Chapter 54: I’m not Interested
It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence.
It was the kind that came from people who had spent enough time together that they didn’t need to fill every moment with words.
Eventually, Akin spoke. "You know what bothers me?"
Tolu glanced at him. "What?"
"We’ve been here two months."
"Yes."
"We’ve worked almost every day."
"Yes."
"And we’re still counting silver coins."
Ore smiled faintly. "That’s because we’re Novices."
"I know."
Akin kicked a small stone from his path. "I just thought we’d have more to show for it by now."
Tolu looked ahead. "I thought the same thing when we first arrived."
"And now?"
Tolu thought for a moment. "Now I think we’re doing fine."
Akin looked at him. "Fine?"
"We’re eating."
Temi nodded. "We have somewhere to sleep."
"We have work."
Ore added. "And nobody has tried to kill us."
Akin considered that. "That’s actually a good point."
Tolu smiled. "Exactly."
They continued walking.
Their home wasn’t located in one of Ilebi’s wealthier districts.
It was several streets away from the main roads, in an older part of the city where the buildings were packed closely together.
The compound itself was large.
Much larger than it looked from the street.
A tall, weathered wall surrounded it, with a wide wooden gate that had clearly been repaired more than once.
Inside were several buildings arranged around a broad courtyard.
There were many rooms.
Dozens, perhaps.
The compound housed other workers, travelers, merchants and independent adventurers who, like them, needed somewhere affordable to sleep.
It wasn’t beautiful.
The walls were old.
The courtyard was mostly bare earth.
The wooden walkways creaked in places.
Some of the doors didn’t close perfectly.
There was no luxurious furniture.
No private gardens.
No servants.
No elegant dining hall.
But there was a roof.
And that was enough.
Tolu pushed open the gate.
The familiar smell of cooking drifted through the courtyard.
Someone nearby was arguing about water.
Another tenant was washing clothes.
A child ran across the courtyard before disappearing behind one of the buildings.
It wasn’t peaceful.
It wasn’t quiet.
But it was alive.
Ore looked around. "I still can’t believe this is the cheapest place we found."
Akin laughed. "Because it looks terrible?"
"Exactly."
"Don’t insult our home."
Temi looked at the cracked wall beside them. "Our home is falling apart."
"But it’s our falling-apart home."
Tolu smiled. "Ten silver a month."
Ore nodded. "For each room."
Tolu looked toward the four buildings. "Still the cheapest we could find."
They had searched for days before settling here.
Most places closer to the central districts were far too expensive.
Some offered better rooms but demanded fifteen or twenty silver a month.
Others wanted payment for meals.
Others wanted deposits.
Some were simply too cramped.
This place asked for ten silver.
Nothing more.
The room was small.
There was a bed.
A wooden table.
A chair.
A small storage space.
That was practically it.
No decorations.
No luxurious furniture.
No private bathroom.
No servant.
No comfort beyond the bare essentials.
But after everything they had gone through, none of them complained much anymore.
They had four separate rooms.
They had a roof over their heads.
They could lock their doors.
They could store their belongings safely.
For Novices living entirely on contract work, that was enough.
Tolu stopped near the center of the courtyard. "Tomorrow?"
Ore looked at him. "Same?"
"Same."
She smiled. "Same."
Akin groaned. "You’re all too comfortable with this."
Temi looked at him. "What do you want to do instead?"
"Become rich."
Ore laughed. "That’s not a plan."
"It is."
"How?"
Akin thought for a moment. "I haven’t gotten that far."
Tolu shook his head. "Come on."
They separated at the walkway.
Ore stopped before her room. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Tolu said.
Akin raised a hand. "See you tomorrow."
Temi nodded. "Tomorrow."
One by one, they entered their rooms.
Tolu closed his door behind him.
The room was quiet.
Bare.
Small.
There was nothing impressive about it.
But he had begun to appreciate it.
It belonged to him.
At least for as long as he could pay for it.
He placed his equipment beside the wall and sat on the edge of his bed.
His body was tired.
His hands were sore.
His mind was still filled with the day’s training.
He reached into his pouch and counted the coins.
Four silver from today’s work.
He separated the money mentally.
Ten silver for rent.
Food.
Equipment repairs.
Arrows.
Training fees.
Supplies.
There was always something.
Their income usually came to somewhere between thirty and forty silver a month.
That sounded like a lot when they first heard it.
It wasn’t.
Not in Ilebi.
After rent and food, they usually had less than five silver left.
Sometimes barely anything.
A broken weapon could erase weeks of savings.
A serious injury could ruin them.
A failed contract could mean going hungry if they weren’t careful.
There was no safety net.
No wealthy family waiting to help.
No academy paying their expenses.
No inheritance.
No one was coming to rescue them.
They were four young Novices trying to build a life in one of the largest cities they had ever seen.
And it was difficult.
Very difficult.
But they were surviving.
Tolu leaned back against the wall.
For now, that was enough.
Outside his room, he could hear footsteps passing through the courtyard.
Someone laughed.
A door opened.
Another slammed shut.
Life continued around him.
Tolu closed his eyes.
Tomorrow, they would wake up.
They would find another contract.
They would work.
They would train.
They would get paid.
And they would do it again.
Perhaps one day the silver would become gold.
Perhaps one day they would stop worrying about rent.
Perhaps one day they would have enough money to choose where they lived instead of simply taking the cheapest room available.
But that day hadn’t come yet.
For now, they had four rooms in a worn-out compound.
Four silver coins earned that day.
A little food in their stomachs.
And each other.
It wasn’t much.
But it was enough to keep moving forward.
....
A knock came at Temi’s door.
She was sitting on the edge of her bed, removing the leather straps around her wrists after returning from the training ground.
Another knock came.
Temi frowned. "Who is it?"
"Forgive me for disturbing you." The voice belonged to a young man.
Temi stood.She didn’t recognize it. She approached the door and opened it halfway.
A young man stood outside.
He was dressed considerably better than most of the people who lived in the compound. His clothes were clean and well tailored, and a small emblem was embroidered neatly across his chest.
He smiled politely when he saw her. "Are you Temi?"
"Yes."
"My apologies for arriving without notice."
Temi looked him over. "Who are you?"
"My name is irrelevant, but I serve the Olawale family."
Temi’s expression remained blank. "The who?"
The young man’s smile faltered.
"The Olawale family."
"I don’t know them."
For a moment, he simply stared at her.
Then he gave a small, almost incredulous laugh. "You don’t know the Olawale family?"
"No."
He looked genuinely surprised. The Olawale family was well known throughout Ilebi.
They owned several businesses across the city, but their most successful enterprises dealt in cultivation pills, medicinal pills, potions, and other resources used by cultivators.
Even people who had never met one of the family’s members knew their name.
The young man straightened slightly. "The Olawale family is one of the prominent business families in this part of Ilebi."
Temi nodded slowly. "Okay?"
He waited.
She waited.
Neither spoke.
Finally, he continued. "Sir Bolaji has requested your presence."
Temi’s eyebrows drew together. "Who?"
"Sir Bolaji."
"I don’t know him."
The young man stared at her again. "He was the young man at the training ground. One of the third generation of the Olawale family."
Temi thought for a moment.
Then she remembered."Oh."
The young man smiled. "Yes. He noticed your abilities during your training."
Temi’s expression didn’t change. "And?"
"He would like to speak with you."
"Why?"
"I wasn’t given an explanation."
Temi leaned against the doorframe. Then tell him I’m not interested."
The young man blinked. "I’m sorry?"
"I said I’m not interested."
He stared at her as though he had suddenly stopped understanding the language. "You misunderstand."
"I don’t."
"Sir Bolaji is inviting you personally."
"Good for him."
The young man’s smile disappeared. "You should understand that this is an honor."
Temi shrugged. "Maybe."
"It isn’t an invitation most people would refuse."
"I’m refusing it."
Silence.
The young man looked at her.
Temi looked back.
He seemed to be waiting for her to realize the importance of what she had just been told.
She didn’t.
Instead, she began closing the door. "Goodnight."
The young man quickly placed a hand against the edge of the door. "Wait."
Temi stopped.
His expression had changed.
The polite smile was gone. "You should reconsider."
Temi looked at his hand.
Then at him. "I already did."
"I’m afraid you don’t understand the position you’re in."
Temi’s eyes narrowed. "And I’m afraid you don’t understand the position you’re in."
He frowned. "What does that mean?"
"It means you’re standing at my door telling me what I should do."
"I’m simply delivering an invitation."
"No."
Temi shook her head. "You’re delivering a demand and calling it an invitation."
The young man’s jaw tightened.
For a moment, he looked like he wanted to say something far less polite.
He had expected gratitude. Perhaps excitement. At the very least, hesitation.
He hadn’t expected rejection. Not from someone like her. A Novice. A nobody from a small town.
Someone who had only been in Ilebi for two months.
His fingers tightened slightly against the door. "You should be careful."
Temi’s expression hardened. "I am."
The young man took a breath. "Sir Bolaji doesn’t appreciate being refused."
Temi stared at him. "Then he should learn."
The words came without hesitation.
The young man’s eyes hardened.
He took half a step forward. "Listen—"
"Hey." The voice came from somewhere down the corridor.
The young man froze.
Temi glanced past him.
Akin was approaching from the other side of the courtyard.
He had apparently heard the conversation.
His expression was relaxed, but his eyes had settled on the stranger’s hand against Temi’s door. "Everything alright?"
Temi didn’t look away from the young man.
"He wants me to go somewhere."
Akin stopped several steps away. "Where?"
"To see Sir Bolaji."
Akin looked at the stranger.
The young man slowly removed his hand from the door. "I’m merely delivering a message."
Akin nodded. " Then you’ve delivered it."
The young man said nothing.
Temi looked at him. "I already told you."
She paused. "I’m not interested."
Akin repeated the words from behind her.
"She said she’s not interested."
Something about the way he said it made the young man hesitate.
A reminder that Temi wasn’t standing alone.
The young man looked between them.
There were footsteps elsewhere in the compound now.
Doors opened slightly.
People had begun listening.
He straightened his clothes. "Very well."
His voice had regained its polite tone. "I’ll inform Sir Bolaji."
Temi nodded. "Do that."
The young man turned and walked away.
Akin waited until he was several steps down the corridor before looking at Temi. "You alright?"
Temi sighed. "Yeah."
She looked down the corridor. "Who even is Bolaji?"
Akin gave her a tired look. "You really don’t know?"
"No."
Akin shook his head. "Apparently you’re the only person in Ilebi who doesn’t."
Temi smiled faintly closing her door.
But neither of them noticed the way the young man’s hands were clenched as he walked away.
He had arrived expecting a simple conversation.
Instead, he was returning with a rejection.
And worse—
he would have to tell Bolaji that the girl had refused him twice.