When I turned around, I saw a group of those guys that were outside heading in my direction. I wondered if it was a good idea to move somewhere else and confirm if they truly wanted to be a pain in the ass, but I didn’t want to waste time.

  “You can bombard with magic anyone that tries anything funny with the wagon, girl.”

  “Awoo!”

  The expression in Gcien’s expression changed and soon she looked like a fearsome beast that shouldn’t be messed with. I wasn’t sure if she was able to fight those three guys by herself, but with the enchantments that she had, her strength was as high as mine, so her attacks were no joke.

  When I got inside the restaurant, which also looked like a tavern, I drew a lot of attention since I had Alissandra with me. They didn’t know what I had in the basket, but soon they would. Still, most people looked away when I looked in their direction.

  I headed to a table in the corner of the pce and then waited to be attended. Soon enough, those three figures got inside the tavern and then looked around and their eyes soon stopped when they found me.

  ‘It is going to be like that, huh?’

  As cliche as it was, it couldn’t be helped given the circumstances. I still looked green behind my ears. Even though soon enough I would turn fifteen, I still looked like an easy target for assholes. When it comes to such matters, it is better to make my point abundantly clear.

  “Where did you come from?”

  Those three approached and asked just like that. I raised my head and then turned Alissandra’s basket toward me. She wasn’t making a fuss for now, but soon would be her time to eat. It was better if I finished this before she started crying.

  The three individuals were half-elves, a fact that clearly influenced their appearance. While they had some of the grace and sharp features typical of elves, their mixed heritage weakened these traits, leaving them with a more rough presence. Physically, they did not appear particurly impressive; their bodies were lean but cked the commanding stature or the aura associated with pure-blooded elves or hardy humans.

  Their mixed demeanor was further accentuated by their ck of visible weapons. The longbows they were known for were nowhere to be seen, leaving only curved knives sheathed at their waists, a sign that even without their iconic weapons, they were not entirely unarmed. Despite their seemingly unremarkable appearance, there was an air of quiet confidence about them, showing the level of skill and resourcefulness beneath the surface.

  “... From the north.”

  I had no obligation to tell them the truth, not like telling them that would change anything. They came here to pick a fight with me in one way or the other. Even if they get their ass kicked, they will have an enough reason for their allies to come.

  “Liar. You came from the empire.”

  “If you really think that, then why are you asking?”

  “To prove that you are a liar.”

  “Well, you got me. Congrats. Do you want a prize or something?”

  “We want you out of nd.”

  “Blood-sucking parasites aren’t welcome here.”

  “You should leave before we have to force you.”

  I wondered why they were speaking like that. It was more weird than intimidating. I looked around the establishment to see if the others agreed to that. The clients of the pce looked more troubled than anything. They didn’t see these morons as authorities here… maybe they were part of a cn that decided to stay behind for one reason or the other.

  “I will leave when someone from this town asks me to leave. With that in mind, I will ask you to leave me alone, or this won’t end well.”

  “It wasn’t a suggestion, but you are right. This won’t end well for you if you don’t disappear from this nd.”

  The leader of the group stepped forward and then got up. The other two moved their hands to their waists to grab their weapons, but soon they began to flinch when I stepped forward to their leader and stared at him in the eye.

  “You should think well before doing anything from this point onward. Whatever you use, you might lose it for good.”

  The leader of the group gred at me, keeping his composure, but soon he began to sweat cold when he saw the glint in my eyes. I didn’t know what he was seeing actually, but I was already envisioning stabbing his arms with my decay arrows. It was better than killing them, right? Although it sounded more cruel.

  “... This isn’t over yet.”

  Just when I considered making my eyes turn red, the guy stepped backward and then moved away with his friends. As expected, they were only low-level morons that thought that I would be an easy target.

  I let out a sigh and then sat down back in my chair. Alissandra looked like she was starting to get annoyed, so she probably would have cried like the world was ending if something bad happened.

  “... How can we help you?”

  A girl around fifteen approached while wearing an apron. While she didn’t want to chase me away, it was clear that she didn’t want me here for long.

  “A warm soup and warm milk for a baby as well.”

  “Tomato soup will do it?”

  I wondered if she said that because it would be red and it would look like blood. I don’t remember the st time I ate tomato soup, so I decided to go with that.

  “Aww! Your daughter is so adorable! What is her name?”

  “She isn’t my daughter… her name is Alissandra.”

  I wondered if saying that was more troublesome than not… people might think that I captured her. My infamy was already bad enough. I didn’t need help to make it even worse.

  In any case, the girl left to deal with the order and I began to think about what I could do next. I had to be cautious to avoid those morons from causing trouble or letting other morons get in my way too. I also needed to get an informant… I could tell that some people here could do that for me, but the question was how I could approach them. After ten minutes, the girl returned with the order.

  “Thanks for waiting.”

  “I also would like to meet someone who has enough information about the area and is willing to sell enough for me to avoid trouble while I stay here. I am not going to ask them to show up right now, but I will be waiting on the other side of the town.”

  “I will inform the people that can help you with that, but I can’t guarantee anything.”

  “Thank you.”

  That was the only thing I could do now… people wouldn’t want to get involved with me under normal circumstances, so I had to create an environment good enough for them to meet me.

  Once I was done feeding Alissandra, I began to eat myself and I finished my meal in no time, since it was pretty good. I met with Gcien behind, who looked a bit sulky for having to stay with the guard duty.

  “Let’s go to the other side of the town and wait there until morning.”

  Gcien began to pull the wagon and I then eventually we reached the other side of the town. The shops had already closed since it was dark, after all.

  If the informant didn’t show up, I would have to consider another pn, one that involved navigating the annoying and dangerous waters of the local underworld. Finding an organization willing to sell the information I needed wouldn’t be the hard part; underworld groups always had their ears to the ground for anything that might give them an advantage. The real challenge was in gauging just how shady these organizations were.

  Given what I’d heard about this nd, the underworld here wasn’t supposed to be as deeply entrenched in corruption and chaos as in other pces I had dealt with. Many of the groups seemed more like opportunists than outright pieces of shit. But that didn’t mean they were harmless. There was always a fine line between a necessary transaction and something much worse, and knowing my luck, I’d likely end up finding the one faction that operated more like a group of cutthroats than a professional network.

  It wasn’t a comforting thought, but I didn’t have many options. If the informant failed to show up, I would need to take that risk. After all, in dealings like these, even the smallest misstep could lead to consequences I would rather avoid.

  ‘I guess I can also improve the quality of my hearing tool… I can also snoop around with camoufge. Still, while I can obtain some information with that, it won’t be precisely the information that I needed.’

  There were a bunch of questions that I needed answered. Some of them wouldn’t come naturally in the conversation of a tavern. I also needed a map… if I can’t find someone to look after Alissandra here, I needed at least to know precisely the yout of the nd and know where the best dungeons and byrinths could be found. Exploring all of them would be difficult, but as long as I could get some materials and some non combat csses for Alissandra, it would be fine.

  While I was thinking about that, several hours passed and no one approached the wagon. I couldn’t help but sigh… it wasn’t like I was expecting someone to come early in the evening, but that was still a bit worrisome.

  Gcien could pick up the scent of the roads that will lead to the next town, but I didn’t want to leave yet and take the chances of being followed by those morons without having a clear idea of what I should do next…

  Eventually, while I was lost in thoughts, I saw a cloaked figure crossing the town and heading in my direction.

  WritingMachineGun