Evan finally reached the city, and as night had fallen, he followed the director's directions without any stops and arrived at the building where he was to reside from now on.
"It looks like that's the place where I'll be living for the next three years until I can move out on my own," Evan remarked, gazing at the building with a bag slung over his shoulder and a suitcase in his left hand.
"I'd better get inside quickly, or I'll have to sleep outside tonight," he thought, noticing a man around fifty years old, similar in age to the director, closing the main door.
"Sir, wait, I need to ask you something," he called out, hurrying to stop the man from shutting the door.
"Who are you, kid, and why are you here so late at night?" the man inquired, examining Evan from head to toe.
"Sir, my name is Evan, and Mr. Will sent me here; I believe you're the landlord, correct?" Evan introduced himself and explained his situation.
"Oh yes, Will mentioned you a few days ago. Remember, kid, I'm only giving you a room because of my friend, so don't you dare step out of line. And no late nights; the gate closes at eleven PM sharp. Listen closely, I'm just the landlord, but if you cross the line, I'll send you back to where you came from. Now, come with me. You've arrived late, and I bet you haven't eaten, so my wife has prepared some food for you," the man said as he turned to walk away. Evan, who had been dazed by the barrage of rules and the unexpected offer of food, finally snapped out of it and followed him toward his home.
"Thank you, sir, but may I know your name?" Evan asked as the man glanced back and continued walking, making Evan think he didn't want to share his name.
"Jason," the man replied a few minutes later.
"Sir, did you say something?" Evan inquired, not quite catching his response.
"I said my name is Jason!" Jason raised his voice, repeating himself.
"Oh, okay. Thank you, Mr. Jason, for welcoming me and agreeing to look after me," Evan responded, relieved to have finally learned his name.
"Come after me," Jason said as they approached an apartment door bearing his and his wife's names on the nameplate.
Jason rang the bell, and a voice from inside responded with a "Coming!"
"Oh, Jason, did you find the person you were looking for?" a lady asked as she looked at him and then at Evan.
"Hi there, young man. My name is Rossy, and I'm the wife of this stubborn old man," she introduced herself, prompting laughter from Evan.
"Rossy, I told you not to do this in front of others," Jason complained as Rossy stuck out her tongue, making him even angrier.
"Kid, this is my wife, as she told you. Come inside quickly to eat your dinner, after which I'll show you your room," Jason explained. Evan nodded and headed inside to eat the dinner he was offered, knowing that if he refused, he would have to sleep on an empty stomach, which he didn't want.
As he sat at the dining table, both of them also sat beside him, and Rossy began serving the food.
"Sir, haven't you had dinner yet?" Evan asked, thinking they would have eaten before him, and noticing the food was quite warm, as if it had been prepared recently.
"We just have the habit of eating late. And why are you asking such questions? Just shut up and eat your food, or it will get cold," Jason said as he started eating without further comment.
"Don't worry, Evan. Today, he asked me to prepare the food late because as soon as he heard from his friend about you, he started cleaning the room for you. He even went to the market to get some ingredients," Rossy explained as Evan looked at Jason, who was eating his food, facing another direction.
"Thank you, sir, for your hospitality, but why did you go to such lengths for me when I'm not that important?" Evan asked, looking at both of them.
"I will tell you about this because when he told us about you, he also sent us a picture of you. When we looked at it, we were stunned because you look exactly like our son did in his childhood. That's why we agreed to it; it could help us alleviate some past pain," Rossy said, as if recalling a sad memory, and her eyes became teary.
"But I think you're overreacting because I am not your son, and I don't think he would appreciate you seeing me as taking his place," Evan said, acknowledging the uncomfortable truth.
"I'm sorry if I said something wrong," Evan quickly added, realizing the impact of his words.
"You don't have to apologize; our son won't take it seriously because he's already passed away... a few years ago," she said, her voice faltering slightly on some words.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, if I hurt your feelings or overstepped my boundaries. I didn't know about your son... Let's leave it at that and eat our food before it gets cold," he said, sensing the gravity of the situation.
"Ah, yes, I'm sorry for putting you in this position right after you arrived. Let's eat, and Jason will show you to your room," Rossy said. After that, no one spoke, and only after they had finished dinner did Jason come out to take him to his room.
As they walked up the stairs, it was already late, but still, some people, mostly younger ones, were roaming around the area.
"Kid, don't take my wife too seriously; she always gets emotional in these situations because she watches many drama series. And listen, don't roam outside late like those people you just saw outside, in the future," Jason advised as they reached the floor where Evan's apartment was situated.
"Okay, sir, I understand. You don't have to worry; I'll be home on time. And I realize Mrs. Rossy is quite emotional, so I'll be more considerate next time," Evan said as he entered the apartment.
Few minutes later~~~~~
"Okay, do you understand everything about this apartment?" Jason asked after explaining everything.
"Yes, Sir, I understand, and it's quite good compared to others I've seen on the internet," Evan replied as Jason coughed slightly, indicating his pleasure.
"I'm leaving now and will come back early tomorrow morning for breakfast. Then, I'll tell you about the rest," Jason said as he left the apartment, slamming the door behind him.
"This kid is quite nice, not like the others who came here to rent before," he mused, finding Evan's behavior far better than that of previous potential renters.
Meanwhile, Evan, who was arranging his belongings in drawers and shelves, was getting ready for bed.
"It looks like tomorrow will be more fun," he murmured, gazing out the window at the glittering lights of the buildings outside.
With that view, he drifted off to sleep, dreaming of continuing adventures with swords and magic.
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Hello everyone, the author here. I hope you'll enjoy this as it was created in haste. Some details may have been rushed due to my excitement for the upcoming chapters, which promise to be even better. I'm eager to progress the story and am a bit disappointed that there was no response to my note requesting ideas for the plot twist. Nevertheless, I'm prepared with an array of thrilling fantasy settings and plots, so brace yourselves for an epic journey.