Chapter 41 …
I quickly reached out to snatch the hamster doll.
“G-Give that back.”
“No. This hamster is mine.”
Lishian naturally attached a possessive to the hamster doll.
Was it just my imagination, or did his words sound oddly ambiguous?
“Then give me the fox back!”
“Sure. The fox belongs to Muriel.”
The fluffy fox doll slipped neatly into my arms. Hugging it tightly, I shot Lishian a glare.
“You… you did that on purpose earlier, didn’t you?”
“Did what?”
“……”
His eyes, asking back so innocently, shone with pure light.
If I pushed it any further, I’d only get dragged into his pace, so I chose to retreat for now.
I put the fox doll into my inventory and coolly turned my back.
“I’m hungry. Let’s wash up and eat breakfast.”
Then Lishian, in a deliberately serious tone, gave me a warning.
“Muriel, make sure you bring a change of clothes this time.”
“…!”
At that moment, the embarrassing memory from last night came crashing back into my mind.
My face instantly burned red. Without even looking back, I shouted and dashed into the bathroom.
“I’m just brushing my teeth and washing my face!”
Lishian’s cheerful laughter tickled my ears right up until I slammed the bathroom door shut.
Maybe it was too early in the morning—nothing was being sold yet in the inn’s lobby-turned-dining area.
“Should we go outside? There might be a shop open early.”
“I’m fine with anything.”
We headed out into the streets in search of a place that had started business.
But only dust swirled along the roadside.
“At this rate we’re going to starve. I feel like I could even eat monster meat.”
“Yeah, we probably should’ve eaten dinner last night, huh?”
“That was your fault….”
“Why is everything my fault?”
I pinched the increasingly cheeky fox brat’s cheek hard and quickened my pace again.
After walking about five more minutes, we finally spotted a restaurant that was open.
‘What kind of place is this?’
The sign had drawings of a pig and a chicken, but no words.
I quietly approached and activated my “hound nose” skill. …Not that such a skill actually exists. It’s just a figure of speech.
‘This smell….’
Sausage pot-au-feu made with chicken broth?
‘That sounds amazing!’
My mouth instantly watered. It had been such a long time since I’d had pot-au-feu.
I grabbed Lishian’s hand and pulled him inside.
“Hello—?”
When I called out, a woman poked her head out from what looked like the kitchen in the back.
“Here for breakfast?”
“Yes, for two.”
“Take any table you like!”
We chose the cleanest-looking table and sat down.
It was a wooden table for two, but it somehow looked small next to Lishian’s large build.
Resting my chin on my hand, I stared at him blankly before blurting out a question.
“What did you eat to grow that big?”
“I didn’t eat monster meat.”
“Were you just born like that? I’m seriously jealous of your physique….”
“……”
I quietly imagined myself over 190 centimeters tall and muscular like Lishian and smiled in satisfaction.
If I keep steadily building my stamina, maybe someday I could look like that too….
“Your food’s ready—”
This restaurant had only one menu item: pot-au-feu simmered with potatoes, cabbage, and sausage.
“Enjoy!”
After the owner set down the dishes and left, I lifted my spoon with eager anticipation.
Steam rose from a wooden bowl slightly larger than a typical Korean soup bowl.
First, I scooped up some broth, blew on it gently, and took a sip.
‘It’s delicious…!’
The well-simmered broth had an incredibly deep flavor.
And there was a subtle, distinctive aroma.
‘Is that… celery?’
I stirred the bowl lightly with my spoon and, sure enough, found celery cut into bite-sized pieces.
‘It has celery too!’
Being able to eat one of my favorite vegetables again after so long lifted my mood.
I quickly scooped up some celery and put it in my mouth. The crisp texture and unique fragrance whetted my appetite.
After about three more bites, I felt an intense gaze from across the table.
Of course, the person sitting opposite me was Lishian.
He wasn’t even lifting his spoon—just staring at me.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
When I asked hesitantly, Lishian slightly curled his lips and replied,
“Just… because the way you eat is cute.”
I nearly dropped my spoon.
Trying to hide my flustered feelings, I scolded him, though my words came out a little clumsy.
“J-Just eat already.”
But Lishian only lifted his spoon and didn’t stop talking nonsense.
“You’re small and cute, but you’ve got a bit of a temper too. I thought you were like a hamster.”
“Get a grip….”
“And since you like vegetables, maybe you’re more like a rabbit.”
Hamsters and rabbits—aren’t they both feisty but weak in combat…?!
‘It’s annoying how accurately he’s reading me!’
I tightened my grip on the spoon and shot him a sharp glare, then began shoveling the pot-au-feu into my mouth like I was in battle.
Lishian smirked slightly and finally started eating his own portion.
After that, we finished our meal in silence, even polishing off a milk pudding-like dessert before leaving the restaurant.
“It should be around 4:40. Let’s start selling.”
“Good idea.”
We headed into a secluded alley with few people around.
After confirming no one was nearby, I took out the cart and stall from my inventory.
I propped up the collapsible stall onto the cart and then began taking out the goods we’d sell, stacking them neatly.
‘150 low-grade recovery potions, 50 mid-grade potions, 10 high-grade potions, strawberry jam, tomato sauce, and pickled vegetables.’
It would be best if we sold everything today. That way, we could wrap up early and move on to our next schedule.
‘Time to put my specialty—business skills—to work.’
Rolling up my sleeves, I turned to Lishian and declared boldly,
“Let’s go! Time to make a fortune!”
The morning market of the base city—where adventurers starting their day gather first.
Some grab a quick bite from street vendors, while others buy supplies for dungeon exploration.
In one section of that morning market, for some reason, a crowd had gathered densely.
‘Why are there so many people over there?’
An adventurer named Dylan, puzzled, approached with a questioning look.
Pushing through the throng to the front line, what entered his sight was a potion-selling street stall.
‘What? Another scammer?’
The base city’s market was notorious for self-proclaimed alchemists running rampant with scams.
Dylan himself had been badly swindled not long ago.
He had paid a high price for what was advertised as a high-grade recovery potion, only to find out it was just mushroom broth with dye mixed in.
Worse, it wasn’t even edible dye, so Dylan had suffered acute gastroenteritis for two days.
Even now, thinking about it made his blood boil.
‘If it’s another scammer causing trouble, I’ll teach them a lesson!’
Filled with righteous indignation, Dylan stepped forward.
Grab!
Someone suddenly yanked him back by the collar.
“…!”
Startled for a moment, Dylan quickly regained his composure and turned around, shouting angrily,
“Who is it?! Which rude bastard dares—”
“Rude? You’re the rude one! Get in line!”
“…?”
A short-haired swordsman with black hair barked at him, looking ready to draw his sword at the slightest provocation.
Since many adventurers were lunatics who preferred violence over conversation, and Dylan had no desire to see blood, he backed off for now.
‘What the hell?’
Retreating to the side, he finally realized that the spot he had been standing in was part of a line.
The line stretched endlessly. And everyone was shouting noisily.
“No hoarding!”
“I want to buy too!”
“One per person!”
“What’s one going to do for anyone?!”
“High-grade potion! How many high-grade potions are left?”
“This strawberry jam is insanely good!”
“The pickled vegetables are amazing too!”
“Is there any tomato sauce left? I want another bottle….”
“Move! I’m buying it all!”
Just then, some lunatic pushed people aside and tried to charge toward the stall.
Adventurers used to this kind of situation quickly grabbed him and hurled him away.
“Aaaagh!”
He was thrown so hard that he flew into the building across the street and got stuck in its roof.
“……”
Watching the entire spectacle blankly, Dylan unconsciously took a step back.
‘Th-This is….’
It was a scene of pure madness….
