Chapter 105 - A Veterans Advice

My stop at the items store was worth the trouble, with all the loot I sold off, I made nearly eight thousand rhan. Not bad at all.

As I left the store and stepped into the street, I replayed the words the granny left me with.

“Use it, huh…there’s no way I can do that,” I uttered, then dismissed the thought entirely.

I looked out over the bustling streets filled with life and my gaze shot from person to person. Everyone seemed to be having fun around me, even the merchants pushing products were in a lively mood.

“If I’m not returning to the Tower today, then…what am I doing?”

I was walking aimlessly through the Market District but nothing quite caught my eye. There were plenty of stores that focused on gear and weapons but I didn’t want to go into any of them. If I did, it would have been like I was preparing to go into the Tower.

“Maybe I shouldn’t walk around today. Should I just book my room for the day and sleep in until tomorrow?”

After giving it a quick thought I shook my head violently and cringed at the idea.

“That might be a bit too sad…wait a minute, that looks good.” My eyes gravitated towards the fountain at the end of the street.

Clean, painted chairs built into the ground were parked around the fountain. It wasn't surprising since it was an excellent spot to stand around.

The fountain was three layers high with intricate streams of water spraying out of all areas of its waist. Families and couples hung around it, laughing and eating the foods they picked up at the nearby stalls.

“It looks a little crowded, is today some kind of busy day?”

As I turned away, my eyes caught sight of a ledge that overlooked the whole area. Right off the side of a building, the ledge had a perfect view of the fountain.

“Won’t I get in trouble for going up there? Well, I doubt anyone will look up. I guess it should be fine, right?”

I passed through the street beside it and stepped into the alley where nobody would see me. Once I was alone, I bent my knees slightly and gave myself plenty of room to move.

Most of my wounds have healed or are too minor to open up. This much should be okay…just gotta reign it in a bit.

I focused my eyes on the path I would take and let out a heavy breath. “Here goes nothing. Rush!”

My legs became wrapped in the flowing misty texture of white mana and suddenly I felt as light as air.

I gave it one large jump and managed to clear half the building in a single bound. Before I could lose steam, I used the remaining effects of my skill to run up the side of the wall.

With my grip over the ledge, I pulled myself onto the roof. Once my feet hit the rooftop, I pulled myself away from the ledge and tripped back onto my butt.

My mouth curled into an O as I sank back onto the floor. “I guess my body’s still not completely better...”

After a glance over the edge, it looked like nobody had seen me. Since I was in the clear I had nothing left to do but take my seat and watch the fount–

My mouth dropped open nearly as wide as my eyes had grown. Someone else had been sitting on the ledge and looking out at the city. Judging by the thin shoulders and long hair, it was a girl. A pretty one at that…

That glistening white hair that hung to her lower back looked familiar. One glance and my mind had already formed a picture to match the words that rolled off my tongue.

“Is that you…Liv?”

She turned back to me and I was reintroduced to the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. Golden amber jewels, each one pierced through my chest and struck my heart. I felt as though my breath had been stolen and breathing was no longer an option.

My chest grew tight as she looked back and her face had turned to mine. Her pink lips hung open slightly for a moment before curling up into a smile.

“Rei…? It really is you, isn't it Rei?”

I nodded my head with large bobs, unable to match a word to how I felt. My face grew redder by the second.

She looked back to the sights before her and something must have gone off in her mind because her expression suddenly shifted.

“Uh! Are you here for the view too?” She asked with a cheery smile.

My aggressive nods continued.

“He-he-he~ If you’d like, would you want to join me?”

“Y-yes!”

I sat down beside her but it was only once I had looked out at the city, that I realised just how much better the view was than I initially thought it would have been. My excitement ran through my words as I released a deep, “Wow~”

It looked amazing, far better than I thought it would have looked. The city's beauty hadn’t been much up close but from up there, it was on a whole other level. The large buildings followed behind one another in parallel rows that made up the streets. Each row split off from the main plaza where the fountain took the stage.

Sections like these were spread throughout Istoria and were a gift to behold with a view like mine.

“Oh, so how come you’re here Liv? Someone in a big guild like yours isn't doing regular sightseeing this early, right?”

“Well no, I’m not actually supposed to be here…there’s a massive event we have to be at later today but the guilds all arrive way too early. I couldn’t wait there for another second, so I decided to play a little hooky before it starts.”

“An event?” My brow rose.

Liv’s expression turned a bit more serious. It looked as though that struck a chord with her.

“To tell the truth, it’s nothing like an event. I’m not sure if you’ve heard but…master Edward of the Heavens Hate guild died recently in the Tower. The city’s holding a funeral for him.”

“I see.”

Noticing the tense atmosphere, Liv suddenly waved her hands about and forced a smile. “Don’t let me get you down though. We should just admire the view, yeah–yeah, the view!”

My face remained soured.

Liv looked a little disappointed, she must have thought that she upset me. Before I could clear it up, she suddenly started talking again. “To be honest, I was a little surprised to see you here. From the last time we spoke, you seemed obsessed with the Tower.”

“Yeah well…I’m not so sure anymore.”

“What?”

“Oh sorry, now I’m making it depressing.” I panicked. “I just meant that I’m taking a little break is all, definitely nothing serious!”

Liv’s face turned cold, almost dissatisfied. She had a commanding presence to her that erased all the casual atmosphere between us.

“Your eyes look tired,” Liv muttered.

She stood up from the ledge and looked down on me. I felt small under her gaze like I was an ant staged under a magnifying glass.

“When we first met, you convinced me that I was my own person and not defined by the title everyone called me. Being in Titans Helm, I thought I was trapped…until I met you.”

I hung on to her words, enthralled by what she would say next.

“You were the first person to look at me for me and not my title. I was so happy.” She smiled at her own words. That smile shifted back to coldness as she looked at me. “I don’t know what happened to you for your eyes to look like that but…I don’t want to see you consumed by it.”

My mouth hung open and twitched through the silence. I wanted to say something–anything–but nothing came to mind. Nothing escaped my throat. I had no excuses…

Liv walked to the other end of the roof and stopped right in front of the ledge to the alley. She didn’t even face me, her back was the only thing I could focus on.

“I hope that the next time we meet, it’ll be in the Tower. As adventurers…”

She disappeared in a burst of speed off the ledge and just like that, she was gone.