A few days had passed since the challenge for the title of Dungeon Conquerors, and since Lynn had told Arezu she would need some time off.
Arezu spent those quite relaxing days taking it easy and being laid-back—especially after the troublesome and exhausting challenge he had to participate in, or rather, that Lynn had dragged him into.
It's not that Arezu was just lazing around at the inn under the pretext of recovering. Well, maybe on the first day. But as soon as Beatrix finished crafting a new halberd-axe the following day, he immediately got back to work. After all, he needed to earn his keep.
Not that he was in dire need of money, considering he and Lynn had earned a decent reward from their previous orc-hunting quest—but he needed something else.
With Lynn gone off somewhere and leaving him on his own, Arezu couldn't accept high-paying quests as a solo copper-rank adventurer. That left him no choice but to look for others to partner with.
Fortunately, thanks to his approachable personality, rising popularity, and the rumors circulating about him, it wasn't hard for Arezu to find other adventurers willing to team up with him temporarily.
With his recent quest—hunting a group of Minotaurs alongside George's party—finally wrapped up, Arezu returned to the inn where he was staying.
After taking a bath and cleaning his weapon and gear, he was about to head down to the inn's diner for a late evening meal.
Until—knock-knock!—a series of gentle yet suspicious… no, ominous knocks came from outside his room.
It wasn't the innkeeper or her husband—they would always announce themselves. Nor was it their daughter, who always called his name while knocking.
And it was already too late to hide his presence. Whoever stood on the other side of the door didn't even try to be discreet, boldly radiating a threatening aura.
—Knock-knock!—
The time Arezu spent debating whether to respond or not only made the knocks grow louder and more aggressive.
Realizing that whoever it was wouldn't leave until he showed himself, Arezu stood from his chair and walked toward the door. He turned the knob with his left hand, gripping a dagger in his right, hidden behind his back.
When he finally opened the door, what greeted him was the usual innocent look and gentle smile of the girl he hadn't seen in days—or at least, that's what Lynn wanted him to see.
But Arezu sensed it immediately—not only the threatening aura Lynn exuded but also the killing intent behind those innocent eyes and sweet smile.
So much so that his instincts kicked in, and he closed the door the moment he locked eyes with her eccentric gaze.
"My, my... I'm giving you until the count of five to open the door, Mr. Arezu," Lynn said in a sweet tone.
She didn't say what would happen if she finished her count, but Arezu wasn't particularly eager to find out.
"Five..."
Even if he opened the door, that didn't mean the danger would be gone.
"Four..."
Arezu was still wondering why Lynn was here, at this hour, at this inn—but what really mattered was why she was angry.
"Three..."
Not that he could just ask that. Even he knew that was a question that would only make things worse.
"Two..."
What mattered now was choosing the right words, something that might calm her down.
"One..."
Before her countdown reached zero, Arezu finally opened the door to face her.
"Welcome back, Lynn."
For a brief moment, Lynn was flustered by his greeting. Arezu, however, missed her reaction as he tried to maintain composure and hide his anxiety.
Still, his words were enough to disarm her just a little. Lynn didn't pull the trigger on the twin-arrow crossbow she was holding with both hands in front of her.
Sensing the threat level had lowered—slightly—Arezu invited her to join him for dinner. After all, knowing Lynn, paying attention to her was a sure way to soften her mood.
"So, why are you here at this hour, Lynn?"
Sitting together at a table in the middle of the diner while waiting for their meal—Arezu had ordered for both of them—he finally dared to ask.
But Lynn chose to ignore the question and switched topics.
"I didn't know you were staying at such a reputable inn, Mr. Arezu."
The Moon Pavilion was the inn where Arezu was staying. Not exactly expensive or luxurious, but it had a growing reputation: only reputable adventurers were accepted, and its diner had recently become popular throughout the capital of the Eileen Kingdom.
Still watching her carefully, Arezu replied to her sudden interest.
"My benefactor introduced me to this inn—"
"My, my... Who could this benefactor be?"
Arezu's explanation was cut short by the return of Lynn's threatening aura—still hidden behind that sweet voice and gentle smile.
Having reached the end of his patience with Lynn's audacity, Arezu finally snapped and decided to confront her head-on.
"Fine... Just throw it all at me. Tell me why you're mad, Lynn."
"It's because you've been cheating on me, Mr. Arezu!"
—BAM!—
—CRAAASSHH!—
The loud bam came from Lynn slamming both hands on the table. The crashing came from everyone else in the diner dropping what they were holding—utensils, trays, pans, even the innkeeper's logbook—after overhearing her accusation.
Arezu, meanwhile, stared at her in stunned silence, then facepalmed with both hands.
"What do you mean I'm cheating on you?" he asked, more tired than irritated.
Lynn, of course, snapped.
"You're cheating! You're having an affair! After everything I've done for you! After you confessed your feelings—"
"Please just explain everything, Lynn!"
Somehow, he managed to calm her enough to get a more coherent explanation—not just for his own understanding, but also to clear his name in front of the disgusted audience glaring at him from all sides.
"So you're saying I'm not allowed to work as an adventurer unless I'm with you?" Arezu asked, now sounding genuinely irritated.
"Why would you even think of taking a quest or going on an adventure without me?" Lynn huffed, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Lynn... You..."
If it weren't for the people still watching, Arezu might have smacked some sense into her.
"Me what, Mr. Arezu?!"
He wasn't sure if she was genuinely angry or just being overly dramatic again. Either way, she was being unreasonable.
But ending this tantrum was more important.
With a deep sigh, Arezu pulled out his hidden ace.
"I'm sorry, it's my fault... Can't you forgive me, even with that promise of yours?"
Lynn went quiet. She sat back in her seat and looked away, trying to hide her flustered face.
"Then I'm taking that promise back—and making you give me a new one."
Now Arezu was in debt again, bound to fulfill another of Lynn's requests.
Whatever it was she wanted, he could worry about it later. Right now, dinner.
As he glanced toward the innkeeper's daughter to follow up on their order, Lynn beat him to it.
"Luna, please tell your father he can serve the food now. Also, call everyone. We're celebrating tonight."
As the little girl with decorative rabbit ears ran off toward the kitchen, Arezu turned to Lynn.
"Celebration? For what?"
"Like I said—I do a lot for you, Mr. Arezu, but you never seem to appreciate it."
Ignoring, or rather forgiving, the disbelief on Arezu's face, Lynn placed something on the table: his new adventurer tag—now marked with a higher rank.
"First, as of today, you're officially an iron-rank adventurer. Congratulations, Mr. Arezu."
He didn't particularly care about his rank. But seeing Lynn's satisfied smile made him smile as well.
But that wasn't the only reason they were celebrating.
"For the second..." Lynn said, pausing to gauge his reaction.
"Second?" Arezu asked, unsure where she was going with this.
"It's been one month since we formed our party—or rather, since we met. Happy one-month anniversary, Mr. Arezu."
She said it in a sweet voice, paired with a playful smile, feigning romantic flair just to fluster him.
But his response was one she didn't expect.
Looking straight into her eccentric eyes, with simple yet sincere gratitude in his voice, he said:
"Happy one-month anniversary, Lynn."