Chapter 116 116: The Art Of Bargaining [Pt1]



'Ugh, this attack is going to hurt more than the last one.'

Shimi braced herself for the attack but it never reached her. When she opened her eyes, the vision of black greeted her as she was defended by the same stranger she had been following behind.

The save startled Shimi and her mind went blank for a minute and a half. She was not able to do anything but look at the man who had just saved her from being hurt badly.

"Hey, if you are done being in shock, then can you stand up and help? I cannot attack these people and defend at the same time."

The man spoke softly to Shimi and even his voice sounded familiar to her. But Shimi forced her mind to stop thinking and stand up to help. She needed to pull her weight in this fight.

"R-Right, I will take care of these people right now."

Shimi's face was bright red and heated because of what just happened. A stranger had not only saved her but also scolded her.

And for some reason, Shimi was not angry at what happened. Nor she was angry at her feelings of having a crush on this stranger. She just stared at how suddenly she seemed to have fallen for her savior.

Now that she was free and her powers were back, Shimi gave one look at her would-be kidnappers and scoffed.

These people looked no different than other ants she had crushed before. Shimi gathered her powers and looked up with a smirk on her face. 

Kidnappers 1 and 2 suddenly felt their life flash before their eyes as they watched the devil approach them. Shimi currently looked like a grim reaper who had arrived to take their lives.

"Where do you think you; people are running away to? I do not think I gave you people permission to run away from me, right? Then, shall we talk with each other, hmmm?"

Shimi's hands closed around the back of her kidnappers and they both knew they were in trouble. 

And since they both had strict orders not to be caught if they wanted to live, they had no choice but to take poison and end their lives. It happened too fast and Shimi watched the bodies in her hands disappear into dust.

"Huh, what happened just now? The humans disappeared in a flash, leaving only ashes behind."

Shimi was not angry; she was just disappointed at what happened. She had finally gotten a clue about something and then it ended up being nothing in the end. She was frustrated and disappointed in the end.

But she tried not to be too discouraged and turned toward her helper with a happy expression.

"Well, thanks for helping me out. I was not sure what I would do if you were not here. Let me know if you need anything from me and I will help you out."

Shimi promised as she held her hand out for her savior to shake. He looked uncomfortable with Shimi's approach and it was a first for her. People usually threw themselves at her and tried to touch her.

Sometimes, people even followed her and stalked her to know more about her and her half-elf heritage.

"No, it is alright. I should be getting going now. I hope you will not get in any more trouble today."

Shimi tried not to think too hard about this man's voice and why it sounded too familiar. She was sure that it would come to her if she spent a little more time with this man.

"You know, you look a little familiar to me. Have we met before by any chance? Or, do I know you from anywhere?"

Shimi was not able to keep her curiosity in check for long and ended up asking these questions. She waited for an answer or any kind of hint from this man.

The man in front of her flinched and ended up looking away after that. Now she was convinced that she knew him from somewhere but the man was not telling her.

"I do not think I have any kind of connection to you miss. Now, if you would excuse me. I need to head out and finish my shopping."

The stranger in front of Shimi seemed to be in a hurry to leave her company. This was, once again, a new thing for her to experience. 

Ordinary people hardly left her side if they could help it. Her being from the guild helped her reputation as well. So, Shimi was not only curious but hurt right now. She was not going to leave this man alone.

"Hmm, you said that you wanted to shop? Why, I love shopping. Why don't we shop together and you show me some of your favorite places? By the way, are you a local of this place? Or, did you travel here?"

Shimi tried to big out more information from this man. She had a feeling that he was hiding a lot more than he showed her. 

But for some reason, the man in front of her had gone pale and lifeless as soon as Shimi had suggested that they shop together. He also looked uncomfortable with what he heard and he diverted his eyes away.

"I…do not think it is a good idea for us to shop together. Why don't we shop for our items and go our separate ways? I am sure it will be more comfortable for you as well, miss."

The man suggested and Shimi could not help but be more interested in him now.

She never knew being turned down could feel this humiliating and challenging. It made Shimi want to try harder and woo this person.

'I still love Grandmaster and that will never change. But right now, I am being faced with a challenge and I want to take this challenge seriously. Oh, I am getting excited for no reason.'

Shimi's blood was singing to conquer this man. 

She looked up and was startled by the man's side profile looking back at her. She gulped as she noticed a chiseled face and beautiful lashes.

But for some reason, green hair overlapped over the black ones in her vision. The next time she blinked, the image disappeared from her eyes and Shimi was left disoriented.

'I guess it was my mind's way of reminding me not to cheat on the grandmaster. But I have no intention of cheating anyone. I just want to have some fun.'

So, despite Shimi having all the answers and even uncovering the 'truth,' she decided to ignore it and move forward. 

There was much to be done here and Shimi was being ignored once again. But that made her want to crash this man's shell even harder. And she had everything ready to help her out.

"Hey, way. I said to wait for me so that we can go shopping again. Do not worry, I will not let you get cheated or scammed by the merchants. I am an expert at choosing quality things."

Shimi assured the man as she ran after him. The man finally gave in to her and allowed Shimi to follow him.

"By the way, what is your name? Mine is Shimi, but you probably already knew that. I am quite a famous figure and everyone knows me."

Shimi boasted about her popularity but the man looked uninterested in her words. What a weird man he was and he was making Shimi more and more interested in him.

Meanwhile, while Shimi was busy boasting about herself and what she could offer Keith, he was worried about his wallet and the limited finds he had right now.

Shimi might be an expert in spotting bargains as she claimed but she was also someone who was easily scammed. If you paid double the market price for something, then it was a given it would be worth it.

That was Shimi's problem but Keith could not come out and say it loudly. He did not know Shimi well in this identity and he was also trying to stay low-key right now.

But even Keith was not able to keep quiet when Shimi ended up being scammed for the third time in half an hour. 

She was not even aware that she was being scammed and it was only Keith's glare that kept the shopkeepers from raising the price any more than they already had.

"See, I got it at a total bargain."

Shimi boasts as she held up a potion, she had purchased 1.5 times the market price. She looked so happy to be ripped off by these people that Keith felt sorry for her.

"Hey girl, has anyone ever told you that you get scammed easily and you suck at shopping. You have a cute face so learn to use it properly."

Keith finally ended up speaking to Shimi but she looked confused.

"What do you mean 'use my face?' I am using it properly, right?"

Shimi questioned and Keith suddenly had an evil idea. She would learn all about bargains from him.