Alien Bar: Found a Wizard Girl, Gale Sword - Chapter 18: Bashful Blossom
Lanya rubbed her slightly swollen eyes, sobbing softly.
Leon offered words of comfort, “Don’t worry too much. Those coins wouldn’t be useful in my world anyway.”
“But, but… sob, not only can I not fight the spiders outside the city, I can’t even handle simple tasks like keeping your coins safe,” Lanya continued to cry.
Leon was surprised, “Did you go to the spider cave outside the city?”
Lanya nodded, “I know you don’t want to fight, so I thought I’d handle the registration quest on my own. But there were too many spiders, and even if I killed one, I couldn’t gather its venom.”
Leon inquired, “When did you realize the coins were missing?”
“This morning during breakfast.”
“Did you encounter anyone strange when you left this morning?”
Lanya thought for a moment and answered no.
“Other than when you paid, did you take off your hat at any time?”
Lanya shook her head again.
“What about when you went to sleep last night?”
“No, I was meditating all night.”
Leon pondered, “So, it seems the culprit acted yesterday. After you separated from me, where did you go? Did you encounter anything strange or anyone unusual?”
Lanya’s expression became thoughtful as she softly replied, “After we separated yesterday, I went to the magical restaurant in the western city to have dinner. I took out the money pouch once then, and after that, I left the city to go to the spider cave…”
“Yes, you could have been targeted then. When you left the city, did you feel like someone was following you?”
“No…”
“After leaving the city, did you take off your hat?”
Suddenly, Lanya remembered something and said, “I remember now. When I was escaping from the spider cave, my hat was blown off by spider silk. Maybe it fell out then.”
Lanya’s demeanor became downcast, “If that’s the case, it’s possible that someone picked it up. I promised to keep your coins safe, but I lost them in just one day. I…”
Lanya suddenly raised her head, determination shining through her teary eyes.
“I promise you, I will take responsibility. I’ll work hard and earn money to repay you, but it might take a long time. Please trust me and give me some time.”
Leon said, “Actually, you don’t need to…”
Lanya was resolute, “No, I must repay you.”
Leon had to agree, “Alright, I believe you. But don’t rush, take your time. I won’t even charge you interest.”
With the determination to repay her debt, Lanya’s emotions visibly stabilized. Leon prepared another “Bashful Blossom” cocktail for her.
This cocktail simply required champagne and fresh orange juice, making it quite quick to prepare. Even if champagne wasn’t available, other sparkling wines could be used as substitutes, or it could even be made alcohol-free with soda water.
The rich bubbles diluted the sweetness of the orange juice and added a playful element to the drink. It was sure to lift her spirits.
As Lanya looked at the pale yellow drink before her, the gentle hues and effervescence piqued her interest.
She cautiously took a sip, and the sweet, refreshing taste immediately captured her heart. The bubbles in the drink gently danced on her tongue and in her mouth, bringing a unique pleasure that momentarily made her forget all her troubles.
She lifted her head, and her light purple eyes shimmered with a captivating radiance.
“Thank you, Leon. This is really delicious. Consider it on my tab. I’ll repay you for this someday.”
A teasing voice came from the side, “With your skills, who knows how long it’ll take you to earn 1000+ gold coins. Why not offer your body instead? With your looks, you could charge a high price for him.”
Lanya’s face turned bright red, “What are you talking about? What… what kind of thing… could I ever do that?”
Leon frowned, “Elise, don’t make such inappropriate jokes. How could I ever do that with a young girl like her? Do you think I’m a pervert?”
“You were a pervert from the start,” Elise said, “And besides, Castalonne isn’t Earth. Girls can marry at fourteen here. Who knows, maybe she’s already past fourteen?”
Lanya retorted with a red face, “Who’s a young girl? I’m already eighteen!”
She even stood up straight, seemingly trying to prove something, but her underdeveloped figure didn’t add much to her argument.
Leon stared at her in surprise, “You’re eighteen?”
No matter how you looked at it, she looked much younger than eighteen. Could it be due to malnutrition from chronic starvation? Or was she lying about her age?
Leon’s expression made Lanya even more defiant.
“Is there something wrong with my appearance?”
There’s something wrong with it everywhere.
Whatever the reason, Leon found it hard to believe that she was actually eighteen.
An elderly voice came from the nearby table, “Truly a delicious drink, with a smooth and lingering taste. It evokes many thoughts, truly befitting its name, ‘Contemplation.'”
It was the gray-robed old man who had entered the shop earlier. After tasting Leon’s “Contemplation,” he expressed his admiration.
The old man turned his head, his gaze deep and mysterious as he observed Leon behind the bar.
“Young man, you appear quite young, but where did you learn such marvelous mixology? Are you an alchemist?”
“Alchemy?” Leon chuckled, “I don’t know about that stuff. I just know how to mix drinks.”
The old man laughed, “If you understood alchemy, perhaps the drinks you concoct would be even more exquisite.”
Standing up, the old man picked up his staff and surveyed the bar.
“This is truly a fine establishment. I’ll visit again sometime.”
Tapping the end of his staff on the floor, a few coins and a blue gemstone fell from the air in front of Leon, clinking against the bar with a crisp sound.
“For the drinks and as a tip.”
With those words, the old man slowly left the bar.
Leon picked up the blue gemstone from the coins. Shaped like a small shield, it was no more than four centimeters long and about two centimeters thick. Its lines were gentle, and its color was beautiful, exuding an elegant and serene grandeur that seemed to harbor some mysterious power.
This was the tip the old man left behind.
“Lanya, how much do you think this gemstone is worth?”
Lanya stared at the gemstone in his hand, amazed, “I don’t know, but I can sense that it contains a great deal of magic. Jewelers wouldn’t sell something like this. Even the magical gemstones in enchantment shops don’t have such significant magical power.”
“So, it must be quite valuable?”
Lanya nodded absently, “Yes, but since you want to become a magician, having this gemstone’s magical support could help you skip the process of accumulating magic power and easily use magic. So, I suggest keeping it. With it, we might be able to complete the registration trial.”
As she spoke, a glint of hope appeared in Lanya’s eyes as if she saw the possibility of completing their mission.
At that moment, Elise walked over and glanced at the gemstone in Leon’s hand, “That cunning old man. This gemstone bears his spiritual imprint. As long as you carry it, he can sense your location. Who knows what he’s plotting.”
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1Hi, Translator here, I hope ya’ll post good reviews for our Leon on Novel Updates??
Translator
