Chapter 14 Don't Look At Him, Love

"Kyah! Help me, mama!" "Don't look at him, love."

"It's not even been three hours, and you want food again?!" I pointed out to my stomach. "Shall I call you a motherless bastard with no manners again?! Well? No? All right then, be quiet."

And suddenly, it went back at me again. Not the growling. My head started to ache as I felt my pulse on my sweaty forehead. My temples were bulging in pain, but I was used to that feeling now. Grinding my teeth, I planted both feet on the ground, improvised some weird, goofy battle stance, and fought with the unknown phenomenon which gripped me. Drunkard, pervert, or maniac. Despite the rain of mean comments that fell on me, I wasn't any of that. "I'm doing this! I got this! This time I do!" Extending my arms around, I tried to chase away the sense of dizziness that overtook me. Despite my great efforts, I fainted.

…Ring! ❮ The current Receptacle's Physical Condition is deemed defective— ❯ Due to the Negative Status Effect 'Poisoning', I was urged to find yet another Receptacle to ensure survival.

What life was I even living?

When I woke up, I was surprised to find myself in a rather dark back alley parallel to the long commercial street. I missed the System's notification, so I still didn't know about my poisoning… but if anything, I was feeling more okay now. Standing up, I took a minute to scan the dark street I was in, not finding much of anything if not crappy kind of stuff and objects in barrels in the moist, stinky atmosphere, I decided to take off.

Checking up on the sun, I saw that it was almost gone. Not thinking much of how long I'd spent in that alley soundly sleeping, nor who was it that had transported me there, I only noticed then that my sword was gone, along with my shoes, and my purse full of sparkly coins. I laughed it off thinking it was weird things should disappear just like this in the world. Only later would I learn that thieves were a thing too.

My stomach growling, and barefooted, I went back to walking the commercial street. This time though, I agreed to go and eat. "You're right," I caressed my belly, "it's almost nighttime. Eating is what I should do. Eating and living on!"

And so I was looking for food. Lightened up by the idea of having a goal, I cheerfully smiled and went on with the road that awaited me. Food stands were everywhere, but I had a particular one in mind. There were only stalls here, and they stretched very far down the alley. After a minute of walking or so, I didn't reach the end of the boundless commercial area and stopped. "Oh, there it is." The place was less crowded than earlier today.

That food stand and its stout, bald hearty owner of an old man looked plenty satisfied, for he had fished food not by the river today, but by his stall and with delicious dishes. My eye, despite the blind spot, recognized that man's stand right away. Or maybe my nose did, picking up the fresh, salty fragrance the good stand gave off.

From the middle of the road, I hastily got there with quick little jumping steps. My stomach chanted again, and I nursed it with my hand till it stopped. Finding my place on one of the stools lined up here. A counter separated me from the stout owner. My hands were placed flat on it. I stared at him. He had no clients, so he greeted me, paused and stared back.

And there I waited for food. A minute went by, then two, then three— "The weirdo over there. Oi. What'll it be?" The ugly creature finally decided to speak to me. It was about time. "When'll you stop starin' at this old man? Weirdo over here. Talkin' to you." As I didn't reply, the man crossed his arm and started tapping his foot in annoyance. Another two minutes of staring passed. Then the big ape really became furious, yelled at me, and demanded what was my business here as he repeated, "I ain't got all day!" and explained he needed to wrap this us so he could go home before dawn, "Goddamn it! But I'll serve a customer no matter what time o' the day it is! What'll it be?!"

"Easy, now. I just want food. Please."

What an amusing situation. The stout ape yelled again, saying that was what he had been asking for what seemed like an hour by now. "Ain't it right?! Tell me now, customer, what'll it be?" he loudly demanded.

I said I was confused. I only wanted food. Why make a fuss about it? He gave food to other people. Why not me? At my comment, he sighed again, took on his apron again, and puffed through his nose. "Fine, I give up. I'm a fan of adventurers, y'know, weirdo. A huge fan. I'm tellin' ya. I'll fix you something to eat!" He started cooking.

I said thank you. "Are you a fan of adventurers? What are those?"

Guys like me, he said, of course he was a fan of adventurers. The whole adventuring and Guild's business he was a fan of, obviously. Which included me, he insisted, waving his kitchenware around. What, he asked, did I not just come back from a super very dangerous quest, issued by the Guild outside the walls, hm?

It was obvious that I did, according to the owner. After all, that big nasty scar I held around my neck like some fancy necklace, unwilling to even go to the healers and get it healed so much I was a cheapskate, must have been from today's quests. He could also tell from my dusty clothes. They were fitted for battle.

What was more, as my tunic was torn off, the stout man could already chant the praises of how Golems or Goblins tried to finish me, far away in the darkest woods, without a single partner to help me, as I was the one finishing the dumb monsters off. All the while he spoke to me of the daily activities he assumed I carried through the day, I kept silent. I loved his telling of adventures. The more I listened, the more I actually believed the owner's speculations about myself, unconsciously nodding my head away at every of his words. "What's more, there's this belt of yours—"

He spoke great lengths of words. Very soon, my food was ready, and he let me dig in. "About the money, well, we're all having our ups and downs, son! You'll be so kind as to pay me later! Gwueh heh heh! Day you find your treasure out, you'll think of me, drop by again! And we'll have our own restaurant by the beach! Hwueh heh heh!"

Both the old man's laugh and personality were lovable.