"Mr. Lynn! You're right on time."
"Just Lynn is fine," Lynn said, looking at her. "I don't think I'm actually that much older than you."
At the very least, Lynn had confirmed that his current appearance was roughly the same as his original self at fifteen. It seemed "Zaki" (Hidetaka Miyazaki) had granted him a bit of a de-aging treatment when he sent him here.
"Eh? B-but..." Eina looked a bit troubled. Addressing him so familiarly felt somewhat disrespectful to her professional etiquette.
"No need to be so formal. We aren't technically 'at work' right now, are we?" Lynn smiled and set off. "Let's go. I know absolutely nothing about the Orario real estate market."
Eina watched his decisive back for a moment before finally whispering a soft reply: "Okay... Lynn."
However, the process of finding a place to live was far more grueling than imagined.
The first apartment was located on the ground floor of a dark, damp building. The moment the door opened, a stench of mold mixed with something putrid wafted out. Green moss climbed the corners of the walls.
Lynn honestly felt the environment here was worse than the swamps of Caelid.
"Eight hundred Valis a month, meals not included," the landlord said, a man as thin as a bamboo pole. He rubbed his hands together while his eyes kept darting toward Lynn's coin pouch.
Eina's brow was already knitted into a tight knot. She grabbed Lynn and pulled him straight back out. "No, this place isn't fit for human habitation!"
The second place was an attic.
The space was so cramped that Lynn suspected if he drew his greatsword, he would poke a hole through the roof. The only window faced the neighbor's trash heap, where several massive crows were taking a leisurely stroll.
"Great location! Unique scenery!" the dwarf landlord boasted, spittle flying as he thumped his chest. "Only a thousand Valis a month!"
Eina took a deep breath and pulled Lynn away again.
The third house was decent enough in itself, but the surrounding neighborhood left much to be desired. The alleys were filled with burly men casting unfriendly glares, and the walls were covered in cryptic graffiti.
The landlord was a man with a scarred face who looked at Lynn like a fat sheep ready for slaughter.
"Security is guaranteed. I run this whole block," he said, grinning to reveal a row of yellowed teeth.
As they stepped out of that alley, Eina finally couldn't take it anymore. She stopped, hands on her hips, her face puffed up with anger.
"What on earth was that?! The prices are outrageous and the conditions are pathetic! Those landlords... they're practically bandits! I'm definitely going to have a word with the people in charge of housing verification!" The more she spoke, the angrier she got, her long half-elf ears trembling with agitation.
Lynn, on the other hand, remained calm.
In the Lands Between, a dilapidated shack that could block the wind qualified as a mansion. At best, only the environment of the Roundtable Hold was better. None of this truly bothered him.
But he could see that Eina was genuinely angry on his behalf. Watching her righteous indignation, Lynn found it a bit amusing.
After venting for a bit, Eina's emotions stabilized. She looked at Lynn, then at the sky. The sun had already begun its westward descent.
She bit her lower lip, seemingly wrestling with a difficult decision. Her gaze wavered, and her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her dress.
Finally, as if making a monumental choice, she stomped her foot and looked up to meet Lynn's eyes.
"Um... Lynn!" she blurted out, summoning all her courage. "U-until we find a suitable house... why don't you... just stay at my place for a while longer!"
Lynn looked at her. The glow of the setting sun bathed her in a soft, golden halo. Her beautiful eyes were filled with nervousness and a trace of worry she hadn't even noticed herself.
He was silent for a few seconds before asking, "Are you sure?"
The question was like a needle popping the balloon of Eina's newfound courage. She instantly deflated, her eyes darting away again.
"I-I'm certainly sure!" she insisted, forcing herself to find excuses. Her speech accelerated like she was chanting a spell. "A-as your dedicated advisor, I have a responsibility to ensure your basic livelihood! I can't let an adventurer I'm responsible for sleep on the streets; it would damage the Guild's reputation! Yes, that's it! This is purely for work purposes!"
Her voice grew louder the more she spoke, as if she were trying to convince herself.
Lynn just watched her quietly until she finished. Then, he nodded.
"Okay."
That one word caused all of Eina's prepared follow-up explanations to get stuck in her throat.
That night, Lynn returned once again to Eina's cozy little apartment.
At dinner time, Eina was about to enter the kitchen when she found Lynn already standing inside, staring blankly at the stove and a pile of ingredients.
"Lynn? What are you doing...?"
"I'm making dinner," Lynn said, looking back at her. "I can't stay here for free."
"Didn't I say you were paying rent?"
Lynn shook his head. "I know the rent you're charging me is much lower than the market rate. Besides, I want to do something for you."
This was one of the survival laws of the Lands Between: nothing was ever free. You either took it with your life or exchanged it for Runes.
Eina was stunned; she hadn't expected Lynn to know how to cook. She stood at the kitchen door with curiosity, watching his movements.
Then, she witnessed a culinary show that could only be described as a disaster.
Lynn clearly hadn't touched refined kitchen utensils in a long time. His way of handling ingredients was blunt and primitive—carrots and potatoes were chopped into wildly uneven sizes, and the meat was practically torn apart with raw force.
He seemed to have no concept of seasoning. He simply grabbed a handful of whatever spices he found and tossed them into the pot by feel. Then he added water, slammed on the lid, and cranked up the heat. The entire process was filled with a wild, primordial energy; it looked less like cooking and more like some mysterious alchemical ritual.
Eina's heart was in her throat. Several times she wanted to rush in and stop him, but seeing Lynn's intensely serious expression, she forced herself to hold back.
Half an hour later, a pot of yellowish-brown stew radiating a complex aroma was brought to the table.
"...What is this?" Eina asked, looking at the mass in the pot with difficulty.
"Stewed meat," Lynn replied with total confidence. He ladled a bowl for himself first and took a bite. After chewing a few times, he nodded. "Edible."
Preparing herself for the worst, Eina served herself a small bowl. She closed her eyes and took a spoonful.
To her surprise, the taste... wasn't actually that bad. Though its appearance was hideous and the flavors of the various ingredients were clashing aggressively, the combination somehow produced a strangely hearty, rustic flavor.
"How is it?" Lynn asked.
Eina opened her eyes and saw his golden gaze searching for a reaction. For some reason, she suddenly smiled.
"Well," she said. "It certainly has a lot of... personal style."
"Told you. I've made this kind of stew many times; it won't taste bad."
Deep in the night, at the Twilight Manor—the headquarters of the Loki Familia.
Ais returned to her room in silence. She still carried the dust and faint scent of blood from the Dungeon, but she didn't go to wash up immediately as she usually did. Instead, she walked straight to the window and sat down.
Outside, the massive Tower of Babel pierced the clouds, and the city lights twinkled like stars in the night. She wasn't looking at the scenery; she just sat there, her golden eyes unfocused.
"I can't teach you."
His words were like a thorn stuck in her heart. Why? Why exactly?
The door to her room was pushed open a crack, and a petite figure slipped inside.
"Our Sword Princess is pondering the meaning of life again, I see?"
A flippant, familiar voice rang out behind her. The red-haired goddess, Loki, sauntered over with a grin, swinging a bottle of high-end Soma wine in her hand.
"What's on your mind, my Ais-tan? You've got the look of someone who's just been dumped by a bad boy."
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