Mally walked into the quaint bookstore with Tuna at their heels. The bell over the door jingled, and Harkin popped his head out from among the stacks.

“Oh! Mally! You’re early!” he said in delight, and Mally smiled at him.

“I am, yeah,” they replied, and he came out from the stacks and stared at Tuna.

“And who’s this?” he asked as Tuna walked up to him for a pet, and Mally gestured to her.

“That’s Tuna. She kind of just started following me around,” they said, and he patted Tuna on the head.

“Skinny,” he commented, and Mally nodded.

“We’re working on it,” he replied, and Harkin got a book down.

“Got a book for you,” he said. “I heard you use fungal magic, so I got you a book on magical theory. It’s two silver.”

“Sure,” Mally said and got out their coin purse, passing over the two silver to him. He took them and smiled at them as they flipped over the book. They already had figured out magical theory, but it didn’t hurt to brush up on it every now and again. And their bookshelves were currently housing only two books, so there was that. They needed more.

“Shall I get the tea on?” he asked and headed for the stairs. “Come, come.”

Mally drifted along behind him, and they and Tuna climbed the stairs up to the second floor. It was a fully furnished flat, and they looked around. There were books everywhere, and they felt a little relieved at the sight. The old man made his way out, and Mally took a seat on the sofa. Tuna curled up at their feet, and they opened up the book and started reading. They hadn’t finished the book on urban folktales yet, but this was a good thing to read, anyway. It had been years since they first learned magical theory.

They started reading, and soon, Harkin came back out with a tray, loaded up with a teapot and finger sandwiches and cookies. He set it down on the table, and then he ambled towards the stairs.

“I’ll be right back!” he called. “I just have to lock up and close.”

“Alright,” Mally said, and Harkin was gone, leaving them alone. They poured two cups of tea and dropped two sugars in theirs, stirring it silently, because it was hard to beat old habits, and then they took a sip. It was fragrant and sweet, and they found they liked it quite a lot. They had no idea what kind of blend this was, but it was good. They sipped at it and set it to the side, and then they continued reading the book.

Harkin eventually came back up the stairs, and they smiled at him as he took a seat across from them.

“Hello, Mally,” he said, and they waved at him. “I heard you got into a bit of a confrontation.”

“I did, yeah,” they replied, and he hummed, frowning.

“Can I ask you about it?” he asked, and they crossed their legs under them.

“Sure,” they said, and then they launched into the tale, starting from their first confrontation with the woman and ending with the second. Harkin looked deeply troubled at the implications, which they supposed was fair. Someone was trying to kill the Saint. Anyone would be concerned about it. He listened without interrupting or asking questions, and they finished just as they finished their first cup of tea.

“So, you don’t know who she was?” Harkin asked, and Mally shook their head no.

“Not a clue, but whoever she was, she was very practiced in shadow magic,” they said, and then they hummed. “She was about middle aged?”

“Some call that dark magic,” Harkin murmured, and Mally was quiet.

Magic was weird in this world. Technically, you could learn any kind of magic, except for the more archaic ones. Those, like life and death magic, you had to have a talent for. Shadow magic was an archaic magic, and was typically frowned on, because you could do some downright evil things with it. Spying through people’s shadows, possessing people, stuff like that. Mally had no idea why this woman wanted to kill Artesia, but they had a feeling her magic had something to do with it.

“I am a little worried about it,” they admitted, and Harkin sat back.

“You’re friends with the Saint?” he asked, and Mally hesitated.

“I wouldn’t call us friends, but she would,” they finally settled on, and Harkin smiled.

“That must make things very complicated for you,” he said kindly, and Mally twitched.

“It does,” they finally said. “But, I’m sure she’ll get bored of me at some point or another. Everyone wants to be friends with an adventurer.”

“Hm,” Harkin said, and Mally poured a new cup of tea and put in two sugars. “This woman… I wonder who she is.”

“So do I,” Mally muttered, still annoyed the plot had gone so off the rails. How much worse was it going to get?

“Well, I suppose there’s no wondering about it,” Harkin said and took a sip of tea. “Now, how are you feeling after that?”

“I guess I’m just lucky I’m difficult to kill,” Mally said, and they meant that in more ways than one. “I did my best, but I suppose my best isn’t enough. I couldn’t save those men.”

That didn’t sit right with them. To become a paladin, you began training at a young age. They never had a choice in the matter. It was… Well, it was sad. It was really sad. Mally had tried his best, and his best wasn’t good enough. That woman… She was leagues ahead of them in terms of fighting prowess. It was disturbing.

“They’ll be singing your praises in the streets,” Harkin said wryly. “You’re known now.”

Oh… Mally hadn’t considered that. So much for keeping their head down. Ah, well. It wasn’t like anyone was going to connect their identities. They could be as famous as they wanted. No one would ever know.

It was depressing, in a way. Mally was going to be known for a lot else. The tabloids would constantly be printing of their slip ups and mistakes, scandalous claims of them meeting men late at night when they did no such thing. They had seen what happened to illegitimate children before, and they were glad they were dead. Their thoughts strayed to Georgina, and they wondered if Georgina was glad they were dead, too. The poor girl never had a chance.

Ah. They would just enjoy tea for now. It was a good blend.

….

“Mally!” Daisy cried as she rushed to him, and Mally blinked. What was she doing at the guild so late? “I did it!”

“What did you do, Daisy?” Mally asked, and she brandished a bunch of dead frogs.

“I killed the frogs!” she crowed, and Mally blinked at the dead bodies with sightless eyes staring back at them. “It took me all day!”

Oh. So, someone else was having a party.

“Good job,” they said, because what else did you say to that? She smelled like the pond. Mally would have thought she’d burn out by now.

“And I killed forty!” she said excitedly. “Forty frogs!”

“That’s a lot,” Mally drawled, and she hopped alongside them back to the desk.

“Are you proud of me?” she demanded, and Mally frowned at her.

“I am very proud of you, but what are you doing here so late?”

“Oh, I, uhm,” she stammered. “I was waiting for you!”

“And what if I didn’t show up?” Mally asked, and she flushed.

“I would have left in ten minutes if you didn’t show up,” she said, which was probably a lie.

“Your maid’s going to be worrying about you,” Mally said and set their guild card on the desk. “Just completed another fetch quest for Harkin, Mirabel.”

“Oh, wonderful!” Mirabel said and scanned their card. An eleventh E rank quest popped up, and she clapped. “You two should celebrate! Daisy, Mally just made B rank! No one’s ever climbed this fast in the history of the guild!”

“Oh!” Daisy said, but she looked a little disappointed. “I’m never going to catch up with Mally at this rate…”

“Sure you will,” Mally said, even though she wouldn’t. “Do you want to go eat something nice? My treat.”

“Are you sure?” she asked anxiously, and Mally nodded.

“Sure. It’s fine,” Mally said, and she brightened up.

“Let’s go, then! I want to eat something good!”

“Alright, I know just the place,” Mally said and turned for the door. “This way.”

“Wait, your payments!” Mirabel said, and Mally turned back around. Their payments were counted out, and Mally took theirs and tucked it into their coin purse. Daisy seized Mally’s hand and practically skipped out, but Mally quickly disengaged the second they were outside. Daisy… Honestly, this girl did not think of her position at all. Goddamn.

“What, you don’t want to hold my stinky frog hand?” Daisy teased, and Mally sniffed.

“No, I do not,” they replied, and swung astride Rat as Tuna paced around at their feet. Daisy hopped onto her own gray little dapple, and the two were off. The pizza… sorry, flatbread place was a fair ways away, but they should be able to reach it soon on horseback. The sun had long since gone down, and it was getting chilly. There were rain clouds on the horizon. It was going to rain tonight. It smelled of petrichor, and they were probably going to get caught in it. At least they both had cloaks.

Mally led Daisy through the maze of streets to a little restaurant, lit up warm and cozy in the darkness, and swung off Rat, tethering him in front of it. The name was Emmy’s Flatbreads, and it had stood here for decades now, according to Mally’s research. At first, they had looked into whether or not the founder was from their world, but they weren’t. At least, not what Mally could guess. They had essentially invented pizza, and it was a craze two decades ago before it died down.

Mally ducked inside and looked around, and Daisy followed them.

“Oh, it’s cozy!” she said, and Mally nodded as they made their way to the counter.

“Can we be sat for two people?” Mally asked, and the server smiled at them.

“You sure can!” she said and grabbed two menus. “Right this way.”

She led them to sit down at a table by the window, and Mally slid into their seat as Daisy sat across from them. For a second, they were worried about having Tuna in this establishment, but the woman didn’t seem to mind as she handed out the menus.

“Can I get some water for your pup?” she asked, and Mally nodded.

“Please,” they said, and she nodded and paused.

“Can I start you two with some lemonades, or water?” she asked, and Mally looked over the menu.

“Lemonade, please,” they said, and Daisy perked up.

“Lemonade!” she said cheerfully, and the server nodded and made her way away. Gods, Mally missed Dr. Pepper.

“I’ve never heard of flatbread before…” Daisy said in awe, and Mally’s eyes flicked over the menu.

“It’s more niche,” Mally said. “It’s good, though. They top it with tomato sauce and cheese and other things. Should we get the honey flatbread?”

“Honey?” Daisy asked as her eyes lit up, and yeah, she had a sweet tooth in the manhwa, too. Mally knew she would be excited about that.

“Yeah, honey,” they said, and set the menu aside. “The flatbreads here serve about four people, but we’re both adventurers. I bet we can eat it all.”

“I’m starving. I forgot to pack rations,” Daisy said, and yeah, rookie mistake. “Let’s eat!”

“Are you going to be in trouble for being out so late?” Mally asked, and she looked like she’d been electrocuted.

“I, uhm, well, you see,” she stammered, and yeah, she was going to be in trouble.

“You should be more careful,” Mally chastised her. “What if your parents call you back to Aldova County?”

“Then, I’ll go join up at the guild there!” she said cheerfully, and yeah, she would say something like that. “I’m having so much fun!”

“You’re a menace,” Mally said affectionately, and she laughed.

“I know!” she said, her smile not dimming in the slightest. “My parents used to let me get my skirts dirty, but when I hit eleven, all that changed…”

Her smile faded, and Mally propped their chin in their hand as the server came back with their lemonades and a bowl of water for Tuna.

“Here you go!” she said, and Mally looked over at her.

“Can we have the flatbread with honey?” Mally asked, and she beamed at them.

“Of course! I’ll get your order put in the kitchen!” she said, and walked away. Mally sighed and stretched out, their feet bumping Tuna under the table, and then they tilted their head at Daisy.

“There’s no way the staff doesn’t know what you’re up to,” Mally said, and Daisy colored.

“They think I’m spending a lot of time riding,” she muttered. “Because I’m not getting any invitations.”

“Are they packing picnics for you?” Mally teased, and Daisy nodded.

“They are, yeah,” she replied. “I think they’re just relieved I’m not out on the town, spending recklessly.”

“And you’re making your own money, now,” Mally said, and Daisy nodded.

“I am, yeah,” she replied. “It’s kind of liberating…!”

“Is it, now?” Mally asked in amusement, and she nodded furiously.

“It is,” she said, and Mally hummed and drew their finger across the table.

“I suppose it would be,” they murmured as they looked out the window. The first teardrops of rain were streaking the pane, and they felt a little bad about leaving Rat out in the rain, but it wasn’t like he could come in the restaurant. Ah, he would be fine. They would be sure to give him apples when they got back to the house for being such a good sport about it.

“Mally… I was talking to the other guild members, and they said no one knew anything about you,” Daisy said hesitantly, and Mally blinked at her. “So… What’s your story?”

“I…” Mally started to say, and then trailed off. “I guess it’s not a story I like to share.”

“Oh. I’m sorry,” Daisy said, and Mally waved their hand.

“It’s fine,” they said, because they were getting tired of lying. The future Crown Prince thought they were running away from an arranged marriage, for fucks sake. They were not doing that. “Just running from bitter, cruel people that like to kill puppies, I guess. What else are the guild members saying about me?”

“That you’re… ruthless, and I shouldn’t hang around you,” Daisy said quietly, and Mally blinked. There it was again. The claim that they were cold hearted and ruthless.

“I guess they’re probably right,” Mally said ruefully. “When you grow up the way I do, something goes wrong in your brain, you know?”

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with your brain!” Daisy protested, and Mally smiled at her, tired.

“That’s because you want to see the best in everyone, chipmunk,” they said, and she wilted.

“I know. Mom and Dad say it’s my worst trait,” she muttered, and Mally tilted their head.

“It’s not a bad thing. I wish I was like that,” they said, and Daisy looked up at them in silence.

“Do you ever think…” she trailed off. “That there’s something wrong with you?”

She was asking for herself, questioning why she couldn’t just be a lady, but Mally understood. It still hurt, though.

“I don’t worry about stuff like that,” they answered honestly. “If there’s something wrong with me, well, there’s probably something wrong with everyone.”

“Oh,” she said quietly. “Some people are mad you’re leveling up so fast.”

Yeah. Mally got that. A lot of people got stuck at the same rank for years at a time, and it was probably frustrating to see Mally level up so effortlessly.

“Well, it’s a good thing I don’t factor in other people’s opinions to my success,” Mally said wryly, and Daisy smiled, though she looked unsure about it.

“Yeah. I wish I was like that,” she said, and Mally sighed and stretched out. People were probably betting that they were going to get stuck at B rank. Well, they weren’t going to be doing that. B rank was typically the plateau people hit, from what they could tell, but they were hellbent on at least A rank. Possibly S rank. Maybe SSS.

“It just takes practice,” Mally soothed. “You’ll get it. One day.”

“I hope so,” Daisy murmured and fisted her hands into little balls on the top of the table. “Edward says I’m a quick study, at least!”

“Yeah?” Mally asked, and she nodded fervently.

“He says I should be ready for C rank in two months!” she said, and then she fell silent. That was the end of social season. She would be gone by then. “I intend to keep up on my training while I’m gone, so wait for me, okay?”

She sounded a little desperate, and Mally smiled at her.

“Okay. I’ll wait for you,” they promised. “But, you have to train hard and level up, just like me. I expect you to catch up with me while you’re in Aldova.”

“I will!” she said fiercely, and Mally smiled. She wouldn’t, but it would be good for her to have a little encouragement.

Ah. Social season couldn’t end fast enough. They wanted to be alone.