Theo was aware he was evil. 

He was the right hand of the worst villain to plague the continent in a century, after all. He was even aware that his current behavior was rather hypocritical.

Still, even he couldn't stop the hiss of anger that escaped his breath when he saw the dungeon full of thin children cowering behind bars. 

The children flinched when Theo made eye contact, too scared to make a sound. It was obvious that these children were victims of human trafficking. Theo may have been trash, but even he couldn't ignore suffering children.

Theo slammed the doors back shut and narrowed his ruby eyes as he thought of what to do. Due to his circumstances, he couldn't directly help the children. 

Good deeds didn't exactly build the type of reputation his boss, Dullahan, was going for. 

However, a plan to reveal the children to someone who would make a far better savior than him without failing the mission or catching his boss's attention began to form in Theo's mind. 

Dullahan had tasked Theo with stealing a particular earring, and Theo couldn't afford to fail the mission. He had been on his way to the local lord's treasury when he stumbled across the children and would still have to find it before he could help them. 

Theo stepped over a guard he had already knocked unconscious and slunk down the hall. He listened for the sounds of any other life as he moved and eventually came to a corner. Left would take him back upstairs where he would find a lively party with especially delightful desserts. Theo turned right.

After a few more turns, Theo heard the soft sound of someone breathing. It was probably a guard for the treasury. He smiled before slipping into the shadows.

Theo was a warlock, a practitioner of the dark arts. He wasn't skilled at spell casting or rituals, but he could manipulate shadows to an extent. 

As long as he didn't want to be seen, the shadows would devour his presence. Theo wasn't completely invisible, but it would take a very observant, very powerful mana user to notice him. 

Theo hopped between the plentiful shadows until he came to the guard. 

He struck the back of the guard's neck with the blunt end of a dagger, and the guard crumpled to the floor without a single cry. Satisfied, Theo tucked the blade back into its sheath. 

Theo always tried to end fights quickly; he hated to spill even a drop of his own blood.

The door behind the guard was locked, but that posed little problem for Theo. 

He then tugged at a shadow that was lurking in his sleeve without a moment's hesitation. With little guidance, the shadow slipped inside the lock and pushed the pins until the lock popped open. 

The sight that greeted Theo when the door swung open would have been overwhelming if he hadn't already broken into more treasuries than he could count. 

Gold, precious gems, and other priceless items were piled everywhere. Dragons had a reputation for hoarding wealth, but Theo found it hard to imagine them collecting more gold than he had already seen in the wealthy's treasuries.  

Theo pocketed a handful of gold coins with a frown. It would be difficult to find the artifact he was supposed to steal in this mess of wealth, and it was only a matter of time before one of the guards woke up.

After taking a steeling breath, Theo begins to dig through the treasures. He tossed aside talking daggers, and combs that could change the length of your hair, and boots that would make each step seven leagues long. 

Eventually, Theo found what he was looking for. 

It was a simple earring made from a black stone attached to a gold thread. It was well-made but looked far too unassuming and, if he was being frank, entirely too plain for all this fuss. 

But, as per usual, nobody was asking Theo for his opinion. It was their loss. 

Theo slipped on a pair of leather gloves before picking up the earring. Theo could only assume the earring was enchanted because Dullahan had ordered him not to directly touch it. 

Moving hastily, Theo slipped the earring into a linen pouch before tucking it away with the pilfered gold in his inner coat pocket.

Theo then rushed out of the treasury and up the stairs toward the party. Despite his notoriety as one of the continent's worst men, not many people recognized his face. 

In part, this lack of recognition was because of his skill at burglary, but it was also mainly because mana recorders were a new and obscenely expensive piece of technology. Not even kings could afford to use mana recorders throughout their castles at all times. 

There was, however, a woman at the party who would recognize him. 

Her name was Marie Audie, and she was one of the best magic users Theo knew of and integral to the next part of his plan.

Marie had previously saved Theo's life and felt incredibly responsible for her mistake. She would undoubtedly chase after Theo if she saw him, which was precisely the reaction he needed for his plan to help the children.

Somebody bumped into Theo as he entered the ballroom, but he didn't mind their apology. He was too busy scanning the crowd for Marie. 

He found her across the room at a table piled high with desserts. Her ebony curls bobbed up and down as she laughed at whatever the person speaking to her was saying.

Theo pushed his way through the crowd until he got to Marie. Then, he "accidentally" tripped in front of her. Marie reached down to help him up.

"You-" Marie froze as she realized who she was talking to, and her bronze complexion paled as the blood drained from her face. Her companion tilted their head in confusion at her reaction.

Theo feigned a shocked expression as he scrambled to his feet though he couldn't match the horror in Marie's expression.

"Ah, Marie Audie," Theo said, "what a surprising accident, falling in front of you."

He gave a quick wave before dashing back through the crowd. 

Most people moved out of his way, but the few that didn't, he barreled through. He tried to be gentle, but Theo was sure the last woman he shoved aside might end up with a fractured wrist. 

He felt guilt for a fraction of a second. 

Still, anyone welcome at this party was more than wealthy enough to see a mana-user specializing in healing. The woman's pain would be short-lived. 

His actions succeeded in drawing negative attention. Shouted expletives, and some hastily slapped-together offensive spells nipped at Theo's heels as he dashed back down the stairs to the basement. 

Pretending to catch his breath, Theo paused long enough to ensure Marie saw which direction he had turned.

While well-intentioned, Theo took a risk for the brief pause. He ducked as an enchanted bullet whizzed past his cheek. It hit the wall with a far louder impact than a typical bullet. Theo glanced at the wall to see a section the size of his forearm crumbling.

Marie was a mage who used a pistol to harness her magic. Her bullets were far more dangerous than unenchanted ones and were often spelled with unpleasant side effects. 

Theo had been hit by them more than he would like. 

Fortunately for Theo, the stronger the magic Marie infused a bullet with, the longer it took for her to prepare the attack and the more unwieldy it was, so she was often unable to unleash the full extent of her magic on him.

Picking up the pace, Theo sprinted to the dungeon and leaped over the unconscious guard as he flung open the door. 

Too late, Theo realized a fatal flaw in his plan. There was only one entrance to the dungeon. It was an embarrassingly obvious mistake. 

Theo froze as Marie entered the dungeon. 

He could see the shock and then understanding register on her face. 

For a moment, Theo's lips curled into a smile. While he would still have to get out of this situation, his plan succeeded. 

Marie had a strong sense of justice, was in a position of power, and was someone he could trust to resolve the human trafficking. 

Marie tucked her pistol back into a holster on her leg and unsheathed a sword instead. Theo was in luck. Marie was too noble to risk hitting one of the children with a stray bullet. 

Theo could sympathize with her reasoning. However, her decision made the situation more favorable to Theo. It would be far easier to escape unscathed if Marie wasn't using magic.

"You might as well surrender," Marie said, lowering into a defensive stance. "There's nowhere to run to."

"Please," Theo grinned, feigning confidence, "you can't even use magic without hurting these little gremlins you so obviously care about." 

Theo chuckled as he sauntered forward. "I, on the other hand, am not held back by such paltry concerns." He had to make sure there wouldn't be any rumors that he was soft-hearted or cared about children. 

Then, Theo slammed a bludgeon of mana into the ground as a distraction. The stone shattered, its dust clouding the air from the force of the impact. 

A few coughs pierced the air, and Theo winced at the sound. He hadn't thought about the children inhaling all that dust. 

Well, they will survive, Theo thought as he pushed the momentary guilt aside. 

He then attempted to dash past Marie while swiping at her with a shadowy blade. His slash fell short, but Marie made a bit more space for Theo to run by as she dodged his attack. 

He had almost reached the door when a hand grabbed the end of Theo's stubby, black half-ponytail and yanked him backward. 

Theo was shocked. 

Marie had never employed such a dishonorable street-fighting technique. That was usually his area of expertise. 

Theo managed to twist free of her, but not before Marie used the moment to swipe at Theo. The edge of her blade caught his upper arm. 

It was a relatively shallow wound, but Theo's eyes widened as his blood splattered to the ground.

"Oh, fantastic," Theo muttered.