As Alex stepped into Evermoor city, the bustling streets teeming with life and activity, he knew he had to tread carefully. After finding out that Kilian had already arrived, he had to conceal his identity as his description was probably already fed to the Count and soon the guards would find out too.
When that happened, Alex didn't want to be around.
His first destination was a clothing store, where he purchased a simple black, hooded robe. Similar to the one the assassin had worn.
With the hood pulled low over his face, he felt much more secure moving through the crowded streets, unseen and unnoticed by those around him.
And with the sun about to set on the horizon, his disguise would be much more difficult to see through as he would blend in with the dark alleys, his robe hiding him from sight.
'Where to now…'
Now that he was here, Alex didn't actually know what he should do. Should he go straight to the Count's manor and barge in to kill the Count on the spot?
No, that would be suicide.
Alex was confident in his abilities, but he wasn't stupid.
He was still only E rank and there were probably many people in this city stronger than him, not including the Count himself.
From what he knew of how the hierarchy of this world worked, people with higher political power also tended to be the ones with the highest combat power too.
Such was the case with Valentis city, where the city lord was a mighty C+ rank awakened.
But Evermoor was a much, much smaller city than Valentis, so the Count's strength couldn't exceed D+ rank at the most, which gave Alex a little bit of hope that he could actually complete this mission.
Since Alex couldn't go straight to the Count and kill him right now, his next best choice was to gather information on him.
And the best way to do this was to visit a popular tavern.
It would be hard for a suspicious newcomer like him to gain any useful information from the residents of this town, but things would be different when they got blackout drunk.
There was a popular saying where Alex grew up — that drunk men have no secrets!
Because they'd spill them all after a few drinks!
With this plan in mind, Alex headed over to the nearest tavern he could find on the outskirts of the city.
Slipping inside, he found a secluded corner and settled in, his ears listening for any tidbits of information that seemed interesting.
"Did you hear Laura is having another child? Damn it must be what, the 15th one now? When will that woman ever stop…"
Alex didn't even want to hear how a woman could push out so many babies…
Skip.
"How's life now that you're an adventurer? Soon enough you'll be an F+ rank like me, then we can go out on missions together!"
This one was just a big brother talking to his little brother about their future.
'How nice would it be to have a supportive family…'
Skip.
"Bloody hell, Bran, this expedition's been a cursed mess. We've scoured every bit of land in the east forest and we've got nothing to show for it to the Count!" Garrick, a grizzled veteran with a scar across his cheek, swirled the dregs of his mug and scowled.
'Now this seems interesting…'
At the mention of the Count, Alex naturally listened intently to the conversation between these two mercenaries.
Bran, younger and more immature, leaned back in his chair, caressing his own mug. "Yeah, the Count's not pleased. He expected us to return with the location of the beast, and what do we have? A few scratches up a tree and some old, muddy footprints."
Garrick's eyes narrowed. "It's that damn beast — the one that's been causing havoc in the forest recently. It's already claimed the lives of many mercenaries and even a few city guards. The Count's already fed up with the constant tales of despair, so now he's strapping on his armour, planning to venture out himself."
Bran's eyes widened. "The Count? I've always wondered how strong a man like him really is. I've only ever seen E tier's in action, it'll be a real treat for the eyes to see a peak D tier like the Count fight."
"Aye, he sets out in a few days." Garrick said.
Hearing this conversation, Alex knew immediately that he had to take advantage of it.
From what he had overheard, the Count was searching for a beast that not even these veteran mercenaries could find.
Instantly, an idea popped into Alex's head and he left the tavern shortly after.
If he could get to this beast first and take it out before the Count arrives in the forest, then he'll be sent on a wild goose chase and he'd be out of the city for a while.
Alex could use this opportunity when the count is away to deal with the weaker members of the Count's plan, as well as investigate suspicious locations like the Count's manor etc.
Not to mention, it would buy time for Alex to strengthen himself for his inevitable fight with the count.
One might ask why he doesn't just report what he knows to someone who already has the political power and strength to take on the Count.
But there were many factors that would not make this a viable plan.
For one, Alex didn't know anyone like that in this place. And if he did, he didn't know who to trust either, as he had no idea how many people, or who exactly the Count had involved in this plan other than Bertram.
So for this reason, Alex had to take the burden of protecting the lives of tens of thousands of people upon himself.
Alex was essentially the only hope these people had.
With his next steps carefully thought out, Alex left the city in the dead of night, heading east towards the forest the two mercenaries had been talking about.