Scroll 33: An “Exotic” Transaction
Behind the store counter, in the employees-only area, Jinneth was chatting animatedly with Vibie, Melty, and Rurr.
She had set herself up there under the pretext of "networking," though in reality it just consisted of guessing and making friends with the shop girls.
—But why won't you tell us the secret? —Melty asked, both eyebrows raised.
Jinneth smiled smugly and shook her head.
—There is no secret. Those love potions people talk about don't exist. I just treated him with affection, and everything happened naturally.
—But we've treated Feralt with all the kindness in the world and nothing, —Vibie complained, making a frustrated face. She was a young woman around twenty, with brown hair and a pleasant face—. He just says thank you, and sometimes he gives us some minor token.
—Lord Feralt is polite, but I don't think he has a romantic interest in anyone, —Rurr added—. On the other hand, it seems His Excellency Alaster is more... human?
Jinneth let out a low laugh.
—Al is great and quite attentive, but... —the baker lowered her voice, gathering the three girls into a whisper—. He is... too passionate in bed.
The three employees opened their eyes wide. Both Rurr and Vibie turned as red as tomatoes.
Melty, who had a bit more life experience, flushed slightly but didn't lose her composure. However, curiosity got the better of her.
—What exactly do you mean? —Melty asked.
The tall, well-figured young woman with reddish hair suddenly dragged her chair over to sit right in front of Jinneth. She took her hands eagerly.
—Give me details. The more, the better.
Jinneth blushed a little, feeling the heat in her own cheeks.
—Well... I say it because it seems he isn't easily satisfied. He has a lot of energy... —she admitted shyly.
Melty bit her lower lip, glancing toward a specific direction in the store. Jinneth followed the path of her eyes and spotted Alaster in the distance.
The elf, now with black hair, was gesturing strangely in front of Feralt, moving his hands in a very peculiar manner.
Jinneth furrowed her brow as she watched her boyfriend's gestures, but her expression quickly turned to perplexity when she saw him make a very specific hip motion. One that she knew quite well.
«What on earth are those two talking about?», the baker thought, letting go of Melty's hands.
She stood up. Her skirt swayed softly as she set off at a brisk pace toward where the two elves were conversing about things she considered highly suspicious.
—That's the missionary one. It's the most basic position, —Alaster was explaining to Feralt.
Alaster had to make an effort not to burst out laughing upon seeing the blonde merchant taking notes with a pencil on a sheet of parchment.
—I see, —Feralt replied, his face serious and focused—. So, to review, there are three steps once mutual consent is obtained: foreplay, kissing with caresses, and finally intercourse.
The black-haired elf sank back into the sofa, letting out a long sigh. «The things I have to do for an Extraordinary-level, SS-rank grimoire», he thought with resignation.
—What are you doing?! —a voice asked in an accusing tone.
Alaster looked up and saw Jinneth approaching at a fast pace, her arms crossed.
Feralt looked at her and smiled politely.
—Miss, Al and I were talking about how one needs to move the hips when penetrating...
Before Feralt could finish the sentence, Alaster leaped up and physically stepped between them, cutting the blonde elf off.
—We're talking about men's stuff! Neovan things... elf things, —Alaster explained in a rush.
Jinneth stepped closer and delivered an indignant smack to his arm, looking at him with narrowed eyes.
—That's very weird, Al...
The black-haired elf raised both hands in surrender.
—I'm telling you the truth, it's nothing bad. It's just... an elf matter. A topic that girls don't need to know about.
Feralt arched an eyebrow and watched the interaction with curiosity.
—Al... are those physical blows normal in a healthy relationship?
Alaster sighed, rubbing his affected arm.
—Yes, Feralt. It's normal. It's called domestic violence, —he said, giving Jinneth a mocking smile.
—I didn't even hit you that hard! —she retorted, though she couldn't suppress a small, amused smile.
Alaster gently took her by the hand.
—Give me a second, —he requested of Feralt.
—Very well, friend Al, —the merchant nodded.
Alaster guided Jinneth toward the space between two tall, somewhat distant bookshelves to get some privacy.
—I assure you it's nothing bad, I'd just prefer not to tell you, —the elf explained in a low voice.
«Just like you don't tell me that a certain receptionist leaves you little notes in your coin purse...», Jinneth thought, feeling a sting of annoyance.
The baker took a deep breath to calm down. She knew she was overreacting; it was obvious other girls would try to approach Alaster because of his appearance, but it hurt a bit that he hadn't mentioned anything about the note to her.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Alaster leaned in a bit closer to whisper in her ear.
—Listen, it's a business matter. I give him information on a sensitive topic, and in exchange, he will give me grimoires worth over 100 gold coins.
Jinneth's gray eyes widened in surprise.
—That's a fortune! —she whispered—. But what kind of information can be worth that much?
Alaster sighed. He knew women well enough to know that sooner or later she would end up figuring it out, plus Feralt was so inexperienced that he would probably tell anyone if they asked.
—He saw us interacting, and since we are a couple... well, he thought we made a great match and was curious about how relationships worked.
Jinneth flashed a pleased smile, but arched an eyebrow.
—And...? That's it?
—No, —the elf admitted—. One thing led to another... and the topic of physical intimacy came up.
Jinneth immediately covered her mouth with both hands, muffling her voice.
—So... he wants to know about sex?
—Exactly, —Alaster confirmed—. But he wants meticulous details and asks too many questions. If I want to take the grimoires today, I'm going to need at least a couple more hours. Besides, I think this will give me time to think about how to avoid the guards. If they get tired of searching for me in this area, it will be easier to find an inn to rest.
Jinneth shook her head, regaining her tactical seriousness.
—It would be too obvious for you to look for an inn now. They will be watching them; I've seen the guards stationing men in front of them whenever they are actively looking for someone.
—Then what do you suggest?
—It's better if you go to the adventurers' plaza, —she explained confidently—. If you buy a tent and go there, you can set up a makeshift camp for the night. It only costs two coppers a day; it's cheap, and the security of the place is managed by the guild, not the city guard.
Alaster nodded, pleasantly surprised by his companion's logic.
—That's an excellent idea, Jin. Thanks.
—I'll let you get back to it then, Al... I'll head out first.
The young woman made a move to turn around to leave the bookshelf aisle, but Alaster stopped her by gently taking her by the waist. He drew her toward his body.
—Be careful, —he told her, just before leaning in and kissing her on the lips.
Jinneth froze for a second, caught off guard by the contact. As they separated, a warm smile appeared on her face and her cheeks took on a flushed tone.
She waved goodbye to Feralt as she passed his side and gave a final smile to Rurr at the counter.
—See you later! —she called out before crossing the door onto the street.
Once outside, now under the afternoon light of Sibar, Jinneth reached into the hidden pocket of her belt and pulled out the small, crumpled note that Stine had handed her in the café.
She stared at it closely, reading again the text where Mila reminded Alaster of a date this Thursday, promising him a great reward.
«I think I can fix this and help Al at the same time», the baker thought with a spark of determination in her gaze as she tucked the paper away again.
After an hour of genuine moral suffering on Alaster’s part, the makeshift sex education class finally came to an end.
Feralt had turned out to be an overly diligent student, demanding meticulous descriptions of where and how to touch.
Alaster had to explain, with a mix of awkwardness and resignation, details about the G-spot, the crucial importance of foreplay, and how the clitoris functioned to achieve maximum female satisfaction.
The conversation even veered briefly into seedier territory.
When Feralt asked about the possibility of purchasing services for money, Alaster found no better way to describe it than by comparing it to his past life:
—That’s basically a pay-to-win, Feralt. You pay to skip the entire progression process, but it takes all the fun out of the experience.—
Then came even swifter, superficial explanations lacking in detail regarding concepts like threesomes, orgies, anal and oral sex, as well as the use of external tools to spice things up.
To save himself from future trouble, Alaster made sure to leave something crystal clear to the blonde elf:
—Listen well, Feralt. All of these topics are strictly private matters. If you go around broadcasting your sex life, you’ll look like a lunatic or a creep.—
Feralt nodded solemnly, logging each warning into his mind as if it were a sacred principle.
With that, Joseph believed he had covered the entire basic curriculum.
It was back when he was explaining to Feralt the dangers and strange perks of getting involved with married women that a specific memory had clicked into place.
Alaster had recalled Mila. Although the faint, pale band of skin on her ring finger clearly indicated she was divorced rather than married, he absolutely needed to speak with her.
Especially since two days ago, while handing him the reward coins for the herbs he had gathered during the wyvern incident, she had leaned in and reminded him, in a highly suggestive tone, of their upcoming meeting this Thursday.
When he finally stepped across the threshold of the Sea Sapphire, carrying the heavy grimoires in his dimensional inventory, he felt as though he were carrying a sexually transmitted disease directly on his conscience.
«Don’t think about stupid things», he mentally scolded himself to shake off the guilt. «It was just business. A trade where you came out on top.»
He caressed the spines of the invisible books within his mental space. He now possessed spells capable of warping space and getting him out of any tight spot. The moral price had been high, but it was worth it.
«Alright, now I need to do two things», Alaster planned, merging back onto the main avenue. «Go to the guild and talk to Mila.»
Alaster checked the position of the sun. Today was Thursday.
The meeting was today.
«I need to take the bull by the horns», Alaster thought, clenching his fists with determination.
He couldn’t keep putting things off. He would go to the guild, speak with Mila with complete honesty to clear the air, and while he was at it, look for some urgent quests on the board.
His personal finances were deep in the red after purchasing the ice grimoires and a few others. With only a single gold coin, fifty silver pieces, and his copper change left, he needed to start earning real money if he wanted to survive in Sibar.