After a while of walking the three of us branch off the main street, into a smaller side alley. The alley was very slim and it was noticeably darker here as the buildings lining the sides of the way blocked out much of the sunlight.
Few shops lined the road, most of them looking quite seedy.

The further we walked away from the busy street, the quieter it got, to the point where it felt like the sounds of our footsteps on the stone road were the only things breaking the silence.

We approached one of the doors, though to my surprise it wasn't one with a shop sign hanging above. The building looked quite old and less well cared for than the prim facades along the main shopping street. The windows were made up of small tinted glass panels, arranged in an irregular pattern. Even though I knew our village chapel's similarly tinted glass windows that displayed scenes from the holy texts, this arrangement seemed eerily fascinating to me.

"I don't like it here." Marie complains, standing close behind Ragnar.

"Just bear with it."
Ragnar knocks on the dark wooden door twice and then twice more after a brief pause.

Nothing happens as I stare at the door for a few moment.

Then, suddenly a loud -clank- is heard behind the door before it is pulled open slightly.

From the dark emerges the face of an old, bald man with thin white eyebrows, wrinkly skin and a curved nose. One of his eyes is closed, while the light brown pupil of the other one is focused on Ragnar's face.

"Ah!" he shrieks. "You!"
"Been quite a while."
His voice is raspy and shrill.
It reminds me of the cry of a vulture. Actually, everything about him reminds me of a vulture.

"It has." Ragnar replies dryly. "Now open up. I need to use your services."

The man looks past Ragnar at Marie who was now hiding behind him.
"Ah, well then come in."
His emotionless face betrays a hint of joy as he speaks.

He eyes me for a split second, before pulling open the heavy door and vanishing into the house.

Ragnar follows, so does Marie after a moment of hesitation.
I enter last, closing the door behind me. As the door hits the frame, a big beam falls down from the side, locking the door behind me and making a loud -clonk-.

The room we had entered was sparsely lit, only a a single candlestick burning on a cupboard to the towards the back. The room was small, maybe three by three meters in size. There was no counter or reception reminding of a shop or a place offering any kind of service. The walls of the room, except the back wall, were lined with bookshelves filled with old and mishandled looking volumes. The only other piece of furniture was the cabinet holding the candle in front of the stone wall opposite to the entrance. A doorway leading to a dark corridor was embedded on the left side and a big painting of a strangely shaped dead tree standing in a barren wasteland hung to the right of it.

When we entered the man dressed in a simple black robe was already halfway through the doorway leading further inside.
"Come, quick, I don't have all day. But remember to close the door, will you?"

Ragnar walks straight through the room and into the corridor, followed by a scared Marie whose skin was even more white than usual. I take a short look at the surreal painting with it's ornate metal frame, before doing the same.

We take a right and enter another, more spacious room that is equally dimly lit. The robed man is standing behind a massive, misshapen stone with a flat top that is lying in the center of the room and reaching up to his hip. It's width and length are about equal to it's height and it's surface had an irregular color, as if it had been dirtied many times without being thoroughly cleaned.

If it wasn't for the weird stone, the room would seem to be some kind of food storage, judging by the amount of potted ingredients in the shelves around the walls. However, most of these ingredients don't seem to be any kind of foods I know of and the smell in the room was anything but appetizing.

"Now then, what help can I give you?"

"I need something enchanted."

"Oh, what could it be? Want me to make a mind domination circlet or perhaps a thrall's collar? Maybe a ring of ecstasy? Hehehehe..."
The man raves madly.

Marie who is hiding behind Ragnar starts shivering as he rattles on.
Ragnar looks at him with disdain.

I step towards Marie, grabbing her hand to calm her. She turns to me and her frightened expression subsides somewhat as she forces a smile.

"No, nothing of the sort. I want you to enchant her armor with your selective protection."

"Gah, that boring old stuff."

"That boring old stuff is the only reason you're still alive, don't forget that."

"Yes, yes, empty threats as always."
"Eeaah..." he yawns as he stretches his arms and back in an exaggerated manner.
"That's going to take a while... About three hours I'd wager."
"And about my reward..." He looks at Marie and licks his lips.

I feel her hand clench down on mine.

"Your reward is that I didn't gut you yet." Ragnar grabs the box I am still holding under my arm and hands it to him.
"Now get to work."

"Making an old man work for free? Still as cruel as ever, I see."
He frowns, but somehow I get the impression that he's just acting.
The man puts the box down on the strange stone before him and opens it up.
His single open eye widens as he glances inside.
"Oouuuh! What a beautiful piece! Are you sure you don't want me to do anything more interesting? With this level of craft I could create miracles!"

"I don't want to see your miracles. Now get to it." Ragnar says in a threatening voice.
He points at me.
"Al here will come back in three hours and pick it up. And you better don't do anything stupid in the meantime."

"(Why only me?)" I wonder as my eyes cross that of the old man.
He looks at me with a disinterested expression before his eye widens momentarily.

"Geh! Alright, let him fetch it... but can you at least let me get a sample from her?"

Marie's hand twitches and I strengthen my grip.

"You'll have to make do with me." I say in the most intimidating voice I can muster.

He makes a dissatisfied sounding "Hmph" noise before turning back to the mithril armor.

Marie looks me in the eyes and smiles.
I really would do anything to protect this smile.

"We're going." Ragnar says, grabbing Marie's hand, making her let go of mine. Her fingers close around his and he starts moving back through the corridor without saying another word to the old man.
I follow behind them, taking one last look at the robed figure.

...

We leave the house and start walking towards the main street. None of us want to stay here any longer than needed.

When we finally get back to the busy shopping street and the buzzing of the crowd touches my eardrums, I feel strangely light, as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

"Haah..." Marie breathes a sigh of relieve. "I hate that place and I hate that person." She complains.
I notice the goose bumps on her arms before realizing that I am having the same reaction.

"Who was that?" I ask.

"His name is Gulliver, used to be a favorite of adventurers in this region. He made enchantments no one else could, so none of us questioned his antics, but... let's just say at some point we found out a few unflattering details about his research."
"Anyway, all you need to know is not to put on anything he gives you unless you've checked the enchantment through an appraisal prism."

"Speaking of which. Here, take this." He hands me a small transparent crystal. "Hold this onto the armor, if it turns blood red that means the item's cursed. I doubt he'd do something that stupid, but check before touching it. And don't take anything else from his workshop aside from the armor."

"Now... Let's grab something to eat, I'm getting hungry."
He says in a lighter voice, realizing that we weren't feeling too well after this encounter.

【30 minutes later】

The three of us are sitting outside in a nice café to the side of a small plaza.
A beautiful fountain with statues of the last Hero and Saint stands in the middle of the space. Children are playing in the water while their parents relax to the side.

"So, when did you become the Hero?" Marie asks Ragnar while licking the last bit of ice cream off her spoon.

"The same time you became Saint, is what I'd assume. I was quite shocked when the king's men came knocking on my door. Thought they'd finally found out about me and the princess."
She gives him an angry stare.
"You can't imagine my surprise when I was told the Oracle had revealed that I was the Hero."

"So there was no Sign or anything, like for me?" She holds up the back of her right hand. Nothing was visible on it, but Ragnar and me had both seen the Sign of the Saint light up as she cast the spells I showed her a few days ago.

"No, nothing like that. Can't say I feel much different either. I only started believing in the whole thing once I realized the Oracle had been right about you."

"So, what class are you then?" She asks.

"Can't you tell? I'm a warrior, though I'm not too bad with magic either."

"Hmm, I guess you feel warrior-ish." She says with a smile. It kind of sounds like an insult, but it doesn't seem like he'll say anything.

We continue talking like this for a while, the sun progressing along it's way in the sky.

...

"Aah, that was a nice break." Ragnar proclaims, stretching his arms.

"Now let's get going."
He stands up and looks at me.
"There should be about an hour left before Gulliver is finished, feel free to do whatever you want till then."

"(What about you?)" I want to ask.

"We're going to go greet an old friend of mine." He says as if he read my mind.

Marie looks at him with scepticism.
"What kind of friend is that?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll like you."

"Why'd I care about that? Hmph!" she asks with puffed up cheeks.

...

After Ragnar paid the bill for all of us, he and Marie left in the direction of the inn.

I look after them for a while and see him grabbing her waist to pull her closer. She doesn't seem to mind and they continue walking next to each other.

"On hour, huh?" I say to myself over the loud beating of my heart.
"Ah!"
While thinking about what to do with an hour worth of time I remember my plan to buy Marie the flower-shaped hair ornament she saw yesterday.
That's right, I'm not going to lose to him!

The sun has already passed it's zenith and the light is starting to take on a warmer hue, tinting the still busy streets in an orangey color.
All around, people are enjoying this peaceful afternoon, free of any worries.
Rubia is a safe city, the monsters around this area are all weak and because of the positioning on a trade and travel route, the population of the city is relatively wealthy for it's size. The only thing to worry about is the occasional drunken brawl between travelling adventurers, but even that is mostly confined to the inns near the main street.

My steps though the crowd are fairly quick, not because I think I might not make it in time, but because I'm excited to get my beloved Marie a present.

...

Once I reach the shop I spot the hair clip still lying in the window.
As I enter, I am greeted by a finely dressed woman, around thirty years of age and about my size. She has short, brown hair and her sharp face combined with her suit-like attire lets her make a strict impression.
"Welcome, dear customer." She says as she bows.

"W-Hello."
I'm not quite sure how to deal with such high-class behaviour. At the orphanage we only learned about things that are important for every day life, like home economics, magic and the holy texts.

She raises her head and looks at me. I know she's probably not meaning it that way, but her sharp expression makes her look like I'm not welcome here.

"Uh, I'd like to buy the hair clip that's sitting in the front window, how much is it?"

"Excuse me for saying this, dear customer, but if you have to ask then you probably cannot afford it."

"Ah- Uh... I see."
"(No, I can't give up here.)"

"I-I'd still like to know."

"It's one gold piece."

"One g-"

"Indeed, we at Pucci Fashion prize ourselves at only offering the highest quality in jewelry and accessoires from the kingdom and beyond. Of course such excellence comes with an associated cost."

Despair overcomes me. Even if I spent all my remaining travel funds, I still wouldn't have enough to buy the ornament.

"Dear customer? Are you alright? Your face looks pale."

"Ah, I'm sorry. You're right I can't afford it."
She nods with a hint of smugness.

"Is this supposed to be a present for your girlfriend?"

"Mhm, but I guess I should settle for something within my budget."

"Actually..." She takes a step towards me. "There would be a way."

"Huh? What do you mean? I only have fifty silver on me and I can't even spend all that."

She steps even closer, holding her right hand towards her chest.
"I founded this place in the name of love. How cruel and unnatural would it be if I were to deny yours?"
"So... I would be willing to give it to you.. if you did something for me in turn."

I realize what she's talking about.
"N-No, I'm sorry for my girlfriend... I can't."

"But you haven't even heard me out yet."

"A-Alright, what is it that you want?"

"I want you to... give me a massage."

"You... want me to what?"

"Yes, you see, my shoulders and back are incredibly stiff and these clothes don't help."

My mind races. Is she trying to seduce me?. But... it's not cheating right? If I only give her a massage then I'm not doing anything wrong...it's for Marie... and anyway... she already... with Ragnar...
My dick becomes chubby at the thought.

I swallow my spit and nod my head.
"O-Okay. I'll do it."

"Really, you will?" She blushes lightly while smiling. "Then follow me."
She walks to the door and turns the sign on the front door from "Open" to "We will be right back." before walking into a small room with a red couch. I'm assuming this is where the employees take their breaks.

She points me towards a stool in front of the long couch.
I sit down.

The woman positions in front of me, beginning to take off her pants and jacket while keeping her black bra and panties on.
Her chest isn't very large, but it's not quite as flat as Marie's and her body has a certain adult charm.
She moves her hips seductively as she lies down onto the couch face down.

I look on as she undoes the back of her bra, letting the straps fall towards her sides and fully revealing her slender back.
I can clearly see the dark panties covering her ass that are embroidered with intricate stitchings.

"What's your name?" She asks, having turned her head to me.

"I'm Alan."

"Alan, huh? I'm Mira. Nice to make your acquaintance. Now, ready when you are."

"A-Alright, here I go."

"Nhh..."
The woman called Mira moans slightly as I press my thumb into the muscles of her right shoulder blade.

I start moving my hand in earnest.

-rub- -rub- -rub-
"NnaaAh... You're... nhH.. quite good."

As a priest I've actually learned a few massaging skills from my teacher. It's so that I can relieve muscle pain without using up mana for spells.

"Tell me if it hurts anywhere or if you want me to push anywhere in specific."
-rub- -rub-
"Aahn... yes... there..nHh..."

I feel a bit strange having her moan like this in front of me.
-rub- -rub- -rub-
"Nhh....NhHnn..."

As I work my way along her back from the top downwards, her skin begins to heat up.
-rub- -rub-
"NnHh are you.. aH... also doing this for your girlfriend?"

"Ah, no... This is actually my first time trying this outside of practice."

-rub- -rub-

"But your... nhh.. girlfriend... She must be in heaven... ahn...whenever you use your fingers..."

"I... uh,  I actually never..."

"Hmmh? Have you even... nhHh.. done it with her...nh...yet?" she asks.

I don't know what to say, so I remain awkwardly silent while continuing to massage her.

-rub- -rub- -rub-
"Nhh... That's not..ahn... good. You should..nh... do it quickly before someone... ahn... steals her away."

I gulp.
"Y-Yes, you're right."

"You really love her... nh.. don't you?"

"I love her more than anything in the world." I say with confidence.

-rub- -rub- -rub-
"NNhhh...aahh..."
"I think.. ah... that's enough... You passed."

I stop my fingers, that have already become sore.
"Huh?"

"Any other man would have... Nhh... jumped me by now."

"(So this was a test?)"

She sits up, holding her bra in place with her left hand and turns her back to me.

"My bra... would you mind?"

"Oh, uh yes."

I grab the opened straps of her bra with my fingers and try to connect them again.
After a while I manage to  click the ends together, securing the bra to her chest.
She turns around and smiles at me.

"Mhmhmh... I'm a bit jealous of your girlfriend for having such a cute boyfriend all to herself."

Mira takes a deep breath, stands up and without wiping the sweat off her body, she puts on the black suit pants. As she bends over a slight dark stain can be seen on her panties.
Having finished putting on her jacket and patting a few creases out of her attire, she looks at me.
"Let's not make her wait any longer then, shall we, Alan?" she says in her sharp voice, her previous controlled attitude returning.

I follow her back into the shop where she bends over the display in the window and picks up the flower hair clip.
The form of her ass is nicely visible through her thight black pants.
"(No! What am I even thinking. I only want to look at Marie that way.)"

She turns to me with a genuine smile and hands me the small ornament in the shape of a flower with thick, white-pink petals.
"There's a legend that says the last Hero gave a magnolia flower like this to the Saint when he proposed, and that's where the kingdom gets it's name from."

I had never thought about why it was called Magnolia Kingdom, but this story seems almost too romantic to be true.

"If you ever run into problems with your girlfriend, let me know. I'll help out where I can, in the name of love."

"Thank you." I reply with a smile.

"Now then!"
She gently pushes me towards the door.

As I leave I see her turning the sign back to "Open" while waving me goodbye.

I begin making my way back towards Gulliver's workshop with a happy feeling in my chest.

End Chapter 4: Rubia City, Day Two, Part Two