Chapter 199 199 K: The Apothecary
[OP: ]
In the heart of a small city of the great empire, nestled away from the bustling streets, lay a quaint tavern that offered solace and refuge to its local patrons.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the establishment transformed into a welcoming sanctuary for those seeking respite from the day's toils.
The low, timeworn beams of the tavern were illuminated by the soft, flickering glow of dim lanterns and candles, casting an amber hue that bathed the room in a cozy warmth. The air was filled with the comforting scent of aged wood and the gentle hum of laughter, punctuated by the clinking of mugs and glasses.
The patrons, from various walks of life, gathered at sturdy wooden tables, their faces aglow with the ambient light. They sipped on their favorite libations, each glass a vessel of camaraderie, and shared stories, and cherished memories. The tavern's ambiance was an inviting melody of simple joys, where the cares of the day were set aside in favor of the here and now.
Outside, the city's nocturnal life bustled on, but within the tavern's time-worn walls, time seemed to slow down. It was a place where the camaraderie of fellow locals and the soft illumination of dim lights created a haven of tranquility in the heart of the city's night.
-Tinkle~tink.
In the cozy, dimly lit tavern of a small city, where folks were sipping their drinks and enjoying conversations, a subtle entrance caught everyone's attention. The door creaked open, and a small bell hanging from it jingled softly as two ordinary-looking figures entered.
They were dressed in plain hoods that covered their heads and bodies. Nothing about them seemed out of the ordinary, and they quietly took a seat in the front seats of the tavern, right before the bar. Other patrons briefly glanced at them, curious about the newcomers.
The tavern's warm atmosphere remained unchanged, but the arrival of these mysterious guests hinted at a new and unknown story that was about to unfold.
"Hello, travelers. What would you like to have today?" The bartender with long ears obstructed by his long brown hair asked with his seemingly attractive but gentle smile and one of the hooded figures that had sat on the table looked beside her, and asked her partner.
"Should we have something before the work?" She asked with her soft voice that the bartender found quite unique for this parent of the city.
"You wanna taste his brewing?" He asked in return for her question worth a smile that was barely visible under his hood, and, she shook her head in response.
"I wanna try the famous Horned chicken sandwich."
She also answered with a happy tone and at her answer, a smile broke out on the face of the elf bartender.
"Our sandwiches are the best in the entire city. You have come to the right place if they were your goal."
He seemed to be proud of the sandwiches for some reason even though he wasn't the one that would be making them, and, hearing this response made her smile even more joyfully.
"Oh, we have come to the right place. That much is true."
She looked up at him and even though her face was still obstructed by the shadow cast by the hood covering her face, he could see the attractive lips that were so… charming that he lost his focus for a moment while looking at them and, then he looked at the glowing red eyes that looked deep inside him, giving him a feeling that they were looking directly at his very soul itself.
"We will take fifteen portions if you can please~. At least let's start with that much."
He was lost for a moment, however, after he heard her order and came back to his senses, he couldn't help his surprise and shock.
"F-fifteen portions? Miss? Are there any more people that will be joining you two?"
"Nope. Just the two of us. Ah, right. You must be surprised. But, worry not. We have quite a big appetite."
She placed a bag of coins on the table before him and, though still surprised a little, this wasn't this old bartender's first time meeting someone who had unexpected apatites.
He had known others who could eat a giant creature all by themselves so, a few portions of sandwiches was not something too grand.
"A-alright. It will take a while so I hope you can wait-"
"Oh, we will wait. We have the entire night to spare, actually. Go tell the chef about the sandwiches, and come back to make some personal drinks for us in the meantime."
"Oh? You will also be taking the drinks? Alright~!"
He was cheerful as soon as he heard they would also be taking the drinks and, since she had said 'personal' drinks, it meant they were going to order custom-made drinks. Which ultimately meant more business!
[ "He is still as easy as always, lol." ]
[ "That is true and all, but El? Why are we eating instead of starting the plan directly?" ]
[ "Hmm? Why not~? We got the bug master, we have Friday, and we also got the Ace.
We got pretty lucky and had time, that's the only reason we made it here and, we have time anyway, why not just spend some quality time~? The positioning can wait." ]
The two of them had a long, tiring day of going around the empire fetching people and killing the unwanted ones.
They were tired after doing all that and since yesterday had been tiring as well, they were planning to take half of the tomorrow off and spend some quality time to recharge.
But before they do so…
"Here's the three portions that were ready! Please have this while the others are getting prepared, oh! And please tell me what you would like to have."
…they were here to get their King of Clubs.
[ "Queen was a hard nut to crack." ]
[ "You killed her children in the name of playing with them, of course, she would act like that. It was your fault." ]
[ "What?! How is it my fault that they died while trying to do something to me?! I didn't even do anything! And if anything, you fucked up when we were getting the Ace! You blurted out confidential information like you were some subprime commander of UP!" ]
[ "…I accept it was a mistake on my part. I never thought that bastard would actually let go of her royal as the knight of justice and jump into his politician persona while still wearing his armor." ]
[ "Yes! I did nothing! But you did! You are the bastard, hump! Now drink with me!" ]
[ "…um, no. That's not happening." ]
[ "Ughhhhh! Fuck off then! I will retake care of this bastard on my own!" ]
[ "I doubt that. What if you end up killing her in the process? We will have to kill him as well or else he will hunt us for a hundred years like he hunted the people who destroyed his hometown." ]
[ "Not my problem! Drink with me or go the fuck out of here! Or-" ]
He leaned in even before she had finished whatever she was shouting and pressed his lips against hers, catching her off guard.
[ "Let's eat, take the two, and go back. You wanna have fun with me, no? " ]
[ "…fun? Yes, of course. I will have a damned good 'fun' with you." ]
The tone she said was an angry one, and, while saying this, she had her right hand on his thigh and, since she was wearing some nail ornaments, the way she grabbed his thigh was enough to dig through the very flesh of some other being.
However, he was fine, and his expression was fine as well.
He can endure some pain and her anger after all they have done together.
And, since today had been unexpectedly productive, he was pretty happy about how things turned out.
"Ummm, miss? This... are you sure about this? This is basically eighty-four percent alcohol."
"Yup. That's light stuff anyway."
The other customers of the tavern were shocked by how she had ordered some of the strangest and strongest drinks she had asked of the bartender. They could tell from just a glance those things weren't something a human could have.
"Hmmm… try adding 3 milliliters of flamebarry extract in this one."
And, the way she was drinking all those weird drinks like they were nothing was more than enough to tell the others, the two sitting f in the front were no ordinary humans.
Engaging with them would only cause trouble, so, they all just minded their own business.
"Hehehe, you are good at this mister. Here~. A tip from us for your hard work~."
With a soft clink, she set down not just one but three glistening golden coins on the table. The sight left some of the ale-drinking patrons astounded, causing a few to choke or cough in surprise.
Gold coins weren't something they came across every day, yet there were three right before their eyes.
Greed, a feeling shared by all, made some of them itch to reach for the precious coins, but wisdom prevailed. The older folks had passed down a piece of advice from their own days of youth: never cross those who could handle drinks with over sixty percent alcohol content.
It was a lesson they had learned from their own experiences and the downfall it could bring.
"A-ahhh, no. Miss, we couldn't possibly accept this much!" He tried to push back the money readily however, he couldn't do so.
"Just take it or else she will throw in more coins until you accept them." The one sitting beside her, the one with those tired, blue eyes spoke up, and, his voice was unexpectedly believable to the mixologist.
He couldn't put it into words but he knew he had to accept it, or else things would get even more complicated.
"A-alright. If you say so…"
They ordered fifteen sandwiches and finished them all by themselves. And, if that wasn't enough, they also finished a sixth of their shelves of alcohol by the time everyone else had left the tavern, leaving just the two of them, the bartender, and the one in the back of this establishment.
"Thank you for your patronage."
He seemed to be happy as he thanked them…
"Oh, no need for that. But, can we request you one last thing?"
However…
"Yes? What might that be?"
Something he had not thought in the past few decades of his life was going to unfold now.
"Can we meet the chef who made the fine sandwiches?"
"Oh! Right… you seemed to have liked them very much. She was curious about your unique customer couple as well. Please, come from here. She's in the back."
He had forsaken a former life to embrace his current one, finding solace in the arms of the woman he cherished above all else in this vast world.
"Of course~."
The man he had once been was now a distant memory, a shadow left behind, and he had vowed never to return to that path ever again.
"Sei~!"
But tonight, the echoes of the past would beckon him back, and the man he had buried deep within would rise once more.
"Hmmmm? Nìr? Have you closed down-, hmmm? Who might you be?"
Tonight would mark the night a three-century-old legend resurfaces once again.
"Hello, madam. I hope you will forgive us for this little discourtesy."
Once more, the world would shudder at the mere whisper of his alias: The Apothecary. One of the most iconic figures of Darkside, both revered and reviled across the continent, who had once sown terror across every city-state in the western continent.
"Hmmm? What do you mean-, aghhhh!"
-Dhum!
"H-hey! Sei…! Y-you! What did you do to her!"
He was dubbed as the ruler of medicine, poison, and curses, and his reappearance… would awaken memories and fears long laid to rest in countless hearts.
The twin moons hanging in the distant sky will soon be the witness of this return.
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