After a good night’s sleep, Basil
wakes up with Julia while staring at the door expecting Atlas to come in. This
time Atlas decides to leave the two alone much to Basil’s surprise. When they
go downstairs for breakfast, the two see that the party hasn’t exactly stopped
as few adventurers have gone out to work while others are still enjoying
themselves.
“Glad to see you’re awake so early.
You need to get ready for tomorrow, Julia,” Atlas says.
“I know. Where do you think I should
buy my clothes at?”
“There should be some clothing stores
out there that should have something to your liking. It’ll be a little costly
too.”
“I’ll cover it for her,” Basil
says.
“Of course you will. You might as
well be her personal bank at this point.”
“Hey.”
“I’m joking.”
“Why is everyone still partying? Shouldn’t
they be working?”
“Because of your victory yesterday,
the guild gained fame, which is one of the most valuable rewards we could get.
Fame gives more credit to our names and allows us to get better licenses for
better equipment and to walk into other parts of the kingdom like the island.
You two should take a break as well especially you, Basil.”
“Okay, we’ll be going out then.”
“And Basil…”
“Yes?”
“…nothing. Just enjoy yourself!”
Atlas gives Basil a thumbs up with
a smile. Basil smiles back before thanking him. The two then go out to look for
a good outfit for Julia. They look through a couple stores then find a place
with a few dresses that Julia tries on. Basil helps judge the dress and the end
up picking out a frilly white dress with a light blue color running down the
center of the dress that separates it. After the stress and long time spent on
choosing dresses, Basil and Julia catch their breath on a bench near a water
fountain. As they enjoy each other’s company, they hear the sounds of a man
begging in the streets.
“Can someone please help me pay for
my training fee? What about a job? I’ll take anything!” he says.
An advertiser in the streets sees
that he is scaring away the business from the area, so he tells the man, “Just
get a job anywhere around here. There are dozens upon dozens of places that are
willing to hire anyone.”
“I’ve been ripped off and taken
advantage of by so many. The only thing I’m good at is adventuring but I’m not
well trained enough for the lower floors.”
“Then get someone in your guild to help
you or find a master to help you hone your skills.”
“No one is willing to help me. They’re
all in it for themselves. The masters also charge an arm and a leg for
training.”
“Then go somewhere else then come
back here when you’re ready.”
“I don’t have enough money to go
anywhere. The nearest town is a week’s journey away from here and I don’t even
have enough money for food and medicine.”
“Fine then. Guards! We have a man
in need of your charity. You’ll be in service to this kingdom until you can pay
off the debts you owe to it and you get the money you need. The guards will
take care of you.”
“Oh, thank you so much.”
The guards escort the begging man
away.
“That was strange. I wonder what
kind of services he’ll be doing,” Julia says.
“Probably cleaner or guard duty. I
wouldn’t worry about him too much.”
“You’re right. We should be
enjoying our day together. How about lunch?”
“Okay. Let’s go to someplace in
the kingdom we haven’t been to yet.”
“Sounds great. I can’t wait to see
more of this place. We’ve been stuck going between our stuffy room and the
dungeon that it’s almost made me forget about the rest of the kingdom.”
They travel to an area of the
kingdom that sells vegetables, flowers, and vegetation. Along the way, they see
people presenting their licenses with some people presenting arguments for why
they should be let through. No matter what is argued, no one without a high license
goes further into the kingdom. Basil and Julia sit in an outside garden restaurant
and enjoy themselves. While admiring the scenery in this district of the
kingdom that is decorated in vegetation, they see someone picking fruits and
vegetables from the vines.
“Hey! You’re not allowed to take
that!” a guard says.
“Please, sir. I’m hungry and can’t
afford to buy anything for myself.”
“We’ll talk about your punishment
in the jailhouse.”
In the restaurant they are in, a customer
says to his friend, “There goes another one who’s desperate for a job.”
“They should have a place for
people like that who make a scene just for a job.”
“They do, but it’s better to never
ask about it.”
“I can imagine that the punishments
those people endure is great.”
“It’s a good thing too. Stealing
and interrupting business affects everyone in the kingdom. The selfish get what they deserve.”
With the mood being spoiled again,
Basil and Julia quickly finish up then leave. A customer who was talking
notices this and grabs Basil’s arm.
“You shouldn’t let those people
spoil your time with your girlfriend. The guards get rid of them in no time
even in this area of the kingdom. Enjoy the rewards of your hard work.”
“Okay.”
The customer lets go of Basil with
a smile while nodding his head. Not too bothered by what the man said, Basil shrugs
off what happened and assures Julia that he’s not bothered and continues touring
the city. They come across various districts dedicated to selling different
kinds of goods such as; armor and weapons for adventurers, food, drinks, and restaurants,
clothing, furniture making, and even massage, relaxation, and training services.
The two look through many of these shops and shop in some of them. In a jewelry
store, Julia finds a golden necklace with gems in it. This accessory has
captured her attention completely as she admires it for a few minutes.
“You have great taste, young lady,”
a salesman says, “This is a one of a kind necklace made from treasures found in
the deepest floors of the dungeon.”
“Really?”
“Yes. If you were to have it, then
your fame and influence will increase in the kingdom by an immense amount.”
As if hearing an invisible cue,
Basil comes over to look at the price of what Julia is looking at. He backs off
in response almost as if the price was trying to attack him because of how high
the cost is. If he buys the necklace, then he can’t afford to get the sword
that he was planning to get. His eyes then look around as they try to avoid
Julia’s, which he knows will make him spend his money. He keeps looking around
until his eyes are ensnared by Julia’s.
“Alright…I’ll help you buy it,”
Basil says with reluctance in his voice.
“Yes!” Julia says before kissing
Basil.
“You’re truly a man of honor. You
won’t regret getting your lady this necklace,” the salesman says.
After buying the overly expensive
necklace, Julia begins to walk with Basil while holding his arm as a pseudo reward.
Since the sun is setting, the two decide to have dinner but eat at a simple restaurant
since Basil is almost out of money. It’s a good thing that they picked the restaurant
they did because a parade goes by with fireworks in the sky tonight. The parade
stops in their area and plays music that they can dance together too. This
wonderful night comes to a close with a kiss.
When they get back to the guild,
they find that everyone is asleep. They quietly go up to their rooms, change to
their sleeping clothes, then sleep together in Basil. Even though he emptied
his wallet for Julia, he feels fine. He tells himself that this is part of
being a hero. Money doesn’t matter more than love and expressing it. This is just
a plain fact and Basil remembers it as he falls asleep while being at peace with
his decisions.
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