Chapter 145 – The Azure Pavilion

“How are you feeling today, Ellie?”

Calron asked, as he walked towards the young girl on the bed.

“I am much better now, thanks to Master.”

Ellie exclaimed in a bright voice, an elated expression on her face.

It was such a stark difference from the girl that he remembered before, that Calron was slightly taken aback by Ellie’s new behavior.

The young girl’s dark eyes were still black in color, but they now held a soft glow within them. Her face was no longer a deathly pale, and it exuded the rosiness of a young child.

“Did anyone suspect anything?”

Calron turned to Roran at the back and inquired while he gently patted Ellie’s head. The young girl blushed with embarrassment but did not push away Calron’s hand.

“Haha, Ellie acted perfectly, big brother. The maids thought that she was on the verge of recovering but not completely healed.”

Roran chuckled at seeing the red-faced Ellie under Calron’s patting.

“Good. Tomorrow, you can start walking a little bit and, after a few days, you don’t have to restrain your pretense anymore and can act freely. Roran, we will leave for the shop in a few minutes, so get ready.”

Calron informed his plan to the young girl, and prepared to leave.

“Master! Please take me with you as well!”

Ellie was startled by the news that both Calron and Roran were leaving, and wanted to tag along with them.

“We will only be out for a few hours, Ellie, and besides, you still can’t show everyone that you are completely healed.”

Roran interjected and spoke in a gentle voice.

“Uhn, I understand, big brother.”

Ellie hung her head in disappointment, but did not complain.

“Wait, why do you call him ‘big brother’ and me ‘Master’?”

Calron was baffled when Ellie referred to Roran as big brother, but insisted on calling him Master.

“Huh? That is because big brother is big brother, and Master is Master.”

Ellie looked up at Calron with confused eyes, not understanding how Calron could not comprehend this simple fact.

“I give up.”

Calron let out an exasperated sigh, as Roran laughed in the background.

“I’ll tell Jolt to send Tanny up here for some company.”

Roran conveyed to Ellie with a fond smile, and left the room with Calron.

“Take care∼”

Ellie shouted behind them as they closed the door.

Once the two teens were out of the room, Calron turned to Roran next to him.

“I want you to return back here after we set up the shop and protect Ellie. We do not know how many enemies we have or how many we will have in the future. I will check in with you every hour through the Blood Legacy.”

“I won’t let anyone harm her, big brother.”

Roran stated in a serious tone as his eyes stared ahead.

“Roran, if anyone does come for her… kill them.”

Calron ordered in a grave voice, his azure eyes giving off a chilly atmosphere.

…………………….

“Are we in the right place?”

Calron asked in a whisper, as he observed his surroundings.

Multitudes of people bustled through the streets, haggling with the vendors, inspecting any new goods, etc. They were mostly humans, but a few demi-beasts were also mixed among them.

“I think so… there, big brother! I see the sign.”

Roran abruptly exclaimed, pointing at a rectangle sign stuck at a pole in the distance.

It read, “Travias District”.

“That’s the one.”

Calron said with relief and walked towards the direction of the Travias District. While heading there, Calron recalled Jolt’s words from before he left the inn this morning.

“The owner of the shop is called Matias, and he is a grumpy old geezer. He has a bad temper on him, but he’s a big softie for young kids. If you pay him the rent on time, then he should not trouble you much. His shop should be in the center of the district and right around a fountain.”

After scouring the district for a few minutes, the boys finally found a worn-down fountain located in the center of the place.

“I think that’s the one.”

Calron pointed at a shabby-looking shop, where a hunch-back old man was standing on top of a ladder and removing a wooden board which was stuck to the top of the shop.

The wooden board read, “Matias’ Famous Tea!”.

“Hey old man!”

Roran let out a cheerful cry to the old man, as they both walked towards the shop.

“Ora? Who are you two punks?”

The old man grumbled with annoyance as he treaded down the ladder with the wooden board in his arm.

“Greetings Matias, I wanted to rent a shop and Jolt sent me here.”

Calron introduced himself and gave a polite bow to the old man.

Matias had a full head of wispy white hair and light brown eyes that were accompanied by the numerous wrinkles on his face. His eyebrows were locked in an everlasting frown, as if the old man had been more angry in his life than he was happy.

“Kuk, so you are the broke lad that wants to rent a shop? I owe Jolt a favor, and that is the only reason I am letting a cheap bastard like you rent my shop. Twelve gold for a month, and don’t you dare bargain. I’ll take five gold for now, and pay the rest to me at the end of the week.”

Matias grumbled in an irritated voice, as he handed out a rusted key to Calron.

“I will take good care of the shop.”

Calron replied amiably while he gave Matias the five gold square. He was starting to run dry of money, so Calron hoped that today would mark the end of his poverty.

Calron knew that under Matias’ grumpy exterior, the old man did not care much about money as he simply handed the shop over to him without asking for a lot of money. Usually, one had to pay the entire month’s worth of rent money on the day that they took the shop, but Matias seemed to have sensed that Calron did not have much, so he did not ask for the whole amount.

“Thank you.”

Calron whispered with gratitude, as the old man started to walk away with the wooden board in his arm.

Matias ignored Calron’s words and simply let out a snort.

Calron shook his head amusement, but his eyes turned wide in shock at the next scene.

*whruah*

The wooden board in Matias’ arm burst into an inferno of bluish flames and its cinders were carried away by a gust of wind.

Meanwhile, Matias continued to walk ahead nonchalantly with his back hunched.

He’s an expert at the peak of the Saint stage!

Calron was stunned by the brief release of Matias’ essence, and the burning intensity hidden within it.

This city gets more mysterious the longer I stay here.

Calron brooded, curious as to the real identity of the old man.

“Big brother, isn’t this place… a bit too shabby?”

Roran scratched his head, as he stared at the structure of the shop in front of him. Unlike Calron, Roran had been paying attention to the shop so he missed the brief release of Matias’ essence.

“Haha, we can repair it once we make some money. Let’s quickly check out the inside, and then we can start showcasing our product.”

Calron said excitedly, as he walked towards the shop’s door and turned the handle.

“By the way, big brother, what are we going to name the shop?”

Roran called out behind Calron, as he rushed towards the entrance.

“The name will be… the Azure Pavilion.”

Calron stated with a smile, and entered the shop for the first time.

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