When Felix stepped into the inn, the atmosphere became extremely tense. Sensing this, he scanned the room. On his left was the counter, where a middle-aged man stared at him with a scowl. This felt extremely strange to him, as most inns would be delighted to have more customers. Further stood a hall where many people were seated around large circular tables. Most of the tables only had alcohol on them and barely any food.
Felix took a moment to observe the patrons. Something felt off to him. The inn's customers seemed jovial only on the surface. The employees, on the other hand, felt unnatural. Their movements seemed hesitant, and they kept glancing at the back of the hall. They seemed almost afraid.
Felix followed their gazes, and the reason for their fears became apparent. At the back of the hall stood a giant of a man surrounded by many women who busied themselves serving him. These women were all quite beautiful despite their ordinary peasant clothing, and the scene felt quite jarring.
Felix already knew why.
It wasn't uncommon for gangs to take root in an affluent town, especially a mercantile one. Felix assumed that the giant man was probably a gang leader who liked to flaunt his power by making the town's ordinary women serve him.
These women were probably the wives and daughters of some of the men who lived near the inn, as Felix could feel the killing intent in the air. From the women's expressions, one could see that they were threatened with servitude as their faces reflected the fear they felt.
One woman, however, bore no such expression. She was currently seated on the man's lap, feeding him. Her expression could be considered one of adoration at first, but on closer look, it was laced with killing intent.
Felix was no stranger to killing intent, having spent most of his life as a mercenary. Yet, such a well-hidden killing intent was a rarity. Usually, one couldn't control one's killing intent unless one had killed uncountable people.
Felix took note of the woman but ignored the scene. This town's problems had nothing to do with him. Unless they decided to make them his problems.
Before he could finish scanning the inn's interior, the man behind the counter said, "Get out of here! We don't serve beggars!"
His voice was loud enough that everyone in the inn turned to face him. Indeed, one could mistake him for a beggar if you only looked at the tattered cloak on his shoulders. Felix wasn't offended as this wasn't the first time this happened.
Felix approached the counter. The man's expression darkened in disgust. Just as he was about to leave the counter to force Felix out of the inn, Felix opened his cloak and flashed his sword. The man's expression didn't change much as he looked at the blade.
Felix detached the pouch from his waist and dropped it on the counter. The sound it made proved its abundance of coins. As the sound echoed in the room, most patrons turned to look, and silence ensued.
Most of the inn's guests sheepishly looked towards the back of the inn, expecting a storm to arrive. To their surprise, the men at the back made no movements. The man at the counter, however, finally smiled.
"How much for a meal and a room?" Felix asked, ignoring the other patrons.
"Five silvers"
Felix frowned. Five silvers was almost ten times the regular price for an inn of this quality. They may have hiked the prices because he wasn't a local, but ten times was absurd.
Just as Felix was about to retrieve his pouch, the innkeeper stopped him.
"This is the standard rate everywhere," he assured.
Felix sighed. It seemed problems followed him everywhere.
"I can't afford that much," Felix said as he retrieved his pouch. "Two silvers or I'm leaving."
Hearing the ultimatum, the innkeeper glanced towards the back before agreeing on the price. Felix then gave the man his money before occupying an empty table.
A few minutes later, his food finally arrived. The server was a young woman. She wasn't particularly attractive. Just your average woman you can find everywhere. She dropped the food without a word and tried to make her escape. Before she could flee, Felix held her arm.
"Why all the fear?" he asked.
The woman kept silent. She tried to free herself, but Felix's grip was made of iron. Her look was one of terror. She kept glancing at the back.
"Something I shouldn't ask?"
She clawed at his hand. Knowing he wouldn't get anything out of her, he let go. The woman almost ran into the back room. The rest of the inn was so silent that you could hear a pin drop. Everyone was staring at their food, yet Felix could still feel their gazes on him.
He shrugged and started eating when a man casually sat before him. He was a slender man with unremarkable features. The only thing special about him was that he came from one of the gang's tables.
Both observed each other while Felix was eating. The man grinned.
"Where are you from, stranger?" he asked. "You are quite daring to simply waltz in here like this. Are you a fool or simply ignorant?"
Felix simply stared at him before saying, "Can you get to the point? I'm quite busy."
The man's smile vanished.
"A fool, it seems. Listen closely. These parts belong to the Raging Beasts Gang. See that man there?" he said as he pointed to the giant man. "This is our boss. He rules this part of town. If you don't want any problems with your stay here, you better show him some respect!"
"Don't worry," Felix replied nonchalantly. "I've no interest in your little gang, and I don't intend to overstay my welcome. I'll be gone tomorrow morning."
"Then what was that earlier?"
"Can't a man flirt a little?"
The man scoffed at his response before getting up, obviously unhappy with his answer.
"You'll regret this," the man said under his breath as he left.
Typical, Felix thought.
He had travelled far and wide, but idiots were the same everywhere. They tend to overestimate themselves just because they rule the corner of a small town. They may think they hold absolute power when confronting the ordinary people, but once they displease the ruling class, it won't take long before the knights are sent to clean them up.
Obviously, such gangs wouldn't exist in the first place if they didn't have the support of some influential people. They don't even realize they are a tool for people with authority to achieve their objectives without dirtying their hands. They are simply disposable at the end of the day. However, such matters weren't for Felix to concern himself with.
After his meal, Felix got up and went to see the innkeeper for the key to his room. The room he was given was on the third floor. As he climbed the stairs to his room, Felix noticed that most other rooms seemed empty.
Obviously, he thought, if the price of those rooms is the same as mine, most people won't be able to afford it. Depending on your job, a full day's labour in this place is worth only one to two silvers. Judging by the patrons' clothes downstairs, none seemed rich. They are probably only locals. One thing comes to mind, however. Those people seemed okay being in the same place as those gangsters. It seems to be a common sight and they got used to it. People are adaptable, after all.
Deep in thought, Felix finally reached his room. It was at the end of the corridor, meaning the only way out was to pass by everyone else's room. Felix wondered if such an arrangement was by coincidence or deliberate.
One might think he was paranoid, but it wouldn't be the first time such a thing had happened to him. He thought of asking for a different room but quickly dismissed the idea. It probably wouldn't work anyway.
The room was small, with only a bed, a coat hanger on the wall, and a basic dresser. Felix didn't really expect much more than this, as this was way better than sleeping outside in the rain, but it was obviously not worth the asking price.
No wonder this place is deserted, he thought.
Felix put down his luggage in the corner, hung his cloak on the support, and could finally dry himself. As he was looking out of the only window in the room, he heard a knock on the door, followed by a young woman's voice.
"Dear customer, I've brought hot water for you to wash yourself."
Felix opened the door cautiously, ensuring one of his daggers was within arm's reach. He had learned from experience never to be too cautious.
Felix was surprised by the woman on the other side of the door. She was the one who was sitting on the gang leader's lap.