Chapter 9

“We want this chair.” John pointed to the yellow chair behind the desk.

“Sure, you can have it.”

Whatever much the old man paid for that chair, John knew he made his money back. It was unfortunate that they weren’t paid for this. They could have made a lot of money. John went behind the desk and sat down. There didn’t seem to be any immediate change, but…

“Ah, please wait a moment.” The old man headed downstairs. John and Leyla exchanged glances.

“Did I trigger the chair’s effects?”

Leyla shrugged. “Maybe?”

“You can come down now,” the old man called. John took the chair, and they headed to the first floor. Since Leyla was no longer doing the deliveries, the number of delivery orders had died down. It was after breakfast as well, so there weren’t many customers.

Many different kinds of food were arranged on one of the tables. Fried rice, fried noodles, roasted duck, and many others. It looked as if the chef had pulled out every dish on the menu. The old man seemed a bit confused after the chair’s effects wore off, but he brushed whatever thing he was feeling aside and urged them to come sit at one of the tables.

“As a thank you for your help, you’re free to eat as much as you want!”

The rest of the staff clapped, including those who weren’t fond of Leyla and John. It felt like a farewell meal. John couldn’t deny so many delicious-looking dishes.

“Thank you very much!”

The two enjoyed the food. It was delicious. To make things better, the old man offered even more food. It was practically all you can eat.

Deserved, John believed. They had worked hard, and their presence made the restaurant a ton of profit. They deserved this much at least.

“I have an offer,” the old man said. “If you work for us, you'll get to enjoy all this good food for free!”

John could see some faces in the crowd twisting in horror, while others seemed excited. He had no intentions to accept that, however.

You should have talked about the pay first.

John wasn't interested in working for free, even if he could eat this every day. And if he ate this every day, he would grow bored anyway.

“I'm sorry, but we have a different place to be, so…”

“Ah, it's alright. We'll be here if you change your mind.”

After finishing the food, John and Leyla bid farewell to the rest of the restaurant. They went back to the inn and called Kei.

Kei didn’t immediately appear this time. As they waited, the scene he had just witnessed flashed in his mind. How everyone changed the way they acted, especially the old man. He glanced at the chair. The simple-looking item had some frightening properties.

“Did they intend to do that?” he asked. He stood up and moved to a regular chair. The chair’s effect had faded.

“Maybe not at first, but they've already prepared the food.”

It would be a waste if they cancelled the celebrations. It also took a while before the old man returned, suggesting that they weren't prepared.

“I can’t believe how quickly they changed the way they act…”

“You do remember that these aren't regular chairs?”

He knew they weren’t regular chairs, but he wasn’t expecting them to be this powerful.

“They’re magic chairs, John, not something a human should just sit on.”

“Yeah…”

He must recover them quickly. He couldn’t begin to imagine the things that would happen if these chairs were used for selfish reasons.

Kei appeared, a smile on her face. “Wow, amazing! I can't believe you've gotten the second one so quickly!” Kei clapped her hands.

“It's me, after all,” Leyla said with a smug smile. Unfortunately, for this one, it was undeniable that Leyla did most of the work. Although, had she not shown her teleportation, they wouldn't have had as many orders. Since the old man already agreed to give them the chair regardless, that seemed like a ton of extra work for no reason.

Well, I guess we get to eat those delicious foods.

But… Kei did say that the second offered limitless good food.

“So, you've enjoyed yourselves?”

“Hehe, being the center of attention is great,” Leyla admitted. John didn't get to see her much during the job. She teleported all over the place, and occasionally, he would be put somewhere else, away from the delivery area. But, even from the little time he saw her, she seemed happy.

“How about you, John?”

“Me? Oh, I guess I'm relieved it's over?”

It was so much work that he didn't want to do anymore. It was bearable because he knew he would be working for only a week, and the work during the festival wasn't too hard. Doing that for any time longer than that? Even with good pay, he wouldn't have taken it.

“Hopefully, the other chairs will be easier. By the way, Leyla.” Kei shifted her gaze toward Leyla. “Did you remember what I said?”

“... Which one?”

“The thing I talked about before you depart?”

Leyla tensed up.

Conversation? Before we depart?

He hadn't heard anything about this. It must be a private conversation between them.

“Do you need me to leave?”

“Yes, thank you.”

John nodded and left the room.

•••

“Leyla, do you remember what I told you?” Kei’s expression turned stern.

“... To not use too much magic?”

“And how much have you been using this last week?”

“... A lot.”

And not any magic. Teleportation magic. One of the most advanced, most difficult magic spells one could use.

“Look, I understand you're trying to get those chairs as fast as possible, but we have rules, Leyla.”

“I know, I know.”

“And you know the consequences, right?”

Leyla nodded.

“Well, for now, try to minimize your magic as much as possible, okay?”

“...”

Leyla nodded reluctantly.

“Alright, let's call John back.” Kei headed to the door.

“... Kei.”

“Hmm? Yes, Leyla?”

“... Why am I here?” If she needed someone to recover the chairs, it didn't need to be her. John could do it by himself. If he couldn't, she could send one of the guardians with him.

“... Leyla, deep inside, you always disapprove of her choice, didn't you?”

Leyla fell silent.

“I hope you'll understand her feelings through this journey.”

“Even when you were the one who punished her?”

“Punish? Is that how you see ?”

Leyla recalled the decision she made back then. It very much looked like a punishment.

“Every action has consequences, regardless of your relationship with someone. She made her choice. I respected that.”

“...”

She turned to the door, about to call John over, when Leyla said, “Do you really think I'll be like her?”

Kei could only shrug.

“Only time can tell.”