"This might actually be a good thing. That cold aura she gives off is refreshing—it'll keep my mind clear so I won't be tempted by her body." Roger thought to himself silently.
Celine looked shy, her heartbeat quickened as she widened her eyes and looked down at Roger.
It was her first time being this close to a man. But because of her naturally outgoing and cheerful personality, she didn't feel scared in the face of this ambiguous situation.
It wasn't until Roger started measuring her bust that she had a stronger reaction.
Maybe her nerves were just overly sensitive, because every time Roger's hands brushed her breasts or any other sensitive spot—
Her body would tremble as if electrocuted. Her skin turned slightly red, and her body temperature rose by several degrees.
"They're huge…"
Roger stared calmly at Celine's perky, round breasts, unable to stop himself from silently marveling.
His fingertips moved across them again and again, and he couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement.
"Ah~!" Celine suddenly let out a soft gasp.
Roger's focus sharpened. Without saying a word, he quickly finished the measurements and pulled his hands away.
Celine was a lot more fiery than Norna. Roger had no intention of letting things spiral out of control with her.
"The measurements are done. It'll take most of the day to finish. You can come pick it up tomorrow," Roger said flatly.
Celine adjusted her slightly rumpled dress. "Why do I have to come pick it up? You delivered Norna's, didn't you? Deliver mine too."
Roger hesitated for a moment. "Fine. I'll bring it to you."
"You better do a good job on it. If it's not up to my standards, I'm going to be very upset," Celine said with a haughty little pout.
Roger chuckled. "I promise you'll be satisfied."
Outside, a commotion suddenly broke out.
"Where's that bastard?"
"Get out here!"
"I'm gonna beat him to death myself, then burn his damn shop to the ground!"
Three thugs from the Skeleton Faction stormed into the shop, shouting arrogantly at the top of their lungs.
One of them was the bearded guy Roger had beaten senseless the night before.
He'd been drunk out of his mind and nearly got pummeled to death. Now he was back for revenge, bringing backup—typical behavior for someone in their gang.
Hearing their voices, Roger calmly pulled back the curtain of the fitting room and stepped out without a hint of panic.
Celine followed behind him. The moment she saw they were gang members, she couldn't help but feel concerned for Roger.
"That's him!" the bearded man shouted, pointing straight at Roger.
The other two Skeleton Faction thugs didn't waste any time on words—they just lunged at Roger, fists flying.
Among the three of them, two were Magic Warriors, and one was a Mage.
Their power level was about the same as Roger's, but with the numbers advantage, he stood little chance of winning on his own.
"This is bad," Roger muttered, his brow furrowing.
In a one-on-one fight, he wouldn't be afraid of some low-level gang thugs.
But three at once…
"I won't let you bully him!" Celine stepped forward.
She planted her hands on her curvy hips, fearless as she placed herself protectively in front of Roger.
The bearded man and his lackeys gave her a long look.
Judging by her outfit and overall demeanor, it wasn't hard to tell that she was a noble lady.
"This young lady, I'm here to settle a score with him. You'd better stay out of it. If you get hurt by accident, I'm not taking any responsibility," the bearded man said with a grin, flashing a mouthful of yellow teeth.
Celine raised her chin. "My father is a steward of the Magic Guild. Are you sure you want to start trouble in front of me?"
"A steward of the Magic Guild?!" The bearded man's eyes widened in surprise.
In Windmill Town, the most powerful force was the Magic Guild.
Aside from the Guildmaster, there were three major stewards.
Each of those stewards held a rank and prestige higher than the leader of the Skeleton Faction.
With Celine stepping in to protect him, the bearded man had to think twice before taking revenge on Roger.
"Don't be afraid! I don't believe the Magic Guild's steward would defend some lowly tailor. As long as we don't lay a hand on the young lady, we'll be fine," said a tall man coldly.
He was wearing a tattered mage robe. He was a level-four Mage.
"You keep her busy. I'll deal with this damn tailor!" the bearded man growled.
The tall Mage nodded. "Got it!"
The bearded man moved around Celine and charged straight at Roger.
Another thug followed close behind to help.
"You dare defy me?! I won't let you off for this!" Celine shouted, furious.
She desperately wanted to protect Roger, but the tall Mage had already begun casting a wind-type spell that froze her in place, binding her with magic and restricting her movement.
Seeing the bearded man rushing toward him, Roger quickly dodged back, yelling in anger, "Damn it, this again?! If you've got the guts, kill me now, or I swear I'll fight you to the death!"
The bearded man sneered with satisfaction. "You're right. Today is the day you die!"
He raised his fists, which began to emit a faint, white glow.
That pale white energy was called Battle Aura. Just like a Mage's Magical Elements, it was a unique form of energy used exclusively by Magic Warriors.
Battle Aura came in many elemental types.
Aside from the difference in energy sources between Magical Elements and Battle Aura, the biggest distinction between a Magic Warrior and a Mage was that one specialized in close combat, while the other excelled at long-range fighting.
Magic Warriors were incredibly powerful at close range and often had strong defensive capabilities.
Mages, on the other hand, could cast powerful long-range spells to attack their enemies, but their defense was extremely weak.
Once a Mage allowed a Magic Warrior to get close, their life could be in serious danger.
Just like now—Roger, a level-three Mage, was getting overwhelmed by two Magic Warriors. He didn't even have a chance to cast a spell.
"This is giving me a headache!" Roger shouted, scrambling to dodge their attacks. He grabbed whatever was within reach—wooden planks, stools—and tried to fight back.
But up against two Magic Warriors, all he could do was defend himself.
He managed to hold them off for a few exchanges, but he was already starting to falter.
In the blink of an eye, he was forced into retreat. Tables, chairs, bolts of fabric, and tools were scattered all over the floor around him.
The scene was complete chaos.
"Stop it right now!" Celine shouted anxiously.
But the bearded man and his crew were already blinded by hatred. Her shouting was completely useless, no matter how loud she got.
"Have you caused enough trouble?"
A cold, stern voice suddenly rang out.
It wasn't loud, but it carried undeniable authority.
The three thugs froze simultaneously when they heard it and turned toward the entrance of the shop.
The speaker turned out to be none other than Kurinan.
Kurinan stepped into the shop with his beautiful wife at his side. His eyes swept over Celine, then settled on Roger.
Earlier that morning, at Dudon Knight's estate, Kurinan had seen Roger and realized he had some kind of connection to Sir Dudon. That was when he decided not to provoke Roger any further.
He had also made up his mind not to let any of his men stir up trouble for Roger either.
That was why Kurinan had rushed over—to make sure Roger was safe.
What he hadn't expected was that his men had already acted so quickly.
Fortunately, he arrived just in time. Otherwise, things might have gotten out of hand.
Roger looked at Kurinan, heart pounding in his chest. He thought nervously, "Seriously? I can't even handle a few low-level thugs, and now a major boss shows up? Am I just doomed today?"
Clearly, he had no idea why Kurinan had come.
Smack!
Without warning, Kurinan slapped the tall Mage across the face, instantly cutting off his wind-element spell.
It was a heavy slap. The Mage's lip split, and a thin line of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"Hmph!" Celine was finally free. She glared at Kurinan, breathing heavily with indignation.
Roger blinked, stunned by what he was seeing.
What the hell was going on?
This turn of events was nothing like what he had imagined.
The bearded man and the Magic Warrior saw their companion get slapped and immediately covered their own faces.
They were terrified Kurinan might give them a slap too.
"Brother Kurinan, why are you protecting this guy?" the bearded man asked, clearly unwilling to let it go.
Kurinan replied coldly, "No reason. All you need to know is this—stay away from Roger from now on. Got it?"
The bearded man lowered his head. "Uh… got it."
Kurinan snapped, "You heard me. Now get the hell out of here!"
"Yes, yes, of course…"
The three of them ran off in a panic.
They had come in full of arrogance—and now they left in utter disgrace.
"My apologies for disturbing your business," Kurinan said politely to Roger.
Roger smiled. "It's all right. As long as we can get along peacefully in the future, that's good enough for me."
Kurinan returned his smile. His gaze swept over the shop before saying, "I've heard your tailoring is quite good. Since I'm already here, go ahead and take a few measurements. Make some outfits for my wife."
"Thank you for the opportunity," Roger replied. "But I only work with female clients. Whether I take the order or not depends on your wife's opinion."
Kurinan's brows furrowed. "What do you mean by that?"