Chapter 127: Why Are You Treating Me Like This?
“D-Do I…?”
Peiya took a few steps back until her heel touched the edge of the stairs. Her retreat only made Elise step closer and closer.
Soon, there was no way to escape. Elise’s face was right in front of her, and she could even see the gentle curve of her eyebrows.
But that wasn’t the main problem, the important thing was the question just now. How should she answer it?
Saying “I just asked casually” didn’t feel right. And to be honest, she really did care about the answer.
“Then why did you ask that? Even if I don’t go, you can still go by yourself, right?”
“If you don’t go, then it won’t be fun for me.” Peiya’s voice rose a little.
“Why? Does me not going really affect what you do?”
Elise looked straight at her. Under that gaze, Peiya felt a chill run through her body.
“B-Because going to a party without knowing anyone is awkward. That’s why I asked. Since you’re not planning to go, I’ll leave now.”
Peiya walked out quickly. After leaving the door, she felt a bit regretful, probably because she didn’t get the answer she wanted.
How should she describe this feeling?
It was like getting fully ready for something… and then nothing happened.
Disappointment…
Not exactly disappointment, but… it was just hard to deal with now. Should she go, or not?
If she didn’t go, and Elise ended up going, wouldn’t Elise just be there alone in the cold?
Of course, Peiya felt like she was meddling too much. Thinking like this made her feel a bit like a worried parent.
Better not make decisions for others. Memories from her time in the Dawn Guild came back to her. Peiya took a deep breath, and her mood quickly calmed down.
After pushing those thoughts away, she left the manor. Over the next few days, she focused on collecting materials and working on her design drawings.
Designing armor wasn’t difficult for Peiya, she had done this kind of work many times before. The only challenge this time… was that it was for Elise.
She wanted to find better materials. She spent a long time in the library looking through books, and finally chose several materials with good toughness. She also found some alternative materials.
After collecting everything, Peiya brought the materials home and started the crafting process. During this time, Yingying kept walking around the house, swinging a big hammer.
“Yingying, if you’re bored, go hammer those nails up there.”
“Ying?”
Yingying looked at the metal nails on the cloth and started hammering them with the big hammer.
Seeing Yingying finally doing something useful, Peiya smiled with satisfaction. She carefully threaded the needle, slowly connecting the parts of the clothing. Then she lifted it toward the sunlight, letting the light pass through the tiny holes.
Peiya shook the fabric, which glowed slightly in the dusty light, and took a deep breath. She went downstairs. It was already evening, so she bought a portion of hand-grab rice.
Although it was called “hand-grab rice,” it still came with a fork and spoon. It was said to be a way of eating from the far western coast. The vegetables were mixed with long grains of mixed rice, and it had a nice chewy texture.
Unlike white rice, this mixed grain rice felt a bit like soft rice noodles. It wasn’t very fragrant, but it had a slightly sweet aftertaste.
Peiya took a few bites, then looked up and noticed that in the distance, the Adventurers’ Guild had started setting up structures. Many stages were being built, it looked like the party was going to happen very soon.
“Miss Peiya, are you eating here too?”
A familiar voice came from behind. It was Nara, holding a briefcase. She reached out to the shop owner for a vegetable pancake, then looked at the mixed rice in Peiya’s plate and joked:
“So you like mixed grains? I always feel not used to it. I still prefer flour-based food.”
“My taste is pretty flexible. I haven’t eaten vegetables for a while, so I thought I should get some nutrition.”
“That’s good. Miss Peiya, are you coming to the party next week? It will probably start at 8 p.m.”
“Next week?”
Peiya was a bit surprised. Counting the days on her fingers, there really wasn’t much time left.
“Yeah. Actually, next week is already considered a bit late. Mainly because of those flyers recently, everyone’s mood has been messy. And since many teams got injured, fewer people are taking missions now. If this continues, people like us in management might lose our jobs and have to go slay dragons ourselves.”
Nara took a bite of her vegetable pancake and blew on it because it was too hot.
“Eat slowly. The food here is freshly made, so it’s much hotter than outside.”
“It’s fine. After running around all day, eating something hot makes me happy. Sometimes, when I feel upset, one bite of hot food can make all my worries disappear.”
Peiya smiled and agreed a little. She lowered her head and finished the food on her plate.
“Nara, will you go to the party too?”
“Probably. As part of management, how could I not go and say a few words? I’ll need to give a speech and host the event. Someone as lazy as Maya, do you think she would do this kind of work?”
“Sounds tough.” Peiya smiled gently and put her plate in the return area.
“Come on, let’s go check the venue?”
“I don’t want to work. And you still haven’t answered my question, are you going or not? If you go, I can prepare a seat for you.”
“That’s a bit too formal, isn’t it?”
Peiya laughed awkwardly. Thinking about sitting right in front of so many people made her feel nervous.
“Of course not. You’re very popular. And this is also Guild Leader Maya’s idea. She even wants you to give a speech.”
“What?”
Peiya was completely stunned. Are they treating her like some kind of official representative?
“A speech. Our guild won the championship this time. You’re not going to say nothing, right?”
“F-Fine… if you keep saying that, I won’t go at all.”
“I’m joking. If you want to come, you’re always welcome. Someone will receive you, and I also asked the head chef to prepare more desserts, there will definitely be enough.”
“Alright. Are you heading back now?”
“Yeah, I’m off work. I just want to go home quickly. Miss Peiya, do you want to visit my house? It’s quite big.”
“N-No, I’ll probably go home after eating. I still have work to do tonight.”
“That’s tough. Then I won’t disturb you. Get some rest early.”
Nara stood up and left. After packing her things, Peiya took a carriage to the church and met Victoria, who was praying.
“Do you have time now? I want to ask you about some materials. If it works out, I’ll share some with you.”
“What kind of materials?”
Victoria took Peiya’s list and saw that they were all materials used for enchanting.
“Are you making a weapon? I do know where to find these. The problem is, some of them are quite rare, it might be hard to get them.”
“I see… is there any way to obtain them?”
“Of course. Check if you have any extra alchemy potions you don’t need. I can take them to the academy to exchange for points, and then use the points to get materials.”
“You can do that?”
“Of course. The academy encourages students to be active and work hard. But it’s better if you give me lower-quality ones. If they’re too good… I’m afraid you might scare the teachers there.”