The uproar continued until the night. The grateful villagers lined outside their door to present gifts to Anthony. He had tried his best to turn them all away, but their insistence ultimately prevailed.
Most of the villagers brought with them fruit baskets and dried meat, emptying their storage. While a few gave him their family's heirlooms: two silver rings and a silver necklace.
And along with the presents was the disappearance of their casual treatment of him. They began to see him a supernatural creature, and it was understandable, as he had just rescued someone who they thought was going to die for certain.
That was why they persisted against his vehement refusal of the gifts.
It was one of the outcomes he feared would happen if he used the system in public. Even people from the modern world would lose their minds.
But he can't complain, especially if the other outcome was being burned in the stake or being stoned to death.
Overall, things turned out to be better than he expected. He didn't plan to stay anyway, so he didn't have to worry of being treated like a god for too long.
"It's nearly done." Irene said after tasting a scoop of the soup she was making.
Anthony was appreciative of the gifts, but he enjoyed the most the look of admiration from Irene. It was not the first time he performed "magic" in front of her, but she seemed most impress with what he did earlier that day. She started to look at him differently, and she even offered to cook their dinner.
Irene tasted her soup again a little later and then finally removed it from the fire. With a rag as a potholder, she moved the small pot to the table.
"Sorry, it took too long" she said as she put some of the soup on a small wooden bowl. The lamp revealed her disheveled hair and the tar that was all over her face. The tar situation got worse every time she wiped the sweat on her brow with her hand.
Trying not to laugh, Anthony received the bowl and a spoon. The serving contained bits of pheasant meat, apple, and potato. The mouth-watering scent of the dish soon reached his nose, and the smile disappeared. He did not expect much and would've not been surprised if the dish was burnt and a bit pungent. But the appearance and the smell showed promise.
He took a bite, and his face brightened at the taste. It wasn't mind-blowing, but it was a solidly decent dish. Something inferior to that of a professional chef, but tasted something out of a grandma's kitchen.
"Heavenly." he murmured, and his enthusiasm did not betray his words.
Because he was also exhausted, mentally and physically, he couldn't help but gobble down the food, forgetting table manners. Irene didn't seem to mind, and she giggled at the sight.
"My mom taught me this dish." she happily refilled his bowl when he asked for seconds. A proud smile settled on her lips.
The potion had costed him almost half of his tokens, but it was an occasion worth celebrating. He had saved a life and tasted Irene's cooking for the first time.
[Are you sure you want to buy High-Quality Red Wine x1]
[You have spent Tokens x600]
With the purchase was a promise to himself to work hard the next day, to quickly cover that day's expenses.
"What is this?" Irene was certain it was different from the pomegranate wine, and she couldn't wait to find out what the 'mage' had in store for her this time.
"Red wine."
Anthony poured the curious young lady a cup. She smelled it first, and the aroma of different kinds of berries brought a smile to her face. After a glance at Anthony, she took a sip to test the waters.
"The flavor, so rich!" she exclaimed in utter disbelief as the heavy fruity flavor dominated her tongue, "This tastes very expensive!"
"This occasion deserves something expensive" he pursed his lips as he savored the flavor, and he confirmed that raising the quality a couple of notches certainly brought forth very noticeable improvement. It was the tastiest wine he had tasted in both of his lives.
"Today, the boy's life and mine have been saved."
"Why is that?" the sentence only made half sense to Irene.
"I thought they'd burn me in a stake or stone me to death, after they'd found out I practice magic." he chuckled lightheartedly, running in contrast to the heavy words.
"That's understandable, my lord. Some priests still preaches about mages being the servants of the evil gods. Not too worry too much though, only few take them seriously." she replied with her own chuckle.
Anthony was delighted to hear some background about the world he was living in. And he was intent to keep her talking.
"Can you tell me more about these priests that seems to hate our existence?"
"You do not… know?" she asked, tucking her brow.
"As a mage… I have other things to worry about. So, I am not really… that informed." Anthony watched her reaction closely, if she would buy his excuse. He didn't know how religious that world was and if everyone was expected to know all about the gods.
"That does make sense." she nodded, much to his relief. "You need time to read plenty of books and brew potions. And also you have to play the part of a drunkard the whole day."
Anthony couldn't determine if she was sharp or gullible… or simply agreeable. Either way, he was relieved she was buying into his alibi.
"The priests of Lavrus, a major god of healing. They believe that the mages borrow their power from evil gods like Diodorus and Thracles, to deceive people into practicing the dark arts."
"What about the priests of the other gods? Do they accept us?"
"Certainly not." she laughed, "They don't hate mages because they don't believe they exist."