Inside the tavern, the atmosphere grew tense. Unaware of the danger beside her, Beth innocently sat next to Gregory, completely oblivious to the imminent risk she was in.
Then, out of nowhere, Gregory spoke.
"Beth? That's a lovely name for such a beautiful lady…"
Beth's eyes widened—partly flattered, partly suspicious. She simply replied,
"Thank you, sir."
"No need for 'sir,'" Gregory said smoothly. "Call me Dave." He lied, of course—using a false name to conceal his identity.
"Well, thank you, Mr. Dave. What brings someone dressed like you to such a humble tavern?" Beth asked, still cautious. Beneath his hooded cloak, she had caught sight of a golden pocket watch and clothes far too elegant for a traveler.
"Oh, you're quite observant, madam," Gregory said with a gentle smile. "I'm just a humble merchant. I sell… a few goods here and there. I travel a lot looking for buyers."
One of the dancers resting offstage noticed Gregory and whispered to her friend,
"See that man? Isn't it strange for someone with shoes that fine to be in a place like this? What is he—a noble?"
Her friend replied, "Who knows? Maybe they're stolen. Lots of thieves pass through here." The two beautiful women giggled quietly, intrigued by the strange man.
Then Gregory took Beth's hand and said,
"What's a woman as lovely as you doing in such a rough place?"
Before Beth could answer, the kind Madame Adelaide interrupted,
"The mutton pie is ready, Miss Beth." She set the pie on the counter.
"That was fast," Beth said.
"It was already prepared, dear. I just had to warm it up," Adelaide replied kindly.
At that moment, Jax came down the stairs—and saw Gregory holding Beth's hand.
"So… Beth, who's this man?" Jax asked, his expression far from friendly.
Gregory rose from his chair, smiling. "Hello, I'm Dave. Pleasure to meet you."
As he reached out for a handshake, he noticed Jax's cannon hand.
"Oh, my apologies… your hand—was that an accident, or were you born without it?"
Jax answered coldly, "Accident." Then he sat beside Beth.
Madame Adelaide spoke again, trying to ease the tension.
"Oh, Mr. Jax, I was just about to call you. The mutton pie is ready."
"Oh, so your name is Jax?" Gregory said, smiling faintly. "It suits you."
In that instant, he realized—**Jax and Beth.** The very names of his targets.
"He's a merchant," Beth explained quickly.
"A merchant, huh?" Jax said, smirking for a moment before his tone turned sharp. "What do you sell?"
"Well, the usual," Gregory replied. "A few weapons, some furniture parts—just enough to keep me from starving."
Jax leaned back, his tone mocking. "Why not sell that gold watch of yours? Bet it's worth plenty."
For the first time, Gregory's friendly expression faded.
"You know, just because I'm a merchant doesn't mean I have to sell everything I own. Some things are worth more than money, you know?"
Jax stared him down. "Sentimental value?" he asked, sarcastic.
Gregory met his gaze, dead serious. "Let's say yes. Your arcane hand cannon—sentimental too?" he asked mockingly, knowing Jax's weapon was a replacement for what he'd lost.
Jax's eyes narrowed. "Yeah. Full of feelings. Want to find out?" he said, his arcane cannon beginning to glow.
Gregory smiled—he had gotten under Jax's skin. Standing up from his chair, he faced him directly. The tavern music stopped. Dancers froze. The drunks put down their mugs. Even the orc drinking by the window finally turned to look.
"Stop it, both of you!" Beth said firmly. "You're acting like children."
Madame Adelaide agreed. "Indeed! Whatever you two are thinking, this isn't the place for it!"
Gregory then noticed a faint glow around Beth's hands and thought,
*"She's a mana user too? Damn it. These two will be harder to kill than I expected."*
He forced a smile. "You're right. I shouldn't behave this way."
He placed five gold coins on the counter for the whiskey bottle he had bought and told Adelaide,
"This is quite an establishment, madam. My compliments."
Then, carrying the bottle, he walked out.
As Gregory left, the tavern slowly returned to normal. Music resumed, dancers smiled again, and the drunks went back to drinking—except for the orc, who had apparently lost his thirst and left.
Watching him go, Adelaide said,
"It's not very common for us to have merchants here."
Beth replied, "Yes, that was rather strange…"
Jax added quietly, "He wasn't a merchant."
"What do you mean?" Beth asked.
"Merchants do everything to sell their goods," Jax explained. "He didn't have any bags of tools, no repair kits. I saw from the upstairs window—he only has a horse and a sack of gold. Real merchants don't stop in small villages; they go to larger cities where they can restock and trade properly."
Beth looked puzzled. "And how do you know all that? What makes you so sure?"
Jax hesitated for a second, then said,
"I used to be a merchant."
Beth and Adelaide exchanged surprised glances, stunned by the sudden revelation.