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Chapter 109: Give It a Try with Junice…

A few days later, the group arrived at Melod.

The ncounty 10-day journey had left Reiner exhausted.

Right now he only wanted to go home and get some proper rest.

Although escort missions paid well, they were truly punishing, and his backside was ncounty shaken to pieces.

After bidding the caravan farewell, he led everyone into Melod.

Elyanna looked around in amazement and exclaimed, “Wow! This city is so beautiful; I really like it here.”

Melod was indeed more prosperous than Cannon.

At the very least, the main streets were paved with gravel, which looked far nicer than muddy roads.

Seeing Elyanna’s eyes sparkle, he suddenly grew curious about what an elven settlement looked like.

“So, do you elves have towns in the forest?”

The question stumped Elyanna; after thinking for a moment she shook her head and said, “We elves actually live in trees, not in the kind of towns humans imagine; do you understand?”

Reiner was taken aback. “Living in trees? How? Do you dig a hole and crawl inside, or perch on a branch like a bird?”

His imagination failed him; he had no idea how people could live up in trees.

If houses were built on branches, a strong wind would probably topple them, yet if they were hollowed-out trunks, the interior space would be far too cramped.

Elyanna pounded Reiner a few times with her feeble little fists and snapped, “You’re the bird!”

Just then, a patrolling city guard recognized Reiner and greeted him warmly.

Although quite a few people knew him in Cannon, he never received such treatment when entering or leaving that city.

Elyanna added, “You seem pretty famous here.”

Reiner laughed and said, “More or less; the real reason is that mages are rare here. After taking a few commissions and showing my face around, I earned a bit of renown.”

“I want to be like you someday, a respected adventurer.” Elyanna pulled a piece of white bread from her pocket and nibbled on it.

Her still-childlike appearance was especially cute, and Reiner ruffled her blue hair. “Hurry up and grow.”

With that, Reiner rode toward home.

Ten minutes later they reached the gate.

Nothing about the house had changed; it looked exactly as it had when they left.

They led the horses into the stable one by one.

However, the stable converted from the backyard could hold only three horses at a time, which put Junice in a bind.

Reiner pointed at the wooden fence. “Tie the horses to the side, fetch an unused quilt from inside, and drape it over the extra one for now. I’ll expand the stable tomorrow.”

Junice nodded. “All right, sorry to trouble you.”

A cold gust blew, and Reiner shivered.

He hurried into the house and saw Daisy wiping things down.

After a month away, many surfaces were coated in dust.

Meanwhile Elyanna, the little couch-potato, looked around like a curious baby, then tugged Reiner’s sleeve and asked softly, “Where am I sleeping tonight?”

Reiner glanced at the storeroom, which was piled high with odds and ends, and said, “Clean that room up later and stay there for now.”

“Then I’ll start tidying right away.” Elyanna set her staff in a corner and walked into the storeroom.

Reiner nodded and began helping with the cleaning as well.

He used water magic to wash the wooden cups on the table, then filled them with hot water.

At that moment Junice suddenly stood up and said, “I’ll get out of your way then. See you tomorrow.”

“Where are you going?” Reiner rose quickly to block her.

“I’m heading to an inn to rest; after all that bumping around I’m tired.” Junice yawned.

“Inns are too shabby; stay with us.”

Junice looked back, counted the rooms, and asked in confusion, “Stay with you? Aren’t there only four rooms?”

Reiner’s lips curved. “That’s easy. Nora and Daisy share, Martina and I share, Elyanna has a room alone, so one room is free.”

Junice leaned in and asked, “Will that work?”

“Of course. We usually have one room empty, and once the storeroom is cleared, we’ll have two… just like when we were in Cannon. With you and Elyanna, it won’t be a problem.”

Junice scratched her head, then turned to the armor-removing Martina and asked, “You’re sleeping with Reiner tonight?”

Martina rubbed her cheek and fired back, “Why, planning to take him instead?”

Silence fell over the living room.

Junice gave an awkward laugh. “What are you talking about? Reiner and I are just friends.”

The moment she spoke, she stole a glance at Reiner, then added, “To be precise, very close friends.”

Martina shrugged. “Whatever; same difference. I bet it won’t be long before you become his woman.”

Her bluntness left Junice speechless.

Junice’s silence only fueled Martina’s pursuit. “Am I wrong? The way you look at Reiner is full of trust, dependence, and affection… just like Nora.”

Junice protested, “You’re overthinking it.”

“Wow, you’re even more stubborn than I am.” Martina placed her armor in a wooden chest.

Seeing Junice’s face flush bright red, Reiner hurriedly sent Martina away. “Go help Nora clean the room.”

That girl really didn’t know when to spare someone’s feelings.

How could she expose things right to Junice’s face?

Reiner had his own plans.

After Martina left, Junice turned to leave.

Without hesitation Reiner caught her again. “We have a free room; where are you going?”

“Martina misunderstood us, so I’d rather stay out.”

Girls could be stubborn at times, and Junice was no exception.

Reiner gathered his courage after a moment and said thick-skinned, “Actually… it’s not exactly a misunderstanding. I do feel that way about you.”

Their eyes met.

Junice was silent for a while before speaking. “Reiner, let me confirm again: you like me?”

“Yes. I’d like to take our friendship to the next level. What do you think?”

Junice’s face turned completely red, and her gaze shifted. “You already have Nora and Martina. I see them as friends, and they won’t be happy.”

“How about we try it for a while first?”

Junice lowered her head and said softly, “I need to have a serious talk with them.”

With that, she slipped into Martina’s room, glanced at Reiner, and locked the door tight.

A long time later she finally emerged.

“Well?” Reiner asked eagerly.

Junice set down her staff, kept her head low, and answered in a whisper, “We can give it a try…”

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