Testing My Luck in the New World

Volume 2 - Chapter 24b

"I have enough gold. What I want is something much more valuable."

She winked at me. Tillmann roughly combed his fingers through his beard. A little too roughly. Almost like he were about to tear it out before he suddenly eased up.

Stroking his beard now as if to soothe the damage, he narrowed his eyes at her knowingly.

"Big-tittied blonde in the city... Arthur, this is that woman you saw, right?"

"Ohhhh, definitely," Arthur said, staring, enamored at a certain bodacious part of Elane's anatomy. "I wouldn't confuse her for nobody."

"Right, I thought so. Ain't ye said she was complainin' about this boy makin' her a thief?"

He pointed his hammer at me and Elane clicked her tongue. Yua winced – she must have been too distracted in the moment to realize Arthur had circled back to see the commotion we caused.

Their reactions were dead giveaways – obvious –, but with a seedy smirk, Arthur stood, gripped his lapel with both hands and confirmed it.

"She sure did, boss. Nearly killed him, too, from what I saw."

"Interestin'," Tillmann said, fingering his beard. "If he made ye a thief, why are eye protectin' him?"

"I have my reasons."

"And what might they be?"

At this, Elane smirked – gorgeous –. She glanced at me and broke into a brief fit of womanly giggles before I noticed her cheeks were flushed – red –.

"He's the man I've decided to make my husband."

"... What?"

Tillmann's jaw – beard – dropped in open confusion. As did everyone else's. Even Yua tilted her head, staring wide-eyed at the blonde's inappropriately timed declaration.

I, on the other hand, was entirely incapable of processing this scene. For multiple reasons.

"I had a good, long chat with him over drinks.And after sobering up, I realized I'd been enjoying how he treats me as just another woman and not some stuffy noble like everyone else. He doesn't try to chat me up. Doesn't run away in fear at the sight of me, either. Though his eyes do tend to linger a bit more than they should," she said and shrugged. Despite herself, Yua nodded along. Elane continued. "That, and he's a funny drunk. Can't keep his mouth shut. He accidentally let me in on a little secret that I am just dying to hear more of. Haha. I suppose you could say that nobody on this planet sees me, this world, the way he does. Not on this world, at least."

With a cute smirk, Elane winked at me again. I couldn't respond, but she didn't seem to mind one bit.

Tillmann pinched his eyes shut, rolling his jaw in frustration.

"For years, I watched ye bat away every suitor that even looked at ye, and ye pick now of all times to choose a man?"

"Yes. And it seems you've hurt that man."

She shifted her grip on her weapon, her hand closer to the axe's head now.

"... Don't supposed ye'd change yer mind if I said I know a priest what can marry ye? One that would keep his trap shut about ye bein' a thief?"

"No need. I've already decided how that's going to play out."

Tillmann hung his head. Spinning his hammer one more time, considering. He thumped it into his empty palm.

"Then it seems we are both in fer some trouble. Don't forget who forged that axe fer ye. I know all its weak points."

"Hoho? Are you saying you intentionally left weaknesses in what you once called your best work? Naughty naughty."