"Here's your order, sir." An attendant said as he walked over to Greg while carrying a large bag. He laid the load on the recipient's desk and opened it to show the customer its contents. A hybrid chest armor of chainmail and steel plates, a round shield, and a lustrous steel sword is presented right in front of Greg. Usually, one would sell their old equipment before buying a new set. Why is this? It's because repairing is somewhat unprofitable. Imagine if you have a knife and you somehow chipped its edge for some hopefully-not-childish reason, you would end up paying twenty to seventy-five coppers for a full restoration. And what do you get? A slightly skinnier version of the knife that you sent to be restored whilst you could've bought a new one for one silver.
"How much?" Greg asked as he took out his money pouch.
"Three silver shillings." The attendee said as a smirk emerged from his face.
"Would you take two silvers and thirty coppers?"
"How about two silvers and fifty coppers?"
"..." Greg uttered a long pause before nodding and accepting the deal. "You slick bastard. I would've told the owner to get you fired if it weren't for that one time that you... nevermind I'll let you slip but there'll be no more next time." Greg said as he laid out two silver and fifty copper shillings on the table. The attendee smirked before taking the money. Greg took the pieces of equipment and placed them in his bag. He then sets out to find his little little sister. Greg scanned every corner of the place, but he couldn't see Laurence. Until the cries of a familiar voice reached his ears.
"Please make me your disciple!" Laurence cried as she follows the man.
"Kid... stop blabbering about being my disciple. Also, where're your parents or caretaker?" The man said as he hints out signs of rejection.
"Laurence, get your ass over here!" Greg said as he walks towards the two figures. Upon getting a clear image of the unfamiliar man, Greg stood still with his mouth open. The shocked Greg didn't expect to see that the man that Laurence was annoying would come here, or much less to Gleedenfield. Unless they have a business to do. This man was a disciple of the Great Sage that prevented the Evil Sorcerer from taking over the world. Yet, against all the odds, was it a coincidence that Laurence stumbled upon the wrong man?
"Your excellency, I'm very sorry about the rude behavior that my sister has caused!" Greg said to the man as he grabbed Laurence and pinched her back, causing her to moan a little.
"No worries. Make sure to put a leash on her." The man turned around and headed towards the door.
"Mister, plea-!" Laurence tried calling for the man but was stopped by Greg as he grabbed her shoulders. The man left and now the two siblings faced each other.
"What are you trying to do!? Do you even know who that man is!? Once he gets pissed, do you know how much trouble we're gonna get into?" Greg said as he increased his grip on Laurence's shoulders. "We could be executed for treason. Listen, that man is one of the eight disciples of the Great Sage." Greg said as he glared at Laurence, who replied with a stare full of fear. Now, she was regretting the fact that she committed such brazen actions. Technically, even if Laurence knew much about famous adventurers, she couldn't get a clear image of their appearance. She can only imagine what they looked like based on the descriptions provided by his brother.
"Please, Laurence, please be careful and thoughtful about the actions you're doing." Greg uttered with a worried tone. Laurence looked at her brother's face and nodded. Her brother sighed and shook his head.
"Let's go home. It'll be dark soon." Greg said to Laurence as they headed towards the door and left. It seemed like they've been teleported using dimensional magic as the street looked completely empty compared to the time when they were walking towards the Smithing store. Instead of being eerie, the street somehow gave a peaceful feeling to the two siblings. Greg is thinking about future adventures while Laurence thought about her previous acts. They walk until they finally arrived at their home. They halted in front of the gate before going in.
"Please don't tell dad about the incident." Laurence pleaded as she hugged her brother from behind.
"I won't, but you have to promise to never do something stupid ever again." Greg said as he turned around and hugged Laurence. He held a great familial love towards her sister, even if he knows about the unwanted truth. They stopped hugging each other when they were interrupted by the sudden opening of the tavern's gate.
"Tell Dad about what?" A familiar voice came out from a silhouette as it holds a cleaver. It sent shivers down the two siblings' spine as they blanked for a moment from being spooked. They soon realized that the silhouette was none other than their dad. The light coming from the inside caused Dad to look scary. Quickly, Greg reached out toward Dad's ears and whispered something.
"I see. You two get inside quickly before the soup gets cold." Dad said as he turned around and went inside, leaving the two left outside.
"What did you tell Dad?" Laurence asked.
"Oh, nothing important~. Let's say I saved you from washing a month worth of dishes." Laurence didn't bother asking more questions anymore and went inside together with his brother. Incidentally, the tavern only served food for breakfast and lunch. They would close as soon as Greg came home, some exceptions included. Then again, it doesn't really put them at a disadvantage as Greg would come home with a large sum of profit from taking quests. The family just wanted to spend time together in the afternoon.
They had a simple but enjoyable meal. Although the food on the table only consists of bread and soup, they were incredibly tasty. Having a simple meal was one of their family's traditions. Dad would often explain that the simplest things are also the most extraordinary things, but that depends on the person's mindset. A person's mind has the power to make oneself stronger than the universe.
"Good night, Dad and Greg." Laurence said as she kissed them on the cheek and went upstairs to her bedroom to sleep. Now, the father and son are left.
"Dad, I'm invited to the guild meeting tomorrow. I'll have to come back late." Greg said to his father.
"I see. Well, good luck then. Go on, sleep. You need the energy to stay awake during the meeting."
"Alright. Good night Dad." Greg said as he yawned and left the family dining hall and went upstairs to his room to sleep.