Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

There was no way he could use the skill in his current situation as there were no humans born with a bat like wings and would quickly give him away.

The ground approached closer and closer and just when he thought that his only option was to kiss the ground, a mysterious energy that was foreign to him, quickly got hold of his body and decelerated his speed before freeing him of its grasp.

BANG… Simon landed on his feet without any injury and dusted his clothes.

Looking around him, he found himself on a deserted alleyway that was far away from the main market. It seemed that there were no eye witnesses and their intrusion into the city was a success.

"Hehh~ you don't look half bad even in your human appearance" sounded Adalinda's voice from out of the corner. Her golden dress did not have even a single crease and she was holding her umbrella as usual.

"Alright, let's go and find some slip ups that my naive disciple had left behind" saying that, Adalinda quickly walked forward.

Simon sighed in resignation and quickly matched her pace. The roads of the city were made of ordinary stone slabs and had adequate drainage for the water and rain to flow.

On the busy street of the city, multiple shops were lined up selling wares and trading goods with the customers that filled up the place. Various goods and accessories could be seen on the roadside and on the shop attracting customer's interest.

Two humans, a man and a little girl walked past the busy street and arrived near the fountain at the intersection connection three without causing any suspicions. Needless to say, the two were Simon and Adalinda.

There was not much change in Adalinda's appearance, but in contrast, it was Simon that had changed a lot. He no longer had his usual horns, pale white appearance or his striking crimson eyes.

Other than that, his height which was previously above two meters, had shortened down to match the average height of the humans around him. What was same was his appearance that he disliked changing.

While Simon could be called devilishly handsome in his usual form, the human appearance of his had its own unique quirks.

On their way here, Simon had heard many bits and pieces of information from the individuals living in this city and came to know that the city was called Mountmend. It was a remote city located at the north-western corner of the kingdom and was the city closest to the Ghastly Winding Forest.

The city also served as a fortress from any monster outbreak from the forest.

"Were you able to find any tracks of your disciple?" Simon asked looking at the girl who height was only able to reach his waist even after he transformed into a human.

"Not yet, let's look around some more. Given her character, she is bound to make some slip ups. If we search carefully we should be able to find her tracks" Adalinda murmured closing her eyes. <br/><script>ChapterMid();</script>

Simon did not know what she doing, but given her strength, he assumed that she was looking for clues in her own way.

Thinking that the process would take too much time, Simon decided it would be better to ask around. However, after being reincarnated into this world, it was his first time coming in contact with a human city and because of that, even he was hard-pressed to find a place to ask the whereabouts of a person.

While he was observing the inhabitants of the city, Simon soon noticed that there were humans wearing different garbs than normal clothes walking around the city every now and then.

Some of them wore, armours, some light weight chainmail and some leather garbs; however, what was common in them was that they each had weapons sheathed in their waist or back.

Even without thinking hard, Simon immediately understood that those people were none other than adventurers. Suddenly, an idea struck him. If he wanted to find some information, what better way than to ask the adventurers whose primary job was to explore?

"Hey where are you going?" Adalinda asked seeing Simon wandering off by himself.

He came near to a shop which was mainly selling different types of fruits, and initiated a conversation with the owner.

"Do you have a moment? I have a few questions I want to ask?".

The owner of the shop was a plump man with a short stature and a bald head. What was recognisable about him was his thick moustache that seemed to be very well taken care of.

The owner of the shop looked at him with disinterest before speaking dismissively "If you are not here to purchase something than don't waste my?".

His attitude ticked off Adalinda and she was just about to storm off from the shop when she saw Simon standing still.

Understanding the hidden meaning behind the owner's words, Simon immediately brought out some of the coins he had plundered from Laris, and tossed it towards the owner.

"How much are you willing to sell for this?".

The owner instantly caught the pouch in his hands and gave it a quick glance. Immediately, a bootlicking smile bloomed on his face and he redoubled his views on Simon.

"You are most welcome esteemed customer. Please don't hesitate to ask what you need". Seeing the 180° change in the attitude of the man after receiving money from Simon, Adalinda couldn't help but click her tongue in disgust.

Simon wasn't bothered by this change of attitude and asked his question promptly "It's like this we are looking for the whereabouts of a person and do not know where to begin searching for them. I was thinking if there was a place we could specifically go and ask…".

The owner intently listened to his words before making a peculiar face "Are you two by chance new here?".

Thinking that there was no point in hiding it, Simon willingly admitted it.

"I see, in that case are you here to request a commission to the adventurers? If so then you should head to the Adventurers guild branch located near the centre of the city. Or you could also go the headquarters of the guild of your choice and personally make a commission. Hehe, since you are an esteemed customer of mine, here is a free advice from me. Don't make a commission to the Sea God's Trident guild".

The owner next looked left and right before whispering few more words.

"Although I do not know the full detail but according to the rumours, in one of their recent expedition, all of their powerful members have been wiped out. It would be in your best interest to choose the other guilds that still retail all their best members. Personally I would advise you to pick the Blinding Arrow guild as they are the new and upcoming powerhouse of this city".

Simon silently digested the words that the owner had to say before walking away from the shop. He was much too familiar with the incident where a guild was ambushed near his dungeon and nearly lost all of its members.

After all, he was there and had interrupted the fight just in time to save the surviving two members of that guild. What he didn't know was that their guild was named Sea God's Trident and they were a guild from the city of Mountmend he was currently at.

"There is no mistaking it, it's them" Simon frowned while silently walking the busy streets.

'If those two are here, then I definitely cannot get involved with them or else my cover would be immediately blow away' he internally thought as he remembered the pair that he had saved.

Although the man had fallen unconscious, the woman had seen his face and would definitely be able to recognise him.

"Hey what are you brooding about?" Adalinda remarked seeing him creasing his brows and walking randomly.

"Do you really think these snotty nose adventurers will be able to find anything? If so then you have really underestimated my disciple. Forget about them, even their ancestors would be unable to find any of the clues that Lucine might have left behind. Hey are you listening?".

Simon who was walking towards the centre of the city, stated "Even if they do not know, there is a chance that your disciple might have visited those places and have left some tracks unknowingly that you could collect. Also, there is no harm in gathering information from a completely foreign land, who knows, we might even be able to know the destination in which your disciple is headed for".

Adalinda blinked her eyes in surprise at how level headed Simon was even when he was in a completely foreign land.

"Hehh~ interesting! Let's do as you say, although I doubt she is stupid enough to leave any such obvious tracks like that, but just in case there is no harm to check it out. So are we going to the adventurers guild or the one that fatty had recommended?".

Simon simply shook his head and replied "Since we are not going to make a commission, there is no point in going to a private guild. That leaves only the Adventurers guild".

Adalinda nodded her head without much interest.

The centre of the city was a wide plaza filled with tall buildings and was the hub of the market. Various offices and workplaces were also located at this place crowding with people who were coming and going out.

The place was vibrant with activity as the inhabitants of this city went along with their daily life.