Midnight Cuckoo (11): "My Little Sister... Is a Thief..."
"My little sister... she's a thief..."
Marim finally forced the words out with great difficulty.
"Gasp..."
Idi drew in a soft breath. I stayed silent, letting Marim continue.
"You might not know this, but half-elf communities are extremely poor... No one wants to hire half-elves..."
"Yeah, I figured."
"So we do whatever it takes to survive... Hunting or farming only goes so far..."
That made sense. This wasn't some ancient dark age where you could live off the land self-sufficiently anymore. All fertile land had owners, and even in the forests, you couldn't hunt or chop wood freely. In directly ruled territories, you needed city hall's permission; in fiefdoms, the lord's approval. And unclaimed no-man's-lands? They were barren wastelands where not even a blade of grass grew.
Direct rule, fiefdoms, wastelands. Every inch of the kingdom fell into one of those three.
So half-elves either hunted or foraged illegally or headed to nearby cities for the dirty jobs humans shunned. There were even rumors of half-elves working in brothels catering to exotic tastes.
In short, half-elves lived miserable lives just because of their mixed blood.
"My sister... she's a half-elf like me, but she refused to accept that kind of life..."
A half-elf rejecting her fate... That had to be as tough as just accepting it.
"She's had exceptional physical abilities since she was little... She never tires, runs like the wind, leaps over high walls effortlessly. So..."
Marim clenched her hands on her lap.
"She became a pickpocket, dipping into people's pockets... She said she'd never do something like cleaning sewers..."
"Crime pays easy, doesn't it."
Marim nodded slowly at my words.
"She grew bolder, more confident... And thanks to that, we lived better than before... I'm sorry..."
"It's not like she stole my money. Keep going."
She bowed her head in gratitude, then continued.
"Anyway... She went beyond pickpocketing and started breaking into human homes outright. I begged her to stop—it was too dangerous—but she wouldn't listen."
No surprise there. Once you start making money off crime, it's damn hard to quit. Ditch your conscience, and it's less work for more cash than going legit. The problem? You never stop at that level. Greed kicks in. There's that old saying: milk thieves become cow thieves. The habit only intensifies; you don't ease off or think, "This is enough."
Marim's sister must've been deep in that spiral. If she escalated to robbery, it'd be game over for her life.
"Then one day... she committed murder..."
"Murder?"
Not the best reaction while hearing someone else's tragic family tale, but... damn, it was gripping. I could even hear Idi swallowing hard.
"She sneaked into a house, rummaging around, and ran into the owner... After a fierce struggle, she..."
Marim's voice began to tremble.
"She tried to run, but he'd seen her ears. She said she had no choice... It would've spread to the whole community... So she killed him..."
"What happened then...?"
Idi urged her on impatiently, like she was listening to a bard's tale. I was just as hooked on what came next.
"The city went into an uproar after the murder... Continuing to steal in that mess would've been insane."
"So she moved to another city, huh."
Marim looked up at me, eyes wide—like how did you know?
"Exactly. She had no intention of quitting... Better than hauling human shit, she said. She made big money, left the community, and headed to another city..."
"A half-elf who abandoned her community..."
Idi murmured softly.
"I wanted her to stop the dangerous life... I chased after her to convince her, and that's how I ended up here..."
Marim finished, and silence filled the hall. Idi scratched her chin; Marim kept her head bowed low on her knees.
"But something feels off..."
At the black mage's slow words, the half-elf tensed and looked up.
"Half-elves are poor... And you traveled here looking for her, so you must've spent a fortune... Yet you're staying at the inn, drinking beer every night..."
Fair point. On second thought, coming from Lenditofte empty-handed wasn't realistic. And nightly boozing while hunting your sister? Not desperate enough. There was a disconnect.
"The community pooled their money to send me after her safely... As for the beer..."
Marim explained with a face full of shame.
"I've never had proper food or drink in my life... I tried it once out of curiosity, and it was so good I couldn't stop..."
Ah... I got it. Late-learned thieves don't know when to quit, and first taste of luxury flips your brain. Even if it was community funds, resisting temptation like that? Tough.
"There was a break-in at the inn's wagon lot the other day."
Marim listened obediently.
"The thief vaulted a fence taller than me with near-magical agility. Must've been your sister."
"That had to be her... She's way nimbler than most..."
"So what's your plan now?"
She twisted her pants leg as she answered.
"For now... I'll search a bit more. If no more leads, head north... I came up from the south."
Fribourg up north was a big city; once she slipped in there, good luck finding her. Would be nice to track her down here.
"But you haven't paid tomorrow's bill... Gonna sleep on the roadside...?"
At Idi's words, Marim's eyes darted as she bowed.
"I'm just about broke... Guess so..."
A half-elf with bad rep roughing it outside? Asking for trouble. But I couldn't just wave off the bill out of pity. I'm a businessman, not a charity.
Charity? Wait—a brilliant idea hit me.
"Don't do that. Why not head to the city temple tomorrow instead?"
"The temple...?"
"They do poor relief. Explain your situation to the saintess; she'll help."
Marim's gloomy face brightened a bit.
"I didn't think of that... Thank you... I'll do that..."
She kowtowed repeatedly, forehead to the floor. It was so pathetic I stood up quick.
"Go rest now. Hope you find your sister."
"Yes... Thank you... So much..."
Marim rose slowly, bowing deeply.
"That's it? Shouldn't we tell the guards...?"
Idi watched her retreating back.
I didn't answer. I stared holes through the half-elf climbing the stairs.
That half-elf... what's her deal? Why's she acting like that? Something's off...
Idi caught my gaze and muttered.
"Bertrand...? You didn't hear me..."
I ignored her and called out.
"Hey, miss."
Marim paused midway up the stairs and turned.
"Since it's come to this, just stay a few more days."
"But I have no money..."
"No charge for room or board. Stay free."
Idi and Marim gawked at my bombshell.
"Why would you offer me such generosity..."
"Heard your story—felt too bad to charge. It's for my own satisfaction, so no burden."
"I can never repay this kindness..."
As Marim groveled, Idi whispered.
"Why the sudden change? Why comp her...?"
"Shut it. Fully dismantle Beldra's Curse Rope. Can't have innocents tripping like today—get rid of it completely."
I said it loud enough for the half-elf to hear.
"Huh...? Okay... Got it..."
Idi tilted her head but nodded like a good pup.
Late afternoon the next day. Kali and I were heading back from somewhere. His muzzle and paws caked in dirt, he bounced excitedly around me. First outing in ages, digging up the earth—he was thrilled.
Dogs are wired to dig. They burrow homes, hide food.
Almost at the inn, I spotted Captain Lambert entering. Here for Della again? Guy's swamped but always squeezes in time.
I followed him in. There in the hall's center knelt the captain on one knee.
"Praising the beauty so rare, Lady Della forever! 'Tis my infinite honor to deliver joyous news in person."
Della fidgeted awkwardly before him. Not mealtime, but guests snacking chuckled quietly. Her face burned red with embarrassment.
Lambert probably thought it was fluster from his arrival.
"The fiend who brazenly stole Lady's coin—we apprehended him today."
"Caught the thief?"
He turned at my voice, face stiffening—like why now?
"Indeed... Our patrol company nabbed him red-handed."
"Human?"
My odd question got a sour look.
"What else?"
"Ah... Right."
So not the half-elf. With that agility I saw, no wonder she outran armored guards.
Lambert ignored me, turning back to Della with florid praise, exaggerating the capture...
I brushed past to the bar. Idi "hehe"d, watching the show.
"That half-elf guest. Didn't leave?"
"Yeah... Ate lunch, went sister-hunting. Not back yet..."
"Right."
I joined Idi watching.
"The vile lawbreaker claims no crimes beyond pickpocketing—but my rigorous interrogation will uncover all soon."
"Not curious..."
"Trespassing homes and businesses of the peace-loving, committing theft—grave sins! He'll face trial, judged by impartial scales. Attend then, Lady, reclaim your honor."
"No need..."
Della, who'd been stonewalling passively, finally bolted behind me, hugging my waist and peeking over my shoulder.
Lambert's face twisted in confusion. I averted my eyes from his pitiful stare.
"Master... Tell him to leave, please..."
She whispered into my back. No choice—I told him.
"Captain. Lady needs to compose herself now."
"Ah... So...? Well... No helping it... Ahem..."
He coughed dramatically, slunk out sheepishly.
"Heehee. Thank youuu."
Della hugged tighter, rubbing her cheek on my back.
Tough luck, Captain. My girls only have eyes for me.
Deep into the night. A door on this floor creaked open softly. Half-elf Marim stepped into the hall, small bag on her back, cloaked and hooded despite the weather.
She crept downstairs silently, then veered toward the bar.
The innkeeper told that big-chested woman to dismantle the curse last night... Sure enough.
She reached toward yesterday's trap spot—nothing. The cold, terrifying black threads were gone.
Thought she was done for then... Dumbass owner.
Falling for my bullshit sob story like that. So naive—how's he gonna survive? Fucking idiot.
Getting duped by a half-elf... Keep that up, he'll get scammed, lose the inn.
Anyway... Milked this city good. Guards swarming—time to bounce.
Lucky the owner's a moron, or I'd be toast. One last grab here... Snag the stash on the north road, head home. Enough cash to feed the kids for months.
Behind the dark, unlit bar stood the counter with its thick padlock.
Wow, worm-level IQ? Thefts all over town, and he thinks one lock suffices?
Robbing this fool? Zero guilt. His fault for trusting anyone.
Should thank me. Woke him up cheap—one counter raided.
Life lesson fee—bargain. Without me, bigger hit later.
Marim pulled a thin pin from her pocket, slid it into the keyhole.
"Planning to leave now, huh?"
Her hand froze at the voice from the pitch-black hall depths.