It was all so easy to steal something when you could shoot web from your wrist and stash whatever it touched in a dimension away from space and time. Especially when the only employee was overworked, tired, and suffering from exhaustion. Add in a hyperactive fairy with a foul mouth to further distract the Catfolk, and I was able to walk out with that gun, 80 rounds of ammo, and a backup mace for Sekh. I held the weapon and ammo within my storage because I didn’t want to be seen with them. Especially if High Elves were supposed to be disinclined to firearms. Seeing one with a gun was like spotting a blue moon. But with that accomplished, it was time to find shelter. 

For the next two hours, Sekh and I went from shop to shop to barter for a place to stay. The clothes Amos made for his warriors were worth a lot, and from the shopkeepers I talked to, perhaps that was too true. Not even one could afford it for my asking price. I didn’t have [Estimation], so the information didn’t show up, but one of the shopkeepers did, and he nearly passed out. According to him, if I were to get full value for it, I would have enough money to, theoretically, start my own country. Realistically, only heads of nations and the wealthiest merchants would have enough coin to buy it outright. When I mentioned selling it for about half its worth, the merchant kicked us out and told us not to return. 

But all was not lost. During our travels around Ria, we overheard word of a place called the Gecko Swap Shop. It didn’t have a fantastic reputation, and people avoided going there, but that gave me an idea. If people refused to go there, then it was struggling for money. If so, then wouldn’t they be desperate enough to take my offer? And if they were, would they be willing to offer a girl, her Lionfolk, and a rude fairy shelter and food? Especially if she added a second garment worth thousands of gold coins? 

I’d like to think so. But that was my last choice because of the troubles that came with staying with strangers. I’d prefer to stay alone. I spoke my worries to Sekh and Tilde, but the fairy said beggars couldn’t be choosers. “You can stay out in the wild, I mean. That’s always an option. I thought I saw a farmhouse down the road, so you can ask to stay in their stables with the animals. Maybe you can think about that if we get rejected from this shop, but seriously, you don’t have that many options. It’ll be different if you had [Base Body], but that’s not in the upcoming schedule for a fledgling like you. You just gotta be vigilant and take precautions to make sure no one finds out about your secret.” 

It turned out [Base Body] was a skill all chimera received when ranking up from Lesser Chimera to Minor Chimera. That was yet another goal to set our sights on. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. Still, it’s only normal for me to be a little bit wary, right?” When Tilde nodded, I searched for the place and found it. A quick waypoint and a few minutes of walking later, we crossed the area where there were three streams of water. The town had been built around them, so it was like three separate walking lanes with little bridges every few meters to walk from one lane to the other.  

It was oddly idyllic.  

“Thank you for shopping at the Gecko Swap Shop! Please come again!” I looked towards a soft voice at the base of the waypoint and spotted a green-skinned girl with two black horns jutting out from her forehead. I couldn’t see where they began because her black hair covered them, but she waved at the old man walking away with a cane.  

There’s a lizard curled up within the ‘o’ in Gecko. 

“And there it is,” I told Sekh. We hustled over the nearby bridge and jogged down the streets to the shop. A small bell signaled our arrival as we packed into the store. It seemed to be more like a general store in the sense that it had a little bit of everything. Clothes, armor, weapons, rope, matches, lanterns? It was all neatly organized in the little space available to them. 

“Hello! My name is Irisa! How can I help you?” said the girl with the two horns as she emerged from a room behind the counter. According to what Tilde and [Analysis] told me, this girl was an oni—the second stage of the Ogre Evolution Path. She was a little bit taller than me, so I pegged her to be about 6.5 feet tall. She wore a loose-fitting shirt that showed off her muscled abs while supporting her busty chest. It didn’t seem like something merchants usually wore, but whatever. It was almost 8 PM, so the shop was probably about to close.

“This is a shop, right? Do you buy things?” I asked her. 

“Yep. Unfortunately, we’re limited in what we can take right now,” Irisa said. She sounded kind of dejected, but she folded her hands on the counter and kept a smile. 

“Then how about a trade?” 

“That’s more likely. What do you have?” I took off my backpack and sat it on the counter while taking out Susize’s shirt. Tilde fluttered near Irisa and stared at her tits. 

“Umm... Yes?” she asked the flying menace. 

“You’re stacked, aren’t you?” Tilde blurted out. “I bet you use a lot of fabric to support those puppies. Gotta be hard to carry the mountains.” 

The oni started to laugh. “I’ve never met a fairy like you before. Oh?” Irisa held a pensive look in her eyes as she felt the fabric with her hands. She laid Susize’s shirt flat and took a magnifying glass to examine the lacy holes. I noticed a small twitch in her eye, and something told me I was about to get scammed. 

"They aren’t worth that much... I can tell you that. I can offer you a trade, though.” 

“That's a load of shit. I know they’re worth a lot because they were made by Holy Lord Amos.” 

She froze and stammered. “That’s the understatement of the century. [Appraisal] says these were made over a thousand years ago. And they’re in such great shape, too. Honestly, I don’t think anyone in the world has enough money to buy this for what it’s worth. And I knew I couldn’t get one over on a High Elf. Your eyes are way too sharp... Mom’s gonna kill me...Is it too much to hope that there’s something I can do to smooth things over?” Irisa frowned for a moment, but she flashed a melancholic smile a moment after. I was always decent at reading between the lines. Acquiring these eyes only ameliorated my perception. 

The hardwood floors were dusty and unkempt in a few spots. With [Analysis], the average quality, while better than what I could make, was something to be desired. And when that old man walked out, he didn’t have anything with him. Irisa’s aggressiveness—no, it wasn’t that. It was almost something like desperation that caused her to try to take advantage of a customer. A merchant’s reputation determined if their business would thrive or die. 

Seems like the rumors were true. This place is going through hard times. I can probably snag a room to stay in. There are two bedrooms on the second floor that I saw with my map’s satellite mode. The stairs are behind that door with the employees only sign. But staying with two strangers in a small house that functions as a shop is precarious. I don’t want to risk it, but the alternative is staying in a shabby inn with no privacy, camping in the wild, or staying in a barn that might have others in it.  

“Barter,” I simply said. Sekh remained quiet as she looked around the store. She was gone a thousand years, so I was sure there were things here she hadn’t ever seen before.  

“Barter? There is nothing in here that even comes close to being what that shirt is worth.” 

Tilde looked at me, and I began to weave a tale of lies. I may have been a warrior summoned by Meruria, but right now? I was Lyudmila Springfield, a young High Elf who left her village to begin her training. I only had Sekh and Tilde as my companions, and somewhere along the way, my horses were spooked and ran away with my cart. The only thing I could save were these heirlooms passed down from mother to daughter for over a thousand years. As I was the owner of them, I could do whatever I wanted. They were to be a source of fast money should something horrible happen. 

In situations where I can’t steal ammo, I need money to buy some bullets. Then there’s the maintenance on my guns. Not to mention sharpening Yaekira’s daggers until I’ve made quality knives of my own. Yeah, they’re fantastically made, but even the sharpest knife will dull with use. And we need more clothes. Preferably armor, but clothes at the least. 

“Irisa, here’s my offer. If you let us pick out two or three outfits each while giving us a place to stay until we have enough money to rent a room at the inn, you can sell that shirt and keep 10% of the proceeds.” 

“10%?” Irisa repeated. “Mila, that’s still a lot… 

Mila? 

I remained quiet for a moment, and Irisa quickly corrected herself. “Lyudmila, that’s still a lot.” 

“I think that’s fair. Do we have a deal?” 

“I don’t have permission to accept or reject that proposal.” Irisa placed the shirt on the counter. Then she excused herself while slipping inside the employees only door.  

Does she trust me not to steal? 

My ears picked up Irisa’s hasty footsteps as she went to the second floor. “Mom! You have to come downstairs!” I could have spied on them with my map’s satellite mode, but I refused.  

“Sweetie? What is it? I’m almost done with dinner,” said a voice that I presumed belonged to Irisa’s mother. There was a delicate sip of spring in her calming voice. 

“There’s a girl with a proposition for us!” 

“Honey, can’t you take care of it?” 

“This is bigger than me, mom. I don’t know what to do. And I messed up and did something stupid…” 

Irisa’s mother inquired about her daughter's mistake. After asking if she apologized, I realized she hadn’t. Tilde then turned to me and admitted she didn’t think I had it in me to come up with a creative lie. 

“It wasn’t all lies… I feel Reina’s memory through me. She was attacked and left for dead. With only a few jewels to her name, she sold her mother’s gift to her only daughter to quell her rumbling stomach.” I couldn’t go into much else about that story because a door suddenly swung open. Irisa walked out first and introduced me to Ichiha, her mother, who came second. Like her daughter, Ichiha had two black horns, but hers sprouted off from the side of her head and arched upwards. Ichiha was the taller one, but like her daughter, she had black hair. 

“My daughter mentioned you had something to discuss?” Ichiha asked as she walked behind the counter. She wore a pink apron over clothes similar to what Irisa wore. 

I nodded and told her my name.  

“Ms. Springfield, what do you have for us?” Ichiha inquired. Irisa moved a bit closer and stood behind side her mother. I simply told the apron-wearing oni of my situation by explaining that I needed clothes and a place to stay.  

“In exchange, I will give you a shirt created by a Holy Lord. When you sell it, you can keep 10% of the proceeds,” I said. Ichiha remained quiet and looked at the shirt, finally appraising it. The moment she learned the creator was who I said, she stiffened up like a board while subtly sweating. 

“Sweetie, please apologize to our customer for trying to deceive her.” 

“Mila— Lyudmila, I’m sorry. Trust is hard to earn and easy to break, and I broke it when it wasn’t even there...” There she was, using a nickname as if we were close friends. It was the second time now, but at least she corrected herself. 

We were just strangers. I wasn’t in the mood to make companions at this point. 

“Now, about your offer… Is that what you want? Even ten percent of what it’ll sell for is a lot. For something like this, the standard is a bit lower.” 

“I’m not one to overly indulge in wealth. I’m a girl who knows my limits. More than that, I require new clothes and a place to stay because I do not have much money on me.” 

Ichiha lightly bit her lips. I didn’t know why she was hesitant. 

“Then I’ll sign a contract. Will that work? Or what if I throw in something else? You keep 10% of this,” I said while pulling out Susize’s panties. “Or you can wear them. Technically, these aren’t mine. Lord Amos gave them to an ancestor. I’m not really feeling connected to her, so it doesn’t concern me at all what happens to them. If I can get some use out of them, I’m happy.” 

“Lyudmila, are you sure you’re fine with this? Once the contracts are signed, you can’t take this back.” 

“I am,” I said determinedly, locking eyes with Ichiha. We stared for what felt like hours, but ten seconds passed before she extended an arm. We had a deal, and Ichiha asked Irisa to hash out the finer details of the contract while she prepared three more seats at the dinner table. Irisa and I easily agreed on three outfits each for Sekh and me. Oh, and she also had me sign my name four times on each page of the document she drew up to make it clear I was consciously allowing Gecko Swap Shop to sell two items on my behalf, and that they were to keep 10% of what it sold for. 

Once that was done, it was time to do a little bit of shopping. The small selection of armor Irisa had for sale didn’t fit, but the clothes did. Clothing could still be enchanted to provide defensive buffs. If enough effort was put in, a simple bikini top could be stronger and tougher than a suit of armor. But the bikini top needed far more resources, so enchanted clothing was reserved for nobles who had the money to show off their wealth. 

Irisa offered to measure me, but Sekh followed me behind the changing curtains. I stripped down and stared at my reflection in the mirror as the measuring tape tickled my skin.  

Even in this situation, I still can’t get hard. Maybe that’s a good thing... 

She left with the measurements written down and came back with clothes like what maidens wore back in the medieval ages. She also had a pair of black boots and gloves. My three new outfits were of the same design, but the colors were different. They each consisted of a padded bodice, a canvas blouse, an ankle-length wool skirt, and a mattis belt. I had never worn anything like this before, so Sekh had to help me get dressed. There weren’t any panties to fit my circumstances, so my dick went back within the leafy loincloth.  

Honestly, it was quite comfortable, so I didn’t mind at all.  And when I looked at myself in the mirror, I smiled at the reflection staring back at me. These clothes were cute, far better than anything I'd ever worn before in my life. 

I feel...pretty.

“Lyudmila? Is everything okay?” I finished tying my boots while slipping the gloves on. They weren’t long like Reina’s, but they were fine. But to be extra secure, I asked for six pieces of strings to tie my sleeves down to my forearms to prevent any wayward wind from exposing my secret. After storing my Elvish clothing, I put the spare sets in my backpack and walked out with Sekh. Tilde and Irisa clapped and smiled. Sekh grabbed a crimson tunic from the counter and got changed. Seconds later, she walked out with the hood pulled up over her ears. It wasn’t armored, but Sekh, like me, still had on the wooden chainmail under our clothes. The stuff I had made for her was in her backpack. Since the rest of Amos’s clothing was within my storage, she had plenty of room for it. 

“You two really look good! Tilde, I’m sorry, but we don’t have anything in your size.” 

“Eh, that’s fine. I just got this a couple of months ago, so I’m good,” Tilde said.  She flew up to my shoulders and sat down.  

Then Irisa turned to me. “You do know it gets hot around here, right? High Elves are supposed to be fair and maidenly, right? Being a sweaty mess goes against that, right?” 

“I’ll be fine,” I told her.  

That’s a lot of rights. 

“Are you sure? Last week, it was so hot that I cooked an egg in a pan on the sidewalk. Oni like me have a passive resistance against it, but we still feel it.” 

“Thanks for the warning, but I’ll be fine.” 

[Heat Resistance] worked wonders. I didn’t sweat at all when we were in the mines. 

I almost wondered if my lackluster response ticked her off, but she didn’t seem that annoyed. She asked us to go up to the second floor while she finished closing the store. 

---

After coming upstairs, Ichiha was just about done setting the table when she asked me if the deal was done. I nodded and told her I had already signed the papers. The clothes were with Irisa, and I believed she was putting them up. I couldn’t help but notice Ichiha was…nervous? No, I almost wondered if she regarded me as a child. 

She couldn't be worried about me, right? 

I was tumbling around my thoughts when Ichiha offered to show me a tour. Looking around, I realized this living room and kitchen combo was mostly it. My prior thoughts about their financial stability were correct, it seemed. The Gecko Swap Shop wasn’t doing very well. 

Ichiha started with the kitchen, but there wasn’t much to see other than a table with five plates and a wood-fire stove with pans and pots. Oh, she had candles and lanterns to provide some atmospheric lighting. If lightbulbs and electricity existed in this world, the shop didn’t have them.   

She explained dinner was going to be Irisa’s second favorite, which was a simple dish of mashed potatoes and baked fish with garlic and rosemary. From Tilde’s lectures, I learned oni favored meat, but they wouldn’t ignore a salad if it was covered with beef or chicken. Even with the few ingredients, she had managed to make something delicious. Unfortunately, I was unable to eat the meat because High Elves were vegetarian. Tilde mentioned my chimerism removed that restriction. Still, I had to abide by it to keep up appearances. 

It isn’t that bad… 

Next, Ichiha took me to the bedroom that would be mine. It was normal and nice, a major upgrade to what I used to have. I would have been fine sleeping on the ground, so I wasn’t going to act like a brat and demand something better. There was just the bed and a dresser, but the only door led to the bathroom. I peeked inside and saw a circular basin on two cement blocks. A small stove-like contraction was set up underneath it to heat the water. She told me there was one in the room she and Irisa would stay in, and from that phrase, I realized I was taking someone’s room. I didn’t feel bad because I didn’t ask for a bed. Sekh and I just needed a place to stay. Ichiha had filled the tub earlier, but we were responsible for it starting tomorrow. I didn’t see anything wrong with that, and the hasty tour came to an end faster than it began. 

We returned to the kitchen right as Irisa was coming out of her mom’s room. After a quick little chat and the growling of Irisa’s stomach, it was time to sit down and enjoy an awkward dinner with strangers after I negotiated into staying at their house.  

---

Dinner went as I thought, but it wasn’t all that bad. Conversation was tense and brisk when we sat down, but the atmosphere loosened somewhat, even with my short answers to their queries about my life. Irisa asked a lot about where I grew up, and Sekh spoke for me, speaking of a place she knew didn’t exist anymore. The topic of being Sekh’s and Tilde’s master came up, but Susize’s face was just so innocent they believed me when I said I didn’t have a choice. 

Neither pressed that subject more, which was good.  

A couple of small lies started stacking together, but I wasn’t planning on staying here for that long. A few days? Yeah. A few weeks? Possibly. A few months? If I could help it, no.  

A social recluse like me knew the dangers of clamping up and remaining quiet. Basking away in the shadows of society may have been who I was in the old world, but Shuuta Fenton was dead. He was killed and sacrificed, and Lyudmila Springfield took his place. I would have to learn and avoid those awful mistakes, even if they made me uncomfortable.  

But that was difficult because I couldn’t trust anyone that wasn’t Sekh or Tilde. Irisa and Ichiha were temporary stops on my journey to gain power. Logic dictated that I couldn’t fight against Meruria and her army alone. As much as I wished Sekh and I were enough to bring Cridia to ruin, the two of us could not destroy an entire country within the foreseeable future by ourselves. So, I needed to eventually gather some allies somewhere along the way, but I didn’t have a diplomatic bone in my body. I figured I could practice on this oni and her mother, right? 

Rome wasn’t built in a day, so I could take it slow to be more social. You couldn’t break free from a lifetime’s worth of trauma after just twenty hours. 

Twenty hours? Does dying almost twice after dying once count towards that? I should be shaking out of my boots, yet I find myself wanting to throw myself back into the fire and devour my way to strength. Is that the chimeric part of me? Or is it the Ashen Orc’s lust for violence? 

“Lyudmila, do you have any plans for tomorrow?” asked Irisa. Her plate was almost literally licked clean. She didn’t make a scene when her favorite fish had to be divided another way for Sekh. She refused and said potatoes were fine with her, but Ichiha mentioned Lionfolks needed meat more than oni. Fairies like Tilde had small appetites, but that didn’t stop her from pigging out. Biomass had me covered, so I wasn’t hungry. 

“I don’t feel comfortable sharing that,” I replied. 

“Oh, well, that’s fine. Are you a fighter? I know Elves like to use bows, but I didn’t see one on you.” 

“Does it matter? I’m going to be out of the house most of the time because I just have things to do.” 

“Ah, so you’re a go-getter? That’s cool,” Irisa said, finding a hint of positivity in my true feelings. “I bet you probably use a bow. Hehe, would be kinda funny if you’re one of the only High Elves that prefers to use guns. Sekh, what about you? Are you a fighter?” Before Sekh answered, I looked at Ichiha’s face and noticed the smallest frown on it. 

Did I mess up? Shit... Whatever. I just ignored it and ate a potato or two from Sekh’s plate after having finished my own. Like I said, I’m not planning on staying here for long. It doesn’t matter if I screw it up a few times because I can always try again in a new town. 

Sekh reached into her bag and pulled out the weapon I had made for her. Hours after its creation, the web I used was still super sticky. “Woah... I’ve never seen someone use a literal chunk of stone and spider legs. Is it heavy?” 

“Master made it for me after we slaughtered a spider. It is the spoils of our victory, but no, it is not heavy. I can wield it without trouble.” 

“You made it?” 

“I did.” 

“That’s awesome. Hey, I got something to show you!” Irisa ran to a storage room and rummaged about before coming back with…something. It was vaguely mace-shaped, but it was crooked. The handle had dents, but were they supposed to be spots for your fingers?  

“I made this for someone when I was starting out. I know it isn’t the prettiest, but you can have it to use as a backup in case something happens to that one,” Irisa said. Sekh looked at me and nodded. She returned it and grasped the present. Her hands gripped the handle hard. For a second, she smiled and gave her thanks to the oni.  

“Irisa…” Ichiha whispered. She looked longing in the eyes, almost like she was replaying a memory that involved the weapon. Neither of the two had said anything about a father or husband in the family, so it was presumably made for him.