Roger never expected that his very first fight after reincarnating would end in such a dramatic way.
Under the furious gazes of Simord's parents, Roger turned and went back into the shop.
"Roger! You bastard, stop right there!"
Simord's father shouted and stormed toward him.
He was a forty-year-old Level Nine Magic Warrior, average in strength and part of the lowest social class—commoners.
But against Roger, he could've ended things with just a finger.
"Can't handle losing, huh?" Roger widened his eyes.
It was ridiculous how a grown man was getting so worked up over a kids' fight.
Knowing he was no match for Simord's dad, Roger tried to retreat inside the shop.
But Simord's father was fast. In the blink of an eye, he swung his fist at Roger's face.
"Bang!"
A dull thud echoed.
Roger wasn't hurt at all. Instead, Simord's father stumbled back a few steps and fell to the ground.
"Bullying a kid first thing in the morning—don't you have any shame?" a cold voice sounded nearby.
Roger looked over and recognized the speaker: the bearded member of the Skeleton Faction who had caused trouble in his shop last time.
Beside the bearded man stood a young man in a black trench coat.
That young man was the one who had stepped in to save Roger.
"How did you guys show up here?" Roger asked, surprised.
He was absolutely sure that without that young man's intervention, he would have been beaten badly by Simord's father.
"We came to deliver an invitation," the bearded man said with a smile, handing Roger a purple envelope.
The seal on the envelope was decorated with a delicate and elegant purple orchid emblem.
Roger was puzzled. "An invitation to what?"
The bearded man scratched the back of his head. "Lady Kurinan sent us to give it to you. I don't really know what it's about."
The young man in the black coat added, "I'm Lady Kurinan's bodyguard. She told me to watch over you. If you run into trouble, you can come to me for help."
Roger gave a slight smile. "Thanks, I appreciate it."
"He's a Level Two Arcane Warrior, very strong," the bearded man whispered to Roger.
"Level Two Arcane Warrior?" Roger's eyes widened in surprise.
If he remembered correctly, Windmill Town only had two or three Arcane Warriors.
One was Dudon Knight, another was the vice president of the Magic Guild, and the third was a gang leader.
And this Level Two Arcane Warrior was Hathaway's bodyguard.
It seemed Kurinan took Hathaway's safety very seriously.
The Level Two Arcane Warrior extended his right hand. "I'm Bain."
"Roger," Roger replied, shaking his hand.
After delivering the invitation, the bearded man and Bain stayed a while, then left.
Back in the Tailor Shop.
By the windowsill, Roger sat down in a chair and opened the invitation to read its contents: "Hathaway is inviting me to some Masquerade Ball! I don't really want to get mixed up in that kind of scene, but..."
As he thought that, his mind suddenly shifted.
Honestly, attending the Masquerade Ball was a great opportunity to make connections.
After all, connections were a form of power.
Maybe it could bring new opportunities for Roger.
He could even use the Masquerade Ball as a chance to promote his custom clothing business.
"It's a rare opportunity. I'd better go to the Masquerade Ball," Roger decided.
He carefully prepared for the event.
He didn't want to wear a typical mask but planned to create a special outfit for himself.
The Masquerade Ball would be held in the evening at Mr. Nazar's tavern.
Mr. Nazar was a highly respected old noble in Windmill Town, with over a dozen wives and more than thirty children.
And those children had their own kids.
Today, the Nazar family had grown to several hundred members.
It was the largest family in all of Windmill Town.
Inside the Tailor Shop, business was just like any other day—no one really stopped by.
Throughout the day, the most talked-about topic among the locals was how Roger had ambushed and defeated Simord.
Evening fell.
"Roger, I heard you beat Simord," a familiar voice called from the doorway.
Roger, busy at his workbench, turned to look toward the door and smiled. "Even you heard about it? It's not a big deal, no need to be surprised."
The visitors were Norna and her two friends, whom he hadn't seen in two days.
Her friends were also noblewomen, all quite beautiful.
Norna stepped up to Roger. "But I heard Simord is a Level Five Mage. If you defeated him, that means you're really something."
A slightly plump noble girl chimed in, "But didn't you beat Simord with a sneak attack?"
Roger remained calm. "Sneak attacks are just tactics. Winning is what really counts."
"In that case, you must be pretty impressive," Norna said approvingly.
She had come with a purpose—to get Roger to custom-make sexy lingerie for her two friends.
So she shared her idea with Roger.
"I can make sexy lingerie for them, but it depends on how they behave," Roger didn't give a direct yes.
Norna nodded. "I know how you operate. I've already recommended you to them. How things go is up to you."
Roger said, "Alright, I understand."
"We're not in a hurry. We just came by to introduce ourselves," the slightly plump girl smiled sweetly.
The other tall, slender girl was more reserved and stayed quiet, quietly watching their conversation.
Roger grinned mischievously. "Then you all better behave yourselves."
Norna poked him. "You're so bad. The girls of Windmill Town better watch out."
Roger protested, "Come on, I'm a decent guy."
"Yeah, you're the most decent of all," Norna said as she turned to leave. "The ball is about to start. We have to get going. See you, Roger."
Before he could reply, she hurried off with her friends.
Roger muttered quietly, "Geez, what's the rush? I was actually thinking of going with you."
Probably Norna didn't think Roger was qualified to attend the Masquerade Ball, so she hadn't told him.
Mainly because attending the Masquerade Ball required an invitation, and no extra guests were allowed.
At that moment, Roger was already prepared with his special attire.
He changed into crisp white trousers, brown ankle boots, a yellow shirt, and a black leather vest. He wrapped his accessories in a red cloth, locked the shop door, and headed to Mr. Nazar's tavern.
Mr. Nazar's "Moonlight Tavern" was located on West Street.
As night fell, many invited guests arrived at the tavern for the Masquerade Ball.
The Moonlight Tavern had five floors. The first floor was a spacious hall of over two hundred square meters.
The second floor housed private dining rooms, the third floor had private suites, and the fourth and fifth floors served as guest rooms.
The first floor also connected to an even larger backyard.
About two hundred people attended the Masquerade Ball, spread out between the main hall on the first floor and the backyard, creating a lively atmosphere.
It was said that Mr. Nazar hosted the Masquerade Ball to find a suitable husband for his young granddaughter, Annie.
Dancing was the usual custom at the ball, along with magic contests and mingling activities between men and women.
During the event, Annie would mingle quietly among the guests, observing the male attendees.
If she found a man she liked, she would pull him onto the dance floor.
At that point, other male guests could challenge him for the chance to dance with Annie.
The man who emerged victorious in these challenges had a chance to become Annie's fiancé.
Aside from Annie's search for a fiancé, the other guests could also pick partners they liked.
Because everyone wore masks and faces were hidden, choosing a dance partner became a matter of sharp eyesight and luck.
At that moment, a person wearing a witch mask entered the tavern.
Usually, only women wore witch masks, and those masks were delicately crafted.
But this witch mask was worn by a man—and it was quite unusual.
The mask covered only the upper half of his face, leaving his nose and mouth exposed.
It had red, slightly curled synthetic hair sewn onto it and was paired with black fake eyeshadow.
Compared to the elegant and refined masks others wore, his witch mask was outrageously flamboyant.
Even those wearing goblin masks couldn't compete for attention.
The moment he appeared, many heads turned to look.