Chapter 12 - A Job, and Interesting Find

The shop was far from luxurious, but it shouldn't have been empty. A vendor should've been there, at least to greet anyone who barged in.

Alaric felt a shiver run down his spine for some reason. Then, a voice came from behind him.

"Hello, young man. What can I do for you?"

Someone was behind him. Alaric didn't realize it until the man finally spoke.

The person was an older man with a long gray beard and hair. He wore simple clothes like everyone else on the island.

However, it wasn't his appearance that caught Alaric's attention, but the way he moved. No sound came from his footsteps, and even his breathing was nearly silent.

"Hey," Alaric smiled. "I saw a sign outside."

"You mean the hiring one? Yes, I'm hiring. Are you interested? It's an honest job."

Like everyone else, Alaric wanted to know more about the job before accepting it: the pay, the work hours, etc.

That was important to know.

"Can you tell me more about the job?"

The old man shook his head. "Wait here."

He went to the back of the shop and returned with two wooden chairs for them to sit on. Alaric liked that.

"I want someone who's capable of doing many different things, but your main focus will be attending to clients—selling things from the shop, renting our boats, etc. The pay is similar to what you'll find elsewhere, but I'll also give you free lodging and food."

It wasn't a bad offer. A place to sleep was exactly what Alaric needed. He didn't want to return to the forest with Ashley. The forest was dangerous, and it wasn't the best place to sleep.

"What about the working hours?" Alaric asked.

A lazy wizard like him wanted a decent amount of free time. To his surprise, the old man who owned the shop felt the same way.

"We open at 9 a.m. and close at 4 p.m.—no more than that. I'm too old to keep this shop open all day, and you're too young to waste your time here."

Alaric liked him. The man had a good view of the world.

"Alaric," he said, extending his hand for a handshake.

"Vergo," the old man replied, shaking his hand. "So, you want this job?"

"Yes, I do."

Vergo smiled. "All right, you can start tomorrow."

Alaric was about to leave the shop when Vergo called him again.

"Would you like some tea?"

The only people who came to the shop were customers. Vergo was happy to have someone else there. Alaric didn't see a reason to refuse the offer.

"That would be nice."

Warm tea was always nice to have. Vergo prepared a simple wooden table for them. Alaric didn't mind the simplicity.

What mattered was how tasty the tea was. Alaric sipped—it was even better than he expected.

"Good?"

"Absolutely," Alaric said.

They didn't say much for a while, but the quiet gave Alaric a chance to learn more about Vergo.

"Am I the only one working here?" Alaric asked.

Vergo nodded.

"You are. The last person stopped working for me a few months ago. She quit."

"Any particular reason for that?"

"I think she found a better opportunity. You can tell just by looking—this shop isn't the most famous in town. I can't pay much, but the job is honest."

"Makes sense. And Vergo, do you have any family around here?"

Alaric wanted to get close to Vergo—not just because he would be his new boss, but because he didn't have many people in his life.

It wasn't easy being teleported to a random island by a powerful wizard. Alaric needed friends.

"No, I don't have a family," Vergo said as he got up. "You start tomorrow at 9, understood?"

"Yes, of course."

After finishing his tea, Vergo said it to make Alaric leave the shop.

"He doesn't want to talk about his personal life, it seems," Alaric realized.

Alaric left the shop and returned to Ruby's house to see Ashley. She looked better than before—the shock of learning her grandmother had died had passed.

"Do you want me to go to the funeral with you?" Alaric asked.

Ashley shook her head. "No need. I don't want to drag my friends into my family's problems. But I'd appreciate it if you could come visit me from time to time."

"Of course."

Ruby also stayed in the house. She wanted to go with her friend, but Ashley had told her to stay out of her problems.

Alaric took the chance to ask Ruby something.

"Can I stay here one more night?"

"You can stay as long as you want."

He felt good hearing that. It was always comforting to have a place to go if he really needed it—though Alaric didn't want to be a burden.

"I found a job in the city, so I'll stay only one more night here. But we can always meet during the week," Alaric said.

Ruby smiled. "That's good to hear. In the future, if you ever need another job, you can work in my family's restaurant."

Alaric didn't want a job in a restaurant. Just thinking about it made him tired. All he wanted was a chill place, like Vergo's shop, where there were barely any customers.

"Thanks."

"Speaking of my family's restaurant, I'll have to go help them this afternoon. You'll have to stay alone in my house."

She decided to help them since Ashley would be at the funeral, and the two wouldn't have time to spend together.

Alaric didn't mind staying alone. When Ruby left, he went straight to his room. There wasn't anything exciting to do anyway.

Once there, Alaric looked at the bookshelf inside the room. He decided to take a look now that he knew the room had once belonged to Ruby's sister.

"Maybe there's something helpful here," he thought. "I mean, Ruby's sister was the only one who reached the three star rank—for a reason."

The first few books he found weren't interesting, but that changed when he saw her diary.

For a moment, Alaric considered putting it away—but curiosity was killing him.

One of the first things he read was: "Today I got a new job at a small fishing store. The owner is a gentle old man. I liked it."

Alaric's mind instantly jumped to one person: Vergo.