[Ren Hilton's POV]
"Starlight mushrooms, it's the last thing... and then we can end this," her voice trailed off a bit at the end.
"End this date?" I teased, noticing her flinch. She really was quite shy.
"Y-yeah," she agreed, a hint of embarrassnt in her response.
We walked around a bit as kept buying few things here and there, I too bought few things for myself,like quills and few books.... I've filled my one's by scribbling out what I saw in Alver's docunts so that I won't be forgetting....well there's no way I'll forget it once I saw it.
Our next destination was the "Herbal Emporium." Raven led the way inside, and I followed, imdiately struck by the heavy scent of herbs and potions. Surprisingly, there was no one else in the store, and the counter was unattended.
I imdiately stepped back a bit, my eyes darting to my left.
Raven flinched at my sudden movent, confusion clear on her face.
I felt sothing unusual—an eerie, guttural screech that sounded like a cry. But when I looked, there was nothing more than a withered wooden door.
"Hoho, I am sorry," a voice chuckled.
*Thud*
Instinctively, I reached out and grabbed his hand before he could touch my shoulder. He seed entirely unaffected by my grip, not even flinching.
"Wow, people are getting quite aggressive today, aren't they?" The man in the robe remarked.
He remained behind as he spoke, "I am sorry, can you tell what you need? I am the owner."
I replied calmly, "Starlight mushrooms."
"Oh, them! They are quite a delicacy if cooked properly but can be used in strength potions too," he replied, turning to search through the jars.
I couldn't help but glance at Raven, who seed practically frozen in place.
"No-nothing," she stamred, avoiding eye contact and looking down at the counter.
"You don't seem like you're from around here," I casually comnted.....As I picked up the vial, I examined the pink liquid inside, turning it slightly in my hand. Silence settled around us, creating an almost palpable tension.
The owner, his back still turned, halted his movents for a mont. It was as if my question had caught him off guard, causing him to ponder his response. "Why do you say that?" he finally inquired, his voice tinged with curiosity, his gaze fixed on the assorted jars before him.
My calm deanor remained unchanged as I replied, "Nothing. I just thought that the robe looked familiar. Is it dwarven-made?" Another pause followed, during which he chuckled softly.
"You've got a sharp eye," he admitted, the faintest hint of admiration in his tone. With deliberate care, he placed a small container before on the counter.
I offered no further words as I paid for the mushrooms, and when Raven attempted to do the sa, I intervened, gesturing for her to stop.
"Let Mr. Boyfriend pay for you," the owner playfully teased, his voice carrying a mischievous undertone.
Raven's reaction was a sight to behold. Her face flushed a deep shade of red as she stamred, "Hnghh!!??"
Smiling, I turned to leave, my fingers curling around Raven's hand as I gently tugged her out of the store.
I glanced back at the shop's interior through the open door. Everything appeared normal, yet my instincts told otherwise. My gaze settled on a box placed on the top shelf to the right, and it seed to move ever so slightly, as if pushed by an imperceptible force.
Once we were back outside the shop, I couldn't help but chuckle at Raven's embarrassed reaction. Her cheeks still held a rosy hue as she fumbled for words.
"Sorry about that," I said with a light-hearted grin. "Seems like the shop owner has quite the sense of humor."
Raven nodded, her gaze fixed on the ground. "Y-yeah, it was just...unexpected."
As we walked away from the Herbal Emporium, carrying the bag of starlight mushrooms, Bargain Alley continued to bustle with activity. The colorful canopies above us cast playful shadows on the cobbled streets.
"Thanks for helping with the shopping, Ren," Raven said softly, her shyness now tinged with gratitude.
"No problem at all," I replied with a friendly smile. "I'm glad I could assist you, but now I have to go... I have sothing I need to attend to."
Raven's expression shifted to one of understanding. "I see. Well, I appreciate your help today, Ren. It made things much easier."
With a nod, I waved goodbye to Raven and headed in the opposite direction. My thoughts shifted to the day's events as I walked through the bustling marketplace.
Then, a voice chid in my mind, 'Two unexpected encounters today, huh? You're becoming quite the socialite.'
I chuckled. 'It's a bit strange, isn't it? But it's also interesting... wait! What the heck!?' I looked around, and to my surprise, Smokeball was here?
'I can fly, I've been following you the whole ti,' a smug voice echoed as I spotted him on top of one of the canopies, looking down at .
'Stalker,' I muttered, turning to head back.
'Don't call a stalker, princess~~ I was just worried sothing might happen...and interested to see if sothing might happen,' Blaze said as he jumped down to follow .
I turned back and resud walking along the route.
'Where are we going now?' Blaze asked.
'Herbal Emporium,' I replied as I began running back to the shop.
"Why—" Blaze tried to ask, but I scooped him off the ground and hid behind a nearby wall.
Two figures erged from the store; one was surely Cecelia, as I could detect her mana signature. But the second one—
From their appearance, it surely had to be Aron, but the mana signature was different.
"No way he can change his mana signature," Blaze tried to argue, but he seed to forget that I had completely changed my race.
'That was because—' I ignored him and focused on the two of them as the duo disappeared from view.
'Now what?' Blaze questioned... as I understood how peaceful today was without him questioning everything.
But yeah now... nothing.
I wanted to confirm that Aron and Cecelia were here and nothing more, but... I don't get why? Well, I'll figure it out if needed.
As for the owner, I found him suspicious because of his answer.
That robe wasn't dwarven-made... still, he agreed.
'Well, maybe I should get back... I have so questions for Cecelia too,' I thought.
'Lucky motherf***er,' Blaze expressed his jealousy at my prospect of two dates.
'Jealous? Jealous my ass! I had a lot of b****es in my ti too...' Blaze's delusional response made roll my eyes.
----
[Third-Person View]
Inside the store, the owner walked toward the entrance and locked the door from inside. He then turned around, sitting down with a sigh. "That guy sure was naggy, huh?" he said as he removed the robe.
Beneath the robe, he revealed a rugged face adorned with a scruffy beard. It was Silas.
He hovered his hand over his face as his features began changing. His brown eyes turned pure white, including the sclera, and so scales ford at the ends of both eyes.
"Why did father have to send here?" the man grumbled, his voice shifting slightly, sounding young yet mature. His black hair turned pure white, and two small horns sprouted on his forehead. His body shrunk slightly inside the robe.
A thud echoed as a box from the top shelf fell to the floor. Silas grumbled, "Agh, you don't have to move this much," as he stood up, walked to the box, and picked it up.
He opened the box, revealing a small creature inside.
**Screech**
The scales of the creature were sky blue, and it had a tiny pair of wings on its back. The small reptilian creature screeched at the boy.
Sighing, the boy muttered, "Don't know why this is the first half of the abomination dragon," he sighed again, "And this mission too... Well, I must clear it if I want to beco the guardian of mythical weapons." He carefully picked up the small dragon from the box.
"Right, Klashier," he nuzzled the dragon's nose affectionately.
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