“He actually!”
“Said I was!”
“A child!”
On the first floor of the inn, the hooded girl lay sprawled across the table, complaining to the light purple-haired potion-brewing girl sitting across from her.
Sylvia maintained a proper smile on her face as her gaze swept over their surroundings.
Yesterday, when the four of them had gone to exterminate the kobolds, Town Mayor Silean Carl had given a speech in the central square.
He had been honest with the townspeople about their current predicament and promised a high reward, hoping to encourage the adventurers to put in more effort and thoroughly clear out the low-tier demon beasts around the town.
This would clear the path for their group of four.
Faced with the lure of countless silver and gold coins, the adventurers in town had almost all swarmed out today like a dark tide.
Every one of them was full of vigor, intending to completely wipe out the first-tier demon beasts and any stray second-tier demon beasts around the town.
As a result, the restaurant on the inn’s first floor was unusually empty—not a single unfamiliar customer could be seen.
She turned her gaze back and looked at the aggrieved girl in front of her.
“So,” Sylvia said, twirling a strand of hair that had fallen by her ear, “Miss Bailis confessed directly to Mr. Ed last night?”
“Yes…” Bailis replied listlessly.
“Even if he had just outright refused me, that would have been better. Why did he have to use an excuse like ‘you’re still too young’ to brush me off?”
Sylvia picked up the tea the waiter had brought, took a sip, and set it back down on the table.
“Maybe it wasn’t just an excuse,” she smiled. “Mr. Ed probably really thinks you’re still too young for that kind of relationship.”
“But I’m already sixteen,” the girl said in a muffled voice.
“Where I come from, that’s already old enough to get married.”
“Miss Bailis is already sixteen?”
Sylvia covered her mouth in surprise.
“I thought…”
“Thought what?” Bailis suddenly sat up straight. “Does Sylvia also think I look like a child?”
The young apothecary looked at the girl’s flat figure beneath her cloak and her short stature of roughly one and a half meters.
“Well…” She turned her face away slightly. “Does Miss Bailis want the truth or a white lie?”
“The truth.”
The girl stared at her intently.
“You really do look like a child—both in personality and physique.”
“How can that be…”
Bailis patted her own face, then touched her chest, and finally compared her height with the girl sitting across from her.
Then she deflated completely.
“Do I really look that young?”
“Oh come on, whether you look young or not isn’t important.”
The girl pointed at the wooden cup in front of Bailis.
“But if you don’t drink your tea soon, it’s going to get cold.”
“Right now, whether I drink the tea or not is the least important thing, isn’t it?”
Even though she said that, Bailis had been complaining nonstop, and her throat was starting to feel dry.
In the end, she still obediently picked up the cup.
Gulp. Gulp.
Bang!
The cup was slammed heavily onto the table.
“Haa—”
The girl exhaled a long, heavy breath filled with frustration.
“But I still don’t understand.”
“If you don’t understand, then stop thinking about it.”
The girl chuckled softly and beckoned the waiter to refill the tea.
“Some things can’t be solved just by worrying about them, you know?”
“But didn’t Sylvia tell me to boldly express my feelings?”
The girl held the warm cup and grumbled, “Why did it turn out so different from what I expected?”
“Actually, it’s more normal that Mr. Ed refused you.”
As Sylvia spoke, her eyes casually glanced toward the corner of the staircase. In her usually gentle gaze, a strange light flashed for a brief moment.
“If he had simply accepted Miss Bailis’s confession just like that, I would actually think Mr. Ed was being rather irresponsible.”
“Why?” the girl asked, confused.
“Because—”
The girl withdrew her gaze, no longer looking at the faint trace of gold visible at the staircase corner.
“Deciding to become lovers is a very serious choice. If Mr. Ed had agreed, it would mean he had already made up his mind to take care of you for the rest of his life and to give you a lifetime of happiness.”
There was a trace of nostalgia and solemnity in the girl’s voice that Bailis found difficult to understand.
“The fact that Mr. Ed refused you actually shows he is a very responsible person. In other words, he’s simply considering whether he has the ability to ensure your happiness. After all, instead of rejecting you outright, he used the rather weak excuse of ‘being too young.’ That alone says quite a lot.”
After thinking for a while, a light seemed to spark in Bailis’s eyes.
“So, Ed didn’t actually reject me?”
“Of course not.” The girl smiled.
Thud.
A sound like something falling came from the staircase corner.
Bailis turned her head to look but didn’t see anything unusual.
“Is someone there?” She hesitated, then placed her hands on the table, preparing to stand up.
“No, there’s no need.”
Sylvia was faster. She stood up first and gently pressed the girl back into her seat.
“It might be the inn’s cat. I remember the owner here really likes cats.”
“Is that so…”
The girl sat back down hesitantly.
“Y-yes, that’s right.”
Sylvia smiled awkwardly.
She couldn’t exactly say that it was a certain golden-haired someone eavesdropping who had gotten startled.
He was clearly skilled with the sword and usually appeared quite calm, yet he became so flustered over something like this.
Sylvia couldn’t help sighing inwardly.
“Excuse me—”
A calm voice suddenly sounded from outside the inn.
Bailis subconsciously pulled her hood lower.
Sylvia turned to look.
It was a man wearing a long robe.
The light-colored robe had minimal decoration, with only a few golden patterns running from behind the shoulders to the chest.
The golden pendant hanging from his neck blended seamlessly with the patterns, creating a harmonious yet undeniably solemn impression.
“Priest?”
Sylvia was slightly startled.
She remembered that the town’s priest usually stayed inside the makeshift tent, providing free treatment to people.
Because of this, the residents held him in very high regard.
However, she rarely saw him leave the tent.
What was he doing at the inn?
Hearing the word “priest,” the girl sitting across from her lowered her head even further.
The priest walked into the inn.
“I heard the heroes who wiped out the kobold camp near the town are staying here.”
He glanced around the room, his gaze finally landing on Sylvia.
His brows furrowed slightly.
“I believe you are… Sylvia? That adventurer named Leo mentioned that you and your partner are both part of the team. Could you tell me where the others are?”
Uncle Leo really can’t keep his mouth shut, as usual.
Sylvia stood up helplessly.
“May I ask what business you have with us?”
The priest remained silent for a moment.
“Just some personal curiosity, along with a few small questions.”
“You’re looking for us?”
A steady, youthful voice suddenly rang out from the staircase corner, accompanied by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.
Although the voice sounded calm, the person’s speed was surprisingly fast.
In just a few breaths, the golden-haired youth had arrived in front of the priest.
At the same time, he subtly positioned himself between the priest and Bailis.
“I am the leader of the team,” he said in an indifferent tone.
“If you have something to say, please direct it to me.”