Chapter 6 : Friend?

Hostess of Fertility, the weekly coffee was starting to become a tradition for him, will there may be other places that have the same quality of the coffee, he found this place charming, with an ever present joyful mood and carousing.

He didn't interact with anyone, he just liked being present and watching people enjoying themselves, it made him feel happy and content. A girl with green hair, cold eyes and skin as white as the purest snow, brought his order. A cup of coffee. He took it and said, "Thanks you."

She did a little nod and left. Sidhe observed how graciously she was moving, the air of serene grace that was ever present in elves, but she surpassed that, she was like those heroines from fairy tales, unreachable. She had a too perfect coordination to just be a normal person. She was most likely a retired adventurer, or so Sidhe believed.

He sipped his coffee, looking at the growing throng in the pub, some time later, Loki familia appeared, with their goddess, Loki. They had a table reserved. Most of the people where with the eyes on them.

They really attracted attention, with so many growing stars in their familia, they are set to become one of the best in Orario, though, they have tough competition, Freya familia is considered at the moment, the most powerful familia.

A maid approached him, holding a tray of food in hand. Smiling she put it in front him of him, she had grey-blue hair, depending on how light hit her hair. He looked quizzically at her, and said, "I am sorry miss, but I hadn't ordered any food, maybe you mistaken someone with me."

She shook her head, smiling eye to eye, saying, "No, this is for you, free of charge."

He raised an eyebrow, saying, "I am very thankful for your offer, but I am not hungry."

Her smile slowly disappeared, she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand, saying, "What? Are you saying that our food is bad? If you have negative reviews, maybe I should call Mamma Mia to personally say what's wrong, what do you think about this?"

His pale face became even more paler, as he thought about Mamma Mia, the dwarfess who was level 6 adventurer, a person known for her temper. His tail was trembling.

He said, shaking his hands in terror, "No, no, no. I never said that, I know that the food here is excellent, in no way I have any complains about it."

She smirked, then crossing her hands, she said, "If you don't have any complains about the food, why you wouldn't eat it? It's even free."

He was conflicted if he should say the reason, seeing the girl didn't buy his excuse, he was forced in the end to answer, as he didn't want to be kicked out by Mamma Mia, literally, "It's not that I don't want to accept free stuff, but if I eat the food right now, I will like it very much. I know about the fame of Mamma Mia's culinary skills, they are said to be heavenly. I am regular customer here, though I only buy coffee, but if I eat this food right now, I will be tempted to buy food with my coffee, thus spending much more here than I plan."

She let a small laugh, eyes full of mirth, saying, "A very intricate and unique excuse just to say that you don't like Mamma Mia's food. Wait here, I will go ask for her to come here," she started to take a few steps towards the kitchen.

Sidhe didn't have any other choice than to eat that damned food, he took a hold of her skirt, with pleading eyes, like those of a cat, he said, "Fine, I will eat the food, don't say it to Mamma Mia."

She stopped and returned, having a grin plastered on her face, as she watched Sidhe eating the food.

Sidhe cried in his heart as he ate, cried and ate, and cried and ate. With every bite he felt poorer, he could already foresee how much money he will spend here, hundreds of valis, money that could be used elsewhere. He will need to have an iron willpower to refuse eating more than one time per week.

Because, the food was as good as the people were saying, his tongue and mouth never tasted something so rich, the condiments were assorted with care, being in tandem with the original ingredients.

He dared to say the food was perfect, Oh, how much he wanted to not indulge on the food, just for a witch to come and break his plans. He should have foreseen such case.

The girl didn't care at all of his suffering, saying, "What's your name, scaredy cat?"

His ears flopped down, looking with a half-lidded stare at the girl, saying, "I am not a scaredy cat, I just…" sighing, he then continued, "My name is Sidhe."

She chortled, "Sidhe, you say. My name is Syr Flova, I am a maid here. Let's just that I disagree on you not being a scaredy cat," winking at him.

She probably found fun teasing him, Sidhe thought, otherwise she would have let him alone by now, he said, "Nice to meet you, miss Syr."

She she faked a hurt tone, saying, "Please, just call me Syr."

He blinked a few times and said, "Okay. Syr."

She extended her hand, saying, "Nice to meet you too, Sidhe."

Sidhe looked at it, and timidly shook hands with her, thinking it was like making a pact with the devil.

He had an idea, "Syr, you shouldn't be working?"

She put a hand on her heart, saying, "You are bored by me now? So insensitive. Is this how you treat your friends?"

He inclined his head, his ears twitched, saying, "Ahm, no, I am not bored by you. When we became friends?" he didn't expect for his plan to fail, though if he tried to remind here one more time, it may work.

Pouting, she said, "Your bad behaviour knows no bounds. Maybe that's why you don't have any friends."

He shrugged, not caring about not having friends, he had at the moment one goal, and that is to pay the debt. Anything else could wait after that.

She saw that no other reaction was coming from Sidhe, so she decided to say, "We became friends right now."

He took a sip of coffee, now cold after how much he talked with Syr, then he said, "But what if I don't want to be friends with you?"

She shot him a freezing glance, promising miserable times if he refused. He thought seriously at the question, if he refused her, he could no longer come here and drink his coffee. That was unfavourable, and unwanted. He could accept it and become friends with her, and maybe he could get more free food. The pro outweighs the cons, he said, "It was only a hypothetical question, we are friends then."

Her cold aura disappeared, appearing warm and charming again. He was low-key scared how fast she could change dispositions, there were two explanations that he could think at the moment for it. First these were masks and the person she was presenting wasn't the true self. The second was that she was a very open person.

From what he observed, he would go with the latter, she was probably an open person.

She pat his head, in an unexpected move. His tail tensed, she laughed and said, "Heh, more evidence that you're a scaredy cat."

He rolled his eyes, and said, "I am adventurer, I can't be a scaredy cat, and by the way, are you allowed to not work?"

She sat on a chair, next to Sidhe, she then said, "It's my break time, so don't worry about me skipping my work."

She touched her mouth, saying, "You say that you are an adventurer, what level are you?"

His ears twitched, he took another sip of coffee and said, "I am, level 1."

She smiled, that was full of pity, saying, "You are a beginner. Very brave of you. When did you start adventuring?"

He lowered his head and said in a low voice, "This is my fourth week."

She then said, "Fine, you are not a scaredy cat, maybe."

He finished the last bit of coffee, he put the valis on the table, and prepared to leave, before that, he said, "Goodbye."

She waved at him.

Sidhe arrived home, Lord Miach seems to be missing, Naaza was in her laboratory, he peeked through the opened door at her, she was making potions, carefully mixing some substance in a cauldron. With books thrown around the room.

He waited for her to finish the mix, as he had past interactions where he interrupted her work, it did not end good for him, saying, "Naaza, do you know were Lord Miach is?"

She responded, "He's gone to Denatus."

He felt a tinge of sadness, responding, "Oh."

Sidhe didn't stay to interrupt her anymore, leaving for his room, night was approaching, he put his backpack on a corner, took off the saber and the dag`ger from his belt, and changed his clothes.

He then took a book from his bookshelf, and started reading it. He read for two hours then slept, as he needed to wake up early to go dungeoning.

In the morning he sharpened his weapons, prepared sandwiches to eat and has done everything else needed to leave for the dungeon.

He was confident in his skills that he can go as down as the fourth floor. At the third he was attacked by four goblins.

He was running in the twisting halls, looking for a good spot to kill the goblins, he heard a battle nearby, he should stop and try to kill the goblins as close as possible, as he didn't want to meddle with other adventurers, it is an unwritten rule that adventurers of different familias shouldn't meet in the dungeon. To not create dangerous situations.

He saw a turn, the goblins followed him, they were meet with the cold blade. The closest goblin had his torso cut. The three others took distance from the blade. Two of them had swords, the last one had a spear.

He parried an attack from the goblin's spear. Then the goblins jumped on him with their swords. Sidhe took some steps back, evading the slashes. One swing and a goblin took a grisly injury, from head to legs, it had a long open wound. It falls down.

Two more goblins remained, the one with the spear tried to impale Sidhe. Another bout of attacks, they tried in vain to break through his defence.

Sidhe saw an opening, swung left, the goblin with the spear died with his throat cut.

There remained only one goblin, it tried to block the incoming saber, it did successfully stopped the saber, though his strength failed and was hit by his sword.

The saber flickered, and halved the goblin. He swung one more time for the blood to fall from the blade, then took a handkerchief and wiped any remaining stains.

He gathered the magical crystals, after that he continued towards the fourth floor, his tail was swishing, cautious and at the same adrenaline was coursing through his body. He was ready to meet any challenges.

Later, in the fourth floor he meet two kobolds. They attacked him. Sidhe took them head on, parrying the incoming ax, buckling a bit under the immense strength. He kicked the axe holding kobold in the leg.

As the kobold was falling to the ground, Sidhe was going to cut it, yet the other kobold attacked, Sidhe twisted his body to dodge the spear.

Fast attacks were coming from the spear user, crushing blows from the ax user.

Sidhe saw that it was mistake taking them head on, they were much more powerful, being on par with him on, or even better. He was going to lose if the fight continued this way.