We're walking in one straight street, a couple of kilometers long, with a few side alleys. On one end, are stores and stalls, and on the other end are residential houses or rundown buildings, between those buildings, are people walking scattered on the street and living their daily lives. This town was the place that I visited last time with Stephanie before meeting Professor Eukla. Then now, I'm with her alongside a new person whom we invited to accompany us, Erik. He has an odd personality which perfectly summarizes his appearance, but at the same time, he doesn't—however, it kinda does? He's too complex to understand.
Unlike earlier, Erik was now walking next to my left side whereas Stephanie is on my right, sticking her body closer while looking ahead.
"I haven't explored the town," Erik remarked.
"You haven't?"
"No, I haven't really explored the place. It's either the dormitory or the academy. The first time was basically when I visited to register my name. That's basically the places that I've been on, sometimes to tend my wounds in the elven building. Moreover, Lars hates the idea of going out also. He said to me that it was to avoid confrontation."
"Confrontation? Like, to avoid any unnecessary problem?"
"I guess so."
"By the way, what's with people from before? You called them perverts."
"I'd rather not tell it, but I would say that they're people of insolence."
Insolence? Pervert? What a choice of words to describe those people. They might have really done some outrageous for Erik to say those words to them. Hence, they immediately took my interest. The academy is filled with mystery and goofy wonders, both good and bad. Maybe, one of these days, I will take a look at other factions.
Stephanie has been relatively quiet all this time, looking at the distance. So, I ruffled her hair.
"Stop that! You're ruining my hair! Don't mess with a woman's hair."
"Yeah, yeah." I chuckled.
"Hmm... Perhaps Lars is right." Erik said.
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Our first stop was the merchant shop. Upon taking our first step inside, the woman behind the counter recognizes Stephanie. "Steph? Great to see you! How are you nowadays? You haven't been visiting me for quite a while." The woman who greeted us was a quite young adult woman, as her skin and face were glowing in youthfulness.
"Hello, Ms. Alexandra. It's been a while."
"How formal. No need for that." Alexandra jokingly said.
"From the looks of it, you're accompanied by two well-defined young gentlemen. You're living the life, Steph. I envy you. So, how may I help you, two gentlemen?" She locks her gaze at Erik and me. Her gaze gives me goosebumps.
Stephanie stepped in front, pulling me behind her. "Stop that. You're making them uncomfortable."
"I don't think so. Right?" She smiles at us.
"You do," Erik answered her straightforwardly.
Alexandra was taken back by Erik's straightforwardness. Then she burst into laughter. "You. I like you." She pointed her finger at Erik.
"It's great to see you, associating with a lot of interesting people, Stephanie." Alexandra smiled meaningfully.
"Because I need to. She's just playing with you two. Don't get swayed by her, okay? She acts like that to sway you two into buying her merchandise, not because you're good-looking, but because your faces are new in here. I almost got swayed by her when I first came here. She really knows how to lead the conversation on her way." Stephanie warned us.
Alexandra's eyebrows furrowed and angrily said. "Steph! Stop sabotaging my business! I'm making a living here! Just to let you know, all my words are genuine, they came directly from my heart."
"Just don't, Ms. Alexandra. You also said those words to me, the first time I came here."
"Beh, it's called being courteous. Ever heard of that?"
Stephanie didn't reply.
"Anyhow, I'm Alexandra, a merchant and the owner of this wonderful shop that you're stepping on. As you can see, inside my shop, there are various items that you haven't seen back in your home, as most of my merchandise came from various parts of the world. Most importantly, all the equipment that you see hanging on the wall was crafted by the town's best blacksmith. Everything here is high-quality! It's always a pleasure to see new faces coming to my place. May I know the names of our two fine gentlemen?" Alexandra said cheerily while resting her chin on the desk.
"I'm Erik Halvig, a first-year student, classified as an F-Rank student in the academy. It's a pleasure to meet you." Erik introduced himself.
"Likewise," Alexandra replied before shifting her attention to me.
"I'm Claude Weiss, in the same class as Erik Halvig. It's also a pleasure to meet you too."
"Claude? That's his name? Oho~? My, my, so he's the person that—Mmmph!"
"Don't ever say a word, understand?!" Stephanie shoved her palm into Alexandra's mouth.
Alexandra removes Stephanie's hand. "Puha! Jeez, you can't take a joke."
"Stop!"
"Jeez, okay, okay. So, how can I help you?"
"Here." Stephanie handed a piece of paper to her.
"I see, I see. Give me a few minutes, I'll prepare it. Call my name when you need more." Alexandra gave us a smile as she entered the door behind her. She winked at us before the door closed.
"So, she's not a simple merchant, but also a friend of yours? How adorable."
"...Yeah. I guess so. She's a trustworthy merchant. Now, let's talk about the meeting for tomorrow. Your schedules are open for tomorrow, right?"
"Yep, good to go. My schedule is clear."
"Me too. I spend most of my time in training... Uh... Would it be a wise decision if I let Lars join us?" Erik added.
"If Instructor Sienna gives him permission then I wouldn't see any problem with it."
"That makes sense..."
As we wait for Alexandra that's preparing behind the door, we were looking at the items around the shop. A few minutes later, nothing has caught my eyes yet. Every item in this shop is not particularly interesting. They're certainly different and it's my first time seeing them, but nothing took my interest. Perhaps because they're not suited for me. For some reason, despite my quintessence technically still mana but purer—I can't activate any item that's not specially made for quintessence. I attempted to use a dagger with special enchantment, but it broke into pieces once I poured my quintessence around it.
For a merchant shop, Alexandra's store was quite packed with various items from weapons, mana accessories, and basically everything. Then finally, something caught my eyes, a paper talisman with written scripture on it in black ink. Among the items, this piqued my interest. It's unusual to see an item yet a nostalgic piece of paper.
"An Ofuda...? 'Prosper'?"
"Are you interested in that, Claude?" Stephanie approached me.
"Yeah. Do you know where this came from? Are you familiar with this language?"
"The northern. From Adelle's birthplace."
"Are... They... Oh, never mind."
From Adelle's getup, it's basically the samurai country of some sort. I shouldn't have asked that question because it felt idiotic to ask in the first place when I already knew the answer. However, I'm not familiar with Adelle's homeplace.
"Haven't Adelle told you stories about that place?"
"No, she hasn't. She's doesn't seem to like telling stories about her past."
"Why not ask her? Did that not occur to you?"
"I did. However, her reaction told me that it's a sensitive topic to discuss, so I didn't bring that up anymore."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah... She's trying her best to open up, but she's still having a hard time."
"That's quite odd... From what I've read, physical intimacy would bring two people closer, resulting in infatuation. Isn't that the case?"
"Not every case. Not every physical intimacy will lead to that. Some just seek comfort or a way of coping mechanism through sex, and many more, but that doesn't mean they're in love with each other. Relationships of people are complex. Not everything was because of love. At times, we misunderstood that emotion as love, but in reality, it wasn't which leads to the bitter realization in the end. For instance, obsession."
"Yeah... Where did you learn this?"
"From Master Irene. She made me read books and gave me lessons about those books. Kind of weird, but I learned a lot.
"Wow. She really did say all of those?"
"She did." At that time, Master Irene is explaining to me all about her race, succubus. And halfway through her explanation, she began spouting the importance of differentiating love and sex. I don't know why it suddenly lead to that, but it just happened.
"With your explanation, are you implying that's how you view your relationship with Adelle?"
"No... A likely chance... It's hard to tell."
From the time we spent together, it's hard to grasp what goes through her head. Other than our physical intimacy, we're bonded together by an oath from the mark that she gave me. I can't think of a world where Adelle will leave me...
"Do you feel infatuated with her?"
"Obviously," I said without showing any hesitation.
"Then why did you answer like that?" Stephanie lets out a huge sigh before putting her hand in my head.
Afterward, Stephanie began ranting. "You're finally hitting realization, huh? What did I tell you before? When you started this, it comes with complications that may ruin you in the end. Did you take everyone's feelings into consideration? You did, but because of that, it became complicated where you're stuck in a loop with no way out. As we grow older, our minds become mature and eventually change, as we understand how the world functions."
I was flabbergasted by her. "Steph, cool yourself down."
"Ah, sorry, I overheard everything... But if I can weigh into the conversation then I will give a piece of advice that I receive from my father. Stephanie's last statement is true, Claude. My father had a concubine back home who now lives with my mother now. You cannot please them all the time, jealousy is part of love. That's what my father said." Erik interjected, standing behind us.
"See? That's my point. Great advice, Erik." Stephanie said.
"What? Pardon? What the heck is happening here...?" I look at the two in bewilderment. At this point, I'm trying to figure out how the conversation derailed so much that it became about me.
"Also, another piece of advice. Man up." Erik slaps my back while laughing.
"From what I've seen, Adelle holds you dearly because I can see myself in her. So, stop doubting." Stephanie patted my back.
I'm still processing all of it together. I mean, Adelle wasn't the only one. The only person who was really open was Stephanie. I only spent time with Lily for a few weeks. Clara doesn't talk much. Then, Master Irene... She's a secretive person because it's part of her Saintess duties. But still, how did the conversation derail so much? I'm peacefully checking the items, and once I asked for something from Stephanie it all changed in a matter of few exchanges. Unbelievable. On top of that, Erik added a few bits of advice! I'm speechless.
I glanced to the Ofuda once again before a scream reached my ears.
"All done!" Alexandra came out of the door, carrying four pouches in her arms.