Market, he said. Just the market.
Of course, even though he was the Hero, being a bodyguard was a very familiar task to Ketron, who had lived like a mercenary.
Having escorted nobles and even royalty from other countries, Ketron was a veteran among veterans.
But even for him, a request to escort someone merely going to the market was a first. Moreover, from what he could tell, it wasn’t a metaphor—it really was just a market selling vegetables and such.
“You’ll come with me, right?”
“…”
Eddie’s smiling face was bright, as if rejection wasn’t even a consideration. Of course, Ketron was the type who would clearly express his refusal regardless of whether the other person was smiling or frowning, but for some reason, he couldn’t do that with this man.
No matter how trivial the mission, this person had shown him considerable kindness and help.
Besides, just yesterday he had tried to help in return for a meal, but instead of helping, hadn’t he just created food waste?
Ketron’s brow furrowed as he recalled the cloudy broth with escaped starch and the noodles that were so overcooked they had split apart. And this man before him, who hadn’t gotten angry at all, but instead had given him new noodles and lavished praise on him.
After a brief consideration, Ketron finally couldn’t refuse the smiling face before him and nodded.
“Thank you.”
The man brightened. Since seeing that face wasn’t so unpleasant, Ketron quietly pushed back his sweat-soaked hair.
As he did so, he finished rationalizing to himself that this small favor was payment for the mess he had made of the noodles yesterday.
Without such justification, there would be no reason for him to agree to such a trivial matter.
* * *
While Ketron was washing up and preparing to go out, Eddie went down to the convenience store in the basement and brewed a cup of coffee. The familiar whirring sound and the rich aroma of coffee beans filled the convenience store.
“Mmm, iced Americano is really the best.”
Eddie, the founding member of the “Die-hards for Iced Drinks Even in Winter” club tore open an ice cup and made an iced Americano despite the weather gradually approaching winter.
“Gerold, I’m going to the market with Ket.”
Eddie greeted Gerold, who was cleaning the first floor. Although Gerold knew Eddie was going out, he hadn’t known it would be with Ketron, and he frowned.
“With that outsider?”
“His name is Ketron.”
Gerold still seemed displeased with Ketron’s presence in Eddie’s inn. He wouldn’t even call him by name and made no attempt to hide his displeasure at Ketron’s existence. But since it was Eddie’s decision, he could only bear it without comment.
When will these two become friends?
Unaware that the day his wish would come true might never arrive, Eddie took a sip of his coffee.
By then, Ketron had finished preparing and came down. He wasn’t carrying the holy sword on his back.
Certainly, for a neighborhood market, neither the holy sword nor any weapon was really necessary. Besides, the holy sword’s massive size and distinctive appearance, even when covered, would attract attention, so it was right to leave it behind.
Of course, regardless of what sword he held or even if he were unarmed, Ketron would have no problem protecting Eddie.
“Gerold, we’ll be back!”
Afraid that if Ketron and Gerold met, they might engage in another battle of nerves, Eddie grabbed Ketron’s arm and quickly went outside.
The outside air he hadn’t experienced in a while was quite refreshing, though a bit cold as winter was approaching.
Concerned that Ketron might abandon him or that they might get separated, Eddie timidly held onto Ketron’s sleeve.
“…”
Looking quietly at the hand gripping his sleeve, Ketron left it alone. It didn’t matter to him anyway.
“Brrr, it’s a bit cold.”
“If you’re cold, why are you drinking something cold?”
“Because I’m an ice-cold-in-winter person.”
“…?”
This was incomprehensible to Ketron. Naturally, he couldn’t know about coffee, which might not even exist in this world, let alone iced Americano, which even Italians supposedly dislike.
With a hint of playfulness, Eddie offered his cup to Ketron with a smile.
“Want to try?”
“What is it?”
“It’s called Americano… Hmm. Never mind. It won’t suit a child’s palate.”
Because Ketron has a child’s sweet tooth.
Eddie casually made a remark that pierced right through Ketron.
For Ketron, who had never been misunderstood like this in his entire life, it was an unfair accusation. Before meeting this man, he had no history of enjoying sweet things.
Frowning, Ketron extended his hand.
“Give it to me.”
With a strangely smiling face, Eddie handed over his coffee. Perhaps wanting to shed the image of “liking sweet things like a child” that Eddie had described, Ketron didn’t hesitate to take a large gulp of coffee.
Oh, even I would find that much bitter at once. I even added an extra shot.
Indeed, Ketron’s cheeks bulged momentarily as he held the coffee in his mouth, then swallowed it all at once, openly frowning and quietly muttering:
“…Tastes like crap…”
Then, to Eddie’s surprise, he threw the coffee cup he was holding right into the bushes. The gesture was as merciless as if he were disposing of some hideous monstrosity.
“Huh?”
Eddie gaped as he watched the ice cup disappearing into the distant bushes.
Well, he knew that items brought from the convenience store automatically disappeared after a few days once they became trash, so that plastic cup wouldn’t be a problem.
But apart from that, Eddie, who had suddenly lost his precious HP potion, tilted his head in confusion.
Although it wasn’t a big loss since the items were automatically refilled daily, it didn’t seem like Ketron’s personality to throw away someone else’s belongings so carelessly, no matter how bad it tasted.
Indeed, supporting Eddie’s thought, Ketron had a dismayed expression. It seemed throwing it away hadn’t been his intention.
However, Ketron quickly spoke in a resolute voice.
“Someone must have poisoned it, so I threw it away.”
His voice and attitude were unnecessarily defiant.
Eddie stared blankly for a moment. Poison…?
But soon understanding Ketron’s meaning, Eddie couldn’t hold back and burst into loud laughter.
Of course, Ketron probably wasn’t being serious either. If he truly thought it was poison, both Eddie and Ketron should have immediately tried to vomit what they had drunk.
So the statement meant it tasted so bad it might as well have been poison. Though he probably wouldn’t want to admit it, this was essentially acknowledging that he indeed had a child’s palate.
Eddie laughed for a long time. Only when Ketron, wearing a sullen expression, was about to walk ahead did Eddie finally calm down, saying “Let’s go together!” and grabbing Ketron’s sleeve again so they could walk together.
Still, he couldn’t stop the giggles that kept escaping.
Poison, he says, not spoiled but poison… How adorably hilarious.
While the situation itself was funny, what really cracked him up was how Ketron had reflexively thrown the cup and then maintained such a defiant attitude. Eddie had a feeling he would remember Ketron’s statement about “throwing it away because it seemed poisoned” for a long time. He couldn’t stop laughing for quite a while.
“Stop laughing.”
Ketron had to say this after enduring it for too long.
Worried that Ketron might get upset and return to the inn, Eddie desperately tried to suppress his laughter. No, no. I absolutely need to go to the market today.
As they were about to head toward the market, Ketron, who had been frowning at the bitter taste lingering in his mouth, looked at Eddie struggling to contain his laughter and suddenly grabbed the back of Eddie’s neck with his hand.
Eddie’s eyes widened, wondering if Ketron was going to hit him for laughing too much.
“…? Ket?”
“It’s nothing.”
Ketron’s gaze turned toward a man who had been watching them from the second floor of the inn. His gaze was quite cold.
“There was a bug.”
Crunch.
When Ketron crushed whatever he had caught in his hand, the man whose eyes he had met visibly frowned. At the same time, the man’s mana fluctuated.
Ketron, who was both a swordsman and a top-tier battle mage, could see all of this at a glance.
Ketron continued walking. Eddie, still holding Ketron’s sleeve, suddenly found himself matching Ketron’s pace, unaware of what had just happened.
Gerold, left alone, watched their departure with displeasure before turning away abruptly.
He had no choice but to be displeased. If Eddie had chosen that man instead of him as an escort, he had to accept it.
But separately, Gerold, having turned away, leaned against the wall and gasped for breath.
He could feel his heart’s mana rings fluctuating from the shock of having the magic spirit he had attached to Eddie instantly dismantled. While not quite an injury, it wasn’t a shock that could be easily dismissed either.
“…Insolent bastard.”
Gerold’s face was pale as he spat out the words through gritted teeth.