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I have left a poll on my Patr eon regarding the future of the novels I publish. It is open to everyone. The poll will last about two weeks, and then I will make a decision. I look forward to your opinions.

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As I listen to the girl talk, I think at full speed about what the fuck I can do to get out of this problem.

But, no matter how much I rack my brains, I can't come up with a solution.

'Should I kill her? No, I can't kill her. We're in broad daylight... Besides, nothing assures me that she hasn't told someone else...'

"If one of the reasons you found me out is because of my tattoo, does that mean Jackal knows about it too?" I ask, interrupting her and testing the waters.

'No... I couldn't kill her, even if only she knew and we were in a more secluded place. She's not a bad person, and I don't kill innocent people...'

"No, he doesn't. And I don't think he'll ever find out, because he has very little interest in anything that doesn't relate to his damned labyrinth. So you should not worry about him. And don't worry about me either. Your secret is safe with me," she says, smiling warmly.

"My... Secret?" I say, echoing her words as I continue to think at full speed.

But I'm becoming more and more convinced that there's nothing I can do.

'Haa...

It was good while it lasted...

I guess from now on I'll have to be a lot more careful on the streets of the empire and inside the labyrinth....

It's annoying, but it is what it is....

Even if Jackal doesn't know it yet, I have no way to make Rinka forget what she found out…

And even if she is telling me the truth, sooner or later the information that I'm not a slave and walk freely around the capital of the empire will become known....

How problematic that will be, only time will tell'

"Yes. I also want to apologize for what happened last time you came to my house.... Now I understand that many of the things I said were probably very offensive to you. But I still want to become your.... friend..." she says, averting her gaze to her hands.

"...When you left, I realized that you were right in what you had said and that I was wrong. So please don't stop coming to my house to sell the loot you get from the labyrinth, or, if you no longer need those services, you could at least come visit me from time to time."

'Well...

It seems like this doesn't necessarily have to be a problem....

I don't know what Rinka might have imagined about me or how accurate her imaginings might be, but if she wants to help me, I guess I have nothing to worry about for now....

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

I just have to make the terms of our relationship clear…

And if, at some point, someone else finds out what she knows....

I'll figure out what to do at that point....

There's no point in worrying about things that haven't happened yet.'

"Aha... And if I go again, are you going to try to drug me again?" I ask knowing that this will probably come as a bucket of cold water to the girl.

But it's better to clear things up from the beginning.

"Th-that... It won't happen again. I'm sorry. I was really stupid to think that someone like you would be affected by such things. You're extremely..." she says, but leaves the last sentence in the air, and her face blushes violently.

'Right. If things are clear beforehand, we can get on with doing business. A business I need if I want to stay in the capital'

"Well. Thanks for understanding," I say, and turn my attention back to the flintlock pistol.

I mistakenly bent the barrel a bit at the young female orc's first words.

'Good thing my stuff self-repaired when I put them away in inventory…

otherwise, I'd probably just have a piece of junk on my hands right now….

It's not like I'm really interested in shooting this thing, but the way it works is interesting.'

"That messy hair and beard look much better on you than the hood and mask..." says Rinka, trying to get my attention again, making mention of the short beard I've grown during these days I stopped shaving.

"...But I think you could look even more handsome if you took a little care of your appearance. I could help you if you want... I'm very good at cutting hair. Believe me, you won't regret it once you feel the sensation of my hands washing that dense, thick, unruly hair of yours."

As soon as she says those words, the girl's breathing starts to hitch, and she crosses her legs tightly while biting her lower lip.

"I'll pass," I say at the same time, sighing and shaking my head.

'I can't do it now because there are people around us and I don't know how she might react, but next time I go to her house, I have to make sure I make it really clear to her that I only want to have a business relationship with her....

But there is one thing she is right about....

The beard doesn't matter, but I should cut my hair a little bit....

I can't let it get too long. Not if I intend to be able to fight someone against whom I will need to be in top condition.....

And as I don't know if the champion will show up here any of these days....

Later, I'll ask the old orc if he can do me the favor of cutting my hair a little'

...

After a few more exchanges of words, Rinka decided to leave me alone.

This allowed me to concentrate again on the flintlock pistol and acquire the Engineer class.

Soon after doing so, Kaelion appeared, walking through the same doorway the young female orc had retreated through a few hours ago.

"Finally, you show up; where have you gone?" I ask the old orc as I look with very little interest at the fighting going on below in the arena.

"It's... A long story," he says, sitting down next to me.

"We have time. None of the cowards I challenged today have shown up yet, so at the moment I don't have much to do other than sit here and wait..." I say, yawning.

"...and I already got the engineer class, so I don't have any reason to keep playing with the flintlock pistol."

"Ahh, well... Congratulations... I went to see the place where the body of my... Of a friend of mine." He says and goes silent.

"I'm sorry... I can understand if you don't want to talk about it." I say not sure what to say.

'I can relate to the old orc on this....

It would be the same if someone asked me about the way my parents died....

Or Joseph...

Or Deirdre...

I have to... I have to think about something else...

It's no use thinking about my past failures....

I have to think about the future and how to prevent that kind of thing from happening again...

Getting emotionally close to Kaelion is clearly a mistake if I want to avoid history repeating itself....

I shouldn't care in the slightest about his past or where he's going'

"It's okay... It was many years ago... Today is the anniversary of her death…" says the old orc with a sad smile.

"... it was in this very place where it all happened, in that arena down there."

"Was she a person who tried to climb the rankings?" I ask unable to suppress my curiosity.

"Yes... She was very beautiful..." he says, and a lone tear rolls down his right cheek.

"... But I suppose it's best to start at the beginning of the story. Some years ago, I was a soldier of the empire living in the city of Sky's Doom. I used to fight daily with my comrades against the avians and monsters of the Sky Country. Until a monster seriously wounded me in the back, leaving me bedridden, unable to get up on my own for several days. After my wound healed, they sent me to the capital to rest and recuperate because I could hardly walk, even though the wound had healed."

'So that's where his reflexes and levels come from.... Now I understand why, in the labyrinth, his movements look like those of an old machine that hasn't been used for a long time.'

"That's where my life completely changed.... And not because of the change of environment, although I don't deny that it affected me too, but because I met her....