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At the cusp of twilight, the slum dwellers would congregate in a large wooden mess hall at the center of town. All eighty of the hamlet's inhabitants assembled here.

Longhouse would be a more apt term to use. It was shaped like an upside-down ship and could house the entire population of the Lakua District village with ease.

A long hearth was situated in the center of the building. Rotating above, were two whole elks roasting on a spit.

It was a warm open flame surrounded by trestle tables, chairs, and friendly faces.

Although there usually wasn't much to eat, this was the only time of day we all got together.

As a result, the slum dwellers were particularly fond of dinnertime, me included. Of course, these pastimes were the perfect opportunity to collect information.

And in any world, information is wealth.

「Hahaha! Ya really struck it big with today's hunt, Asthos! Tonight's yer night me friend!」

「Let's not kid ourselves! I couldn't have done it without me huntin' team! Those bastards totally know how t' aim!」

Melyn and I sat across from Rysef and Asthos. We were girdled by all the inhabitants, who showered the Ashen Thief and hunting team leader with praise.

Over by the next table was the esteemed hunting team. Not a single soul came to cheer for them.

Poor bastards... under the shadow of their boss. Well, I can't exactly empathize...

「Rysef! Wadabout we have ourselves a lil' rematch from last time?」

「Hahaha! This guy! Ya still think ya can beat me in arm wrestlin'?! Ya could barely push me arm past th' center, haha!」

Asthos, a member of the Sentinels and head of the hunting division, had a similar disposition to Rysef. Both were loudmouth hunks with boisterous personalities.

Any conversation they had, I'd have to cover my ears. They could shatter your eardrums within seconds if you weren't careful.

「Ya said it yerself ya galoot! Tonight's me night! I'll finally get a win on ya! Lia are ya watchin'?! Here's how real men settle things!」

「AHAHA! TRY ME!」

The two burly men butting heads were clearly under the influence. Empty mead bottles littered the ground around the table we sat at.

And the stench of liquor was familiar to a former alcoholic like me.

Do I get this annoying too when I'm plastered..?

「I probably shouldn't have stolen those bottles of mead for Rysef... He always gets carried away when it comes to alcohol...」

「Ah... so this is your handiwork Melyn..?」

「How many times do I have to remind you? It's big sis Mel!」

「Right, right... Don't go smashing my ribs again...」

「I-I didn't mean it! It was an accident okay?」

「Sure... just don't go busting other people's chests after this. Lashing out over your lack of one is just plain petty.」

Her huffy expression never failed to amuse me.

As I vehemently teased the thief girl for going overboard during our training session, Rysef and Asthos had an arm-wrestling match in front of the ecstatic gathering of slum dwellers.

Every dinnertime was truly off the wall. It wasn't like all of us were intoxicated—rather everyone would get drunk off the mood.

Amidst the hectic atmosphere, Lia came over and joined our table. She was a breath of fresh air when it came to dinnertimes.

She was really the only one who maintained her composure.

「Hey Lia! What brings you here? Asthos was screaming your name a minute ago you know?」

「You're certainly cheerful for someone who had their chest caved in.」

「Can you blame me? It's dinnertime.」

My trainer shook her head and dug into the wooden plates containing cuts of venison. Just seeing it made me hungry.

The portions they gave out were simply not enough.

「Anyways, did you learn anything from today's sparring match? The defeat should clue you in on ways to improve.」

「Uh... never fight magic-wielding enemies?」

She sighed in disappointment.

「Where did all that vigor from last month go..?」

「Haha! You suck at fighting Zozo! I didn't even have a chance to show off my special move!」

I quickly pivoted my head towards Melyn.

「Special move?! You've got a special move?!」

「Well yeah, but if you want to see it, you'll have to corner me in a fight.」

「So what you're saying is... I'll never get to see it.」

The thief girl held her chin up and haughtily laughed. She was like a pompous noblewoman.

In more ways than one in fact.

Melyn dined on her venison very delicately. It was like watching a princess eat—she possessed a dignified side most slum dwellers lacked.

Chewing with her mouth closed, properly using a knife and fork, wiping her mouth with a napkin tucked into her shirt.

Is she trying to mimic high-class society or..?

Thud!

The Ashen Thief slammed Asthos's hand onto the table and shouted in victory. The hunting team leader stood up in bitter defeat and flounced out of the mess hall.

「DAMMIT! I'LL GET YA NEXT TIME, ASHEN THIEF! JUST YA WAIT! I'LL BE BACK LIA!」

His posse of teammates followed suit, leaving behind the positively elated crowd. My trainer ignored the musclebound idiot and kept her eyes on her dish.

For the guys who provided us with this lavish meal, they sure weren't treated to a fitting fanfare...

「Hahaha! None can defeat th' Ashen Thief! Anyone else foolish enough t' try?!」

In response to his challenge, a line of weak-bodied men had formed. Some joined for fun, while others were serious about beating Rysef.

The aroma of food had been replaced by a manly musk. It was off-putting but no different than any other dinnertime.

「Are you still going to try magic?」

Lia continued the conversation. Her plate was empty, but her mouth was full of questions.

「No. You heard right? I have zero aptitude for magic. No sense in following through with something I've got no hope in.」

Just a week prior, I had my magical aptitude tested.

Learning of one's magical potential ostensibly lay in the consumption of a very specific herb: the Garrick root. It wasn't rare, but it also wasn't common.

Rysef had a few in his possession—souvenirs from his travel days.

Upon ingesting the root—you did so by crushing it to a fine powder and mixing it with a mug of warm water—one's consciousness would slowly fade. It was unbearably bitter.

In this state of deep sleep, one of two things was supposed to happen.

Either you had a dream that corresponded to your magic-type inclination, or you woke up the next day with nothing in your mind.

Sadly, the divination yielded no results for me. I had a long slumber, but no vivid vision.

Ergo, I was absolutely useless at magic. I'm guessing this is an extension of what God said: I wouldn't have any divine assistance bestowed unto me.

If I were to try and learn magic, I'd have to try very hard to do so. And even then, I'd only be able to do minor spells.

So, I cut my losses and gave up on the idea altogether. As tempting as it was, spending time on a fruitless undertaking would not benefit me at the least.

「Anyways, that just means I'll have to figure out ways to deal with sorcerers. Physical combat should be sufficient.」

「True. It would be better to double up on your training to make up for the lack of magical abilities.」

「Never mind. Anything but that please...」

Lia, though level-headed and generally nice, was a ruthless drill sergeant when it came to physical training sessions.

If I wasn't performing well, she'd whip me into shape literally. As an ina caster, the chalks she carried around were a ferocious weapon to behold.

Through her mastery of manipulation magic, she would crush the limestone-based drawing utensils and morph them into whips.

Wuh-psh!

Hardened chalk dust may not sound that painful, but they were. Verily so.

The whip cracks traumatized me by the first day alone. That should give you an image of how scary she could get.

「As you wish. But you should pick up on your exercises. Your master has been patiently—」

「Ah! Here comes the life of the party Zozo.」

Melyn cut Lia's words short.

The Ashen Thief, inebriated and giggling to himself like a giddy three-year-old, came tottering towards us from around the other side of the creaky wooden table.

Behind him was a pile of slum dwellers with swollen red hands. Truthfully, I didn't see it going any other way.

Whether it be twenty, thirty, or a hundred men—Rysef would undoubtedly come on top.

「Mel! Lorenzo! I got somethin' to tell ya!」

He climbed up onto the table and sat in front of us cross-legged. It was a sign he was going to break some important news to us.

Though, in his befuddled state, I found that very unlikely.

「What is it, you drunk oaf? Come here to gloat over your victory?」

「He's probably here to tell us another sob story of his, Zozo. If we ignore him he'll go away.」

The thief girl and I were fed up with Rysef's tendency to overindulge. Every dinnertime it was the same thing.

He'd get drunk, go overboard with his challenges, crawl to us, and start crying over his old adventuring tales.

Rinse and repeat nearly every day for a month.

At this point, we couldn't take him seriously when he got like this.

「Nononono! None o' that! I'm here t' tell ya somethin'! Somethin' real important! Somethin' that'll... in any case, it's somethin' reeeally reeeally important!」

The Ashen Thief slurred his sentences. His nonsensical and longwinded delivery only lessened our interest.

At that moment, Melyn and I made up our minds. We stood up with our wooden plates, turned tail, and hastily made our retreat.

「Wait! No! Come back! It's about tomorrow's District Master meetin'!」

Hearing that finally caught our ears. Especially mine.

If Rysef, this lumbering albeit senseless powerhouse of a unit, was one of the District Masters to a community vagrants...

How powerful were the other District Masters?

Truth be told, I was still clueless about the position slum dwellers held in this world. If this was the strength of those below the poverty line, how strong were the other parties in Velatya?

Yarzon City, Hendoza City, the nation of Merulea... what was the power balance in play here?

I had basic information, but an excess of questions. This District Master meeting was my next source of valuable insight.

If only I could get in...

「Lorenzo! 'Morrow mornin' yer comin' with us!」

I dropped my wooden plate in shock. Everyone in the building became quiet. Those were the last words I expected to hear from his mouth.

The long lull was interrupted by Lia, who stepped forwards and voiced her worry.

「Sir! Are you sure? Lorenzo hasn't even started his controlled breathing training... If the other District Masters caught wind of anything vital...」

「At ease Lia... th' other District Masters want t' meet me apprentice. In order t' properly do that, he doesn't need t' know nothin' like controlled breathin'. He just has t' act himself; honestly show himself off t' 'em stuck-up bastards, hehe...」

Her glare softened, and she backed away. Rysef was 100% serious about this. His solemn stare and folded arms were all I needed to confirm.

Once he made up his mind, there was no convincing him otherwise. He was as stubborn as a mule.

「Is this one of your drunken whims or..?」

「Haha! Have more faith in me, boy! I'm a tad bit tipsy sure, but even sober I know you'd do a good job in representin' us!」

「I wouldn't call fifteen bottles of mead, "tad bit tipsy"...」

I felt a tug on my sleeve. Melyn gave me an assuring smile.

「Rysef doesn't do things without reason. I also think you'd be a perfect addition to the District Master meeting. You're both mindful and sharp with your prose. We need someone like you to represent us, Zozo.」

「You too, Melyn..?」

Lia rubbed her temple and took a deep breath.

「If Rysef says so, I'm in no position to oppose him. If anything arises, refer back to your training. Think of this as an opportunity to meet seasoned veterans in the field of combat.」

「You always know how to spin things into lessons eh..?」

The Ashen Thief heartily guffawed and collapsed back onto the table. He was visibly pleased and loudly clapped in joy.

「HAHAHA! Ya've really become one o' us, Lorenzo! Save some of yer classic skepticism fer th' upcoming meeting! God knows we'll need it, haha!」

The momentum from his single clap slowly built up into the slum dwellers giving me a round of applause.

Sporadic words of encouragement came pouring in from all corners of the room.

「Don't go chicken on us now Lorenzo!」

「Hahaha! Show those other District Masters what ye're made off, kiddo!」

「I believe in ya boy! Ya ain't Rysef's apprentice fer nothin' ya know?!」

The people I'd previously kept my distance from had now enveloped me in warmth and tender cheers.

Looking around the room, I saw not a single soul who had doubted me.

Men, women, children, the elderly—they all raised their fists and voices in support of someone who'd only joined their community a mere month ago.

I was filled with an indescribable emotion—one that bordered between happiness and bewilderment.

Amidst an unfamiliar world, home was a precious prospect. To find one straight away was...

Never mind... maybe I do have God's luck on my side...

With nowhere else to go but forward, I closed my eyes and readied my heart.

「I... I'll do it. I'll follow you to that damn meeting and represent the hell out of you guys!」

The crowd went wild and degenerated into a horde of slum dwellers ready to smother me, much to my displeasure.

As I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people, I called out to Rysef.

「R-RYSEF! I NEED SOME HELP HERE!」

From the gaps between the overjoyed mob, I bore witness to the Ashen Thief passed out on the wooden table.

「MELYN! LIA!」

Melyn quietly waved at me as Lia quietly made her exit. Both were a safe distance away from the swarm that engulfed me.

CRAAASH!

Seeing the wooden table break under Rysef's weight, I came to realize the situation I found myself in.

Well, it was fun while it lasted.

I gave up and succumbed to my fate as countless hands dragged me deeper into the mass of people.

Dinnertime always devolved into anything other than dinner time it seemed.

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