22: 22.
money 22: 22.
money Val walked through the city, looking around and buying a few things for his personal needs, with Sera walking beside him.
Sera carefully observed her surroundings, as if it were her first time seeing a city.
“Is this your first time in a city?” Val asked.
“I’ve only ever lived in a village and inside a mansion without being allowed to leave.
This is the first time I’ve ever seen a city.” Val felt slightly guilty for asking that question.
“…Sorry.” “It’s fine.
That’s already in the past.” Sera suddenly stopped in front of a shop and looked through its glass window.
The store displayed various clothes for sale.
“Do you want to buy some clothes?” Val asked her.
“Yeah.
I only have this dress.
There’s no point in wearing the same clothes all the time, even after taking a bath.” Sera had a point.
It was time for them to use the money they had received from Meila.
“Let’s go inside.” Val entered the shop, followed by Sera.
There were many different clothes inside, and some of them looked surprisingly similar to modern clothing from Earth.
There were even several outfits that resembled cosplay costumes from his world.
Every item had its price displayed.
Val quickly encountered a problem.
He still didn’t understand the currency system in this country.
Confused, he approached Sera and whispered to her.
“Sera, do you think we have enough money?” “Hm?
Don’t worry.
I think the money Meila gave you is enough to buy almost anything in this store.” “Isn’t this your first time in a city?” “Even so, I still know which things are expensive and which are cheap.
I’m not as stupid as you are.” The insult Sera had thrown at him before had returned.
Val decided to ignore it and felt relieved knowing that he had enough money to buy several sets of clothes.
After looking around for a while, Val bought several simple outfits.
Most of the clothes he chose had long sleeves or covered most of his body.
Val didn’t particularly like exposing his body.
As Val was about to head toward the cashier, his eyes landed on a piece of clothing displayed behind several dresses and formal suits.
At that moment, his longing for something truly fantastical suddenly became impossible to ignore.
He wanted it.
Not long afterward, Val and Sera stood at the cashier to pay for their clothes.
Sera hadn’t bought very many clothes.
They had purchased roughly the same number of outfits, except Val had added one extra item.
The two of them left the store carrying paper bags filled with their new clothes.
Val had finally learned about the currency used in this country.
The currency consisted of thin metal coins called Kal.
Each coin had a different appearance and denomination, divided into five different types.
The 1 Kal coin looked like ordinary metal, but when light reflected off it, rainbow-colored hues could be seen around its edges.
The 5 Kal coin was similar to the 1 Kal coin but had a reddish-brown color.
The 10 Kal coin was purple.
The 20 Kal coin was emerald green.
The 50 Kal coin was bright silver.
And the 100 Kal coin was gold.
“Sera, do you want to go back now?” “No.
I still want to look around.
You can go back first.
I can take care of myself.” “Alright, then.
I’ll head back to the inn first.” Val left Sera behind.
Sera continued walking alone through the still-crowded city.
She bought several fruits and some bread to bring back to the inn.
“Hm…
Should I buy some accessories?” She said that after noticing a merchant openly selling accessories.
Beside the accessory merchant was another vendor selling various masks.
“Hey!
Stop!” An adult man was chasing the same child who had nearly bumped into Val earlier.
“Isn’t that the child from before?” Sera muttered.
The child was a girl with shoulder-length, wavy silver hair, two small horns on her head, and ruby-red eyes.
The little girl ran into an alley.
The adult man followed her.
The child was eventually caught.
The man struck her several times.
“You damn slave!” He cursed at the girl and beat her mercilessly.
“Hey.
You there.
Could you leave her alone?” Sera entered the alley and tried to stop the man.
“Huh?!
Who are you?” The man asked, irritated by her sudden appearance.
“Leave her alone!” “This is none of your business.
She’s my slave.
I can do whatever I want with her.
She always causes problems for me.” “Then let her go.” The man looked annoyed.
“I won’t take a loss.
She’s more useful if I sell her to an entertainment house.” Hearing that made Sera extremely angry.
Her rage surged violently, but she managed to restrain herself.
“How much?” “Huh?” “How much to let her go?” Sera tried to negotiate for the little girl’s freedom.
The man looked down at the child, who was curled up on the ground beneath him.
“Two hundred Kal.” Sera fell silent for a moment.
“Fifty Kal.” “Huh?!
Who do you think gets to decide the price?!” Flames appeared in Sera’s hand and were directed toward the man.
The man’s face immediately turned pale when he realized that Sera was a witch.
“Fifty Kal, or you become ashes.
Your choice.” “I-I’ll take it!” Sera extinguished the flames and tossed a 50 Kal coin toward the man.
He caught it and immediately left the alley.
Sera slowly approached the little girl.
The child looked up at her.
“Are you alright?” Sera asked about her condition, but received no response.
She then offered the girl an apple.
“Do you want it?” The little girl took the apple.
Then she suddenly ran deeper into the darkness of the alley, leaving Sera behind.
“Hey!” Sera tried to call after her, but received no answer.
“Well…
whatever.” She had actually wanted to take the girl with her, but since she had been rejected, there wasn’t much she could do.
Sera decided to return to the inn.
The sky had already turned to dusk by the time she arrived at their room.
Inside, she found only Arturia sitting on a chair while reading a letter.
“Where’s Val?” Sera asked Arturia.
Arturia immediately folded the letter and put it away.
“Oh, Sera.
You’re back.” “Where is he?” “I don’t know.
He left after saying that he wouldn’t be dreaming tonight.” “What does that mean?” Sera asked, confused.
“It means he’s going out for the entire night and won’t return until tomorrow.” Sera didn’t think much about Val’s disappearance.
Wherever Val had gone was none of her business.
Deep within a dark alley, the same little girl Sera had helped walked through the poorly lit streets.
She bit into the apple, her expression filled with irritation.
“Who was that woman?
I almost had my prey.” The apple in her hand suddenly rotted.
She casually threw it away.
Then her body began to change.
Her height gradually increased, and her body grew larger, as if her body were rapidly aging into adulthood.
Eventually, the appearance of the little girl disappeared completely.
In her place stood an adult woman with silver wolf-cut hair, red eyes, and horns rising from her head.
Her chest was noticeably large.
Her entire body was completely different from before.
A hooded figure approached her while carrying a set of clothes.
“Lady Goutte, what happened to your prey?” the hooded figure asked.
“There was an interruption.
What about the plan?” Goutte removed her clothes until she was completely naked.
She then put on the clothes given to her by the hooded figure.
Her new outfit resembled formal work attire: a long-sleeved white shirt, a red tie, and long black pants.
“Everything is going according to plan.” “I see.” Goutte looked toward the sky before walking deeper into the darkness alongside the hooded figure.
On that cold night, two moons hung in the sky.
Both were crescent moons, but they faced in opposite directions.
At the top of the clock tower stood a man wearing a completely black bodysuit.
Over it, he wore a long black coat that reached his ankles, with a high collar and a long hood covering his head.
A skull mask concealed his face.
A crimson light reflected from his eyes, giving Val a terrifying appearance.
The man was Val.
After experimenting with his abilities, he had discovered that he could use them on his own body.
For a limited amount of time, he could make himself fly or leap to incredible heights.
‘THIS IS SO COOL!!!!!’ He screamed internally.
For someone who had come from the modern world, this was a moment he would never forget.
But now, he found himself facing a slightly different problem.
“So…
what’s my name now?” After thinking for a moment, he remembered what he had told Arturia when he wanted to leave.
“That’s right.
That could work.” Val spread both his arms and raised his head toward the sky.
“Dreamless,” Val declared proudly.