Chapter 364: Monroe the Moocher

“Well then, that’s it for today. I’m off. Catch you later, little Alice, Hulim—and you too, Arthur.”

“Mhm. See you later.”

“Goodbye, Sister Eileen.”

“Farewell. I should take Alice home now too.”

With that, the group went their separate ways.

On the way back, pushing Alice’s wheelchair, Arthur noticed the small box in her hands.

“Alice, what do you have there?”

“Brother—it’s a gift I prepared for you.”

Alice opened the box.

“A pair of rings? Wait a minute...... Is this a Magic Item?”

“Yes.”

Alice took Arthur’s left hand and slipped one ring onto his finger, then put the other on her own.

“Brother, they’re a matching pair. Don’t you think they look nice?”

“They do. Anything you pick out is lovely.”

“Brother—I’m being serious!”

“Uh, sorry. But they really are nice......”

The voices of the siblings faded into the dusk along the street.

......

On the other side of town, Hulim Heyerar made her way to the Golden Pavilion Tavern.

She planned to grab dinner there before heading back to her inn.

Before she could step inside, however, her attention was drawn to a shabbily dressed drunkard sitting near the tavern entrance, clutching a cheap bottle of wine, reeking of alcohol.

“......Mr. Monroe?”

She recognized him at once. This was Monroe, the Rank A powerhouse who had played a decisive role in the Helinks Uprising Incident—and also the senior disciple of the Sword Saint.

“W-Who’s calling me?!”

Hulim’s voice jolted Monroe awake. He whipped his head around, scanning his surroundings warily.

When his eyes landed on Hulim, he quickly waved his hands in a panic. “I-I’m not Monroe! I just look like him! I don’t have any money—don’t come after me for debts!”

“......”

Hulim fell silent.

“Mr. Monroe, I’m not here to collect a debt.”

“Huh—?!”

Monroe froze, his flustered movements halting. He finally lifted his head and studied the person in front of him carefully.

Then he let out a huge sigh of relief.

“Oh, it’s you! Don’t scare me like that—I thought you were a debt collector!”

“Ah, right about that......”

Monroe’s eyes suddenly lit up, as if he’d just had a brilliant idea.

Then, right in front of Hulim, he clutched his chest, his face contorting into a look of “agony” as he toppled backward toward the ground.

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“Oof—my heart! I’m done for! You startled me so bad I’ve had a heart attack! I need a fancy, hearty meal right away to soothe my poor, stricken soul—or I’ll die!”

“......?”

Hulim stared down at the man lying sprawled on the tavern steps. Here was someone who stood at the very peak of the world’s powerhouses—yet now he was shamelessly faking an illness to mooch a free meal.

She found herself deep in thought.

She had to admit, this was a first for her.

Should she punch him?

Or punch him?

Or maybe punch him?

Sigh......

Might as well punch him.

Just as Hulim was about to make her move—

“Senior Brother? What are you doing here?”

A familiar voice rang out from not far away.

Hulim and Monroe both turned their heads—and saw Luigi and Lore walking toward them.

“Ah, Luigi! You’re finally back!”

Monroe scrambled to his feet in an instant, darting over to Luigi and grabbing him by the collar.

“You’re way too late! Were you trying to starve your senior brother to death?!”

“What are you rambling about? I just got back from the dungeon.”

“Wait a second—don’t tell me......”

Luigi narrowed his eyes, staring at Monroe suspiciously.

“You spent all your money again, didn’t you?!”

“Uh......”

Cold sweat broke out on Monroe’s forehead.

“N-Now don’t get all worked up! It was just a tiny little accident!”

“What kind of ‘tiny accident’? Spit it out—what did you do this time?!”

“W-Well...... I saw this great money-making opportunity yesterday! Normally, you only need one gold Kohl to win a priceless Magic Item!”

Monroe explained with an awkward grin.

“And then?”

“Ugh, turns out my luck was terrible! I spent every last coin and didn’t win a single thing!”

“......”

Luigi fell completely silent, his face darkening.

“Hahaha! So you got scammed, huh~!”

Lore snickered from the side, thoroughly enjoying the show. Luigi let out a helpless sigh and turned to Hulim.

“My apologies, Lady Hulim. It seems my senior brother gave you quite the trouble just now. To make amends, allow me to treat you to dinner tonight.”

“If you insist, I have no objections.”

Hulim replied.

To be honest, after witnessing that entire spectacle, she felt that arguing with someone as shameless as Monroe would only be demeaning to herself.

“Uh...... My dear junior brother~?”

Monroe poked his head over, grinning cheekily and pointing at himself.

“What about me? Don’t forget about me!”

“......”

Luigi’s face clouded over. He was this close to just dumping Monroe right there on the street—but in the end, he gritted his teeth and held back.

“This is the last time—! I mean it!”

......

Inside the Golden Pavilion Tavern, Hulim sat at a table with Monroe, Luigi, and Lore.

The table was piled high with plates of food.

Monroe was practically inhaling the meal all by himself.

According to him, he hadn’t eaten a single bite in a whole day—surviving only on the dregs of that cheap bottle of wine since last night.

Naturally, he was the one who’d ordered almost all the food on the table.

Which explained why Luigi’s expression was now looking positively murderous.

But compared to the bickering brothers, Hulim was more curious about why Lore was sitting at their table like it was the most natural thing in the world......

“Burp——!”

Monroe patted his distended stomach, letting out a loud, contented burp.

“Ahhh, that hits the spot~!”

“Nothing beats a good meal at a place like this!”

“Heh~. You’re the one who’s stuffed to the gills, while this mutt’s wallet is about to get cleaned out! Hahaha......”

Lore snickered again, clearly amused by Luigi’s predicament.

“C’mon, Luigi’s loaded—he can definitely afford it~!”

Now that his stomach was full, Monroe had completely shed his earlier pathetic act, putting on a carefree, it’s-not-my-problem face.

It was obvious he’d pulled this kind of stunt so many times that it had become second nature to him.

So much so that Luigi, his face now as black as thunder, had unconsciously reached for the hilt of his sword—as if he was about to draw it and settle things once and for all.

“Mr. Luigi—if you’d like, you can use these.”

Hulim pulled out four discount coupons for the Golden Pavilion Tavern.

“Lady Hulim—these are......”

“Whoa! Aren’t those Changs Inn discount coupons? You’ve got quite a few of them, Hulim!”

“Discount coupons? That’s a huge help. Thank you.”

Luigi let out a visible sigh of relief, taking two of the coupons from her.

“Oh, I don’t need any—I’ve got my own.”

Lore declined Hulim’s offer, instead pulling out an identical coupon from her pocket.

“I’m staying at Changs Inn too now, you know~.”

“Really? I’ve never run into you there before, Ms. Lore. Do you spend most of your time in the dungeons?”

“U-Uh, well...... That’s......”

Lore’s expression froze. She stammered, unable to come up with a proper explanation.

In the end, Monroe unceremoniously spilled the beans for her.

“Hah! This lazybones isn’t nearly that hardworking! She just sleeps in every single day! When you head out in the morning, Hulim, this girl’s probably still dead asleep in bed! No wonder you’ve never bumped into her!”

Lore’s eyes instantly turned sharp and dangerous. She fixed Monroe and Luigi with a sweet, yet utterly menacing smile.

“I’m gonna kill you two~.”

“Huh? Why am I included in this? This has nothing to do with me, does it?”

“Shut up, you mutt! Be quiet, you stupid dog!”

“......”

Luigi fell silent, resigning himself to his fate.