## Chapter 58 – The Black Magician’s Request
I supported the tattered Morris as we made our way back to the city. All the while, I whispered into his ear, brainwashing him that it wasn’t me who hurt him, but the monsters. Every time he regained consciousness, I persistently asked him to guess who had hit him, and without fail, he always answered that it was the monsters.
“Satisfactory.”
This kind of injection education (physical) is so effective. Realizing that the Korean education system wasn’t wrong, I was deeply moved and sang the national anthem.
“Mr. Morris, can you walk on your own now?”
“Ggrrr…”
It was time for him to become independent, so I let him go. He was a complete rag of a man. This is what happens when people have bad intentions. Look at those teeth. Will he even be able to eat dinner properly tonight? His throat is his master, just like they say. Recalling the lesson of rewarding good and punishing evil, I had no doubt that he would become a new man.
The sun was starting to set. We arrived at the city while the sky was still orange. Any later and the gates would have been closed.
A bored-looking guard stopped us.
“Why is that man so injured?”
“He was attacked by a swarm of monsters. He needs urgent treatment.”
“Is that so? Then hurry inside.”
We passed through the gates without any trouble. Now it was time to part ways. We had divided all the items we collected individually, so there was no need to settle accounts separately. I was about to leave the group.
“Goodbye, Gibson. And Morris, give your parents my regards. If we ever see each other again for something bad, it won’t be you who dies, but your mom and dad. Keep that in mind. And Claudia, take care. You might attract scammers since you’re a foreigner, so always be careful.”
I waved and turned away. Now all that was left was to wash up and sleep. Only four quest items remained: a goblin’s balls (or gob-balls for short), a gremlin’s eye, a corpse mushroom, and some Limonia grass. I should be able to finish in two or three days.
“Hey, wait a minute.”
“Huh?”
Claudia stopped me as I turned away. I looked back at her. Did she have something to ask?
“Um…”
“Is there something you need?”
Since we’re fellow foreigners, I’m willing to help in any way I can. Besides, I helped resolve the Morris situation peacefully, didn’t I? Thanks to that, I’m going to sleep like a log tonight.
“Well… oh, right. This leather. Can you tell me where I should sell it? I haven’t been here long, so I’m not used to things like that yet.”
She hesitated for a moment before saying that. Scaled leather should be taken to a leather shop rather than a blacksmith. Although they’re all clustered near the blacksmith anyway.
“Since it’s leather, you should probably sell it at a leather armor shop.”
I gestured to indicate the direction.
“Oh, really? It’s over there. But you need to sell yours too, right? Can you show me the way?”
“Hmm… sure. I’ll show you.”
It’s not like I’m selling it because it’s a quest item.
Anyway, she seemed to need help, so I took the lead to guide her. Claudia followed beside me.
“Do you have your own place? Do you live in this city?”
“No, where would I get the money for a place? I just stay at an inn with the money I earn each day, and if I have enough, I rent a room for a week. Isn’t it the same for you, Claudia?”
“Yeah, yeah. Me too.”
Claudia seemed bored and asked me about this and that as we walked. Mostly about my personal life. As someone who had come to the city alone, she must be glad to have a fellow immigrant like me.
“By the way, you’re very polite. Is that a Mirkesha custom? It’s kind of refreshing. It’s like you learned it properly, there aren’t many guys like that.”
“Personally, I think it’s just common sense. But well, this world isn’t exactly one where common sense prevails… and I don’t use honorifics if I don’t like you, either.”
“Hahaha, that’s true too. But it feels a bit stiff.”
I caught on to her feelings. She wanted a friend. I immediately adjusted my tone towards her.
“Ah, so can I call you Claudia?”
“Sure~.”
“We’re here. It’s over there.”
We went straight into the leather shop. The owner was organizing various tools.
“Excuse me, are you still open?”
“Barely. I’m about to close.”
It seemed we had arrived close to closing time. The shop owner looked tired, but he approached us as if to accept one last customer.
“I have some Scale Wolf leather, do you take it? It’s fresh, we caught it today.”
“What? Scale Wolf? Bring it here right away.”
“Claudia, give him yours. I’m not selling mine.”
“Huh? Why?”
“It’s a quest item. The head and the balls I collected earlier are part of that quest.”
Claudia handed two pieces of leather to the shop owner.
“Hmm… the leather is in pretty good condition. I’ll buy it for 50 coppers.”
“Come on, can’t you give me just 5 more coppers? I worked really cleanly on it.”
“You can’t come at closing time and ask for that.”
Failed negotiation, damn it.
Claudia, who was looking at my face with a strange expression, asked the owner.
“55 coppers, no?”
“Uh… here, take 55 coppers.”
“Thank you.”
The owner looked at Claudia’s face, flinched, and immediately raised the price by 5 coppers. Wow, so that’s why looks are everything. All men are weak to beautiful women. But my face is just that of a thug. Damn it.
When we came out of the shop, the sun had completely set. I said goodbye to her.
“Take care. It’s usually polite to walk you home, but honestly, you seem hundreds of times stronger than me, so I’ll skip it.”
“Hey, Katt.”
She’s a woman who can use Starburst Stream (important), no less. She’s a true powerhouse who could cut down a truckload of guys like me. I bet most mages wouldn’t even have time to cast a spell before her blade was at their throats.
“I told you I’m not very familiar with this city yet, right?”
“You did. I was the same at first.”
“So I was wondering if you could show me around a little more… How about we go in there and talk? I’ll treat you since I made some money.”
Claudia pointed to a bar.
Is she offering to buy me free drinks (important)?
“Wait, you’re buying me drinks?”
“Why, don’t you want to?”
“I’d love to, damn it!”
I suddenly felt much better. The best thing in the world is free booze. I haven’t had a drink in ages, what luck!
We went into the bar and took a seat in the corner. Personally, I prefer the counter because it’s easier to order, but Claudia said she liked the corner. Soon, she ordered two large beers.
“Wow, I’m getting treated to drinks. I’m really grateful.”
“Well, you helped me earn 5 more coppers just now, didn’t you?”
“That’s entirely because of your…”
The server brought the beer in large, beautiful wooden mugs. The foam was overflowing.
“Your beauty.”
“Are you flattering me because I’m buying you drinks?”
“One hundred percent sincere. I don’t lie.”
I felt a little embarrassed saying it, but she seemed to be fine with it, judging by her smile. I toasted with her and downed the beer in one go. The cold carbonation tickled my throat, and my tension naturally rose.
“Ah!”
I couldn’t help but exclaim after drinking about half of it. It felt so good to have alcohol in my system after so long. But Claudia, as skilled as she was, also had a considerable tolerance for alcohol, as she emptied her large mug in one go.
“Hmm, should I order another one?”
“I haven’t finished mine yet.”
“Drink it quickly. I’ll order one for you too.”
I just kept drinking whatever she gave me. Maybe it was a custom in Claudia’s country, but she seemed to think that once a drink was served, you had to finish it right away. Bad drinking habit.
“Ugh, damn it. It’s not that I can’t drink anymore, I’m just full…”
“Really? I’m still fine.”
Claudia, who had downed her fifth beer in one go, took off her hood. Her light purple hair flowed out from underneath. I was captivated by her hair, which sparkled as if sprinkled with amethyst powder.
Light purple hair combined with brown skin… It seemed to exude a clear fragrance. I gasped at her unexpected beauty. Indeed. With beauty like that, it’s understandable that she wears a hood. Being pretty has its advantages, but it also brings all sorts of annoying things.
“Huh? Why?”
“Oh, uh. No. Your hair color is a bit…”
“A bit?”
“No, it’s kind of… what should I say… it’s like amethyst, so pretty. It catches my eye because it sparkles. It seems to suit you very well. It’s a really beautiful color.”
“Beautiful? Hehe, I’m glad to hear that.”
“Glad?”
“It’s nothing.”
For some reason, my heart was pounding. Maybe it was the alcohol, but hearing her laughter made my body twitch. I had been able to treat her casually until just now, but now I felt a little uncomfortable looking at her face. Claudia was an extraordinary beauty, so I felt a bit intimidated.
“Oh.”
In the meantime, I noticed something strange.
Her ears were pointed.
“Hey. Your ears are…”
Pointed ears?
An elf?
“Ears? Oh, I’m a dark elf half-breed. Look.”
Claudia tied her hair back with both hands, revealing her ears. Her nape was exposed, and her long, pointed ears, typical of elves, protruded from both sides. And there were three gold earrings on each ear.
“You, you’re a dark elf? No way, no wonder you’re unrealistically beautiful…!”
I asked, startled.
The sudden elf atmosphere made my body stiffen.
“Unrealistically beautiful? Hehe, that’s a first? To be exact, I’m a dark elf half-breed. Thanks for the compliment. You’re good with words.”
Dark elves are a militant race with advanced assassination skills. During the Great War, there were constant rumors of dark elf commandos wiping out entire villages, and dark elf assassins killing noble families and skinning them alive.
A different race.
It’s impossible for humans to know what different races, other than humans, are thinking. They look similar to humans, but their lives, cultures, values, and morals are often completely different.
Elves have a reputation for being arrogant and haughty, and that’s true. Elves see humans as talking beasts. Similarly, the reason dark elves are known to be cruel is probably because they actually are cruel.
I was starting to get scared.
It was a different story from beauty. I started to feel uneasy when I realized she was a different race from me.
“Are you being openly wary of me? You don’t have to be. I kind of like you.”
“Wary? What are you talking about… No, I was just a little nervous. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be. As an apology, can I buy the snacks?”
But at the same time, I felt like it was rude to think that way. I apologized immediately.
“Well, you don’t have to apologize… Well, okay. If that’s how you feel, instead of buying snacks, just drink more of the alcohol I’m giving you. In my hometown, men aren’t allowed to refuse alcohol that women buy them.”
“I, is that so? Then let’s do that.”
We drank late into the night. Unlike me, who was getting increasingly flushed and dizzy, she seemed perfectly fine. Maybe it was because she was a dark elf, but her alcohol tolerance seemed to be completely different from mine.
“Ugh… Ah, it’s been so long since I drank this much.”
I said, clutching my forehead. The world was starting to spin.
“What? Are you already drunk? Tsk, a man shouldn’t be like that. Drink more, more.”
“Drunk? What are you talking about? I’m fine.”
“Really? Then you can drink more.”
Claudia rested her chin on her hand and stared at my face. She kept offering me drinks with a bright smile. I pretended to be tough in front of a woman and drank everything she gave me.
“You have a lot of scars on your face. How did you get so hurt?”
“When I was F-rank… Hic! When I had no skill or anything… I lived in Krassheim for two or three years, and the first year or two were hell itself…”
“What happened?”
“Various things… Hic! Ah, wait a minute. Hiccup.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I’m still fine. More importantly, what happened was… I was literally a beggar back then… I couldn’t even guarantee that I’d be alive the next day… But to make matters worse, I was constantly harassed for being a barbarian… Ugh… Ah, damn it, I’m so dizzy… My head is going to break…”
I slammed my head on the table. It was too hard to talk. It felt like the inside of my brain was ringing every time I breathed.
“Hmm… Is that enough now?”
Claudia, who had come next to me, lifted me up. I leaned on her and continued to talk.
“Now I have proper equipment and I’m not a beggar anymore, so it’s okay, but back then it was really…”
“Yeah, yeah. It must have been hard. Let’s get up now. You look tired, you should rest somewhere for a while.”
I felt her body temperature, and at the same time, my mind went blank.
