Although Alicia no longer panicked about her current state. It didn't an she suddenly stopped feeling a slight dissonance towards Ryuji. Though she felt happy about his words and promise, it wasn't easy to accept and change her mind after many years of thinking a certain way.
"Could you give so ti alone, I will visit the mansion for training for the competition tomorrow, just for today." Alicia looked up at Ryuji's calm blue eyes, the pair no longer on the floor but on her blue sofa. "Can I be alone?"
She asked with a soft but calm tone—Ryuji watched her face for a mont. He saw her eyes no longer seed dull, and her lips showed an awkward smile. She needed ti by herself; Ryuji understood this, so he simply nodded. "Of course, you can." He reached out one last ti, and her body twitched slightly as he stroked her smooth cheek with his index finger.
The tender feeling from a while ago made Ryuji forget the situation and feel excited and joyful inside. He slowly retracted his hand and stood up from her sofa while looking down at the young woman he wanted to protect. Alicia just sat there, hugging her chest, looking at him with narrowed eyes, yet her mouth curled slightly into a lovely smile. "Thank you, Ryuji. It ans a lot."
Ryuji didn't respond. Instead, he tapped her wooden doorfra and waved over his shoulder. "I'll wait for you. Let know when you're ready."
Explore m,v,l,e,mpyr today.
His mother's lessons were still sothing important to him, and she nagged him that although he should pursue the won, he likes with confidence and make sure he didn't let up on the chase, he shouldn't cling or overstay.
There would co a ti when his presence was a bother to his target. So, sotis, he needs to respect the wishes and needs of the girl and create distance, no matter his intentions and feelings.
He believed the only way for her to cope and overco these feelings was if Alicia discovered the solution she needed on her own.
Alicia watched him leave the door, the feeling of bitter cold seeping into her ho the mont he left through the doors. She grasped the quilt and wrapped herself, taking a deep breath while hugging herself. "It slls like Ryuji..." She whispered while lying on the sofa and closing her eyes.
***
Ryuji stepped outside with a mixture of feelings inside his mind. However, when he decided to forget the issue for now, all those complicated thoughts just vanished. Instead, he found he was quite hungry. Sohow, during all the interaction and stress of the afternoon with the dungeon and Alicia's change, his body seed to ignore his basic needs.
'Let's go see Saki and have sothing to eat together.'
His stomach seed to agree, as it grumbled almost the instant the thought ford in his head.
Ryuji walked through the high-class area where most of the special case knights lived and felt their hos were rather beautiful and neat, wondering if they had helped keeping them clean. His long stride brought him back to the bazaar in a few minutes, passing many knights and adventurers who were heading toward the dungeon.
'It's quite busy around here; I can see all the knights rushing around looking for last-minute party mbers, haha.'
Saki looked just as cute as always at her information desk, though Ryuji noticed one thing. The chain that used to be fastened to her neck now seed to have been removed, and an old, plump rchant was standing beside her, looking nervous. "I wonder what's going on?" Ryuji whispered to himself as he approached.
The mont Saki saw him, her lovely brown eyes almost shone as she smiled and rushed to Ryuji's side. "H-Hey!" She seed a little nervous. Probably the rchant was bothering her with so questions. Still, her happiness to see Ryuji was unmasked as she hugged his waist tight and rubbed her face against his stomach. "Ryuji~ I thought you wouldn't co again today."
Ryuji raised one eyebrow but chuckled and patted her head before trying to whisper while putting his mouth to her ear. "Were you bothered by that old rchant?"
Though the rchant seed to hear his words and jumped, looking at Ryuji with the strangest of eyes... It looked like he saw the most terrifying monster from the depths of the dungeon as he held a parchnt with trembling hands. "I-I am... the master of Saki...." He began, still trembling as Saki pulled Ryuji tighter.
She whispered, pouting at him. "That man is the one who captured . Now he wants to sell !"
The rchant's sweat dropped at her honest exclamation, coughing a little as he tried not to show the irritation in his tone, though his face twisted slightly enough for Ryuji to see. "I am not trying to sell you to anyone, mutt. But to the Blood Tyrant who has expressed interest in you!"
'It seems he wants to form a connection, but it cannot be with . After all, I haven't achieved anything yet. Is it Alan? Does this greasy fat guy want to make so deals with Alan!?'
"Oh, is the Blood Tyrant really interested?" Ryuji asked. This statent took the rchant and even the dumb, innocent Saki, who looked at her rchant owner by surprise. Her hold on his waist tightened.
Though the rchant probably understood who Ryuji was, Saki's cute reaction and the way she looked so scared made him chuckle under his breath. Still, Ryuji didn't miss the slight flash in the rchant's eyes the mont he chuckled, which was soon replaced by respect and fear.
'So he knows to be scared, good. Alan, I will use the support you give to save this girl. If you are angry later, I'll just earn you so more gold!'
"Well, I believe if the rchant makes his offer known, the amount of money and his terms. Then the Tyrant and his patron will accept it." Ryuji nodded his head as his stomach growled lightly, his sudden hunger seeming to return to the surface the mont Saki's delightful sll entered his nostrils.
The rchant understood the aning of Ryuji's words and held out the contract, with it already stamped with his na and emblem. It didn't even cost that much, though it ntioned arranging a eting between Alan and the rchant from the Damaris group within three months after the deal. Otherwise, it was void.
Alan wouldn't refuse this deal if Ryuji asked and told the true reason.
So the deal went ahead easily—the rchant was overjoyed. Still, he wanted Ryuji's signature or blood on the docunt, which Saki would not allow.
So he wrote his signature using her blood, causing Ryuji to find the little beastkin adorable. Soon after the contract exchange, the rchant took his leave and promised his return the day after since he offered Saki a job doing the sa task, but now she would get paid the very minimum wages, but only half the hours, and with those terms, Saki seed excited.
Though Ryuji wanted to help her beco stronger, he didn't have a way yet. Nor did he realise that the Demon Queen and King were feared because they could make the most useless people into powerful existences.
This is sothing he would learn when returning ho to et the others.
'It seems being fond of them isn't enough alone to change them...'
However, he seed to have realised so rules regarding who would change or transform after his sudden awakening. Though he wondered if he could really test on the cute Saki, even though she was so much older, it just felt wrong.
As for the rchant, his personality wasn't as bad as Ryuji thought. Instead, he seed to be set in his ways, and after apologising to Ryuji and giving a bow to Saki, Ryuji wondered if the Damaris group might not be so bad if they could adapt and change. Though right now, who wanted to think of so sweaty old man...
Ryuji ignored those complicated thoughts and turned Saki around by grabbing her ears lightly and stroking them before she made a lovely growl and tapped his chest. "Stop it, Ryuji, it tickles too much!"
"Ah, sorry, your ears are different from Yumiko, so I wanted to enjoy the soft sensation." He responded honestly before looking at her waist and patting his stomach. "Shall we get sothing to eat together? If there's sowhere in particular you recomnd, please let know."
"Ehe~ anywhere is fine with you!" Saki responded by taking his hand and rushing him towards the dining area, which seed much quieter from early this afternoon.
Most people had already eaten and returned to the dungeon or the city. A place that still had a lively atmosphere was where Saki brought him, holding his large hands. Ryuji noticed people did not like that she seed so attached to him, whispering among themselves.
Maybe because this area was filled with the beastkin, the foods were thick and large portions with lots of at and fewer veg. It made Ryuji look at Saki with shock as she ordered a plate of at and gravy, the huge chunk bigger than her head!
Of course, the nu called it the slayer size. An order big enough to feed three grown n was a set that ca with bread and sides. However, Saki ate with glee, squealing whenever the gravy inside the at leaked out into her mouth.
"Ehehe~ I got paid for all my work. Saki is so rich now, all thanks to Ryuji."
"What? He paid you for the past work, too!?" Ryuji felt shocked. The rchant paid her for all the past she worked here, even at a low rate. That would be two or three gold coins!
'Maybe I was really wrong about that guy... I will make sure to tell Alan that his group might be an excellent investnt if they can act this way.'
"Mm! Look! I've never seen so many shiny coins!" Saki opened her little purse before revealing several dozen bright silver coins; those were the large ones worth a lot, then four golden coins and many smaller silver and copper coins mixed in. "I didn't need this much!"
Seeing the excited Saki made him wonder why other beastkin and even humans despise the beastkin. Maybe because the difference wasn't as large, it was like the sa race or similar races hating each other just because they can. He rembered the pointless wars and disagreents with humans alone in his old world.
'Nothing like the difference between a demon and a human, though. But since Saki has this much money, I am worried for her safety. There must be item storage that cannot be stolen... How to protect her; I hope Erika and Yumiko can teach her self-defence at least...'
"I'm glad, but be careful, Saki. This place isn't safe. There might be jealous people who try to take your money." Ryuji advised the beautiful fluffy woman, who just smiled. "Since you need sowhere safe to stay. There's an extra room inside Alan's mansion that isn't for guests, and you can ask them for a room to rest. I also live there."
Ryuji inford Saki of this new plan, and it seed she already considered finding herself a residence. Though the beastkin houses were mostly poorer, because they needed to pay more to rent or buy them, so she agreed, excited that she would share a mansion with Ryuji.
"Ryuji, co on, eat your at! We have to go and find a room."
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