"Karen… will you really deal with that man?"
As we walked, Alice suddenly asked that question. The person she meant was probably that fox-eyed knight.
"Of course I will."
"But the Brave always forgive those who make mistakes…"
"Alice, don't compare me to the Braves of the past. My personality is completely different."
After all, I'd been acknowledged by the audience god who watches every move of the Brave twenty-four hours a day. I wasn't anything like the ones before me.
"But that's still not right. You should be more forgiving and—"
"Sorry. I'm not that generous."
Before she could finish, I cut her off. Honestly, this was exactly why I found overly forgiving people troublesome.
Who would willingly tolerate someone trying to harm them? Let them go once, and they'll just come back again. What, am I that bored? Letting a tiger return to the mountains is just asking for trouble.
Forgiveness only makes sense when the other party has learned their lesson and understands they were wrong. But that fox-eyed knight clearly hadn't. If anything, he was getting worse.
"Ms. Alice, Mr. Karen is still upset. Please don't take his words too seriously."
Grace tried to smooth things over, as if I were just speaking out of anger. But she was wrong. Even when I was angry, I stayed calm—and I always thought things through before speaking.
I might not have the generosity of a Brave, but I didn't have the average person's, either. The only people I had room for were Lina and Lani.
On the way to the restaurant, someone came looking for Jacob. It seemed to be an employee from the merchant guild he had visited a few days ago. The soap had sold out due to overwhelming demand, and they were asking him to supply more.
Based on the amount Jacob had brought, there was definitely enough to provide, so we accompanied him to the largest merchant guild in the area.
Later, while we were eating, Jacob casually started a conversation.
"Karen, what are you planning to do once you meet Laje Turin?"
"I haven't thought about it. I just want to know who he is and when I offended him."
My first instinct had kill him, but that was a reckless thought without considering the consequences. It was better to see the situation first before deciding.
Jacob smiled in satisfaction.
"If you don't have anything specific in mind, why not just ignore him? The organization has already canceled the request. We're not from this country—once we leave, he won't be able to do anything to us. There's no need to waste time on him."
So that was his intention—to persuade me to drop the matter.
And honestly, he had a point. We didn't belong here, and Laje Turin was just a passing incident in our journey. There was no need to dwell on it.
Even if I never learned what he looked like, it didn't matter. I'd just remember that someone like him once tried to target me.
I nodded.
"Alright. But we should let Lixia know so she can be careful."
Now that our priority had changed, we needed to find Lisia. But where? She should be able to go out today—would she be at the academy?
I didn't know the academy's schedule. Maybe today was a day off. Maybe I should confirm whether classes were in session… but then again, which academy did she attend?
"Jacob, do you know which academy Lisia goes to?"
"I don't."
I had assumed Jacob knew everything, but apparently not. Maybe he simply wasn't interested. He had become a merchant at a young age—going to an academy would've just been a waste of time compared to learning business from his father.
"Then we'll have to ask around."
After finishing our meal, we walked through the streets and spotted two girls wearing the same uniform as Lisia. I turned to Grace.
"Grace, go ask them which academy they're from."
"Mr. Karen, why do I have to be the one to ask?"
I didn't want to be mistaken for hitting on them—especially after what happened before. If they were guys, it'd be much easier.
But I couldn't just say that outright—it would make me sound overly confident about my looks… well, I did have some confidence, but saying it out loud would just be embarrassing. So I gave her a more "logical" explanation.
"If a strange man approaches you, wouldn't you feel suspicious and think he has ulterior motives? But if it's another woman, there's less guard, so it's easier to talk."
"Oh… that makes sense."
Grace, being a woman, immediately agreed.
Just as I was feeling satisfied with my explanation, Jacob exposed me without hesitation.
"I see. You're just worried they'll think you're hitting on them, right?"
…Seriously, did he have to be that sharp right now?
Now that he'd said it out loud, there was no point denying it. Guys understood how other guys thought—explaining would only make it worse.
"...Yeah. That's right."
"I think they'd be more than happy to talk to you, Karen."
"Yeah."
Grace agreed, but it didn't make me feel any better. I just didn't want to be misunderstood as flirting.
And Jacob—he'd literally experienced that situation before—so why was he acting so carefree about it? It was honestly irritating.
"Jacob, don't forget what happened in Bares. You asked a girl for directions to the merchant guild, and she thought you were hitting on her, wouldn't even listen, and ended up chasing after you."
"That was just that one woman being unusual. Not everyone is like that."
"That's because you're handsome. You gave her expectations. Who would refuse talking to a good-looking guy?"
No one turned down a handsome man or a beautiful woman—unless they were blind. And I had no desire to go through that again. I could totally understand how those girls felt who tried to reject advances but ended up being dragged along anyway.
"That's nonsense. She reacted that way because of you."
As Jacob and I argued over who was responsible, I was absolutely certain he was way better-looking than me. And with that bright, friendly smile of his, it had to be his fault.
"Mr. Karen and Mr. Jacob arguing like this… that's rare."
Alice sounded surprised.
Hey, this wasn't arguing—it was a debate. Just… a slightly heated one.
But then Grace suddenly cut in, looking a little upset.
"Wait, what are you two talking about? Hitting on girls? …Mr. Jacob, explain this properly."
"W-Why me?! I was just asking for directions, not flirting! Karen, help me!"
Faced with Grace's intense gaze and pressing tone, even someone innocent would feel pressured and want to run.
What was going on with Grace? Her personality just flipped. Even I felt a bit intimidated.
Yeah… I wasn't getting involved. Jacob, you're on your own.
At that moment, Ethefelis tugged lightly at my sleeve.
When I looked at her, she said simply,
"Gaiat Academy."
"Huh?"
"Gaiat Academy."
"...Did you go ask those girls?"
It took me a moment to understand. Her words were short, but once I caught the keyword "academy," it clicked.
"Yeah."
She must've noticed we were wasting time and figured the girls would be gone by the time we finished arguing, so she went ahead and asked herself.
Ethefelis was seriously reliable.
I gave her a thumbs-up.
"Good job."
By then, Jacob and Grace had already cleared up the misunderstanding, and Grace's mood had returned to normal.
As for why she had only pressed Jacob like that—whether it was because she liked him or something—I decided not to think too deeply about it.
Still, I'd keep an eye on things. Better to stay an observer and not interfere with whatever was developing between them.
After asking around, we found out where Gaiat Academy was. It wasn't far.
So we headed straight there.