Aoi was confused. She had never seen Agares et a woman nad Milenia before. And yet, Agares clearly said he knew where to find her.
After they left rchant Lo’s shop, Aoi asked how Agares knew Milenia’s whereabouts. Agares gave her a wide smile—she clearly had no idea how he knew.
"There is. We don’t need to search the entire city, just one place."
Aoi grew even more curious. Midgard wasn’t as large as Berdiver, so if Agares really wanted to, he could search every corner of the city. But he stopped walking when they reached the entrance to a tavern.
"What is this place?" Aoi asked, tilting her head.
"I’ll tell you later. Just don’t say anything once we’re inside."
The fox nodded and hid herself inside the pocket of Agares’s black shirt. He pushed open the double swing doors and stepped inside.
Fortunately, no one paid him much attention. The other guests were busy with their own matters.
"Yoo, welco to my place," said the tavern owner—a broad, red-skinned man from the demonkin race.
Agares nodded, walked over to the bar, and was imdiately served a mug of beer. Among all drinks, beer was the most suitable for a human like him.
"I’ve seen you around the city, but you’ve never dropped by my place," the man said.
"Yeah. I usually co to the city just to rest."
"I see, I see," he nodded.
"So, are you here to relax or are you looking for sothing?" the man asked.
"Milenia. A mage. Do you know her?"
"HAHA!"
"What? You want to sleep with her?"
"What?!"
The man looked left and right, as if making sure no one was listening. Once he felt it was safe, he leaned closer and whispered in Agares’s ear.
"She’s a whore in this city."
"You’ll need a good amount of monster cores to have fun with her. She’s special, you know?"
"I’m not here to sleep with her."
"Then that’s too bad. She probably won’t care about you."
"Just tell where she is?"
"She’s one of my regulars. She usually cos by in the afternoon and sits upstairs—right up there on the balcony."
"That’s all I needed."
"Give one bottle of that beer. The good stuff."
"Sure thing," said the man, handing him a full bottle.
Agares placed ten monster cores on the counter and walked upstairs with the beer and a glass. If the demonkin’s words were true, Milenia would show up this afternoon.
While waiting, Agares took a seat and began sipping the beer slowly. Aoi climbed out from his pocket and sat on the table next to the drink.
"Ughh, that sll is awful."
"You wouldn’t like it," Agares replied, tapping his pouch and pulling out a red berry. "Here, eat this."
Aoi smiled, plucked the berry from its stem, and began eating it slowly. Sweet, juicy, and fresh—far better than the foul-slling drink Agares was having.
"Nyx."
[Standby Mode Deactivated]
[Do you need sothing, Master?]
"My stage is now at Stage 4. Tell , how do I start a pet contract?"
[Pet contracts require a mage’s ability. The Host may proceed through a local cathedral or similar interdiaries. The simplest way is with the help of a mage.]
[Required materials vary by pet tier. To determine the tier, a magical scan must be done.]
[The higher the pet tier, the more difficult the materials needed.]
’Looks like I really do need Milenia after all.’
"What kind of benefits do I get from the pet nu?"
[Pets can assist in combat and defense. So may also be used for transportation. Pet masters may give commands at will.]
"What about compatibility?"
[Compatibility is determined by the pet’s tier and the Host’s affinity. A Host with a dark affinity may have trouble bonding with certain pets.]
Agares glanced ahead, watching Aoi nibble on her berry. He had no idea what tier Aoi was, as a kitsune, or how compatible they might actually be.
"What about the kitsune race?"
[Compatibility with Host’s affinity is as follows:]
[Water: 25%]
[Wind: 45%]
[Earth: 15%]
[Fire: 5%]
[Light: 15%]
[Dark: 25%]
[The higher the percentage, the better the success rate of the pet contract due to affinity match.]
[Materials also affect pet compatibility.]
’There’s a lot more to this pet system than I thought. I better wait for Milenia and ask her directly.’
"Yoo, Milenia! You showed up after all!"
The demonkin’s voice rang clearly upstairs. He was greeting Milenia, who had just arrived. Agares sharpened his ears, trying to listen more closely.
"Soone’s waiting for you upstairs," the demonkin said.
"Really? Why didn’t he just co to my house?" Milenia asked.
"He’s not here for sex."
"Interesting."
After placing her drink order, Milenia walked gracefully toward the stairs in a revealing black dress that drew every man’s gaze. The tavern quieted as all eyes turned to her.
She arrived on the second floor and headed to the balcony—her usual spot. Agares caught a glimpse of her.
She truly was beautiful, with long wavy black hair and the aura of a seasoned mage.
’She’s gorgeous. No wonder the n go crazy over her.’
Agares finished his last glass of beer and stood from his seat. He gathered his courage and approached her. Milenia noticed him imdiately and smiled.
"So, you’re the one Goro said earlier?"
"I need your help."
"Interesting. A man not interested in . Are you into n instead?" she teased.
Agares’s face flushed—not with embarrassnt, but anger. He didn’t appreciate the suggestion.
"I could have you trembling in seconds. You should know that, whore."
"Haha! n who say that are never reliable."
"So if it’s not for sex, then what?"
Agares picked up Aoi and placed the white fox gently on Milenia’s table. Milenia’s smile widened as she stroked the fox’s fur, admiring her cuteness.
"I want you to help form a pet contract."
"A pet contract? You’re not a mage. So what are you?"
"I’m a saber."
"Saber?" she repeated, intrigued.
In all her ti living in Midgard, she had never t a single Saber knight. Agares was the first to appear and claim the title. She couldn’t just take his word for it.
"You know, there’s a specific mark—"
"Is this enough proof?" Agares interrupted, revealing a red saber sigil glowing on the back of his right hand.
Milenia blinked in shock, then lifted her gaze, taking a good look at him in full. Not only was he uninterested in her body, he was also a Saber.
That made Milenia genuinely curious about him.
"You’re quite an interesting man."
"Buy dinner, and I’ll help you."
"Deal."
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