A free Potion

She was an exceptionally beautiful woman-so beautiful that, by the standards of this era, she seemed almost unreal.

"Uh, ma'am, I, I..." Lorne's Adam's apple bobbed twice. For some reason, he felt rather flustered.

This was the first time he had seen such a beautiful woman in this world. Long, silvery-white hair, a tall, slender figure, and snow-white... ahem.

Considering himself a respectable man, Lorne forced his gaze away. He found it strange. Normally, he shouldn't have lost his composure like this.

Was it because I transmigrated?

"Oh, don't be nervous." The woman opposite him chuckled at Lorne's "adorable" expression.

"You're such a kind soul."

"I like boys like you." The silver-haired woman glanced at the orange cat beside him as she spoke.

"Huh?"

She lightly swept aside the hair in front of her face. Lorne could even see beads of sweat on the strands.

"I heard you've been asking about the Assassin Potion?"

"You want to become an Assassin?"

Lorne nodded without denying it.

"Why? Because you think the name Assassin sounds cool and powerful?"

"Isn't it?" Lorne asked in return.

"Hehe."

Seeing his reaction, she suddenly laughed even more merrily. It had been ages since she had met such an innocent boy.

"I have one."

"What?"

"I have an Assassin Potion," the silver-haired woman said.

"How much?" Lorne turned his head, avoiding her eyes. Something about her kept giving him the creeps.

"Nothing. It's free."

"What?!" Disbelief covered Lorne's face.

He didn't believe in free lunches, especially when a single Sequence 9 Potion cost several hundred pounds-enough to keep an ordinary family fed and clothed for over a decade.

Surely this isn't a transmigrator perk? Like an NPC handing out equipment in the starter village?

"Of course it's free. But there is a condition."

"A condition?" Hearing that word actually made Lorne feel that this was more normal. Having no conditions would have been suspicious.

She tucked her hair behind her ear, her soft lips parting slowly as she spoke in a voice brimming with mature feminine allure.

"That's right. I can give you the Potion, but you'll have to join our organization."

"Are you with a church?" Lorne asked uncertainly.

"We're much better than those stingy people in the churches."

"What's your organization called?"

"Join us, and I'll tell you."

Lorne didn't agree immediately. Instead, he lowered his head in thought.

"Our organization has lots of beautiful older women like me, you know." Seeing his hesitation, the silver-haired woman added another enticement.

"Huh?" Hearing that, Lorne felt that this organization sounded a little dubious.

Don't tell me it's this world's version of a dual-cultivation sect, recruiting innocent boys to...

"I can pay you in advance." As she spoke, the silver-haired woman produced a bottle of sparkling liquid from somewhere.

"This is the Assassin Potion." With that, she stepped forward and came right up to Lorne.

Startled, Lorne dropped the ingredients he was carrying all over the ground. The silver-haired woman pressed the bottle into his arms. He could even smell her fragrance.

"Y-you're just giving it to me?"

"Mm-hmm."

"I haven't even said I'll join you yet."

"There's no rush. I told you, this is an advance. Think of it as a sign of our trust in you," the silver-haired woman said.

"You're really that generous?"

"Not normally. But you're getting special treatment today."

"How can I tell whether it's real?" Lorne hadn't let his delight go to his head, and his question was quite composed.

"I have no reason to give you a fake. If you're worried, you can give the Potion back."

"Or do you think I'd lie to you?" the silver-haired woman asked, her eyes smiling.

"I..." For a moment, Lorne didn't know what to say, but he didn't let go of the Potion in his arms.

Seeing his response, the silver-haired woman smiled even more brightly, as though she already considered it a certainty that he would drink the Potion.

"All right, you have the Potion now. Once you've made up your mind, drink it. I'll be waiting right here tomorrow at eight in the evening." With that, she turned to leave.

She was certain that this novice in mysticism couldn't possibly resist such a temptation. Besides, she had to hurry off to digest her Potion.

"W-wait." Lorne was about to stop her when his mind suddenly grew hazy. By the time he came back to his senses, he found that he was alone in the alley, apart from the orange cat beside him eating the other fish he had just dropped.

Looking at the Potion in his hand, he knew that everything that had just happened was definitely no dream.

The silver-haired Demoness, who had already walked several blocks away, suddenly stopped.

"Was I being a little too hasty?"

"Will it really be all right if I don't watch him drink the Potion?" Recalling Lorne's behavior, she pondered for a while.

"Never mind. It should be fine."

No one could resist the temptation of supernatural power, and this time would be no exception.

69 Rose Street.

Lorne had returned to his room. Of course, he hadn't come straight back. He had deliberately taken several detours and even gone to another neighborhood. He had no idea whether anyone was following him, but at least he hadn't noticed anything suspicious.

The orange cat had come back with him.

Lorne hadn't actually intended to bring it home, but after eating two of his fish, the orange cat had followed him everywhere. He simply couldn't shake it off.

Left with no choice, Lorne had carried it home.

"Let's get this straight. If Mrs. Griffin finds you, there's nothing I can do for you." Lorne held up the orange cat and spoke solemnly to its face.

Although Mrs. Griffin hadn't explicitly forbidden pets, he wasn't quite sure, considering how tough she was. He planned to bring it up with her in a couple of days.

"The most important thing right now is this." Lorne stared at the Potion sitting on the desk before him.

To be fair, Lorne was delighted to have gotten a Potion for free, but he didn't like the way he had obtained it.

And once he drank it, he would have to join an organization whose name he didn't even know. That left him hesitant about drinking this

Potion.

"If worse comes to worst, I'll return the Potion to that woman tomorrow."

"But I got it for free! A transmigrator ought to catch a lucky break or two." Honestly, Lorne really couldn't bear to return the bottle.

Lorne opened his drawer, took out the transmigrator's guide he had previously written from memory, and read it again.

5. The authorities in this world are extremely dangerous. They will treat you, a transmigrator, as a heretic and eliminate you. If you encounter them, be sure to pick up the handgun beside you and defend yourself.

10. This world has many faiths. You needn't restrict yourself to the churches of the orthodox gods. Try worshipping other beings; you might gain something unexpected.

Something unexpected? Does that mean a situation like today's?

There was also the fifth entry, which said that the authorities were hostile toward transmigrators.

After thinking it over, Lorne decided to drink the Assassin Potion. According to the transmigrator's guide, joining a secret organization shouldn't be a bad thing for a transmigrator.

The woman just now had been so friendly, too. Surely the organization couldn't be all that evil.

Although it was a little reckless, a transmigrator ought to have a few lucky opportunities.

With that thought, Lorne decided not to hesitate any longer and reached straight for the bottle containing the Assassin Potion.

Yet the instant his hand touched the Potion, his mind suddenly grew hazy.

He felt a strange sense of wrongness, or perhaps dissonance, as though fate itself were stopping him.

"What was I doing just now?" Lorne came out of his daze.

"Right, the Potion. I was going to drink the Potion."

Looking at the Potion before him, Lorne picked up the bottle and moved to pour it into his mouth.