Chapter 10: City of Dark Elves & Delicacies [2/2]
Matters of Kiera's innocence aside, we've arrived past the main gate of the city, and what awaits us is a clamoring market, hawkers practically fighting to promote their goods. Wait, no, I think I just saw a couple fists fly-- hawkers literally fighting to promote their goods. Ahh, capitalism. Capitalism never changes. Not in the past few thousand years and one or more apocalypse(s), at least.
The merchant's political philosophies aside, Kiera, who's been acting particularly childlike for the last few days grabs me by the sleeve, pulling me over to a stall that's caught her interest. It's the type of store that daughters might drag their parents to, showcasing cute bracelets with small animal charms and the like. The shopkeeper takes one look at the mid-twenties Kiera who's immersed in his merchandise, and me, an apparent 15-year-old man with a strange bird-monster on his shoulder before deciding to let us browse in peace. In the end, I succumb to the all-powerful puppy-dog eyes and buy a souvenir for Kiera, who lost most of her possessions in the last attack.
I decide to take the lead after Kiera's whims come out in full force, and we manage to secure some proper adventuring materials this time around. Grappling hooks, rope, throwing nails, and rations fill much of my pack, but I've managed to find a buyer for most of what I looted from the young noble. I've no doubt we got gouged horribly selling the spellbooks, but since my Cores already recorded them and lugging around an entire trunk of them would be troublesome, selling them was no matter and I managed to secure a small fortune in the process.
The day crawls on, and Kiera and I decide to find an Inn for our stay. She reluctantly admits that she has to report to the Church's branch about the outcome of her training expedition, but promises to return tomorrow at the latest. Her cheery mood vanishes just like that, and looking like she's being sent to her death, I do my best to comfort her as I send her off.
Things are quiet now that she's set off, but I decide to bide my time at the Inn, ordering a meal and hoping to observe the humans around me. The meal itself isn't a problem but…
"Sir… I apologize, but our establishment is fairly popular around this time… We do have a seat open, but you'll have to share the seat with someone, is that alright?"
Ignoring the terrifying premonition I have at her words, I decide to accept-- this observation might be a little more forced than intended, but it should serve its purpose as intended.
That was what I thought.
The man I'm seated with seems well-dressed with a practiced disposition, even if he is up there in years. We start off with the normal topics as we wait for our food, introducing ourselves and our plans in the town. I'm fairly evasive, of course, weaving a story that capitalizes on my self-proclaimed nature as a prodigal son. Most. Convenient. Setting. Ever.
"Oh, so Young Master set off on his trip alone, no attendants or maidservants? Pardon my saying, but that seems rather… difficult for a man of your age, no?"
I probably shouldn't even justify that with a response, but I have to admit-- from Clayton boy's memories, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious in finding out just why humans found such matters so enjoyable. The relationship between Kiera and I might have progressed, but it's more an innocent sort of crush, so that sort of contact is off the table.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that… I've been traveling with a companion of mine, but she's not exactly the type… Well, she's a Church acolyte, need I say more? From the way you're speaking, I'm guessing you have a venue in mind that might find a suitable attendant for my journey?"
"Hahaha! Young Master certainly gets to the point! You're not wrong though, a friend of mine own one of the finest slave markets in town. We're almost finished here, why don't I refer you? Damien and I go way back, so I'm sure he'll be happy to offer you a discount."
Right… Slavery. There's not much about it in the archives, but it was considered reprehensible by society back when I was created. Not that I'm concerned with such things, but it seems to be fairly common in this world. I might regret this, but… it'd be incredibly helpful to have an attendant who couldn't betray me, one whom I didn't need to hide my abilities around.
"Alright! It's decided, let's take a look! My name's Del, by the way. And yours?"
"Chris, my new friend! Now follow, I'll introduce you to a wonderful world of beauties!"
Yup. Already beginning to regret this.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
AsteriskDelta
AsteriskDelta Hey all, sorry for the delay the last two days! Life's been busy, but I'm proud to announce a few changes in my own status:
[Job] acquired.
Class change: [NEET] -> [Engineer]
Only took five months of relentless job hunting. "Booming STEM job market" my ass.
Anyway, this marks the end of the prologue, with the next chapter starting out the new arc. Enjoy!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone