Chereads / Hell's Gate: Reborn Mercenary in Another World / Chapter 20 - Chapter 20 - Clothes Shopping 

Chapter 20 - Chapter 20 - Clothes Shopping 

Next on his list of things to do was to go clothes shopping, because his current set of clothes was getting worn out by now.

He walked around a little, searching for a store where he could buy some preferably stylish and expensive clothing. Now that he had so much money, he saw no reason to keep living in poverty.

After some short browsing, he found a large building that reminded him of the malls and shopping centres he had found back at home on Earth. He entered curiously, finding a large plaque with arrows pointing to different major stores.

Delta scanned through them for something that may sell clothing, stopping at 'Marco's Tailor'. Now that he had a destination, Delta followed the arrows until he reached a fancy looking shop seemingly built with the most expensive kinds of stone and wood with a mahogany door.

The interior gave the feeling of an expensive dining room and seemed to be designed to feel comfortable with the rich who lived in this kind of fashion.

Upon entering, the first thing Delta noticed was the large fireplace surrounded by a set of couches facing the fire. There were suits, jackets and other designer clothing arranged on the hooks, each clearly made with the utmost care.

"Are you here for daddy's clothes?"

Delta looked down at the speaker, finding a very young girl at around five years old standing in front of him, a small teddy in her hands.

He crouched down to her level, smiling in a friendly manner while asking, "Is your dad here?"

She held one finger up to her chin as if in thought, before saying, "I can go get him now."

Having said this, she scurried out of the room and into another one behind the counter, disappearing for a few minutes whilst Delta perused the store's wares.

Shortly after, she returned with a young man behind her, a pair of scissors in his hand.

Seeing Delta, he picked up the little girl and placed her gently on the sofa, before turning to Delta.

"How may I help you?"

"I'm here to buy some clothes. I'll leave it up to you to pick out the best options, but I do insist that they are of high quality. I'll need some casual outfits as well as some for going out. Don't worry about the price."

He looked Delta up and down, noting his less than glamorous clothing.

"You sure you can afford it, kid?"

Delta huffed a little, holding out his hand and making a hundred gold coins fall out, clattering into a pile on the floor, causing a curious gasp from the little girl who was watching from the sofa.

The man was taken aback by Delta's wealth at such a young age, especially since he didn't have the appearance of a spoilt noble.

"Well then, this is different," the man said in a completely different manner. "I'm Marco if it wasn't obvious, and my daughter here is Tia. I'll fix you up with something in a moment, so until then how about a drink?"

After a nod from Delta, he headed out the back where he had come from in the first place, returning with a drink and a measuring tape.

"Don't worry about spilling it. It's magically enchanted to be spill-proof."

Delta nodded, and then Marco began measuring his sizes.

"You're pretty well built for someone at your age," he noted aloud.

"I enjoy working out I guess. Between my studies, of course." He made the second addition to prevent his cover from being broken, and fortunately, Marco saw nothing wrong with it.

After getting his measurements, he set the notebook aside and said to Delta, "I'll custom make you something appropriate since you're paying so much, but it won't be done until tomorrow morning, because lucky for you I've just finished working on my other pieces. I'll have something delivered in the morning. Until then, help yourself to an outfit of your choice from the racks. You can return it to me later."

"No need to return it. I'll just buy it upfront. I can't guarantee the clothes will return in one piece after all."

Delta had been getting into a lot of trouble recently, so he would rather avoid destroying loaned outfits. Besides, one of the outfits had caught his eye.

Whilst Marco made whatever final tallies and notes he deemed important, Delta perused the outfits once more, stopping on an outfit consisting of black trousers, black leather shoes and a black suit-like shirt with an overcoat over it, its hood lined with black fur.

It was similar to the outfits Delta had liked to wear on Earth, and having something to anchor him to his past during this madness would be appreciated. He also bought a second, lighter outfit to wear in his dorm room until more clothing arrived the next day.

Before leaving, he also made sure to subtly slip Tia an additional coin, which she put in her pocket, treasuring it like a magical treasure.

After handing over 20 gold coins, as well as another two for a tip, Delta headed out on his way for the rest of the lunch break.

Now that business had been attended to, Delta went for a stroll around the rest of the shopping centre. He had originally planned to go to the cafeteria to get something to eat, but now that he was out, having a fancy dinner wouldn't be so bad.

After searching around a little, Delta found a place that suited his criteria of a 'fancy restaurant'. He entered casually, his new clothes making him seem as if he were someone of a noble or successful background rather than a random bystander.

A waitress promptly approached him, and after checking to see if anyone else was with him, she took him to a table for one. It was exactly like the kinds of places that Caligula would have been to, albeit rather toned down in terms of expenses, however, it still reminded Delta of home and where he had come from.

As much as he hated to think about it, he had realised that his past was what made him and that he should learn to accept it and use it to drive him forward.

He looked at the menu, and after some deliberations decided to have a "Grilled Flame Ox steak" with a "Cloud Vine Wine". He wasn't quite sure what they were, but they seemed interesting enough, so Delta ordered them.

Whilst he waited, he made small talk with some of the nearby people to try and find out more about the world he was now living in, however, nothing important came up other than a fellow customer being lucky enough to get a ticket to a high-class concert.

His food arrived shortly later, and it did not disappoint Delta in the slightest. In fact, it was one of the best steaks he had ever had. It seemed to have a smoky flavour that Delta wasn't used to as if it had been baked in a fire for many years before. Even still, however, it preserved its softer texture, leaving a wonderful flavour on Delta's tongue.

The wine was even better, tasting sweet and light, yet still packing an incredible punch. Delta sat in that seat enjoying his wine for a good while, before finally getting up so that he could go to his afternoon lessons.

As he was leaving, however, he heard something that piqued his interest.

"Did you guys see the news? They say the Lances are meeting up at the capital later on today. They might even sign autographs!"

Delta looked over and saw a group of three people sat with the speaker, their mouths wide open.

"No way! I wish we were there to see them! The last time they met up, it ended in the greatest party ever!"

Judging by what they had said, Delta was starting to think they were another band or something, but his curiosity got the better of him.

"Who are the Lances?" he asked, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"..."

A few thousand kilometres away, a masked man stood overlooking a city of large buildings and bustling streets.

"It is time to begin your return… Great One."