Chapter 11: The Inn and the Girl

"Here, this is the agreed-upon payment. Forty Silver Lions in total."

Standing at the door to her room, Kaelin pushed a leather pouch toward Raine, puffing out her chest and raising an eyebrow. "I told you I wouldn't go back on my word."

Then, as if remembering something, she added, "There should be a few Silver Double Axes in there too. Whatever, they can be used here anyway."

Raine took the coin pouch, weighing it in his hand before opening it to take a look. Amidst the gleaming silver light, there were indeed two types of Silver Coins. They were nearly identical in size but bore different stamped patterns.

One featured a roaring lion. This was the currency issued by the Solan Kingdom—the Kingdom where Mottled Town and Raine were currently located—commonly known as the Silver Lion.

The other depicted two crossed axes. This was the currency of the Solan Kingdom's northern neighbor, the Grim Kingdom, which was naturally the Silver Double Axe Kaelin had mentioned.

The Grim Kingdom was covered in ice, snow, and permafrost year-round, and its people were exceptionally fierce. To the Solans, they were known by a much more widespread moniker: Northern Barbarians.

Finished counting the pouch, Raine nodded in satisfaction.

Kaelin was right. After the signing of the famous "Ebb Tide Accord," the currencies of the Human Race's various nations had long become universally accepted. However, Mottled Town was located in the southern part of the Kingdom, thousands of miles away from the Northern Territory. Silver Double Axes were quite rare here; a significant portion of them were brought over by the barbarian travelers themselves.

Was she also from Grim in the north? It was certainly possible.

The forest resources there were not abundant, consisting primarily of ice fields and snowy ridges. This would explain why she was so inept at traversing woodlands.

This thought merely flashed through Raine's mind, and he didn't dwell on it any further.

Mottled Town, adjacent to the Demon Shadow Forest, was one of the Kingdom's famous holy grounds for adventure, seeing countless Adventurers come and go. Even Alien Races like Half-Elves, Dwarves, Beastmen, Elves, Dragon Descendants, and Tieflings could occasionally be seen, sometimes even becoming adventuring companions. Therefore, even if Kaelin truly was a Grim, it was nothing to be surprised about.

"A pleasure working with you," Raine gave her a parting greeting and headed downstairs on his own.

Returning to the bustling first-floor lobby, he walked up to Lady Basha and placed a Silver Lion on the bar counter. "Lady Basha, please give me the cheapest single room. Keep the change as advance rent."

At the Return Inn—a safe haven upheld by the wife and daughter of a missing Adventurer—the daily rent for such a room was only three Copper Deer. A monthly rental would be a third cheaper.

Lady Basha looked up. Her gaze first landed on the gleaming Silver Lion, then swiftly swept over Raine's bloodstained collar and the Arrows in his Quiver, which were smeared with sap and dirt. Finally, she looked into Raine's eyes. They revealed exhaustion but lacked his usual drunken decadence.

She didn't ask a single question. With a slight nod, she silently took out a thick leather-bound ledger with heavily frayed edges, opened it, dipped her feather pen into the inkwell, and began to register him.

Her movements were as efficient as ever, but her pen tip paused ever so slightly when she wrote down the name "Raine."

Not long ago, this name had always been associated with "running a tab," "drunkenness," and "scandal."

A faint breath slipped quietly from her nose—like a sigh of relief, or perhaps a sense of comforting closure. This kid had finally taken a step forward.

The thought flashed through her mind, leaving almost no trace on her weather-beaten face. She quickly finished the registration and fetched a mottled Brass Key from under the counter.

"Second floor, Room 7 at the end of the hall."

Her voice was as steady as usual. She placed the key on the counter and used her callused palm to gently push it forward an inch, making it easier for Raine to grab.

Just as Raine was about to take the key, Lian—who had been pricking up her ears while pretending to wipe a wine glass—could no longer hold back and leaned in.

Her clear eyes were brimming with curiosity, her gaze unabashedly looking Raine up and down.

How could he have returned with that cool red-haired lady? Both of them were covered in blood. Could it be that they had just teamed up for an adventure? But why would a red-haired lady who could easily knock out two drunks choose a frail young man—even if he seemed a bit different now—as her companion? And that subtle atmosphere of returning together despite seeming so distant...

Could there be an unknown, perhaps even tragic, love story between them?

The romantic ballads sung by the Minstrels she loved to listen to were full of such tropes, causing her imagination to run wild. Perhaps it was familial opposition? Or a cruel twist of fate? Was that why they walked one after the other, pretending to be strangers while secretly protecting each other?

The young girl's naive heartstrings were quickly plucked by the drama she had woven herself, and her cheeks and the tips of her ears began to burn.

She opened her mouth, just about to voice her "keen insights" and curiosity, but Lady Basha shot her a stern glare that instantly burst the romantic bubble she had just built in her head.

Lian shrank her pale neck, wilting like a frostbitten flower. Pouting, she reluctantly resumed wiping the wooden mug she had already polished to a shine. Yet, her eyes uncontrollably drifted back to Raine, trying to find more evidence in his weary gaze to support her "tragic love story" theory.

"Thanks, Lady Basha."

Raine picked up the cold, rough Brass Key. The solid texture against his fingertips gave his exhausted mind a slight boost. It meant he finally had a place to stay—one earned with his own two hands.

...

[Mottled Town • South District • Spring Bathhouse]

[Description: The boss here, "Water Bag Fizz," was once a young man harboring dreams of adventure. Fortunately, he demonstrated a faint Natural Affinity, allowing him to become a Druid Apprentice. Unfortunately, his pitiful talent was extremely limited, and he ultimately only managed to grasp a single First Ring Spell: the "Water Creation Technique." In an adventuring party, the value of a Druid Apprentice who could only conjure a few buckets of water out of thin air was roughly equivalent to a walking Water Bag—hence the nickname. After experiencing several unsurprising party disbandments and "polite" dismissals, he returned to Mottled Town, utterly disheartened. However, he soon found the perfect use for his abilities: he opened this bathhouse and naturally took on the role of the town's chief firefighter.]

In an alley about half a block away from the Return Inn, Raine looked up at the bathhouse sign with its flowing water motif. His eyes then fell on the small print beneath it: "Providing real 'Magic' hot water."

Driven by a hint of curiosity, he pushed open the doors to the bathhouse.