In the Northeast District of Isol City, the nearby forest was filled with monsters, which led to a large gathering of hunters and adventurers in the area.
Because of that, many related industries had sprung up—taverns, weapon shops, guilds, and trading posts could be found everywhere. Among them, the liveliest place was the Adventurers’ Association.
Lintis followed behind Shilo to a building.
Above it hung a solid wooden sign marked with crossed swords and a staff. On either side of the entrance were two magic lamps powered by mana for nighttime lighting.
The building itself was mainly constructed of white stone, with intricate carvings covering its exterior. At a glance, it stood out from the rest—this was the Adventurers’ Association.
“We’re here,” Shilo said flatly.
Lintis, who had been looking around the entire way, stopped and fixed her gaze on the entrance, her eyes practically shining.
The next moment, she pushed past the person in her way and shoved the door open, eagerly looking inside.
A wave of warmth and a noisy mix of voices hit her immediately.
All kinds of adventurers sat around several wooden tables on the left side, chatting and laughing. Their flushed faces and the cups on the table made it clear they had been drinking.
‘Huh? Drinking in the daytime?’
Lintis blinked, not quite understanding.
On the right side were about five or six adventurers sitting on the floor. A white cloth was spread out in front of them, displaying all sorts of items.
Monster materials, alchemical potions, herbs, weapons…
‘Wait… what’s that doing here?’
Her gaze paused on a certain small “toy.”
The moment she lingered, the adventurer selling it seemed to notice and looked over, raising an eyebrow with a meaningful smile.
‘Uh…’
Lintis felt her cheeks grow warm and quietly stepped back.
Aside from that vendor, a few others were also looking at her.
But unlike the merchant’s calculating gaze, theirs weren’t simple curiosity either. Their expressions were complicated—tinged with a bit of delight, but also quite obvious disdain.
This left Lintis completely confused. Before she could figure it out, Shilo had somehow stepped in front of her.
Looking at his slightly tall figure, she blinked.
‘Is he… protecting me?’
‘Wow… Mister Shilo actually has a thoughtful side. I approve~’
‘…Wait, why are you walking away?’
Lintis stared as Shilo steadily made his way toward the front desk, her expression darkening with annoyance.
‘Of course. What was I expecting?’
“Hmph!”
She huffed unhappily.
‘Fine. If you won’t take me along, I’ll entertain myself!’
With that thought, she puffed her cheeks and headed toward the group of chatting adventurers, intending to listen in on their stories—only to have her path blocked.
The person in front of her was a young man who looked like a warrior. He wasn’t very tall, his appearance was plain, and his brows were slightly furrowed. His chapped lips opened and closed as if he was hesitating.
“Um… could you help treat my partner?” he finally asked.
“I’ll pay! Please!”
His voice suddenly rose, his emotions clearly agitated.
Lintis frowned slightly and stepped back to avoid being sprayed with spit, then considered his words.
‘Why me?’
‘Don’t tell me he recognizes me too?’
She tilted her head in confusion, but when she looked down at her priestess robe, realization hit.
“Oh! I’m a priest!”
Her odd reaction made the young warrior’s expression turn a bit uncertain, as if he was starting to question her identity.
But Lintis didn’t think much of it and smiled brightly.
“Then let’s go! Don’t let waiting turn into regret~”
Faced with the stunning girl in front of him, the warrior still had doubts, but he nodded and led her off.
They soon arrived at a square table. A freckled girl dressed like a mage sat among her companions, drinking boldly. Her face was flushed, clearly already a bit drunk.
“Here?” Lintis asked.
The warrior nodded.
Their arrival drew the attention of three people. When the freckled girl saw the warrior, then looked at Lintis beside him, her eyes suddenly filled with tears as if she had witnessed something unbearable.
Lintis tilted her head, confused.
The next moment, the girl leaped up like a wild beast and tackled the warrior to the ground, swinging her fist straight at his face.
Her small fist was caught firmly in his hand, and her emotions completely broke down as she burst into tears.
“Waaah!”
“You bastard! I’m not even dead yet, and you’re already finding someone new?! I’ll kill you! You’re done, Eric! You’re finished!”
“Mm!”
Before she could continue yelling, the warrior named Eric pressed his lips against hers. The action was rough, but it successfully silenced her.
“Wow~”
Lintis couldn’t help but react. She covered her eyes with both hands—while conveniently leaving a gap so she could keep watching.
After a while, the two finally separated, reluctant. Once they realized what they had done, both their faces turned bright red.
‘Ah, young love.’
‘If that were me, I’d probably be too embarrassed to even stand still.’
‘…Though kissing a man? Yeah, maybe not. I’ll just stay single my whole life.’
Lintis thought to herself. Even after living as a woman for over ten years, she didn’t fully see herself as either female or male. To avoid causing trouble for others, she figured staying single was the simplest choice.
‘Well… that’s what being a saint is, I guess.’
“Kid! That was incredible! I’ve never done something like that in my life!”
“Tsk tsk, now that’s what you call youth. Look at us back then…”
“Exactly!”
The surrounding crowd cheered loudly, making the already flushed couple look like they were about to catch fire.
Eric took a few deep breaths, then stood up first and helped the freckled girl to her feet. Pointing at Lintis, he spoke.
“Tina, this is the priest I brought. I wanted her to help treat you. It’s not what you think!”
The girl named Tina turned her face away, speaking hesitantly.
“I… I know… sorry…”
“Huh?” Eric blinked. “Then why did you—”
Tina bit her lip and turned back to look at him, though her gaze still wavered.
“I… I just wanted to spend more time with you before leaving… I didn’t expect… you’d just…”
Thinking of what had just happened, her face turned even redder.
Eric froze for a moment, then looked at his lover with deep affection.
“Tina…”
“Eric…”
Their fingers slowly intertwined, their eyes filled with emotion.
“Ahem.”
Standing to the side, Lintis coughed lightly and raised a hand, a bit embarrassed as she interrupted them.
“Um, sorry to break this up, but… shouldn’t we handle the treatment first?”