Chapter 14: Saucy Master Victoria

A small bell chimed. The smell of warm, delicious roasted pork, melted butter, and spiced apple cider was what he immediately noticed. The tavern was warm and quiet, filled with elite merchants, wealthy guild officials, and off-duty city captains resting near a stone fireplace, drinking beer.

Silvester walked straight to a quiet corner table near the back wall and sat down on a high wooden bench. Because of his short height, his small boots hung several inches off the floor.

A tavern waitress hurried over and wiped her hands on a white apron. She blinked in surprise when she saw a tiny boy in a coat sitting alone at a table.

"Oh! Hello there, little guy," the waitress said, smiling. "Are you lost? Did you get separated from your mother in the market?"

"I am not lost, young lady," Silvester said in a flat tone. "And I am alone. I would like to eat roasted pork, bread rolls, hot beef stew, and a cup of apple cider. Here, take this."

He reached into his pocket and put three silver coins on the wooden table.

The waitress’s eyes widened after seeing the silver. Three silver coins could buy a feast for four grown men.

"R-Right away, young master!" she stammered, scooping up the silver and bowing quickly. "I’ll have the kitchen bring out the freshest cuts right away!"

The waitress quickly walked toward the kitchen doors.

Silvester leaned back against the wooden booth and let out a relaxed sigh. He closed his eyes for a moment to enjoy the dry, warm air. After months in a cold dungeon, the simple comfort of a dry tavern felt remarkably pleasant.

Five minutes later, the waitress returned carrying a huge wooden tray. She laid out a steaming bowl of beef stew, a wooden plate piled with tender roasted pork along with gravy, three golden-brown bread rolls, and a mug of sweet cider.

Silvester didn’t pause. He picked up his spoon and ate quietly, but with huge bites.

While he chewed his bread roll, a sudden commotion near the tavern’s counter caught his attention.

Standing near the iron safe behind the bar was a woman.

She was undeniably an attractive lady. The eyes of every man in the tavern room—and even the old merchants—were drawn to her. She wore a tight silk corset over fitted black leather trousers that hugged her curves. A high-collared velvet coat rested on her shoulders. A dark leather holster containing custom-made lockpicks covered in gold and tension wrenches was strapped around her right thigh. Her long, dark raven hair fell softly on her shoulders, and her lips were painted in glossy crimson.

She was currently leaning over the innkeeper’s iron safe, holding a silver pick in her fingers.

"I am telling you, Mister Sevi," the woman said in a low, seductive voice. "Your internal tumblers are damaged because you used cheap copper springs! A fine safe like this deserves a woman’s delicate touch... and perhaps a drop of flower oil, honey~"

The fat innkeeper, Mister Sevi, stood behind the bar with a red face, sweating profusely as he stared at the woman’s exposed cleavage. "Please, M-Master Victoria! I only asked if you could fix the jammed latch! You don’t have to... bend over like that!"

"But accuracy requires proper positioning, Sevi dear," Victoria laughed softly. Her dark red eyes flashed with amusement. She flexed her wrist and slid her silver tool into the safe’s keyway. "Now dear, let’s see if we can make this little iron box moan for us..."

She gave her pick a sharp twist.

CRACK.

A tiny snap echoed inside the safe. The woman’s smile froze.

Silvester, still watching the scene while chewing on a piece of tender pork, let out a soft sigh.

"Your tension wrench was angled two degrees too far to the left," Silvester said, his childlike voice cutting right through the quiet tavern. "And you used too much rotational torque on a cheap brass shear line. You just snapped the drive pin."

The entire tavern went dead silent.

Mister Sevi gasped. The off-duty guards near the fire turned around.

Master Victoria stood up slowly. She turned her head and scanned the tavern until her eyes landed on the eight-year-old boy sitting alone in the corner booth, holding a bread roll.

Vespera blinked twice. An amused smirk spread slowly across her crimson lips.

"Well, well, well..." Vespera said. Her hips swayed with grace as she walked slowly over to Silvester’s table. The scent of heavy midnight jasmine filled the air as she arrived at his booth. "What do we have here? A little lost lamb eating stew... trying to lecture a beautiful master locksmith on mechanical torque?"

She placed both of her hands on Silvester’s table and leaned down until her face was only a few inches from his.

"Do you know who I am, cutie?" Vespera whispered. "I am Master Victoria Andromeda. I am the Guild Master of the Primgrad Locksmith Guild. I rule every key, vault, and every iron chest in this entire city. Hundreds of grown men spend thousands of gold coins just to get a seat in my private workshop... and you think my angle was off?"

"Saucy lady, your angle was off," Silvester repeated in his dry tone. "And your tension wrench is made of weak silver-plated steel. It’s too soft for a high-grade iron chest. You’re using style to cover up a complete lack of basic skills."

Victoria let out a breathless gasp. She placed a gloved hand over her chest, as if she had been shot through the heart.

"Oh my goddess..." Victoria breathed out. She let out a low laugh that vibrated with intense pleasure. "A tiny, rude little lamb! Oh, you are absolutely delicious, aren’t you?"

She sat in the booth right across from him.

"What is your name, little genius?" Victoria said. She reached out with her manicured finger to lightly pinch Silvester’s cheek. "Before I decide to carry you off to my private manor and keep you as my personal workshop assistant in the... basement~"

Silvester slapped her finger away lightly. If it had been his old body in this moment, he probably would have flirted with her, but he couldn’t feel it. His hormones were not fully developed.

"Don’t you dare touch my face," Silvester said flatly. "And my name is Silvester. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my stew is getting cold."

"Silvester..." Victoria repeated, saying the name as if she were tasting a fine red wine. She leaned even closer across the small table. "So, Master Silvester... if you’re such an expert on my snapped drive pin, why don’t you show me how a real man opens Mister Sevi’s safe?"

"I am an eight-year-old boy, not a real man," Silvester corrected dryly. "And I don’t work for free."

Vespera laughed gracefully, a seductive sound that made half the men in the tavern sigh with envy.

"Fifty gold coins." Her eyes fixed on his every movement. "Open that safe without damaging the secondary latch, and the gold is yours. Plus... a very special reward from me~"

Silvester looked at the heavy velvet pouch. Fifty gold coins were enough to pay for months of comfortable living.

He set his spoon down. He wiped his small mouth with a linen napkin and slid out of the booth.