Chapter 22

The human brain is naturally designed to render a person speechless when hit with mental shock.

You know, strong stress stimulates survival instincts, suppressing non-essential functions like language.

Or maybe the brain deprioritizes language processing to deal with negative emotions first.

Perhaps psychological defense mechanisms kick in to protect oneself from shocking experiences.

Well, there are various theories, but ultimately, they all lead to one conclusion.

Intense shock basically turns people into idiots.

Therefore, having become an idiot, I blankly blinked and thought,

“The general store is closing…? Then what about me?”

Thanks to the Tesseract, it was a refreshing morning with no fatigue in my body.

Greg delivered the shocking news that he needed to close the shop for a while after I had just started work.

It was extremely baffling.

Right after parting ways with my ghost self, this was quite the thunderous announcement.

Hey, boss! What am I supposed to do?

I need to work to eat! Take responsibility!

As I frantically buzzed around Greg demanding explanations,

he calmly grabbed my head and spoke in a very composed voice.

“First, calm down. While you were gone, we had a little incident. Suddenly, a group of vampires showed up.”

Vampires came to the shop, huh?

And from the sounds of it, not just one or two, but a whole pack.

That made some sense.

A group of vampires was much trickier than a single vampire,

as their magic grew stronger with more blood as a physical medium.

So even Greg, one of the strongest orcs, probably couldn’t fully protect the shop.

“Well… Most of them were small fry, so I managed to drive them off with brute force.”

“Huh?”

Wait, what?

From the sound of it, he beat them all up and chased them away.

Looking at the shop now, it didn’t seem trashed at all.

Just a few missing windows and small holes in the walls.

Appearance-wise, it definitely didn’t warrant closing for long.

So I tilted my head, wondering why we really needed to close, and Greg bitterly smiled as he answered my unspoken question.

“Why are we closing? Well, a few items got caught up in the mess… Unfortunately, an important emotion artifact got broken.”

“What?!”

Emotion artifact? You mean those glasses with emotion magic?

I was so shocked I stared wide-eyed at Greg.

Of course, if the glasses broke, closing made sense.

They were practically our most crucial item for appraisals.

If this were a restaurant, it’d be like all the kitchen knives becoming unusable.

Sure, we could compromise and serve food without using knives,

but rather than lowering quality, wouldn’t it be better to close temporarily and get new knives?

“Ugh… Of all things to break… Now I can’t even throw a tantrum about wanting to work. Still… It’ll get fixed soon, right?”

With a glimmer of hope, I cautiously looked up at Greg.

Alright, fine. Closing the shop? Okay. There’s a valid reason.

So, when will the closure end?

Three days? A week? Surely not half a month…

Seeming to understand my gaze, he carefully stroked his chin and replied,

“I think we’ll need at least a month off.”

“!!”

A… month?

I trembled at the unexpectedly long duration.

A month is way too long!

I only have enough money saved up to last four days!

This isn’t good! I’ll starve to death!

In my panic, I grabbed Greg’s sleeve and strongly protested.

But was there really nothing we could do?

He gently detached my tightly gripping hand and added,

“Repairing artifacts is expensive. Visiting a master craftsman in Night Haven costs hundreds of thousands of credits and takes months. So while the shop’s closed, I plan to visit an overseas contact. Considering travel time and repair time… Even a month is cutting it close.”

“…!”

“What, you want to come along? Yuria, do you even have a passport?”

…

A passport? Of course not.

Having completely lost momentum, I simply hung my head in gloom.

Well… After hearing him out, it really seemed unavoidable.

If asked whether there were skilled artifact craftsmen in Night Haven, of course there were.

But Greg, lacking connections in the city, likely knew only those charging absurd fees and taking forever.

Thus, going abroad to find a reasonable craftsman who could save both time and money was logical.

Even if I were in his shoes, I’d probably close the shop temporarily and leave Night Haven too.

But still… What about me left behind?

I gave up being a ghost without hesitation to work and live here…

Feeling a bit betrayed, I kicked the floor while keeping my head down.

Greg chuckled and ruffled my head.

Don’t touch me! I’m sad right now!

Unusually irritated, I glared at him, ready to bite his hand as he petted me.

With a carefree voice, he said,

“Hmph. Don’t worry too much. Though we haven’t signed a contract yet, you’re officially my employee. I’ve already thought of something.”

“…!”

“Follow me. I’ll introduce you to someone trustworthy who can provide work while I’m temporarily closing the shop.”

What… What did he say?!

Momentarily unable to process, I was later moved by Greg’s incredible kindness.

I knew I could trust him! The best boss of this era dedicated to his employees!

As if I’d ever been upset, I followed him with a bright smile hidden behind my mask.

Well, I don’t know who this trustworthy person is,

but if Greg says this much, they’re probably not some shady employer who won’t pay and backstabs people.

It felt like warm sunlight breaking through dark clouds.

“By the way, Yuria. Lately, you’ve gotten a bit more affectionate.”

“…?”

Suddenly, Greg casually remarked to me.

Affectionate? Me?

Frowning at his nonsense, I belatedly recalled my recent actions.

Like buzzing around Greg like a child.

Looking up at him desperately or hopping in place.

Tugging his sleeve or shaking my head to remove his hand…

No, no, no.

It’s just because I can’t speak. My non-verbal expressions increased slightly.

It’s purely for smooth communication. Can’t be helped, right? Try being mute yourself!

Pfft pfft.

Annoyed, I punched Greg’s thigh.

Who’s being affectionate here?

Does everyone who gets their gums numbed for tooth extraction suddenly turn into baby-talk sweethearts?

Of course, Greg’s skin was as hard as stone, so only my fist hurt.

Unfairly frustrated.

*

Walking through Night Haven’s bustling streets during the day felt awkward.

Since arriving here, I’d spent most time in the western labyrinth, and my first visit to Night Haven had been at night, not day.

Maybe it was because this was practically my first time boldly strolling the streets.

“Wow… There are so many people.”

Indeed, it was clearly a big city – countless people swirled like waves on the street.

Not just people, holographic ads everywhere made my mouth water.

Especially noticeable was how most passersby were various races with distinct personalities.

It was so fascinating; sitting and watching people would easily make time fly.

“Yuria, don’t wander too far or you’ll get lost. Come this way.”

…

Had he noticed me getting distracted?

Greg extended his enormous hand like a pot lid.

Hmm, honestly, I didn’t really want to hold it.

Not that I disliked Greg, but his earlier comment about increased affection bugged me.

Of course, I didn’t particularly want to act cute with others?

Once you become conscious of something, every action becomes self-conscious.

Kind of like how thinking about your tongue placement or swallowing saliva makes you hyper-aware.

‘But getting lost here would be worse than holding hands.’

Still, stubbornly resisting in such a crowded situation seemed odd.

People should live reasonably and rationally, right?

To appear as mature as possible, I held Greg’s hand with my chin raised, acting casual.

How’s that? Better this time?

“Hrk… Alright, let’s go.”

“?”

What? Did he just laugh? Must be my imagination.

Blinking confusedly, I soon matched my steps with his as we walked side by side.

Perhaps due to our height difference of about two times.

While Greg took one step, I had to take four quick ones, but thanks to him walking slowly, it wasn’t uncomfortable.

After walking for some time,

we reached a quieter path near the edge of the bustling district.

Greg stopped as if we’d arrived and lifted his head.

Naturally, I followed suit and looked up…

Only to freeze like a statue at the sight before my eyes.

“Huh.”

I knew this building.

Perhaps I’d known since entering this street.

In hindsight, it was natural.

How many acquaintances could a socially awkward, work-focused orc have?

And among them, how many could offer a suitable temporary job for a wandering child?

Realizing this now was ironic. Was the earlier idiocy still affecting me?

‘This… Crowley Fixer Office… It’s where the protagonist is, isn’t it?’

The protagonist’s office?

Caught off-guard by this surprise attack, my mind went completely blank.

And unfortunately for me,

a second shock immediately followed like driving a wedge.

“Huh? Mr. Greg? Yuria? What brings you here?”

“Pink hair again. Is Raven inside?”

“Hmm… Since Jin lives here, he’s probably inside? I just arrived for work too.”

At the worst timing, Alice Sakuragi appeared.

Her words seeking the protagonist immediately followed like the finishing blow.

Wait, the trustworthy job Greg mentioned…

‘Don’t tell me it’s part-time at the fixer office?!’

They say unlucky people break their noses falling backwards.

All my efforts to avoid the protagonist’s group turned to dust in this moment.

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