An invitation to cross swords

Late at night, Renato and Lailas walked side by side down the deserted street.

The half-elf muttered a curse, her voice trembling:

"This damned weather! How did it get so cold all of a sudden?"

"Have you considered that you might not be wearing enough?"

"You think I wanted this?" Lailas rubbed her hands together, trying to hold on to a little warmth. "I only dressed like this to help you scout the place!"

Renato took an old padded coat from his Bag of Holding and draped it over her shoulders.

"Tonight wasn't cheap. I gambled several rounds, so you owe me reimbursement."

"Not a chance. I helped you win money, too." Lailas wrapped the coat tightly around herself. "Don't get greedy, youngster."

Renato protested:

"I paid for the drinks. And what about that silver coin for the private room?"

"Well, I did let you put your arms around me..." Lailas touched the tip of her nose awkwardly. "All right, all right. I'll bring you a few dishes from the kitchen later. Happy?"

"I want a double serving of roast suckling pig, and you have to feed me."

"Don't push your luck."

It was late. Renato said goodbye to Lailas and returned to the Silver Deer Inn, easing his room door open as quietly as he could.

"You're back."

Perly sat on the bed, staring straight at him.

"Still awake?" Her stare made Renato uneasy, and he felt inexplicably guilty. "You didn't have to wait for me. I told you nothing would happen."

"Of course I knew you were fine. Come to bed, Renato."

The young mage's icy tone left Renato baffled. She must have misunderstood something.

"Perly, if you have something to say, you can tell me directly. Don't bottle it up."

"What could I possibly have to say?"

Under Renato's gaze, Perly finally gave in. She turned her face away and said softly:

"Renato, if you want to go out to satisfy... those needs, you can just go. I understand. You don't have to make up a bunch of lies."

Being this blunt was clearly already her limit. Even in the darkness, Renato could see her scarlet cheeks.

"But we still have the Wolf Gang to worry about. Could you hold back a little for now...?"

Renato couldn't listen to any more. For the sake of his good name, he had to stop Perly's wild speculation.

"Wait, wait, wait. Perly, what do you think I went out to do tonight?"

"Don't try to fool me." Perly looked displeased. "I'm not a child."

"Do you understand now?"

After explaining the whole story, he opened his waterskin and gulped down water.

He hadn't drunk any water all evening, and explaining everything had left his mouth parched.

With the oil lamp lit, Perly sat at the head of the bed, her gaze wandering.

"Sorry, Renato. I just didn't expect Miss Lailas to be so... professional."

"The arrangement benefits both sides. Lailas can complete her detective commission, and we can get information on the Wolf Gang."

Renato didn't mention his suspicions about the half-elf's identity. Perly couldn't help with that, so there was no need to tell her.

Feeling the first pangs of hunger, he took the remaining half bag of nuts from his Bag of Holding and slowly chewed them.

His appetite had increased noticeably lately. Renato hoped that was normal.

"But the files the Wolf Gang put away should all be old records, shouldn't they?" Perly tilted her head slightly. "How could they contain information about the carriage we robbed a few days ago?"

"And you originally only wanted to find out whether the Wolf Gang had noticed us." She folded her arms across her chest, looking increasingly suspicious. "But now you're deliberately causing trouble on their turf and exposing yourself to cover for that half-elf. Isn't that contradictory?"

Wait, how did this girl suddenly get so sharp?

Just as Renato was racking his brains for a plausible excuse, Perly gave a snort.

"All right, stop denying it, Mr. Renato, the kindhearted Adventurer."

"The moment you saw citizens going missing, you couldn't help wanting to serve justice, could you?"

She waved a hand, her tone resigned:

"And you're always lecturing me, when you're the one who loves sticking his nose into other people's business. Honestly..."

"But I have to remind you: if something goes wrong, forget about that half-elf or anyone else. Your own life comes first. If you die, all your ideals and ambitions mean nothing."

Perly leaned closer and buried her face in his chest.

"You taught me that. So promise me... you'll keep yourself safe."

She thinks I'm just being kind? What a naive little girl.

Renato stroked her hair, and his taut thoughts relaxed a little.

"How about I treat you to a feast tomorrow at noon? I found a pretty good halfling tavern."

"Noon? But I paid a deposit, and I have to go to the Grand Library tomorrow morning to finish reading their new book on magical theory. There's quite a lot in it, so I don't know if I'll finish in time..."

"Then dinner. I'll come get you."

Renato gently pinched Perly's cheek. A few days ago, she had resisted that gesture, but now she was perfectly docile.

"Go to sleep. Don't you have to study at the library tomorrow?"

"We're sleeping together. Hurry up and take your armor off. I'm exhausted." Yawning, Perly walked behind him and crouched down to deftly undo the straps on his leather leg guards.

Inside the Battlefield Camaraderie armor shop, Renato was haggling with the owner, Edgar.

"Old Ed, I'm a regular customer. I'll be buying more equipment from you later, too. Can't you give me a discount?"

"How many times have I told you, Renato?" Edgar remained unmoved. "This is my lowest price. I can't go any lower. If you're not happy with it, you can buy from another smith."

Tch. I've already paid the deposit, and now you tell me that?

Cursing inwardly, Renato took his damaged Basilisk-scale breastplate from his Bag of Holding.

"The usual deal. Trade in the old for the new. What do you say?"

Edgar turned it over and inspected it several times before saying hesitantly:

"I'm a blacksmith. I don't know much about leatherworking, so I'm no judge of it. This breastplate is damaged. I can only give you three Silver Crowns, not a high price. If that doesn't suit you, forget it."

It wasn't much, but it fell within Renato's expected range.

Three silver it is, then. Otherwise, it'll just sit around gathering dust.

After paying the remaining seventeen silver coins, Renato took off his leather leg guards and put on the newly forged plate leg armor.

The plate leg armor consisted mainly of two sections, one for the lower legs and one for the thighs. Renato hadn't ordered armored boots, worried they would compromise his footwork in battle.

Each greave consisted of two metal plates, front and back, shaped to fit the calf. Once brought together, the plates were secured with clasps and leather straps.

The upper edge of each knee guard connected to the thigh armor. Its curved shape provided full protection for the knee while preserving mobility, and an additional steel plate extended downward to cover the junction between the knee joint and the greave.

The main body of each thigh guard was a single tapered shell, secured around the thigh with internal leather straps and connected to the gambeson on his upper body. To make riding and running easier, the inner thighs were left uncovered.

With a gray-black gambeson underneath, a long chain shirt, plate armor on his limbs, and a bright silver elven circlet to finish it off, Renato was very pleased with the outfit he saw in the mirror.

If he added a surcoat embroidered with a noble coat of arms, even the guards at the city gates would probably make way for him.

But the equipment had cost a fair amount, too. Together with his lavish spending lately, nearly fifty Silver Crowns had "vanished" through his fingers.

After lingering outside a tavern for a while, Renato suppressed the urge to spend more. He still had to treat the young mage to dinner, so he ought to save a little on lunch.

Back at the Silver Deer Inn, he had originally planned to make lunch out of the white bread he had "collected" from the guild that morning.

But the delicious food the half-elf brought made Renato immediately abandon that halfhearted plan.

Tearing a fatty chunk of meat from a pork rib, Renato praised Lailas:

"Packed with flavor. Is this an elven-style roast?"

"Elves don't even raise pigs. Where would elven-style roast suckling pig come from?" Lailas sucked her fingers and casually broke off a piece of his white bread. "The cook is an old human man who can't even read. How would he make elven food for you?"

"But isn't the Silver Deer Inn a half-elf inn? The menu has Elf Beer and green reed rolls... Don't those count as elven dishes?"

Lailas nearly choked and couldn't help laughing:

"Elves don't grow hops, either. The Elf Beer we sell is just sweet beer. Can't you tell? It's brewed the traditional Fried City way." She patted her chest and took a large gulp of beer. "Besides, what does a half-elf inn have to do with elven culture? I'm trying to eat. Could you stop making me laugh?"

"How could it not? Half-elves have elven blood. At least one of their parents is an elf..."

"Who told you half-elves always have an elven parent?" Lailas finished her drink and leaned back in her chair. "As far as I know, the vast majority of half-elves don't have elven parents."

Seeing Renato's curious gaze, she sighed:

"What a pain. I actually have to explain half-elf social issues to a youngster..."

"You didn't find the youngster a pain when you were sitting in his lap last night."

"Enough smooth talk. Listen properly."

Lailas shot him a glare and continued:

"Half-elves do have elven blood, but the proportion varies. Some are half elven, some a quarter, some an eighth... Other people don't care about the bloodline. If you have long ears, they call you a half-elf."

"And most half-elves don't have particularly pure elven blood. They might be half-elves simply because one of their parents was a half-elf."

"We're born in human society. We eat, drink, and sleep just like normal people... Even when we swear, we have human accents."

Lailas pointed at her own face and said helplessly:

"But people always see us as elves, as outsiders. That forces half-elves to band together to survive, which only deepens the prejudice in turn, making more people think half-elves are strange, standoffish, and untrustworthy..."

"Weren't you the same when you first arrived, Renato? You wouldn't talk to me and kept your distance because I was a half-elf."

Renato denied it with a solemn expression:

"You were the one giving me strange looks first! I've never discriminated against anyone's race!"

"That's because hardly any normal humans stay at the Silver Deer Inn. This is half-elf territory, after all. And you had a little girl with you, so I thought you were some creep with strange tastes."

Before Renato could flare up, Lailas continued:

"Back to the point. In practice, half-elves are just humans who live longer and have longer ears. We know absolutely nothing about how real elves live or what customs they have."

"Who understands that obscure elven language and writing? I barely know a handful of elven words."

"For the record, I speak Elvish," Renato corrected her. "And don't project your personal experience onto all half-elves. According to some records, quite a few half-elves are accepted into elven settlements. Their circumstances must be different from yours."

"Then where are your pointy ears, Mr. Renato, expert on elves?"

Ignoring Lailas's sarcasm, he reminded himself that he only wanted to learn about half-elf culture and satisfy his curiosity, not start an argument.

"Where did these pieces of roast suckling pig come from?" Renato changed the subject. "Surely you didn't pay for them yourself?"

Lailas's eyes gleamed slyly as she said smugly:

"Someone ordered a whole roast suckling pig for lunch today, and this particular pig happened to be a bit large. To prevent 'waste,' I quietly set aside a few ribs before serving it."

"That's practical wisdom, understand? Something no amount of money can teach you..."

"Did you steal a few bites when I ordered roast suckling pig last week, too?" Renato narrowed his eyes. "And here I thought you were a decent person. I even gave you a tip."

The sudden question froze Lailas's expression. She gave an awkward smile:

"I saw you were alone and was worried you couldn't finish it... Anyway, I'll make it up to you. I'll bring you lunch for a few more days. Don't be so petty..."

Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, Renato lay back on the bed to rest, while Lailas lounged in the chair with her legs spread.

"Aren't you going back to work? Won't they dock your pay for resting here?"

"I told the supervisor you'd ordered my 'room service.' Taking an hour is perfectly normal. No one will bother me."

"Ugh, there isn't even a chair at the front desk. My calves have gone numb from standing."

At that, Renato sat up, his eyes brightening:

"A respectable place like the Silver Deer Inn offers that kind of 'service,' too?"

"I know what you're thinking, and let me make this clear: no!" Lailas snapped. "It has nothing to do with being respectable. Establishments specializing in that line of business have to pay an extra tax."

"But there's no problem with individuals offering 'services' privately. Even if it cuts into work hours, the supervisor turns a blind eye. Most people need to earn something on the side, after all."

"What about my good name?"

"You're not a princess. What good name?"

After their banter, Renato brought up the real business.

"How are your plans for the Gilded Dice coming along? When do we make our move?"

"Give it a few more days. I'll let you know. Once the Wolf Gang and the Iron Fist Gang officially go to war, there'll be far fewer thugs in the casino. It'll be easier to act then."

"Let's hope you don't botch it. I remember you have two decent swords. They aren't just decorations, are they?"

Lailas said disdainfully:

"I was swinging a sword when you were still nursing. Don't think putting on heavy armor makes you invincible. I could knock you flat with one hand."

"Oh? If you're that confident in your swordsmanship, why not have a match?"

Seeing Renato's inexplicable eagerness to fight, the half-elf grew a little flustered:

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm working this afternoon. When would I have time to cross swords with you?"

"I'll talk to your supervisor and get you some time off."

The middle-aged supervisor furrowed his brow, sounding uncertain:

"So you want to go out with this guest and take the afternoon off. Is that right?"

Renato put his arm around Lailas's shoulders and answered for her:

"I'd like to take this beautiful half-elf lady out for some fun. Please make an exception for us."

Looking at the ten copper coins pushed toward him, the supervisor frowned more deeply. He shook his head and pushed the money back.

"There's no need to tip me."

The supervisor looked at Lailas again, his tone growing firmer:

"Lailas, are you sure you want to go have 'fun' with this guest?"

"If you're in any trouble, you can tell me directly. No one here can threaten you."

Lailas swallowed and replied quietly:

"Yes. I'm doing this willingly."