“Hoooraaah! Huh? Sssip.”
Another ordinary day in District 15.
Merchants opening their shops early shout to attract customers, while puppies bark at their owners, begging for lunch.
And here, despite the sun being at its peak, there was a girl who hadn’t fully woken from her hazy sleep.
As the girl scratched her head and was about to lie down again, she checked her damp pillowcase and frowned.
Thinking it was ruined by a fluid that could neither be sweat nor drool, she realized she felt like she would never get any good rest.
Usually, Adella didn’t remember her dreams well, but today she felt she had a long and lingering dream.
Though she had absolutely no recollection of it.
“Hoooh… I wanted to sleep a little longer…”
After being chased by guards all night for her thievery, she finally managed to fall asleep only when morning came.
Her head wasn’t exactly refreshed, but it was also not the time to feel like sleeping again.
With no other choice, she threw off her pajamas.
“I was told to come back before evening, so hum hrum.”
Mr. Gestalt had issued a summons to all Abyss members after a long time.
Even when she asked Alperion, he said he had no idea at all.
But, as a cat beastman, she was confident that she smelled something fun in the air for an interesting mission.
‘Should I go buy some perfume after a long time?’
She tossed her coin purse into the air and hummed.
On days when she had an important mission, she avoided washing. It was a kind of jinx unique to Adella.
Still, she couldn’t meet people smelling bad, so she planned to at least carry some perfume.
No matter how much a cat beastman ignored the eyes of others, there had been a woman before that.
When she descended to the 1st floor, the restaurant was already bustling with mercenaries coming for lunch.
Although some people glanced at Adella while passing through the Central Hall, no one greeted her.
She didn’t particularly want to get friendly with sweating mercenaries, so she ignored them just as they did to her.
The streets were crowded with people of various races and species.
Jingling—
Every time she heard the sound of coins, her ears pricked up, but she had to resist the urge to steal this time.
If she stole in broad daylight, she would truly lose her hands.
After walking three blocks, she entered District 7.
Since it was a wealthier area than District 15, the shops were full of life.
Her plan to buy just one perfume was clearly failed, as she could already see the glass bottles filling her arms.
‘Suddenly, I crave alcohol.’
Having grown accustomed to Abyss’s low-quality draft beer, it felt like her taste buds were spoiled.
At times like this, she had to treat herself with expensive food and drinks regularly.
“Give me one tuna baguette sandwich, and, um, one sparkling wine too?”
“…”
The combination of a sandwich and sparkling wine for lunch was indeed an unexpected choice, but the shopkeeper handed her the items without a word.
Then the shopkeeper extended his hand.
“How much is it?”
“…”
“How much, I said?”
“…”
He continued to stare intensely at Adella without speaking.
“Ugh, this is so annoying.”
Adella glanced at the price tag, paid, and quickly left the shop.
Even though the service was terrible, she thought the lack of customer service was due to the never-ending flow of new customers.
It was the first time she felt bad after spending money.
On the street, she popped the cork and poured the wine directly down her throat.
“Ugh, this is awful.”
She had thought she bought the best-looking one from the shop.
‘Rather, I should have splurged on draft beer instead.’
Cursing the increasingly harsh society, she returned to the inn.
“Hey Susan, get me a glass and three bottles of beer.”
“Adella? Should I bring it to your room?”
“No, wait, I’ll take it up myself. How long will it take?”
“…”
Ignoring Adella’s words, Susan went straight to the kitchen.
Adella found a corner table and nervously bit into the sandwich she had brought earlier.
“Do I generally lack presence?”
She felt annoyed that wherever she went, the same stupid question seemed to circulate.
Her lack of presence was why she was good at stealing, but she didn’t like the feeling of being ignored by others.
“Adella, here, enjoy your meal.”
“Hmph!”
As soon as she entered Room 302, she flung off her outerwear and changed back into her pajamas.
Using her cold ice magic, she poured beer into a frozen glass smoothly.
“Ahhhh! This is it.”
The refreshing sensation tickled her throat, making Adella’s tail shoot up into the air.
And as the alcohol flowed continuously, she felt unexpectedly drowsy.
She couldn’t guarantee she would wake up again if she fell asleep now, but her eyelids started to grow heavier.
“Wouldn’t someone come to wake me up when the time comes…”
She preferred to enjoy the slightly tipsy feeling even more now.
With such irresponsible thoughts, she slipped back into slumber.
*
“Aah!”
“I’ll only cover for you this one last time. Hurry and go apologize to the Branch Leader for being late!”
“No! I didn’t go anywhere on purpose today, it’s so unfair!”
“Quickly.”
Eventually, Adella, who had slept in until the meeting time, was dragged out by Daniel.
Although she hadn’t really gone anywhere, it was still frustrating because she tried to stick to the promised time.
“And you, NoName, I won’t assign you a difficult mission. You’re still a novice and haven’t been with us Abyss long. You understand, right?”
That was the order given to the Forest Keeper from the Gestalt Branch Leader.
A few days ago, a Forest Keeper had appeared like a comet from Arseria.
Surely, Adella strongly agreed that they wouldn’t assign a difficult mission to a complete rookie without any experience.
“That’s good, the decision was swift. Then tonight, you’ll go with Adella. It’s a simple diversion operation, easy, right?”
But it seemed Adella never imagined she would also be included in that rookie category.
‘Oh, dang, of course…’
This was how it always went.
The Branch Leader had never once trusted her enough to assign her the glorious missions that everyone else did.
How ridiculous was it that now she would have to team up with a rookie who had barely joined days ago? The anger bubbled up inside Adella.
Before the Branch Leader arrived, she drowned her frustrations in the remainings of her beer.
“Life is so bitter… Even this lousy beer tastes too sweet…”
To catch some cold air, Adella opened the window and blew into the beer bottle.
Her gaze drifted to the full moon sitting lonely in the night sky.
‘It’s so bright…’
Wouldn’t the moonlight shine down into even the darkest alleys of the Empire like that? Just a silly thought she had.
After being kicked out of the Academy two years ago and wandering aimlessly, Adella had lost her sense of life’s meaning.
The Gestalt Branch Leader had always been a bright lighthouse for her.
‘If that full moon were actually the chandelier at our house made of gold, how wonderful would that be…’
With such an unattainable fantasy running through her mind, she leaned back and collapsed onto the bed.
Soon, the alcohol would wear off, and she wanted to take full advantage of this comfort and haze.
She resented her body, which didn’t get drunk easily in times like this.
Bang—!
“Damn! You scared me!”
However, her plans were suddenly interrupted by an unexpected guest.
Annoyed, Adella checked the front door.
A cheerful, golden-haired head like the midday sun, snow-white skin, and sharp, pointy ears confirmed it was an elf, and Adella was able to calm her startled heart.
“Bursting in without knocking is rude around here.”
Just like the shopkeeper earlier and Susan, now it seemed even elves were too much…
Adella lamented the increasing number of inconsiderate people in the world.
“By the way, what’s your name, Forest Keeper?”
“NoName.”
“Ooh, that’s a name that sticks to the tongue.”
Adella kept repeating the Forest Keeper’s name.
It felt like a name she had heard somewhere before, familiar and nostalgic.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Isn’t my name weird?”
“Not particularly? It feels more familiar. When you live long enough in the System, you come across all sorts of stupid names, so ‘Forest Keeper’ is actually quite decent.”
For example, the name of the shopkeeper Adella had just visited was nearly unpronounceable: Etteugab Cepen, and among the nobles, there was even someone named Emiger Tneicna.
If names were of completely different species like Lizardmen, even stranger names would pop out.
‘Did she get teased about her name when she was a child?’
Adella deduced silently.
She gulped down the last sip.
But the curious Forest Keeper kept calling out to Adella.
“Adella.”
“Why?”
“Adella.”
“Why do you keep calling me? It’s embarrassing! Just say what you want!”
Was it displeasure at being partnered with her on this mission?
Given the Forest Keeper’s attitude, it was highly likely.
Maybe this Forest Keeper would also complain to the Branch Leader, just like the previous members.
“Huh? Heeek, why… Did I do something wrong?”
Opening her eyes, she saw the Forest Keeper’s face suddenly inches away from hers.
Adella nearly dropped her beer bottle in surprise.
Bright, lively eyes blinked at her, and moisture like morning dew clung onto cherry-like lips.
The fragrant scent of grass tickled Adella’s nose.
Experiencing the lovely appearance of the elf intensely, Adella couldn’t calm her racing heart.
“Should I comb your hair?”
“What the…?”
