Nothing of note happened after the incident, and Alina’s workday was nearing its end.
The number of customers at her counter dwindled towards the end of the day, and she took advantage of the lull to go out and buy some office equipment. She intended to leave such chores to the newly hired Laila soon, but on the other hand, she liked doing this job which gave her an excuse to leave the reception.
To make sure she was back just before the end of her shift, Alina finished her business at a rather leisurely pace. She’d learned to use such cunning tactics in her three years as a receptionist. Alina let out an unintended laugh.
‘That’s right. This kind of easy-going work is what being a receptionist is all about!’
Passing through the main square, the giant crystal gate, one of the symbols of the metropolis, towered above her. The blue hexagonal crystal, taller than a house and glowing with a faint light, is a useful transportation device that can teleport to distant towns and dungeons. This, too, is a valuable technology derived from the knowledge of the Ancestors, and it’s no exaggeration to say that this gate was the keystone that turned Ifühl into the metropolis it is today.
‘Blimey! Yous kids brought back quite the catch!’
‘That’s that a raid boss, innit? Not ‘alf bad, huh!’
There was a hustle and bustle in the main square as a group of adventurers strapped a giant, dark-grey monster to a custom-built wagon and were about to depart. Seeing the monster, the townsfolk and other adventurers were full of praise and cheers for their achievement. As the group laughed sheepishly, they waved their arms and returned their admiration.
Normally, defeated monsters turn into dust, leaving no trace of their original form. The behemoth of stone on the wagon, a Clay Golem, was merely in a state of deep slumber, not completely dead. They probably intended to carry it through the crystal gate to the monster research facility, to extract materials from the monster for forging weapons and armour.
They must have joined several parties to defeat it, for the wagon was surrounded by a large crowd of adventurers who shared their thoughts on the battle and laughed with satisfaction.
With the pleasant scene in her peripheral, Alina deliberately took a detour into a back alley. That’s when:
‘Miss Alina!’
Alina’s expression immediately turned grim when she heard the voice calling from behind her. She didn’t turn around, didn’t stop her feet, and continued to walk along, but the owner of the voice didn’t mind her obvious air of rejection and started walking next to her.
‘What a strange coincidence that we should meet here!’
Alina no longer needed to confirm that this man who, if he were a dog would be wagging his tail so hard it’d fall off, telling the most barefaced of lies with a beaming smile, was Jade Skleid.
‘You were stalking me, weren’t you’
‘I—I wasn’t stalking you at all. I certainly wasn’t waiting for you to come outside.’
Jade plainly averted his eyes from Alina and, while waving his hands frantically, changed the subject.
‘Never mind that. Miss Alina, aren’t you tired from working? Let’s go out for dinner! I’ll treat you to something nice!’
‘I’m fine. I’m still on the clock.’
‘Do you want anything? I’ll pay for it! So come join the Silv—’
‘I’m fine.’
Alina’s aloofness made Jade press his forefingers together sulkily. After a short silence, he blurted out:
‘But look, it’s gonna get dangerous if Slay comes back for revenge.’
‘That’s none of your concern.’
‘So where are you going, miss Alina?’
‘I’m. Going. Back. To. Work. Don’t follow me!’
Alina ran through the back alley, shaking off the stubborn Jade.
****
‘Fuck, I can’t stand that lot!’
Slay Ghost clucked his tongue loudly and kicked a rock in the square in a fit of anger.
Recalling the incident at the reception this afternoon, his seething rage was on the verge of boiling over. Especially that receptionist. Far from raising a scream, she looked at him with eyes that were seeing trash.
‘That bitch. I’m gonna smack her around!’
Slay stopped. His gaze suddenly turned to the monster on the wagon in the main square.
A behemoth of rock. Judging by its size, it didn’t look like just an ordinary boss. Slay approached nonchalantly and quietly observed the monster. It looked to be sleeping.
Seeing the clay golem’s rugged stone skin, a cruel glint flashed in Slay’s eyes.
‘Hyahaha! I’m gonna kick all of yer arses!’
For goodness sake, Jade. No means no means no.
