"Well, well, well… you're in luck, Ms. Charlotte," Ahrie said, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"So, how about it?" Min added, hands on his hips.

"S-sure…" Charlotte replied hesitantly.

They started down the road toward the noble quarter — Ahrie in front, Min dragging Charlotte by her foot like a sack of trouble.

"Oiii! Hey! I can walk!" Charlotte shouted.

"Hell nah, you'll bolt again," Min said without even looking back.

As they moved deeper into the district, the air changed. The mud turned to marble. The noise of Glimmerfen's market faded behind them, replaced by the crisp sound of marching boots. Buildings gleamed; gold emblems reflected in clean glass.

Knights from different houses trained in the courtyards, their armor ringing sharp in rhythm. Guards patrolled every corner, their formation neat — too neat for comfort.

"Damn," Ahrie muttered, scanning the patrols. "That's a lot of guards for one neighborhood."

"How come they got this many when we barely saw one back there?" Min said under his breath.

Charlotte cleared her throat softly. "Uh… can you let me go now?"

Both Ahrie and Min turned to her, deadpan.

"No way."

"Nope."

"Not a chance."

Min kept dragging. Charlotte sighed, the heel of her shoe scraping the cobblestone as they walked sneakily into the Noble's District.

They slipped past the patrol lines, creeping from one shadow to the next.

Ahrie rolled across the ground like some kind of deranged mercenary.

Min belly-crawled through grass that wasn't even that tall.

Charlotte just watched them… before reluctantly following suit.

They crouched behind a hedge as a pair of guards marched by.

"Distracting sound," Min whispered, hand out.

Charlotte's lips twitched. Even now, even during a break-in, the mention of sound lit something in her eyes. She reached into her pouch, pulling out one of her glass bottles.

"This one's my best one," she said, almost proudly.

Min snatched it, squinted at the shimmering fluid inside, then hurled it toward a flower patch.

Clink.

The bottle shattered—

"Meow… Meow…"

Both guards froze.

One turned his head. "Was that… a cat?"

The other frowned.

They followed the noise, drifting away.

Meanwhile, Min's face went pale. "D-did I just hit one?"

Before he could step out, Ahrie yanked him and Charlotte into the courtyard's shadow.

Min blinked, finally realizing what happened. "Ohhh… that was the distraction!"

Ahrie gave him a look. "Took you long enough."

Charlotte pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh.

"I—I already knew that!" Min snapped, whispering loud. "I was just… acting!"

"Uh-huh."

Neither of them bothered to respond.

They just kept moving… one rolling, one whispering excuses, and one trying not to lose it.

deeper into the nobles' estate.

Ahrie's eyes traced the line of manors ahead — white stone, gold trim, glass walls tall enough to make him jealous.

Each one is more beautiful. Each one is more expensive.

"Damn," Min whistled low. "These bastards got real cashing."

Ahrie just stared, light gleaming in his eyes. "I want one."

"Dream on, broke boy." Min smirked.

Charlotte sighed, "Ehe-Ehem…"

"Ah… right." Both men muttered.

They crept toward the nearest estate—House Mossveil—and crouched beneath the window.

One by one, they peeked inside. Nothing. Empty hall. Empty room.

Until—

Ahrie froze. "There."

Through the glass, a noblewoman in a silk robe sat facing a hooded figure.

Ahrie frowned. "That's it? Just some lady? Where's the patriarch or, I don't know, an evil geezer or something?"

He nudged the window open just enough for sound to slip through. Charlotte leaned in, ear practically glued to the gap. Her pulse quickened.

"Did you take care of them?" The woman's voice came sharp and cold.

"Yes, ma'am," the hooded one replied. "I took care of them."

Min raised his brows. Oh… Now that's something.

Charlotte whispered under her breath, almost trembling in thrill.

[Shhh—it's Recording!]

A faint swirl of air brushed past them—invisible.

Ahrie and Min froze, clamping their mouths shut. Even their breathing went quiet.

The wind carried the words—and the proof—into Charlotte's waiting bottle.

The noblewoman leaned back in her chair, voice dripping with smug.

"With that, we control the entire food distribution across Glimmerfen. We can raise the price as much as we want."

She tilted her head and laughed—

"Houuu~Houuu~Houuu~"

Ahrie and Min froze.

The hell kind of laugh was that? they both thought, deadpan, in perfect sync.

"Raise their tax from ten percent to twenty," the woman continued.

The hooded figure bowed. "Understood."

Charlotte's eyes gleamed. She finished the capture, then turned back to them and flashed a quiet thumbs-up.

Ahrie and Min grinned, returning the gesture.

Mission complete.

Before leaving, Min crouched and scribbled something on the ground with a rock, tongue poking out as he wrote.

Ahrie tilted his head. "What are you—"

"Just a little... signature," Min whispered.

As they slipped away, Ahrie paused—picked up a random stone—and chucked it straight at the manor window.

CRASH!

Glass exploded across the carpet.

The noblewoman jolted to her feet, clutching her chest as she rushed to the window.

Outside, in the dirt, written in messy strokes:

"You're Fuck! Houuu~Houuu~Houuu~"

Her face went pale.

Somewhere down the street, faint laughter echoed—

Ahrie and Min's.

They slipped into the next estate—House Thornmere.

Lavish halls, perfume thick in the air… and then—

A muffled sound from behind a door.

Ahrie froze. "Wait, is that—"

He opened the door just enough to see—

An old noble harassing a young servant girl.

"Nope. Nope. Don't wanna hear it." Ahrie turned on his heel immediately, dragging Min away.

"Eughhh—I'm gonna puke," Min gagged.

"Charlotte! Oiii!" Ahrie hissed—

But Charlotte was already holding a small bottle, eyes wide, lips trembling from both horror and fascination.

She whispered, "Recording…"

"Oh my—unbelievable." Ahrie covered his face.

"Disgusting," Min muttered.

They hurried out before they saw more.

Next stop—House Virelth.

The manor loomed over the others, all black marble

They crouched beneath a window. Curtains drawn. Voices inside.

Ahrie gently lifted the edge of the fabric.

"The young lord was drunk again," the knight said quietly.

"He killed three people at the tavern."

"So?" The patriarch's voice was bored.

"Kill the witnesses too."

"Yes, sir."

Ahrie and Min exchanged looks—too stunned to move, too hooked to breathe.

They'd forgotten why they were even there.

"Oi—Charlotte—" Ahrie turned.

Charlotte already had her bottle sealed, grinning like she'd just won a prize.

They didn't even whisper this time—

They celebrated.

Loud. Laughing. Chest bumps and everything.

Inside, the patriarch yanked the curtains open—

Nothing.

The three were already gone, running across a street lined with golden gates and marble fences.

"Oii, Min," Ahrie said between breaths. "How do I become a nobleman?"

"Shut it. Shut it," Min groaned.

After gathering everything they needed, the three headed back toward Ahrie and Min's inn.

The afternoon breeze felt lighter now—mission complete, bellies half empty, wallets soon to be full.

Then—

They spotted their horse.

Just standing there.

Right where they left it.

Looking deeply offended.

"Oiii!"

SMACK!

Ahrie slapped its side. "Where the hell did you wander off to!?"

SMACK!

Min followed up. "Are your eyes just for decoration, huh!? You dumb sack of thin muscle!"

The horse blinked, stepped back, then pointed at itself with its snout—like, 'Me? You two idiots ditched me!'

It huffed, stamping the ground. 'Pieces of shi— oh wait, how rude of me…' It tilted its head dramatically, 'but FUCK YOU! BOTH OF YOU!'

All Ahrie and Min heard were angry NEEEIGHs!

Charlotte crossed her arms, then joined in.

SMACK!

"No one understands you, idiot!"

The horse froze—offended in all languages known to beasts.

Ahrie, Min, and Charlotte stood there in silence for a moment… then all three burst into laughter as the horse stomped away in fury.

They go back to the inn—finally.

The room was messy, the floor creaked.

Ahrie sat by the table, pen in hand, grinning like a scheming fox.

"Alright," he muttered, cracking his knuckles. "Time to send our love letters."

He scribbled fast—

'Dear Fucking Shitty Nobles…'

Min tilted his head. "That's… your idea of a formal letter?"

Ahrie kept going, tongue sticking out slightly as he wrote:

'I am the Collector of Screams. I collected some fun things from your estate… how fun. Pay me if you don't want this to spread.'

He sat back, proud. "There. Straightforward."

Charlotte frowned. "Eh? That's it?"

"What? It's straight to the point." Ahrie replied.

"Location," Charlotte pointed out.

"Oh. Right."

He added a final line: 'Send the payment to these coordinates.'

It was a random patch of grassland outside Glimmerfen.

They started folding the letters when Charlotte stopped them.

She pulled out the small bottles filled with recorded evidence and muttered:

[REVERSAL - !gnidroceR s'ti-hhhS]

A soft shimmer of sound rippled through the room—then sank into the parchment.

"If they open it," Charlotte said, smiling, "they'll hear a… sample."

Ahrie and Min's eyes lit up.

"OHHHH!" they said in sync.

Minutes later, the three of them walked into the local post office like model citizens.

"Urgent delivery," Ahrie said, stacking the letters.

"Priority mail," Min added, winking.

Charlotte just sighed behind them.

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