The sun was already high when he awoke. He awoke in perfect condition today. He hadn't felt this rested in a long time. At this moment, he felt like a pure and refined person, free from all emotions.
When he woke up and looked at the sun, he calculated the time and after about an hour, it was time to meet his old friends. Since he didn't want to take a bath, he took a clean set of clothes from his dimensional bag and put them on. He just washed his head in the inn's bathroom. That was enough to make him feel clean and fresh.
There was something in this world that smelled like soap, but it made his hair very dry. It took away all the natural oil from his hair. So he took a break from using it for a few weeks. Looking at himself in the bronze mirror, he noticed that his handsome face was becoming more and more masculine. His mustache and beard had already grown to a visible extent. He took out the Firebringer and tried to shave himself. After half an hour of careful effort, he was satisfied with his work. He didn't take a hair or two lightly.
He left the tavern with a satisfied smile and walked without haste through the streets of the capital towards his destination.
He came to the place where Thedo had made his speech when he entered the palace. The statue had already been taken down. Now the preparations for the new one began. He guessed that they would make a statue of Thedo. William had never thought that his grandfather's reputation would rise so high.
The crowded first floor of the restaurant made him open his eyes in amazement. He knew that this place was paid for with soul stone because the worst creature meat served here was iron level and not a farm animal. They were one hundred percent real, hunted creatures from the Black Forest. He had not had the opportunity to come here before, but even at the Academy, he had heard from some students that this place was praised.
A man and a woman were waiting in front of the wide open door to greet customers. Both of them, dressed in excellent quality silk clothes and with beautiful faces, warned the customers that they were entering a very noble place.
When William came to the door, the waiters who greeted him at the entrance looked at his clothes with disgust, but whether it was because of his handsome face, the woman immediately corrected her expression and said, "Welcome."
The other young man simply nodded. But what he said next made William frown. "Sir, there are no tables left on the first floor, but I can take you to the second floor if you like."
William frowned because he could see through the wide open door that there were empty tables inside. But William was too clever for him. It was his primary goal not to fall into such clichés.
He smiled and said, "Okay, the second floor is fine, too. It does not matter." He said.
This time, the young man made his real move. "But sir, our restaurant is not easy. There is a certain amount you have to pay before entering the second floor." The young man had a sad expression on his face. It was as if he wanted to let him in for free, but there was nothing he could do.
William continued the game. "All right, how much?"
The young man lowered himself even more. Now he was in an 'oh sir, okay sir' mode.
"Twenty soul stones, sir." He said. He bowed his head. He had deliberately raised the entrance fee. Too bad the purpose behind it was as small as he was. How could this young man eat when he could not even eat the food of the restaurant where he worked?
William did not spoil the mood. He continued to smile. He reached into his dimensional bag and took out thirty soul stones. Thirty soul stones fit perfectly in his large hand. He placed them in the hands of the young girl in front of him.
Then he spoke, smiling and looking at the young man. "I leave this in your hands. I don't know how much the entrance fee is, but whatever it is, the rest is yours." He said. Then he frowned and spoke again. "Only yours." He said to the young woman.
Then he straightened up again and called to the young woman. "Now show me the way."
The young woman was frightened by his behavior. After all, he was an ordinary person. She could see the leather armor on William. It was clear that he was a warrior. "Sure sir, please follow." Then she turned and started walking, but the young man had other ideas. William's actions had touched his youthful blood. He frowned and was truly angry. Right now he had a face that wouldn't hesitate to make a big deal out of it.
Then he raised his arm and put it in front of the door. "Wait! Now that I remember, the boss said that he had raised the entrance fee to one hundred soul stones today. He was determined to push this simple, silly discussion forward.
The young woman was about to speak up and say that there was no such thing, but the young man stopped her. "You didn't hear, I arrived before you this morning. He said it then." He had a mocking look on his face, looking down on William.
William was really angry. His head was lowered a little and his smile disappeared instantly. The expression of a predator ready to bite its prey appeared on his face. His anger was too much to bear. 'Damn it, I've been arguing with this idiot at the door for almost ten minutes. I gave you the money! What more are you pushing? Why would a person want to get himself killed?' These were his thoughts.
An oppressive aura began to form around William. The young man was already within reach. He grabbed him by the throat with one hand and lifted him up. He leaned against the wall of the restaurant right next to him. He was really choking him! There was only murderous intent in his eyes. Even the customers in the restaurant were worried. Everyone below the bronze level could feel the killing intent. Many of them thought they would die in a few seconds. Those at the bronze level frowned and tried to suppress the churning qi pools.
The young man could be considered both unlucky and lucky. He was unlucky because it wasn't just William's aura that was choking him, it was his hand as well. He was lucky because William's friends were already outside the restaurant.
Godo had started running as soon as he saw him from a distance. George also ran across the square, his huge body making loud noises. The same was true for the others.
Godo was the fastest. He caught up with William in an instant and forced him to let go of his arm, but no matter how hard he tried, William's arm kept squeezing harder than the spear in his back. The young man seemed to be on the verge of saying his last words. "I can't breathe..." It was only a small murmur. His throat was almost crushed.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Seeing that William would not let go, Godo decided to shout. He put his mouth to his ear and shouted. "WILLIAM! LET GO!"
"-HIIIIIIIIIIIIII" The young man took a deep breath as William let go and fell unconscious. William had indeed woken up, thanks to Godo. He couldn't thank him enough. He had just been in a different situation. All he had thought about was killing the young man in front of him as slowly and painfully as possible. Quickly, he collected himself and looked at Godo. His face was smiling.
"Ah! You are here! Let's go." He said. He put the image of someone extremely happy and funny on his face. Then he turned to the young girl who was kneeling on the floor, trembling and slightly smeared, and smiled. "Take us to our table." He said.
No matter how shocked she was after what had just happened, she had learned a lesson not to bother this young man. She stood up quickly, her makeup a little runny from her tears, quickly wiped it off and walked on.
By now, George and the others had arrived. All the faces on the first floor turned to them as they all entered. They all understood that the young man was the monster who had just released the aura. From the people in silver armor next to him, they knew that he was someone important in the new kingdom. They all made a note in their heads, "Don't mess with this kid!"
William, on the other hand, felt that this look was not directed at him, but at his friends who had come with him. He had given this armor to Theo himself. Looking back now, he felt that he had made the right decision to give this armor to his father. The friends who wore them looked like respectable, noble knights of the ancient world. They followed the young girl with heavy steps and went up to the second floor.
When they reached the second floor, they were greeted with different looks. Nearly everyone here had sent William the message that they were somehow of bronze rank. He even suspected that a couple of old men sitting in the corner were silver rank, but they did not release any qi. William had no way of detecting those higher in rank than himself. He could only guess.
One of the people here caught his eye. Their eyes met for a moment. William smiled and shook his head slightly. The man he was looking at reacted in the same way and continued his speech. It was as if he didn't know William at all. This man was the dark elf Elgaar, the ruler of the elves' earth outpost in the Barony of Aureus, whom William and his father also knew.
William suspected that the man had not improved since that time. The feeling of his strength was still the same. He didn't even feel as strong as Baldur.
Thinking that the man didn't know him, he quickly decided to forget him. Meanwhile, the young girl brought them to a large table. The view was beautiful. They could see the whole square.
After they sat down, William spoke with a smile. "Bring your best wine, your best food! Fill the table!" The faces of the whole group lit up with joy. They all turned to the children who had seen the sweets.
However, they did not forget what had happened below. Godo asked, "What happened? Why did you try to kill him?
William frowned. He had put that man out of his mind, why did he sting it again? "He forced me to come here even though there was an empty table on the first floor. I guess he thought I couldn't pay the entrance fee for this place. Later, when I paid, he said, 'Oh, I forgot, the boss raised the entrance fee to one hundred soul stones.' If you hadn't come, I would have killed him for sure." William said. William told the story as it happened. He didn't have to hide anything.
Godo shook his head. " I see. Just a fool who doesn't know his place. But they are everywhere. You shouldn't worry too much." He said.
William sighed helplessly. "Do you think I'm not trying? I am trying, but they insist on finding me." Then a smile appeared on William's face, similar to that of the sneaky bastard.
"Tell me, George, how is your girlfriend?" he asked.
"Ahahaha!" The whole group laughed. Except for George. He had a troubled look on his face. He made no comments.
But Mura, who was usually quiet, spoke with all of his teeth showing. "William, you should see this girl. She has bronze-level strength and... and... most importantly, she is exactly the same as George! Just like a twin. The only difference is that her hair is long!" Then he continued to laugh, holding his stomach.
William was surprised. He wanted to make sure he had understood correctly. "So you mean... Same body?"
Mura stopped laughing and answered with a serious face. "Yup!"
William's expression changed from one form to another. "Wow, just unbelievable. I haven't seen it, but I can understand. I'm happy for you bro." He said. The whole group burst out laughing. They then talked about everyday things, what they were doing now that William was gone.
At this point, the wines arrived and they all started drinking cold and unforgettable tasting wines out of the bottle without waiting for dinner. Since it was their day off and William would be paying, they began to drink to their hearts' content.
Then the food came, and they had the opportunity to eat the flesh of creatures they had never seen before. After a while, slightly drunk, George spoke at an unexpected time.
His deep voice was thinned by the wine. His gaze was a little blank, a little distracted. "Actually, I like her. Maybe even love her." He said.
They all opened their eyes and looked at him. Just as Mura started to say something, William stopped him. "If you like it, we don't have to say anything, it's not up to us, George. It's your life. I hope you will be happy." He said. Then he frowned at Mura, who was still trying to speak.
Mura lowered his head and remained silent.
"Yes, we will get married after all. Not others. Who cares what others say!" He shouted softly and raised the wine bottle to his head. He drank the huge, half-full bottle in one go.
"Exactly!"
"That's it!"
"My lion!"
All his friends at the table cheered him on, including William.
By evening everyone was almost fainting. No one knew how many plates of food and wine had been brought to the table.
Despite strong resistance, William drank bottle after bottle and eventually became drunk. Even the most sober person in the group was preparing to step into drunkenness. It was then that the young girl came and said that the restaurant was closing.
She told them the bill. 350 soul stones in full! Mura immediately awoke from the effects of the wine and his eyes widened. He knew what 350 soul stones were. He wondered what they had eaten so much of, but he couldn't ask.
At that moment, Godo spoke, completely drunk. "I will pay!" He tried to put his hand into his pocket.
William did not hold back. As soon as he heard Godo, he shouted and squeezed Godo's outstretched arm as hard as he could. Despite his pain, Godo did not notice because of his drunkenness. "Fine, then pay." He said.
Leaning against him, William said, "Hehe, I'll pay." He said again and started to take soul stones out of his dimensional bag on the table. He put them all on the table one by one. And he counted seriously one by one.
"One...two...five...six...eleven...thirty-three...fifty-five...one hundred and thirty-eight...three hundred...three hundred and fifty...four hundred." William counted one by one, but at some point, he forgot that he owed three hundred and fifty Soul Stones and counted to four hundred. He then realized he had overpaid, but was too drunk to take them back and count.
Later, when the group separated, they all took each other's arms and walked away holding hands like children. As William approached the young woman, he said, "Make the rest pocket money," and took a pair of pinches from her face. (cheek)(1)
The young woman immediately blushed. "Yes, sir," she bowed. It was the first time she had seen such a young, generous, handsome and strong person. Every teenage girl dreams of someone to fall in love with, and today William has become that woman's dream man.
I wonder what that young girl and the young man who came back from the dead would think if they saw that the young man they fell in love with was called a prince in a portrait that would be published a few months later.
(1) I didn't know how to write this. These are the closest to the English equivalents: tweak a cheek, pinch a cheek,
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