Andromalius
Well… if I wasn’t making a fortune already, maybe I’d consider learning subspace magic later, when I become a Platinum Badge adventurer swimming in more money than I could count.
By then, maybe the world wouldn't be so chaotic because of all the loot drops.
“Well then, I’ll be on my way. Just came to check out the subspace magic stuff.”
“Oh, okay.”
Amelia, with her pink hair, said goodbye and scurried back inside.
She must be working on another experiment.
Maybe something similar to that metal ball she launched at me last time.
‘What in the world was she even researching?’
I’d never heard of anything like it.
I guess running a general store had its quirks, like doing research that was anything but general.
I was curious, but not curious enough to pry.
It’s her business.
With that thought, I stepped out of the store.
“Hmm…”
I walked aimlessly, lost in thought.
It seemed like there weren't many ‘travelers’ in Baruk.
Or maybe I just wasn't good at spotting them.
Everyone received a basic understanding of this world when they crossed over from Korea, so it was rare to see anyone acting out of place.
There were two ways to tell.
One was if they told you themselves.
‘Yeah, right.’
Unless you met them on the forum, that almost never happened.
Sure, ‘travelers’ weren’t discriminated against, but that didn’t make them any less wary of others.
Most of them kept it to themselves.
The second way was if you saw someone spacing out, but their eyes were focused.
Usually, the forum appeared as a translucent screen in front of you, so anyone looking at it from the outside would seem like they were staring into space.
Or they’d pretend to look at something else while browsing the forum.
That was usually a good indicator that someone was a ‘traveler’.
Of course, now that this little trick was common knowledge, nobody stared blankly into space while browsing the forum anymore.
Lost in these musings, I wandered the streets.
I didn’t really have a set way to unwind.
I’d just walk around, grab a bite if anything caught my eye, or just enjoy the scenery.
‘Pretty wholesome hobby, if you ask me.’
I heard other adventurers gambled their earnings away. Compared to them, I was practically a saint.
Well… I wasn’t completely opposed to the idea of gambling.
It was practically a fantasy staple.
I was a little curious, but the odds of losing money were just too high.
Besides, browsing the forum from the comfort of my own home was way more entertaining.
As I was walking around, thinking about this and that, I spotted a familiar face.
“Oh, hey there.”
“Hmm? Oh, Eugene.”
It was Violet.
She was probably taking a break from yesterday’s mission, just like me.
Of course, she still had her trusty dagger strapped to her thigh.
And I still had my robe tucked away in my necklace, ready to be whipped out at a moment’s notice.
I didn’t want to show my face unless I had to.
My colleagues were more than enough.
I’d gotten into too many fights in the past because of my unusual hair color.
Well, it was unusual by this world’s standards, anyway.
We chatted for a bit.
“What are you up to?” she asked.
“Oh, you know, I heard there’s a restaurant around here with amazing food. Just thought I’d check it out.”
“I see.”
To me, almost every restaurant in Baruk served amazing food.
Of course, there were some exceptions, but those places usually went out of business pretty quickly.
These days, it was hard to find a place that didn’t suit my taste.
As I was thinking about food, Violet casually said, “You know you promised to buy me dinner? How about here? I’m kinda craving this place.”
“Oh, sure. I don’t mind. It’s on me, after all.”
I had no idea what kind of food Violet liked, but I had a feeling her standards were higher than mine. It was probably best to let her choose.
The last thing I wanted was to see her face scrunch up in disgust because of my recommendation.
With that settled, we entered ‘Harang Tavern’.
Even though it wasn’t that late in the day, the place was packed.
“Wow, it’s crowded.”
“Well, it is supposed to be famous. Guess the rumors were true.”
As we were looking around, a waitress scurried over to our table.
“Ah, are you two together?”
“Yes, we are.”
“Right this way then…!”
We followed her to our table and took a seat.
The atmosphere was surprisingly cozy.
“This place has a nice vibe,” I commented.
“Yeah, and they used good wood for the furniture. High-quality stuff.”
I had no eye for furniture, so I just took her word for it.
Violet had no reason to lie to me.
As we were chatting, a familiar face approached our table, holding a menu.
“Huh?”
“What are you two doing here?”
It was Teron, his bald head gleaming under the tavern lights. He didn’t exactly scream “waiter material.”
Something felt off.
“Do you… work here?” I asked.
“Yeah, my wife owns this place. Just helping her out, as you can see.”
“…You’re married?”
“Of course I am. It’d be weirder if I wasn’t at my age.”
He was right, it made sense for someone his age to be married. I just never pictured Teron as the marrying type.
I always thought he was a lone wolf.
“Wow, didn’t know you had it in you.”
“Hmph, less chatter, more ordering. I wouldn’t brag about it, but Harang Tavern’s food is top-notch. Anything you order will be good. I guarantee it.”
“Okay, okay… we’ll take this, and this.”
“How about some beer?”
“That’s a given.”
Beer was a must in this world.
It was a little too warm for my liking, though, so I always froze it before drinking.
Otherwise, it just tasted weird.
Teron took our order and headed back to the kitchen, scratching his head.
“What did you order?” I asked.
“Just the usual. I like to try the basic dishes first, get a feel for the place before ordering anything fancy.”
“Oh…”
Honestly, I couldn’t relate. But I nodded along like I understood.
I wasn’t completely clueless about social cues.
We were chatting when Teron came back with our food.
“Wow, looks delicious,” I said.
“Hmph, my wife makes this dish especially well. You won’t be disappointed.”
Teron really seemed to adore his wife.
It was kind of funny seeing that gruff exterior melt away when he talked about her.
Well, good for him.
I chuckled and discreetly cooled our beers with my magic.
“Every time I see you do that, it amazes me. You sure you don’t want to work here? I’ll give you a good rate.”
“Nah, I’m good.”
Why would I bother?
It wasn’t like I needed the money.
There were tons of ways to make money with magic. I didn’t need to resort to manual labor.
With that thought, I took a long gulp of my ice-cold beer.
I used to wonder why people even drank this stuff, but once I discovered the joy of a perfectly chilled beer, there was no going back.
The only downside was having to purify the water myself.
As we ate and chatted, Violet brought up something interesting.
“I heard from a reliable source that a Legion Commander’s hideout is somewhere near Baruk. They haven’t been active lately, but apparently, they’re planning something big. We should probably lie low for a while.”
She was obviously telling me this for my own good.
We hadn’t known each other for that long, but we’d already formed a bond.
I appreciated her concern.
“Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll definitely be careful. It’s not like I’m hurting for money anyway.”
As long as the Legion Commander didn’t threaten my source of income, I couldn’t care less.
The last thing I wanted was to get caught up in something troublesome.
Just as I was thinking this, someone burst through the tavern doors and shouted, “Andromalius has been sighted…!”
And in that instant, I knew.
This was going to be a pain.
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She is MasterAssassin
ReplyDeleteThe foreshadow since few chaps ago tho
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