Fyar opened his eyes slowly. The first thing he realized was a soft, warm feeling on his cheek. The air around him smelled fragrant, like lilies and vanilla.
He looked up slightly. His heart beat softly when he realized his head was resting on Illya’s lap. The girl was sitting up, asleep on the plush sofa. Her head was leaned back, her breathing even and deep. Soft morning sunlight streamed in from the large suite window, illuminating Illya’s peaceful and tired face.
She... Fyar paused. Wait. What happened? What about Martis and the mission? Fyar remembered: returning to the suite with Zaefal, the tense reunion, Illya’s tears, her shocking confession, and then... total exhaustion took over. After remembering the previous night’s events, he let out a sigh of relief.
Slowly, very carefully so as not to wake her, Fyar lifted his head from Illya’s lap. His muscles were no longer so stiff. The sharp pain from the brutal level up was gone, leaving only a faint ache. He stood silently for a moment, watching Illya, who was still asleep.
She’s my girlfriend. I... have a girlfriend. I really have a girlfriend!
She must be in pain, sleeping in that position.
Fyar walked silently across the thick carpet to Illya’s bedroom. He took a silk pillow and a dense, soft blanket. He then returned to the sofa. Very gently, he slipped the pillow between Illya’s neck and the back of the sofa, then covered her body with the warm blanket. Illya mumbled softly in her sleep but did not wake. Fyar watched her for another moment.
Why do I feel like she’s more beautiful than usual? A faint smile formed on Fyar’s face.
"Ahem. A romantic sight, Mister Black Hair."
A hoarse and sarcastic voice came from across the room. That voice.
Fyar turned. Rasie was sitting at the round dining table near the kitchen. She was already fully dressed in her leather armor, brutally chewing a large piece of toast. On the table was a large platter of breakfast: scrambled eggs, smoking sausages, a pile of bread, meats, and fruits. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air.
"Morning, Miss Autumn," Fyar said curtly. He then walked over and sat in the chair opposite Rasie, taking a piece of bread and starting to eat.
"So, what really happened to you?" Rasie asked, swallowing. "And what should I call you now? Serial Killer Queen? Playboy of Dark Town? Cliché Main Character? Unlucky Starfall? Or Master Gambler?"
"Why is there a ’Queen’ in there? What does ’Cliché Main Character’ mean? And what, gambler?!" Fyar was astonished. "Heh, just so you know, I never lose!"
"Is that so?" Rasie tilted her head. "In that case, where’s the money?"
Fyar flinched. He immediately grabbed the coffee cup in front of him and drank it to hide his face. Seeing that, Rasie burst out laughing.
"Hahahah!"
Cough! Cough!
Rasie choked. Her eyes turned red. She quickly grabbed a glass of water and drank it.
"Hahahahaah!" Now it was Fyar’s turn to laugh, pointing at Rasie with his finger.
"fuck you," Rasie hissed, composing herself.
Fyar picked up a sausage. "When did you order all this?"
"An hour ago," Rasie said. "I woke up and saw you two looking like a cheap drama scene. I didn’t want to wake Illya, and I was hungry." She bit into her toast again. "Zaefal already left."
Fyar stopped chewing. "Left? When? Where?"
"An hour ago. Right before I ordered food," Rasie said. "He said he had urgent business with the Guardian. Well, probably reporting. He told us to stay here, recover, and not do anything stupid." She stared at Fyar. "Especially you."
Fyar sighed. Xavier and that shit contract. Ugh, I’m still pissed they wouldn’t tell me the important info. "When is he coming back?"
"Didn’t say. Just said he’d take care of everything." Rasie shrugged. "Honestly, I don’t understand half of what’s going on. So, Wilas is dead? Martis is also dead? But we didn’t kill Martis? And now there’s a ’Fake Starfall’ bounty for someone massacring people? This story is getting complicated, black-hair."
"right?," Fyar said, drinking his coffee. The warm, bitter taste was calming.
Wait. What?
Martis is dead?
Fyar lifted his head and sprayed the coffee he had just sipped.
"Oi, oi! Easy, asshole!" Rasie snapped.
"What the fuck did you just say?! Who’s dead?!" Fyar glared at Rasie.
Rasie hissed. "Tch. Wilas and Martis. Does being a bounty affect your hearing?"
Rasie paused for a moment before continuing. "And, uh, that shit ass Martis. It’s unknown who killed him."
Unknown who killed him? What the hell is going on! Argh, this mission is really not normal! First, someone kills Kail, then impersonates me, and now Martis is dead?! What the fuck! Ughh, I’m dying to know what information the Guardian has! Fyar complained internally. He controlled his breathing to calm down and drank his coffee again.
Whatever. What’s done is done. What will be, will be, he muttered.
They ate in silence for a moment. Only the soft clinking of forks and knives on plates.
"You haven’t answered my question, Gambling God." Rasie finally broke the silence, her tone a little more serious. "What really happened over there? Come on, tell me. It sounds way more exciting than the light novels I read."
Fyar stopped. He took a long breath and looked at Rasie. "Well, you know, when I arrived, I started a fight with some gang members. And you know what?"
"What do they kick your ass?"
"nope, The customers there started betting on me instead of breaking it up," Fyar continued.
Rasie laughed lightly at that. She leaned her head forward. "And? What else?"
"I took their betting money, of course," Fyar continued. After saying that, he speared a piece of roasted meat covered in chili sauce and ate it slowly.
Rasie laughed lightly again. "Oh, those poor customers."
After swallowing the meat, Fyar continued, "And yeah, the people there talk a lot. Mostly. But if you show them just once that you’re not someone to be messed with, they’ll fear or respect you."
"Hm, hm, hm such a loser," Rasie nodded.
"They’re divided into gangs over there. You know how it is. One of them registered me for that tournament and bet on my name," Fyar continued.
"Hm, hm. So how did you end up being a bounty there?" Rasie asked, cutting her meat.