Certainly, after that wonderful dinner, all of us immediately returned to our respective rooms to rest our bodies.
Normally, I would wash myself first, but since I felt that my stomach was already too full, I thought I would do it tomorrow morning before leaving this place.
"You're right, Luke, what are we going to do tomorrow? We don't have any work, do we?" I said.
We came here to defeat the Abbys forces, right? But before they attack, what are we going to do?
That was why I was curious and ended up asking Luke.
"When you think about it again, our purpose for coming here is only about the Abbys, right? Maybe we'll just stay relaxed like this until the guild gives us news that a group of monsters has appeared not far from the city gate," Luke replied.
What Luke said wasn't wrong; in fact, it was exactly what I had been thinking.
"You don't have any goals yourself?" I asked again.
"I don't know, maybe I'll walk around the city. What about you?" Luke asked back.
"I'll do the same as you. But I want to visit one place first," I said.
"Well, I won't interfere in your personal business. The point is, we're free to do whatever we want before those Abbys arrive," Luke said.
Huh, my stomach feels normal again now. I also feel like I can move my body more comfortably.
If that's the case… I should do it.
"Alright, I'll head to the bathroom first," I said.
I got up from the bed and took my towel, which had been given to me earlier by Sikiyomi-san.
Click.
After making sure the door to the room was closed, I immediately walked to the bathroom, which was located right next to Luke's room and mine.
Honestly, I felt relieved that I didn't have to walk far if I needed to go to the bathroom.
Huh, the door is closed. It was usually open when I passed by here earlier.
It feels like I've been in a situation almost exactly like this before, and I shouldn't just walk into the bathroom without checking.
Knock, knock.
I knocked on the bathroom door, trying to check whether someone was inside or not.
"Hey, is someone in there?" I asked.
"Yukito-sama? Please wait a moment, I'm still putting on my clothes."
Just as I thought, whew~ Good thing I didn't go straight in.
I leaned against the wall beside the door, letting my body relax a little.
Not long after, Yuu-chan came out holding a towel, her hair still wet.
"You're taking a bath this late at night?" I asked.
"I just wanted to feel a bit fresher. Yukito-sama, you're planning to do the same, right?" Yuu-chan replied.
"Y-yeah…" I said.
"Alright then, I'll be going first. Hime told me earlier not to stay too long in the bathroom. I have something to take care of with her," Yuu-chan said as she slowly walked back toward her room.
"What kind of business is it?" I asked.
Lately, my curiosity has been working nonstop, and I keep wanting to know more and more things.
"Huh?" Yuu-chan turned around and looked at me.
"Secret~" she said, smiling mischievously at me, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Honestly, I ended up forgetting what Yuu-chan used to be like… I wonder how she was back then?
Oh well, I'll think about that later. I should wash myself first before the water gets even colder.
Click.
——
(The next morning)
Just like I said last night, I left the inn to go to a certain place.
Hime and Yuu-chan said they would head out a bit later, while Luke had already left before me.
I didn't know where he was going; he only said he would be back around noon, or maybe later.
Well, he said before that he wouldn't interfere in my business, so I should do the same for him.
I had already asked Sikiyomi-san about the place I was heading to, and it turned out to be quite close to the inn.
All I had to do was keep walking along the main road, then enter a small alley just before a busy two-story restaurant.
The alley was smaller than I expected—probably only wide enough for two people to walk side by side.
The atmosphere also grew quieter the deeper I went, with only small lights coming from the windows of the buildings lining the alley.
"They said that after I find a shop with the name Lerc, I should— Ah, there it is," I muttered.
To my right, there was a door with a small window beside it.
Above the door was a wooden signboard with the word "Lerc" written on it.
This must be the shop Sikiyomi-san mentioned. Alright, let's go in.
Kling.
A bell rang when someone entered the place, just like the cake shop back then.
There were several shelves built into the walls, with tables and chairs placed in the center of the room.
At the very back, there was a long counter with old wooden shelves behind it, and someone was standing near the counter, looking at me.
Besides me, there were only two other people sitting at one of the tables, and they seemed very focused on what one of them was reading on a sheet of paper.
Then there was one more person. They were wearing something like a jacket or a cloak that covered their head, leaning against the long counter.
I couldn't see what their face looked like, since they were looking down, making it difficult for me to see.
I approached the person standing near the long counter, and honestly, I could feel something different about this person.
He was wearing a suit that looked very neat and clean, as if it were still brand new.
He had a short white beard on his chin, and he wore glasses that covered only one of his eyes.
You know, the kind of glasses worn on just one ear and one eye, while the other eye is left uncovered.
"Excuse me, sir, is there anything I can help you with?" the man asked after I stopped right in front of him.
He said this while slightly bowing, behaving very politely even though I wasn't someone he knew.
Clink.
I took out my Mithril sword from its sheath and handed it to him.
"This… the material is extraordinary. The texture, the color, everything comes together perfectly in this sword. And its power as well—I am truly impressed," the man said.
"So, what brings you here carrying a Mithril sword like this?" he asked.
Just as I thought, someone like him would definitely know what material my sword was made of.
"I want to ask for your help. Well, an acquaintance of mine recommended this place to me," I replied.
"This sword can absorb the user's magic, right? Unfortunately, I'm not very skilled at using magic. That's why I want a few enhancement bottles that can temporarily grant me magical power," I said.
"Very well, please wait a moment. I would like to go into my room and examine this sword more closely," he said.
"Of course, I'll wait until you're finished," I replied.
He went into a room whose entrance was beside the old wooden shelves.
And then, just as I turned and was about to sit in front of the long counter, I was startled by something.