Chapter 6: Underground Road
"I'm ready!" Kyouka announced, returning to the kitchen, dressed in her adventuring clothes.
Perhaps because her alchemist robes were black and green, her adventuring clothes were stark white from top to bottom.
Her outfit consisted of a white cloak, shirt, and pants, with the sole exception being the long gloves covering her forearms, which were black. She hadn't zipped up her mantle, revealing her chest, which stretched her shirt taut.
"Why so down?" she asked Nith, who stood still by the table.
Nith shook his head. "I was reflecting on some things. Hypothetically speaking, if I could erase the sanctuary's blessing and make it like it was two thousand years ago, I'd be quite an asshole, right?"
"Not quite," Kyouka replied. "You'd just be an asshole."
Walking closer to him, Kyouka patted Nith's shoulder and fixed her gaze on his face, leaning in and smiling at him. "I don't think you'd do it, though. At most, you'd make it so your passive skill defies the immunity system."
"…thanks for believing in me," Nith replied, looking away. Seeing Kyouka's shocked expression, he hurried upstairs to change into his outdoor clothes.
Kyouka cast her gaze downward, murmuring to herself, "A rare, genuine thanks from Nith…"
She shivered on the spot, feeling all giddy inside, until the stairs above creaked under Nith's weight.
"Off we go," he said, now wearing a black shirt and pants.
"You call that adventuring clothes?" Kyouka deadpanned.
—
The capital of the Mythverios Kingdom, Soireuz, provided their profitable business partners with various free services. One of them was an underground road, to which Kyouka had been given a key.
As her assistant, Nith could also use the road's convenience whenever he wanted.
In the underground, Nith and Kyouka walked shoulder to shoulder on the pathway leading outside the capital. To Nith's left stretched a wide road that could accommodate three carriages entering and exiting at the same time, like an advanced highway.
The pathway rarely got crowded due to its size.
To Kyouka's right were underground warehouses belonging to business owners with stores or other facilities on the capital's main thoroughfare.
Each owner had access to the underground road from there.
A few familiar faces and merchants greeted Kyouka and Nith upon noticing them, surprised to see them going outside. Some even offered their bodyguards to them.
"Thank you, but both of us have enough experience outside! We'll make it through and return safely home," Kyouka said to a kind merchant she liked.
The man replied while stroking his beard, "It'd be such a loss to lose you, Ms. Kyouka. Your potions are all the rage, both for their efficacy and affordability. Being honest with you, as a friend, I can't help but worry upon seeing your prices… you're operating at a loss, aren't you?"
Nith nodded, agreeing with the man.
Kyouka, however, dismissed his worries with a wide smile. "It's my calling to make my goods as accessible as possible, so that everyone can buy them."
"I see, I see," the man stopped stroking his beard and beamed at the duo. "It'd be rude of me to inquire further about your adventure, so allow me to wish you good luck before we part ways. May nothing hazardous befall you."
"Thank you once again!" Kyouka bid farewell to the man, while Nith did his best to maintain a neutral expression so as not to cause any misunderstandings.
It felt nice to receive so much kindness from others, even if it was most likely motivated by concerns over the potential loss of high-quality, affordable potions from the market.
Nith didn't let those warm feelings get to him, much to Kyouka's surprise.
"Did you revert?" she asked.
"Revert to what?" he replied.
"You were worried about people. You know, that prospect of the blessing being gone because of you," Kyouka explained.
"Hah," Nith sneered, his expression turning dark. "Look at this underground road, for instance. You think the capital built it for our comfort?"
"I know, I know," Kyouka raised her hands in mock surrender. "It's just strange for you to be thinking about the blessing so soon after awakening your skill. It's even stranger for you to get so emotional about it, but it's been a while since I felt this happy inside, so I'll let it go."
"What the hell made you so happy?" Nith asked.
"Oh, you know well. Hehe," Kyouka smirked at him. "Tell me more about your origins later, okay? I must know more about my marriage partner."
"You're not marrying me," Nith spat. "I always knew you weren't that stupid, so how about you tell me more about yourself instead? Did you come here just to sell potions for cheap? The moment you get more debts, I'm ditching your store."
"Because it's your special day, I'll think about sharing it with you… maybe I'll comfort you with my story when your poisons turn out to be useless," Kyouka mused aloud.
"Hah, you're in for a surprise," Nith replied.
Abruptly turning toward him, her eyes sparkling like a thousand stars, Kyouka asked loudly enough for her voice to echo in the underground, "Am I?!"
"…I swear," Nith sighed.