A few moments later, Blanc was already down the stairs and standing in front of the young lady at the counter.
"Excuse me," Blanc said.
"Yes?" the woman replied, panicked by the speed at which he came towards her.
"Do you have a cape by any chance that I can borrow for an hour?" Blanc asked.
"Ah, y-yes, I do," the woman stuttered, getting on her feet, "Please, wait a moment."
With that, she went through the door and a few moments later came out with a long hooded cape and handed it to Blanc.
"Here you go, but it's not raining outside," said the young lady, perhaps suspicious of him.
However, Blanc did not have time not want to linger in front of a person who might recognize him for too long.
"Thank you," he said to her and turned to leave.
"Excuse me," said the young lady towards him.
"What is it?" Blanc asked, clasping the cape onto his back.
"Do I know you by any chance?" she asked.
"Not that I'm aware of," Blanc replied, pulling the hood over his cape, and was out the door the next moment.
His run was a short one, as in two minutes, he was on the wooden bridge that was placed over the moat.
As he ran, he made sure Celine and Miyanna were not in front of him or close enough for them to notice him.
Luckily, they seemed to be inside the city already.
As he walked on the bridge looking inside the city, he failed to notice that the only guard who was standing at the gate was looking suspiciously at him.
"Halt," said the guard, placing the spear he had horizontally so that Blanc could not pass.
"Oh?" Blanc muttered, surprised by the man.
"Remove the hood, and state your business inside the city," instructed the guard.
"There's no need for all this," said Blanc, raising his hands in the air, trying to appear as harmless as possible.
"I am the one who decides that, now, remove the hood," the guard ordered.
Was there a way for him not to remove his hood?
Should he just punch the guy in the throat and just run in?
No, that would send the whole city into an uproar.
No other way than to bullshit his way inside.
With his next plan decided, he moved his hands upward and removed the cape, revealing his grey hair and eyes to the guard.
"What's with all this secrecy?" the guard asked after seeing him. Thankfully, he did not recognize him… yet.
"I'm sorry for looking suspicious, but there is a reason for that," sighed Blanc.
"And what's that reason? And it better be a new one or I might just send you to the gallows," said the guard to him.
"You see, earlier, my wife came into town, and our marriage is… rough. Our parents arranged our marriage, you see, but since the first night, she had always been cold to me, and I suspect that she might have someone else in this town without my knowledge. But if she sees me, I'm done for. Do you know how that makes me feel as a man?" Blanc muttered slowly so that only the guard could hear.
The guard was silent for a few long seconds as he stared from Blanc's face to the wooden bridge below their feet.
"I know exactly what you mean, man…" he whispered, pulling back the spear, "Promise me this, though."
"What?" Blanc asked, hoping that the sad face he was making would hold back the laughter building up in him.
"Whatever you see, do not harm her. Divorce her and find you a good wife, okay? Do not stain your hands and hang for nothing," said the guard, sighting.
"I promise you that I will take it as a man," Blanc nodded, placing a hand on the guard's shoulder.
"May the Vita be with you, my friend," said the guard, also placing his hand on Blanc's shoulder.
"And with you, my friend," Blanc offered him a sad smile as he pulled back his cape and moved inside the city.
Fool thought Blanc once he passed him. My wives are great!
Though not official yet, he already thought of both Celine and Miyanna as his wives.
But what can you do?
When a man is in love, he says whatever his heart dictates him to say.
Either way, he was at least now inside Isai.
The streets were not filled to the brim with people, but they were not empty either.
Hopefully, Celine and Miyanna's side was fine, but he trusted them to know they could take care of themselves.
Isai was larger than Blanc remembered it to be.
More crowded as well, for some reason.
And way more annoying than he remembered, as his lack of time did not allow him to waste too much time walking around; he was at least happy that there were at least close to no chances of him meeting the two in such large crowds.
"Ah, sorry," muttered Blanc, hitting somebody with his shoulder as he was looking at the signs of the stores on his left.
But he kept on going, as the sign on a store thirty feet away, hopefully held what he was looking for.
"Good day," said Blanc as he entered the store of a weaponsmith.
But there was nobody at the counter; however, deeper inside, Blanc could hear steps as they slowly made their way towards him. "A moment."
So, until that person arrived, Blanc removed his hood and began looking at the swords that were on display.
There were many basic swords made for usability more than beauty.
After all, swords are made to kill, not to impress.
Yet, surprisingly, two of them met Blanc's expectations.
However, as he walked closer to take a look at the shape of the swords, a middle-aged man came in from a side door.
The man has calloused hands, a strong, well-defined body, and a serious look on his sweaty face.
"Good day," said the man, wiping his hands on his apron.
"Good day to you, sir. May I take a look at these two swords that you have on display behind the counter?" Blanc asked.
"They're not cheap," the man said, somewhat suspicious of the young man who entered his store.
"If they're worth it, I'll happily pay," Blanc replied confidently.
As the man took one of the two swords from the display, he took the leather scabbard off the first sword before handing it off to Blanc.
The sword had a black leather grip. It felt comfortable in Blanc's hands.
It also had a yellow dragon's head as a pommel.
And the most important part was that it was a curved sword.
"May I?" Blanc asked.
"Go for it," nodded the man.
Receiving confirmation, Blanc began to inspect the steel, how it moved, and the balance of the sword.
"Beautiful work," muttered Blanc.
The blade was perfect.
Strong yet flexible. Durable and sharp.
If Miyanna were to take care of this blade, it might even last her a lifetime.
"Thank you," the man grinned, "Should I take the other one off the display?"
"Before that, what is this dragon's head made out of?" Blanc asked, pointing at the pommel.
"Bronze," said the man, the next moment.
"..." Blanc stared blankly at him.
Wasn't this the perfect gift for her then? Why should he look at the next?
"No need to take the other off. This one is just what I needed," Blanc said.
"If I may," began the man, "What do you need this sword for?"
"Wedding gift," Blanc replied with a wide smile on his face.
"A fine gift indeed, I hope the person receiving it will be satisfied with it," said the man, grinning from ear to ear.
"So do I, but tell me, though, how much is it?" Blanc asked.
"One gold and five silver pieces, for both sword and scabbard," replied the man, the grin still constant on his face.
Perhaps he thought that the price would wipe the smile off Blanc's face and he would have something to laugh at.
But unfortunately, his own grin faded as Blanc placed two gold coins on the table.
"Chop chop," said Blanc, matching the man's wide grin as he rushed him to prepare the scabbard and the change.
Once out of the store, satisfied with the sword in its scabbard and one gold coin and five silver coins left, he moved on to other stores nearby to grab the rest of the things he needed to buy.
And an hour later, he managed to pick the wedding gifts for Celine and Miyanna, as well as something for Kael and Lune.
Luckily, the three gold coins were just enough, as by the time he was out of the city, he had nothing left.
Out of safety, and out of concern for his earlier lie, he left the city through another door than the one he came from and ran around Isai until he was finally back at the inn.
"Thank you for this," he said to the young lady as he placed the coat on the counter while carrying the gifts up the stairs without even batting an eye at the woman.
"You are welcome," the woman muttered, half confused.
Moments later, he pulled the key and unlocked the door, gifts still in hand.
"I'm back," he said out loud.