The door closed behind me as I inspected the room. It was not big, fancy, or anything of the like; it barely even had a bed and a desk fit inside of it.
Slowly, I put down my bag, and rested my staff against the wall. I was content with this room. Plus, I was finally alone. I took a deep breath—
And I jumped on the bed and rolled around on it.
"I’m so tired! Traveling and camping out sucks! [Thank God for beds!]"
I said the last part in English because that was how relieved I felt at that moment. I exhaled and grabbed a pillow to hug.
"I never want to walk anywhere ever again! My feet hurt so much!" I complained to nobody but myself. Then I heard a thumping on the walls.
"Hey! Keep it down in there!"
I sat up. Face burning red with embarrassment.
"Oops, sorry!"
I called back. Thin walls. Should’ve expected that.
I sighed, and relaxed. I took a moment longer to settle in, before I caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of my eye.
Peeking out of the top of my bag, was the tip of a book. I glanced at the leather cover, just waiting for me. Then I walked over to it.
I opened the bag; there were a dozen different books of different sizes in it. It reminded me a bit of a school bag with all these books in it.
But unlike those textbooks, these were books on magic. Grimoires filled with knowledge how to cast spells; some of them only had history and religious theory. But it was all very informative nonetheless.
I received these books when I was with the Dark Crusaders. With Karna, Gessitt, Ihsan, and even Victor. Back then, I studied nearly every day for over a month.
But I had not been studying as much since I left them. That was not to say I have not been practicing magic at all; I read the books and tried casting some spells whenever I was alone and had the time. But there was a certain level of secrecy that came with doing magic.
I might as well as have gone around holding up a sign saying ‘I’m a heretic’ rather than read one of these books in public. At least for the first scenario, I might not get arrested if people thought it was a practical joke.
Now however, I had some privacy. I could become even more powerful. Be able to defend myself from all threats. It was not highest up in my priority list, but it was important.
So my arm jerked. I reached for my backpack, hand hovering over the books.
I paused.
Then I took out my coin purse, and placed it inside the bag. I fished out half of my coins, before closing it all shut.
I turned around, and danced out of the door. I was in a good mood. I was out of the Free Lands, or because I had a good and proper place to sleep. This was like a vacation. It was a holiday to me. And during holidays, there was one thing I always looked forward to the most—
I’m going to go shopping!
Maybe I was being a tiny bit hyperbolic. But I had always enjoyed shopping. There was something fun to me about trying on new clothes and different styles. Especially if I went out with friends.
However, I did not have many friends in this world. Which sucked. But at least there were no designer brands here for me to waste my money on.
Of course, I ended up not buying too much. But I did go to a few shops and settled on a new outfit for me to wear from now on.
I was getting a bit tired of the hooded leather clothes that were given to me by the Dark Crusaders; I wanted something new. And I ended up getting a set I really liked.
But all in all, it was completely uneventful.
It was shopping. There was nothing to say about it. Most people who accompanied someone shopping would just sit on a chair, waiting while bored out of their mind. The same concept applied here.
The most notable thing to happen was when I stopped to have my lunch. I received a lot of side eyes for eating much more than I should have for someone my size.
I did not understand the judgment: food was good, and I liked food.
After that, I stopped by one last shop. A young woman looked up as I entered the door.
"Welcome, little girl. Did you need something?" She leaned over the countertop, peering at me. "Are you lost? Do you need help finding your parents?"
"I’m not lost," I said as I shook my head. I raised a finger, and pointed at something hanging off the wall. "I’m looking to buy that, but in a different color."
"Oh, that?" She turned to face it. "Sure. But depending on the dye, it’ll cost more. And do you want a newly made one, or that exact one?"
She was rather chatty. And she spoke informally. Overall, she seemed friendly.
I probably would have been friends with someone like her in my previous life. But my current life was different. I had to stay cautious. I could not befriend everyone I met.
I had to survive.
So, I simply answered her question.
"I’d prefer it if it were brand new."
"I see, I see." She nodded. "It’ll take a few days. But it’ll be ready by this week. And you’ll have to pay half now. Is that ok?" she asked.
"Mhm."
I told her
