RMGCFW — Chapter 105

Banxia found an inn that served meals, ordered some food, and carried "Manu" back to the room alone.

The room was not large, containing only a wooden bed and a matching table and chairs.

Outside the third-floor window lay a bustling commercial street, crowded with people coming and going in lively commotion.

"All right, no one's going to catch you now." He tossed "Manu" onto the bed.

The blue-haired girl quietly lifted the robe draped over her, revealing her true form, her face still carrying a lingering trace of panic. "I-I'm saved..."

She was still dressed in blue attire, with leggings and short boots below.

Only her demeanor was completely different from the noble, icy aloofness she had shown in the great hollow tree back then.

Presumably, this period of working had changed her.

"You used this to hide just now, didn't you?" Banxia picked up a corner of the robe and examined it.

"This magic tool is called the Beast Robe. It can cast illusion magic," Mabel explained in a small voice.

"No wonder."

"Lord Hero..."

"What is it?"

"The outside world is completely different from what you told me back then. I clearly just wanted to live my dream life, and I clearly stopped caring about what others think, but I still couldn't do it..."

"What kind of life is your dream life?"

"Not having to work. Having food ready every day when I wake up, and being able to sleep whenever I'm tired..."

"...I want that too."

"Even Lord Hero can't do it...?" The girl slumped onto the bed in disappointment.

"That's not it. However, the life I want has one more condition than yours."

"What is that?"

"I'll tell you when you grow up a bit."

"Eh?"

Before long, the innkeeper brought up the steaming-hot meal.

Looking at the table full of aromatic delicacies, Mabel couldn't help recalling the past month of pinching pennies, quietly swallowing her saliva.

Banxia glanced at her, picked up a chicken leg, and waved it in front of her.

"Woof! Woof woof!"

The girl immediately assumed the pitiful posture of a puppy begging for food, her long blue hair swaying gently with the motion.

"Hey, where's your pride as a descendant of the Ice Clan?"

"...Uuu." Coming to her senses, Mabel immediately straightened up with a flushed face.

"Forget it. Go ahead and eat."

"Eh? Can I really?"

"If you don't want it, never mind."

"I want it!" she replied in a hurry. She reached out to grab the chicken leg, paused halfway to glance warily at Banxia, and only then took it.

With the first bite, the girl's blue eyes narrowed slightly, as though overflowing with long-lost happiness.

She ate hurriedly while striving to maintain the last shred of her dignity; that struggle to hold back any sounds made her seem all the more pitiful and adorable.

She was as cautious as a kitten testing its owner.

"By the way, where is your Frozen Divine Sword? Why haven't I seen it?" Banxia looked all over the girl, seeing no sign of that ice sword anywhere.

Having just finished gnawing on the chicken leg, Mabel wore a blissfully content expression. She stuck out her tender pink tongue to lick her fingers before saying leisurely, "I sold it..."

"Sold it?" Banxia gave her a strange look.

"Hehe..." Mabel let out a mischievous chuckle. "Those merchants took me for a fool. Seeing that I couldn't afford food, they bought the Frozen Divine Sword for just a single gold coin.

"Little do they know, I can summon the sword back at any time."

"I didn't expect you to be such a sly little schemer." Banxia withdrew his gaze.

Having a divine artifact bound by master-recognition was truly wonderful; it could even be recalled over long distances, which was truly enviable.

Unlike him, who still had not found a handy weapon to this day.

"W-Well, those merchants were too wicked! They still owe me a month's wages!" Mabel muttered discontentedly, her small face blushing slightly.

"And as a result, your aggressive attempt to collect unpaid wages got you chased all over the street, and you still didn't get your money back..."

"I didn't get the money back, but I threw away everything valuable in that merchant's shop!" Speaking of this, the girl raised her chin proudly again.

"Not bad. Worthy of praise." Banxia nodded.

When dealing with bosses who reneged on debts, making them suffer a huge loss was exactly what needed to be done.

"Lord Hero, don't you think I did something wrong?"

"How could I? What annoys me most are bastards who exploit people all day long." Banxia waved a hand.

A pity that when he died of illness in his life before last, he really had no strength left; otherwise, he definitely would have delivered a heavy blow to those bastards.

"Since Lord Hero thinks so too, then I'm relieved."

It seemed Mabel had felt a bit guilty before, wondering if she had gone too far, but upon hearing the young man's words, she immediately perked up with pride once more.

...

After finishing lunch at the inn, Banxia headed toward the commercial street.

His main purpose in coming to the Commercial Capital this time was to resolve supply issues, such as dry rations.

"There really are a lot of people..." Walking along the street, Banxia felt a bit of a headache seeing the crowd practically pressed shoulder to shoulder.

"Meow~" The little creature at his feet lightly tugged at his pant leg.

"Oh, I almost forgot about you." Banxia bent down and picked Mabel up.

Although the magic tool made her look like a Manu, the tactile sensation in his arms was still that of a young girl's body.

"Lord Hero..." Looking at the young man's face so close to hers, Mabel felt a little shy.

"If you're going to be shy, don't follow along," Banxia quipped. "I already told you to stay quietly at the inn, and I'd take you out of the city tomorrow."

"No... What if guards come to catch me again...?"

"Then behave yourself." Banxia adjusted her into a bridal carry, letting the little "Manu" nestle securely in his arms.

"Uuu~"

"What is it now?"

"B-Butt... Your hand..."

"Oh." Banxia shifted his grip. No wonder it felt soft just now.

Blame it on this Beast Robe.

In terms of subjective intent, he had zero intention of taking advantage of her!

He had no interest in lolis! He was definitely not a lolicon!

Before buying things, Banxia first went to the chamber of commerce to exchange the gold coins he had brought from the south into the currency of the Central Nations.

"So inconvenient..." Looking at the noticeably diminished pile of gold coins, he casually complained.

It was only then that he realized he had been ripped off by