Chapter 242
Chapter 242
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 242
Chapter Title: Chapter 6-1. Iris
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I walked side by side with the mute waitress. As evening approached, the streets seemed even more crowded than before. There were plenty of passing mercenaries and adventurers, but now merchant wagons draped in cloth were lining the road, likely from a caravan that had just arrived.
*Impressive.*
The streets were chaotic. Sometimes it was hard to walk abreast. Despite the risk of bumping into people, the mute waitress wove through the crowd with light, effortless movements. If I spaced out for even a moment, she’d be far ahead in an instant. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t match her steps.
She definitely wasn’t ordinary. Judah followed behind her and checked her [Status Window].
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「Status Window」
[Name: Moonlit Iris]
[Title: Mute Waitress]
[True Name: Walker of Shadows]
[Level: 70]
[Job: Assassin _ Shadow Queen (Hidden S)]
[Race: Human]
[Strength: 74 (B) / Potential A]
[Stamina: 83 (A) / Potential A]
[Agility: 90 (S) / Potential SS]
[Mana: 81 (A) / Potential S]
[Magic Resistance: 77 (B) / Potential A]
[Charisma: 85 (A) / Potential S]
[Appeal: 60 (B) / Potential B] ◀ Special
[Knowledge: 65 (B) / Potential B] ◀ Special
[Luck: 78 (B) / Potential A] ◀ Special
[Affection: 35 (Interested)]
[Trust: 10 (Neutral)]
「Traits 10/10」
[Elder of the Mountains] - Rank: S
[Queen's Shadow] - Rank: S
[Dancer Under the Moonlight] - Rank: A
[Death Herald] - Rank: S
[Death Defiance] - Rank: A
[Silence] - Rank: B
[Affinity] - Rank: B
[What is Death?] - Rank: B
[Conviction] - Rank: B
[Teachings of the Shadow Kingdom] - Rank: A
「Skills 6/8」
[Shadow Kingdom Combat Manual - Assassination] - Rank: A
[Shadow Kingdom Combat Manual - Poison/Throwing Weapons/Traps] - Rank: A
[Shadow Kingdom Combat Manual - Swordsmanship/Martial Arts] - Rank: A
[Shadow Kingdom Manual - Magic Arts] - Rank: A
[Shadows Dance in My Wake] - Rank: S
[One-Strike Kill] - Rank: B
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Judah couldn’t hide his surprise upon checking her status window. He had some expectations, but he hadn’t imagined she’d be this exceptional.
Her stats, traits, and skills—all of them were top-notch. Everything she had was pure quality. A couple of her traits might seem useless in a game, but in this world, they’d likely exert their own unique influence. Seeing this only made him want to recruit her as a companion even more.
Thud!
Lost in thought while following her, he bumped into someone. Shifting his gaze from the hologram in front of him, he saw a burly man who had stumbled back several steps, staring with a bewildered expression. The man couldn’t believe he’d been pushed back by Judah, who was slimmer than him.
“W-What the...?”
What else? It was the difference in strength stats. After leveling up, he’d invested his remaining points into strength. Originally, his agility had been much higher, but now his strength surpassed it.
He wasn’t frail enough to fall from a casual bump on the street. It wouldn’t be strange if the person he collided with ended up on the ground instead.
“Sorry about that. I wasn’t paying attention.”
Still, since he had zoned out and bumped into the man, Judah bowed his head and apologized right away. The man seemed torn about accepting the apology but eventually muttered something about watching where he was going next time and moved on.
*Not a pickpocket, I hope.*
He wasn’t carrying anything on him anyway, so there was nothing to steal. Everything was stored in his <Bag>, impossible to pilfer.
“Hmm.”
Where did she go? In the blink of an eye that he’d looked away, the mute waitress had vanished from sight. She wasn’t a companion yet, so she didn’t show up on the . Finding her in this sea of people would be a nightmare.
“What a hassle.”
With a sigh, he decided to keep walking forward for now. If he didn’t spot her at the next intersection, he’d just browse around and head back. She wasn’t the type to get kidnapped or lost, anyway. If anything, Judah wandering around cluelessly would make him the more likely candidate.
After walking for ten or twenty minutes, he seemed to have entered the market district. As the sun began to set, vendors were packing up left and right. Some sold food, others adventuring gear—a true flea market. Those planning to stay open late had lit magical lanterns.
Among them was a street peddler who had laid out a cloth on the ground to sell accessories. Rings carved from unnamed glittering minerals, necklaces, bracelets—various kinds. Jewelry often boosted stats, so he checked them out, but they were just decorative.
“Take your time browsing and pick what you like.”
As he crouched quietly examining the wares, something was suddenly thrust toward him from the side.
-Found you.
He belatedly sensed her presence. Startled, he tried to pull back, but it was that familiar notepad and handwriting. Turning his head, he saw the mute waitress had appeared beside him.
She tugged at his sleeve. No time to browse here—she was trying to lead him elsewhere. Judah gave the merchant a light smile and a nod.
“I’ll come back next time.”
The merchant nodded and waved him off.
-Where were you? I thought you were keeping up.
She wrote on the notepad with much slower steps than before and showed it to him. Where had *she* been? That’s what *he* wanted to ask. Sure, he’d looked away briefly, but who could’ve predicted she’d disappear that fast?
-This is the market. They sell all sorts of random goods. It’s not huge, but merchants from other kingdoms come to trade, so with luck, you might find rare items now and then.
She wrote quickly despite walking, her handwriting remarkably neat. She must have been here a long time—some vendors recognized her and greeted her, even sharing food. She didn’t seem annoyed, writing ‘Thank you’ on her notepad to show them. If her hands were full with food, she just gave a slight bow.
*Surprising.*
She seemed perfectly ordinary. She couldn’t speak, but she maintained good relations with those around her—no one appeared suspicious of her. Maybe it was the power of her <Affinity> trait. She led him to a small general store.
The bell on the door jingled, announcing a new arrival. A few customers inside glanced over, but the waitress ignored them and headed to a corner rack of notepads. She picked two plain white ones—probably her usual type, no designs—and paid at the counter.
-Need anything?
The last page was visible, followed by a thick cover. After showing him that, she pocketed the used-up notepad. He hesitated under her direct gaze but decided against buying anything. It was a standard store with everyday items.
“No, nothing for me.”
He set down what he’d been looking at and followed her out.
-Not much to show in a border town.
“It’s fine. Just out for a stroll.”
-I’ll point out the blacksmith and guild on the way back.
“That’d be great, thanks.”
Their conversations took time since she had to write and he had to read, but it felt like a novel experience—no real discomfort. On the way back to the inn, she stopped writing as darkness fell.
Along the way, Judah noted the temple in the distance, beyond the blacksmiths and the adventurer, mercenary, and merchant guilds. Of course. Every city had one. Come to think of it, Arhil had never visited a temple.
*I should tell Arhil.*
Back in the elf forest, they’d briefly stopped at Gabriel’s temple. But it wasn’t functioning properly, and with everything going on, they’d left quickly. As a priestess of an angel, she should pray at a temple. She’d be happy to hear about it—maybe even learn a new skill.
The inn was bustling even in the dark, business booming. The mute waitress bowed her head slightly and slipped inside to resume work.
*Hmm, how to approach this?*
Moonlit Iris. To recruit her, he needed to complete a specific quest, but he had no idea how to trigger it. In the game, you just talked to the NPC with the exclamation mark overhead. But he’d never seen that here.
*Guess I’ll have to observe for now.*
Watching her move through the hall taking orders, he headed up to their room. Unlocking the door, he stepped in to the sound of Arhil’s soft snoring as she slept soundly. Listening to it, he quietly climbed into the covered bed and closed his eyes. Not tired, but deciding to sleep made drowsiness come swiftly.
“…Judah?”
Her voice calling his name lifted his eyelids. Arhil was right there, chin propped on her hand, watching him. A fresh scent lingered at his nose—shampoo? Soap? Her damp hair suggested shampoo. With a foggy mind, he pondered such trivialities while gazing at her.
“Sleep well? It’s morning!”
She poked his cheek with a fingertip, beaming with energy. She must have been up for a while, her voice lively. Swallowing a yawn, Judah sat up and stretched toward the empty air, exhaling deeply.
He’d slept deeply, defenselessly. No exhaustion, nothing taxing—yet here he was. Stretching, he loosened up.
“The room’s small, but there’s a shower. Hot water works great!”
“Yeah…? Hmm, wanna sleep more.”
Scratching his head, he realized it felt greasy. Better wash up.
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