“Who are you?”
Arian clearly hadn’t expected someone to show up at this moment either.
Red had chosen such a hidden spot, so how did this priestess still manage to find him?
If you said she came by accident, who would believe it?
Before Letia could answer, Red spoke up first to introduce her.
“She’s Letia, priestess of Dawn’s Edge.”
“Priestess…”
Arian narrowed her eyes, facing Letia head-on.
This little one in front of her was definitely not just a priestess.
After all, priestesses didn’t usually carry such an unyielding coldness.
Rather than a priestess, Arian felt this person’s aura was closer to that of an assassin.
“So, Letia, what brings you here?”
For Red, in all of Dawn’s Edge, perhaps the only person who could really have a conversation with him was this priestess who was always so indifferent to relationships.
“Just wanted to buy some Honey Mead to take back, happened to bump into you two.”
Letia took out the Honey Mead in her hand, showing it to the two as proof she wasn’t lying.
But even so, Arian clearly didn’t buy Letia’s story.
If she really was just passing by, there was absolutely no need for her to get involved, especially since Letia’s status as a member of Dawn’s Edge made things so sensitive.
“So, what are you two chatting about here? You seem so engrossed.”
Letia dragged a chair over and sat between them.
She cupped her face in her hands, leaning in slightly, her expression full of unabashed, almost gossipy “curiosity,” her gaze darting between Red and Arian.
It was obvious she was here just to stir up trouble.
Arian truly had no way to deal with her for a moment.
“Didn’t Red already leave Dawn’s Edge?”
“If none of you care for him, why bother coming here to make a scene?”
Arian made this clear, trying to remind Letia not to remain entangled.
But… Letia was entirely unfazed by this mild jab.
With an innocent look, she said,
“Careful, it’s not that I don’t care for him, it’s Liz who doesn’t.”
“I’m just a wage slave, how could I question the boss’s decisions?”
“If you must ask, I actually quite like Red.”
Letia made no attempt to hide her feelings, making the corners of Red’s mouth twitch.
He added quietly from the side,
“You mean ‘like’ in a way I’m not thinking of, right?”
“Of course,” Letia grinned mischievously, “I see you as my best brother, you know. What, you think you’d develop feelings for your own brother?”
Arian was only standing aside watching, but for some reason, Letia’s words seemed to be hinting at her.
“No such thoughts, thanks.”
Truth be told, after spending so long with Dawn’s Edge, Red was certain that the only person he’d never have any fantasies about was this stingy priestess before him.
No, actually, there was a time in the beginning, but after she discovered his particular preferences and chased him with her worn stockings, asking if he wanted to use them to brew tea… the fantasies vanished.
This priestess’s face was thicker than city walls.
Red couldn’t even imagine what expression she’d make if she ever did fall for someone.
“Well, that’s that~”
Letia spread her hands.
“Back to the point, what were you two just discussing?”
“Prying into other people’s private business isn’t exactly polite.”
Arian had no intention of telling a competitor about the inner workings of the Winter Guard.
Red wasn’t the loose-lipped type either.
Since Letia asked so directly, he decided to state his original purpose for coming.
“Arian heard I wanted to open a shop,” Red pointed at Arian.
“She happens to know some people and wanted to help me find a suitable place.”
“Oh? Opening a shop?”
Letia drew out the syllables, rubbing her chin thoughtfully with her finger, but her eyes flashed with a shrewd light as if she’d just discovered a pile of gold coins.
“Let me guess… did you sell the ‘Bloodseeker Spider’ patent to the Gilded Merchants’ Guild and make a killing, so now you’ve got the itch to become a boss?”
The more she spoke, the brighter Letia’s eyes became.
When she looked at Red, her gaze was practically predatory.
“Stop right there!”
How could Red not know the little calculations spinning in Letia’s head?
Whenever she wore that expression, she was at least eighty percent about to ask him for a loan.
“I’m telling you up front, I’m not lending any more money. I need what I have for my dowry, I can’t keep lending it out.”
At this, Red turned serious.
“And you—about the money you borrowed last time, the time before that, and the time before that, isn’t it about time you paid me back?”
“Aiya…”
At those words, Letia’s face turned bashful.
Her hands fidgeted, her gaze darted evasively, as if she couldn’t look Red in the eye.
She hesitated for a moment, as if making some monumental decision, then suddenly raised her big, watery eyes, speaking in a shy and cautious tone.
“Um… Red…” her voice was sugary sweet, “do you think… I might just have a little… potential… to be your future wife?”
The air froze instantly.
Red stared at her expressionlessly for a full three seconds before speaking slowly.
“I think you have a lot of potential for ‘marrying me at three in the afternoon, divorcing me at four, and then righteously taking half my assets.’”
“Click.”
Letia clicked her tongue.
“Do I really look like that kind of person to you?”
“Be sure of it. You’re exactly that kind of person.”
Listening to these two banter back and forth, Arian couldn’t find a single opportunity to cut in.
Seeing that the two of them had no intention of ending their banter, Arian hurriedly interjected.
“Alright, let’s stop there. Red, aren’t you looking for a shop? What kind are you after?”
With Arian finally speaking up, Red snapped back to the topic.
“Got sidetracked by this one again…”
“No worries, I did it on purpose.”
Letia tapped her head, pulling a very apologetic face.
How else could she disrupt the rhythm of their conversation?
Now that she’d interrupted, surely no one was in the mood for romance anymore, right?
No points to score, so let’s just talk business?
Exactly~
On the other side, Red was quietly analyzing in his mind what kind of shop he actually needed.
First, he definitely needed to save money, so a spot in the bustling part of town was out.
Second, he didn’t need anything too large.
Most of his work would still be on researching magic arrays and new mechanical constructs—a big shop would just be wasted space.
So after sorting his thoughts, Red explained them one by one.
After hearing everything, Arian pulled out a Map and began searching for a place that fit Red’s criteria.
“This one here—it matches your requirements perfectly.”
Letia leaned in to see where Red’s future shop would be.
Emmm…
Why did this location look so familiar?
Wait—
Isn’t this right next door to my house?!