Kornacis, Lantern District, 32 Temptation Avenue.

After a long trip, Aren finally stepped through the familiar door, and a feeling of relief finally washed over him.

He had missed these walls, the sight of the red hat hanging on the rack, and the warmth of his own bed waiting for him.

"Miss Agnes, I have returned!"

"In the living room!"

With bag in hand, Aren walked to the living room, and when he saw what was going on there, the corner of his lips twitched.

It took a lot of willpower to not just burst into laughter.

With a cold look, like she wanted to murder someone, Mira massaged Agnes' stiff shoulders, and she enjoyed it while sitting on her very own reclining chair.

It was relieving to see that the power of the slave collar actually worked and that Mira couldn't do anything to Miss Agnes.

There was a worry in him during his trip over in Brackenford Cross that maybe the slave collar wasn't all-powerful, and she would find a way, but luckily, his worries were unfounded.

"How did your trip go?"

Miss Agnes with a smile.

She was really happy to see him back and was quite surprised by the length of his trip, as it wasn't supposed to last this long.

"Very boring and long. It was a good pay, though, so what if I get something tasty for today's dinner?"

Aren asked.

"That sounds wonderful!"

She said happily.

"How has Mira been?"

Aren asked while teasing Mira with a grin, and she definitely didn't appreciate that as she glared back at him.

"Oh, she has been great. It feels like I have a granddaughter now. She has been helping me with chores and cooking and has tidied up the whole house!"

Miss Agnes said with a bright smile.

While looking like she was pissed, even Mira's expression slightly softened after hearing that Agnes treated her like a granddaughter.

It still didn't make any of that overwhelming rage inside her disappear.

"That's good. May I borrow her as we go on a little grocery shopping?"

Aren asked.

"Not at all!"

With a grumpy expression, Mira walked to Aren with her fingers dug into her palms, and then, Aren placed the Human Flesh Mask over her face.

She turned into a village girl.

Then, Aren picked up a cane from next to the rack, twirled it around, and then opened the door for Mira.

After she grumpily stepped out, he followed behind her and closed the door behind them. They started making down the neighborhood's road.

"How has it been?"

Aren asked.

"…Boring."

Mira said with a growl.

"So nothing happened? Did anybody visit Miss Agnes, or did she even leave the house at all?"

Aren asked.

"…Nobody is visiting her. She doesn't seem to have anybody. I have seen her talk with a couple of neighbors from the window, but that's all.

"She has left a few times for the marketplace. She has requested me to go with her, but your order of staying inside the house overwrote her commands, so I didn't have to.

"Either way. If I had gone with her to the marketplace, my Rav'akari identity would've been blown, as I didn't have this weird mask with me."

Mira said, crossing her arms and trotting about like a sulking high school girl.

"That is good."

Aren said, tapping the cane against the cobblestone roads, and took a left with Mira while making their way to the marketplace.

The smog was so heavy that Mira could barely see a few feet in front of her, and she looked quite pissed off.

"You Earthlings have brought this smog with you. It's your fault that we can't even see the sky in Kornacis anymore. Earth must be a complete dump if this is what you're used to living in."

Mira said.

"Yeah, that is what we do. You guys are lucky that we can't bring our Earth's weaponry here with us. This war between humans and Rav'akari would be over in a day."

Aren said.

"No weapon is more powerful than the Wretched One."

Mira said.

"…Whatever you say. Do you know who Perverted Justice is? One of the Ten Fingers?"

"Of course. You think that I don't know of anything?"

Mira asked with a scowl.

"Tell me more about him."

Aren said.

"I haven't met him, duh. I have lived with you disgusting humans all my life. I have not even met another Rav'akari.

"All I know are things that I have studied about."

She said.

"Fair enough."

Aren said with a chuckle.

After a short while, they arrived at the bustling marketplace. There were all sorts of smells that neither of them had encountered before.

Aren went to find the meat butcher's stand.

There were all kinds of meat hanging from the hooks—chicken, beef, lamb, and even some exotic meats like alligator and rattlesnake.

What really interested Aren was the wild boar meat that he had heard was a local specialty. It had a strong flavor and was often used in traditional dishes.

It was expensive, but with his good payday just now, Aren decided to splurge and try it out.

After that, he visited several spice stands and then visited stands that sold fresh fruits and vegetables.

He picked up some locally grown produce to accompany his wild boar meat for a delicious meal.

Mira walked behind him, her eyes traveling from stand to stand, and her stomach even growled as she caught a whiff of the aromatic spices.

"What food do you like, Mira?"

Aren asked.

"…Why do you care?"

Mira asked, rolling her eyes.

"Tell me, that is an order."

Aren said with a cheeky smile.

Mira tried pressing her lips together to close her mouth, but she couldn't fight back against those orders and eventually opened her mouth.

"I-I like that riverlord's trout… I-I also like mooncrust bread and pudding… I really like pudding."

When she finished saying that, her cheeks were already stained a deep shade of pink.

"That does sound delicious."

Aren said, and then picked up a long riverlord's trout from over the fish market stall and then got some mooncrust bread, enough for all three of them, and got some pudding from over the market stall.

Mira followed behind him, clutching her skirt, and felt like her cheeks were burning with embarrassment.