Shortly after leaving the guild, Liam realized he did not know the location of any realtors. Apparently, Nora did not know of any either. Going back to the guild was an option, but he did not want to do so. Instead, they asked the same old man who bought the magic stone. The man politely gave them directions.

Closer to the center of the city, a good ways past the Adventurer Guild, Liam and Nora arrived at a nicer looking area. Most of the people wore nice clothes, making Liam recall the tattered state of his current attire. Ignoring their condescending glares, he searched for the nearest clothing store. The first one he found reeked of nobility. Moving on, he searched for a store selling decent traveling clothes.

Noticing Liam's goal, Nora said, “There is a shop near the Adventurer Guild that sold good clothing. It's where I bought these clothes.”

Looking back at her, he eyed up the clothing. He nodded.

“You're staring again,” Nora said.

“I am,” Liam bluntly replied. “Alright, show me where it is.”

Sighing, Nora nodded and turned around. She led him to the shop, the Adventurer Guild's flag visible from the front door. The inside of the shop contained a varied assortment of clothing, ranging from simple travel clothes to full-body leather armor and gambesons. A few people mosied around the sales floor checking out different clothes.

While walking toward the counter, Liam rubbed some of the articles' material. Most of them felt course in contrast to Nora's clothing. Curious about the difference, he asked her, “Were your clothes special made or something?”

“No. It's made of a special silk or something. I asked to see better stuff,” Nora answered.

At least she proved useful in this situation. Figuring she had a point, Liam approached the employee at the counter. Before they could greet him, he pointed at Nora and said, “I'd like to see some clothes similar to this. Money is no issue.”

“Oh, um. Okay. No problem,” the clerk replied. “Follow me.”

The man led them through a door behind the counter, then left them with another clerk before returning to the front of the shop. The new clerk, who was sitting casually on a cushioned recliner, looked more like an old butler than a clerk. He stared at the two as though expecting something.

Whispering in Liam's ear, Nora said, “Toss him a silver coin.”

Nodding, Liam flicked a coin toward the man who snatched it from the air with blinding speed. In the past, he had come across a place like this that also required a fee to enter, so the idea did not seem farfetched.

“Feel free to look around,” the man said in a gruff tone. “If you need assistance, feel free to let me know.”

From there, Liam investigated the clothing around the room. Honestly, it felt more like walking through a rich man's closet than the back room of a shop.

“Most of this will change shape when you put it on, since it seems like you don't know,” Nora said.

“I didn't,” Liam replied. “Glad I'm getting some use out of you.”

“Tch. Don't forget you're going to find a cure for me.”

“I don't forget things, especially people attempting to take advantage of me.”

“You're the one who offered.”

“And you're the one who took advantage of my tiredness the first time we met.”

“I guess I can't deny it... Oh, that one looks good,” Nora said, pointing at a dark brown leather jacket. Honestly, Liam had to admit the thing looked comfortable and sturdy enough.

“If you want that,” the butler-like clerk said without looking at them, “then I suggest getting the matching pants below it.”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Hmm... Is it comfortable, old man?” Liam asked.

“Quite,” the man replied, still relaxing in his chair.

Since Liam only cared about getting new clothes, he grabbed the two articles along with a black, long-sleeved shirt. Against the far wall, he also found a decent pair of travel boots. There were even comfortable socks and underwear.

“That was rather... fast...” Nora muttered. After all, not even ten minutes passed before Liam finished picking out his new clothes.

“How much, old man?” Liam asked as he walked toward the door.

“Three gold, ninety-eight silver,” the man said.

Once more, Liam pulled a few coins from his pocket and tossed them over. Just like before, the man snatched all four gold coins from the air in the blink of an eye.

“Keep the change,” Liam said while leaving the room with Nora in tow. The old clerk waved casually as the two left.

Upon returning to the main area of the shop, the younger clerk welcomed them, pointed to a hallway on the other side of the room, and said, “Feel free to use the changing rooms over there.”

“Better to put 'em on now, I guess...” Liam muttered.

When they reached the changing rooms, Nora tried to enter the small space with him.

“What are you doing?” Liam asked.

“Going in with you.”

“No.”

“Why?”

Recalling that this woman even took off her clothes while sleeping in a tent with him, he realized the idea of privacy did not exist within her mind, or at least held little importance to her.

“Fine. Do what you want,” Liam said as he entered the small changing area. Nora followed and closed the door behind them. Then, she sat on the wooden seat behind him.

Although taking off his clothes in front of another person did not bother him, he did hesitate slightly. When he removed his tattered shirt, Nora's eyes opened wide and she asked, “What kinds of scars are those?!”

Liam sighed. He figured she would ask. “It's from the past. It doesn't matter now,” he answered, throwing on his new shirt and jacket.

“You know about my condition, so why can't I know about yours?”

Breathing deeply, Liam answered, “Torture.”

Tilting her head, Nora asked, “Does it bother you?”

“Not really.”

“Then why not tell me what they are?”

“Hmm...” Liam muttered while removing his pants, “Electrical burns, bullet wounds, and burn scars left by hot pokers.”

“I get the burn marks from pokers,” Nora muttered while staring at Liam's bare ass, “but what about the 'electrical' burns and 'bullet' wounds?”

“All that matters is I lived through all of it,” Liam said, pulling up his new underwear and pants at the same time.

“Where'd they come from?” Nora asked.

“Used to be a soldier.”

“I doubt you were a very good one with your attitude.”

“Almost got court-martialed awhile back. Got taken off the front lines because of it,” Liam muttered while kneeling in order to tie the laces of his new boots.

“What's that mean?” Nora asked.

“Got in trouble for my actions, basically. I got the job done, though.”

“And now you're here.”

“Yes. Now I'm here.”

“Good for me, I guess...”

Standing, Liam said, “Enough about that. Let's go find that realtor.” Even though he said that, he felt rather relieved having shared part of his past with her, to his surprise.

Leaving behind the old clothes, the two left the shop and headed for the nicer area of town. Around midday, they found the place the old stall owner mentioned. Noticing the strange symbols above the door, Liam noted to himself to learn how to read the language when possible.

Within the small building, only a few wooden chairs lined the wall to the right of the lobby. The clerk at the counter noticed them and asked, “What can I do for you.”

Gesturing for Nora to sit in the waiting area, Liam took the chair in front of the counter. In answer to the man's question, he said, “My budget is five platinum. Location doesn't matter as long as I can get it today.”

“Today is a bit-”

“Today.”

“Um... okay. There should be quite a few places available within your budget...” The clerk said while flipping open the pages of a large binder. “Would you prefer someplace close to any of the city gates, or closer the shopping district here?”

“Gates would actually be better.”

“Quality will be lower if you still desire to rush the process.”

“That's fine as long as it's not falling apart.”

“Then... there is a decent place available for a little over one platinum to the Southwest, though it is the upper floor of a shop. It is within walking distance of the gate, however.”

“That will do. How much exactly?”

“There are other options if you would like to browse.”

“This will do,” Liam bluntly replied.

“Um... very well, then. Let me just grab the paperwork.”

After a good hour of tedious paperwork that Liam faked understanding of, the clerk handed over the deed and a map leading to the building. While signing everything, his Deceit skill apparently kicked in, though he did not know why.

Now, with the assurance of having a roof over his head, Liam began to plan his next moves. Of course, he needed to restart the clan for Noctis, but that would likely take several years. For the Masked Meister's goals, he needed to reach level eighty at the very least. Considering both of those as long-term, he settled his short-term goal as finding a group to join with no strings attached. With that in mind, he and Nora headed toward the new property.