Melina put her arm around mine and pulled me along to the main building. I glanced over my shoulder and called out to the guys just before we walked up the steps.
“Let’s have a meeting in an hour. Have the girls who aren’t busy prepare food and drinks until then!”
It had only been a couple of hours since I last saw her, but the moment we were alone, my heart raced like mad. She closed the front door behind her and almost pushed me to the ground, pulled the yukata up to her hips, and then straddled me.
I winced as she leaned her weight on my chest. The bolt wound was slowly healing, but it still hurt like a bitch.
“What? Don’t you dare tell a lady she’s heavy!”
“No, it’s not that.” I chuckled. “Look.”
I pushed her back and then pulled the jacket off.
She winced and pulled her weight off me. “You could have died if the shot was several inches off!”
“I could have, but I didn’t. I told you I’d be back, didn’t I?”
She let out a sigh and just sat there, staring down at me. “They’re so much stronger?”
I nodded. “They are, Melina. The elites are five times as tall and weigh a ton. The two we faced used something similar to your tetsubo, and a single hit was enough to deplete my full shield and rock my body. Then there was this nasty golden kobold who had a crossbow. It was so fast that we couldn’t even hit it.”
“But you killed it?”
I nodded again as a weak smile crept up my face.
“I grabbed it by its leg and slammed it against the ground. The thing hit its head against a rock and died.”
She burst out in laughter and caught herself quickly. “What? You serious?”
“It was quite a comical sight, but the battle wasn’t fun at all. It shot a mass of bolts as a skill and is quite dangerous.”
“That’s not good,” she whispered. “But no matter what, I can’t just stay inside forever, right? I’ll have to go out sooner or later.”
“When you do, you’ll have a group protecting your pretty ass from any harm.”
She slapped my chest playfully and chuckled. I winced and acted as if it hurt more than it did.
“Oh, shit! Sorry!” She leaned in hurriedly but placed her hands on the wooden floor, then planted her lips on mine. Her breath was warm and sweet, just how I liked it.
My hand slid up and stopped at her hips, tugging at the straps of lace on either side. She stopped and pulled back slightly to look into my eyes.
“Not yet,” she whispered as her body shivered. I could see she wanted it as much as I did, but I wasn’t going to push, not until the moment she was ready.
I let go slowly and grabbed her waist instead.
“Whenever you’re ready,” I replied. “Even if I have to wait a lifetime, I think it’s worth it.”
“Think?”
“I know. For sure. A thousand percent.”
She bit her lower lip and stared down at me. Her hands moved to mine, and she lowered them against her hips and looked away. “You can… if you want.”
I shook my head. “No, don’t do it just because I said something you want to hear.”
In truth, I didn’t even know if I was ready myself. There was the matter of me having been married and all, but the longer I stayed here and the more time I spent with Melina… would I even want to go back anymore? Probably not, but that would be pure shit from my side. Or would it? No, this wasn’t the time to think about this.
“You sure? I’m… willing right here and now.”
Her body tensed up, telling me something else entirely.
“Can you just lie on my chest? Holding you is enough for now.”
She did as I asked and didn’t urge me on anymore. I felt her body ease up as she lay down. Yeah, this had been the right choice. I had her in my arms and would never let her go. At least not if I had any say in it.
Chapter Seventeen
We lay there in each other’s embrace for the biggest part of an hour. We didn’t speak and ask any stupid questions, or those that would break the serene moment we had. At least not until she started stirring and moving around, rubbing her chest all over mine.
“I think I need to get up for a while,” she whispered, pressed her lips against my neck, and got up. “We also need to clean that wound of yours before it gets infected.”
“I don’t think there is a wound anymore.” I groaned as I stretched my arms and back. “But I don’t mind getting under the shower with you.”
“Or the bath tonight? We can do what we did last time?”
It was more a question than a statement, so I nodded. “If you’re up for it?”
“Always.” She smiled. “What do you want for dinner?”
“Oh, good thing you mentioned food. I got us a dozen loaves of bread so you don’t have to waste time on them.”
“Dozen? Where are they?”
I pulled the pouch from my jacket, opened it, and put my hand inside, then pulled out a loaf. It was still steaming hot, just as it had been when I got it in the bakery.
“Here.”
“What the hell?” she hissed. “How did you do that?”
“I’ll tell and show you, but keep it from the others for now, even Sandro.”
She nodded hurriedly. “Yeah, you know I don’t give a shit about him, so no worries there.”
“Here, just put your hand inside and you’ll see.”
She took the pouch from me warily and then gasped as her hand found her way inside. She pulled a crystal out, then put it back. “Where the hell did you get this? And what is it anyway?”
“The space inside is a so-called pocket-space, but I don’t have a name for the pouch. Storage bag?”
“Storage bag, huh? First off, it’s a pouch, not a bag. Secondly, we should call it a pouch of holding, or just a pouch. Forget the stupid names.”
I nodded in agreement. “Sure thing, my lady. And as for the other two, they were working in the clothing store where I bought the stuff for the two of us.”
“Oh. Yeah, sorry, I barely go out and never buy clothes out there. I usually get mine from spinstresses in the neighborhood. Sheets for beds, underwear, towels—everything is basically made by hand. Except for the… you know. The thongs.”
Her face turned slightly pink and she looked away. I didn’t inquire about it; instead, I changed the subject slightly. “And the price?”
She shrugged and got up, then pulled the yukata aside and tucked it in again. “It’s a bit more expensive than I’d pay for something similar in the stores, but the quality is much better.”
“Speaking of clothing, we need a way to get our hands on some armor. Or maybe—”
“Or what?”
“To imbue Enma into a set of clothes we’ll use as armor, but I don’t know if anything like that is possible.”
She frowned and narrowed her eyes on me. “Why do you seem to know much more than you’re letting on?”
“Because I do.”
She scowled. “Well?”
“Well what?”
“Then tell me what you know!”
“Tonight during the bath.”
“Bah! Really? You’re not going to tell me anything else?”
I nodded toward the main door and waited for her to turn around. Someone was outside; I could feel them. The room was plunged into silence as she held her breath.
“Come in,” I yelled as I sat upright.
The door slid open, and Gary stood there along with the two girls.
“Did we come at a bad time?” he asked meekly.
“No, you’re good. Where are the rest?”
“They’re gathered at the fountain. We decided to use it as a meeting spot for when you need us and… stuff.”
“Did the girls make anything to eat?”
He nodded. “They did, and these two here helped as well.”
“Have the girls bring in the food and drinks. We’ll talk about what I decided in a bit. The
girls and kids can join us as well. You too, Jess and Kai.”
The straight lines that were his lips rose at the ends as he nodded. “Sure thing, boss! Come on, go help the others!”
Jess and Kai turned their backs to us and ran off after Gary. They had changed into something more comfortable, but much less attractive. Not that I cared much. They were too young for me no matter how you looked at it.
“Sit with me at the head of the table?”
“Sure. Want me to put on something better-looking?”
I shook my head. “No, don’t. It’s fine as is, and besides, I don’t want anyone to even have fleeting thoughts of staring at you. Much less go through with it.”
“I used to be a dancer.”
I froze. A dancer? “What kind?”
“In a club where I met my… devil. I danced around a pole.”
My heart skipped several beats. She asked something, but all I could hear was the ringing in my ears. Melina snapped her fingers in front of my eyes just as my bastard heart started beating again.
“Huh? Sorry. What did you ask?”
“I asked if that piece of information was going to make any difference to us.”
The heavy pressure and ringing suddenly dissipated as I thought very hard and very fast. Dozens, hundreds, or even thousands had seen her body… naked or very scantily clad as she swung around a pole. Cold sweat formed on my brow and slid down my back. Why did it bother me so much? It wasn’t like she’d slept with every person there, but still… shit, I wished I knew who they were so I could kill them all.
“Oh, you don’t want to go there. You’re reverting to your old self,” Scar whispered in my mind. “You do know that this world is different and that murder here is much worse than where you’re from.”
He was right, but shit, why did she have to tell me such a thing?
“Should it? I mean, it was only dancing, right? And even if it was much worse than that, what right do I have to judge you?”
She nodded slowly as her expression turned slightly anxious. She regretted telling me this, I was sure of it. Regret or not, I couldn’t do this to her. She was mine now. Back then I was still dead, my soul trapped with rage in a dark space. What the hell was I even on about?
“It shouldn’t, so what is it that you can’t tell me if I told you my worst—you know?”
I could hear the footsteps approach much sooner than she could, so I decided to blow her mind and to teach her a lesson at the same time. It was one of those spur-of-the-moment things. Was it a smart thing to do? Probably not. Was it the right thing to do? Definitely not.
“I come from another world.”
She smiled and then burst out in laughter, but when she didn’t see me laughing along, a deep frown set on her face along with a scowl. “You’re fucking with me, right?”
I shook my head, and that was just when the first group arrived. Her head shot toward the door and then back toward me.
“Sorry, you’ll have to wait until later. I can’t talk about this to anyone but you.”
“What? You ass! You did this on purpose!”
“Hey!” I snapped as I protected myself against her onslaught of slaps.
“This a bad time?” Kang asked as he strolled in along with Sandro.
They looked tired and out of breath. Both sported several bruises each, but other than that, they didn’t look in bad condition.
“You been sparring all this time?” I asked in between Melina’s attacks. “Stop it, Mel!”
“Don’t call me Mel! Tell me right now!”
I grabbed hold of her hands and pulled her in, planting a fierce kiss on her lips. She stopped protesting for a long moment, but then pushed off me and snapped her head around.
“Really? In front of your men?”
“And women,” Sandro shot back as he nodded at the side door, where four of the girls stood with trays in their hands.
“Whatever. I give up,” she exclaimed and slumped into my arms. “You’re an ass, just so you know.”
“I’ll tell you everything you want to know,” I leaned in and whispered. “Tonight, alright?”
She flashed me an evil smile that told me not to fuck with her and to do as I promised before she looked over toward the ladies.
“You girls need help?” Melina asked.
“No, mistress,” Sarah replied.
“Oh, don’t call me mistress! It makes me sound cheap!” she protested.
“Boss lady? Hostess? Are those better?” Sarah asked again as she put the tray down in front of us. Mark took his seat to my left, while Kang and Sandro sat to my right.
“Mark? Your wife is teasing me,” Melina protested.
“No, she’s not, mistress. She really likes you.”
Melina rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Fine. Whatever.”
I let out a low chuckle and put my arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a tight embrace. This was one of those moments that would stay ingrained forever.
“Just accept it, but please, I already told you all once that when we’re in here, there’s no boss or mistress or whatever. Here we’re equal in name.”
“Sorry,” Sarah murmured. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“You don’t have to be. Now, what are we eating?”
“Umm, rice, fish, and grilled veggies.”
It smelled good, so why not? It wasn’t like I was any better at cooking, so whatever.
The girls needed two more round trips until everything was set up, and everyone started eating. No one spoke much but for the cousins and their wives. The chatter was low and respectful, which I could deal with. The kids were mostly quiet and just ate or slept.
Half an hour in, I hit my glass with a spoon and drew everyone’s attention. I’d thought about it since the bakery, and having no feedback at all but being able to imagine all kinds of things that the future could bring, the change would be for the best.
“Now that everyone’s eaten and had a rest, I want to propose something.”
“Propose?” Sandro asked. “Shouldn’t that be an order?”
I chuckled and shook my head. “No, Sandro, not anymore. I’ve decided on a change. One that will get the same result, but give us much more prestige. I want us to become a bodyguard company. Or something like it anyway.”
No one spoke. Even Melina remained silent for a long moment.
“What do you mean by bodyguard?” Mark asked after several long seconds passed in absolute silence. Quite a few faces were set in a half-smile or a grin, having understood what this meant to everyone.
“We’ll clear monsters for people, or protect them when they’re going out, provide escort and hunting services.”
“Speaking of hunting, did you know that everyone in here cleared the second quest thanks to our kills?” Kang asked.
I looked over at him and then Melina. She nodded.
“Heh, that’s interesting. Even more reason to sell our services.”
“Do you have anything in mind? It’s not like we can put up a broadcast on TV since the electricity is out,” Melina asked.
“I have a target in mind. He wants someone to provide security for eight hours a day in front of his bakery. We’ll get a lot of flour, salt, sugar, and some other ingredients as payment.”
“Hah! That’s good.” Melina laughed. “Shit, I knew you were useful for a reason!”
I rolled my eyes and smiled along with their good-natured chuckles.
“What else?” I asked. “We need meat, and we need other things like basic necessities. Shampoo, soap, toilet paper, whatever babies and women need.”
“We can make a list and then offer our services to stores and markets. Especially for rich people,” Melina said.
“Yeah, please do, Melina. Tomorrow we start with the bakery, and I’ll need two people on duty. Any takers?”
“I’ll take it,” Gary said and put up his hand. “I’ll take Han with me.”
“Good. Kang, you and Sandro wil
l visit the local stores, markets, and other bakeries. Anywhere we can get some free goods and offer help with monsters, even killing some for the buyers, maybe even elites if they offer enough.
“So many possibilities, and in a world that’s fraught with danger, this was a great decision, Vik,” Mark said as he hit the table with his palm.
It wasn’t hard or loud enough to wake the kids, but just enough to make the women wince.
“Mark!” Sarah hissed.
“Sorry, sorry.”
“Yeah, he’s just excited.” I laughed and picked up my glass from the table. “To a new life and a prosperous—agency.”
“To the agency!” they replied in unison.
“But first, we need to stay on top of our game. We need massive amounts of crystals. If you got nothing to do, go out with a partner and farm crystals. If you come across a goldy, come get me.”
“Why? They’re dangerous,” Kang asked curiously. He didn’t seem to understand the reward-to-risk ratio since he didn’t know what it was I got my hands on.
“Because I got something interesting from our goldy. I kept it hidden in case someone saw us from overhead, but no one’s come for me yet, so that’s good.”
“Oh? Another one of those gems?” Sandro asked.
I shook my head. “More valuable. It’s this little thing here.”
I pulled the pouch from my jacket and held it in front of me, put my hand inside, and pulled out a loaf of fresh bread. Then another and another. I slid them across the table, and people started cutting off slices and eating them hungrily.
“It makes bread?” Sandro asked as he bit down on the still-hot slice of bread.
“No, it doesn’t. It stores anything you put inside in the condition it was in. Here.”
I put my hand inside again and pulled the gladius out.
“The other sword is in there as well, but it’s hard to draw while sitting.”
I put the gladius back inside and tucked the pouch away. Thirteen loaves left.
“That’s amazing. Think we could have some as well if more drop?” Mark asked. “I could use it for all my guns and ammo.”
I nodded. “We’ll hand them out with priority to battle circumstances and merits. We’ll share everything we get equally, but you have to understand that the main risk is mine for now, and we’re using Melina’s home. We get first pick, the rest is distributed depending on merit, as I just said.”
Beginner Quest: A LitRPG Cultivation Series (Towers & Rifts Book 1) Page 20
