...Except I wasn't actually asleep. I was awake throughout the night. I was sitting out of bed on a chair watching the cloth with ten silver coins.

— "Come on! Show me your secrets, you sly piece of fabric!"

Let me explain! I still haven't deposited the money I got from the adventuring guild and from that day on—and what I meant by this is two days—I've started losing money. I started losing about ten silver which summed up to twenty silver coins missing. I know it wasn't much but still!

I was sitting there, staring at the bed on a chair. The piece of cloth was there along with ten silver coins. Why do I assume that this thing is the reason why I'm losing ten silver coins a night? My institution says so—And I'm not lying like Edwards!

The clock on the wall of the room was ticking. It's louder than usual, actually. I'm anxious for no reason at all. Maybe I'm even nervous to the point that I could feel my heart beat like a drum. My eyes were kept open and widened. I wanted to see if this is the thing taking my money!

— "Alright, alright! You caught me!"

— "W-W-What?!"

The sudden voice made me perk up and I fell along with the chair. I got back up and looked around me to check if something was messing with me. The voice wasn't coming from anywhere but instead it came from everywhere!

— "I'm on the bed, you moron."

It can't be... The piece of cloth is talking?! Man, this month could not get any more weirder than this.

I cautiously walked towards the cloth and reached out to it—Wait a minute! The silver coins are gone! I could've sworn it was here! Did it consume the coins?!

— "*Burp* You're really cheaping out on the offerings, Owens."

— "Did you just burp?"

— "I did. So what? I ate the silver coins, is that what you want to hear?"

Now I'm curious instead of being cautious about this... Thing.

— "Why?"

— "Excuse me? Did you just ask why I ate the coins?"

The voice asked as if I said something offensive. I guess I might've but I don't know why it was "offensive".

— "I did. So are you going to answer why you ate the coins?"

I asked. But the voice waited a few good seconds and in that few good seconds, it was an awkward silence.

— "Because I got hungry."

— "Owens! I'm coming in!

*Slam!*

The door to my room opened and the voice suddenly stopped talking after that.

— "Who were you talking to?"

Leo asked with his eyes darting towards me and the piece of cloth in the middle of the bed with... The twenty silver coins that it "ate".

— "I heard you were talking to someone. I could hear it from the other rooms."

— "Uhm... How many rooms exactly?"

— "Your room is five rooms across from mine."

He heard from that far?! Just how good is his hearing?!—Maybe I shouldn't ask; he's a Demi-Human after all so I think it's only natural for him to be like this.

— "Anyways–"

— "Actually, it's "Anyway" without an s."

Got you there, you little idiot.

— "Just shut up. Along with the person you were talking to."

— "Believe it or not, I was talking to this thing."

I then pointed at the middle of the bed to the piece of cloth along with the twenty silver.

— "You've lost your mind. First, you put that thing over my eyes and asked, 'Are you seeing through walls?'. And now you're telling me that thing talks? You've finally lost it now, Owens."

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Leo said, clearly in disbelief that I was talking to a piece of cloth. And the worse thing is that it wasn't talking back to make it look like I've lost my mind.

— "Let's not talk about this... How about we just go back to sleep? We do have a lot to do tomorrow—Train, manage our supplies, and among other things. So you should head to sleep."

I said to him as if I'm trying to make a point and to not make him think too much about what I was talking about. He won't notice a thing, watch.

— "Sure, sure. I'll definitely go back to sleep after you told me that a piece of cloth was talking to you. But anyway, have fun losing your mind."

He then leaves my room. And I put the cloth back in my pocket. Maybe Leo was right and I was just hearing things. I should take a bath to clear my mind. And so I did.

I prepared the clothes I'm going to wear—a pair of gray shorts and a brown tunic. I know it's not the best color choice but at least I'm going to be comfortable while I sleep.

I went to the bathroom and removed my clothes—black trousers, button-up white shirt, black small cloak that covers my body with the inside of the cloak is green along with it having gold-colored trimmings—and dropped it in the laundry chute.

The bathroom was marbled, down to the smallest nook and cranny of the bathroom. Well, it's to be expected when you're staying in a castle. Maybe being friends with Minnie wasn't so bad after all. Just kidding, I won't stay with her as her friend only to be able to stay here. That'd be horrible.

I walked towards the bathtub's curtain and opened it and... Nothing was there. What? Did you expect that someone would be behind the curtains? Don't be such a perv! And plus, I'm not that lucky.

I took a bath, got out after I did, and wore my clothes. It's as easy as that. Wait... I'm forgetting something. Did I have that cloth in that pair of shorts or did I put it in my trousers' pockets?

I checked my gray-shorts' pocket and there was nothing. I think I might have left it in my trousers' pockets. Oh well, it's not like it would be lost or something... I hope not.

The next day rolled around. I had a good rest. I then left my room to meet up with Minnie and Leo... Except, it's this again. I'm lost. I don't know the way out of this huge castle...

...But just as soon as I was about to give up, I remember Leo saying something among the lines of:

— "Your room is five rooms across from mine."

So I walked to the direction from my left, counting each room I passed by until I reached the gift rom and wouldn't you know it, there he was. He's asleep. He's wearing new clothes instead of his Kimono. Maybe he took a bath as well? Eh, who am I to care about that?

*Knock*

*Knock*

*Knock*

I knocked on his door to wake him up.

— "Wake up, Leo. We have to do a lot of preparation this morning."

He didn't respond and instead rolled towards the other side of the bed to face away from me.

A mischievous smile formed on the corner of my lips as I approached him before lifting him up and shaking him awake.

— "Wake up!!!"

His eyes immediately widened before his eyes immediately furrowed as he looked at me as I kept shaking him.

— "You can stop shaking now!!"

Good thing he's small... Only about 5 '2 foot. What a short little fella. His tail is probably half his size and his ear is about the size of his fist. Just how old is he?

— "How old are you really, Leo?"

— "I will start answering your question after you put me down!"

He started shaking and wriggling around so I put him down on the ground.

— "So... Are you going to answer my question?"

— 'I'm thirteen! Are we done now?!"

He's thirteen at this height?! Man, he's really short. But I shouldn't say too much as puberty is unpredictable. Who knows, maybe he'll be taller than me when the day comes—You wish! I'm a foot taller than him!

— "You're short."

I said blankly before leaving his room to go... Where? I still don't know the layout of this castle. Curse you whoever built this castle!!

Leo then approached me.

— "You're such an idiot. There's literally a flight of stairs to your left!"

He pointed and lo and behold, there's actually a large flight of stairs on my left past two rooms.

— "Let's just go, Leo..."

I was clearly put to shame after he just pointed at the flight of stairs... I need to use my eyes more instead of complaining at first sight.

We went downstairs and we saw Minnie in the grand long rectangle table with all of the supplies flashed out on her left. She's really serious about this adventure... And I'm actually quite scared if this is how much the preparation is.

Nevertheless, Leo and I sat down beside her.

— "Five mana potions, ten single-use scrolls, five sets of extra weapons for us, five disposable deploy tents, and custom requested illuminated gear to avoid getting lost."

That must have cost a lot. I mean, five sets of weapons? The weapon I'm using right now that Minnie handed to me might have cost a fortune on the common man of Aevum.

— "You really bought so many for us but what's with the glowing cloak, a glowing corset, and five weird looking braces?"

— "Like I said, it is to avoid getting lost. But I have one problem, Leo. You see those five "weird looking braces"?"

— "Clearly I do, duh."

— "Wear it. I do not know the exact shape of your neck, arms, and legs."

She was commanding Leo with an intimidating aura around her...

— "But I don't want to!"

...And before Leo could react, she had put him in a headlock. He's struggling and he's kicking his legs.

— "It is for your good, Leo."

— "I don't wanna, Min-Min!"

— "Quick, Owens. Put it on him."

She commanded and one thing led to another and I actually managed to put on him.

Minnie then lets go of her hold on Leo.

— "Is it strangling you?"

— "It's not..."

He's sad after we forced him to wear something that is kind of designed for pets. His ears are droopy as well as his tail. He's looking down and instead of up at us.

— "I think that wasn't a good idea, Minnie. He's sad now."

— "Maybe it was not... I'm sorry Leo but I knew you were going to not do as I say. I will make up to you by letting you eat as much as you want for breakfast."

— "Really?!"

He immediately looked up at her...

...And the day continues as normal, I got my ass kicked in training in the afternoon after breakfast, we prepared our bags to travel for tomorrow—Wait! That cloak! That was mine! Did she take my cloak when I dropped it in the laundry chute and modified it without my permission?! Oh well...

The day passed in a blink of an eye. Tomorrow is going to be hell but I don't know if I'll come out of that forest unscathed.