Chapter 115: The Price of My Name

It was hard to decide where to look as we walked through Ashenfall.

Metal rings spun on their own in one shop window. Bones hanging over another shop’s door knocked together despite the lack of wind. As we moved through the crowd, I heard people bargaining in a familiar language, only to find myself surrounded by conversations I couldn’t understand a word of a few steps later.

Rose glanced at me now and then. When I stopped in front of a window, she waited with me. When I started walking again, she returned to my side.

I figured she was checking whether I was going to throw up again.

I couldn’t blame her.

Especially when we entered the next street.

Chunks of dark purple meat were lined up on a stall. Behind them, a dark liquid dripped from the tip of a hanging, scaly tail into a container below. The vendor continued talking to a customer as he placed a large piece of meat on the scales.

My steps slowed.

"Rose... Is that monster meat?"

"Yes."

She said it as casually as if I’d asked the price of ground beef at a butcher’s.

I immediately looked away.

A few shops down, a man was turning skewers on a grill. Fat sizzled as it dripped onto the fire, sending hot smoke into the street. A customer sitting at one of the tables held a roasted chunk in both hands and took an eager bite.

Between his fingers was something that looked just like the purple meat I’d seen at the stall.

My throat tightened.

No. I’d embarrassed myself enough already.

I covered my mouth and looked down. Rose glanced behind her to see what was wrong, then linked her arm through mine and led me away.

"Let’s go this way."

I didn’t argue.

Spending some time on a street without food stalls sounded like a wonderful idea.

---

This time, I slowed down on my own when I spotted a weapon shop.

The dark suit of armor in the window looked as though it had been made from a single piece of metal. Its shoulder plates curved backward, while the thin lines across its chest merged as they ran downward. The axe beside it had a blade almost as wide as my torso.

Rose noticed where I was looking.

"Want to go inside and take a look?"

I leaned toward the small tag beneath the armor.

Then straightened up.

"I don’t have that kind of money."

Rose laughed.

"Who said we were buying anything? Let’s just look."

She opened the door before I could answer.

The shop was larger inside than it looked from the street. Weapons hung along the walls, spaced far enough apart that they didn’t cast shadows over one another. The aisles between the shelves in the center were wide enough for two people to walk comfortably.

Spears with narrow points stood on one side, broad falchions on the other. One spear had a forked head with a red stone set between its two sharp prongs. The falchion beside it had a thick, straight spine, and its blade grew noticeably wider toward the tip.

Two-handed swords hung higher up the wall. Even the grip of one was longer than my forearm. A groove ran down the center of its black blade, all the way to the point.

Farther along stood a long-handled scythe. Its silver blade gave off a faint glow, as though lit from within. Beneath it, the plates of a dark green suit of armor overlapped like fish scales.

What would Eris’s face look like if I showed up to training with one of these?

She’d probably knock me down, weapon and all.

Still, those first few seconds might be nice.

The small goblin behind the counter watched us over the glasses perched on the tip of his nose. He remained on his tall stool, turning a cloth between his fingers and occasionally rubbing it over the piece of metal in front of him.

While Rose examined a helmet, I stopped in front of one of the swords on the wall.

It wasn’t as flashy as the others.

There was no large gem or elaborate decoration on its black grip. The ends of its straight crossguard curved slightly downward, and a thin, bluish line ran along the edge of its pale blade.

Before reaching for the grip, I looked at the shopkeeper.

The goblin lifted his chin slightly.

I took the sword down.

It was lighter than I’d expected. When I turned my wrist, its weight didn’t drag the tip downward and pull at my arm. It followed the movement easily. Light slid across the metal, narrowing to a fine line when it reached the cutting edge.

I didn’t do anything stupid like testing it with my finger.

It was clearly sharp enough.

Rose came over.

"You like this one."

"Not really."

I turned it in my hand again.

Actually, I liked it quite a lot.

But my enthusiasm faded a little when I lifted the tag attached to its grip.

[17,000,000 Veyra]

I counted the zeros again.

Then once more.

Seventeen million.

I’d have to win the competition seventeen times to buy something like this. Assuming I stopped eating, paying rent, and spending money on anything else in the meantime.

I carefully put the sword back.

"Changed your mind?" Rose asked.

"I don’t think we can get past our financial differences."

Rose hid her laughter behind her hand.

And this wasn’t even the most expensive weapon in the shop. When I saw the price of the scythe I’d been looking at earlier, the sword almost started to seem reasonable.

I glanced at the black band around my wrist.

I’m starting to appreciate you more, Umbrella.

We wandered among the shelves for a while longer. But checking the price tag every time I found something I liked was becoming increasingly frustrating.

I slipped a hand into my pocket and sighed.

"I’m bored. Let’s go."

Rose looked at me.

"Already?"

"If all I can do is admire everything from a distance, I might as well walk around outside."

This time, she didn’t try to hide her laughter.

---

I was still thinking about the weapon prices when we came across a shop selling spellbooks.

One of the books in the window was bound shut with thin chains. A glass eye embedded in another book’s cover slowly turned toward us as we passed.

I stopped and looked again.

The eye stopped too.

"Want to look in here as well?" Rose asked.

"Looks fun."

Rose went in ahead of me.

As the little bell above the door rang, a woman sunk into an armchair behind the shelves looked up. A purple shawl covered her shoulders. Her thin fingers were adorned with rings, and her long nails resembled dried twigs.

The witch smiled when she saw Rose.

"Need something, sweetie?"

I stepped through the doorway too.

The woman’s gaze shifted past Rose’s shoulder to me.

Her smile vanished.

For a moment, her mouth hung open. Then she gripped the arms of her chair so tightly that one of her rings struck the wood.

"Get out!"

I stopped where I stood.

"What?"

"Don’t set those filthy feet in my shop!"

Her voice grew shrill. As she tried to move away from her chair, she tripped over the cushion in front of it. Even after falling, she pressed her hands against the floor and continued crawling backward.

"Stay away! Don’t come near me!"

My eyes shifted from the woman to Rose.

Rose looked surprised too.

What’s wrong with her?

I’d barely even entered the shop.

I raised my hands and backed toward the door.

"Fine, okay. Stop shouting. I’m leaving."

The woman was muttering so quickly that I wasn’t sure she’d even heard me. The last thing I saw before closing the door was her trembling hand raised to shield her face.

For a few seconds, I stared at my reflection in the glass.

My hair looked normal. My face was the same as always too—cute, pretty, and a little handsome.

When Rose came out, I turned to her.

"What’s her problem?"

"Who knows?" she said. "Maybe she was afraid of falling in love with you."

"Not funny."

I started walking.

Rose caught up and remained silent for a few steps. I wanted to look toward another shop’s entrance, but held myself back.

I’d seen enough strange people for one day.

"Want to get something to eat?" Rose asked.

Images of purple meat and the man turning skewers flashed through my mind.

"No."

My answer must have come out a little too quickly, because Rose smiled.

"Don’t worry. We won’t eat anything weird."

"That’s not very reassuring coming from you."

"You haven’t even seen what we’re going to eat yet, honey."

She linked her arm through mine and steered me toward a small place on the corner.

---

There were no hanging chunks of meat or caged animals baring their teeth inside.

So far, so good.

We sat at a table near the window. Without opening the menu, Rose ordered two portions from the man who came over.

"Hey, I wanted to choose my own food."

"So you wanted to accidentally eat a monster?"

I opened my mouth.

Then closed it.

"Well... Never mind."

Rose leaned back, looking pleased with herself.

When the food arrived, I remembered why I’d wanted to look at the menu.

The deep plate held little purple parcels, their folds resembling tiny flowers. A thick, pale sauce had been poured over them. I wanted to believe the thin green pieces scattered between them were vegetables.

I poked one with my fork.

Its soft surface gave slightly.

"Is this thing really edible?"

I looked up at Rose.

She’d already started eating.

"..."

She swallowed her mouthful and glanced at my plate.

"You should try it before it gets cold."

I picked up a small piece with my fork. It smelled much better than it looked.

I closed my eyes and put it in my mouth.

At the first bite, I paused.

The warm filling beneath the thin outer layer melted on my tongue. The sauce’s slight tang was accompanied by a spice I couldn’t identify. I realized I couldn’t wait to take another bite.

I opened my eyes and looked at the plate.

This... is incredible.

I reached for more.

Rose’s lips curved upward.

I kept eating as though I hadn’t been suspiciously prodding the food just a few minutes earlier. Before finishing one bite, I was already cutting off the next. I didn’t even want to waste the sauce left on the plate.

I had to give Ashenfall credit for at least one thing.

The food was amazing.

As I took another bite, my gaze drifted to the wall behind Rose. Notices of different sizes covered it. Some had torn edges, while others had newer ones pasted over them.

The large lettering on one caught my eye.

WANTED

I stopped chewing as I read the name beneath it.

OROCHIMARU

My gaze dropped to the last line.

REWARD: 100,000,000 VEYRA

I spat out a mouthful of food.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"