Chapter 41
I lunged to snatch the hamster doll back.
“G-Give it back.”
“No. This hamster is mine.”
Lycian added the possessive so naturally it made my skin prickle.
Was it just my imagination, or did that sound deliberately ambiguous?
“Then give me the fox back!”
“Sure. The fox belongs to Muriel, after all.”
The fluffy fox doll dropped neatly into my arms. I hugged it tight and shot Lycian a glare.
“You… you did that on purpose earlier, didn’t you?”
“Did what?”
“……”
His eyes, when he asked, were nothing but pure innocence.
If I pushed any further, I’d be the one getting tangled up in it. I chose retreat—for now.
I slipped the fox into my inventory and turned away with forced composure.
“I’m hungry. Let’s wash up and eat.”
That was when Lycian, in a deliberately grave tone, warned me—
“Muriel, make sure you bring a change of clothes this time.”
“…!”
At once, last night’s mortifying memory came crashing back in vivid detail.
Heat flooded my face. I spun on my heel and bolted for the bathroom without looking back, snapping as I went.
“I’m just brushing my teeth and washing my face!”
Lycian’s bright laughter tickled my ears right up until the bathroom door shut.
Maybe it was just too early. The inn’s lobby-turned-dining area wasn’t serving anything yet.
“Want to head outside? Something might be open.”
“Anything’s fine with me.”
We stepped out onto the street and wandered in search of a shop that had started business.
But the road was empty, dust skittering along in the wind.
“At this rate I’m going to starve to death. I could eat monster meat.”
“See? We should’ve eaten dinner last night.”
“That was your fault….”
“Everything’s my fault, huh?”
As the fox bastard grew more and more cheeky by the day, I reached up and pinched his cheek hard before striding ahead again.
About five minutes later, we finally spotted a place that was open.
‘What do they sell?’
The sign had a pig and a chicken painted on it, but no words.
I sidled closer and activated my “hound nose” skill. …Not that such a skill actually exists. Just an expression.
‘That smell is….’
Sausage pot-au-feu simmered in chicken broth?
‘That smells amazing!’
My mouth watered instantly. Pot-au-feu—it had been ages.
I grabbed Lycian’s hand and pulled him inside.
“Hello—?”
When I called out, a woman poked her head out from what looked like the kitchen in the back.
“Breakfast?”
“Yes, for two.”
“Sit anywhere!”
We chose the cleanest-looking table and sat down.
It was a small wooden table meant for two, but it looked oddly undersized beneath Lycian’s broad frame.
Propping my chin on my hand, I stared at him for a moment before blurting out a question.
“What did you eat growing up to get that big?”
“Not monster meat.”
“Were you just born like that? I’m seriously jealous of your build….”
“……”
I imagined myself with Lycian’s height—over 190 centimeters—and that muscular physique.
A satisfied smile tugged at my lips.
If I kept building up my stamina steadily, maybe someday I could look like that too….
“Your food’s ready—”
There was only one item on the menu: pot-au-feu, thick with potatoes, cabbage, and sausage.
“Enjoy!”
After the owner set down our bowls and left, I lifted my spoon, anticipation swelling in my chest.
Steam curled up from a wooden bowl slightly larger than a Korean soup bowl.
I scooped up some broth first, blew on it gently, and took a sip.
‘It’s so good…!’
The broth was rich—deeply infused.
And beneath it, a faint, peculiar fragrance.
‘Is that… celery?’
I nudged around in the bowl with my spoon and, sure enough, found pieces of celery cut into bite-sized chunks.
‘They added celery!’
One of my favorite vegetables. I hadn’t had it in forever.
Delighted, I scooped up a piece and popped it into my mouth. The crisp crunch and distinct aroma sharpened my appetite.
After about three more bites, I felt an intense stare from across the table.
Of course, it was Lycian.
He hadn’t even lifted his spoon. He was just staring at me.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
I asked awkwardly.
The corner of his mouth curved up slightly.
“Just… you look cute when you eat.”
I almost dropped my spoon.
I tried to scold him while hiding how flustered I felt, but my words came out stumbling.
“J-Just eat already.”
But though Lycian finally picked up his spoon, he didn’t stop saying insane things.
“I thought you looked like a hamster—small and cute, but with a bit of a temper.”
“Get a grip….”
“And the way you like vegetables makes you kind of like a rabbit.”
Rabbit or hamster—both are feisty little things with zero combat power…!
‘It pisses me off how well he seems to have me figured out!’
My grip tightened around the spoon. I shot Lycian a sharp glare and shoveled pot-au-feu into my mouth like I was in battle.
He seemed to suppress a smile, then finally began eating his own portion.
After that, we ate in silence. We even polished off the milk pudding-like dessert before leaving the shop.
“It’s probably around 4:40. Let’s start setting up.”
“Sounds good.”
We slipped into a quiet, secluded alley.
Once we made sure no one was around, I pulled out the cart and stall from my inventory.
I propped the assembled stall onto the cart, then began stacking today’s goods in neat rows.
‘150 Low-Grade Recovery Potions, 50 mid-grade potions, 10 high-grade potions, strawberry jam, tomato sauce, pickled vegetables.’
Best case scenario, we’d sell everything today. The sooner we wrapped up, the sooner we could move on to the next part of our schedule.
‘Time to put my specialty—salesmanship—to work.’
Rolling up my sleeves, I turned to Lycian and declared boldly—
“Let’s go! Time to make a killing!”
The place adventurers visited first at the start of their day—the morning market of the hub city.
Some grabbed simple street food to fill their stomachs. Others stocked up on supplies for dungeon subjugation.
And in one corner of that morning market, for some reason, a massive crowd had gathered.
‘What’s with all the people over there?’
Adventurer Dylan tilted his head in confusion and made his way toward it.
After pushing through the throng to the front, what came into view was a street stall selling potions.
‘What? Another scammer?’
The market in the hub city was crawling with frauds claiming to be apothecaries.
Dylan himself had been burned not long ago.
He’d paid a steep price for what was advertised as a high-grade Recovery Potion—only to discover it was nothing more than mushroom water dyed with coloring.
Not even edible dye. He’d suffered acute enteritis for two full days.
Even now, thinking about it made his teeth grind.
‘If it’s another scammer, I’ll make sure they learn their lesson!’
Fueled by righteous indignation, Dylan stepped forward—
Wham!
Someone grabbed the back of his collar and yanked him.
“…!”
Startled, Dylan quickly regained his composure and spun around, barking,
“Who the hell do you think you are—”
“Rude? You’re the rude one! Get in line!”
“…?”
A black-haired swordsman with cropped hair glared at him like he’d draw his blade at the slightest provocation.
Plenty of adventurers preferred solving things with violence instead of words. Not wanting to see blood spilled—especially his own—Dylan backed down.
‘What the hell…?’
Retreating to the side, he belatedly realized the spot he’d just been standing in was part of a line.
A line that stretched endlessly.
And everyone in it was shouting at the top of their lungs.
“No hoarding!”
“I want to buy too!”
“One per person!”
“What the hell is one supposed to do with just one?!”
“High-grade potions! How many are left?”
“This strawberry jam is insanely good!”
“The pickled vegetables are amazing too!”
“Any tomato sauce left? I want another bottle….”
“Out of the way! I’m buying it all!”
Just then, some lunatic shoved people aside and tried to charge straight for the stall.
Veteran adventurers, long accustomed to chaos, grabbed him in a flash—and hurled him away.
“Gyaaaah!”
They threw him so hard he went flying into the building across the street and slammed into the roof.
“…….”
Watching the entire scene unfold in stunned silence, Dylan instinctively took a step back.
‘Th-This is….’
It was nothing short of a battlefield of madness….