Zee got to the city in a couple of days. Acceleration did not significantly shorten the path. Many battle masters made fun of newcomers who invested in learning this skill to show their best side. But if the reflexes failed, the enemy's step to the side turned the young hero into an unguided projectile, slowing down with his face on the ground.

At some point, the idea of identifying them by their broken nose became popular. Zee 's regeneration skill saved him from severe injuries, but the discomfort when adjusting his nose, jaw, growing new teeth, were his companions for a long time. Therefore, he decided to move at a slower speed, making sure that he was not being chased.

For a while, a noise like explosions was heard in the direction of his house. After a couple of hours, everything calmed down, and he relaxed, enjoying the journey through the forest. The night in the forest was quiet, only the quiet crackle of a fire and the rare sounds of birds. Finally he was able to sleep.

Zee expected to see a small village, not a huge city, surrounded by a high wall, ready to repel the streams of monsters from all sides. It was not difficult to get there, the guards gathered around a large hole, from crumbling masonry. The gate was guarded by only a couple of people who did not pay attention to the unremarkable traveler.

He was already sitting in a rented room, in a single inn. And all he cared about was dinner time. The food created on the hike was no match for the local dishes. After having lunch on the first day, Zee was overcome by a real gourmet fever. The hostess, who served as the head chef, turned out to be a real master of her craft. And now his finances were melting before his eyes, and his stomach was trying to grow. If it weren't for the magical costs that accelerated the metabolism, he could become quite fat.

“Money is not a problem, even if I get so fat that I can’t get through the door. But again, to deal with this old man ... He definitely deceived me, the little bastard ... ”.

Deciding not to stand out, Zee created a pair of gems and sold them at a local jewelry store. The owner turned out to be a rogue-looking old man who pretended to be a saint that he was doing his duty, and nothing more. Zee knew how many copper coins to give for silver, silver for gold... But how much a precious stone, the quality of which he himself could not determine, was worth a real mystery.

- Young man, I will not ask you unnecessary questions, I understand how difficult the life of a traveler is and how much you need money - The old man put down the magnifying glass and stone, pretending to cover his eyes with his palm - I cannot leave you to this cruel fate and I am ready to offer twenty two silver and eight copper coins for everything! Believe me, this is much more than their real price, but let my gesture be another proof that kindness and compassion have not yet left these lands.

Zee hesitated, the old man talked too much, starting with the greeting itself.

- If you do not believe me, ask anyone, everyone will confirm that I am one of the most honest people in this kingdom! The church has always been close and supportive to me, in the name of the Goddess, I'm ready to swear ... But if this is not enough, then we can turn to the captain of the guard. An extremely worthy person, if he cannot help you, then no one can - The old man's smile stretched, and fun played in his eyes.

“You bastard, this is blackmail… Fuck, I have to agree.”

Zee scooped up the money in his pocket and headed for the exit.

- No thanks, I'll be happy to help you anytime! May your path be blessed! – Shouted man the last words, already slammed the door.

Twenty coins was a decent amount. Now. When this city was in its prime, it was a military fortress. And with the end of the war, it did not lose popularity for a long time, with many rich people who wanted to touch the trophies of the war, declare that they themselves participated in the thick of the battle and brought some kind of weapon as a trophy, having killed the enemy commander. And all this had to be so secure that a fruit seller, seen with an apple peeler, was surrounded by a whole army, and after dinner he found himself relieved of the burdens of his profession, being hanged in the main square.

Where there are rich people, there are merchants. The most eminent of them came here to earn extra money on the thirst for luxury. Rumor has it that one of them got rich, making the very weapons that were bought with wild thirst. In fact, no one wanted to buy a real, but rusty, covered in dirt and blood, broken blade! What a horror, what might the guests think?! And no one of the nobility doubted that every goblin who did not distinguish the blade of the sword from the hilt was armed with an exquisite rapier, inlaid with many sapphires, with an apple of pure ultramarine. Armor that was more than two meters and preserved as a whole set is better not to touch ...

Time has passed, and glory has passed. A new war did not happen, the monsters became smaller, interest was lost. Gradually, the city fell into decay, leaving only the indigenous people, the descendants of not so successful merchants and soldiers. As well as workers who survived by working in local mines. The ore was sent to the capital, while the valuable stones remained on the domestic market, encouraging small traders to still visit these places.

Zee was worried about another fact. The city was deserted, as soon as the sun approached sunset, the streets were empty, the shutters clogged from the inside. In the evening, only guards and groups of residents arguing about something, with clubs to the advantage, wandered in the alleys. The mystery was soon solved when he discovered a warning poster with a hefty reward for a certain monster that ravages houses and destroys everything in its path. The face suspiciously resembled Asura... Someone added horns and a pike tail peeking out from behind her. He decided not to focus attention, crumpled up a piece of paper and stuffed it deeper into his pocket, hastily moving away.

Dinner was served.

A maid entered the room, pushing a cart that had seen better days. A pair of wheels kept moving apart, the third coat of paint was peeling off, exposing rusted metal. But that wasn't the point. The main thing was on it. Juicy, hot, crispy. The mountain of food, which would have been enough for three people, was his and only. The maid bowed her head and quickly disappeared, fearing the wrath of the mistress.

Zee stuck his fork into what looked like a chop and raised it to his mouth.

Something chimed...

Again.

As if someone is hitting empty buckets against each other.

There was a lump in his throat, and his appetite had completely evaporated. He got up and went to the window, opening the sash, slowly, very slowly.

“No, no, not that bastard… He tracked me down…”

The roar was getting closer and stronger. Peering through the crack, he saw something climbing up the wall, punching holes right through the stonework. The creature's head turned, caught in the light from its window.

- FUCKING HELL, LORAS! - Yelled Zee , seeing a familiar helmet. At great speed, the creature rushed towards him, defying any laws of physics, leaving deep gouges in the stone and rattling like an infernal chariot.

Zee didn't have time to back away from the window when the shutters flew out under the pressure of brute force, and he was knocked down and crushed to the floor.

- Aaaaah

- MASTER, I FOUND YOU! – Asura, still sitting on it, pressing against the wooden floor, took off her helmet from her head and threw it on the bed – Are you glad to see me too?!

The master continued to yell, and then fell silent.

- Asura, it's you ... - Zee got up and hugged her - As never happy to see you!

- Ah - hugging him in response she moaned - The Master cannot live without me, what a delight!

But wait, where did you get that armor from? Why are you so dressed up? - He broke free from her inhumanly strong embrace and sat on the floor, looking at his maid, who seemed even taller against the backdrop of a tiny room.

- You won't believe it, when I returned home, I found some kind of creature on its wreckage! - She began to take off parts of her armor, simply tearing them off along with rivets, leather straps, and scattering them around - I knew that you were alive and had gone somewhere, but it broke our house! I had to punish him.

- You, you fought him?! - Zee could not believe his ears. The maid beat that thug and took his armor away from him!

- Let's not talk about this.

- But how?

- All you need to know is the master, that this creature repented of his deeds, gave me the armor as compensation and promised to fix the house by our return -  Asura pulled the veil over herself, covering her tempting forms - But I'm still angry! You left me without telling me where you were going and didn't even try to contact me!

- But, I, this is ... - Zee was worried about her, but with the arrival in the city, everything flew out of my head. There were no notifications of a sharp loss of pet health - Forgive me ...

She walked over to him, the covers slid down and he sank into her arms.

- Well, how can you be angry with you, you're such a darling!

Zee nose was bleeding. Everything swirled. Auto-recovery can stop the bleeding, but it's not designed to deal with emotional overwhelm. Especially for virgins.