Chapter 24: Chapter 22

Eerie night loomed in the city, and commuters degraded to drunkards settling down on pavements for the night. I followed my lady through the dark streets, her hair tied to the same messed up bun, her clothes not meant for women. The brown cloak fluttered in the chilly breeze of the night, and the cowl over her head had long past settled in the crook of her neck, my lady happy with where it was. Not me, of course.

She never usually went out at night, for she hated the smell of ale.

Let’s not talk about how much she detests drunkards because you might not touch ale for your life. And undead never lie.

The problem with ale was that it made you immune to pain, but not to injuries. Unless you had [Heal] spell, you were a goner in this word since muggers in the dark streets were particularly fond of drunk men for obvious reasons. However, the irony was that men drank their money out and lay on the streets with empty pockets. So, racketeering muggers had to look for bodies with cloaks, and perhaps that might earn them a few shins, leaving drunkards in the cold winter night for cryopreservation.

Shouts resounded in the distance, and some horrifying cries, along with hammering footsteps of the guards, but it was a quiet street around us, magic lamps burning bright and clear into the locked stores.  My favorite bakehouse was closed for the night too, and I glanced longingly at the sign before hurrying after my lady. It was probably close to twenty-one, but I didn’t know, for the moon was a lousy brat, unlike the sun.

“Have you ever touched ale, mongrel?” my lady asked, breaking the stillness of the night. The erratic commuters weren’t in sight, but the crowd increased as we ambled closer to the central plaza.

“Never, my lady,” I replied, and I meant it.

The problem with alcohol, and this time for the undead, was dependence, and once you get addicted to a flavor in one world, you had to say goodbye to transmigration magic. A random fermented scourge of liquid could become the bane of my existence. As I have said before, I died really young. So, as a human, I didn’t really have a chance to drink alcohol, since if I had, I would have used [Memory make] to savor the experience.

I might have missed it? Well, we are talking about me here. Undead in search of novel knowledge and experiences.

“If you ever do,” she turned to give me a glare, “you need to replace your gut.”

Not that I couldn’t, but drinking was out of the question. For a different reason.

“Why do you hate ale so much, my lady?”

“You don’t ask me questions, mongrel,” she said, and I, as ways, stopped asking.

When we reached the central square, it was bustling bright with activity. Open stores, with men and women beckoning people to enter their gambits. Yes, people and not drunkards. You don’t want a brawl in your high-rise gambling store, do you?

They shouted in turns, sharing glares and taunts when one earned a few more warm bodies than the other. Their adorned tunics were befitting those serving the establishment, but they were borrowed, for commoners didn’t enjoy the luxury of buying houppelande or button-down tunics decked with gemstones. Shirts and pants, ironically, were clothes meant for commoners. The noblemen and noblewomen, adding to aristocrats and high merchants, preferred prestige over comfort.

A few ladies spared me a few glances, and the fury in my lady’s eyes was inexplicable. She leaned closer to me, watching the streets around warily. A maiden tripped before us in her fruitless attempt to attract our attention, but alas, she only earned a cold stare from my lady.

Commoners knew Letitia was a noble lady after a single glance at her face, so no one bothered to help out the poor maiden sprawled on the floor.

If you expect me to be a gentleman, then I suggest you perish that thought. Only if my lady asked me to would I help mortals in need, albeit hesitantly.

“Pull that cowl, bastard!” she elbowed my stomach hard and jumped high to reach for my cowl. I bowed down with a smile, and she almost covered my eyes with the cowl. Any more, and the brown cloak would have to be replaced by a new one.

We stumbled across our accomplices soon, hidden in the alley between an auction house and our target, Forth tavern. My bread lad had given them brown mercenary robes, and they served good enough to keep them hidden. Casey was in Beth’s arms, the latter looking around the wide street with vigilance. They could use spells via external casting now, and those were enough to keep hooligans at bay. Or horny drunk males, if I may.

Beth’s eyes lit up when we reached them, and she cast me a wide grin. “The room was amazing, Ruddy! And so was our day.”

I sighed and cast a glance at my lady, who was staring at the shimmering red light of the magic lamps at the top of the bar. It flickered at times, casting our shadows in the long alley, which would serve as an excellent location for mugging. Not that I have ever mugged people. Okay, may two. All right, more. Not after coming to this world, nevertheless, if you discount the fact that we scammed the heroine.

“Is this the place?” my lady asked, and I nodded. “How the hell do you know it, mongrel?”

“My bread lad, I mean, Garlan told me about this place a long time ago, my lady. He said the waiters here were pretty, even though he couldn’t touch them.”

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That did it. “You are not going in, mongrel,” my lady said as if it was obvious. “Show them the scoundrel’s eye.”

“It’s [Devil eye], my lady,” I said and cast the same.  The weird eye loomed around us, and the noble girls, though surprised, stared at it in wonder. I thought it would freak them out, but blame me for forgetting that the ladies were bullies.

“The hell is that sick thing, Ruddy?! It looks so grotesque,” Beth’s face contorted after a while. Casey was strangely silent as if preparing for a humongous war.

I wanted to tell her that slaughtering a prince is not a big deal, but I didn’t like the idea of reassuring her. The only human I have ever consoled is my lady, and that would stay so for eternity. Because I would never serve as a servant of the mortals after this short adventure.

You see, even though our promises are for a few fleeting seconds, we undead are serious about keeping them. If you stumble across undead, get them to promise first by bribing them with bread. Everything else could wait.

 “As I said, it’s [Devil eye],” I said, pulling my lady closer to me as a drunkard passed by, who had probably lost more on gambling. “You can learn it once you reach Progressive high-tier.”

“That gross twitching eye? I am not sure if I want to learn that,” she paused, staring at me in surprise. “Are you a dark attribute mage?”

I looked at my lady, who gave me a nod. “I can use all the attributes. Let’s talk about me later; get going.”

My lady turned out to follow them while I held her back. “If I am not going, my lady, then so are you.”

I thought I saw her smile, but she punched my shoulder lightly and walked to follow her friends to the bar. That was really bad because my lady hated it when people touched her. And the bar was full of touchy people. Touchy in a sense touching touchy, and not sensitive.

I wasn’t sure if I could call it a bar, but let us stick to the modernist approach for now because it was too grandiose to be called a tavern.

I don’t particularly prefer any world, but mathematics has won my heart. After bread, no doubt. So, I might come off as a bit biased.

My eye followed them through the faint light, square tables lined up in front of the counter. It was not much different from my bread lad’s usual tavern, but the people occupying the table were from the upper strata of the society. I kind of realized why my lady didn’t want me inside, because the noblewomen loved playthings, and a butler would be an excellent addition to their collection. Then again, they wouldn’t know where they lost their fingers.

The ambiance inside was more lively than this chilly alley, where a drunkard peed close to my legs, mistaking me for a magic lamp pole. Alas, he wet his own pants, for this undead didn’t want to look at the mortal’s little friend. Though satisfied, he continued his way away from the central square, probably for a few curses from his family if he had one or more drinks if he didn’t.

Beth spoke to the woman behind the counter, stopping my lady. Well, that was one thing she did right for the day because the bartender readily agreed and carried them through the restricted door and to a flight of stairs.

“The prince will not entertain any guests, but you can try your luck,” the bartender said. She was quite polite to the nobles, and my lady was spewing daggers at the [Devil eye]. Fine, the bartender was wearing a revealing dress, but I don’t understand why that should make any difference. My gaze never wandered from my lady’s face after the first look for weapons on the bartender’s body.

I wonder if Letitia would burn me at stake once she becomes a strong mage. That would be a pretty embarrassing way to recover, as I would be stark naked after my clothes get burned.

The royal guards stopped them at the door to the first floor. It was a usual door, nothing surprising about it, and obviously not green in color. Emergency doors don’t exist in this world. Though, I prefer they did. Killing swarming mortals after setting fire to the entrances is a lot less taxing option.

“Please return, noble ladies,” the guard was respectful, but his mustache wasn’t. It was twirled at the corners like horns and reverberated when he talked. “The second prince does not wish to entertain any guests.”

“Tell your highness that the youngest daughter of Hesroeder household is here to see him,” Casey said, and I got my [Devil eye] ready to cast [Fatigue].

The guard’s expression flickered uncertainly, and he glanced at his companion, who had equally perplexed expression. But everyone knew the second prince didn’t get along with the crown prince, so for the guards, tarnishing the reputation of the crown prince came first than subduing a criminal.

And indeed, they didn’t disappoint us, as one walked through the door, into the large room, laden with women and a single man. Laughter resounded in the room, but thankfully all were dressed, and no carnal activities were underway.

 

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