Chapter 5 Part 14
Elia’s heart warmed under that gaze.
‘There’s someone who believes in me this much.’
It was more than just trust.
Her heart raced with excitement.
In the bustling street of luxury stores, Elia pulled Aksion by the hand.
“Shall we have dinner? I’ll treat you.”
A meal couldn’t entirely convey her feelings, but it was something.
Besides, they hadn’t eaten yet and were both hungry. Aksion nodded at her suggestion.
“Sounds good.”
“I know a pretty decent restaurant.”
Elia confidently led the way.
She knew the noble district inside out from frequent visits in the past.
‘That place is famous for its steak.’
Just as Elia was about to head there, something caught her eye.
‘Huh?’
Among the crowd, something shiny stood out.
‘Is that silver hair?’
The person even had a similar build to someone she knew.
‘Could it be Rien?’
But he should be in the north.
She had heard that the head of the Valunize branch rarely left his residence.
Recalling that, the person’s steps seemed particularly suspicious.
“Aksion, wait a moment!”
Elia quickly turned around.
The person who seemed to be Rien was heading towards the commoners’ district.
The typical bustling sounds of the area echoed in the air.
They entered a small tavern, making it impossible to follow further.
As Elia hesitated in front of the grandly named “Dragon’s Scale” tavern, Aksion’s expression darkened.
‘Ah, right. I was supposed to treat him to dinner.’
She had inadvertently dragged him here.
Elia asked him, feeling awkward.
“This place seems a bit off, right?”
“It’s fine. These places usually serve meals too.”
Commoners’ establishments often doubled as both taverns and eateries.
Elia felt a bit guilty about taking him off the main street, but still…
‘There might be something.’
She had been communicating with Rien via letters since their first meeting.
But Rien being in the capital was very intriguing.
“I’ll treat you to a better place next time.”
Setting aside her guilt, Elia entered the tavern.
Even during the day, the bustling tavern reeked of old wood.
“Welcome. Sit anywhere,” said the slightly rude server, guiding them to a table.
‘This place feels familiar.’
It seemed like a tavern she had visited once before.
Elia glanced around, but the silver hair was nowhere to be seen.
‘I was sure he came in here. Did I mistake him?’
If it was a misunderstanding, they had come here for nothing.
While Elia looked around, the server asked for their order.
“What will you have? We only have one meal option: meat stew and bread.”
“Two of those, please.”
“Hey, Tom! Two dinners here!”
Soon, a man called Tom brought their meals with a loud thud.
‘Doesn’t look bad.’
Everyone was enjoying the combination of hot meat stew and bread.
Elia picked up her spoon.
‘Oh?’
The moment she took a bite, the warm flavor and the tender meat melted in her mouth.
‘It’s really meat stew! There’s not a single vegetable.’
She was pleased that the dish matched its name.
No wonder the place was crowded; the food was quite good.
Aksion seemed to enjoy it too.
‘Good. But next time, I’ll definitely take him to a nicer place.’
As they continued eating, a commotion erupted in the already noisy tavern.
“I am the leader of this place!”
A drunken man climbed onto a table, shouting at the top of his lungs.
People started to protest.
“Hey, shut up!”
“Shut up? How dare you speak to the leader of Valunize like that!”
Valunize?
Elia’s eyes widened. Others reacted similarly.
The room burst into laughter.
“Pfft, he’s calling himself the leader of Valunize?”
“He’s mocking the king of the information guild!”
The tavern quickly turned into a sea of laughter.
No one in the empire was unaware of Valunize. Bragging about being their leader was absurd.
Elia chuckled softly.
‘Anyone can see he’s an impostor.’
If such a drunkard were the leader of Valunize, the esteemed guild would fall in a day.
But the drunkard, unaware of the atmosphere, continued.
“Can’t you be quiet? An elder is speaking!”
His bloodshot eyes turned towards Elia.
“Oh, pretty one.”
The drunkard stumbled down from the table and approached Elia.
‘He reeks of alcohol.’
The stench was overwhelming.
As Elia frowned, he smirked and reached out to her.
“Hey, how about a date with the leader of Valunize—Aaah!”
His reaching hand was brutally twisted.
Aksion, who had deformed the man’s arm, stood up.
“Let go… ugh!”
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Aksion dragged the drunkard outside.
The tavern, briefly quiet, returned to its usual noisy state.
“I knew that would happen!”
“He had it coming!”
Everyone clicked their tongues. Elia hesitated, watching them disappear.
‘Should I stop him?’
Just as Elia was about to call after Aksion,
“Don’t worry too much. He won’t kill him, right? The guy seemed pretty harmless.”
“Rien?”
A soft, melting voice called out.
‘So it was Rien who I saw earlier.’
Elia looked at him with curious eyes, and Rien smiled.
“Fancy meeting you here.”
Elia nodded, glancing at the door Aksion had exited through.
‘Aksion is pretty gentle.’
He was probably just giving a stern warning.
Reassured, she focused on her conversation with Rien.
“So, what brings you to the capital?”
“There are multiple branches. Sometimes I help out elsewhere.”
It was a plausible reason.
‘Was I too suspicious?’
In the original story, Rien was known for his vast network of information. She thought his presence indicated something significant.
‘It’s a bit disappointing.’
As Elia sighed inwardly, Rien was also having his thoughts.
Rien kept glancing at the door Aksion had left through, relieved to see it empty.
‘Why did I have to meet them here?’
Rien barely suppressed his frustration.
He was moving between the capital and the northern branch on his master’s orders.
Today’s task was to acquire a jeweler’s shop in the noble district within half a day.
‘Easier said than done.’
The haughty jeweler wouldn’t give in easily.
Rien had to blackmail him with the taxes and illegal activities he had committed against the empire and offer an enormous compensation.
‘I also gave him a plausible reason.’
The jeweler was to expand overseas to become the continent’s top craftsman.
It was a reasonable cover story.
The next task was to use magic stones to create a barrier and demolish the building.
Creating a small gate to move the debris took the remaining half day.
‘I thought I’d die.’
Rien was an advanced magician.
Exhausted from using magic all day, he came to meet the capital’s branch leader and unexpectedly ran into Elia.
“My master’s expression looked like he wanted to kill someone.”
Elia didn’t know, but Rien and Aksion had exchanged glances earlier.
The murderous intent in Aksion’s eyes was clear.
From the looks of it, he had interrupted his master’s pleasant date.
If not for the drunkard, it could have been Rien being dragged out.
Cold sweat ran down his back.
Inwardly, Rien whispered to the innocent princess.
“What I said earlier was a lie. He might really kill someone.”
Rien had been reporting to Aksion about the tasks Elia had assigned him.
Previously, he had dealt with three troublemakers in a rather entertaining manner.
The drunkard who had just been dragged out would have a hard life ahead.
“My master thinks death is too lenient.”
Why would an ignorant wanderer come to the Valunize branch and spout such nonsense?
To top it off, he had made a pass at the real leader’s wife.
“He must be out of his mind.”
