By the time they were done, Leonard paid for their meal.
"So where are we going now, Leonard?" Anika asked her. She looked so excited as she asked.
"We're going to the inn I'm staying at and you're going to have your own room. I'm saying that first before you think of anything else."
Anika blinked at him, her lips curving into a sly little smile.
"Anything else?" she asked again, tilting her head as if she didn't understand, but the teasing tone in her voice betrayed her.
"Don't play dumb." Leonard clicked his tongue and looked away.
Anika giggled softly, clearly amused. "You're the one who brought it up, not me."
"…" Leonard shoved his hands into his pockets and muttered, "Whatever. Just don't get any ideas."
"Sure, Leonard." She just smiled teasingly.
They walked through the busy street together, walking past merchants and townsfolk. They bought some clothes to change into today, and walked again until the inn he had gone to yesterday, came into view.
Leonard pushed open the door, holding it just long enough for Anika to step in. Inside, the air was colder. The same innkeeper from yesterday greeted them as soon as they stepped inside.
"One more room for her. Same days as me," Leonard said.
The innkeeper kindly smiled and nodded.
"Alright, Sir. That will be 20 silver coins for 4 days."
Leonard paid for it without a fuss. The man happily accepted the payment before sliding a key toward Anika.
"My Lady, please follow me so I can lead you to your room." The innkeeper took a step to the side and gestured upstairs.
Before she could leave, Leonard turned to her.
"Alright, Anika. Listen. Let's meet back here in two hours. Same spot, okay?"
Anika tilted her head, her long hair brushing over her shoulder.
"Two hours?"
"Yeah. Take a bath, rest, do whatever you need. But in 2 hours, we will meet her again."
"Alright. Two hours." Her lips curved into a small smile.
With that, the two of them headed up the creaking stairs together. Leading them was the innkeeper.
"This is my floor," Leonard muttered as he pointed at the narrow hallway lined with doors in front.
"Alright," Anika nodded. The two of them looked at each other for a moment before Anika took the stairs up again.
Leonard shook his head before walking into the hallway. He stopped in the middle and faced his door. He unlocked it, pushed the door open, and stepped inside. The door shut behind him with a dull thud.
He leaned back against it and let out a long exhale. His chest rose and fell as if releasing the weight of the day.
"I had an embarrassing moment today, but thankfully, I survived."
He shook his head once more, then pushed himself to walk forward. His steps carried him to the private bath in his room.
Unlike the cramped one from before, this room had its own private bath. The room was not that luxurious, but it had everything he needed. It's also clean and smells nice.
The bathroom wasn't big. The walls were made out of wooden strips and stones.
For a moment, Leonard just stood there, taking it in.
It looked simple at first glance, but it was far more advanced than he expected for this era. Along one side, there was a brass faucet jutted out of the wall, already connected to some sort of underground plumbing system.
When he turned the handle, cold water gushed out steadily, filling the bamboo bucket placed right beneath it. The bucket filled painfully slowly, but it was better than going to wells and getting water out of them.
"I guess it will take a while," he muttered and undressed.
The setup of the bathroom was very basic. There were no showers, no bathtubs, no fancy heating mechanism. Nothing resembled the comforts he had in his old world, aside from a toilet and faucet.
Still, for a medieval setting, it was almost surreal.
Once the bucket was filled, Leonard splashed cold water on his face using a long bamboo dipper meant for taking a bath. His body trembled at the icy cold water.
"Looking back, fortunately, nothing happened to me at that old inn the other day," he muttered and sighed before pouring water all over his face and body again.
"I guess that place just really looks creepy and a scam. Good thing I didn't get robbed or something worse."
He continued to take a bath after that. After some time, he pulled on a towel and dried his body before pulling out the fresh clothes he had bought earlier.
However, while dressing up, he encountered a problem.
"Having a huge thing isn't really an advantage in normal days…" he said to himself, slightly getting irritated. He adjusted his trousers with a frown, moving the waistband.
"It's hard to wear clothes without letting it show… good thing the fashion here is still baggy."
It took him some time to be done. Once he was finished, Leonard sat on the edge of the bed. He was a little tired from putting on clothes.
'System, show me my stats.'
The glowing screen flickered into existence before his eyes.
- - -
Name: Leonard Runesforth
Age: 19
Status: A Lowly Beggar
Wealth: 5 gold coins & 43 silver coins
Luck: 0
Mystery Box: 1x Bronze Mystery Box
Skills:—
- - -
Leonard's eyes lingered on the screen.
"Only 43 silvers left, huh…" he muttered under his breath.
Yesterday, after his second gamble in town, he got more than 60 silver coins. In total for the 2 days, he should have more than 100 silver coins.
However, since he paid for this room yesterday, bought food, clothes, and also paid for Anika's room now, his coins have decreased a lot.
"I earned big in one day and spent big in the next…" He let out a tired sigh, scratching the side of his cheek.
"I should strive to earn more." Leonard exhaled through his nose, shaking his head with a wry smile.
After looking at that, his eyes proceeded to the bottom of the stats.
[1x Bronze Mystery is available.]
[Would you like to open it now?]
His hand hovered for a moment, then tapped on the icon.
"Yes." He confirmed.
[Opening Bronze Mystery Box…]
A faint light lit up the room.
[Ding!]
[You have received a stack of paper!]
[You have received a black pen!]
[You have received a red pen!]
Instead of weapons or coins, a set of thick, cream-colored paper appeared in his hand. Along with it were two pens—one black, one red.
Leonard blinked, his jaw falling in disbelief.
"What am I going to do with this trash?"