As I made my way to the door, I noticed the father and a guard deep in conversation. I nodded briefly, excused myself, and stepped outside. But before I could get far, the man grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks. He still hadn't given up on the idea of owning my phone. His desperation was almost tangible.
"Sorry," I said, keeping my tone casual as I shook off his hold. "I've changed my mind. I'm not selling it. Hope you can understand, sir."
"What? But you were—"
"Yeah, I know. But I'm not." I shrugged, starting to walk away. "See you."
"But... wait! You said you were selling it just a minute ago? What changed?"
I left the house without looking back, flipping the ring into the air and catching it in my palm. One down. One to go. Now, all I had to do was wait until nightfall to pick that strange flower. If the translucent box wasn't lying to me, that would earn me something called a rare item material and a handful of experience points.
╔═════════╗
- NEW QUEST
╚═════════╝
- Quest Title: Two Papers
===================
- Deadline: Today
===================
- Objective:
* Complete two quests from
The Guild. (0/2)
===================
- Rewards:
- 1x Rare Item Material
- Experience: 20 XP
╚════════════════════╝
The translucent box wasn't marking this as complete—probably because I hadn't delivered the ring yet. Looked like I had one last step to go.
As I merged back into the busy streets, weaving through the midday crowd, I spotted Aenn's daughter deep in conversation with a man behind a market stall. For the first time, I noticed how strong she was—tanned skin, defined arms, her frame built like someone who did more than just swing a sword. Two swords rested on her back now, and she held a shield in one hand, likely making another delivery.
"Hey," I called as I approached. "I found the ring."
She barely acknowledged me at first, glancing back from her conversation. "Mm? Oh, it's you… wait—did you say you found the ring?"
"This one, right?" I said, holding the ring up.
Her face lit up in surprise. "Wow. I didn't think you'd actually find it… Did Dorlang have it?"
I nodded. "Yeah. He was the thief."
She let out a sharp exhale. "Damn little rat. I can't believe he'd do something like this."
I didn't say anything, just held the ring out to her. "You can give it to your mother."
She shook her head. "Is this your first time taking a quest from The Guild or what? You don't deliver straight to the client. The Guild handles that part. Once they confirm you completed the job, they pay you. That's how it works."
"Oh." I stared at the ring in my palm, feeling a little stupid. "Right. Makes sense."
I slipped it back into my pocket and stood there awkwardly. With a small nod in her direction, I turned to leave. Time to head for The Guild, claim my reward, and—hopefully—get something to eat.
I'd only taken a couple of steps before I felt a hand on my shoulder. Glancing back, I found her—the woman whose name I still didn't know yet, watching me with an easy expression.
"You should join us," she said. "We were about to have breakfast."
I hesitated. "Wouldn't want to be a bother."
She scoffed. "Nonsense." Then, with a small smile, she added, "We didn't even exchange names. I'm Olivia."
"Axel," I replied. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise." She adjusted the swords on her back. "I just need to drop some stuff off at my boss's place first. You go ahead—I'll catch up later."
I eyed the weapons she carried, particularly the heavy-looking shield in her grip. "I'll help." I pointed at it. "That looks like a pain to carry."
She raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"
"Yeah."
After a brief moment of consideration, she shrugged and handed me the shield. The weight settled into my arms heavier than I expected, but I was used to carrying heavy things. My old job had me hauling crates and dealing with drunk customers all the time.
Seeing I had no trouble handling it, Olivia reached behind her back and took one of the swords in her hand, carrying it more comfortably. With a tilt of her head, she gestured for us to start walking.
"I haven't seen you around here before," she noted as we moved through the street. "Juz'n is a small district."
"I'm kinda new in town," I admitted, adjusting my grip on the shield. "Do you work at a blacksmith?"
"Yeah," she said with a nod. "My boss is my uncle."
"Ah, nice." I replied, my tone a little flat. "I used to work at a nightclu—uh, a tavern."
Sombra glanced at me with mild interest. "In what position?"
I shrugged. "Sometimes I worked outside as a security helper. Other times, when the place got packed, I helped behind the counter."
"Ah, got it." She gave a small nod. "So, you're from Kinowa?"
I hesitated for half a second. "Y-yeah," I lied. "Born and raised. Quite the city, huh?"
She snorted. "Eh, nothing special. Just big… and crowded."
"Hmm…" I murmured, keeping my gaze forward.
We walked side by side for a while, maneuvering through the shifting tide of people in the market. The noise of haggling merchants and clinking coins faded slightly as we turned onto a quieter street.
After a few minutes, we stopped in front of a small building, separated from the throng of people. Olivia exhaled, tilting her head back as she wiped the sweat from her brow. With one hand, she managed to twist the doorknob and push the door open.
"Here, give me the shield," she said, holding out her hand.
"Right." I passed it to her and stepped back.
She disappeared inside, leaving me alone in the relative calm of this side street. Unlike the market, this area had no stalls, no relentless bargaining—just the rustling of trees lining both sides of the road and the laughter of children as they ran past, pretending to clash swords and block with imaginary shields.
Olivia reappeared after a moment, dusting off her hands and rolling one shoulder. She pulled a small, crumpled piece of parchment from her pocket, scanning it with narrowed eyes before letting out a satisfied breath.
"Phew," she muttered, tucking the paper away. "Looks like that was the last delivery. We can go now."
I hummed in response, falling into step beside her.
She glanced at me sideways. "You don't talk much, huh?"
I shrugged. "Not much to say." My voice was as flat as ever. "Guess I'm just a boring guy."
Olivia studied me for a moment, then turned her attention forward. "Which class are you in?"
I frowned. "Class?"
"In Redwood. You're still a kid, right?"
Redwood. Right. I'd almost forgotten about their ridiculous law forcing kids to learn magic. If I told her I wasn't a student, she'd probably start asking questions I wasn't ready to answer. Lying seemed like the best option—but since I didn't know anything about Redwood, my safest bet was to redirect the conversation.
"Forget about me," I said, keeping my tone neutral. "Tell me more about that thief kid. Think he'd try something like this again?"
"Dorlang?" She let out a dry chuckle. "If he does, I'm gonna punch him in the face."
"He seemed like…" I searched for the right word. "A nuisance."
"You're damn right." She scoffed. "Gods—that stupid little rat. Why would you bite the hand that fed you?"
I gave a small shrug. "Some people are just idiots."
We turned the corner and were immediately swallowed by the crowd again. I let out a slow exhale, my half-lidded eyes scanning the mass of people. Moving through them felt like stepping on a floor covered in scattered pebbles—and the locals didn't seem to mind, navigating the chaos like they were used to it.
As I pushed forward, my shoulder bumped into a kid running past. She stumbled and hit the ground with a small grunt. I reached a hand out to help her up. Just as she was about to take it, Olivia's hand shot out, slapping mine away.
She grabbed the kid by the ear and yanked. "You little thief," Olivia scolded, twisting the ear slightly. "What did you take from him?"
"Aw, aw, aw!" The girl squirmed, trying to pry Olivia's hand off. "Nothing! He doesn't even have a pouch on him! What kind of jerk walks around without one? Stupid! Idiot!"
I raised an eyebrow. Strange. She wasn't mad that she got caught—she was mad that I didn't have anything for her to steal. That told me everything I needed to know about this district.
Without making it obvious, I slipped a hand into my pocket and felt for the ring. It was still there. Good. Keeping my hand in place, I held onto it just in case.
Olivia, meanwhile, smirked and finally let go of the girl's ear, flipping her two silver coins.
The girl snatched them from the air with unnatural speed—like a trained animal used to catching thrown scraps. She twirled the coins between her fingers, bowed dramatically as if performing on a stage, and then took off into the crowd.
I watched her disappear, then turned to Olivia. "That was… strange."
She stretched her arms over her head, unfazed. "That's Juz'n for you." Then, with a dry laugh, she added, "That's why the houses are cheap. And why half the people here don't know how to read."