A Clumsy Encounter
Thud! A heavy, ominous crash echoed through the tavern as she introduced herself face-first to the floor, plunging the room into a sudden silence. A book with a torn cover lay sprawled beside her, making her look all the more pitiful. Soon after, the clicking of tongues arose from the men who had gathered to persuade Ethan.
"She's like that every single time..."
The man who had been eyeing Jing and Ratel even muttered his complaints aloud. Seeing how red the woman's ears had turned, it seemed her inability to get up was due to sheer embarrassment rather than actual pain. Unable to watch any longer, Jing turned around and walked over to the face-down, motionless woman.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
At Jing's gentle concern, the woman finally lifted her head.
"I-I'm fine. I'm a bit clumsy, but I don't get hurt easily. I'm needlessly sturdy, you see..."
She offered an awkward smile, and aside from a minor scratch on her face, she indeed seemed unhurt. Still, perhaps concerned by the alarming sound of her fall, Jing silently asked for her permission with a glance before carefully helping her up. As he grasped her arm to lift her, I saw Jing's eyes narrow slightly.
"Lia!"
Hearing the loud crash, Ethan emerged from the kitchen, practically throwing down what he was holding as he rushed over. The only problem was that the things he had tossed aside so carelessly were the dishes we had ordered. He rudely and violently slapped away Jing's hand, which was still holding Lia's arm.
"B-Brother, I fell again, and this gentleman was just helping me up," Lia, Ethan's younger sister, quickly explained. Yet, Ethan did not lower his guard against Jing.
"I-I'm sorry I'm late. I'll help out right away."
Lia tried to pull her brother's arm toward the kitchen. Thwack! Or at least, that was her intention. She failed spectacularly as her knee slammed hard into a table.
"Aaargh!"
At the sight of his clumsy sister screaming in agony, Ethan finally tore his gaze away from Jing and turned around.
"Just go inside. We have a lot of customers today anyway."
Lia blinked in surprise at his surprisingly generous consideration, telling her to go rest because of the crowd.
"Go inside and tend to your face."
Watching Ethan retreat with a sigh, Lia bowed politely to Jing, picked up the dishes Ethan had practically thrown down, and brought them over to us. Then, she quickly vanished inside after her brother. Jing gave a brief nod and returned to our table. As he sat down, the hushed whispers of the men nearby drifted over.
"Lia isn't the one cooking our food too, is she?"
"No way. Ethan must have already finished ours."
"I feel bad for Ethan. She's his only family, so he's always fussing over her like that..."
The men's pitying gazes remained glued to the kitchen doorway where the siblings had disappeared.
"It seems that man, Ethan, cares deeply for his sister," Jing muttered, clenching and unclenching his fist a few times.
"He did say she's his only blood relative," I replied.
Jing nodded as if he understood, then turned his attention to the food Lia had left behind.
"..."
However, the one who should have been the first to dive into the food remained completely still. I stared at Ratel, whose gaze was still locked onto the doorway where the two had vanished. Jing must have sensed his strange behavior as well, because he slid a plate of steamed salmon in front of Ratel.
"Is something bothering you?"
Without taking his eyes off the door, Ratel spoke.
"Doesn't it feel off to you?"
"What do you mean?"
"..."
Flatly ignoring Jing's question, Ratel turned his head back, buried his face in the steamed salmon, and began to eat. I stared down at the crown of his black hair before slowly picking up my spoon. Jing, who had been waiting for Ratel to elaborate, realized there was nothing more to be heard once the boy focused entirely on his food. He turned to me. Looking at Ratel and me already eating, he finally picked up his utensils to join us.
"Lord Ran, once we finish our meal, I will go out and find someone to help us."
"There's no need. I've already found them."
"Pardon?"
Jing furrowed his brow at my response.
"The people who will enter the tournament with us. I just found them."
The only problem was that both of them were far too different from how they were described in the novel.
Having plenty of travel funds was certainly convenient. Thanks to Jing's generous backing, the three of us were able to enjoy the luxury of having our own private rooms. Ratel set his luggage down on the stiff but clean-looking bed, his mind drifting to the black-haired prince who had left the inn claiming he had business to attend to. He loathed those eyes that looked as if they knew everything, but for now, he had no choice but to rely on the guy's help. Besides, the prince was definitely hiding something. A liar who slipped through crises without ever revealing what truly mattered. Ratel couldn't keep following the guidance of such a liar forever. Having finished unpacking, Ratel headed out of his room, partly to keep an eye on the liar.
Click.
"Squeak!"
Squeak? Ratel froze at the sudden animal sound. He opened the door and locked eyes with a creature standing dumbfoundedly in front of his room, its front paws raised.
"Squeak... squeak."
It was a squirrel. Looking up at him with a frozen expression, it was unmistakably a squirrel. The insignificantly tiny animal didn't even run away; it just stared at Ratel. Just as he thought its tiny face seemed to grimace slightly, the squirrel bolted. Ratel stared at the spot where the squirrel had vanished for a long moment. More precisely, at the door of the adjacent room where the squirrel had fled. Another lie to add to the liar's list, he thought.
Once the sun fully rose, the village streets began to bustle with life. Since the village had a small population, it wasn't as noisy as the Capital, but the passion in the people's eyes was just as intense. They were probably no different from the men who had caused a stir in the tavern. They were brimming with excitement for the grand event that was the Lucha Tournament. It was obvious just from watching them eagerly inspect leather gloves they would never normally use, standing outside a leather workshop they would barely visit two or three times a year. And among them, a distinct figure caught my eye. It seemed my luck wasn't too bad today. I was spared the walk past the workshop to the bookstore.
Slightly slumped shoulders, a tall stature, dark brown hair tied up high, and above all, a book with a clumsily taped-together cover held in one hand. Even from behind, she stood out clearly among the crowd eagerly picking out gloves for the martial arts tournament. The workshop owner, who had stepped outside to stretch, also seemed to spot this unusual customer immediately. He strode over and greeted the awkwardly standing girl warmly.
"Lia! On your way to the bookstore?"
"Ah, hello."
Lia, who had been flustered and pacing ever since the owner approached, returned the greeting awkwardly.
"I heard Ethan isn't entering the tournament this year either?"
"...Yes. He doesn't seem to have any intention of doing so."
When Lia answered softly, the man grinned and subtly studied her expression.
"Why? Is there some reason he can't leave the village?"
At his question, Lia's shoulders flinched so visibly that even I could see it from a distance.
"I-I'm not sure."
"Come on, if his only sister doesn't know, who would? Don't be like that, Lia. Why don't you put in a good word with Ethan for me? Ask him if he'd like to team up with my son."
"Y-You should ask my brother directly..."
"That's because your brother looks like he wants to murder me whenever I say a word to him!"
Lia had summoned her courage to protest, but the man raised his voice as if he had heard something absurd. Whether he realized his words proved he was only pestering her because he saw her as an easy target or not, he kept badgering her.
"I'm only saying this because I care about you two. I've known you guys for a long time. Huh? You have the talent, so why choose to live such a small life?"
"..."
"Come on, why don't you step inside and take a look around, Lia? Pick out a gift for Ethan. And while you're at it, you can coax your brother a bit..."
After rambling on and finally revealing his true motive, the man seemed to realize his slip and awkwardly tried to usher Lia inside.
"No, thank you!"
Lia, who had been quietly listening to him until now, gasped in horror, shook him off, and bolted. Or at least, that was her plan—if she hadn't slammed right into a display stand as she ran.
Crash!
With a loud, sharp noise, the stand displaying the man's gloves tilted forward. That alone was enough of a commotion to draw everyone's attention. But it seemed the heavens had decided to completely turn their back on Lia today. The moment Lia grabbed the stand and pulled with all her might to stop the items from spilling, the off-balance display couldn't withstand the recoil and toppled right toward her.
"Ugh...!"
Lia fell flat on her backside as the stand crashed down beside her with a deafening clatter. The man's leather gloves rolled into the muddy water along with the shattered fragments of the display.
"Oh my goodness! What on earth is this?!"
The man, who had been watching blankly, rushed forward like the wind and screamed. As he looked back and forth between his ruined merchandise and Lia, who was clutching her knee, anger slowly flared in his eyes.
"You... you did this on purpose, didn't you?! Just because you heard a few harsh words, you go and...!"
"No, no! I bumped into it by accident. I swear!"
A panicked Lia waved her hands frantically, trying to plead her innocence, but the man had already made up his mind.
"You shameless brat! I only spoke to you out of pity, and you repay me with this kind of petty revenge? You...!"
As his voice grew louder, Lia's shoulders shrank further and further. It wasn't a pleasant sight. There was no such disgusting scene in the novel, of course. Which meant there was no reason for me to just stand here and watch. Conveniently, my pockets were currently heavy with the money handed over by Jing, who still lacked any financial sense due to his lingering aristocratic habits.
"How much for a pair of gloves?"
"What?"
The man, who had been in the middle of berating Lia, turned to look at me for interrupting his tirade. Squeezing through the crowd, I picked up one of the gloves scattered on the ground.
"I asked how much for one of these."
As I asked with irritation, his eyes quickly swept up and down, sizing up my attire. I had no intention of waiting for him to calculate his profit. I pulled out a pouch and tossed it in front of him. The man quickly snatched up the pouch, which landed with a heavy thud. Upon checking the contents, his eyes widened, and he stared back at me.
"I'll buy all of them."
"Y-You mean these?"
He gestured toward the merchandise covered in dirt and dust.
"Do you not want to? That amount should be more than enough to rebuild your display stand."
When I reached out as if to take the pouch back, he frantically shook his head.
"No, no! I'll sell them all! I'll sell them! Just a moment, please! Since they're still goods for sale, let me at least dust them off..."
"No need."
What would I even do with all of these? They would only be a burden to carry. I picked out the cleanest, most intact pair from the pile.
"Do whatever you want with the rest. Throw them away, or wash them and sell them again."
"Ah, yes, yes. Thank you so much..."
Leaving the bewildered man behind, I gestured to Lia, who was standing there like a statue. Though she was prone to accidents, Lia wasn't lacking in quick wits, and she immediately fell into step behind me.