Artemisia's reason wasn't just because it was run by the barmaster's wife; no, it was because this hotel, despite being on the outskirts, offered sothing rare for this part of the continent: suite rooms.
These suites were essentially small one-bedroom apartnts, complete with a bedroom, a kitchen, and a bathroom. They weren't exactly grand, but they were cosy and, more importantly, practical.
Artemisia, who valued her comfort, was particularly fond of the dining table in the kitchen area—ideal for sitting down with her tablet and getting so work done.
Once their al was finished and they'd said their goodbyes to the barkeeper, the trio made their way to the hotel. The mont they walked in, they were greeted by the barmaster's wife, a cheerful woman with a warm, welcoming smile.
"Back again, I see.
How've you been? And where's Arthur?"
"He's… occupied?"
Artemisia replied in a tone that was more of a question, not offering much more and though the woman was curious, she didn't pry. She gestured toward the stairs and led them to the second floor where their rooms were waiting.
The first room they entered was spacious, considering it was ant to be a small suite. Evan followed the girls inside, his eyes scanning the room with curiosity.
"Wow, this is a full house."
The room was simple yet efficient—a single bed tucked into one corner, a small dining area complete with utensils, and enough open space to make it feel bigger than it actually was.
For Evan, who had no real sense of the value of Aramisian currency, it seed like a bargain.
Of course, most of his money ca from Arthur, so Evan figured he'd need to get his own funds sooner or later. Maybe he'd use his SS Tier rcenary card to pick up so work and earn a bit of cash on his own.
With their rooms secured, it was ti for them to plan for the next day. Well, it was less of a strategy eting and more of a casual conversation about what they needed to do.
Artemisia, sitting comfortably at the table, spoke first.
"Tomorrow, we're heading straight to the Forbidden Outlands. No detours, and no more exploring random cave networks. We're going to get this done and report back to my father."
Beatrix, lounging in a chair nearby, raised an eyebrow when she heard Artemisia.
"Today, we only went to the Network of Caves because you wanted to. And if I rember correctly, you two are the ones who started fighting for no reason."
She shot a teasing glance at both Artemisia and Evan and the two of them glared at her, but Beatrix just smirked and continued.
"You can glare all you want, but you can't deny it. That fight was over nothing, and there was no real point to it."
Evan leaned back in his chair, raised a hand and objected.
"Oh, there was a point. I got like six levels from the monsters attracted by the noise. Plus, three new skills."
Both Artemisia and Beatrix blinked at him, taken aback.
"Wait, SIX levels?! From just that?!"
"Technically five. I ssed up the math. But yeah, I'm level 581 now."
Evan corrected, shrugging nonchalantly and Beatrix couldn't help but feel that just one level didn't really an much of a difference in this case.
She knew Evan had a fast levelling speed and considering he was lower level, it should be easier for him to gain more levels, but she didn't think it was this fast.
Most of the EXP did co from the Yeti that showed up at the end and was strong enough that Evan had to break out his Draconic Form with Limit Break BoD.
"One level off, whatever. But anyway, tomorrow we're heading straight to the Labyrinth of Forsaken Divines."
The other two both ignored the dramatic na Beatrix had given the place and Evan, feeling a bit parched, walked over to the kitchen counter and pulled out a few things from his inventory.
"I'm going to make a milkshake. You guys want one?"
Both Artemisia and Beatrix turned to him, sowhat confused.
"Milkshake? What milkshake?"
Beatrix asked and Evan gave them a look that scread "Obviously, a strawberry Milkshake. What other kind would I make?"
Evan continued rifling through his inventory, pulling out a full-on blender, and a tub of vanilla ice cream, milk, sugar, and whipped cream, all retrieved from a mini refrigerator he carried around in his inventory.
The refrigerator itself was powered by magic stones, each infused with ice-attributed energy. As he tapped one of the stones to replenish the icy charge, Artemisia and Beatrix just watched in silence, their expressions mixed between amazent and confusion.
Finally, Beatrix broke the silence.
"I an, I have an inventory too, and I'm pretty sure mine is bigger than yours, considering, you know, my affinity for space. But I don't have a fridge in mine."
Evan paused and turned to her, his eyes holding an incredulous gaze.
"Why don't you have a fridge in your inventory? It's practical! You get a constant supply of cold drinks wherever you go."
"I get the logic. But I still don't get why you have a fridge in your inventory in the first place."
"What kind of philosophical nonsense are you on about? It's just convenient."
As the two continued their back-and-forth about whether a fridge in an inventory was genius or excessive, Artemisia had already moved closer to inspect the refrigerator itself.
Her brow furrowed as she looked at its components—or rather, the lack thereof.
"For sothing that's supposedly 10,000 years ahead of current technology, I expected it to be more... overwhelming."
Her mutter caught Evan's attention and he glanced over to where she was looking and then pointed to the ancient cooling system mounted on the wall, complete with its clunky engine.
"That thing's got a full-on engine under it. This fridge only has a board the size of my palm powering it. I'd say it's more advanced than that dinosaur."
Artemisia rolled her eyes, conceding with a quiet, "Fair point."
As the banter subsided, Evan focused on his task, tossing spoonfuls of sugar and the rest of the ingredients into the blender.
The sll of fresh strawberries and vanilla ice cream filled the room as the smooth pink mixture whirled together. He poured the milkshake into a tall glass, the whipped cream on top crowning it perfectly.
Beatrix, unable to resist, chid in.
"That slls pretty good. Could you make one too?"
"With my premium, limited-edition strawberries? Really?"
Beatrix rolled her eyes at Evan's reply and reminded him of his earlier offer.
"You literally just offered to make us one."
Laughing, Evan shrugged.
"Alright, alright. I'm in a good mood today since I got so new skills from certain people. I guess I can spare a few prized strawberries."
Hearing this, both Artemisia and Beatrix had their brows twitch, as they were the certain people that Evan had stolen—correction, gotten skills from.
Despite knowing their expressions, Evan laughed and made two more milkshakes, sliding the glasses across the table.
"Here you go. Best strawberry milkshake you've ever tasted in your life. Guaranteed."
They both picked up their glasses, taking tentative sips. Evan watched them, sipping his own milkshake through the opening in his mask with a satisfied smirk as he perched on the edge of the kitchen counter.
After a mont of quiet sipping, Evan couldn't hold back.
"How's it? Best strawberry milkshake you've ever tasted, isn't it?"
Artemisia sighed at his question, setting down her glass.
"I can't see your face behind that mask, but I'm certain you have a smug grin that makes not want to admit to anything."
Her words made Evan chuckle as he leaned back and held up his own milkshake in his right hand.
"Don't worry, I know how good it is. My milkshake-making skills have evolved. Pretty sure it's better than the last ti I made for soon—!"
Evan froze mid-sentence, his eyes widening as a strange sense of familiarity washed over him.
"Wait a second..."
He had been in this situation before, sitting with Artemisia while passing her a milkshake and asking her if it was the best strawberry milkshake she'd ever tasted.
Then he looked at her and his eyes widened in shock as the realisation had hit him.
"Pfft…What are the odds?"
Evan burst out laughing and Artemisia glanced at him, confused, while Beatrix sipped her milkshake in silence.
Looking at the confused Artemisia, Evan spoke.
"Oh, and if you get asked this in the future. Just give a straight answer. It'd make things easier for to understand."
He took another sip of his milkshake, then continued.
"Well, it's not like you're going to follow what I said anyway. The fact that I even have to ntion this ans you're definitely not going to listen."
Beatrix raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued.
"Wait... did you just reveal sothing from the future?"
Before Evan could respond, Artemisia cut in with a flat, deadpan tone.
"Yes, he did."
"Co on, it's just a minor thing. We're just talking about milkshakes here."
Evan laughed, waving it off while his mind wandered to that day,
'What was future Artemisia thinking when I said that? She probably rembered this mont, didn't she?'
He chuckled inwardly at the thought as he took another sip, savouring the sweetness of his strawberry concoction.
It was then that he noticed Artemisia had already finished her milkshake and slid her empty glass toward him. He glanced at her with a raised brow.
"Wait, I was only giving you guys one glass, you know?"
"I don't know about Arty, but you took two skills from . I saw you use my Ti Bomb and Space Warp. You owe two glasses."
Beatrix chid in, arms crossed and Evan only scoffed.
"Ha, listen here, little girl. I own the strawberries, which ans your opinion on how I use them doesn't count."
Unlike Beatrix, Artemisia wasn't ready for his bantering and just fixed him with a stare and asked.
"Are you making the extra milkshake or not?"
Evan sighed, rolling his eyes dramatically as he told her to hold on. He opened his inventory, stuck his head in, and vocally counted sothing.
After a few seconds, he pulled his head back out and shrugged.
"Yeah, I can spare a few."
With a quick motion, he poured just enough to half-fill both girls' glasses, leaving the rest of the milkshake for himself.
He then added a chunk of ice to the blender, using his ice magic to thaw it into water, which he promptly swirled around to clean the blender.
Once satisfied, he tossed the blender back into his inventory, taking a long sip from his now-full glass.
User Comments
0 comments from readers