"Let's think about what happened for a second. You slandered and assaulted those two, and they can report you to the authorities with absolute ease. There were a lot of witnesses, me included."
The owner loosened his grip, looking at Louis with questioning eyes.
"If you don't want to be reported and captured, then you better pay them some consolation money. On top of that, I want my own share to keep the secret in the bag."
"You're a smart person, right? You know what to do." Louis tapped lightly on the table, gesturing for him to bring the money out.
The store they were in looked pretty good, and the goods they sold were also luxurious. Money was sure to be there.
The old man could do nothing but click his tongue and go into the backroom in frustration.
Coming out, the owner handed two sacks, each containing gold and silver coins. There was about ten gold ones in his.
Earlier, as Louis was scanning the store, he also took a quick look at the price tags of the jewelry he sold. The highest one he saw was priced at ten gold coins. Considering that scale, the old man must be pretty fearful of the consequences of his actions.
"...Alright, this will do. I won't speak a word of this to anyone." Louis nodded in satisfaction.
"Wait. I prepared a magic contract just in case. Drop your blood on this paper." The old man shoved a paper in front of the two.
On the paper, it stated the exchange that went between the three parties. After checking that everything was in line with what happened, Louis cut the tip of his finger using his sword and dripped the blood on the paper.
The woman did the same, followed her child, and lastly the owner himself. Then, the contract was finalized and stored away.
'I was kind of worried that me being Classless would interfere with the process, but I guess not.' Louis was relieved.
Even though Louis had never seen such contracts before, it was easy to roughly figure out what it is and what it meant to do.
"Is that all?" Louis asked.
"..Yeah. Scram now, I have some unfinished business with this scrawny wimp." The owner glared at his nephew, who was already cowering up into a ball after all that happened.
Hearing his uncle's words, he let out a shriek of fear and trembled further.
Louis ignored the terrified youngster and hummed a happy tune as he walked out of the store.
'Finally! Money!'
Although it took a bit of effort, he managed to get some money. Now, he could buy new clothes and restart his journey on a better note.
"Please wait a moment!" As he was about to enter a clothing store nearby, a voice called out from behind him.
Louis turned around, only to find the mother with a tearful, yet happy face.
"T-thank you for saving us." The mother and daughter pair were frightened out of their wits earlier.
They thought that it was the end for them. It wasn't rare that people were falsely charged in this day and age, since the justice system wasn't all that fair and advanced yet, albeit still being strict.
The law was harsh on the poor, and only the poor. That fact was as clear as day, no matter how hard one tried to claim otherwise.
For someone like her, she could do nothing against the jewelry store owner who was clearly in a much better state than her.
Trembling, they stood up, only to stagger.
'..Could I get a little bit more money from them?' Louis thought, looking at their state.
The amount that the owner gave to them should not be that small either. If he could have a bit of that sack of gold...
"Here, let me help you. Where were you headed to?"
"..Just around this corner. My house is there." The mother replied.
Louis gently supported the mother until they reached the supposed home.
Contrary to his expectations, it wasn't all that bad. It was rather small, but still well kept.
When the door was opened, a faint floral scent was let loose. A cozy and warm home indeed.
"Um.. would you like to have a cup of tea inside? I want to express my gratitude to you." The mother said, inviting him for a short talk.
'It might not be too bad to accept.'
Louis' status was a runaway right now. If he hid inside her home, he could even ask her to purchase the clothes that he wanted for a favor. It was safer that way rather than leaving his traces around town more than needed.
"Thank you. I'll take you up on that offer." Louis said.
The woman nodded and led Louis in, sat him down by the dining table, and began brewing three cups of tea.
She then served it with some cookies, creating a soothing atmosphere.
"My name is Leah.. I'm truly sorry for the trouble I caused you earlier. If there is anything I could do to repay you, please do not hesitate to ask me." A sincere apology came from the mother.
She bowed her head down, and soon, tears started to flow once more from her eyes. Her daughter immediately sprung from her chair and came to comfort Leah.
Louis became troubled, since he was not used to dealing with extreme emotional changes. He kept telling Leah that it was not a trouble at all.
It took minutes for Leah to calm down again.
From then, they had a nice chit chat, from which Louis was able to learn quite a lot of things about the world that filled up his gap of knowledge about the society.
Leah must've noticed that something was odd about Louis' existence, but not once did she mention it out loud.
The situation gradually cooled down to the point where Leah was able to laugh heartily. Her daughter, Misha, did the same.
As the day went on, Louis mentioned his wish for clothes, so Leah, who was motivated by her gratefulness ran out to finish the request right away. Within minutes, she returned with a full set of clothes.
They suited him well, and left him with no complaints. She even got him a robe that had a mantle, allowing him to keep a hidden appearance.
When he insinuated that he had to leave, Leah forcefully shoved the sack of money that she had received. The amount had decreased slightly because she went on a shopping spree for Louis, but there was still plenty inside.
An amount that should be substantial to the likes of Leah. She gave it away so easily, like it didn't matter to her at all.
He had expected Leah to be selfless, but not this much. To think that she was willing to give up all the gold that she received.. It was a side of humanity that left him thinking.
He ended up returning some of the money because he noticed that Leah had sustained some minor injuries from the beating she received. He wanted her to use that money to take care of herself.
After much effort, Leah finally accepted the amount.
They parted ways there. Louis didn't have a house, and he didn't want to stay at inns in fear of being asked for an identification card.
He decided to go back into the mountains- his peaceful home.
He felt like he had achieved everything he wanted in town today. Got some money, clothes, and interaction with other humans without being shunned.
Right then, as he was relaxing and recalling his eye-opening experience, Azure spoke.
"Aren't you supposed to be a bad guy or something?"