Races: Online

Compared to the inns that one saw in smaller cities, villages and even the ones found in the middle of roads that one travelled to—the City of Gloria had its fair share of luxurious inns. The type of inn where the Innkeeper was at least a Level 30 compared to the ones who stayed in their Level 10s or even Level 20s. The ones Level 30 and above, these were the ones who really knew what they were doing with their Class. It could have been said that one truly succeeded when they reached that level.

And the one that they were currently in now? The owner was a level 50 Innkeeper. The Sleepy Cat's Inn was actually owned by a Cat Beastkin, and the owner, Felicity, had her exquisite tastes while maintaining the comfort of her guests. Everything was just 'purrfect' for her and she was great at keeping the rats out of the inn.

By rats, it meant that each guest had their complete privacy.

Each room was completely sound-proof to ensure that each guest could stay comfortable in their rooms and without the pesky sound of your next-room neighbor having a one night stand with someone. And it was also good for conversing about things that one didn't want to share to other people—one had to fight with a Level 50 Innkeeper's Skill to actually attempt to [ Scry ] and [ Eavesdrop ] so good luck with that. 

A certain Bodyguard sat in one of the available chairs in the rooms and looked at his senior. It had already been more than enough time to make their ward's father worry about why his daughter hadn't yet returned—but Gesth wasn't making any move to contact their employer. 

Now Liam was actually sipping a glass of warm milk for lunch, and he had just enjoyed a refreshing bluefin skipper fish salad (which somehow went together well), but finally placed the half-empty glass down. It was actually time to talk. The Bodyguard wiped the corner of his mouth and watched his senior not touch his own food.

"Uh...Gesth."

The much older man had his hands folded together and looked to be deep in thought. So deep in thought that the usually alert and sprightly old man didn't even seem to hear him at all.

Liam tried again, "Uh, old man? Are you alright? What seems to be the problem?" It was a strange thing to ask, the young man was used with Gesth asking him—their relationship was close to a mentor and apprentice, so it was actually the first time that he'd seen the man's guard was down.

"That kid." Gesth muttered underneath his breath.

But since Liam and the room was quiet, he heard them say it clearly. And there was only one kid they've encountered so far, at least only one who they actually interacted with. He scratched the back of his head, "Were you regretting giving the young man the twenty gold coins?" He sighed. "I mean, it came to me belatedly that the boy could have been lying—"

"No… they couldn't be lying." The old man's voice was deep and gravelly. The kind of voice that could have made Crooks and Thieves tremble. And yet there was a twinge to his voice, a tinge of vulnerability in it.

It kind of made Liam a little nervous as he dabbed his face with a napkin.

This was the old man who'd probably broken the faces of many people without any care and concern, and yet he was getting caught up with a complete stranger's story? Suffice to say, the story of the boy's dead mom and him pursuing their dreams was actually touching, but it wasn't enough to shake the old man's entire worldview and self.

Liam wished that he should have used the truth detecting crystal on the boy, but the purpose of such a thing wasn't for them to verify every random stranger's sob stories, it was supposed to verify and find out where their ward was. And now his senior was having problems. Now Liam had actually heard rumors before, Gesth was fired before by his previous employer before getting hired by their current one.

It was a testament to the old man's Skills.

But they had still been fired by some well-known Noble or something. At least that was what Liam had heard from those Soldiers when they were drinking in the barracks. Actually, Liam hadn't said a thing had he? He coughed lightly, "Uh… how do you know that, Gesth?"

The man didn't say a word.

And Liam was afraid that the old man was going to pretend that he didn't hear him, which was actually done on a lot of occasions. But then he heard a sniff. And Liam's eyes widened when he realized that the old man was trying to hold back their tears? Gesth's back was turned to him so he couldn't exactly see. The young Bodyguard stood frozen for a moment and unsure what to say now.

...He had been planning to say that the two of them should actually start reporting to their father's ward or do some more searching for said ward. But now he was just going to sip his warm milk. He didn't want to stand up and pat the old man in the back, the two of them weren't actually that close—and Gesth might actually just punch him in the gut if he showed anything like sympathy.

Liam looked down at his now empty glass of milk. "I think we need a stronger kind of drink."

.. .

Timothy was returning back to his own room while carrying the tray of lunch, he tried to erase the scene in the dining hall but… the thing that happened was weird. But he had chosen to ignore it and he shook his head. "Stupid family reunions." He said it to himself but even he recognized the scorch in his voice and the stuffy feeling in his chest.

He was jealous.

He didn't even know who was the other guy in that Noble's group of friends, nor did he recognize the blonde girl that talked to the guy with gauntlets, but they were cousins. And it didn't change the fact that it was still enough to make him feel like he had swallowed a bitter root found in the Enchanted Forest or the weird frog soup his mother made him when food was scarce. Timothy sighed and closed his eyes.

Family.

He hated the fact that he was the only one he knew as the living member of his family. His mother had made no mention of relatives, husband or anything at all—and at first, he was content with it. A young boy living with his mother in Rockfall Village, there was nothing wrong with it. His mother had raised him well.

But she was like a clam shut about everything.

Or perhaps there truly was nothing to talk about. Timothy had tried eavesdropping when his mother talked with the neighbors when he was younger, but there was no mention of any father, brother or even any relative. It was just the two of them. And maybe that was all there is to it.

It didn't matter if his father was dead or alive.

"If he had been dead, she would have at least talked about him." Timothy grunted as he opened the door to his room and stepped in. "Must have been some asshole."

"Who's the asshole?"

Timothy looked up and saw Iola was seated by his study table. For a change, he didn't see her in his bed. "I almost forgot that you were here."

"Very funny, you wouldn't go back to your room if it wasn't for me." Iola gave him a big smile and clasped her hands together. It wasn't a genuine one, or at least she smiled in a sardonic manner—not because she was actually pleased.

But it didn't stop him from snorting as he walked over to the table and placed back the tray on the table. Before the woman could actually make a move towards the sauteed deep-ocean fish, he stopped her with a hand and turned to the food. "[ Extra Rations ]." He watched another plate and utensils with the same exact food appear beside it. 

He grabbed the food and plopped down on his bed.

The young woman glanced back to him and frowned slightly, he hadn't exactly responded to her. And that was as much as he should do, Timothy began to dig in his meal. There was no need for any pretenses—

"A little civility would be nice."

Timothy looked up and spat out a fish bone, "What?"

Iola picked up the utensils and sliced through her fish, she scrunched up her face and sighed aloud. The young woman didn't grasp for topics as she looked down at her plate, "I must admit that Skill is really useful. Were you perchance a Soldier before?"

"Soldier?" 

She bit into her fish and chewed for a minute before she said, "Kraelonia Academy accepts Students from all backgrounds and age, though most who study are young men and women. But it's not surprising for perhaps a Soldier to take their studies in order to maximize their learnings. This [ Extra Rations ] Skill is useful for a Soldier, especially someone who's in a tour of duty—"

"No, I wasn't a Soldier or anything fancy."

Iola sniffed, "You call a Soldier a fancy class?"

Timothy frowned at her, but sighed. The less that she knew him about him was probably for the best, but he wanted to say it. The praise of some people was finally getting to him, he didn't understand why Professor Lavelda said he had an ample amount of mana nor did he get why Penelope was impressed with his [ Firestarter ] Skill. And he hadn't even mentioned this to Han either.

"The reason why I think it's fancy is easy, not sure if you've guessed it but my Class is Cook."

"Oh." Iola pursed her lips together, "That makes sense too… in a way?"

Timothy sighed and looked down at his plate of food. He could still remember what the Headmaster had said the moment that he arrived with Han at Kraelonia Academy: 'I was under the assumption that you were here to bring geniuses and future heroes, but you have brought—one averagely classed boy…' 

"...That Skill, I gained it when I leveled up to 10 and my mother had been proud of me that time." Timothy shoveled some more fish into his mouth. "It's pretty darn useful alright."

"O-of course, someone like your mother would be proud of you huh?"

He looked up to see Iola fiddling with her utensils, "What about you? Are you thinking about your mother when you ran away from your home?"