“What’s this, innkeeper? Is he your secret lover?”
That was the very first thing the vegetable vendor said upon seeing them. Eddie blinked in confusion for a moment, not quite processing it.
But then, belatedly, he realized that the vendor had recognized him as the innkeeper—and that the “secret lover” comment was referring to Ketron, who had been walking at his side with Eddie still clutching his sleeve the whole time.
Internally flustered, Eddie replied with an easygoing smile.
“If he were my lover, why would I hide him? Look how handsome he is.”
“Well, sure, he’s handsome, but that guy’s got a pretty intense vibe. Maybe that’s why you’re keeping him secret?”
“Nah, not at all.”
Eddie immediately denied it.
“He’s actually a sweetheart.”
He was, after all, the righteous and kind protagonist.
Meanwhile, the actual subject of the conversation, Ketron, looked at the two of them as if he couldn’t believe they were openly chatting about him like this right in front of him. But neither Eddie nor the vendor seemed to care. They both knew it was just a joke.
Well—mostly a joke. There was a grain of truth under the banter. After all, the Reneba Empire’s capital, Irena, was famously known as the City of Pleasure. Nobody cared much about social walls here. Even nobles having male lovers was a perfectly accepted trope.
In fact, in the original novel The Hero Doesn’t Hide His Power Too Well, there was an episode involving a noble’s male lover.
Though the scene wasn’t explicit, the episode involved the hero party rescuing a delicate-looking commoner man from a brazen noble who’d tried to drag him off to his estate just because he fancied him.
What made the episode particularly memorable was how Augustine, usually so gentle and jovial, dropped his usual demeanor and transformed into a wrathful punisher, utterly wrecking that noble.
Anyway.
“Can you knock a little off the price for the cabbage?”
“Hey now, this is top-grade cabbage at that price! It’s practically a steal!”
The vegetable vendor remained firm. But when Eddie leaned in close and whispered something, the man’s defenses instantly crumbled.
“Mister, didn’t you take two banana milks last time?”
“...H-How did you know that?!”
“I know everything.”
The truth was, Eddie had asked Gerold to quietly report any customers who took more than their share. But he played it off with a sly grin.
The vendor coughed awkwardly.
“I was gonna give one to my daughter and one to my son…”
“Oh, I get it. When there’s something tasty, of course you want your kids to have it first. …So, about that cabbage?”
How could anyone not yield after that? The vendor sagged in defeat.
“Alright… I’ll give you a discount…”
From then on, Eddie blazed through the market like a pro.
Getting out was the hard part—once there, he skillfully haggled prices and snatched up anything that caught his eye.
Because it was the market, prices for most foodstuffs were low enough that even with Eddie’s still-tight wallet, he could afford quite a bit.
“Huh?”
That’s when he spotted a snack cart. Surrounded by children, it sold some kind of fluffy stick candy that reminded Eddie of cotton candy from back home.
Drawn like a moth to flame, he drifted closer.
“Welcome!”
“Mister, what flavors do you have?”
“Hmm, pretty much all the fruits, you name it!”
I don’t even know what fruits are native to this world.
Some of the fruit here existed back on Earth. Some existed in real life but not here—like bananas. And some existed only here. Which made it hard to choose.
Unfortunately, all the flavors he saw were from fruits he didn’t recognize. Eddie finally just picked the most appetizing-looking yellow one.
“Then I’ll take this one. T-tatati?”
“Got it~ Hold on just a sec!”
The vendor expertly twirled the stick and crafted a giant puff of fluffy yellow candy. It quickly grew larger than Eddie’s face.
After paying, Eddie returned to Ketron with a bright grin and offered him the candy.
“…?”
Judging by his confused expression, Ketron didn’t understand why Eddie was handing it to him.
Honestly, this guy’s not very quick on the uptake, huh?
Eddie, widely considered the king of not reading the room, was judging him for it.
“Eat it.”
“…Why would I.”
“Ket, you love sweets.”
Speaking like he was doing him a huge favor, Eddie practically shoved the fluffy treat into Ketron’s face until he reflexively took it.
When Eddie held it, it had looked pretty normal. But in Ketron’s hand, it looked like a toy for kids.
“I don’t like this kind of thing.”
Ketron tried to return it with a serious face, but Eddie made no move to take it back. Instead, his eyes went wide like he’d just heard something absurd.
“Ket, you go crazy for sweets. You embarrassed?”
“No, I really—”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Grown-ups can like sweet stuff too.”
Eddie gave him a soft, understanding look, then reached out and gently patted his head.
Ketron froze. It wasn’t just the patronizing tone—it was the head-patting that threw him. He was holding some puffed-up candy on a stick, something he’d never tasted in his life, and getting petted like a child.
“Mom, I want that too!”
A passing kid tugged on their mom’s hand, eyeing the treat Ketron was holding.
Ketron realized he had only two choices: throw it away or just eat it quickly.
He chose the latter. Practically inhaling the candy in one go, he saw Eddie looking at him with a proud, beaming expression.
“……”
Ketron felt like he’d just been reduced to an actual child. And he didn’t think it was just his imagination. Standing beside him was a man who treated him in ways no one else ever had.
Like he was just… a normal kid.
Suddenly, Ketron grew curious about Eddie’s age. Come to think of it, aside from his name and the fact that he owned the inn, he didn’t actually know much about him.
“…You.”
“Hmm?”
Eddie, scanning the area for his next shopping target, turned at Ketron’s hesitant call.
“How old are you?”
“What?”
Eddie blinked, startled by the unexpected question.
It was the first time Ketron had asked something personal. For a moment, Eddie felt like a tightly locked door had just opened a crack.
Then he smiled brightly.
“Twenty-four.”
…Huh? How do I know I’m twenty-four?
Even though he’d answered reflexively, Eddie found himself wondering.
His real age was twenty-eight. He was much older than Ketron, who was twenty. But the Eddie of this world—unlike Lee Jeong-hoon—was twenty-four.
Kind of soft and fresh, really… But since the original novel didn’t include this version of Eddie, there hadn’t been much information to go on. The fact that he answered so quickly probably meant the detail was instinctively imprinted in his mind.
Satisfied with that explanation, Eddie nodded to himself.
Meanwhile, Ketron scowled.
“…It’s not even that big a difference.”
And yet I’m being treated like a kid.
Eddie tilted his head at the disgruntled mutter.
“Huh? What was that?”
Ketron didn’t answer. Instead, he silently reached out and took the bags from Eddie’s arms.
“I’ll carry them.”
Eddie, whose arms were just starting to ache, gladly accepted the help.
“You will? Thanks.”
He barely resisted the urge to pat Ketron’s head again. Twice in one day felt like too much. For now. One day, he would give in—but he’d hold back for now.
Though Ketron was technically acting as his escort, Eddie was glad they’d come out together.
Neither of them could stay cooped up in the inn forever, after all.
And really, it wasn’t so bad.
Eddie puffed himself up with pride. He said it was no big deal, but deep down, he doubted he’d be able to stroll around so confidently without Ketron next to him.
Right now, he could act bold because he had Ketron with him—like an herbivore pretending to be brave because it had a tiger at its back.
As they continued shopping, the load in Ketron’s hands kept growing. Eventually, even if they split it between them, they’d still be short on hands. Eddie was just starting to wonder if he should buy a cart.
That’s when he noticed the commotion.
“…?”
The people nearby were murmuring, and a small crowd was forming in one direction.
Eddie quickly figured out why.
“Saint Layla is visiting the ward for relief work!”
“Do you think we’ll get a blessing if we go nearby?”
Eddie froze in place, body stiffening instinctively. Then, carefully, he glanced toward Ketron.
Ketron had definitely heard the same announcement—probably clearer than Eddie had. But his face was unreadable, a perfectly blank expression.