Aurelia’s fingers tightened instinctively, tearing a hole in the corner of the damp newspaper.
In the portrait, a handsome young man wore elegant knight’s regalia.
He stood tall with a striking appearance, his golden eyes seemingly shining with the light of ideals under the artist’s brush.
Despite it being a crude print, that hair—red as a roaring fire—and that familiar smirk on his lips caused her to knit her brows tightly.
“…”
Aurelia stared at the paper.
The small bit of good mood she had managed to muster vanished without a trace.
She crumpled the newspaper into a ball and tossed it into a nearby trash can.
That man had once viewed her as his Perfect Logistics and treated her with great care, yet he had ultimately turned his sword against her because he saw her as a threat.
Perhaps… concealing her identity as the Disaster Source was indeed inappropriate.
However, in this world where the Power of Calamity was viewed as an absolute negative, she probably would have been beheaded on the spot if she had confessed that there was an Old Immortal in her head who wanted to destroy the world every single day.
‘Even if I was in the wrong, that Red-Haired Guy went way too far! He actually said he hadn’t appreciated me for even a second since I joined?! I was clearly trying my best to be sincere!’
Now, Laurence was about to receive official recognition and blessings from the highest authorities in the world.
He was to be crowned by both the Church and Secular Royalty as the legitimate God-Blessed and Savior, the sharpest sword against the Power of Calamity.
‘Damn it… that Red-Haired Guy is really living the high life!’
Aurelia let out a long breath and rubbed the bridge of her nose.
‘I don’t know what the Heavens saw in you to choose a big jerk who doesn’t even give people a chance to explain themselves to be the Brave. You’re truly blind…’
Before the thought could even finish, a bolt of lightning suddenly streaked across the sky.
Followed by a deafening roar of thunder, it made Aurelia jump.
‘What the… Are you eavesdropping on me? What’s wrong with cussing you out! You thieving Heavens! This isn’t the World of Immortal Cultivation—it’s not like the Heavenly Way can descend and strike me with a Heavenly Punishment!?’
*Rumble—!*
As if in response to her rebellious thoughts, another low roll of thunder echoed through the sky.
Dark clouds gathered rapidly, and the already dim sky turned dark at a pace visible to the naked eye.
Aurelia shrunk her neck and quickly swallowed the rest of her “greetings” to the Heavens.
She instinctively looked up at the sky.
“It’s really going to rain…”
She muttered under her breath.
She didn’t have time to lament how glorious that damned red-haired bastard’s life was anymore.
The most urgent matter was to avoid getting soaked and, more importantly, not to be late.
She didn’t want to leave a bad impression of being unpunctual on her first day of work.
If she did, wouldn’t her image as the Perfect Logistics be ruined?
A few minutes later, in front of the tavern that had just closed—
Aurelia panted heavily, clutching the slightly reopening wound on her neck, letting out a low hiss of pain.
She had just stopped in front of the tavern’s intricately carved wooden door when it was pulled open from the inside before she could even raise her hand.
The Shopkeeper stood inside the doorway holding a lantern.
The dim yellow light illuminated his neatly combed hair, well-trimmed short beard, and eyes that appeared exceptionally calm under the Warm Light.
His other hand was still on the door bolt, appearing as though he had been about to lock up for the night.
Seeing the black-haired girl outside with messy hair, a bleeding neck, and heavy breathing, the Shopkeeper paused for a moment.
“On time, at least.”
He looked up at the sky, grabbed two black umbrellas from beside the door, and handed one to Aurelia.
“Follow me. You can just call me Andre from now on.”
Aurelia took the umbrella and nodded quickly.
“Understood, Mr. Andre!”
Andre opened his umbrella and said no more.
He turned and stepped into the intensifying rain, heading toward a small path on the side of the building covered by the shadow of the eaves.
Aurelia followed immediately.
Her shoes clicked against the rain-slicked cobblestones, but the sound was quickly drowned out by the downpour.
The two of them walked one after the other through the narrow alleyway.
The rain hammered against the two black umbrellas, creating a continuous pitter-patter sound.
Andre’s pace was steady, and he was clearly very familiar with the route.
Even in the dim light, he skillfully avoided puddles and piles of clutter on the ground.
Aurelia followed closely, trying her best to memorize the turns.
They passed a corner piled with empty wooden barrels, went around a small trash heap that emitted an unpleasant odor, and finally arrived at the back of the tavern building.
This area was even more secluded than the front.
A thick wooden door remained tightly shut, and next to it was a set of wooden stairs built against the wall.
The stairs were barely sheltered by an extension of the roof and led to the second floor.
The stairs were quite steep and looked exceptionally slippery in the rain.
They didn’t even have a proper handrail and seemed to be in a state of disrepair.
Andre stopped at the foot of the stairs, closed his umbrella, shook off the water droplets, and took a cluster of keys from his waist.
With the help of the lantern light, he accurately found one of them and inserted it into the lock of the wooden door.
The door opened with a click.
“Come in.”
Andre stepped aside, letting the lantern light illuminate the interior.
He didn’t enter first but signaled for Aurelia to go inside.
She closed her umbrella, gave it a few light shakes, and ducked into the room.
The door didn’t lead directly into a living space but rather a transitional area like a foyer.
A thick layer of dust had accumulated on the floor, and the air was thick with the scent of old wood and moisture.
By the light of Andre’s lantern, she could see three old wooden doors—one straight ahead, one to the left, and one to the right.
Andre pointed to the door on the left.
“That one is yours. Opposite you is a storage room. Further ahead is the door to the terrace. Be careful when you go out; the railing isn’t stable.”
He took another key from the ring and handed it to Aurelia.
“Your room key. No one usually comes up here, but the surrounding area isn’t very safe, so stay alert.”
After saying that, he walked straight to the door on the left, opened it with another key, and stepped inside first.
The lantern light immediately dispelled the darkness in the room.
Aurelia followed him in and quickly scanned the room that was about to be hers.
Just as Andre had said, the attic area was small, and the room was quite narrow.
The sloping roof made it impossible to stand upright near the walls.
The walls were a mottled grayish-white, with the plaster peeling off in some places to reveal the dark wooden boards underneath.
The floor was made of old solid wood, with uneven colors and years of dust embedded in the cracks.
A massive spiderweb hung in one corner, with a spider the size of a palm resting leisurely upon it.
As for furniture, it was so simple it was practically nonexistent.
There was a bare wooden bed frame that didn’t even have bedding.
A dilapidated wooden table with one leg missing was propped up by a few old bricks.
A chair with a cracked back sat beside it.
Near the window stood a slanted little wardrobe with a door that wouldn’t close properly.
The only small window was shut tight, its glass covered in a thick layer of dust and rain streaks, allowing almost no light through.
The entire room was permeated with the atmosphere of long-term neglect and lack of habitation.
It was damp, cold, dusty, lifeless, and dilapidated.
Andre glanced at the girl, carefully observing her behavior and expression.
After Aurelia’s gaze quickly swept over everything, her face didn’t show any sign of disdain or disappointment.
On the contrary, a flash of joy sparkled in her eyes.
She even nodded slightly as if confirming something, then spoke softly.
“Thank you, Mr. Andre. This is great. It’s enough.”
‘It’s practically perfect!’
Aurelia almost cheered in her heart.
‘The mess isn’t a flaw. As long as I clean it up, this will be exactly the kind of cozy little place I pictured! The space is small, but the ceiling height is okay. If I plan out the area under the sloped roof well, I’ll have plenty of storage.’
She walked forward a few steps, pressed a handprint onto the window, and then casually wiped it with a piece of stiff, dry cloth.
‘Once the window is clean, the lighting should be pretty good. Sweep away the dust, clear the spiderwebs… Maybe I can find some cheap wallpaper for the walls?’
‘This broken bed frame should still be usable if I fix it. It’s enough for just me to sleep on for now. The width against that wall is sufficient; I can fit a larger bed…’
Her thoughts drifted further as she considered how to settle Helen and Rena.
‘Then I can put a bunk bed in that corner for the Little Priestess and the little brother, and there will still be space left. I need to find the right wooden blocks to steady the table leg, reinforce the chair, and fix the wardrobe door… The hinges might be rusted shut…’
Andre watched the expression on her face—a mix of serious contemplation and faint excitement—and remained silent for a moment.
This reaction… was a bit unexpected.
Usually, when people saw a place like this, they would at least frown, if not complain.
But this girl named Aurelia, who called herself the Perfect Logistics, looked like she had been given a challenging puzzle or had discovered the beginnings of a treasure.
“Then it’s settled. If you need cleaning supplies…”
Andre took a clean, neat brass key from the ring and placed it on the table.
“Just go into the tavern and get them yourself.”
Aurelia’s gaze fell on the brass key left casually on the dilapidated wooden table, and a hint of surprise rose in her heart.
He was just… giving it to her?
For a temporary employee he had known for less than a day—someone with an unknown background and visible injuries—this level of trust seemed way too easy to obtain.
Was it a test, or was he observing her reaction?
Or was this just how the Shopkeeper operated?
‘What a strange older guy. Could he… actually be a creep?’ Aurelia shook her head quickly. ‘No, no, it’s rude to speculate about people like that. Calm down, calm down…’
“Thank you for your trust, Mr. Andre.”
her voice was low, her tone carrying a softness from being pleasantly surprised.
“I will use it well. I won’t lose it, and I won’t touch things I shouldn’t. You’ve really done me a huge favor.”
She lowered her eyes slightly, her tone gentle.
Andre simply looked at her.
His eyes, which were perpetually calm, seemed to see through people’s hearts under the yellow lantern light.
He nodded, his voice still flat.
“Get some rest. Be at the front at 5:30 PM sharp tomorrow evening. I’ll tell you what your duties are then.”
“No problem, I’ll definitely be on time.”
Aurelia nodded again and tucked the key into her pocket.
Andre said no more.
He turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.
His footsteps quickly faded into the distance, leaving Aurelia alone in the dirty room.
The excitement and planning in her heart took over once more.
She walked to the window and pushed the shut frame open with force.
More night wind, carrying the crisp air after the rain, rushed in, quickly dispelling the stale air in the room.
Using the blurred city lights and the fading glow from the lantern, she began to measure and plan more carefully.
Her fingers traced along the walls, her feet moved across the room, and her brain quickly calculated dimensions and layouts.
However, the night was already late.
She would have to wait until after her first day of work tomorrow to consider renovating the room.
As for purchasing and repairing furniture…
‘I’ll think about that tomorrow! Right now, it’s time to sleep!’