After we left the guild, we asked around for room recommendations — somewhere that included breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Eventually, we were pointed to a place a bit farther out from the royal palace.
Apparently, the farther you are from the palace, the cheaper the lodging. Makes sense, I guess.
The building was a little run-down, but manageable. As we walked in, we were greeted by a middle-aged woman at the front desk.
"We'd like to book two rooms for the night, please," Sel said.
The woman gave us a polite but firm smile.
"All the available rooms have been booked. We only have one left."
"Huh? Wait. Hold on… one room?"
I froze. My brain short-circuited. This couldn't be real. We literally just met a few hours ago — there's no way we're sharing a room.
Oh no. My palms are getting sweaty.
I looked over at Sel. She looked like she'd just taken a critical hit.
Was it shock? Embarrassment? Both?
(Oh no, oh no, oh no… this CANNOT be happening. Me and M-M-Master in the same room? No, calm down, Sel. Deep breaths. Deep. Breaths. If you panic now, he'll totally notice…)
I glanced at her — she was completely frozen, staring straight ahead.
(This is bad. I can't even move. That's it, we're sleeping outside. I give up.)
"Uhm… Mas—Reiji?" Sel stuttered.
"Yeah, Sel?" I replied, doing my best to avoid eye contact.
"I-I think we should slee—"
"It's a double bed," the receptionist interrupted, completely unfazed by the awkward tension suffocating the lobby.
(Phew… I was about to pass out. That could've been so much worse. Especially in front of him.)
Why is booking a room this stressful? It's not like I've done this before… This is literally my first time dealing with something like this.
Oh, right — Sel was about to say something earlier…
"Hey, Sel? You called my name a moment ago. What was that about? Need something?" I asked.
"Who, me?" she said a bit too quickly. "I didn't call you. Why would I call you? I didn't say your name… you must be hearing things."
She was definitely panicking. She knew I noticed her getting flustered.
"We'll take that one, please," Sel said, regaining some composure. "And could you fix us up some dinner? We're starving."
The receptionist nodded and gestured to the back.
"Sure thing. Just take a seat at that table — I'll whip something up for you two."
We moved toward the empty table, trying to act normal… but deep down, both of us were still internally screaming.
We took our seats and waited for our meal to be brought to us.
"It was you," Sel said suddenly.
"Huh?" I blinked. "What do you mean?"
"You asked earlier if I was the one who attacked Kael… and I said it was you."
"Wait—me? Really? I did that? But… I don't remember doing anything. I didn't even try to attack him."Nothing about that fight made sense. I didn't move. I didn't swing. I didn't even think about attacking.
"It was your skill in action," Sel explained calmly. "It reflects an opponent's attack back at them. But not just a basic reflection—it amplifies it. Two to several times stronger than the original strike."
Right then, the receptionist arrived with our food, but I was too focused on what Sel had just said to even notice her.
"Wait, what?!" I leaned in."Sel, that's insanely overpowered! Why didn't you tell me sooner?! I thought I was going to die!"
"I didn't tell you because that skill wasn't activated until the incident with Kael," she replied, casually stuffing her mouth with food like this was the most normal conversation in the world.
"Oh… oka—wait a minute." My eyes narrowed."What do you mean it just activated? Are you telling me that if it hadn't activated on its own, I would've actually died?!"
What the hell, Sel?! Are you trying to get me killed?
"Calm down," she mumbled through a bite of bread. "Even if I had told you about it earlier, you wouldn't have been able to activate it. It required a trigger—something only you could do."
"And what exactly did I do to trigger it?" I asked. I was pissed, sure—but curiosity was starting to win over.
"Really? You need me to spell it out?" she smirked. "Think back. What happened just before Kael attacked you?"
I closed my eyes and tried to remember.
I was almost about to run—but…
I paused.
"…Bravery," I muttered. "It was bravery… wasn't it?"
"Yup." Sel nodded. "That skill only activates for someone who proves themselves worthy. Someone who doesn't run when it counts. If you'd turned tail instead of standing your ground… you would've lost your chance to ever awaken that skill."
I didn't run. I stood there, terrified out of my mind… but I stayed.
Suddenly, my father's words echoed in my mind:
"There are moments when what you're fighting for matters more than logic or odds."
I won't lie—I thought Sel might step in. A part of me expected her to stop Kael. But by the time that thought crossed my mind, I'd already made my decision. It didn't matter if I lost. It didn't matter if I died. I wasn't going to run.
I let out a faint smile.
I was beginning to understand what my father meant.
"…Thanks, Sel," I said quietly, my voice a little shaky.
She tilted her head. "You're welcome? But… what are you thanking me for? You were the one who awakened your skill on your own."
"Because of you… I didn't run. The odds didn't matter anymore. Logic didn't matter. I didn't care if I won or lost… because I had something to protect."
(Wait… me? Did he mean me? He activated his skill because he wanted to protect me? Oh no… I'm blushing. Stay calm, Sel. Don't explode. Breathe. Wait—he was the one being attacked, right? Why would he think about protecting— Oh… oh. I get it now. He didn't care who was in danger… he just didn't want to run.)
Sel suddenly burst out laughing… and crying.
I blinked. "Did I say something weird?"
She laughed harder, tears in her eyes, and then gradually calmed down.
"It seems… you're more like yourself than I thought," she said softly. "You're always you, I guess."
"…Huh? Wait—what does that even mean? I was being serious, you know."
"Yeah. I know."She smiled — not her usual playful grin, but something different. Something peaceful. For a moment, it felt like the world had slowed down, like I was floating on air.
Then she pulled me back to reality.
"Eat up, Master, before the food gets cold."
"O-Oh yeah…"(Did… did she just call me 'Master' again?)
And so, we finally ate to our heart's content. Afterward, we headed up to our room for some much-needed rest. Just like the receptionist said, it was a single room — with a double bed.
Not ideal. But somehow… not so bad either.
"Reiji," Sel said, her tone suddenly serious.
"Yeah?" I looked up, already guessing where this was going.
"You noticed it too, right?"
I immediately understood what she meant.
"…The Guild Master."
"Yeah," she nodded. "There's something off about the way he talks. I can't shake the feeling that something's… off about him."
"Not just him," I added. "Some of the other guild workers too. It's hard to believe the Guild Master's up to something shady while the rest of them are completely innocent."
Sel crossed her arms, eyes narrowing in thought. "Yeah… for now, we should assume they're all potentially suspicious. But…"
She let out a long yawn.
"…But for now, let's just get some shut-eye. I'm so tired."
"Yeah, sure," I said, trying to shake off the unease in my chest.
But little did we know—outside the inn, cloaked in the shadows—something was stirring.
??? (Shadowy Figure):"We're in position, sir. Awaiting orders."
Mystery Voice:"Good… on my signal, execute the plan."
A pause.
"…And bring me the heads of those adventurers."