Lascze had heard of the news of Lewis being rescued by some [Thief] during the incident, with the help of a mysterious person. Before he could object, Lewis explained the situation in near-perfect detail. Feeling tired after dealing with the fight at the palace, he sighed. But he straightened up.

"Even if he saved you, I will not harbor an [Thief] in our home." He answered. "And besides, it would put the shop in danger."

"Why?" Lewis asked. "He saved me!"

"You're naïve. [Thieves] are [Thieves] for a reason." He answered. "Unless, somehow, he could change his Class."

"What does class have to do with this?"

"Listen, Classes are who you are, remember? Classes are a concrete culmination of your being."

"That's bulls-"

"He's right." Vitelli held his shoulder. "I should leave. I'm a [Thief]. I steal. And I will continue to do so."

"People can change." Lewis trusted Vitelli. "Even with…Classes, and all that. I will take responsibility."

Lascze remembered a woman lying on the ground in a flash of memory, bloody on a rainy night.

He sighed, remembering the past. People can change.

"I'll give him a week." He sternly announced, changing his initial stance. "You will both help me within this shop. If he steals anything within this period or hasn't gained another Class, I'll kick him out. Understand?"

"Yes, sir." They both agreed.

"Start by… organizing the shelves." He sighed. "Lewis, open the shop and man the counter for me, will ya? And keep your eyes on him. I'm going to take an early siesta."

Colarbo quickly entered the back door, using a Skill that silenced both the slamming of the door and him running, and quickly sat on the chair and worked on the invoices on the table. He used a Skill to pretend to be slightly drunk to explain his tardiness.

Lascze was tired from the altercation earlier in the palace and worried sick for Lewis. He entered the storeroom, where Colarbo is.

"We have a new potential employee." He told Colarbo.

"Again?" He sighed.

"Yeah." He exhaled weakly. "Lewis brought him in. A [Thief] to be exact."

"Bird shit."

"Just keep watch over them while I take a nap." He slurred. "The incident at the palace was pretty tiring."

"What if he steals anything? I can't exactly chase him down." He asked.

"I got a new Skill in my [Shopkeeper] Class yesterday. [Shelves: Minor Alarm]. I think it does what it says."

"Fine, guess I'll watch them over."

Colarbo left his table and walked to the shop properly. He watched as they organized the shelves. Vitelli resisted the urge to steal, fighting against the influence of his Class. He found himself attempting to steal a potion, but he quickly put it back, not triggering Lascze's Skill.

"You alright there?" Lewis asked Vitelli.

"Yeah." He answered weakly. "I'm done with the shelves." He answered.

"You sure you're alright?"

"It's my Class. I'm a [Thief], so I feel the urge to steal."

"Class? Even if you have that, people can change themselves." He reassured. "Would a [Thief] save a person like me back then?"

"I can say the same. Why do you save me from the [Guardsmen] back then?"

"It's the right thing to do." He answered.

"You sound like a grown-up for some reason." He commented.

"Yeah. I wonder why." He sighed. He walked up towards the door and turned to the placard on the door.

"OPEN." It displayed.

The two didn't know that Colarbo is watching them from the counter. Probably the effect of his real Class and Skills.

He wondered if why did he had free him in the first place.

Later, as they were cleaning the shop, a stout and short human entered the store. He groggily walked, continually holding his head like he had a headache. He emanated the scent of booze, the smell burnt throughout their noses. Most of all, his beard was scraggly. But his face was the opposite of what he wore; his clothes were clearly cleaner than he looked, wearing a red leather crocodile vest on his white buttoned shirt.

"Where's Lascze?" The customer asked.

"He's resting," Colarbo answered, emerging from the shadows, surprising everybody within the store.

"Ah, understandable." He slurred. "New helpers?"

"Yes," Colarbo answered. "The other one's an Otherworlder, and the other is a [Thief]."

"Kids…" He pondered. "Right, there are kids here. I'm not supposed to be in a hangover— [Alcohol Immunity: On].

He suddenly straightened up, erasing the drunken look on his face. He looks a bit cleaner now, just a bit.

"So, do I talk to you, or- "

"You talk to this guy." Colarbo pointed towards Lewis. "He's an [Apprentice Shopkeeper], so go easy on him, ok."

"Alright then." He smiled. "So, kid, any Waterspider Silk on sale?"

"Yeah." Lewis pointed out. "How many?"

"Ten rolls." He answered.

"That would be 100 Silvers or 2 gold coins." He instantly answered.

"That's pretty fast." The customer was impressed by his instant calculation.

"Thanks." He received the compliment. "Vitelli, can you get the Waterspider Silk at the storeroom? It's on the third upper right shelf." He asked Vitelli, having memorized the placement of the products.

"I see a future ahead of you as a [Merchant]." He told him. "You're a natural at this."

"Thank you, sir." He bowed his head. Vitelli fetched the box of seemingly wet rolls of silk, handing them to him.

"You are good kids." The customer complimented. "Keep supporting Lascze, ok?" He said before leaving the establishment.

Lewis returned to the wooden counter and sat on the wooden chair. "See, you can do this, Vitelli." He reassured him. "You can live a normal life with us."

"Alright." He smiled, the urge to steal lessening. "I can do this."

After that, customers start trickling in small groups. Colarbo observed that Lewis masterfully attended to their needs with care and mindfulness. Vitelli helped by bringing Lewis what he needs. Colarbo didn't need to intervene, which is surprising.

After three sets of customers, Lascze woke up from his nap while Lewis and Vitelli served customers.

"How are they?" Lascze asked Colarbo.

"They’re doing pretty well,” Colarbo reported. “I think Lewis might surpass you someday.” He joked.

“Hope so.” Lascze smiled, and he headed towards Lewis.

“I’ll take over,” Lascze told Lewis, which made him jump a little bit.

“Ah, sure.” He uttered.

“Oh, can you fetch the enchanted rings for me from Orbetto?” Lascze asked Lewis and Vitelli. “You memorized the path, right?”

“Yes, sir.” Lewis nodded. “C’mon, let’s go. I know the way.”

Vitelli was nervous at first since his [Gang Boss] might hunt him down. But he must protect the boy who had saved his life. Anything might happen in this place, even though this is relatively one of the safest places in the world. But lately, there is a stroke of bad luck in Aquinox.

“Can you watch them for me?” Lascze asked Colarbo. “[Thieves] come in groups, right?”

Colarbo saw what he truly meant.

“Babysitting again?” He asked. “Fine.”

Lascze gave Colarbo a gold coin.

And then, they went outside, closing the door behind them. Vitelli’s bronze skin and Lewis’s golden hair shone in the afternoon sun.

They swerved through the hustle and bustle of the main road. The boys passed by carriages pulled by raptors or horses and trudged through the alley, leading to the smithy's narrow stairs.

But before, they are two humanoid figures: a fish-headed Seafolk raising his fists and a Half-Elf boy holding a knife.

“Who-“

“Stay back.” Vitelli walked past Lewis.

“Vitelli, you splitscale!” The Seafolk boy yelled. “The boss sent us to capture you alive. Unless you paid your debt.”

“You can try.” Vitelli whips up a dagger from his pockets. A very rusty one that he uses to cut purses and pockets, or even people.

He reverses, gripped it, and assumed a fighting stance.

“What are you doing-“

“I will protect you.” He said to Lewis protectively. “You saved my life so that I will save yours.”

He ran up towards the stairs, clearly at a disadvantage against the elevation of the two boy criminals. The Seafolk threw a rock at him, boosted by a Skill. With his sheer reaction time, he deflected the stone with his dagger. As he deflected another rock, the Half-Elf lunged at him with his knife, slashing his arm a bit like the former [Thief] sidestepped.

“But he never said that you would be in one piece.” The Half-Elf grinned maliciously as his enemy’s arm bled.

Instead of stabbing him, Vitelli pummeled his face with the pommel of his dagger, knocking him down towards the stairs, past Lewis. The Seafolk tried to punch Vitelli, only for his arm to be pushed sideways, and he skirted under his arms, and he was now behind him. He beat his head on the wall, knocking him unconscious.

He was trying to keep them alive so that he will not incur any more debt.

The other criminal ran towards Lewis, attempting to stab him. Lewis turned around and run. Vitelli ran towards the stairs, carefully as to not trip. As the knife almost caught Lewis’ back, Vitelli deflected it, causing him to let go of it. As they collided, they both fell on the stairs, sustaining injuries as they roll down towards the bottom of the alley.

They both rose from the ground. Before they can fight, they were stopped by Colarbo, gripping both of their hands simultaneously.

“How much debt does he have?” Colarbo asked.

“What?” They both mouthed.

“Vitelli’s debt.” He asked.

“Two gold.” The criminal answered.

“Here.” He tossed a gold coin towards the Half-Elf. “And don’t attempt to harm us again, or the Leviathan’s Bane will hunt down your gang.” He showed Lascze’s Merchant Guild badge.

The Half-Elf boy understood the threat and ran away.

“Are you ok?” Colarbo asked Lewis and Vitelli.

“Just a scratch.” Vitelli showed his arm wound.

Colarbo quickly pulled out a clay potion and poured it on his wound. The healing potion slowly closes the wound.

Lewis rushed down from the stairs, worried about Vitelli.

“Glad you are alright.” He panted, exhausted from the whole thing.

And so, they made way towards Orbetto, doing what they're supposed to do.

Orbetto was hunched over an enchanted workbench, working on a small dagger, an enchanted one, as black as ash, the edges fiery as fire. The hilt was covered in black leather and grey wood that seemed resistant to the burning blade.

His dissatisfied expression turned towards them.

“Ah, you’re here for the enchanted rings?” Orbetto asked.

“Yeah,” Colarbo asked. “A box of them.”

“Ah, alright, I’ll fetch them.” He stood up and headed deeper towards his smithy. He unlocked the door to the storage room. Weapons were hung by the [Shopkeeper] on wooden racks. The enchanted ones we’re in between the non-enchanted weapons separate from their peers to lessen the chances of enchantment overload. He opened the drawer within the wooden table, taking out the covered box of low-grade enchanted rings.

He locked the storage after he left. As he heads towards them, he saw the tanned Human boy staring intently at his failed dagger. The darksteel Flamespread Dagger was supposed to spread its flames when the user instantly touched an enemy, but instead, the flames only spread around the blade.

“So, who is that boy?” Orbetto asked Colarbo, curious.

“Another potential employee,” Colarbo answered. “Lewis picked him up from the canals.”

“Oh.” He mouthed. “Well, I was thinking of throwing it away.”

He stared at the boy with an eye for talent.

“But it would be a waste, so I guess I would give it to the boy.” He sheathed it on its fireproof scabbard and gave it to the boy.

“Wait, are you giving it to this boy?” Colarbo asked.

“Well, it would be a waste,” Orbetto told him. “Even if I don’t have [Eye for Talent], I can see that he can use my failed Flamespread Dagger.”

He handed his dagger towards Vitelli. Vitelli carefully held it to avoid it suddenly bursting into flames.

“Why?” Vitelli asked.

“Because I felt like it,” Orbetto answered. “May Hefha maintain your arms.”

“Thanks.” Vitelli belted his scabbard, tying the strip around his waist.

“The faulty enchantment only spreads its flames around the blade when it was supposed to transfer the flame to the unlucky bastard who is at the end of the blade.”

Vitelli nodded.

“Well, be careful with that.” He gets back to his workbench, designing a new dagger. “You’ll pay me for the maintenance, though. Now shoo.”

They left the store and headed home.

As the last bell of the afternoon rang, they arrived at Lascze’s shop.