Wrapped up in the scratchy but warm wool blanket he had 'obtained' earlier, Liam attempted to fall asleep in an inconspicuous alleyway. There were buildings on both sides and a wooden wall at the end looming over him. The wall at his back was probably a hallway between the two buildings at his head and feet. At least they provided cover from the wind.

Normally, he would have set up the tent as well, but he was exhausted and simply wanted to fall asleep. Innumerable stars dotted the sky and the clear half-moons floated gracefully among them.

“...Wait... there are three moons...” Liam muttered. “Damn. This really is a different world...” Now that it was finally sinking in, he sighed. However, his eyelids grew heavy and his aching body cried out for rest. Now was not the time to worry about anything. Rather, worry was something he wanted nothing to do with.

“I'll just live as best I can here.” He whispered as he began to drift off. Unfortunately, as luck would have it, the sound of people running prevented Liam from sleeping.

Ugh... should have slept in the woods...

Only a few seconds later, Liam realized that the footsteps were hurrying in his direction. Along with each footstep, metal clinked in response. Just from the cadence of the sounds, he discerned that there were multiple people running toward him. Most likely, they were not coming for him, so he tried to ignore the sounds in order to fall asleep. However, his luck stat was terribly accurate.

Above, he heard the creaking sound of a foot pressing on wood. Then, a person dropped down right next to his face. One inch closer and the person's shoe would have left a noticeable impression on Liam's left cheek.

“The hell?” Liam muttered.

“Eh?” The person jumped away and turned 180 degrees in midair. Immediately, the person pulled out a dagger and raised their guard.

Based on the gasp a moment earlier, Liam judged the hooded person to be female. A quick once over revealed that she was wearing tight yet flexible dark clothing that looked like a tracksuit. Strands of white hair hung from either side of her hood and flitted in the breeze. She was also wearing a cropped leather jacket that left the midriff open and was also littered with sewn-on pockets. Compared to most women, her build was slim yet very feminine in all the right places.

“Gonna stab a random bum you almost stepped on?” Liam chided while rising to a seated position.

“Uh... no?” The woman replied while hesitantly sheathing her dagger.

Perhaps this woman was running from the armored people making that racket. If that was the case, then it was her fault that Liam was not asleep yet.

Then, the woman leaned forward and pleadingly whispered, “Actually, hide me.”

“You serious right now?” Liam asked while raising his brow enough to wrinkle his forehead.

In response, the woman vigorously nodded.

You can't be serious. First, you keep me from falling asleep. Then, you nearly step on my face. Such thoughts were running through Liam's head, but he felt too tired to bother arguing with her.

“Hmm... fine.” Liam answered after a good few seconds.

“Alright. Thanks.” The woman quickly said. Then, she startled Liam by unabashedly crawling underneath his blanket.

“What the hell? Whatever. I guess this works...” Liam said, resigning himself to the small annoyance. He proceeded to lie down once more with the woman lying at his back completely concealed by the blanket. Since he was facing the street, the woman was nestled between himself and the wall.

The warmth of the woman's body was surprisingly comfortable. Her soft and warm breaths tickled the back of his neck. How long had it been since he last felt the warmth of a woman? Of course, this situation was slightly different than his experiences with women in the past.

Your dagger has been stolen.

...What the hell? You serious right now?

A minute later, an armored soldier leaped over the wall and landed in the alley a few meters ahead of Liam, crushing dirt and pebbles underfoot. His full-plate steel armor shined radiantly under the moonlight, reflecting a blueish hue. Although Liam had just been inwardly fuming about his dagger being stolen, he was completely entranced by the armor the soldier was wearing. If he could get his hands on something like that, he could probably sell it for a good price.

Noticing the presence in the alley, the soldier spun around. Sharp blue eyes stared at Liam between the opening in the man's helm. It was a cold gaze that emanated neutrality.

Then, two more soldiers clambered over the wall and dropped into the alleyway just in front of Liam. Did they not notice him either?

“Sir! The thief disappeared!” The shorter of the two new soldiers shouted.

The voice of a new recruit excited about everything. He needs more training. Liam observed.

“Indeed.” The first soldier coolly replied. However, he stepped toward Liam and pushed the two shorter soldiers out of the way. They did not seem to mind, though.

Yeah... this guy is a higher rank. He's like me. Liam thought as he looked straight into the eyes of the man. Although he was lying on the ground at the moment, Liam could tell that the soldier was almost as tall as himself.

For a moment, the experienced soldier studied Liam. Then, he asked, “Have you seen someone come through here?”

“No, sorry.” Liam blatantly lied while maintaining eye contact with the soldier. Considering that infiltration was one of his specialties as a member of the special forces, lying was simply part of his skillset.

Skill experience recognized. Adjusting skill list.

Skill added:

Deceit Lv. 10 (max)

Hmm... better ignore that for now. Liam thought.

“I see.” The soldier replied. He deftly spun on his heel and said, “Sorry to bother you.”

With that, he led the two younger soldiers to the street and disappeared from Liam's sight. For a few more minutes, the woman waited in silence, which Liam understood. Eventually, she stirred and crawled out from the blanket.

Still on all fours, she whispered, “Thanks. I owe you one.”

The woman turned in order to leave, but Liam stopped her by grasping the back of her hood. His action ended up pulling the hood back, revealing the back of the woman's head. Two fuzzy triangular ears perked up and twitched.

“Hey! What are you doing?” The woman asked with a frightened tone. She looked back at Liam with reddish-brown eyes that reminded him of dried blood.

It's a fantasy world, after all. Liam thought. Out loud, he simply said, “Return my dagger.”

“Eh? Uh...” The woman flinched at the realization that she had been found out.

“You don't steal from a thief.” Liam chided.

“Oh. You're a thief, too?” The woman asked curiously. “No wonder I didn't notice you at first.” At the same time, she hesitantly pulled the dagger from inside her jacket and held it out handle first. Apparently, the statement 'thicker than thieves' applied here as well.

Retrieving his stolen dagger from the woman's hands, he answered, “Yeah, but leave. You interrupted my sleep and it's been a really long day.”

“Oh. Sorry. Thanks, though.” The woman said. She tilted her head while looking down at him. “I'll definitely return the favor sometime.” Then she stepped toward the wall and pulled her hood back into place. However, she stood still for several moments, annoying Liam.

“You leaving yet, or do you plan to steal my dagger again?” He asked.

“No, uh... you didn't freak out about my ears?”

“Is it strange?” He asked. Learning about interactions between people groups would probably be useful later on. For a moment, the cat-eared woman remained deathly silent. Then, she sighed.

“You aren't from here, are you?” She asked. It sounded more like a statement, though.

“Nope.”

“I see.” She muttered. “Do you mind not telling anyone you saw me, then?”

“No one to tell,” Liam answered. “Now, leave me alone and let me sleep.”

“Oh, sorry.” The woman apologized. After a quick glance at Liam, she jumped high enough to grab the top edge of the wall and used it to swing herself over the top. Now that Liam once again had peace and quiet, he forgot about the cat-eared woman and drifted off.