Darren was not happy at all, last night's escapade was a disaster and now he was certain it left him with a broken rib, although he was sure it wasn't completely broken, just fractured but that didn't make the pain he felt with each breath he took bearable.
Just his luck, robbing a house that belonged to a mercenary, but luckily he had left with something that was at least valuable.
From his resting position on the bed, he stared at the necklace, holding it up in front of his face. The emerald centerpiece reflected the light from the light bulb creating a beautiful shine and sparkle that reflected on his face.
Just from the looks of it, the thing looked expensive, no doubt it would fetch a high price, it looked like the type of thing a noble woman would wear.
The young man could
n't help but grin to himself, happily. He hoped he could sell the item before Bulat called for him and demanded money.
Although he wondered how he was going to explain the injury to Bulat, he couldn't really tell him about how he actually got it.
Ideally, he would sell the item get a potion, and still have enough money to give to Bulat but unfortunately, if Bulat found out that he bought something with "his" money there'd be hell to pay, it was better to give Bulat everything then hope he is left alone for a few months
"Fuuuck!!"
He exhaled the word as he put both his hands on his face, cursing himself and the situation he was in. If only he lived in the inner parts of the capital away from the shithole that was the slums, his life would have been so much better.
He couldn't help but imagine the life he would have if he lived there, a well-paying job as a guard or knight at the palace, waking up every day and having a filling meal before heading out to work, and then coming back and having another meal before sleeping on a comfortable bed.
Someone out there was living the life he could have had, if he had been born in a better environment.
*Knock knock*
The knock on his door brought him out of his daydream, he struggled to sit up wincing as he did so. He didn't answer the door and waited, only stashing the necklace under the blankets.
He hoped whoever knocked would think he wasn't home and just leave, unfortunately, that was not the case, the door clicked open and the familiar face of Gus stepped through.
"Boss Bulat wants to see you. Get up and let's go"
Gus commanded and Darren let a frown show on his face. He hated the fact that he just let himself in without even asking if he could enter but unfortunately for him he doesn't have the power to complain about it, only comply with his demands.
"Alright"
With a frustrated sigh, he got off the bed, making sure to do so carefully and not reveal he had an injury. Now he just has to somehow say the right kind of bullshit for Bulat to give him some time to actually sell off the necklace without having him find out about it.
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The sun was now a little bit past high noon, and it was no longer morning; however, it had intensified and continued to beat down on the residents below.
Arthur and Esme walked side by side, Esme carried three books clutched closer to her chest with a pleased smile on her face, while listening to Arthur tell her a story of his encounter with the Black rabbit, a monster that is– by his account– fierce and dangerous, however she just couldn't imagine a rabbit being anything but cute and cuddly.
Arthur carried a multitude of bags for groceries as well as other things they needed at home, this left both his arms occupied. They had bought more than expected.
Unlike in his old world, the idea of a mall had yet to exist in this world, and as such the market was essentially just a district where a bunch of shops and vendors cluttered together, creating an area where every building was a shop of some kind.
"I was still inexperienced back then, so I underestimated the monster, if my mentor hadn't been around, its poisoned fur would have killed me and it would have eaten my corpse"
Arthur recounted, his encounter with the black rabbit was quite the eye opener, his perception of rabbits back then was still shaped by his memories from Earth so when he encountered a cute black rabbit he was foolish enough to think it was harmless.
Little did he know the Black rabbit is a carnivorous beast, with claws that can pierce armour and speed that a normal human cannot perceive.
He got close enough to try and pet it, the fact that it did not immediately scurry away as he tried, should have been a red flag. The thing launched itself at him and nearly took his head, had his mentor not pulled him by the collar helping him evade it.
Esme couldn't help but giggle, hearing the story, her mind imagining Arthur running away from a cute little rabbit as if it were some great beast that swallowed men whole. Such an image contrasted starkly with the image of a man who felled a Gryphon just for a chance to court her.
"It's not funny you know, I nearly died"
He said, his tone not really conveying any seriousness. In fact, he was more amused than angry.
"I'm sorry my husband but the image of you running from a rabbit is in fact funny"
She answered, her words followed by an amused giggle, she tried her best to keep it from being a full hearty laugh.
Arthur could only smile, he too was amused. Her giggle was pleasant to his ears, the smile on her face was a sight to see, one that filled his heart with a warmth he had yet to feel in this world. Killing monsters was never the type of job that allowed for such pleasant experiences.
"I can certainly see how that might be funny, rabbits aren't the sort of creatures you associate with danger but when it comes to monsters looks are deceiving."
He advised as both of them arrived before the front gate of their home. Esme opened the gate and allowed Arthur to enter, she then fished the keys out of his pocket and made their way to the door.
"I suppose I've always had the idea that monsters would be big, like the Gryphon you brought to the palace."
She said as she arrived before the door, unlocked it, entered and then held it open for Arthur to enter, before placing her books on the armrest of the couch and then turning to help Arthur with the bags.
"That's not entirely false however the truly deadly ones never compare to the size of the Gryphon, just because it's big doesn't mean it's more dangerous than a monster half its size"
With that answer he then handed her one of the bags before closing the door and they both made way for the kitchen
Their conversation about monsters continued, as they entered the kitchen and began to remove each item from the bags and placed them where they should belong.
"What's– It's quite alright Arthur you can go wait in the living room you don't need to help me, I'll inform you when the tea is ready"
Esme was about to ask about how many types of monsters he had faced in his career as an explorer, however she quickly cut herself off, the kitchen was a woman's place, he didn't need to be in one when he didn't need to eat or wasn't looking for food.
"No it's fine, I want to help, and besides two hands are better than one, and besides we bought a lot of stuff."
He shrugged, not really minding, while taking out a loaf of bread from the bag and placing it on the cupboard counter before going to fish for another item.
Esme had wanted to insist on the matter however she decided against it, mostly because she already figured he would protest to it, Unwilling to go against the word of her husband she decided to let it go, hopefully she'll be able to communicate to him not to do this when there are guests.
Although she did wonder about his homeland and how things were done in his home country. She also couldn't help but find it odd how he has been in this country long enough to be a citizen and buy a house, yet still not follow any of the typical norms of the kingdom.
Once everything was set, Esme insisted that he vacate the kitchen and let her prepare the tea and he did without complaints.