"Lynn, why do you have Alex's twin swords?"
Arezu immediately recognized them—twin swords, one with a glint of green on its blade and the other with a glint of red. Not only did he know their previous and supposed owner, but he also remembered the last time he saw them—or more appropriately, the last time it was seen before they disappeared.
The first was the sword that had stabbed their former companion, the priestess Hannah—who was, in truth, a saintess candidate. After Lynn pulled it out from Hannah's chest and healed her, the sword had seemingly vanished from sight and mind, perhaps forgotten in the relief of Hannah's survival.
The second had been dropped somewhere in the cave chamber during the fight between him and Alex. Arezu had assumed it was left behind, buried under the collapsed rubble of the cave.
Whether Lynn had secretly stashed the first sword and later retrieved the second amidst the chaos, the fact remained—she had not returned them to Alex or Liz. And now, she was selling them. That didn't sit right with Arezu.
"How rude. I'm not selling them, Mr. Arezu..." Lynn remarked, reading the meaning behind Arezu's anxious expression. "...I'm pawning them so we can get enough funds for your weapon."
"I don't think there's much of a difference," Arezu replied, repulsed by the idea of using Alex's weapons as collateral for his own.
"The difference is that he'll be able to buy them back—with his own money, of course."
"Then you're just robbing him, aren't you?"
"Robbing? I don't think you understand the situation, Mr. Arezu. This is Alex repaying his debt to you—for saving his life."
Arezu had indeed gone beyond his limits to save Alex, but it wasn't as if he'd done it for a reward. Besides—
"Ms. Liz already gave us her portion of the reward. Isn't that enough?"
"Are you saying Alex's life is only worth two large gold coins?"
If they were going to debate the value of a life, they'd never reach a conclusion—or rather, Arezu would end up losing the argument. That much, he could tell just by looking at Lynn's smug smile.
Letting the two of them get lost in their back-and-forth, the old dwarf inspected the twin swords Lynn had placed on the counter. After a few minutes, he finally declared their value, grabbing both Lynn's and Arezu's attention.
"I can make something worth at least 20 large gold coins."
"Can you make it 30?"
"You impudent girl. They're not even yours, as I hear. Be content with that!"
The final deal was struck at a fee of 20 large gold coins—including both the standard and customized halberd-axes. A deal that barely put Lynn in a good mood.
"Tsk... What a stingy old man," she muttered, pouting.
"We should be grateful he accepted the job," Arezu said. "But just wondering—who is that old dwarf, Lynn?"
"Just a stubborn fool who thinks far too highly of himself."
More highly than you think of yourself? Of course, the thought was a joke—but Arezu wouldn't dare say it aloud, afraid she might shoot him on the spot.
Continuing their shopping, Arezu followed Lynn into a suspicious back alley—a place that screamed danger, no matter how you looked at it.
"We're not going to the Black Market today, Mr. Arezu," Lynn said with her usual teasing grin, urging him to follow her into a shady shop.
Inside, various concoctions lined the walls, and Arezu assumed they were here to buy potions or something similar. However, that assumption was quickly corrected by Lynn's remark.
"I've got some jewels to sell, Ms. Marionette."
"Well, this is a surprise. I didn't think you'd bring a man with you, Lynn."
The woman who emerged from the back wore a mature, revealing dress, causing Arezu to instinctively avert his gaze.
"And quite a gentleman, too." As if to tease him, the woman leaned in close, offering a sight no man could easily ignore. But before Arezu could react, Lynn stepped between them and smacked his face with her hand, covering his eyes in a possessive gesture.
"You can't have him as one of your puppets, understood?"
"I see... So he's the rumored one."
"Sure he is."
That exchange told Arezu everything—Lynn had just declared him her new follower.
He opened his mouth to clarify their partnership, but Lynn pulled out a familiar-looking jar from her enchanted bag. So familiar, in fact, that Arezu instinctively jumped back in disgust.
"What a lovely collection of jewels!" Marionette exclaimed, delighted by the contents.
"You have Mr. Arezu to thank for that," Lynn said proudly, despite referring to him.
"Why do you still have that?!" Arezu asked, trying to flee the shop—only to be stopped when Lynn grabbed the hem of his shirt.
The identity of the mysterious "jewels"? Orc's balls.
According to Marionette, orc's balls contain a unique chemical that, once extracted, can be used as an aphrodisiac. Naturally, they were infected with cursed miasma—but that was nothing purification at a church couldn't fix.
On another note, unlike goblin's balls, the aphrodisiac quality in orc's wasn't a result of the Curse of Lust...
"I refuse to listen anymore..." Arezu said, covering his ears and closing his eyes like a child resisting forbidden knowledge.
"Is he perhaps insecure about the size?" Marionette asked seriously, glancing at Lynn.
"Pfft!... As if I'd know... Hahaha!..." Lynn tried—and failed—to suppress her laughter as she looked at Arezu's mortified face.
Continuing with the unnecessary knowledge;
"Sadly, you only have six. If you could gather seven, I could make a concoction that grants a man's wish."
"Pfft!..."
"Ehh?..."
This time, the surprise came from Lynn and Marionette, while the sudden laugh came from Arezu.
It was the first time Lynn had seen him laugh so heartily. She immediately grew curious—what could possibly be so funny? But no matter how much she asked, or threatened, Arezu refused to tell her.
"That old woman is as cheap as ever," Lynn muttered, scowling at the six large silver coins Marionette had given them for the orc's balls—and still annoyed that Arezu wouldn't tell her what was so funny about Marionette's remark.
"Don't be rude. She's not old."
"Is she your type, Mr. Arezu?"
Obviously, a wrong answer here would mean certain doom. But even if he didn't get it quite right, Arezu managed to give an answer that was barely safe.
"You mean proud and confident, right?"
"Ehh?..."
The atmosphere shifted. Lynn stopped in the middle of the street, staring at Arezu, dumbfounded. Whether it was real or just for show, she made sure everyone around them saw it.
"Please, I've had enough of your teasing for today, Lynn."
"My, my... After you just confessed your feelings for me?"
"I didn't say anything like that!"