened.

She was about to say something but Levi interrupted her

"Giant, check the crate on the corner. I feel the presence of the ghost hiding inside it"

Levi ordered, giving Kuma an alias, "Giant". 

"Pfft-"

Blake stopped himself from laughing. Levi's interruption worked as she stopped herself. Kuma hid his annoyance and walked towards the crate and started to open it.

The "Giant" opened the crate and only saw some neatly kept black-leathered shoes.

"I only see shoes and no ghosts"

Kuma said, looking at Levi. But at that moment, Levi's suspicion increased even more. The woman let out a relief when Kuma said only leather.

'Is the shoe something more important to her than the fear of ghosts?'

Levi thought as he walked to the crate himself.

"I still sense the ghost there. It is probably hiding beneath the crate. Inspect the shoe carefully as well."

Levi said, and again the woman gripped his shoulder tightly. Now he was sure, there was something in that shoe, she was afraid of.

Kuma again inspected the shoe. A sharp tonic smell entered his nose even though the mask. Maybe some sort of liquid must be smeared onto the leather to stop it from spoiling.

 However, the inside of the shoe looked moist and a bit prickly. He also smelled another odour, although weak, it was there. 

Kuma touched the other side and it bristled. Though not enough to cause any wound on Kuma's tough skin, the smell came from that side.

Kuma brought the shoe closer to his nose as if he were trying to check if the ghost was hiding in there. He recognized that smell and turned to Levi. Both made eye contact for two seconds and spoke more than enough.

Levi grabbed the woman's hand as if pressing on a cotton. He turned back and said,

"Looks like there is a ghost. Please stay back."

The woman at first didn't let go, but soon let go and Levi walked to the crate. He also looked at the shoe and noticed small spikes but unlike Kuma didn't detect anything other than the tonic.

As he was about to rub a finger onto it, Kuma whispered,

"It's laced with something, but I can't figure out with what"

"And that is what I want to test."

Levi said as he pushed his finger and felt a slight prickle from the leather. 

Unlike Kuma's, the prickle did make an unnoticeable cut in Levi's hand and immediately he started feeling dizzy.

[

The user has been poisoned with a sleeping drug.

]

The blue status window appeared right in front of Levi's eyes and soon a drop of blood spilled out from his nose.

Levi took out the highest-grade potion from his spatial ring and drank it.

Blake noticed it and rushed towards Levi, and the woman detected it as well. First the ghost, and now her secret was revealed. She turned back and grabbed onto the door knob.

Before she could turn it, a cold chilling sensation of metal pressed against her neck sent shivers down her spine.

"Remove your hand or else I will cut it down myself."

Kuma said. His voice chilled, filled with hostility and anger. 

"What? How are you bleeding?"

Blake asked, concerned as he couldn't discern what just happened.

"Those pieces."

Levi wiped the blood using his sleeves.

"Are laced with small micro needles. Each of them laced with a sleeping drug."

Blake's eyes widened. No wonder Kuma immediately rushed towards the woman.

"Don't worry, the bleeding is just to take the drug out from my body."

Levi assured Blake as both walked towards Kuma, holding the woman captive. The knight turned around. The woman's eyes met with Levi's.

"You scoundrel. There was no ghost."

She spit at him, and it only reached up to his shoes.

 Levi spat back, straight at the woman's face. And then without any hesitation, Levi slapped the woman, sending some of her rotten, old teeth on the floor.

"Why would there be a ghost, when the city has a demon like you hiding and prowling on innocent young lives."

Levi said. He grabbed one of the ropes, and they took the woman. Together, tied her down to one of the crates. The woman did struggle but another slap from Levi, made her unconscious, making it a lot easier for them to tie her.

Now the three stood in silence, as they soaked in what just happened.

"You were right."

Kuma said. Levi's guess came true. 

"She probably poisoned those children, when she measured their feet size. And once they wore the shoe, for measuring, the poison would lace them, knocking them unconscious."

Blake murmured. His analogy was 99 % to be the truth.

"That explains the need for those big styrofoam boxes."

Levi said, looking at the three boxes on the left side of the room. Once the children would be unconscious, they would need to take them out and those styrofoam boxes became the perfect disguise.

"Now we need to wait for her to wake up and ask where they took them. You slapped her too hard."

Kuma said to Levi.

"She moved too much and we don't have time to wait."

Levi walked towards the woman and grabbed her index finger. In a single motion, he broke that fragile, wrinkly finger, waking up the woman and

"Argh"

Screaming in pain.

Tears covered her eyes as he watched the expressionless boy, staring into her very soul, not a single grain of remorse and empathy inside him.

Though Levi did say they would need to twist things to get answers, Kuma didn't think he would take such measures. Though Blake did.

"So are you going to tell me where to send those kids or should I break another one of your fingers?"

Levi threatened the woman, who kept on crying in pain. Shivers ran down her body, her teeth clattering and her mouth gasping, struggling to breathe.

"Stop crying and start talking before I break another one."

The woman didn't stop and Levi broke the middle finger this time. The sound of cracking of bones soothes the psychotic part of him waiting to come out. And it wanted more than just to break fingers.

"Argh."

The woman screamed again and shook her head sideways, aggressively, trying not to let the pain get to her.

Blake turned back on that site and closed his eyes and ears. The nightmare seemed to relieve itself back again.

Kuma didn't ask why he had done so but also wondered how Levi could do such things willingly at such a young age. Torturing people was Kuma's forte but even he at first, fainted torturing others.

But unlike him, Levi wasn't trained. He could tell by how he broke the finger. No technique, just brute force. Not the work of a human searching for answers but a monster satisfying the deepest hidden intentions, that even the strongest would be afraid of.