Eirene

Felix quickly returned home and remembered to put on the still sweat-soaked tank top. He didn't want to appear in front of Lily and Viola in such a state.

"Oh, welcome back."

A rough male voice pulled Felix out of his thoughts. He looked up and closed the door behind him, looking at Abraham, who was sitting at the table, casually drinking tea and reading the newspaper.

"Mm... I'm back," Felix said and added, "I'll take a bath. Is it free?"

"Bath? Hm, I think so," replied Abraham in a strange tone, which Felix didn't pay much attention to.

Approaching the bath, located at the very end of the house, he opened the door and froze. Before him was a sight – a beautiful and slender girl was taking a bath. Her body was exposed in the way she was born. Her beautiful chestnut hair was wet, and her eyes were closed – only her eyelashes fluttered occasionally as she applied shampoo to her head.

As if in rewind, Felix closed the door behind him and went out to Abraham, who was still carelessly drinking tea. Seeing Felix's excited look, the man smirked cunningly. It was then that Felix realized that Abraham had deceived him.

"For God's sake, you're an adult... why such childishness?" Felix said with a tired voice, sitting down at the table – he had nothing left but to wait for his turn.

"Oh, come on. Besides, it doesn't seem like you were worried in any way. Got used to girls, huh?" Abraham asked with a sly grin.

"Used to, used to, but that doesn't mean you have to play me like this. Think about your daughter," Felix said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, if it turned out that way, maybe you'll become her husband?"

"No, thanks."

Felix instantly declined. He couldn't accept something like marriage under these conditions. One year is a short period, and although a year of married life sounded attractive, he didn't want to ruin the fate of the benefactor's daughter.

Abraham seemed surprised by Felix's reaction, but his only response was a slight raising of the eyebrows. Then the man shrugged and continued reading the newspaper.

During the time the bath was being vacated, Felix studied his profile. All his characteristics were a nightmare and represented nothing but a synonym for "weakling." He could only sigh bitterly.

Suddenly, his gaze fell on a small arrow pointing up, glowing green. Out of curiosity, he pressed it, and suddenly a pleasant coolness enveloped him.

"Hm? By my feelings, it's like I underwent some kind of enhancement, although my characteristics haven't changed. And it seems that the experience I gained after accepting the task has dropped to zero."

Felix recalled his gaming experience. Most likely, this experience allowed him to level up, although there were no changes – probably, he lacked the experience.

"If this is how I can become stronger, it's a very cool feature! Not every day you get the opportunity to easily become stronger, although the 'ease' depends heavily on the tasks, and how to activate them – who knows," Felix thought, scratching his head.

Meanwhile, while he was contemplating, Lily entered the room – she was already dressed in a cute pink nightgown. Coincidentally, at that moment, Felix closed the interface and met her gaze – Lily was the first to look away.

"You're back.... Welcome back," she said in a quiet voice and then ran into her room.

"..." 

"Heh," Abraham chuckled, shaking his head.

***

After bathing and getting rid of the dirt, Felix felt light on his body and lay down on the floor, placing a mat and a pillow beforehand, then covering himself with a thin blanket. At that moment, Abraham entered the room, jumping onto the bed without undressing. During his prolonged sigh, the man noticed coins on the bedside table.

"What's this? Your money?" asked Abraham, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. I earned it today, helping a trader," said Felix with a serious expression, adding, "This is for you. Although the amount is small, I still hope it will help you a little."

"Eh... no, take it for yourself, okay? Buy something to eat, maybe some clothes," immediately refused Abraham, looking at Felix and straightening up. "You're a young guy, you need the money more. Besides, you don't have to feel like a debtor; I took you in willingly, so I won't demand anything from you, just like my wife and child."

"Even if you say so..."

Felix couldn't agree with Abraham's position. He was an adult responsible for his actions. Living off someone else's money without even trying to repay him was extremely rude, so this time Felix didn't give in. Abraham could only sigh and accept the money.

"Alright, alright! Your stubbornness, young lad. But again, I'll tell you, you need to relax more and live happily, not toil away at work. You have your whole life ahead; there's no need to spend it so diligently on work."

Abraham wearily shook his head and ended the conversation, saying he was a bit tired. Felix just smiled.

"Unfortunately, my situation is not as rosy," he thought and sighed.

Then Felix shifted his gaze to the book in his hands. Since he needed to replenish the Library of Knowledge, he borrowed various useful books from neighbors.

Now he had more than twenty books next to him. His task was to simply flip through the pages, and his skill would quickly memorize all the information.

At first, he thought he needed to read carefully, but it turned out to be much easier than he expected. Nevertheless, the pages he didn't open were somehow blank in the Library of Knowledge, so he was cautious.

The next morning, Felix left the house and headed to the forge. He waited for a few minutes until Victor came out, looking sleepy.

"Come in, let's go. I didn't get enough sleep, so I'm not taking new orders today; tell the clients that," said Victor, yawning, heading to the second floor.

Felix was speechless. This blacksmith didn't even bother to explain anything to him.

"Hello, are you the new worker?" suddenly a shy voice sounded, and Felix soon saw a twenty-five-year-old girl descending the stairs – she was in such a hurry that her two hills jumped with each step.

She had long black hair and blue eyes, and she was short.

"Hello. My name is Felix, and I was hired yesterday," said Felix, avoiding looking at the girl's chest and gazing into her eyes. He asked, "My task is to work with customers and accept supplies, loading them into the warehouse. If I'm mistaken, please correct me."

"Y-yes, that's correct. Y-you'll stand at the cashier and take orders," said the girl with a shy tone and a quiet voice, then added, but speaking a bit louder, "Oh, and my name is Eirene, but you can call me Rene."

"Alright, Rene. I understand that I need to start working now?" he asked.

"Y-yes..."

The girl was a bit embarrassed that Felix casually called her by a cute nickname, but quickly answered his question.

Felix stood behind the cash register and waited. Eirene seemed a bit tense due to the silence, so he suddenly started a conversation.

"I understand that customers don't come here very often?" he asked, looking at Eirene, who nodded.

"Yes, that's right... although my father is a good blacksmith, the orders take a long time, but the quality is very high. And the prices... to put it mildly, are high. Not every resident can afford it."

"So, are you operating at a loss?"

"Not exactly... although, you're right."

The girl sighed heavily, acknowledging their difficult situation. Felix just smiled and shrugged – he didn't care about anything else as long as he was paid steadily.