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Sneaking around looking for clues was pretty fun. Leaving the defenses to Gerty once again, the search for the mercs sent you and Mel from place to place—airship dockyards, to markets, beneath bridges and even above rooftops.
Your wife was also having a good time, pulling a few pranks here and there on people with her beguiler skills.
"Teehee~" Mel said after she'd swapped a Westphalian's merchant's top hat with a soldier's.Her fairy lineage must've been getting the better of her. Of course you stopped her from doing anything that would give either of you away, though the times it'd be warranted were few and far in between.
This was honestly starting to feel like a date.
Looking around and eavesdropping for any tell of those people associated with Forthwythe proved to be a delicate situation. Most Westphalians tended to not know much about the old noble. You'd heard a few rumors around, the truth of which Mel confirmed or denied. You did learn that he taxed Riverdale too much, without giving anything back to show for it. He was pretty unpopular with those that knew actually him, and you suspected most only tolerated Forthwythe because they had no other choice.
There was some more interesting stuff: Like how Forthwythe had been surprisingly merciful on some bandits that came into Riverdale, even letting them go without punishment. Or how some mercenaries and gun runners that were employed through the official Westphalian government were allowed to wear Westian uniforms when within foreign nations, something that explained why the mercenaries looked like Westphalian guards. There weren't many rumors of any new Savant Lords appearing, giving you mixed feelings.
"If he's gonna be a nice guy to thieves then why'd he kick me out because of dad? I mean, what the heck!" Mel looked troubled. You consoled her with a hug, which she returned for a bit too long.
You'd both quietly stalked any suspicious looking Westphalian guards or mercenaries you saw, turning invisible and running into narrow alleyways when things got dicey.
One of these dicey times involved some mercenaries that, despite it only being a little while into the afternoon, seemed drunk enough to think trying to harass your wife in front of you was a good idea. While you were able to successfully scare them off using your Shellstrike Gauntlets, it unfortunately got the attention of the police. You'd ended up needing to run, but thankfully Mel was able to quickly whip up an illusion to hide your identities. You decided to give her a piggyback ride because of her low stamina.
"Master! Over there!" She said, high pitched voice next to your ear. Her light weight was something you appreciated more and more.
