Chapter 5: Shadowed Lady.

Before that young noble paid, Darius Noctis had already charged a few tables. He also let them pay as they pleased—however much they thought the food was worth. Since wealth varied from person to person, some paid ten Dailong Coins, while others paid thirty or forty. The more generous ones even paid an entire string of Dailong Coins, which was about a hundred coins—though he hadn't had the time to count them.

So far, the most generous customer was that nobleman, who paid with a gold ingot and five strings of silver Dailong Coins. To Darius, this amount was too much. He was still new to this world, clueless about its ways, and carrying such a large sum on him didn't seem like a good idea.

The nobleman, feeling that he hadn't paid enough, was still unsatisfied and said:

"This still isn't worth three bowls of your noodles. Shopkeeper, how about I leave this sword behind? There's a town up ahead where the magistrate owes my family money. I'll collect my debt and return to pay you later."

"No, no, this is already too much. I'll just take one string of coins—that's more than enough. My friend… ah, I mean, you can go. It's fine." Darius Noctis was still adjusting to the way people addressed each other in this world. He already stood out enough; he couldn't keep using the speech patterns of his old world.

"The bill!"

At that moment, a woman's voice rang out. On her table sat a towering stack of ten empty noodle bowls.

"The bill? You actually have money?" Darius Noctis had assumed this girl was freeloading. She had begged so much that he kept giving her more food. Since the shop was busy, he hadn't wanted to argue—somehow, she had managed to finish ten bowls without him even noticing.

Clack!

"Why wouldn't I? I don't take free meals from humans." The woman wiped her mouth and smirked.

Darius Noctis picked up a small, round, black object in his hand, unsure of its value. He lifted it, then immediately put it back in front of her.

"What's this? A gemstone? Forget it, keep it. I don't need it."

"That…" The nobleman's eyes widened in shock.

"I gave it to you, so take it!" The woman shot Darius Noctis a sharp look, feeling like this man was utterly clueless.

Noticing her disdainful gaze, Darius Noctis tossed the black stone back at her and waved his hand, urging her to leave.

"Alright, alright, just eat and get lost already. No one's making you pay, so stop giving me weird stuff."

The woman caught the black stone, her expression darkening. She stomped toward Darius Noctis and shoved it back into his hand.

"I said I don't want it. Why do you keep giving it to me? Keeping this pitch-black lump will only bring me bad luck. I won't take it!" Darius Noctis shoved it right back into her hand.

"You must take it. I don't want to owe anyone a debt." The woman gritted her teeth.

"You don't owe me anything. I treated your wounds because I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. I bandaged you up because I couldn't just ignore someone injured in front of me. I fed you because I didn't want to see you starve. And besides, you were my first customer today, and business has been booming ever since. So let's call it even—no need to pay me."

Unintentionally, Darius Noctis had grabbed her shoulders while speaking. Their faces were so close that he could feel her breath against his skin, making both of them momentarily flustered.

"Why aren't you afraid of me?" she suddenly asked, completely unrelated to the conversation.

"Afraid? You're skinny and frail—why would I be afraid of you? Actually, you're quite pretty. If anything, you should be the one worried about what I might do to you, not the other way around. Why would I be scared of you?" Darius Noctis didn't understand what she meant.

"Humans really are smooth talkers. How old are you?" She tilted her head, eyeing him curiously.

"Uh…" Darius Noctis's face darkened.

Thirty-six years old. No home, no family, no friends. And, of course, no girlfriend—let alone a wife or children.

Every time he thought about his age, it reminded him that he had reached this point in life without any major milestones to show for it. That was one of his greatest regrets. He had heard that in the old days, people married early. There probably wasn't a single guy out there who was nearly forty and still hopelessly single like he was.

"Thir… thirty-six…" Darius Noctis stammered, embarrassed. It was the first time a woman had ever asked him a personal question, so it was only natural for him to feel flustered. Especially when looking into her eyes—clear and deep like a tranquil lake. He felt as if he were drowning in them.

"That's so young…" she mumbled.

"What's young?!" Darius Noctis blurted out.

He quickly shook his head, pushing aside the strange thoughts creeping into his mind. He had always been immune to women, yet for some reason, this girl felt… different.

It would be best to get rid of her as soon as possible. A guy like him had no business getting involved with women.

"Well… see you next time. Next time, I'll earn money from humans and pay you back." The girl said shyly before her small figure gradually disappeared into the distance.

Watching her leave, Darius Noctis let out a sigh. The most troublesome person had finally gone.

"Huh? You guys are still here? I already told you, leaving just one string of coins is enough. Go on, come back for a meal when you have time." Darius Noctis turned to the four people still sitting at the table.

The young noble had remained calm from the moment he arrived, through his meal, and even while paying. But now, his mouth hung open so wide that he couldn't close it.

His face had turned deathly pale, as if all life had drained from him. It wasn't until he suddenly collapsed with a loud thud that his three subordinates snapped out of their daze and rushed to catch him.

Seeing this, Darius Noctis quickly ran over, helping the noble onto a chair before handing him a glass of water.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Rest here for a bit before you go. I have some nutritional supplements—I can mix one up for you."

Darius Noctis hurried to his storage box, pulling out a vitamin C effervescent tablet, about to dissolve it in water when the noble hastily raised a hand to stop him.

"That won't be necessary, shopkeeper. You are far too kind… The Lam family owes you a great debt of gratitude. Thanks to your kindness, no one has died today." The noble's face was still ashen as he spoke cautiously.

"Died? What do you mean?"

Darius Noctis was taken aback. Was everyone in this world always this dramatic?

"Shopkeeper, do you know who that girl was?" the nobleman asked after regaining his composure.

"No, she was just a customer who came here to eat." Darius Noctis shrugged. He didn't want to mention the girl's injuries—if he showed too much curiosity, it would only make him seem suspicious. Best to keep quiet.

"She… Haah, never mind. Can you at least tell me why she came here to eat?" The noble sighed before cautiously probing further.

From Darius Noctis's expression, it was clear he truly had no idea who the girl was.

"Probably because she was hungry." He replied matter-of-factly.

"No, that's impossible. She doesn't get hungry. Tell me—why did she eat here? This is serious, not something to take lightly." The noble's gaze grew sharp.

"Ah, well, this morning…"

Sensing that something was definitely off, Darius Noctis decided to tell the truth. He explained that he had planned to head to the town up ahead but had come across the girl wounded along the way. He recounted everything that had happened after that—omitting only the fact that he was from another world.

Fortunately, people in this world didn't seem to question him. They just assumed he was from the Empire, since none of them had ever actually met an imperial citizen before. Apparently, anything unusual was automatically considered "imperial."

"This is truly strange… Normally, being near her would be extremely dangerous. The dark energy she emits could destroy an entire city. Could it be because she was injured? No… no, that can't be it. Perhaps her injuries were so severe that her powers were suppressed? If so… then we're incredibly lucky… Otherwise, nothing in this entire region would have survived."

The noble muttered to himself, his face full of unease, as if he had just narrowly escaped death.

"But I swear, just moments ago, I could feel death looming over me. I don't know why I'm still alive… It must have been thanks to your noodles, shopkeeper. I owe you my life. If I ever get the chance, I will repay this debt."

The noble suddenly stood up and bowed deeply toward Darius Noctis. His subordinates bowed even lower.

"What? When did I save you?" Darius Noctis was utterly lost.

"I can only give you one name…"

With that, the noble took his sword and etched a name into the dirt: "Shadowed Lady."

Immediately after, he hastily erased it. He waited for a moment, and when nothing happened, he finally let out a sigh of relief. Then, looking intently at Darius Noctis, he continued:

"She is this world's walking catastrophe. She is not human. Wherever she appears, terrible death and destruction follow. If you ever cross paths with her again, be extremely cautious."

"Oh, and… never speak her name out loud. Just because nothing happened this time doesn't mean others will be as fortunate. She is a special existence—whenever her name is spoken, she will hear it."

Seeing how serious the noble was, Darius Noctis—though still clueless—nodded to reassure him.

The noble studied Darius Noctis's genuine expression and finally seemed at ease. He adjusted his posture, then gracefully clasped his hands together in greeting.

"I am Zentharis Lam, Crown Prince of this small kingdom. May I ask for the esteemed name of the shopkeeper?"

Darius Noctis was momentarily taken aback before replying:

"I'm Darius. Darius Noctis."