I opened the door, brushing my dress down to cover any of the blemishes that could have been made by sitting my head on the desk.
For a moment I just cursed my luck and thoughts but soon after recomposed myself again and invited Mihr in.
Gesturing towards the table in the far part of the room and the two seats.
I sat down opposite of him, making sure that my hair flowed behind my back in a pleasing way.
For a second I just stood and stared, waiting for Mihr to start the conversation.
But in those moments I found myself lost in his eyes, the golden orbs that seemed to shine like gems, the messy hair that fell of one side showing a deep black and his mouth set in a fine line.
They were all just perfect.
"I wanted to address what we would do for this floor. From what you had described I had assumed that we would not be resorting to banditry."
I nodded and affirmed those thoughts, though adding a bit of my own on top.
"While I am opposed to banditry," I sharpened my gaze, "As a knight it is my duty to subdue criminals, what happens to their belongings as long as they are not stolen can be overlooked."
I hoped that my words had not come across as too crass, it was a compromise that I had come up with during the time that I had been thinking of the tutorial.
A flimsy excuse but one that I could live with on my conscience.
"That is-" His sentence and my own thoughts were interrupted by food magically appearing on the table.
There was a spread of my own favorite foods and what I could only assume to be Mihr's own. I took note of the food and even if I hadn't seen it before I would still remember.
But for now, I just took a bite of the sandwich and a sip of my favorite tea. Refreshing myself before turning back to Mihr.
He looked to be caught red handed, scarfing down a bowl of what seemed to be pork on top of rice. What the sauce was I could not tell you. But I could say that he looked supremely cute.
His face a tad dirty with rice and holding onto a fork.
I turned my face away and giggled into my hand. It was unlike me to do that but as would be common for these day's it seemed that I was finding myself in different ways.
Not that it was bad, in fact I quite liked it.
"Ah-" Mihr interrupted, looking quite sheepish. "What I was saying was that I had expected to not be stealing at-"
I interrupted him, "Liberating."
"Yes, I had expected us to not be liberating loot from others and had come to see what your thoughts on an observation skill was. One that could allow us to find the objects with greater ease."
I leaned back and sipped at the tea in my hand, enjoying how perfectly brewed it was.
It was a good thought, yet it still left the fact that even with both of our points together we would only gain a slightly useful skill.
One that we should be able to gain on our own. But the question was, would it be worth it to put together our points for a greater profit.
I thought back to the second floor, how one little purchase had given us untold fortune. And suddenly the thought wasn't as bad as I had thought it to be.
It could be a worthy investment. Yet still what skill, it would have to be one with a high ceiling.
If we were going to spend precious points on this then it should be able to evolve into something better.
"Yes," I said, looking up and into the eyes of Mihr, "That would be a good idea except for one fact."
I paused for a moment, taking my time to fully impart the severity of my words.
"And that fact would be?"
"It would be that our reserve of points would be taken, we wouldn't be able to buy potions, items, or just conveniences while this our reserves are emptied. Not to mention that this would all hinge on one of us gaining a superior skill as both of us wouldn't be able to."
I watched as he hummed, his head tilting in this cute way.
"I trust you," it was simple, probably only stated absently but I couldn't help but feel as though my heart had skipped a beat at that. "And not only that but we've survived worse with no items what is one more trial."
"But-" I tried to interrupt.
"Shh… If you are really worried about trust then we can sign a binding agreement. I seem to remember that there was something along those lines in the store."
I turned my head to the side, sipping the tea as calmly as I could. I don't think that he understood what he was saying.
Those type of agreements are usually reserved for marriage, especially among climbers like us who need someone we can absolutely trust.
Yet I was not above taking advantage of that, especially for someone that made my heart beat so.
"Yes, if we could do that… I would very much like that."
"Then it is settled, you find the agreement and I'll look into the skills. Seeing as we'll be here for a few days before the trial should we part now."
"Yes, that sounds great."
He nodded and stood up, thanking me for the company and food before leaving the room.
For a moment I just stood still, before I brought up the store and the specific contract that I was thinking of.
[Binding Contract] [1.5k]
While it might be cheap, its effects were no joke. It was a contract that bound the soul to the terms. And while one may be able to break it the side effects were severe.
However the reason that it was so cheap was most likely because of the requirement to use it, that being the complete agreement of both parties with no deception allowed. A hard requirement for just anyone to meet.
…
[Ellaine]
Vitality: 3.3
Strength: 7.4
Dexterity: 5.8
Mana: 6
[Skills]
[Mana Manipulation rank 1(81.44%)] [Swordsmanship rank 1 (98.26%)] [privileged shopper]
[Light Manipulation rank 2 (1.01%)
[current pts:20,000]
…