Warm air moved through the narrow streets.
Not cool.
Hot.
Sticky.
People were busy with their own lives, walking, bargaining, shouting. Everything felt normal.
But Goo's eyes kept moving.
Left.
Right.
Alert.
Eren and Goo walked side by side, speaking very little.
Then—
soft voices drifted in from behind them.
"Hey… did you hear?"
one voice whispered.
"Hear what?"
the second replied, slightly startled.
"Someone from the Ardent family came out today."
A brief silence.
"Seriously?"
Now there was surprise in the voice.
"And I heard… that Ardent family member sent someone flying with a single move."
The voice trembled.
"Who? That big, fat guy… Trimmol's brother, right?"
Fear was obvious now.
"Yeah."
A plain, almost indifferent voice answered.
"…Why are you so scared?"
The same voice continued.
"He's from the Ardent family, after all."
A quiet sigh followed.
"Oh… right. I almost forgot."
The last voice sounded like a burden had finally been lifted.
"Master, did you hear what they're saying?"
Goo asked softly, his voice a little uneasy.
"Why are you worried?"
Eren replied calmly.
Without slowing down, they ignored the whispers and kept walking.
Inside his mind, Eren smiled faintly.
Rumors already?
It's only been a few hours.
And who's this Trimmol anyway?
Probably just another nobody.
If he shows up in front of me, he won't matter.
Goo spoke again, this time more quietly.
"Young Master… where are we going?"
Eren glanced to one side.
"To a healer."
"But Young Master, I'm fine," Goo said quickly.
"Haha,"
Eren chuckled.
"You look very fine."
As he said that, Eren placed a hand on Goo's shoulder.
"Ah—!"
Goo hissed in pain.
"It hurts, Young Master."
A short while later, they stopped in front of a small healing shop.
From the outside, it looked unremarkable.
Just an old wooden board hanging above the door.
On it were written the words:
"Ease the Pain. Let Life Continue."
The moment they stepped inside—
The smell of herbs filled the air.
The healer was an old man.
His eyes were small, but there was a strange light in them.
The kind of light only found in people who had lived long enough to gain real experience.
Goo silently showed his injuries.
The old man examined them carefully.
One moment passed.
Then another.
His brows tightened slightly.
"Look,"
he said slowly,
"these wounds are deep."
He glanced at Goo.
"It'll cost one thousand gold coins."
"What?"
Goo was stunned.
"A thousand?"
Then he quickly added,
"No—two thousand gold coins?"
The shock was clear in his voice.
"Listen, healer,"
Goo said again,
"two thousand is too much."
He pointed at his own wound.
"This should heal with five hundred gold coins."
"And honestly,"
he added irritably,
"even five hundred is generous."
"This isn't even worth a hundred."
The old healer didn't reply.
He simply stared at Goo.
…This kid has been here many times before.
That thought crossed his mind.
He let out a small sigh.
"Fine,"
he said.
"Five hundred gold coins will do."
"No."
A girl's voice suddenly came from behind them.
"Ten gold coins."
The room went silent.
Goo and Eren turned around.
A girl was standing there.
The old healer slowly raised his head.
His small eyes narrowed.
"Ten?"
He let out something close to a laugh.
"Girl, are you joking?"
He pointed at Goo's wounds.
"This isn't a scratch."
"The cut is close to the bone."
"For ten gold coins, I wouldn't even wrap a bandage."
The girl didn't reply.
She took one step forward.
"This injured boy came with him,"
she said calmly.
Her gaze moved from Goo to Eren.
"So what?"
the old man snapped.
His voice held nothing but calculation.
Then the girl spoke again.
"Do you even know,"
she said softly,
"who this boy is?"
"…Who?"
The healer froze.
"He's an Enerist."
The room stopped breathing.
All sound vanished.
"W–What?"
The old man's eyes widened.
He stared at Eren.
His hands.
His eyes.
"An… Enerist?"
"Yes."
"…An energy user,"
the healer muttered.
Silence.
"So?"
the girl continued.
"Will you take money…"
"…or a favor?"
The old man bowed his head immediately.
"An Enerist is never charged."
He pushed the coins back.
"This payment was only a formality."
He looked at Goo.
"Sit down."
"I'll treat you myself."
The treatment didn't take long.
The old healer's hands were fast.
Precise.
Well-practiced.
When it was done, Eren and Goo thanked the girl and left.
After that, they visited two more shops.
They bought two medicinal herbs and two elixirs.
The total cost—
4,900 gold coins.
Leaving them with only—
100 gold coins remaining.
If you want to know what will happen next, keep reading. My fiction became my reality.
Sorry friends, I could not upload the chapter due to some work. From tomorrow, a chapter will come every two days.