## Chapter 248 – Malice (11)
Veronica scratched her head roughly. Everyone except for a few extroverts would understand how awkward it was to be left alone with someone you had no connection with and no liking for.
“I wonder what Sir Row was thinking…”
Veronica, noticing Ryu’s cautious glances, opened her mouth with a hint of annoyance.
“I have no intention of getting along with you, so don’t bother me with unnecessary chatter. Just look around.”
Veronica’s personal workshop didn’t have as many items as a smithy, but even Ryu, who was ignorant in this field, could sense that something was different. Ryu pointed to a sharp sword that looked like it could cut with just a glance and asked,
“Can I touch it?”
“Do as you please.”
Ryu was surprised by Veronica’s unexpectedly willing permission.
“Really?”
Veronica didn’t even look in Ryu’s direction as she replied.
“These things are born to be used by people anyway. It’s better for them to be handled.”
If she said it like that, it would be impolite to refuse. Ryu picked up a sword from the shelf and immediately recognized the difference.
It’s different.
Is this what they mean by an unparalleled masterpiece?
It felt like it could easily cut through rock… no, even the skin that felt like the tough armor of an Outer God.
Veronica wore a proud smile at Ryu’s expression, which seemed to recognize the value of the item.
“It’s on a different level from what you have, right?”
“This? I’m sorry for bringing it without asking.”
“You can take anything that’s there.”
With Veronica’s permission, the last bit of unease in Ryu’s heart completely disappeared. Reina was right.
At the same time, he began to think about that energy again.
Wasn’t the fact that a blacksmith with such outstanding skill couldn’t properly complete Row’s request a testament to how foreign the energy he possessed was? Veronica, looking at the deflated Ryu with a look of disdain, had a thought.
Row’s words about them getting along.
Wouldn’t Row be disappointed in her if they were still awkward when he returned?
Veronica reluctantly put down her equipment and said to Ryu,
“Hey, let’s get some fresh air.”
“Huh?”
Veronica dragged the still dazed Ryu out of the mansion. Veronica headed to the exit leading to the surface, pushed Ryu out there, and asked,
“Where do you want to go? Just so you know, we can’t go to District 2 or District 3 from here.”
District 2 was understandable, but why District 3? Veronica, reading Ryu’s expression, clicked her tongue and opened her mouth.
“You’re close to Jane, right? Well, I personally hate that gloomy woman. I don’t like that she’s called a master craftsman while only making useless things. So I blocked it. There’s no other reason.”
“I, I see.”
Veronica had vaguely noticed that Ryu was acquainted with Jane, but she didn’t know how close they were. She just wanted to subtly show that her skills were superior to that woman’s.
He wasn’t feeling great, but matching Veronica’s mood was the priority right now.
“How about District 1?”
“Well, that’s decent too.”
There was no better place than District 1 to spend time easily. Although small in scale, wasn’t it the most developed district? With many shops and well-maintained streets, just looking around was more than enough to change one’s mood.
Veronica, who came out to District 1 through the spiral staircase leading upwards, stretched and opened her mouth as if feeling good.
“Sometimes you need this kind of time. Even if I don’t like the other person very much.”
Ryu felt the same way about the other person. He wanted to come to this street with Aselle and Charlotte if possible. He had hardly ever spent leisurely time with them in District 1. Ryu asked in a somewhat blunt tone,
“So, what are we doing now?”
“Wait.”
Veronica put on the hood she had been carrying before coming up to District 1 and pulled it down deeply to cover her face.
“Why are you covering your face?”
Veronica, hearing that question, gave him a look of disdain and said to Ryu,
“I’m a Demon King. Originally, it’s hard for someone like me to walk around the most crowded streets of District 1 with you alone. Got it? I don’t want to get caught up in unnecessary rumors, and Aselle must be tired if you don’t even have this much consideration.”
Come to think of it, when he went for a walk with Aselle or Charlotte, people kept talking to them. Aselle didn’t seem to dislike it unless they were openly showing interest in Ryu, so Ryu hadn’t paid much attention to it until now, but he realized that it could be burdensome for some people only after hearing Veronica’s words.
“I know a good shop, so let’s go there.”
Ryu followed Veronica into a small, shabby shop in the back alley of District 1.
Unlike the exterior, which looked like it could be demolished at any moment, the interior was decorated in a somewhat antique style. The owner, who had been sitting at the counter staring blankly outside, got up from his seat as soon as Veronica entered, as if customers rarely came.
“Lady Veronica?”
The owner’s gaze, who recognized Veronica at once even though she was wearing a hood, turned to Ryu behind her for a moment. At the same time, a look of embarrassment appeared in the owner’s eyes.
Ryu, although he hadn’t realized it yet, was a relatively well-known celebrity in District 1, having won the tournament with overwhelming skill. If he appeared with Veronica, it was inevitable that a third party would have many thoughts.
“A seat in the innermost area, please.”
Veronica took a seat in the innermost area to avoid being noticed if anyone else came in, and familiarly opened the menu. He couldn’t get his head around the long menu, which seemed to have everything from rice, alcohol, desserts, to drinks in one shop.
“I’m buying, so order anything.”
“Anything?”
Ryu was really about to order about half of the items on the menu, but Veronica, feeling uneasy, added a word.
“Don’t order too much.”
Veronica ordered a simple meal and a glass of alcohol, and Ryu, who was new to this shop, ordered the same food as her.
The food that followed was a lamb steak and a reddish liquor, along with an incongruously cute-looking bread. Veronica received the food, took off her hood, and rejoiced like a child.
“This is it.”
It was hard to get used to the sight of a woman with calluses, scars, and muscles all over her body holding a bread smaller than her palm and smiling, but he could see that she was also a person who made such expressions.
“What are you looking at with that smile?”
Ryu was unknowingly smiling at Veronica’s unexpectedly cute side.
“Since you’re here, eat comfortably. I’m not so heartless as to say anything at the table.”
He didn’t expect a meal with Veronica to be so comfortable. Ryu ate the dishes she recommended one by one, and also had a glass of alcohol with each.
As a result.
Veronica was now sitting next to Ryu, reeking of alcohol, grabbing his collar and shaking him.
“You… I don’t like you…! I’ve never been so friendly with Sir Row! Why are you getting special treatment!”
After finishing her words, Veronica buried her face in Ryu’s chest and wiped her snot on his clothes, which made Ryu feel disgusted. Veronica, raising her head again and staring at Ryu’s face with a reddened face, opened her mouth.
“Annoying… I’m leaving now.”
She got up from her seat as she said she was leaving, but she couldn’t even take a step without staggering, as if she had drunk too much, and collapsed back into her seat.
The owner, seeing Veronica’s appearance, unable to even support her body properly because she was so drunk, approached and shook his head.
“Looking at her condition, I’ll have to close the shop early today. There’s a separate accommodation upstairs, so you can use it as you please.”
“I’ll take one more drink…”
“Yes, do as you please. But if you dirty the bed, I’ll definitely charge you.”
After the owner left, Ryu took Veronica, who had lost all her strength, upstairs.
The accommodation the owner mentioned wasn’t bad. It was a small room, but it had everything. The only flaw was that there was only one bed, but it wasn’t a big problem since he could sleep on the floor.
Veronica sat on the bed, drinking straight from the bottle, and opened her eyes dimly, looking at Ryu trying to sleep on the floor, and asked.
“What are you doing there?”
“I’m going to sleep.”
Veronica lifted Ryu with one hand and laid him down next to her. Veronica brought her face close and smiled slyly.
“You’re not sleeping. You bastard… you’re going to drink and die with me today.”
“W, wait a minute…!”
He didn’t remember anything after that. He kept accepting and drinking the alcohol Veronica handed him, and at some point, his consciousness was cut off, and he lost his mind.
●
Veronica, who woke up to the sound of birds chirping with a splitting headache, looked around at the colder weather than usual. A familiar ceiling, it seemed she had once again imposed on the owner of the shop. The moment she pulled back the blanket, Veronica doubted her eyes.
Her clothes were completely stripped off, her body was naked, she was sweating strangely a lot, her hair was disheveled, and there were suspicious marks all over her body.
She had often lost her mind from being drunk, but this was the first time she had experienced something like this. In a confusing situation, the moment she propped up her palm to the side, something hard touched her palm.
“Huh…?”
There, Ryu was also sleeping soundly, naked, and what Veronica’s palm was pressing down on was a huge phallus that didn’t suit his body at all.
Veronica’s face turned red in an instant. It was definitely not due to the alcohol.
Her virginity, which she had once vowed to give to the person she loved the most, was lost in a moment of carelessness without her even realizing it.
