🔊 TTS Settings
~Chapter 18~
As soon as we stepped out of the clothing store after paying, Lysian grabbed my hand again, intertwining his fingers with mine.
A large backpack from the shop rested on one of his shoulders.
Inside were several sets of new clothes, two pairs of shoes, and a coin pouch.
For reference, we had parked the cart in a quiet alley, as the villagers had suggested.
“Do we really have to hold hands like this?”
“Yes, that way I won’t lose you.”
“…We could just hold hands normally, right? This feels a bit…”
“Too much?”
“….”
I stopped myself from saying it felt a bit clingy.
Lysian smiled faintly, tugged my hand, and led the way forward.
“We’ve got clothes and shoes. What’s next on the list?”
“…Hmm, let’s eat something first. I’m really hungry.”
The moment the words left my mouth, my stomach growled loudly. I was sure Lysian heard it too.
Embarrassed, I pressed my burning cheeks with my hands.
“How about this, Muriel?”
Lysian pointed in a direction, and I saw a street stall selling delicious-looking chicken skewers.
“That sounds good. Shall we try it?”
“Yeah…”
I nodded, still a little shy. Lysian smiled softly and guided me toward the skewer stall.
The cheerful, burly man behind the makeshift counter welcomed us warmly.
“Welcome! Here for chicken skewers? Hehe, newlyweds, huh? You two look perfect together!”
“….”
I froze, caught off guard, and hastily tried to explain.
But Lysian was quicker.
“Yes, that’s right. Newlyweds.”
“…!”
“Oh my, that explains the lovey-dovey vibe! Alright, what flavor would you like?”
I shot him a ‘Are you insane?’ glare, but he just grinned at me and spoke in a gentle tone.
“Which flavor do you want, darling?”
“….”
A complete maniac.
I was left speechless, only moving my lips silently.
The stall owner mistook my hesitation for indecision over the flavors and eagerly explained all five options.
“This one’s very spicy! If you can’t handle heat, it might be tough. This one’s milder with a sweet sauce…”
Normally, I could handle spicy food, but who knew how Muriel would cope?
Since my stomach was empty, I chose the safe option—the salted flavor.
And Lysian…
“I’ll have the very spicy one.”
“…?”
The man chuckled at his boldness.
“What a confident young man!”
He quickly prepared two skewers and handed them over. Because I was still flustered, Lysian handled the payment.
“Enjoy! Come back again soon~!”
I turned, still bewildered, staring at the skewers in my hand. It felt like a storm had passed.
‘Darling… seriously ridiculous…’
I bit into the plump chicken, and juicy flavor exploded in my mouth. The salt seasoning was perfect.
“Delicious…”
I mumbled with slightly messy pronunciation from chewing. Lysian walking beside me chuckled softly.
I glanced at him and asked,
“Yours… isn’t it too spicy?”
“It’s fine. Want to try?”
“….”
I shook my head at the bright red sauce. Eating something spicy on an empty stomach could be a disaster.
After that, we wandered the market, tasting various treats: pancakes drizzled with honey, roasted nuts with sugar, warm mulled wine…
Everything was incredible. For someone like me, who’d lived on plain potatoes and tomatoes from the farm, this was sensory overload.
“…Is it really that good?”
I blinked back a tear, and Lysian looked at me in mild surprise.
I wiped my eye and mumbled an explanation.
“I’m just not used to anything flavorful. Eating something tasty all of a sudden…”
Lysian chuckled lightly and said warmly,
“Then come often. I can always come with you.”
I hesitated briefly, then whispered,
“Yeah…”
After eating our fill, we bought the essentials: salt, sugar, and pepper.
Olive oil was a bit pricey, but the merchant discounted it when he heard we’d traveled far. The villagers were generous.
“Oh, we also need flour.”
We stopped in front of a store selling flour, and I counted the remaining money. Even after spending so much, we still had 171 rubels left.
Thanks to Raul, the conscientious lord who collected fair taxes, prices here were relatively reasonable.
‘Humans are complicated creatures.’
He could be harsh toward Muriel, yet as a lord, Raul was surprisingly upright and good—a strange irony.
“Hello, ma’am. I’d like to buy some flour.”
I opened the door and asked, and a middle-aged woman behind the counter raised her eyebrows and stood up.
Her eyes widened as she looked between Lysian and me, then smiled.
“Newlyweds? Oh, how lovely~!”
“….”
I’d already heard that over ten times. Why did people always assume young men and women shopping together were newlyweds? We could just be friends!
Correcting them felt exhausting, so I mumbled something and bought a sack of flour, stepping outside.
Lysian casually slung the nearly 10kg bag over his shoulder and met my gaze with ease.
At this point, I truly wondered how strong he really was.
Ding!
As always, a notification sounded, and the status window appeared.
〈Go to the Village!〉 Quest Complete!
- New Clothes Purchased (12/2)
- New Shoes Purchased (2/2)
- Salt Purchased (1/1)
- Sugar Purchased (1/1)
- Pepper Purchased (1/1)
- Olive Oil Purchased (1/1)
- Flour Purchased (1/1)
- Market Snack Sampling (6/2)
Rewards: 500 coins, 50 reputation, Inventory (D) skill unlocked!
‘Yes!’
Finally, the quest was complete! The reward I was most excited for was the Inventory skill. I opened the skill menu to check the details.
Inventory (D) (Upgradeable)
A versatile storage that can hold anything. Capacity is limited, so use with care! Items inside the inventory remain frozen in time.
※ Stored items can be checked through the inventory menu.
※ Spend reputation to upgrade the inventory. Higher levels increase capacity.
‘Frozen in time?’
Meaning food wouldn’t spoil, ice wouldn’t melt, and every item could be preserved perfectly.
‘This is broken…’
I wanted to try it immediately, but there were too many eyes watching. So I just opened the inventory menu to examine it.
Inventory (D)
Stored Items: None
Capacity: 0/50
‘Hmm, the list is straightforward and easy to check.’
Capacity was measured by item count, not weight or volume—much easier to manage.
‘Perfect, this is an amazing skill.’
I chuckled quietly and closed the status window. Lysian gave me a curious look.
“Hmm!”
Covering my mouth with my fist and clearing my throat, I casually said,
“Ah, I’m tired. We should find a place to stay soon…”
That’s when I saw a familiar face in the distance.
I froze as if I’d seen a terrifying monster.
Thump!
My heart plunged uncontrollably.
Thump… thump… thump…
Muriel’s body was reacting. Even if memory faltered, the scars engraved in my heart couldn’t be erased.
“…Muriel? Are you okay?”
Snapping back to reality, I grabbed Lysian’s hand and pulled him into a nearby dark alley, hiding in the shadows.
The image of the person I’d just seen was vivid in my mind: black hair, blue eyes, a cold expression with no warmth.
It was him—Raul Winterberg.
“Haa…”
I took a deep breath, leaning against Lysian as if the winter wind had chilled my entire body.
Thump.
I heard the thud of something heavy hitting the ground. Lysian had set down the sack and reached for me.
One hand went to my lower back, the other gently cupped my cheek.
“Muriel… are you okay?”
“….”
I slowly lifted my head and saw genuine concern etched on his face. It felt strange, almost alien, to be cared for like this.
Was this… the effect of being Muriel?
I buried my face in his chest and mumbled,
“…I saw something unsettling. Let’s stay hidden here for a bit.”
“Of course… you can lean on me as much as you need.”
Even though my behavior was odd, Lysian didn’t pry. He simply held me tighter.
