Chapter 2: Tea Time

“So what’s your class? You don’t strike me as a magus in those kind of clothes, and that dumb smile of yours doesn’t seem like it belongs to an artificer,” Rosalia scoffs as we walk. Her question further moves my mind to insanity. Yeah, I’m definitely not a respectable person in my jeans and hoodie. Thank you very much.

“Class?” I ask in my amusement, and I think I see her smile. “I don’t think I have a class. What are classes anyway?”

“You’re here in Freyrun, the labyrinth city, and you don’t know what a class is?” She pauses to laugh, and I knit my brows at her. What a damn rude person. “Are you a traveling merchant by any chance?”

I nod. “Yeah, something like that.” But Freyrun city, huh? If my hunch is correct, then that place where I was before the labyrinth she’s referring to. It’s still too early to make a conclusion right now, but I’ll consider that as one of the places I have to investigate. It might even contain clues for me to go back home.

Rosalia leads the way in front of a tall gate guarded by two men wearing full-plated body armor. The stone walls separating the city are covered in glyphs which I assume to be some type of protection. One of the knights gestures us to halt, and so we do.

“Just present your identification cards over there if you want to enter the central district,” the halberd wielding knight says, pointing his thumb to a crystal on top of a pedestal. Rosalia stands in front of it and flashes a card she fished out of her pocket.

Mesmerizing blue light emits from the crystal, and the knight nods in confirmation at the sight of it. “Level 9 for your age. You must’ve been a hard worker.”

Rosalia laughs it off, but I can see the hint of red creeping on her cheeks. So she likes to be praised? That’s good to know. She steps out of the way, and the knight orders me to do the same.

I step in front of the crystal orb. Should I run my driver’s license? Judging from the merchant’s reaction from before, it most probably won’t work. So what do I do? The knight is giving me a glare of impatience.

“Sorry, my friend here is a traveling merchant and was pickpocketed just now, losing most of his belongings in the process.” Rosalia winks at my direction. “So we’re wondering if you could issue him a new card, sir knight,” she explains in my stead. Because of that, my trust in her just skyrocketed.

“Ah, that’s understandable. The southern district is notorious for traveling merchants like him.” The knight scratches his head. Like him? Do I look that naive to you? “Alright, kid. Just pay the ten copper coin fee and we’ll issue you a new one.”

“Thank you.” I hand the appropriate fees and follow the knight inside the station a few steps away from the gate.

He sits on chair across a wooden table, takes out single sheet of paper and a knife from a drawer, then hand them both to me. “Cut your finger with that knife, drip your blood on top of this identification glyph then state your name.”

I look at where his finger is pointing and notice a glyph of a different variation from the walls outside. Then I take a deep breath before cutting my index finger with the knife he provided. However, for some odd reason, it took me several seconds before I can even open a small wound. Never mind being dull, is this thing even sanitized?

“Dude,” I murmur my name as the first drop of blood stains the glyph. The glyph responds with a blue light and a small list of information appear on the blank paper. Surprisingly, I can read the words without a hitch and the wound on my finger closes as quick as it opened.

Dude Webber

Race: Human

Class: None

Level: 1

Skill: None

Magic: None

The knight grabs a paper and a feather pen for him use. He writes what he saw on a separate book then put a stamp of approval on the bottom of my paper. “Here, be careful not to lose it next time, alright?”

Taking the card from his outstretched hand, I nod. “Yes sir.”

“That’s good till the end of the month. It’s currently the 11th of Felise, so you have fourteen days before you need it renewed. Just a warning, kid, but don’t get caught with an expired card or you’ll find yourself behind bars. Are we clear?”

“Yes sir.” I nod once more. The level that showed is different to my current one but I ignore it for now. Based from his reaction, a level nine is already great for someone along my age. Though I’m still not sure why it didn’t show my real level, I’m quite thankful in how it turned out in the end.

I meet up with Rosalia with the identification card in hand, and she frantically waves her hands after I lower my head in apology. Good Lord, I can’t thank her enough. Now I really have to feed her those sweets. And with my immense wealth, I don’t see any problem at all.

The knights let us through the heavy gates, and I immediately notice the difference on this side. Fancy benches and streetlights — probably powered by magic — are all over the place, and bushes and trees lined along the canals. Even the houses and the populace on the streets give a more noble like vibe. I don’t hate it, but their gazes are a little suffocating.

“It’s over here, Dude.” Rosalia guides me in front of a white classy building with ivory chairs and table outside. Her eyes are twinkling with excitement and there’s even a small drool hanging on the corner of her mouth. It seems like whatever the time and place, girls and their sweets never changes.

* * *

Due to the discerning look the waitress gave me, I feel out of place, however with this lovely maiden on my side, it isn’t too bad. They can gawk all they want. Though I have to say I was surprised to only pay as much as four silver coins for our order altogether.

“You’re only having tea?” Rosalia asks after taking a small bite of her shortcake. If they have those kinds of things here, then this isn’t really much of a medieval fantasy, isn't it?

“I guess I’ll have the same as you. Is it good?”

“Its delicious~” Her voice is like a lovely melody tickling my eardrums. If I can see that cute smiling face, I don’t mind paying ten silvers coins a day for sweets. I call the waitress and order two more shortcakes: one for her and one for me.

“I’m also looking for an inn to stay for the night, do you have a place to recommend?”

“You can check the same inn I’m currently staying at. The service and food is good; I definitely recommend it. I can bring you there after this if you’d like.”

“Great. That would be most appreciated.” Now that’s one lump off my throat. I can’t help but sigh in relief. “So, what do you do for a living?”

“Me?” She tilts her small head and looks at me in confusion. I can’t help but appreciate her eyes; they’re really a mesmerizing shade of green. “I enter the labyrinth here and hunt the monsters inside for their loots. But since I’m a support class, it’s hard for me to find a group that will accept me. Most large groups I asked beforehand already have their own supports and the others wanted me to join for a different purpose.”

“I see… But aren’t you putting your life on the line for something as petty as money?” My words are harsh, I know, but to someone who’s lived in peace all his life, I just don’t get the reason.

“That’s easy for you to say since you seem like a well off merchant yourself, but I have a big family to support you know.” She smiles bitterly for a moment, and I use that chance to wipe the icing off her lips. “Hey!”

“Sorry.” I return an idiotic smile to calm her reddened cheeks. Our cakes arrive, and I thank the waitress for her perfect timing, handing her six silver coins from my inventory. “So this means you’re not in a group currently, right?” I continue my questions as I hand her the new serving of cake.

“Not at the moment.” She takes a bite of it and smiles sweetly.

“Good, how about I hire you as my guide?”

“Your guide?” Her voice sounds reluctant. Perhaps she assumed that I’m the same as those guys that asked her out with various intentions in mind. It hurts a little bit, but I can see where she’s coming from. After all, she just met me not too long ago.

“Yes, I’m still new in this city as you can see, and you seem knowledgeable about it.”

“Why not buy a slave instead?” She takes a sip of her tea for the first time. “Most merchants I came across have their own slaves… except for you.”

Hearing her say those words made me frown without knowing. “Slaves?”

“I’m sorry,” she says with a face of worry. “Did I touch a sensitive spot?”

“No.” I smile, hoping that it’ll steer us away from that gloomy topic. “So how does slavery work in this country?”

“You’re seriously asking me that?”

“Didn’t I tell you? I’m new around here.”

She sighs. “Well, it’s better if you visit the slave market yourself and ask them about it. It’s a place you won’t miss in the southern district.”

“I see. I think I’ll head there first thing tomorrow morning then.” Information after information, there’s so many things I have to learn here. But I guess that’s part of being in a place fundamentally different from what you call normal. I don’t like the idea of having a slave for the most part, but if it can help me get by, it might be a good idea to switch how I think. As of the moment, I’ll just have to enjoy this cake.