Alaric woke up before sunrise to complete his daily mission.
It had already become a part of his routine so it felt natural to him.
At this moment, he was doing his pushups, his face looking incredibly relaxed.
I wonder what will happen if I do twice the amount stated in the mission.
Alaric’s thoughts wandered while he was performing the exercises.
Let’s try. Maybe I can get double the rewards too. Who knows?
He chuckled at his thoughts.
And so, he did twice his daily mission because of this whimsical idea.
200 pushups ☑️
200 sit-ups ☑️
200 pull-ups ☑️
20 km run ☑️
200 vertical slashes ☑️
200 diagonal slashes ☑️
200 horizontal slashes ☑️
200 stabs ☑️
After completing his exercises, he eagerly opened the cyan screen.
[You received 10 Battle Points.]
[You received 1 EXP.]
[You received 1 Stat Point.]
He sighed.
All that effort for nothing.
Well, at least I tried.
He smiled bitterly when he saw that there were no changes in the rewards.
After completing his daily mission, he headed back to the inn to change into a new set of winter clothes. He then went to the public dining hall downstairs to grab some food for himself and Yvanna.
By the time he arrived, he saw Aldrin and a few others gathered around a table, chatting about random matters.
One of the warriors suddenly noticed him and stood up from his seat. “My lord!”
Alaric signaled with his hand, telling them to stay in their seats. “Just guys can relax. I only came here to grab my breakfast.”
“I already ordered for all of us, my lord, including the vagrant woman.” Aldrin hesitated.
“I see. Thank you.”
Alaric tapped his shoulder and smiled.
“Anything for you, my lord.”
Because of his presence, the warriors didn’t dare speak too loudly and their backs were straight like a sword.
Luckily, the awkward atmosphere disappeared after their food was served.
“You guys can eat without. I’ll take my share upstairs.” Alaric grabbed two portions of the food before he went upstairs.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
“It’s me. I brought your breakfast.”
At that moment, he heard a series of footsteps from inside the room before the door was opened.
Creak!
He saw that she had already covered her face with a cloth so only her cyan eyes were visible. She had also draped a coat over her shoulders, covering her body from the neck down.
“Come inside.” She uttered while staring at the food boxes in his hand.
“Please excuse my intrusion.” Alaric nodded to her as he entered the room.
“I don’t know what kind of food you prefer so I only brought what I believed you would like.” He said as he put the food boxes on the coffee table next to her bed.
“Anything is alright. I’m not picky when it comes to food. As long as it’s edible, I eat almost anything.” While saying this, she removed the cloth that covered her face.
Alaric was once again stunned by her appearance.
No matter how many times I see it, her beauty is still shocking.
Yvanna turned her head. “What’s the matter?” She raised an eyebrow when she caught him staring at her face.
Alaric cleared his throat and responded with an awkward chuckle. “I still can’t believe that I’m speaking to an elf.”
“Anyway, you should eat. I will eat in my room.” He was afraid that he might make another blunder if he stayed in her room.
However, before he could leave, Yvanna shook her head and said.
“You can stay here. Eating alone can be boring sometimes.”
Yvanna’s tone was flat so Alaric couldn’t tell what she was thinking.
Was she starting to warm up to him? Or was it truly for the sake of having someone to accompany her in her meal?
Alaric wasn’t sure.
“Alright. You can ask me anything if you want.” He didn’t decline her invitation since he also wanted to know more about elves.
Yvanna took her seat and pointed at the chair perpendicular to her. “Please.”
Alaric nodded as he took his seat.
“Why are you helping me?” The elf asked without looking at him.
She had been meaning to ask him about this, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. Now, she felt that it was the right moment.
Alaric was silent for a moment before he answered. “I’m also not sure. To be honest, I was hesitant to help you since I heard that elves are proud and arrogant creatures. Maybe it was just a whim…”
Yvanna didn’t say anything and took a small bite of the roasted chicken leg.
Seeing that she was silent, Alaric also began eating his meal.
“Whether it was a whim or not, your decision saved my life. I can’t thank you enough.” Her voice drifted into his ears.
Alaric glanced at her and saw a slight change in her expression.
Is it the angle or is she smiling right now?
Alaric tilted his head to get a clearer look at her face, but Yvanna suddenly lowered her head.
“You don’t need to thank me. Just this experience alone is enough payment for my efforts. Next time, I can brag to my friends that I had spoken with an elf.” Alaric chuckled.
“You humans are weird,” Yvanna muttered.
“Hahaha! That’s true.”
Their conversation became more natural and the slight aversion they had towards each other vanished in that instant.
“By the way, do you still remember the people who had wounded you?” Alaric asked while keeping an eye on her expression.
Hearing this, a flicker of anger flashed in her eyes. “I will never forget their faces.” She replied in a cold voice.
“I can help you look for them. I have a subordinate who is really good at painting. He might be able to draw the faces of those people if you can describe their features in detail.” Alaric rubbed his chin.
“There’s no need. I will look for them myself once I gather my people.” Yvanna shook her head.
“Alright. Just let me know if you change your mind.”
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Hm?
“I’ll go open it. Hide your face for a while.” Alaric reminded Yvanna.
The elf nodded and wrapped a cloth on her head.
After she had covered her face, Alaric went to open the door.
“My lord, the messenger is here.”