Chapter 7: Shopping


TL: Scaramochi


***


I hold back.


I almost turn around and hug Tiana.


"Oh. That's enough." 


I call out and Tiana walks out of the impulse.


Phew. As I expected, I wasn't so thick-skinned that I could have done the deed in the courtyard while it was still daylight.


I'm sure the neighbors could hear us, and I didn't know what the old lady next door would say to me later.


I turned around and saw a small table in front of the impost behind me.


There was a set of my clothes. They all smelled of the sun and were comfortable.


As I put my sleeves on and went outside, Tiana came over and started to clean up.


"I'll take care of the armor myself."


"Understood. Then, I will leave it here. I hope I washed your back well. It felt so good when Master Eilia washed me in the temple. I wanted to do the same for my Master."


"......Oh."


Damn it. I want Eilia to wash me too! Or rather, I want to wash each other!


But if it had been Eilia, I wouldn't have been able to restrain myself. I would have been unable to control my sexuality, especially with her loose-fitting clothes.


While I was having a lecherous fantasy, the memory of Eilia's dignified appearance interrupted me.


In our last adventure, she had blown the head off a dead spirit with her mace, right? I instantly felt as if I had been doused with cold water.


I wake up from my delusion.


Tiana looks at me curiously as I sit on a bench in a garden with peeling paint.


"Master. Your face looks pale, are you all right?"


"Oh. Yes, I am. I remember the other day when we were diving in the dungeon."


Tiana comes right up to me and looks at me with sparkling eyes.


"My master is amazing, isn't he? The other day he took down an orc in no time, and I can't believe you're adventuring in a dungeon. It's full of dangers, isn't it?"


"Well, yes. Orcs are like the lowest of the low. There are plenty of other scary monsters out there."


Tiana's wide-open eyes roll back in surprise.


"Monsters are scary, but there are also dangerous traps in the dungeon. You can be sent flying far away in an instant, poisonous gas can come out, alarms can go off and bring in monsters, and so on. Even treasure chests can be dangerous if you're not careful!"


The sudden loud voice of mine startled Tiana. But she soon giggles.


"I'm so scared by all this. Master must have experienced much scarier things. Dungeons are very dangerous places, aren't they?"


"Well, I'm good at spotting and disarming those traps. Maybe I'm just good with my hands."


"I'm sure you are. I'm clumsy."


"No, you're not. You were a good cook."


"But. I was a terrible seamstress. ......I was always being scolded for it."


Tiana looks down with a sad face. A drop of water falls to the ground.


Aww, is it really worth crying about?


I stand up and gently hug Tiana. Tiana's body stiffens a little.


She must have been sweating from her work, but she had a faintly nice fragrance. However, her skin was not firm and dry like a girl of her age.


Hmm. I guess it will be a while yet.


Tiana took a sniff and looked up. She gently pushed my body away and forced a smile.


"I'm sorry for looking so shabby. Please don't be offended if I'm not very good at mending things."


"Oh."


Then, Tiana shouted.


"I have to prepare dinner! Master. Is there anything you would like to eat?"


"Yes. I'd like to eat some fish."


"Okay. May I go shopping then?"


I think for a moment.


There is a possibility that she could have caught me off guard and run away.


Maybe she saw through my feelings when I hugged her earlier.


Did she realize that if she stays with me she won't just be hugged by me sooner or later?


Well, let's wait and see.


For now, I handed her a bag containing a few copper coins and a few small copper coins.


"Well, I'm off then."


I laid a freshly washed cloth in a basket lying in the corner of the room, and Tiana cheerfully left.


I quickly closed the door and made my way ahead through the back streets.


I know the streets well after all, and I'm good at this kind of covert action.


While I was hiding in the darkness along a side street, Tiana came into the store.


At first she was awkward, but soon she and the proprietress struck up a conversation.


"Me?　I serve Master Harris."


"Don't you have that good look in your eyes?　Does he live on the street and hang around all the time?"


The voice was louder or quieter depending on the direction of the wind.


"He is very kind to me. I used to have a lot of scars, but he asked his priestess friend to heal them."


"That drunkard has a priestess friend?"


"The reason he seems to be hanging around is because he has a very uptight job. That's why he's so relaxed when he's at home. I'm sure they are."


"That's incredible."


"He also saved me when I was attacked by orcs. I was attacked by an orc and he took them down in a flash. It was so cool."


"Hmm. I see. Well, if you say so, I must be mistaken. Oh, yeah. Fish? How about trout? It's fatty and ready to eat."


"Well, then. I'll have some of that."


Everywhere I went, Tiana praised me to no end. It was enough to make my ass itch.


Even the townspeople, who had been skeptical at first, said, "Oh, yeah?"


Well, I didn't feel bad at all.


And then, I ran home when Tiana turned her feet to the house and greeted her slouched on the couch.



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