Chapter 10: Quiver

“Come on in!”

“Fresh fruits for sale!”

The Roselia Duchy’s Heros is a thriving commercial city.

Due to its commercial nature, it has an extremely high population density.

Heros rivals the capital, Orkeon, in population density.

“Hey, miss! How about some delicious tea?”

“Fresh fish right here!”

Voices called out from every direction.

The atmosphere was lively and bustling.

Heros’s market was far more vibrant than Akard’s.

Well, Akard relies on agriculture as its main income, so the difference makes sense.

“It should be around here.”

I was wandering the market’s main street alone.

I hadn’t brought any escorts.

I came to Heros alone on Father’s orders, without any servants.

Reyna said it wasn’t right to let a guest go out alone, but she eventually relented to my insistence.

“…It’ll be fine.”

I pushed the thought aside and scanned the surroundings.

I was sure the shop I was looking for was nearby.

My memory was clear, but navigating an unfamiliar street was inevitably confusing.

“Is this it?”

I finally spotted an alleyway.

It was oddly quiet for such a lively market.

Without hesitation, I stepped into it.

“Found it.”

In the brick-lined alley, a single shop stood alone.

Its sign bore a perfume emblem and the name “Arin.”

I took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.

“Welcome!”

A rich perfume scent enveloped me as I entered.

The shop was adorned with countless cosmetics and perfumes on display.

“I came to the right place.”

“Are you here alone?”

“Yes.”

The speaker was a woman with orange, bun-styled hair.

Her gentle smile was striking.

“It’s rare for a man to come alone. Looking for a gift?”

“Yes. …That blue bottle perfume, please.”

I knew little about perfumes, so I picked the most eye-catching bottle by the counter.

“Oh! Great taste! Want to try a sample?”

“A sample?”

“You smell a bit of the perfume to test it.”

“Sure, I’ll give it a try.”

“Okay! One moment!”

She bowed briefly and retrieved something from under the counter.

A small white strip of paper and a tiny bottle.

She opened the bottle and dipped the paper, staining its tip blue.

“Just lightly sniff the end here.”

I took the strip and smelled the blue part.

A sweet yet refreshing scent filled my nose.

It felt like immersing my body in a blue sea, expressed through fragrance.

“It’s nice. I like it.”

“Really? That’s a relief! I made this perfume myself.”

“…You’re the owner?”

“Yes. It’s been my dream since I was a kid. I opened this shop recently, but it’s in a bad location and not well-known, so customers are scarce.”

But with hard work, I’ll succeed!

She said with a bright smile.

“I’ll cheer for your success.”

“Thank you! For a gift, how would you like it wrapped?”

“Something that sparks excitement at first sight.”

“Got it! I’ll make it as cute as possible! For a woman, right?”

“Yes. Please do.”

She turned to fetch a box and wrapping paper.

I spoke casually as I watched her.

“Owner.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know anything about ‘Avatara’?”

“…Ava-tara? Is that a new perfume or cosmetic?”

Her eyes held genuine confusion as she looked at me.

“Oh, I heard it’s a new cosmetic product. I was wondering if you sell it here.”

“It’s news to me. I’ll check with my suppliers. Could you come back later?”

“Sure. Sorry for the trouble.”

“No worries. If it means gaining a regular customer, I’m grateful.”

Her natural, playful expression didn’t seem fake at all.

Maybe the timing’s off.

I should have the family station someone here to keep watch.

“All done, sir!”

While I was lost in thought, she handed me the wrapped perfume.

“Oh, thank you.”

The navy-blue box, tied with a silver ribbon, wasn’t dull despite its dark color.

It felt refined.

The box alone was captivating.

“I hope the recipient loves it!”

“With this, they’d be thrilled.”

“That’s a relief. The total is six gold coins!”

Six gold coins—600,000 won?

The price was higher than expected, and I was a bit startled, but I couldn’t show it.

The amount itself was affordable.

The problem was my entire fortune was five gold coins.

I hadn’t planned to spend much at the market.

No choice, then.

“Owner, is it possible to pay on credit?”

“Credit? Hmm, that’s a bit…”

“Please, take a look at this.”

I pulled a handkerchief from my back pocket and handed it to her.

In its corner was a scale with a sword and shield on each side.

The Axus Duchy’s crest.

“This crest…”

“As you know, it’s the Axus Duchy’s crest. This guarantees my identity.”

I couldn’t reveal my identity outright.

I wasn’t here as the duchy’s second son.

“Hmm, alright. Can you settle within three days?”

“Thank you.”

I took the paper bag with the box, bowed slightly, and turned to leave.

An unexpected expense—maybe I’ll give it to Reyna as a gift.

“…”

I instantly spread the mana I’d been preparing through my body.

My muscles awakened, and I turned around.

Drawing my sword, I slashed upward.

Metal clashed, and a dagger was knocked away.

“What!”

A woman’s panicked, distorted face came into view.

“As expected.”

No need for anticipation.

I immediately followed through, slashing at the limbs of the shopkeeper—no, the Avatara operative.

A high-pitched scream echoed through the shop.

I braced for a possible magical counterattack, but as expected, there was none.

In the original story, she was an informant, not a combat specialist.

“Who the hell are you?”

Her limbs severed, she lay on the floor, glaring up at me, grinding her teeth.

It must hurt immensely, but maybe endorphins dulled the pain.

Her trembling body suggested otherwise.

“Not only do you know the organization’s name, but you’re with the Axus Duchy? There’s no way we were exposed!”

“Don’t worry. I’m the only one who knows.”

“What?”

“Just think of it as bad luck.”

“What kind of nonsense—!”

Her words didn’t finish.

I didn’t want to hear more, so I cut her throat.

“Haa.”

When the heroine’s past is revealed, Reyna is jilted by the Crown Prince.

But that alone wouldn’t completely isolate her.

If the Axus Duchy is a knightly family loyal since the empire’s founding…

The Roselia Duchy is a merchant family loyal since the empire’s founding.

From the empire’s early finances to logistics, economy, and public sentiment.

The Roselia family handled nearly every internal state affair, their influence enduring for centuries.

If the Axus Duchy is the empire’s sword and shield, the Roselia Duchy is its pillar.

“No wonder they’re one of the two great duchies.”

Reyna is the eldest daughter of such a family.

No matter how saintly the heroine is.

Even if she’s harassed by the heroine.

Even if the Crown Prince breaks their engagement over it.

Given the Roselia Duchy’s influence, Reyna could never be isolated.

The heroine may be the empire’s saint, but Reyna is one of its pillars.

Yet, Reyna gets entangled in an incident even the Roselia Duchy’s influence can’t mitigate.

That’s Avatara.

An organization working to destroy the Astrayia Empire.

Currently, they operate in secret, unknown to most, but three years after the heroine enters Arcana, they begin acting openly, gaining infamy.

And this shop, Arin, is one of Avatara’s branches.

The problem is that Reyna is a regular customer here.

Based on that and several past incidents, rumors spread that Reyna was an Avatara collaborator, quickly isolating her.

Reading it was one thing, but thinking back, it was a horrific witch hunt.

No one listened to her words.

No one looked at her evidence.

Reyna became a convenient invisible person.

A trash bin for others’ emotions.

Bearing unknown truths and indelible malice alone.

“If you hadn’t opened a shop in Heros, this wouldn’t have happened.”

I spoke quietly to the now-silent corpse.

“…”

My body trembled.

My first kill.

Even knowing she was a villain, even knowing I’d have to get used to this, the trembling didn’t stop.

The sensation of cutting a person was sticky, nauseating, and filled with an indescribable fear.

Could I ever get used to this?

“Scary.”

But the thought of you facing that worst ending again was far more terrifying.

So I had to get used to it.

Somehow, little by little.

“I’ll cancel the credit.”

With those words, I tossed the paper bag into the air and slashed it.

A sweet scent mixed with blue mist slowly filled the bloodied shop.

My movements have definitely gotten faster and stronger.

Before, I wouldn’t have reacted to that ambush.

Even if I had, I’d have barely won.

This method was the answer.

I wanted to test how much stronger I’d become—what perfect timing.

This should give me a good chance in next week’s main rounds.

“Lord Ike?”

“…Anna.”

Appearing before me was Reyna’s personal maid, Anna.