A face I was seeing for the first time in a week.
The moment our eyes met, a sudden wave of awkwardness made me subtly avert my gaze.
‘Especially since I was just talking about him….’
“Welcome.”
Regardless, he was a customer, so I guided him to a seat.
Even though it was a fairly small village, it was surprisingly strange how we hadn’t run into each other all this time.
Of course, my usual routes were limited, but considering that Ragner had always approached me first until now, it felt more like he had been avoiding running into me.
‘Did he get the same advice from Ruadis?’
Seeing him after a long time, he was dressed far too casually.
Even though he had a build rarely seen in this village, at a glance, he looked so ordinary that one might mistake him for just another villager.
‘She said he was helping with the temple construction, so maybe he dressed accordingly?’
At our first meeting, he had worn armor, and at our second, shoulder guards for combat—lesser, but still combat gear.
Perhaps that was why. His current appearance felt completely defenseless.
Of course, even without equipment, our dungeon employees wouldn’t stand a chance against him.
“Would you like to order?”
“Ah, no meal for me—just tea, please.”
Our restaurant also served as a tea house. In fact, aside from the tavern, it was the only place in the village that made and sold food.
“Tea… with some snacks as well?”
While dishes could be chosen from the menu, tea was different.
Since it wasn’t a specialized tea house, the tea customers could drink was decided by whatever the older woman felt like brewing that day.
“Yes, please.”
Having finished his order, Ragner glanced out the window with a somewhat uncomfortable look. He seemed to be on guard against something.
“I’ve taken the order for tea and snacks for table 2.”
“Hehe, since it’s quiet, go keep him company. You said you wanted to contact him, didn’t you?”
The older woman, with a grinning face, took the order slip and patted my arm, gesturing with her chin toward Ragner’s table.
“Pardon? No, I can’t do that during work hours….”
“The fact that he ordered tea when he doesn’t even like it makes it obvious. Everyone in the village knows that boy can’t stomach bitter things.”
“Huh? He doesn’t like tea?”
Then why come all the way here just to drink tea?
“Right. Especially our shop’s tea. We only sell medicinal teas.”
“But last time he came, he seemed to drink it just fine….”
“Why do you think that was? Our Choi really has no sense sometimes.”
In the end, thanks to the older woman’s consideration—or rather, her not-so-subtle consideration—I barely managed to secure a seat to talk with Ragner.
‘Maybe this is actually better. With so many people around, even if I bring up something disrespectful about his friend, he won’t just grab me and drag me away, right?’
As I set the teacup down in front of Ragner, I subtly studied his expression.
‘He hates bitter things. Didn’t he drink it just fine, though?’
But when the steam carrying the scent from the teacup reached his face, I definitely saw it.
The moment his delicate brow furrowed ever so slightly.
‘Oh… he hates it.’
A change in expression I would have missed if I hadn’t been watching closely.
But the change was only momentary—his expression soon smoothed back into calm.
He was someone who managed his expressions extremely well.
“…….”
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
‘Could this… be considered a weakness of Ragner’s?’
It was a ridiculous thought, but it was the only gap I had found in a man I felt our dungeon employees could never defeat even if they all rushed him with everything they had.
If Ragner ever changed his mind and decided to attack the dungeon, we had no way to stop him.
But what if we burned incense that reeked of bitter scents at the entrance, or created a pit trap filled with bitter-tasting liquid…?
I imagined requisitioning a massive amount of the older woman’s medicinal tea and using the slime to spray it endlessly throughout the dungeon….
I imagined spraying medicinal tea at the approaching Ragner like insect repellent spray, but it seemed too childish, so I stopped.
Scrape.
It was around then that I snapped out of my thoughts at the faint sound of something sliding on the table.
“Hm?”
It was the sound of Ragner pushing the snack plate served in front of him toward me with his finger.
As if telling me to eat it instead.
‘He didn’t even ask if I had time to spare….’
As if possessed, I naturally sat down across from him.
Perhaps it was because it was almost lunchtime and hunger led me to the snacks. The cookies the older woman baked were truly delicious.
“It’s been a while since you came.”
Actually, by restaurant customer standards, returning after a week wasn’t that long. He was practically a regular.
“There were… some busy matters.”
Glance—he glanced out the window again.
Was there something waiting outside?
“You said you’re unemployed? Ah! I heard you’re helping with the temple, so is it because of that…?”
“You must not come anywhere near the temple.”
“Pardon?”
The moment I brought up the temple, his firm voice immediately followed.
“Ah… I heard from Ruadis. I’ve been really careful, just as she said. I go straight back after my part-time job ends, and I don’t even glance northward….”
Suddenly, I found myself making excuses like someone with a guilty conscience.
“You did well. There’s nothing good about getting entangled with the temple, Choi.”
Though it was surely just a simple compliment with no deeper meaning, it somehow felt satisfying.
‘Saying I did well… is because you also became an accomplice by overlooking me instead of reporting me as a heretic? Then can I take that to mean we’re truly on the same side?’
He was still someone whose inner thoughts I couldn’t read at all, but an ally was better than an enemy.
I could lighten the mood by chatting about trivial things, but since the topic I needed to discuss was heavy, I judged it better to hold back.
“Um….”
I agonized and agonized over how to bring it up so he wouldn’t immediately change his mind and drag me to the temple himself.
One deep breath.
“I’ve been looking into items to fill the reward room… and so….”
I explained in order: how I went to the general store and learned the items I wanted were out of stock, how the craftsmen were struggling to produce them due to a lack of materials.
And the reason material gathering had become difficult….
“You must not go into the eastern forest.”
Another warning flew at me.
But I already went. Twice.
“I’ve already seen the monster.”
Ragner’s brow furrowed slightly. It wasn’t just because of the bitter tea.
“I went with Ruadis! Not alone.”
“That was well done. Facing a monster alone can be dangerous.”
“Um… in case you’ve forgotten…? My relationship with monsters isn’t exactly bad….”
If you think about it, it’s a business relationship.
“It can still be dangerous.”
Was this worry, or a warning not to do reckless things?
“So… the thing is, I happened to see something there. Besides the monster.”
“What did you see?”
I rubbed my fingers together, trying to soothe my unease.
Even so, I diligently checked the restaurant exit and the side door to the kitchen. One leg was already out of my chair, ready to bolt at any moment.
Yes, if things go wrong, I’ll run.
Rather than being dragged to the temple right now, running away and planning for later wasn’t a bad idea.
“I saw… a grave.”
Glance—I rolled my eyes to check Ragner’s expression.
An unreadable expression.
“A grave.”
“I also saw a pendant necklace placed there. Ah, at first I didn’t even know it was a grave and just touched it out of curiosity! I didn’t damage it or have any bad intentions! I was just really curious….”
The truth was I realized it was a grave pretty quickly, but.
As I desperately made excuses, I realized. This probably made me look even more suspicious, didn’t it?
“Did you happen to open the pendant?”
“Yes. I’m sorry for touching it carelessly.”
Ragner’s gaze left me and went somewhere in the shop. It was the face of someone trying to recall something from the past.
My anxiety transferred, and I pressed down on my trembling legs with force while watching Ragner’s reaction.
‘He doesn’t seem angry. He doesn’t look displeased either.’
Perhaps because I had spent so long talking face-to-face with strangers, I was somewhat confident in vaguely reading the other person’s emotions.
‘Still safe for now.’
“There’s nothing to apologize for. That one would have been glad someone else came to visit after so long.”
“That one”—a pretty affectionate way to refer to him.
He had essentially answered my question before I could even ask if the other person in the photo was a friend.
Though that friend—would he really have been glad? Two noisy, fussy fairies came along with me, after all….
