Ascalon woke up early in the morning, a usual habit of his, and sat on his comfortable bed while enjoying a moment of peace and solitude. He looked around the room he had been using, relishing in the feeling that it now belonged to him. This was his place to return to every day, and it was important for him to have that—especially after coming to this foreign world

Back in Excadia, he knew that no matter how much he struggled, he could always go back to his room in the knight’s barracks. There, he could enjoy a moment of reprieve, away from battles, political issues, or any other sort of hassle. The thing was, he rarely had the time to do so.

Often, he had to camp in the open, or fight throughout the night. Sometimes, he was traveling to other territories, or crusading for days. But that just made returning home even more worthwhile.

He took a moment to fully appraise the room’s contents. It was pleasantly elegant, though more ‘modern’ than what he was accustomed to. Instead of a chandelier hanging from the ceiling, there was a small bulb that, when activated, illuminated the whole area with ease.

The walls themselves had a stylish design, covered with brown wallpaper that resembled a wooden pattern. Against one wall stood a tall oak wardrobe, seemingly old but still faithfully serving its purpose, as some clothing hung in its insides.

Although the Gifted network could perform the same function and more, Ascalon thought he would give it some use.

Beside the bed, there was a desk painted in white, with an assortment of books or journals on its surface, alongside other objects he didn’t pay much attention to. These items probably belonged to whoever used the room before Ascalon, but he wasn’t really that interested in them.

On the opposite wall, a window let in some morning light, though partly blocked by a set of dark red curtains. It led to the front of the building, and he had pondered beside it a few times, while gazing at the streets below. Not too far from the window, a moderately sized mirror hung from the wall, a bit dusty—but that could be easily solved.

The bed he was sitting on was firm yet comfortable, as were the soft pillows that rested by the bedhead. He would fall asleep instantly when putting his head on them, and thought they were even better than the ones at headquarters. He sighed in satisfaction, his studying of the room pleasing him.

He got up and stretched his whole body, while fiddling with his inventory to equip the clothes his friends had bought for him. He glanced at the mirror, admiring the red glasses that adorned his face. These would certainly cause a fashion uproar back at Excadia.

Smiling to himself, he let his voice out toward a certain curious girl behind the door. “You may come in, Lady Lilithra.” He spoke with a gentle tone and heard the girl jump in surprise. A second later, she pushed the handle and came into the room, her face reddened and her smile a shy one.

“M-morning~ I didn’t want to bother you so I was planning to wait until you came out… haha…” She shuffled in place, peeking at him. His mood turned a bit sour the moment his eye glanced at her head, her horns visible since she didn’t have her hoodie on.

She seemed incredibly conscious about them, noticing his gaze in an instant, and immediately summoned her usual clothing, hiding them under her pink hood as fast as she could. She tried to act natural and smile, but her panicked actions revealed her discomfort.

At the sight, pain tingled in his chest, accompanied by a feeling of guilt. But her voice distracted him from his conflicted thoughts.

“H-hey, so, I called Selly over. We wanna go sell the stuff we got yesterday, even if it’s junk. Wanna come with us?” She asked, probably referring to the pelts and feathers they had collected in the Howling Chasm. He also knew the question was a formality, because she probably planned to drag him along regardless.

He nodded, putting the view of her horns to the back of his mind, and walked over to her. “I would like to accompany you, Lady Lilithra. I am most curious about the other shops you mentioned.” He responded animatedly, remembering that she had told him about weapons and armor stores, artifacts traders, and other various establishments.

She beamed with joy at his words and pumped her fists. “Nice! Let’s go wait for Selly then!” Maintaining that high level of energy, she turned around and rushed to the stairs, her figure disappearing as she climbed down the steps.

Ascalon couldn’t help but smile endearingly, and quickly followed after her, closing the door to his new room behind him. He descended the set of stairs, and after a quick bathroom stop arrived at the main floor. Lilithra was already seated at the counter, drinking from a cup as she fiddled with her smartphone.

Ascalon approached, sitting beside her. Raphael suddenly appeared from behind the kitchen door, and set a cup in front of the knight, smiling pleased.

“Good morning you two.” Said the older man while he rolled down his shirt sleeves, probably pulled up beforehand in order to not stain them with the cooking.

“Morning Uncle!” Answered his lovable niece.

Ascalon peered at the cup, a black liquid filling it. The sweet aroma of coffee filled his nose, and he smiled with anticipation. He had become quite partial to coffee, but Raphael prepared it so exceptionally that it simply overshadowed any other.

A few sips were enough to fill Ascalon with warmth and happiness. Raphael let out a confident ‘hmph!’, as he vanished into the kitchen, his cape dancing in the wind. No, wait, it was just his apron.

Both Lilithra and Ascalon enjoyed their drinks in silence, while the girl’s attention remained with her phone. Ascalon wondered how she could be so attached to that small device. He knew it had many useful uses so it wasn’t like he was judging her, it was mostly curiosity.

Maybe he could get one someday, and explore its functions… Although he still needed to get more familiar with the Gifted network, so maybe it wasn’t that good of an idea yet.

He then turned around, looking at the door, sensing the elf approaching. Surely enough, the doorbell rang and a sluggish Selorien walked towards them. “Hey~ what’s up?” He asked as he nodded towards Ascalon. Lilithra looked back and showed a surprised expression.

“Oh shoot you’re already here! I haven’t finished my cocoa, wait!” She exclaimed, picking up the cup in both hands and starting to hastily gulp the contents down.

Ascalon mimicked her actions, but in less of a rush, savoring the coffee slowly. As for the girl, she wheezed and gasped for air, Selorien laughing to himself at the sight.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

It wasn’t long before they got ready, and left The Chalice, Raphael watching over them with a gentle gaze as they disappeared into the distant streets.

Time passed, and the group arrived at the ever-bustling shopping district. Unlike their previous outing, Lilithra had come with a clearer objective, so she quickly beelined to a less crowded alleyway. Her friends were going hurriedly after her, trying their best to keep up and not crash into any passersby.

The hustle and bustle of the main street faded into a background tune, as they stepped into a shabby-looking store. While the exterior had been unimpressive, the interior gave the exact opposite impression. Dim light bathed the room, coming from many different sources, shining on the many items they had to offer.

Ascalon’s good eye opened wide as his gaze darted around, a sense of child-like wonder washing over him.

The shop had an abundance of peculiarities no matter where you looked. Shelves lined the walls, filled with trinkets and baubles. Alongside them were long, ancient-looking scrolls inscribed in languages unknown to the knight, some written in glowing colors and others in the blackest of inks.

There were mechanical gadgets with cogs and pipes occupying various corners, a few of them were operating with a continuous, methodical rhythm. A couple looked so deeply intricate that their size nearly reached the ceiling. The constant ticking sound emanating from the functioning ones felt surprisingly pleasant.

Crystal spheres floated over shiny pedestals, while golden and silver necklaces and rings adorned mannequins that almost seemed to move. There was also a section filled with bottles that contained swirling, multicolored liquids, and tablets engraved with glyphs and symbols that hummed with unknown force.

Amidst most attention-catching objects, piles of assorted goods were scattered or stacked around the black-tiled floor. There was barely any room for customers to walk, actually.

Beyond the clutter, a large wooden counter came into view at the opposite end of the entrance, with multiple items littered on its surface. Behind it, a figure could be seen fiddling with some of them, their identity partially obscured by the dim lighting.

Lilithra deftly rushed towards the counter, seemingly accustomed to the intricate pattern needed to navigate the mystical chaos. Selorien casually browsed some of the shelves, so Ascalon decided to go after Lilithra. What had looked so simple for her, required the utmost concentration from the knight, as he maneuvered the cluttered shelves with careful steps, afraid of touching and breaking something.

The girl reached the counter and greeted the shopkeeper with familiarity, suggesting that she was a regular visitor of the shop.

“Morning, Claude!” She said in a cheerful tone. The figure peered at her, stepping closer to the light as they put down one of the trinkets they were fiddling with.

At that moment, Ascalon stumbled into view and stood by Lilithra’s side, sighing in relief that he hadn’t broken anything, just in time to appraise the clerk’s appearance.

A face filled with wrinkles emerged from the shadows, short, disheveled gray hair covering the top and sides of his head. His blue eyes looked magnified behind a pair of multiple, thick glasses, held in place by a round, reddish nose. Below it, a gray mustache with pointy ends seemingly burnt.

A lengthy beard covered with black, oily stains swayed as he responded. “Hmm? Is that Lilithra?” He asked curiously, while touching some small buttons in the frame of his glasses. A few of them moved up and down, and his eyes changed size once again.

“My, what a surprise! It’s been some time since you came to pester me about my trinkets!” His cheerfulness made his long beard get caught with some gadget’s mechanism. Unbothered, he grabbed a pair of scissors from behind the counter and promptly cut the tangled hairs, freeing the rest of his beard with ease.

Ascalon watched in shock as the one called Claude showed such an immediate action, with zero hesitation behind it. The older man reciprocated the stare, grinning. He could conclude two things from that: that he either was a bit out of his mind, or that same mind was in the realm of geniuses. Ascalon had seen a couple of sages like him back in Excadia—the smartest, yet most peculiar scholars. Most likely, it was a bit of both.

Lilithra giggled with confidence and puffed her chest. She fiddled with her network interface, and two bags appeared above the counter.

“Hehe! I’m not just window shopping today, we have some materials to sell!” Claude let out a curious ‘hmmm’, and opened both bags without asking for permission. Lilithra seemed to not mind it, so Ascalon gathered she trusted him that much.

The older man let out a few mumbling words as he rummaged through the bags and took out their contents. It was, as Ascalon expected, feathers and pelts. “Hmmm…” Claude murmured softly again, switching his lenses rapidly while his other hand fiddled with an invisible interface.

“I was a bit excited since they were Lilithra’s carefully gathered materials, but this is just junk!” He expressed while laughing animatedly, still appraising some of the objects.

Lilithra giggled, a mix of nervousness and cheerfulness. “Ha, yeah. We knew that but… better a couple coins than nothing, right?!” A happy smile took over her face. Ascalon was wondering if that was the first time she had brought items for selling, but a sudden exclamation from Claude caught his attention.

“T-this… This is?!” Claude looked flabbergasted, as he gently lifted one of the feathers and brought it closer to his face, almost touching his glasses.

Selorien appeared behind Lilithra, peering with curiosity at the feather, lured by the commotion. The girl herself showed confusion and a hint of anticipation on her visage.

“This is a matriarch feather! So very rare to get! They usually don’t leave their nests unless they’re in heat! And oh boy, when they do they just sing a song-a-ling for the ages!” The trio exchanged surprised glances, Lilithra looking ecstatic.

“O.M.G!!! Is it like, a high-level reagent or something!?” She asked with excitement, Selorien and Ascalon smiling in surprise at the discovery.

Claude looked at her with a furrowed brow and spoke with a confused voice. “Huh, maybe? Dunno! But it does look pretty!” At his words, the exhilaration surrounding them plummeted to the ground. Lilithra particularly looked very disappointed, her head hung in a downcast demeanor.

“But I will buy it for a good price! As I said, they are rare! If you don’t wanna sell, I’ll trade!” He spoke with enthusiasm and then stood on something below him, gaining a bit of height. He opened his arms wide, presenting the shop to the trio, meaning that pretty much anything was up for exchange—if it matched the feather’s price, of course.

Lilithra looked up and stood tall, her face showing an elated smile as her eyes sparkled. She gazed at Ascalon and then at Selorien, and lastly around her surroundings.

“Alright! Find something you like and bring it here! Then we’ll decide which has the cooler one and see if Claude agrees to a trade, hehe!” She spoke with effusiveness, her body a bundle of excitement about to explode.

“Heh, don’t bother, I’ll get the sickest I can find.” Remarked Selorien with a smug tone, clearly challenging the other two.

Ascalon sighed, not one for such shenanigans, but nodded. Lilithra furrowed her brows daringly and smirked, before storming out and disappearing between the shelves. How did she manage to navigate these aisles so deftly? Ascalon thought, as Selorien also banished, leaving him alone with Claude whose attention was focused solely on the feathers.

He felt, somehow, defeated, and walked aimlessly towards nowhere in particular. He didn’t really know what would be a good pick, so he decided to go with his guts! But as he walked, something felt off. He thought he heard something, a faint… whisper? It seemed to linger in the air, like a gentle feel brushing past him—a foreboding feeling.

⌠ “A~, ~y de~r A~~a~o~” ⌡

But no matter how much he focused, he couldn’t quite make out what it was. He shrugged it off, thinking it may have been one of the magical artifacts humming, and kept browsing around. Then, his gaze rested on a shelf, zeroing in on an object nestled among many other trinkets—An emblem he immediately recognized as the mark of his company of knights.

image [https://i.imgur.com/kPXoiyu.png]