After Ron and Perica went upstairs, The tavern, which had been abuzz with people expecting some entertainment, instantly fell into a wave of disappointment.
“Drink up, drink up!”
“I thought there’d be a good show…”
Amid the clinking of glasses, A few men sitting in the corner stood up and left without even settling their bill.
The night passed quietly.
Early the next morning.
Today marked the first day the major trade caravan stopped at the market.
To avoid long lines, Ron and Perica got up very early and arrived at the trade market gates just after dawn.
The sky was only beginning to turn pale.
Although there was still an hour before the market officially opened, A huge crowd had already gathered at the entrance.
The area outside the market gates was packed with people.
Mounted gendarmes on tall horses shouted loudly to keep order among the crowd.
“Hah, what’s this?”
“This is what happens when smart people block the path of other smart people.”
Squished in the crowd, Ron’s mouth twitched.
Perica, on the other hand, stood firm like her legs were rooted to the ground,
Shielding Ron from the pressing throng.
Thanks to her efforts, The surging crowd, like waves, failed to affect Ron at all.
The thought of Perica’s seemingly frail body protecting him, a man, from the chaos, Filled Ron with emotion.
“Perica, you don’t have to take care of me like this.”
“I am an adult, after all.”
While speaking, Ron tugged gently at Perica’s sleeve.
As the young master, he wanted to protect his personal maid for a change.
“Master…”
Faced with Ron’s goodwill, Perica looked a little troubled.
Before she could explain, Ron pulled her into his arms protectively.
But the next second—The surging crowd threw Ron off balance!
“Wha—?!”
He toppled onto Perica, his chest pressing into her soft bunny pillows!
His altered appearance only changed how others saw him — not how he experienced things.
Perica’s soft form was squished awkwardly under his chest.
Just then, it seemed the market gates were finally about to open.
The already chaotic crowd surged even harder!
On one hand, Ron was thoroughly enjoying the feel of her scent and softness in his arms.
On the other hand, he was incredibly embarrassed at the sheer impropriety of it all.
Seeing his red-faced, flustered expression, Perica gave a helpless little reminder:
“Although mages are generally not good at close combat…”
“My body, after all the magical reinforcement, isn’t something just anyone can push around.”
Perica didn’t seem bothered by their current situation.
After all, as Ron’s personal maid for years, What sides of him hadn’t she seen?
Even if Ron had a girlfriend, chances were the girl wouldn’t understand him better than she did!
As they spoke, The trade market gates officially opened.
Though there was still some time before the scheduled start, The crowd at the entrance was simply too large.
If they didn’t open the gates now, Even the gendarmes would lose control of the situation.
With the gates swinging open, The waiting crowd surged into the marketplace like a tidal wave.
Watching the human flood, The gendarmerie captain stationed in the lookout tower wiped his brow in disbelief.
“This is… seriously insane.”
Hearing this, the adjutant beside him let out a helpless sigh.
“Can’t be helped. It’s always busy whenever a major trade caravan arrives.
But this time, they’ve brought specialty goods from the Dragon’s Nest.”
“A lot of high-ranking adventuring parties are planning to stock up here.”
Listening to his adjutant’s explanation, The captain’s face grew more serious.
“Go talk to the mayor again — see if we can get a few more soldiers deployed.”
“The southern regions haven’t exactly been peaceful lately. Even our city, which has been calm for over a decade, has had bandit activity recently.”
“Just a few days ago, Kendo’s caravan was ambushed thirty li outside the city.”
“I’m worried that with today’s massive crowd, someone might use the chaos to cause trouble…”
Leaning on the railing, the captain’s face was filled with concern.
After his adjutant took the order and rode off, The captain watched his silhouette disappear in the distance and sighed deeply.
“Let’s hope I’m just being paranoid…”
Meanwhile, inside the market…
Because the market opened earlier than scheduled, Many merchants hadn’t fully set up their stalls.
Most looked groggy and half-awake.
Even so, The dazzling array of goods still left Ron wide-eyed in amazement.
He had originally planned to head straight to the slave market section,But after seeing so many locally unique items, Ron couldn’t help but stop.
“Whoa~ What kind of magic beast is this horn from?”
He picked up a strange-looking horn.
It looked like a deer antler, but it was crystal-clear and resembled a piece of art.
“That’s the horn of a Tier-2 magical beast — a Magic Crystal Elk. It’s great material for alchemy and potion-making.”
Acting like a personal tour guide, Perica explained patiently.
“Hey! Don’t touch it if you’re not buying!”
The stall owner took one look at Ron’s shabby appearance and immediately sneered with disdain.
Ron gave a helpless shrug and put the item back.
Even alchemists — who didn’t usually rely much on combat — still needed magic as a foundation.
For someone like Ron, who had zero magic affinity, Alchemy was clearly out of the question.
Just as Ron let go of the horn, A group of oddly dressed alchemists rushed over, eyes gleaming, and started asking the vendor for the price.
“This quality — incredible! Absolutely incredible!”
“Boss, how much for this?!”
“Haha, you’ve got a good eye! I lost two mercenaries just to get this thing…”
The vendor was all smiles, enthusiastically tending to the new customers.
Ron’s excitement visibly faded.
“…Let’s go. To the slave market.”
He stopped paying attention to the surrounding curiosities.
Because most of them meant nothing to someone like him, with no magic.
Be it finely crafted weapons from master artisans, Or staves inlaid with rare gems — Even if Ron had the money, they were useless to him.
Perica noticed the shift in Ron’s mood.
She felt a pang of sadness and wanted to comfort him, But she wasn’t good with words — And nothing she could think of seemed appropriate.
Trying to console someone with zero magic to “stay positive” Was like telling an amputated athlete to “just keep dreaming.”
Unable to offer comfort with words, Perica simply followed Ron silently.
The slave market was different from the open-air stalls outside — It was housed inside a massive tent that took up a huge area.
As soon as the flap was lifted, a pungent smell hit Ron’s nose.
“What is that smell? Smells like an unventilated pet shop.”
Ron wrinkled his nose at the awful stench.
Perica explained calmly:
“Can’t be helped. Magic beasts and beastfolk tend to have strong body odor.
And this is after it’s been suppressed with incense.”
“It should get better once we reach the humanoid slave section further in.”
All around them were cages of various sizes.
Low growls from magic beasts filled the air.
They slammed violently against their cages —
Only to be met with magical counterstrikes that made them wail in pain.
“It reeks in here… Can people really make it all the way to the humanoid slave section?”
Though he complained aloud, Ron was already approaching a nearby cage.
If he could sign a contract with one of these magic beasts…
Wouldn’t that make him a summoner?
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