Nowen was the largest city in the northeastern region of the Empire. Territory of House Aster, it lay along the banks of the Kalen River, whose width and constant flow ensured both a steady water supply and the transport of goods.

  Surrounded by massive stone walls, the city was divided into several districts, the most important being the central district, where House Aster’s estate was located.

  But today, Lucius had left the central district to venture into other parts of the city. No—venture wasn’t the right word; it didn’t suit his personality. He was heading toward the commercial district to restock some materials he was missing.

  This place is as busy as ever.

  Walking through the streets, Lucius observed the bustle around him.

  Wooden stalls lined the main road, covered with fabric awnings that shielded them from the sun. Lively merchants shouted about their wares, competing for the attention of passersby to the point of arguing among themselves.

  Carts struggled through the crowd, wheels creaking over uneven stone pavement. Artisans worked with their doors open, exposing furnaces, workbenches, and tools worn down by constant use.

  Drawing as little attention to himself as possible, Lucius crossed the crowds and avoided the vendors until he finally reached his destination: an old, small shop located on a narrow, sparsely traveled street.

  The fa?ade was discreet, wedged between two taller buildings. The wood of the door was completely darkened, scarred with scratches and poorly done repairs, and the sign above it was so faded that Lucius couldn’t make out the shop’s name.

  This place is falling apart.

  As he stepped inside, the wooden floor creaked beneath his feet. The interior was narrow and dimly lit, with tall shelves occupying almost every wall, crammed with glass bottles, cloth sacks, and wooden boxes, each containing dried herbs, roots, powders, and ingredients Lucius had no idea what they were used for.

  The rest of the shop was separated by a wooden counter, behind which there were even more bottles, herbs, and ingredients, as well as a half-broken wooden door.

  And seated behind the counter, immersed in her reading, was a young girl who appeared to be neither older nor younger than Lucius.

  A girl…?

  Lucius frowned. He had been coming here for months, but this was the first time he had seen her.

  She had short brown hair, simply cut, with a few strands falling over her forehead. She wore thin-framed glasses, and small freckles dotted her cheeks. Her body was slender, almost without curves, and her relaxed posture led Lucius to conclude that she was someone accustomed to spending much of her time reading.

  But… she’s ignoring me?

  The shop’s front door was very old, so whenever it was opened, it emitted a screech that hurt the ears. The floor was also torture for any assassin, loudly announcing one’s presence with every step. There was no way she hadn’t noticed his arrival, was there?

  In any case…

  Lucius cleared his throat loudly, but the girl’s attention remained fixed on the book in her hands—a book about the main herbs that could be gathered in the Elven Forest.

  “Excuse me.”

  Nothing.

  “Excuse me.”

  No reaction.

  At this point, the only conclusion is that she’s doing this on purpose.

  Frowning, Lucius covered the page the girl was reading with his hand, and even then it took a moment for her to react, her gaze slowly lifting from his hand to his face.

  “What do you want?” the girl asked, her brows furrowed.

  Her expression was anything but friendly—far from what a shopkeeper should show a customer.

  Yeah, she’s definitely related to that old man.

  The old owner of this shop had that exact same expression. No wonder Lucius had never seen another customer here.

  “I’d like to speak with the owner of the shop. Is he here?”

  “Grandpa isn’t here,” the girl replied.

  I knew it.

  It made sense that the granddaughter of that eccentric old man would also be difficult.

  “Do you know when he’ll be back?”

  The medicinal paste he had at home had already run out, and without it, he couldn’t continue his training. Normally, he would have come earlier to restock, but only today had he managed to get some time off from afternoon studies.

  “He didn’t say how long he’d be gone.”

  “Ugh, fine. In any case, I only came to buy my medicinal paste from your grandfather. If you know where he keeps it, I can pay you directly.”

  Lucius only wanted to save time so he could return home and continue his training. In his wildest dreams, he never imagined his words would provoke such a violent reaction from the girl.

  By the time he realized it, the girl had a dagger in her hand—a dagger she used to try to stab his neck as she vaulted over the counter.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  This girl…

  Despite being caught off guard, Lucius reacted quickly enough. Leaning his body back while retreating, he narrowly avoided the blade that came within centimeters of his neck, grabbing the girl’s wrist and twisting her around, pinning her with her back turned.

  “Agh, let go of me!”

  Despite her small body, the girl fought like a wild animal, though given the difference in strength, there wasn’t much she could do.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  After taking the dagger from her hand and releasing her, Lucius shot her an exasperated look.

  But instead of answering, the girl’s gaze darted toward the corner of the counter, and when she spotted a pair of scissors there, she rushed toward them.

  “Oh no, you don’t.”

  Lucius chased after her, catching her before she could reach the scissors and grabbing both her arms, pressing her against the counter.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  The girl’s response was to spit in Lucius’s face.

  That little bastard…!

  Lucius considered himself calm and good-tempered, but even a saint had limits—let alone him.

  “You can kill me or rape me, but you won’t get what you want from me!” the girl screamed as she struggled.

  I just want the damn medicinal paste.

  The girl’s hysterical reaction helped Lucius calm down, making him realize she must have been acting based on some massive misunderstanding in her own head.

  “I don’t know what you think I came here to do, but I only came to buy the medicinal paste your grandfather sells,” Lucius explained, trying to calm her down.

  “Lies! Grandpa doesn’t sell his medicinal paste to anyone. You were definitely sent by someone after the recipe!”

  Ah, now it makes sense.

  The girl’s assumption was completely absurd, but at least now Lucius understood why she had reacted so explosively.

  Given how good that medicinal paste was, it wouldn’t be surprising if others were willing to kill for it.

  What truly surprised Lucius, however, was the fact that the paste wasn’t actually a product sold in this shop.

  Yeah, if it were for sale, this place would definitely have more customers. So why did the old man sell it to me?

  “Believe it or not, your grandfather sold the paste to me—and not just once. You could even say I’m a regular customer here.”

  Despite his explanation, the girl still looked at him suspiciously, but at least she had stopped struggling, which Lucius considered some progress.

  Wait—if someone walked in right now, they’d definitely think I was trying to force myself on her, wouldn’t they?

  Lucius almost laughed at the thought. Besides him, who else ever came to this shop?

  Still, the way things were, they weren’t getting anywhere.

  “I’m going to let you go now, but you have to promise you won’t try to attack me again, all right?”

  “I promise nothing,” the girl said with a mocking smile.

  Here we go…

  Lucius released her wrists, already prepared for another murder attempt, but aside from glaring at him while rubbing her wrists, the girl didn’t try anything else.

  “There’s going to be a bruise,” she said, frowning.

  “Sorry. I overdid it a little.”

  “That’s no big deal.”

  Gesturing with her eyes for Lucius to step back so she could stand, the girl returned behind the counter, tidying up the materials and herbs that had fallen during the earlier scuffle.

  “Grandpa will still take about two hours to get back. You can wait over there in the corner, as long as you don’t get in the way.”

  The girl’s sudden shift in attitude—from wildcat to house cat—surprised Lucius, but he decided not to press the matter.

  Two hours, huh…

  He frowned. It was a bit longer than he had planned to stay, but he only needed to return to the estate at night, so he could wait.

  In any case, I need that medicinal paste.

  Deciding to stay, he went to the corner of the shop and waited. As for the girl, after cleaning up the mess she had caused, she returned to reading the book she had been reading before he arrived.

  And so, time passed.

  “Are you going to stand there the whole time?” the girl asked with an irritated look.

  Is she trying to pick a fight with me?

  “You’re the one who told me to stay here and not get in the way.”

  “Yeah, but I didn’t imagine you’d literally stand there like a statue without moving for over two hours. It’s kind of disturbing.”

  “Then what do you want me to do?”

  “I don’t know. How about lying on the floor with your arms and legs up like a puppy?” she said with a mocking laugh.

  Lucius frowned.

  “I’m not doing that.”

  His refusal froze the girl’s expression for a moment before she shot him a curious look.

  “You know I was joking, right?”

  “... Of course.”

  The girl’s eyes widened.

  “No, no, I’m sure you thought I was serious. Hahahaha, that’s hilarious.”

  This girl…

  Lucius didn’t like this girl.

  “Whatever. And your grandfather—will he take much longer?”

  She had said the old man would return in two hours. Nearly three had already passed, and there was still no sign of him.

  “Hmm, he should be arriving soon,” she said, frowning.

  Hopefully.

  Lucius crossed his arms and went back to waiting.

  Another hour passed, and still no sign of the old man. At this point, Lucius began to think he wouldn’t get his medicinal paste today. As for the girl, she started showing signs of concern.

  “He should have been back by now.”

  “Maybe he ran into a friend along the way and got caught up talking.”

  The girl shook her head.

  “Grandpa doesn’t have friends.”

  Yeah, with that personality, that makes sense.

  Not that Lucius was one to talk.

  “What was it he went out to do again?”

  “He went to receive some materials he had ordered.”

  Ah, is that so?

  “Then he’s definitely just running late and should arrive soon.”

  “... The suppliers are mercenaries.”

  Now that’s a problem.

  Lucius shot the girl an exasperated look.

  “And why the hell is your grandfather dealing with mercenaries?”

  Everyone knew mercenaries were just glorified bandits. He already had his suspicions, but the old man definitely had a few screws loose to deal with that kind of people.

  “It’s not Grandpa’s fault! The herbalists here aren’t trustworthy because they might try to steal Grandpa’s secret recipe!” the girl shouted, glaring furiously at him.

  Yeah, and the next logical choice is working with mercenaries.

  From what he’d gathered about the girl, Lucius knew that saying that out loud would be digging his own grave, so he kept his thoughts to himself.

  “Well, if he’s been working with them for some time, he must know them well. It’s probably just a delay—nothing to worry about.”

  But the girl shook her head.

  “No. Grandpa is never late. Never late.”

  Biting her finger nervously, the girl hesitated for a moment before making a decision.

  “I’m going to look for Grandpa,” she said as she headed out.

  I’m doing this, aren’t I?

  With a sigh, Lucius followed her.

  “What are you doing?” she asked when she saw him coming along.

  “For someone who almost killed me twice because she thought I was after her grandfather’s recipe, it doesn’t make much sense to leave me alone in the shop, does it?”

  The girl blushed at his words and looked away.

  “Ehh, just forget about that. It was an innocent misunderstanding on my part.”

  Yeah, an innocent misunderstanding that almost ended in my murder.

  “Do you at least have some idea where your grandfather went to meet those mercenaries?”

  Lucius asked as the girl closed the shop. Nowen was a very large city—if they didn’t know where to look, the old man’s corpse would rot before they found it.

  “... I have a rough idea.”

  “Then tell me.”

  Lucius wanted to know just how big a mess he was getting into.

  “It’s at a bar in the Gray Lowlands, in the northern district.”

  Yeah, of course it is.

  Lucius felt like swearing. The Gray Lowlands were basically where all of Nowen’s scum gathered.

  What the hell was that old man thinking, getting involved with people from there?

  The chances that the old man was already dead skyrocketed with that alone.

  “I’m not asking you to come with me,” the girl suddenly said, her expression somewhat hostile.

  Yeah, with that attitude, I really shouldn’t go.

  He was already fighting every instinct telling him not to get involved in matters that weren’t his, all because of that damned medicinal paste.

  “But I’m going anyway.”

  Seeing that he was serious, the girl softened her gaze slightly and nodded.

  “Then let’s go.”