Chapter 248
In his mind.
‘Hell! This masked person outrageously hit me with a coin!? No one had ever dared to do that to me!’ Bigmouth bellowed inwardly.
The onlookers were looking at the scene while holding their breaths. All of them were already expecting a grim fate to that person, who incited Bigmouth’s fury. He moved so fast that one would doubt his size. Even though he was big and tall, he was unbelievably quick. Eman almost could not believe what his eyes were seeing.
Yet, before Bigmouth’s fist could land on his target, unexpectedly Bigmouth oddly stopped moving as though the time stopped in him. This happening puzzled the onlookers who were the witness of the scene.
“Wha-!”
“What happened? Why did Bigmouth suddenly stop moving?”
.....
Some curious utterance from those two on the table.
It was not just the witnesses who were confused by what happened. Even Bigmouth himself didn’t know why he suddenly felt a strange sensation as if there was some kind of prickling pain suddenly crawling throughout his whole body. He could not move his body since then.
The confusion of what had happened was obvious in his wide-opened eyes. His black pupils in the eyes were full of anxiety. At that moment, he felt a repeated tapping on his right shoulder. “Eh?” Bigmouth whispered weakly. He didn’t even notice when the masked man moved, so he could hardly believe that he was in front of him already.
The left hand of the mysterious masked man was tapped on his right shoulder before he noticed him. On that left hand, he noticed a trace of a mysterious red-orange aura. Bigmouth frowned.
That instance before Bigmouth’s fist could reach him, Eman’s hand already touched the imbecile’s chest. Then he used his Stun Finger ability to stun him. Bigmouth tried his best to move but to no avail. No matter what he did he could not move even a finger in his hands.
‘What the hell?’ Bigmouth was flabbergasted.
From the rise in his body temperature due to anger earlier, in a moment his whole body suddenly went cold. Beads of cold sweat crawled down his face and body. He could not understand why he wasn’t able to follow the movements of the person in front of him. Since the first time he joined the guild, he only now encountered a man that his eyes could not keep up.
Under the mask he was wearing, Eman cracked a cold warning. “Choose the person you’re messing with.” He was saying this while pointing a dagger at Bigmouth’s throat.
Bigmouth swallowed back his saliva as he could feel the cold sensation of the pointy edge of the weapon slightly pricking on his throat. His heartbeat quickened in fear. Especially when he saw the ruby ??red eyes that were making his creepy mask more frightening. Those eyes were staring at him as if he was staring at a pest.
Out of fear, Bigmouth could no longer speak from his cold warning. But, his forehead furrowed when he thought about the reason that this man threw a coin at him.
With a trembling body, as he was trying to move and be freed from this mysterious curse he was under, “Wh-why did you hit me with a coin?” He summoned all his courage and asked the question.
The pair of red eyes just stared at him with no change in expression. Bigmouth widened his eyes once again when he noticed the person in front of him suddenly pulled the dagger downward without blinking an eye.
A quick downstroke!? Bigmouth screamed inwardly.
Reflexively, his body stiffened. He was about to step back. But, his feet didn’t even follow what he wanted. His stiffness was noticeable at that moment.
Did he stab him? Bigmouth asked himself. But, he didn’t feel the pain. He was baffled as to what he did. His eyes drew downward and saw the person slowly lift back the dagger. On the tip of the dagger, he noticed a familiar object hanging on it.
Bigmouth widened his eyes. “Y-you bastard! H-how did-” he exclaimed.
The object that was hanging on Eman’s dagger was a small leather pouch. It was hanging on Bigmouth’s maroon leather belt. In short, it was Bigmouth’s leather pouch.
Eina at that moment tilted her head in wonder. She was wondering why her brother suddenly attacked the huge man who was just passing by.
“Brother, what’s the problem?” She asked.
But Eman did not respond. Instead, he lifted the dagger in a quick sudden movement, which caused the pouch to bounce in the air. Then, he used his free hand to catch it. When Eman opened the pouch and took the object in it, everyone widened their eyes. Eina was also.
As if the scene was in slow motion when Eina’s expression turned into a surprised one. She saw a familiar golden necklace adorned with a moon pendant in a crescent moon shape.
Right. It was the same as the necklace that Big Sister Zennie gave her before they departed. Eina quickly checked the necklace in her possession, but she could not find it on her neck.
“T-that’s my... necklace?!” She exclaimed. But, how was it inside that person’s pouch?
With widened eyes, “N-no that’s mine!” Bigmouth retorted.
“You bastard! Still lying, huh!” Eman pushed forward the tip of the dagger towards the throat of the big guy in front of him.
Bigmouth frowned. The tip pricked the surface layer of his skin and he could feel a stinging painful feeling from it. He could even feel a tiny bit of his blood dripping from that wound.
“B-bastard...” he muttered as he gritted his teeth. But he could do nothing at this rate. ‘How did this bastard notice it?’ He wondered how Eman noticed when he snatched away the necklace from that little one.
He was sure his movement was soundless and quick. He wasn’t a high-ranked thief for no reason. There were even times when he snatched away some valuable equipment and accessories from noble ladies and men with a higher stage level than him without them noticing.
Those people obviously have higher-level attributes compared to him. However, none of them noticed when he suddenly grabbed their belongings using his skillful talent in picking. Compared to those high levels, the person in front of him was pale in comparison. Bigmouth can feel the level of magical energy that is in the person. And what he felt from Eman was very low. He was weaker than a kid.
Also, the little one with him, Bigmouth could not feel any magical energy from him or her. He had no idea if it was a girl or boy the person behind that costume he or she was wearing.
Bigmouth has only one suspicion about this. He was sure that the little one was a useless person like trash. And the other is a weak creature. So Bigmouth is highly confident that the two are just an easy target for him. Well, for him, it was the fault of the two guests because they entered this place carrying valuable items where the occupants were all thieves.
That’s why Bigmouth was shocked by what happened. Especially when he was discovered snatching the necklace.
Bigmouth doesn’t know how the masked man found out when he grabbed his companion’s necklace. However, he has a more serious problem at the moment. He did not know what the man in front of him was planning to do to him. If he wished to kill him, it wouldn’t be difficult to accomplish this especially since Bigmouth still couldn’t move his whole body.
What kind of power was it that even someone like him on the silver stage was able to stop. Bigmouth was wondering in disbelief.
Although Bigmouth tried to claim that the necklace was initially his, Eman did not believe his claim.
“You bastard try to do it again on us and I will make sure to cut both of your arms.” Eman left a cold warning again before leaving the big man thief on his own. At his warning, he noticed the thief clamped his mouth tightly.
If Eina wasn’t with him at the moment, that thief could not leave with just a tiny wound on his throat. Fortunately for him, they were in the presence of his sister. Eman didn’t want to let Eina witness a cruel scene.
After the two masked people left him, Bigmouth just then heaved a sigh of relief. He also noticed his body could be moved again. He wanted to take advantage of his unguarded back.
Although he still believed that the masked person was weaker than him, he could not bring his feet to step forward and chase to attack them.
The warning embedded deeper into his core. Also, there was a weird feeling of danger. His danger sense was telling him not to do it. It seemed as though if he chose to attack again, his life would be in great danger. Especially that mysterious ability he used to stop his movement. As long he had no idea what that skill could do, Bigmouth was skeptical to attack again.
“Tsk!” He clicked his tongue before he hastily fled away from the barracks. He wondered who those people were.
After leaving the thief with a massive figure, Eman handed back the necklace to Eina. “Please be careful not to lose it again,” he said.
Eman knew how important the necklace to Zennie. But even so, she gave it as parting gift to his Sister. That’s why it’s inappropriate to just lose it.
Eina nodded repeatedly. “Thank you, bro!” She embraced the necklace close to her chest.