Despite the pub's heat and rowdiness, silence accumulated between Darcie and the traveller like a thin layer of frost.

Her shameless confidence waned at the dark-haired man's nerve-wracking silence, and the young waitress quickly spoke again to explain her situation.

"Less than a month ago, I became an Awakened after attending one of the aptitude consultations hosted by the kingdom's Mage Faction.

"I heard from others you're a really strong Awakened and became sure of their words after seeing you win the Wulin Tournament. So… so I was hoping that you can teach me some things, in the face of fate!"

She hid the fact that having used up most of her savings just to book the consultation, she no longer had the finances to purchase spellbooks or hire mage tutors. This was why she resorted to seeking individual Awakeneds hoping they would be willing to help.

Of course, she was fully prepared for rejection. After all, there was no reason for someone like Edris to heed her request, especially when they weren't even considered acquaintances.

However, as a waitress in a social pub, she had heard about his kind personality here and there. Having ascertained the rumours after witnessing this gentleness in person, she couldn't help but hold hope that the traveller would help her out.

"Miss Darcie… is it?" The traveller spoke softly, and Darcie subconsciously relaxed at his voice. "I am a traveller."

She immediately understood the meaning behind his words. To travellers, the world was their home.

She could tell that to the man sitting before her, Nolmes was only a temporary stop and that he would soon be on his way to continue his journey.

"Ah, I mean, I understand perfectly! It's just that I'm the first Awakened in my whole family, so I'm kind of at a loss of what to do and…" Her voice trailed off as she mustered a weak smile.

Both her parents have died, and as the oldest in the family, Darcie had Gran as well as her six-year-old sister to take care of.

When she learned about her potential as an Awakened, she was thrilled as it already represented a broader range of opportunities for her and her family. However, the seemingly endless obstacles she had to overcome to reach those opportunities drove her to desperation.

She eyed the dark-haired traveller, recalling his gentle refusal as her eyes unknowingly watered. Nonetheless, she was grateful that he was willing to hear her out.

If it were others, they would either laugh or tell her to scram.

— You've fooled another one.

What do you mean by 'fooled'? Actually, what do you mean by 'another'? I never said I was an Awakened now, did I…

Edris lamented inwardly as he watched the young waitress fiddle with her work uniform, noticing her callus-filled hands. She seemed barely an adult. In her early twenties, at most.

Even if he wanted to help her, he couldn't. The poor girl had asked the wrong person in the first place.

Placing his unused fork onto the napkin, Edris waited patiently for Darcie to recollect herself.

"I can't help you, but help doesn't always come from someone specific," he said with a gentle smile. "Sometimes, the best teacher is what's around you."

It was the best advice he could give as someone who learned to adapt to all types of environments.

At the traveller's words, Darcie fell into a deep silence. After a few seconds, she lifted her head with a grateful smile.

"Thank you for your advice."

As she said that, Darcie pulled out a small slip of paper from her pocket and slid it across the table. It was a yellow, rectangular coupon with a bakery logo on the front.

"My grandma runs a bakery store on the southern end of Lennet Street. It's called Wendy's Bakery Stand. Please accept this as my thanks and visit anytime!" She grinned, showing her tiger teeth.

"Thank you, Miss Darcie." Edris took the yellow coupon with a slight bow of the head. "I hope you can reach your goal."

Glancing at the young waitress's back that slowly disappeared to the customer-filled main area, Edris sighed soundlessly as he retracted his eyes to the meal before him.

His omelette had grown cold.

***

After finishing his food, Edris headed to his room on the second floor.

Today's series of interactions left him exhausted, causing him to instantly fall asleep as he crashed onto his bed.

Edris slept dreamlessly that night, as always. Since his earliest memories, Edris didn't dream. To him, sleep was just a state of unconsciousness and an enjoyable way to recover energy.

He didn't know how long he was out for, but it wasn't very long. He was awakened by the deep voice inside his head.

— Someone's coming.

Edris wanted to ignore his words but ultimately pulled himself up. Still wrapped under his blanket, the dark-haired man glimpsed towards the window with groggy eyes.

In its dim orange, the sun was barely out as the majority of the sky was still embraced by darkness.

Soon following Ace's words were a series of knocks by his door.

"Master, it's me!"

Celio's energetic voice burst through the door between them, and Edris considered seriously whether he should pretend to be still asleep.

After the second series of knocks, he forced himself out of bed. Letting out a yawn, he took three seconds for his mind to defog before pushing down on the door handle.

Despite being early in the morning, the golden-haired Celio greeted him with a bright grin, looking as energetic as ever. Without waiting for the boy to speak, Edris arched an eyebrow.

"How did you know which room I was in?"

"The front desk recognized me when I came looking for you. And when I told her you were my Master, she showed me your room number," Celio replied, then immediately grinned. "Never mind that, Master. I've found a solution to our banquet clothes!"

Edris blinked twice, his mind clouding again at the boy's enthusiasm.

***

The next thing he knew, Edris found himself standing in front of a fanciful boutique. It was a stand-alone store situated on Lennet Street, a few blocks from the central city.

The panel on top of the storefront stuck out with three words printed in a luxurious font:

ORTEON'S FAMILY BOUTIQUE

Edris lifted his head, squinting towards the store that stood before the rising sun. He then glanced at Celio, who was looking back at him with anticipatory eyes.

"You woke me up before the sun to take me here?" Edris asked.

For him, sleep was an enjoyment. Although he was set on earning money, he was the type of person who would live comfortably whenever possible and uphold small delights in life like sleep and food.

"This is one of the best formalwear boutiques in Nolmes, so I worked really hard to reserve a spot," Celio replied proudly and, without further ado, pushed open the double doors.

He knew that his Master wasn't one to hold interest in trivial things like attire. After all, when you're a powerful individual who travelled the world, clothing wouldn't exactly be a top priority.

As the student, this was where Celio would come in!

Clothing etiquette was something especially nitpicked upon amongst the upper-class circle. To many nobles, the quality of one's clothing was equivalent to class and status.

As someone forcibly introduced to such interactions from a young age, Celio had witnessed countless who were belittled, even humiliated, due to their way of dressing.

Although he personally saw no correlation between the two, he wasn't planning to let his Master experience such ignorance.

The moment the two men stepped into the boutique, five pairs of eyes simultaneously turned toward them. Among them, a middle-aged woman with high cheekbones and plump red lips swayed in their direction.

"Good morning, Madam Amos." Celio lowered his head slightly, and the woman, in a layered dress, returned his greeting with a slight dip of the body.

Her gaze shifted from the youthful boy to the dark-haired man behind him, and the latter responded to her scrutiny with a respectful smile.

"Handsome lad, I see you've also brought a handsome friend." She pressed her hands together pleasedly, eyes fluttering at the two eye candies standing before her.

Edris suddenly felt oddly chilly under her thoughtful gaze, but he wasn't given a chance to back out.

With a clap of her hands, Madam Amos gestured to the four staff behind her as the group moved forward, surrounding the two men.

Before he knew it, Edris was standing before a full-body mirror, his own appearance reflected before his eyes.

Two tailors hovered around him with measurement tapes, moving his limbs around as if he was a work-in-progress puppet.

"So pretty, oh simply so, so pretty!" Madam Amos gushed nonstop as she admired the two men from all angles. She then tapped her chin, thinking. "You're the type that must watch out when walking at night! I heard that several pretty people like you lads have been disappearing recently."

"I think we'll be fine…" Celio laughed awkwardly.

Edris's head perked at Madam Amos's words. As he was about to inquire further, his breath hitched as one of the tailors slid the measure tap under his arms and around his chest.

Edris's grey eyes shifted to glance at Celio, who stood next to him in a matching position. The only difference was that the boy appeared to be accustomed to this situation as he obediently followed the tailors' instructions.

— The brat has more common sense than you do. At least he knows to make preparations.

Edris mentally rolled his eyes at Ace's daily insults. However, he had to admit that Celio had exceeded his initial expectations with his knowledge of the upper-class society.

Initially, he thought that Celio was just some naive young master from a wealthy family in his rebellious stage. It turned out that the boy, although still young and inexperienced, was not as useless as he had imagined.

Edris stopped in his tracks.

Celio said that this boutique was one of the most famous in the capital, which meant it was expensive.

How did he manage to book a slot in such a short time?

He didn't accept some weird conditions now, did he?

Edris was about to interrogate Celio when he suddenly recalled the boy's bag of gold. With an inward sigh, he swallowed the words back down his throat.

Maybe he was the naive one.

After a tiresome period of trying and retrying countless outfits and accessories, the fitting process finally ended. Madam Amos told them to pick up the personalized attires in three days.

By the time the two exited the boutique, it was almost noon. The sun, hanging above their heads, emitted surges of heat fitting for Nolmes's tropical weather.

"How about something to eat? It's on me," Edris said to Celio with a smile.

Although he wasn't told this, Edris knew that the young boy had paid for both the attire and the personalized tailor fee. He didn't know the exact price (he also didn't want to know), but Edris wasn't shameless to the point where he would rely on a teenager's money for everything.

"May I?"

Celio's eyes flickered at his words, and he beamed. "Master, you're the best!"

Edris merely responded with a smile as he felt the slit of paper in his pocket between his fingers.

"How about pastries? I heard there was a renowned bakery store around here. Wendy's Bakery Stand, if I remember correctly."

The bakery belonged to the grandmother of Darcie, the young waitress who had given him a coupon from the place after asking him for advice.

He didn't plan to dismiss the young boy's efforts with a discounted meal, but if he had a coupon, why not use it?

"I'm fine with anything!" Celio bobbed his head up and down.

— …You've got no morals.

"Hey now." Edris laughed under his breath.

***

The storefront was small yet cosily adorned. Several blue bells chimed as Celio pushed open the wooden door. A whiff of sweet aroma immediately filled his nostrils at his entrance, and the boy swallowed at his awakened appetite.

In the back of the store was a senior woman, looking around sixty in age. Her grey hair, tied in a tight bun, glazed in light as she lifted her head at the two customers.

Hello there, handsome lads. What can I get for you?" The corner of her eyes creased into a kind smile that resembled the waitress's youthful grin.

"Your recommendations, ma'am?" Edris glanced at the menu, then at Celio.

After careful consideration, the latter chose a 'Nolmes Special' sandwich and a vanilla milkshake while Edris went with a frion milk tea, extra sugar. The total of the meals amounted to five copper yones.

After the meal, the two strolled out of the bakery store. Celio rubbed his stomach in satisfaction while Edris slid his hand inside his pocket, rubbing a rectangular piece of paper between his fingers.

Unfortunately, he couldn't use his coupon since it was only valid on weekends.

Under the brilliance of the afternoon sun, they walked through Lennet Street, past the area that fell under the intersecting shadows of swaying branches. On one of the branches sat a sparrow, gawking at its surroundings with its pitch-dark eyes.

A gust of wind swept through the streets, and the sparrow spread its wings and fluttered into the sky.

"Master! I recalled that I left something at the bouquet, so I'll have to fetch that." Celio rubbed the nape of his neck and mustered a smile. "You don't have to wait for me for dinner! There are a few things I still have to do in the capital, so I'll be away for a few days…

"Oh, you don't have to help me or anything. I can figure this out on my own! And don't worry, I'll make sure to finish before the banquet.

"I'll come to find you once I get everything sorted! I'll also bring the banquet clothes!"

I wasn't planning to wait for you anyway…

Edris didn't bother to dig out the details and simply nodded with a half-hearted smile. He waited for the golden-haired boy to disappear from his view before turning his attention to the voice inside his head.

"Is he being followed?"

— By an Awakened.

As expected.

Edris recalled the single sparrow that had been on the tree beside them. Sparrows were uncommon in Nolmes, where doves and pigeons were the norms. That said, Edris suspected the bird of being some kind of signal. One that the beast tamer recognised.

"...Is it dangerous?" He asked.

— Improbable. I sensed no menace coming from it. It seems to only serve as a method of communication. The boy seemed to know it, too.

"Then that's fine."

Feeling lighthearted now that Celio was gone, Edris spun around onto Main Street. Under the broad sky, he lifted a hand to block the sunlight.

As the royal banquet wasn't until another half a week, Edris planned on spending the next few days roaming around the city. With his mercenary ID, he was eligible to take on some jobs, start his own business, or even join forces with another merchant.

Although he wasn't planning on doing so, at least not yet, he visited Alan's Mercenary shop and had the machina explain the necessities of the field. While he was at it, Edris also inadvertently inquired about mental conditions, hoping for the voice in his head to gain insights into his current situation.

Unfortunately, none of the information which he received was deemed helpful.

Three days before the banquet day, Celio came to find him again, this time with the customized banquet outfits. Eyeing the clothing that should have been bars of gold, Edris sighed inwardly and asked the boy to keep them for now.

That night, the two of them ate at an Adalan-styled restaurant near the Mosky Inn.

Adalan food was known for its unique flavours that resulted from integrating several different herbs and spices. Unlike Zacriya, which preferred distinct saltiness and sweetness, Adalan food often merged different tastes in their meals.

During the meal, Edris listened as the boy raved over all types of random things, from the taste of food to how he wanted to become a chef when he was younger.

Celio didn't mention anything about the sparrow, nor did Edris bring up related topics.

***

"Wake up."

On the morning of the royal banquet, Edris woke up to Ace's familiar baritone voice by his ear.

Eyes still closed, he lazily rose against the bed and waited for his mind to clear. He had gotten accustomed to the existence in his head, but he couldn't help but lament inwardly at Ace's alarm-like presence, waking him up at the exact time every morning.

"I am awake. Can't you see that I'm sitting..." Edris's voice trailed off as his eyes shot open.

The voice wasn't from his brain, but verbally delivered to his ears!

He got his body back? Was it the Harkness Notebook?

Traces of sleep gone in an instant, he whipped his head around the room, expecting to see Ace's physical body for the first time.

During the time they've spent together, Edris had subconsciously formed a mental image of the speaker inside his head:

A burly, middle-aged man with rough features and intimidating eyes.

What confronted Edris was none of that. Not even close.

His gaze fell on the fluff of pink floating before him. Dumbfounded, Edris stared at the creature that was only slightly bigger than his fist as the latter stared back with round, ashen eyes.

After a good minute of silence, the plump-looking Ace spoke up in a voice deep like the ocean.

"The fuck are you looking at?"