This ti, it was not Mira, but Charlotte who spoke.
"Boss drops go directly into the status nu of the person who dealt the last hit...that’s impossible."
"..."
Realizing the awkwardness she had created within the group, Mira imdiately stepped forward and said in a somber tone.
"I didn’t an to call anyone one...you don’t have to co forward if you don’t want to. Just let my curiosity get the best of ."
From there, with the help of Coal, their conversation resprouted and blossod, but I could tell so people were still weary.
They were a team after all, and they were supposed to trust each other.
However, by not coming forward, the person with the artifact displayed that they didn’t fully trust the team.
Snapping back to reality, Zeke’s voice, squeakier than usual, sounded once again.
"...wow, this place is amazing, can I stay here forever?"
Was he really pretending to be a child!?
How far would he, the son of the grand duke of the North, be willing to take this performance!?
Genuinely curious, I leaned against a nearby tree and pointed toward the shrine.
"Hey, kid, go ring that bell again."
Following my orders to a tee, Zeke turned back around and strolled toward the shrine, ascending the stairs and approaching the bucket.
Then...he tugged the rope with much less strength than earlier.
From this far away, I could hear the bell ring, but I saw it oscillating back and forth..
A mont later, as the bell halted its swinging, Zeke’s figure suddenly turned around and paused, his eyes darting everywhere.
His expression was back to normal, with a frown.
Eventually, he caught sight of and briskly walked toward , and asked in a furious tone.
"Hey, why the hell did you leave up there? Were you planning to make look like a fool for ringing the bell alone?"
"..."
"You don’t have anything to say for yourself!?"
Looking past Zeke and at the halting bell, my brain began spinning in circles.
That wasn’t all an act by him earlier...was it!?
Gripping both of Zeke’s shoulders, I pulled him toward and asked in the most serious tone I had ever assud when talking to him.
"Hey, do you rember that? Walking down the shrine while I dragged you behind !?"
Shrugging my hands off his shoulders, Zeke looked at as if I were crazy, his eyebrows raised, and muttered.
"Are you trying to trick again? Co on, we don’t have ti for this. Let’s go."
Before I could even respond, he gripped my arm and pulled forward while my gaze was locked onto the bell.
What the... hell was going on!?
Walking by the other students unassud, or at least I assud we were, the two of us pushed through the curtains, passing by the waiter.
However, letting Zeke walk in front of , I paused as we passed the front desk where the waiter who had served us stood.
Not waiting to sound crazy, I hesitated, choosing my words carefully, before eventually spitting out.
"That shrine...is there anything special about it?"
Suddenly looking up from her desk and making eye contact with , the waiter tilted her head before confusedly replying.
"Ah, I couldn’t tell you...The owner placed it there one day, a couple of years back. I assu it’s for design...but with that old man, you can never tell."
Nodding my head graciously, I followed Zeke back through the long hallway we had entered through, seeing a painting on my right.
It was of a...small child?
The fra seed to be made of gold, or at least an amazing fake, as it shone an amazing bright yellow.
The canvas itself seed to be relatively new, with no signs of fading, and contained a drawing of a baby within it.
The baby portrait was painted with ink and long strokes, yet it was surprisingly simple, simply depicting a baby floating above a patch of grass, a bell in the background above the baby’s head.
Why was a child portrayed on this amazing cafe’s walls?
Shouldn’t the owner or at least a chief be celebrated on these beautiful walls?
Shaking my head, I exited the building, seeing Zeke eagerly waiting for at the exit of the cove.
Saluting like a soldier, I sarcastically asked.
"Where to, boss?"
Although Zeke’s personality transformation into a child earlier was peculiar, it was short-lived and hadn’t affected in the slightest, so I didn’t think much of it.
Walking backward while reentering the main streets of Reinhard, Zeke tilted his head and asked.
"You said you wanted magical artifacts, right? I have the perfect place for you."
"What?"
"A black market."
"...?"
Confusedly, I paused and watched Zeke walk forward.
The black market was in the capital city, wasn’t it?
So...where was Zeke taking ?
As if hearing my inaudible question, Zeke suddenly continued.
"The market shifts around from city to city, and coincidentally, it’s here for the week!"
Nodding my head, I gripped the pen in my pocket and walked with Zeke further into the city, even past the mana gate we had teleported through.
Finally, after so ti of walking, Zeke suddenly halted in front of the door of a normal-looking building before raising his hand and knocking.
*KNOCK*
*BANG*
*KNOCK*
*KNOCK*
*BANG*
Like clockwork, the door swung open, revealing a massive stone staircase that led downward into the underground.
Was this always here...or had they just built for the black market in this town?
Fearless, Zeke stepped through the door and descended the staircase, reaching a small wooden door that lay at the bottom.
Entering the dimly lit staircase, I was imdiately shocked as the door automatically closed behind , but I continued nonetheless.
Reaching into his pocket, Zeke produced a small black card before sliding it under the door and patiently waiting.
Catching up to Zeke, I confusedly looked at the disappearing card and asked.
"You were planning to go to the black market...for a long ti, weren’t you?"
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