Chapter 175

Chapter 175

We stayed at Baron Lanze’s estate for less than a day. However, even that short time was enough to have a conversation. After finishing my talks with Lutricia and Shelina, El and I immediately returned to Tritia. Unlike the journey to Baron Lanze’s estate, the return trip didn’t take as long. Since there was no reason to delay, we took the most direct route possible straight to Tritia. Because of this, aside from the usual squabbles between travelers, there was nothing particularly noteworthy. After about six days of forced march, we were able to return to Tritia. Of course, in El’s case, it couldn’t be said that she was ‘returning’. She had been staying in the Altarquin Mountains in the first place. However, El decided not to return to the mountains and to stay with me. “Don’t you need to tell Rutian?” “…Not yet. I’m not ready.” “I don’t think you’ll ever be ready.” At my sharp assertion, El nodded in agreement. “I agree.” Chatting like that, we passed through the gates of Tritia and immediately looked for an inn. It was late afternoon, and we hadn’t had proper meals or accommodation for six days, so finding an inn was more urgent than anything else. Fortunately, Tritia was a thriving city, and the lodging industry was booming, so we were able to find a decent place and check in without much difficulty. After finding an inn, checking in, and finishing our meal, the sun was already setting. “….” The second-floor room with two beds was quite charming. Watching the twilight outside the window, I thought to myself. Should I go see Emily now? It was a bit late to arrive in Tritia, but it wasn’t too late to see Emily. The Twilight District, where she was, was a place where twilight was dawn. If I went now, I’d probably see the lively streets. “What are you doing?” As I was pondering, El, who had just finished showering, came into the room and asked. The way she brushed back her damp hair was, surprisingly, quite feminine. “I was thinking of going to see Emily.” “….Ah, that place.” When I said that, El nodded as if she understood. A bitter smile played on her lips. She knew what Emily did, so she couldn’t help but smile like that. After thinking for a while, El blurted out. “You guys are having a hard time too.” “…Are we?” Since she craved blood, did she also understand our cravings? I looked at El, who seemed to understand, and added. “It’s okay. It’ll be better than the vampires’ hardships.” “….Why the sudden hostility?” “It’s not hostility, it’s half-sincere.” “Then what’s the other half?” “A joke.” Turning away from El, who was looking at me like I was trash, I got up. “Well, I’ll be back.” “…Are you coming back later?” “I don’t know. I’ll probably be back late.” “Really? Then lend me that thing.” “….” It was obvious what ‘that thing’ meant, so I paused for a moment. El knew about Aroom as well. We had received a lot of help during our journey. The reason we didn’t arrive in Tritia as beggars was because of Aroom, the harmless slime. “I’m bored when I’m alone.” It wasn’t surprising. In this world where there weren’t many things to do, toys were quite precious. Or, pets that corresponded to toys. El playing with Aroom was a common occurrence during the tedious journey. There was no reason to refuse. However, “Then, turn around for a moment.” “…I’ve always wondered, why do I have to turn around?” To El, who asked with a puzzled expression, I answered honestly. “I’m a little embarrassed in front of you.” “….” Then, her expression changed strangely. Was this not it? Maybe the meaning was a little misunderstood. “Uh, um. If you suddenly say something like that, I’m a little….” “…No, not in that sense. I’m just embarrassed.” To her, who was flustered and scratching her cheek, I quickly protested. Then El chuckled and muttered. “You’ve changed a lot too.” “…Maybe? And I’m the type to get caught up in the atmosphere.” It would be one thing to strip naked normally. Suddenly taking out a familiar from my stomach was a different story. If El was a man, it would be a different story, but since I didn’t feel any sexual desire for her, this was unavoidable. “….Tch. You’re picky.” Even while grumbling, El obediently turned her back. I looked at her still-damp black hair and focused my mind, giving Aroom an order. / I left Aroom with El and headed towards the Twilight District. Thud, thud. Before I knew it, the red sunset was losing its light. How much time had passed in the meantime that it was already getting dark? As the city’s magic lamps lit up the streets one by one, I continued to walk towards the Twilight District. Before long, I saw a familiar sight. “….Oh my, young sir. Won’t you take a break for a while?” “Hmm, well. Should I…?” A woman grabbing a man’s arm and clinging to him seductively, and a man turning around as if he couldn’t resist. The scent and cigarette smoke rising under the streetlights created a scene that was fitting for the word ‘pleasure’. There were many cities, but the scenery of the red-light district was mostly the same. Women wearing clothes that seemed to seduce men, and men walking towards their regular shops as if they were used to it. Carriages crossing the center of the fairly wide street. And men with sharp expressions looking around. I had similar memories in Lakers. Recalling that, I walked towards ‘Night Fairy’, where Emily was. “….” In the passing scenery, I occasionally felt people’s gazes. It wasn’t strange. Most of the people who set foot in the Twilight District were men. It might be strange for them to see a woman who wasn’t a prostitute walking confidently down this street. Especially if she had long blonde hair that caught their attention. It wasn’t uncommon to be offered a night together if I kept walking like this. However, today was a little different. “Yo.” “…?” When I arrived in front of ‘Night Fairy’, where Emily worked, I tilted my head at the familiar voice that suddenly rang in my ear. Turning to the direction of the voice, there was a familiar face. “….Aiden?” “You came faster than I thought?” Aiden. A friend from my past life, and a thief who tried to steal herbs. Why was he leaning against the wall in front of the ‘Night Fairy’ brothel? He seemed to be trying to strike a cool pose, but somehow he looked pathetic. I tilted my head and asked Aiden, who was leaning against the wall. “Why are you here?” “The moonlight is nice.” Aiden was spouting nonsense. Hearing that answer, I could understand why he was here. “You got dumped.” “I didn’t get dumped.” “If you have a prior engagement, that’s getting dumped.” “….How did you know?” It was obvious. Emily was said to be quite popular among the ‘Night Fairy’, so she probably had a lot of work. No matter how close they were, Aiden couldn’t monopolize her every day. Was that why? Aiden grumbled in a slightly tired voice. “…She said she had a reservation today.” “That can happen. Does she know you came?” “Well, probably not.” He shook his head, looking a little pathetic. They weren’t exactly lovers, but I knew that they were more than just friends. Even among high school friends, there were some who were particularly close. “This is, what is it? NTR, right?” “Shut up.” When I asked jokingly, Aiden shook his head as if he didn’t like it. He answered lightly, but the look in his eyes that flashed for a moment looked quite complicated. Even though he understood Emily’s situation, he couldn’t accept it in his heart. …If so, there was no helping it. I quietly reached out my hand to Aiden. “Huh?” “What are you doing? Take it.” “….I have some bad memories, you know.” Looking at him flinch, I smiled bitterly. Was he still remembering that night? Well, I was a little too playful back then. “I’m just saying, let’s walk together for a while.” “Seriously?” “Halfway.” When I answered ambiguously, Aiden chuckled. Even so, he took my outstretched hand. “You thought well. Think of it as a pheasant instead of a chicken.” “…Isn’t it the other way around?” “I said it the other way around.” Talking about things that didn’t matter, we headed out of the Twilight District. If Emily had a reservation, it might take quite a while. It would be pitiful to wait until then, so it would be okay to borrow him for a while. / We didn’t go straight back to the inn. We each had things to do and it had been a long time since we had seen each other, so there were many stories to share. The security of the big city was hard to call good even as a euphemism, but it wasn’t to the point where you would die a miserable death walking at night. Moreover, even though the sun had set, the streets were still quite safe due to the magic lamps. Of course, I couldn’t compare Kilkard’s security to that of Korea in my past life, but here we had the power to crush criminals who were just drunken people. There was no need to worry about the shadows of the night. “How did things go on your end?” “More or less. How about you?” Walking through the night streets where the cold air permeated, we talked. “Perfect. I thought the old geezer would be quite tough, but he handed it over surprisingly willingly.” “Hmm…If I ask what kind of magic tool it is, will you answer?” When I asked subtly, Aiden chuckled. “Depends on how you treat me.” He had become a little more relaxed since I last saw him. Did Emily raise him well? I smiled back at his relaxed appearance and answered. “Then I’ll have to treat you well.” Did he feel some kind of fear from that look? “No, I’ll just tell you.” Aiden immediately changed his words. …I just said it, but isn’t he too scared? However, before I could correct myself, he moved first. “Let’s see…” Aiden looked around as if he was looking for something, and then moved somewhere. “This place will be good.” It was a shadow in an alley that was nothing special. What on earth was he trying to do? Curious, I watched quietly, and Aiden said with a playful smile. “Don’t be surprised.” “….” For some reason, I felt anticipation. Was it a subspace, or a magic sword? At that moment when I was expecting that,

-Swish.

Aiden’s figure suddenly disappeared. “….” To be exact, he hadn’t disappeared. His presence was still there, and decisively, something was faintly visible in the darkness. Aiden hadn’t disappeared, but his body was momentarily covered in something black. A magic tool that melts into the darkness. To be exact, should I say it was a magic tool that covered him in shadows? I didn’t remember what it was called, but it was definitely a magic tool suitable for a thief. Anyway, just being faintly visible in the darkness would be incredibly useful for stealing. “…At least pretend to be surprised.” “…Ah, sorry. I was thinking about what it was.” I apologized to Aiden, who had reappeared. However, it seemed that the apology was already too late. Aiden, who had reappeared, sighed, covering his forehead as if blaming himself. “Damn it, it used to look cool….” “I think it’s good enough.” “…Yeah, thanks for the empty words.” It wasn’t completely empty words. If used well, it could definitely have a good effect.

For example… “….” I glanced around the empty alleyway and whispered in Aiden’s ear. “…Want to try it out?”