“Uhhh, my head.”

“That’s what happens when an idiot doesn’t eat or sleep for days. And here you are, giving me more trouble, stupid little kid.”

“Hey. I thought we had a deal. No more name-calling, you old bag.”

“Uh? Who the hell do you think you’re talking to, you stupid brat?”

“To an old lady filled with wrinkles. “

“You’re talking too much for someone who is lying in my bed, do you wanna get your head smashed, you stupid kid?”

Gripping my head with her right hand, I decided to finally stay quiet. I just woke up, my head was pounding and all this yelling wasn’t helping. But why am I here? How long was I out?

“Harlow, where am I?”

“My house. More like the 2nd floor of the shop. Your little elf rushed here with you, she had no idea where to take you or where to go. Good grief. You’re giving me way too much of a headache.”

“Where is she?”

“Made her run some errands. Your scarf got ripped while she was dragging you here so she covered you with hers. She had to be fast to not get recognized on the street and carrying your sorry ass wasn’t easy. She took yours and now I’m making stuff for her. I had to close shop, ya know? Y’all making me lose money.”

“Fuck.” The only person that was kind enough to help us and we are costing her money. Even when I think that things are looking decent, I manage to screw everything up. Useless. “Hey, take as much as you feel like you deserve from the pouch. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, shut up. I’m gonna make you work to the bone. I already started with the elf. Next is you. You’ve been out for 2 days, ya know? She has been bringing stuff non-stop. Ehehe, maybe I do like having someone working for me. I could get used to it. Especially since it’s for free.”

“Where did I got myself into…”

I was sinking into the bed, thinking the conversation would be over for the time being but Harlow thought the opposite.

“Hey, boy.”

“Yeah?”

“Why are you doing it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play stupid with me.”

“I’m not.”

“Why ain’t you been taking care of yourself? Soleil told me, ya know?”

“What did she told you, exactly?”

“That you ain’t been eating or sleeping. I mean, it’s not it wasn’t obvious but I never thought it was that bad… She was worried about ya.”

“She’s a slave. From her point of view, I’m probably the not-so-bad owner that she had so far. She isn’t really worried about me, only about her situation. But relax, I already told her, she’s gonna be free. I’m letting her go when we reach Asparia.”

“You are really an idiot.”

“Huh?”

Knock. Knock.

“Come in.”

“Brought you what you requested, Miss Dixon.”

An elf entered the room where we were. The bag on her back was completely filled with what appeared to be a lot of wolf pelt and more snakeskin. It wasn’t the only thing unusual. 2 broadswords were attached to the belt that was around the slim and beautiful waist. She placed the bag down, removed both sword sheaths from her belt and a small one, and placed them on a chair. She had a knife. It wasn’t the one I made from bone. It appeared to be a decent one. Which also meant expensive.

Where the hell did she get those?

“Wonderful. Nice job. Go ahead and take a break. I’m going to buy stuff for dinner.” Harlow rose up for her bench and paying close attention I see what she was working on. She was working on the order I placed for Soleil gear. At least she is doing her part. “Oh and, take care of the stupid kid, he’s finally awake.”

Soleil nods at her and decided to fix her gaze at me. What, am I getting scolded or something? Kind of too old for that.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.”

She opened her mouth but no words came out. She stood up and went to the chair where the weapons she was using were and brought them to me.

“I am aware that I overstepped my boundaries but…”

“You used the money we had to buy weapons for yourself so you could help the lady with materials so we could cover for expenses.” I thought that Harlow had lent them to Soleil but the sheaths were way too different from what she usually does. You can tell from the designs. Harlow has a very distinctive style.

“I apologize.”

“What for? I was going to buy you some weapons anyway. As long as you bought something you like, it’s fine. Sorry for being useless even though I told you I was going to set you free.”

“Don’t… don’t say those things, please.”

“Huh?” What is she on about?

“Don’t talk like that. Just… please.”

“I have no idea what are you talking about.” I uncover myself and damn… my legs look disgusting. I need to lose more weight, this is ridiculous. I was wearing some shorts and a t-shirt. Yeah, this was no doubt made by Harlow. My entire life I only wore and liked dark colors. Hell, I always wore black. Now… I’m wearing a yellow outfit, what’s with this? I look like a firefly. “Anyway, sorry for making you drag me all the way here. Get some rest. I can see that you have leveled up. Congratulations.”

I could check her stats anytime I wanted but I’ve always asked for permission. I’m not that much of a prick and… she is getting strong.

Soleil Loraris

Level: 12

Attack: 82

Magic: 74

Defense: 66

Magic Defense: 52

Movement Speed: 97

Mana: 1278

Skills:

World Language

Detect

Aero Boost

Magic:

Aero

At least she is evolving. When her level got reset, she lost almost every skill and magic. The fact that she got some of them back is reassuring for her. At least she won’t get hurt easily and this way she can go back home.

Harlow’s shop had 2 floors. The shop itself on the 1st one and her regular house on the 2nd. Compared to the shop, this place is immaculate. This makes me wonder how can her store be a bit… filthy. And I’m being nice. The floor is filled with dust and dirt, the windows make the place look abandoned, the lightning is dim, and the way she displays her pieces are… let’s be real here, the woman is a mess. She makes amazing stuff but her presentation is lacking.

“Hey, old bag, are you making dinner?”

“Are you sure you wanna leave the bed, stupid kid? Don’t pass out on me again.”

“That’s a yes or no?”

“It’s a yes and I don’t care if you think my food is gross, if I have to shove this directly into your stomach, trust me, I will. I won’t have you worrying that elf no longer.”

“Whatever. Do you need help? If not, how long is it gonna take?”

“Hey, aren’t you acting a little almighty.”

“Just tell me. I want to do something before dinner.”

“30 minutes, max. What are you gonna do?”

“You’ll see. And mix the pan of whatever this is… it’s getting burnt.”

“LEAVE MY KITCHEN, YOU STUPID BRAT.”

Ah, messing up with her revigorates me. It smells good, I can’t deny that but even still. I don’t think I can eat. I would like to understand what’s wrong with me, my body, and my brain. My brain is craving food. My body is simply rejecting it. And my own will is in limbo. But she is right. I mean, how desperate was Soleil for covering my face with her scarf even if that meant getting caught herself? I need to get my shit together.

I pick up a lot of clothing displays that were hanging around empty and I started moving stuff around. I needed the workout. I just need to move. My body is still a bit stiff and I don’t like that feeling. And well, if doing this helps Harlow in any way, it’s good enough for me, I guess. Looking inside a little room she had on the ground floor, I saw tons and tons of boxes filled with old clothing. They were different from what she does now but they look amazing in their own way. All of them had some sort of logo attached in a beautiful and aesthetic way that would complement amazing with the piece.

Man, why doesn’t she just sell this stuff? A lot of people would buy stuff like this just for walking around the city. Not everyone is an adventurer.

“Ahem.”

Shit.

“Do you mind telling me what the fuck are you doing here?” That cold voice mixed with that cold stare sent chills down my spine but I won’t falter.

“You have amazing stuff here, you know? You can sell these, they just need to be washed and th…”

“Get out. Now.”

“I’m telling you, these pieces are…”

“Leave. This. Room. Right. Now. I’m not repeating myself.”

“But…”

And in a flash, her hand is in my throat. I’m on top of a lot of boxed and my back is in a really weird position and having Harlow on top of me plus choking me isn’t a really good combination. I’m trying but I can’t budge the grip that keeps getting tighter and tighter.

“Don’t make me repeat myself, boy. If I tell you to do something, you do it.”

Chhk.

“Please, release him, Miss Harlow.”

I didn’t even hear Soleil coming here but with the noise that we made, it was only natural, I guess.

“No. I’m teaching the kid something and it would be better if you don’t interfere, capisce?”

“I apologize, Miss Harlow but I cannot have that happening. Please release the grip.”

I shake my hands so that Soleil backs off. She looks at me perplexed. We don’t want a fight. It was my fault and my fault only. Let her release whatever she is holding there.

“Old lady, if you wanna beat someone or something up, do it on me. Don’t take it out on her.”

“Acting like a decent guy after I told you to leave this place? You are just like everybody else, ain’tcha? Yeah, maybe you really are the trash that everybody this you are.”

Her grip is getting tighter and her breathing is becoming more ragged. Is she really going to kill me now? Fuck. Can’t have that.

“I don’t really care what you think of me but are you seriously going to kill me just because I was…ARGH”

“Just shut up, boy. The likes of you would never understand. Being a failure. An outcast. Being excluded just because you’re not as good as your family wants you to. Why did you have to go and snoop around, little kid? Huh?”

Fffft.

Now with 2 broadswords pointed at her neck and her breathing getting more and more ragged, her eyes were getting cloudy. She wasn’t looking at me. She was staring into oblivion. But I’ve seen those eyes before. I’ve seen that rage, I’ve felt it. Hell, it was me, a lot of years ago.

“Miss Harlow, I ask you. Please, release him. I don’t want to hurt you. But I assure you that I won’t hesitate if you don’t go.”

“I’ll make this quick, yeah? I’ll just break him as he did to me. If he is gone, then I won’t get hurt again. Yeah. If you disappear, I’ll be okay and I can go back.”

What the fuck is she talking about. Is she… hallucinating? She is hyperventilating and sweating buckets. With both her hands on my throat, I actually feel her body temperature. She is burning. She isn’t okay at all.

“Soleil… knock… her…”

The words won’t come out. The grip is too strong. But Soleil understands. With a quick motion of the hilt of the sword on her right hand, she hits the back of her head. Dropping her swords, she quickly rushes Harlow into a chokehold, and slowly but surely, she faints. I keep coughing trying to regain my composure. 5 more seconds and I would be a goner.

“Are you okay, Yurem?”

“I’m…. fine…. How…. is she?”

It’s not her fault. Something must’ve been on her mind. Adding a fever plus me probably being on a place I had no place being, made her lose it. I point up. Soleil nods and picks Harlow up.

Now in bed, I touch Harlow’s forehead and this is bad. She is burning. I got to be fast. I go into the kitchen and fill a bowl with cold water then I pick a piece of cloth and put it on her forehead. Her clothes are too hot so… I’m sorry Harlow but they gotta go. Her clothes are very complex when it comes to unbuckling and untying stuff. I had noticed that when I first saw her but trying to get them off is way worse. “Okay, Soleil. I’m going to need you to do something for me. Rip her clothes off. Destroy all of it. Just leave her underwear on.” We need to cool her. I need to see if she has medicine here. If not, I gotta make a run to that shop that Jasmin showed me. I’d rather not but I’m not staying still.

“Yurem, it’s done. What now?”

“Okay, she doesn’t have anything here. Do we still have money?”

“Only a couple of silver coins.”

“Let’s hope it’s enough. Give them, please. Hand me your scarf as well. While I’m out, make sure you keep the cloth in her forehead and cold as you can. But make sure it doesn’t drip any water. And if you can, clean her sweat. Oh. Take advantage of the fact that I’ll be out and give her some clean underwear, the one she has right now it’s probably too soaked. It would be bad if it dried on her skin. I know it’s too much but please do it.”

My brain is moving too fast. C’mon old lady, you don’t get kick the bucket. I ran across the street. It’s freezing. Maybe if I wasn’t just wearing a t-shirt and some shorts it would be tolerable but I’m not even wearing any shoes. I was too panicked that I forgot to put them on. I only realized because I’m bleeding. I scraped my feet on some stones that were badly placed on the ground.

30 minutes had passed. I was already back at the store. I brought a potion for relieving pain. The old witch from the shop didn’t have anything worth so, I just bought something to relieve her pain for a bit. I bought some herbs from another shop and I was making some medicine myself. Even when it matters, the fucking city is still filled with uselessness. Soleil changed Harlow’s underwear and I was right, they were soaked. She was just with dry cloths on top of her private parts. She also changed her bed sheets for clean ones. Harlow was moaning in her sleep and she was shutting her eyes tight. Just a bit more. C’mon old bag. Where is your strength? Wasted all of it on a level 2 like me? You idiot.

I had to force her to drink the medicine I blended. If she has a fever, then her body is fighting. It’s better than nothing. We just have to make sure her fever drops slowly and that she stays dry. While Soleil is out there getting materials and some money, I decide to take care of Harlow and continue on my little remodeling project. There is really no point in staying with her 24/7. So it’s better to stay of use.

One week had passed since the incident at the Tailor’s Shop. I spent the entire time inside. Between taking care of Harlow, fixing her shop, and making meals for Soleil, I’m not getting much sleep or eating at all. Just like before. But this time, Soleil has been looking at me with a disapproval look. She probably wants to say something but she knows it’s not the time or place. I have more important things to do now.

Her fever was almost healed. I have wanted to the local library. It wasn’t as good as the one in the castle but it was enough. It had some books related to medicine and common diseases. Unfortunately, I couldn’t figure out what Harlow had. I tried to search for doctors but everyone wanted at least 10 gold coins to do a home visit. Money that we didn’t have so I have to play the doctor. I’ve been trying some stuff on my own body and I’m still not dead or sick myself so at least the medicine that I’m brewing isn’t deadly.

Another 2 days had passed. I’m was getting too worried. I pretty much remodeled her entire shop. Fixed every broken glass, every broken light, every crack on the floor and made the shop look modern. Hell, the shop looks amazing. If that store was mine I would be a proud owner. If she hates it, I’ll just destroy it or something. I did this more for my own personal pleasure than anything. I was practicing with mana and giving myself a workout anyway, so it’s was a win-win situation. Soleil kept grabbing materials and selling the stuff that Harlow wouldn’t be using on the guild’s market. She also registered there. It would be good for gathering more quests for quick cash. Now she was home with me and was switching the cloths that Harlow had on her body when suddenly.

“Hmmmm.” The bed was creaking. I look at the woman lying in the bed and she looks back.

“Welcome back.”

“Why does my mouth taste like dirt?”

“Yeah, sorry about that. Bad patients don’t really get good medicine.”

“Fuck sake, my body is killing me.”

“Miss Harlow, it would be best if you didn’t…”

And she didn’t listen. And now her breasts were showing. Hey, if anything, she had curves. Not the point here. I quickly turn around and I get ready for yelling.

“WHY AM I NAKED? ARE YOU THAT MUCH OF A PERVERT?”

“Oh just shut up, old lady. Who in his right state of mind would look at you?”

“EXCUSE ME, HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BODY?”

“More than I would like to.”

“WHAT DID YOU SAY?”

“Yurem, please. She just woke up.”

“I’ll just shut up. Help her dress. I’ve left some clean clothes on the chair. Her wardrobe was filthy so I only washed those. They are the only thing that looks comfortable enough for her to wear right now anyway. After you help her finish, your dinner is ready and so is her medicine. Make sure she drinks all of it. Yours is set for you to take after the meal, don’t make me come back here to remind you.”

“What, I ain’t getting food?”

“Shut up, old lady. You’ll get your food when I come back.”

I was so relieved. I felt like a tonne left my shoulders. I need to buy something easy for her stomach so I’ll just go buy fresh produce to make her some soup or something. Maybe this time I’ll manage to eat. Who knows? I made a quick trip so before I knew it I was in the kitchen making what I wanted. While I was making it, I was being showered with insults. I mean, I’m used to abuse but do you really have to call me a ‘long haired pervert prick who would probably get confused with a Gutlich’s feather’? Soleil did her best to shut her up but we spent an entire week without hearing her. I’m kind of relieved, to be honest.

I served her a bowl and sat on a chair with mine. It smelled amazing, looked even better but… I was afraid. I was starving. But weirdly enough I didn’t have that urge to vomit. But I lost my appetite really quickly. At least I ate a bit. Progress, ladies and gentleman. Progress.

“‘Tis is actually good, where did you get this?”

“Dumb oldbag, I made it. Do you think you could just buy something like this?”

“Oy, shut it, useless one like ya wouldn’t be able to cook to save his own life, what are ya sayin’?”

“I swear that I’m gonna let everyone know about your birthmark.”

“I’LL MURDER YA, YA HEAR ME?”

Poor little Harlow had a little birthmark on her stomach. It was very endearing and suited perfectly to her body. It was her fault for standing up while being naked. It wasn’t my fault that I saw more than I would like to. It’s not like the view was bad. Quite the opposite. But still.

“Just finish your soup and come with me.” I take my bowl and put it on the kitchen counter. Harlow slowly comes with me while having a suspicious look on her face. “You can complain. But hear me first. Please.”

After we get into the store floor, her gaze could kill me but with a quick hand motion, she allowed me to speak.

“I did this because I thought that it could help you with the sales and whatnot. I’ve made quite a bit of research on you, you know? Apparently you, no, your family is quite well known for being amazing tailors and for their ability to imbue magic and skills on their pieces. I found a couple of things. I stored them in your room. I haven’t read them. All I wanna say is… I don’t know what happened and why or how but… you… just move with your life. Sell your stuff. Sell the things you’ve made. The things that you had in that room are of amazing quality. And your own brand is famous enough to grant you quick richness. Don’t stay idle. I know I’m meddling but… Yeah. Sorry. If you want I’ll restore everything the way it was.” After I finish my little rant, my eyes are fixed on Harlow. She hasn’t said a word or even looked at me. Only staring at the floor and with both arms crossed, I felt ignored. I nod at myself and leave the shop into her housing. I think we ended up overstaying so I warn Soleil that we have to leave tomorrow. She agrees and we both start packing. We didn’t see Harlow for the rest of the day. With Soleil sleeping on the couch and me on the floor next to her, even with me having a light sleep, I couldn’t hear Harlow come back upstairs at all. It’s proof enough that she is indeed a very high-level woman.

Morning came and with it, our time to go. The plan was to venture our way through the wild areas until we reach Asparia. There’s a forest in the route that we traced last night so we made preparations accordingly. We made a couple of money so we were quite well equipped. Soleil being higher level than me will also help me grind for a while at her costs. Harlow left earlier than we were expecting so she wasn’t home. We already made up our minds to leave without saying goodbye when as soon as we close the door of the shop, someone talks to us.

“Leaving without saying goodbye, stupid brats?”

We both turn around only to see Harlow carrying a bag on her shoulder. Only staring at the ground she makes her way to us and stops suddenly.

“Here. Y’all gonna have problems carrying stuff around without a proper carriage or somethin’ so I made this for ya. It’s a special type of bag so only analyze it when you leave the city just in case. Inside there’s the rest of the stuff you ordered.”

“How much is it?”

“Shut it, dumb kid. Get away from here now.”

“Harlow…”

“Leave, idiot.”

I don’t understand if she’s mad or not. I really don’t.

“Fine. Just, take care of yourself, will you? Thank you for everything.”

I give a small bow and turn around. Soleil rushes behind me and we make our way to the city exit into the wild area. The next stop is Asparia. And with that, our journey is finally back on the road.