Entertainment was never in short supply at the Drunken Boar; conflicts like this broke out every so often, and everyone was well used to it.
The companions at the burly bald man's table all heard Gray's insulting words. Several had already stood up, looking eager for a fight.
"Is there any other bald bastard here besides you?"
Gray didn't back down in the slightest. He produced a gold coin and slapped it onto the table with a sharp crack.
"Marian, I've paid for your whole evening. You stay right here with me and don't go anywhere."
"Fuck! Who do you think you are, putting on airs with a little dirty coin?!"
The bald man was thoroughly enraged. He reached out directly, trying to yank Marian out of Gray's arms.
Gray slapped the bald man's hand away.
"I'm warning you—don't push your luck!"
"Damn it, you really think you're hot shit, laying hands on me?!"
Furious, the bald man grabbed a clay jug and swung it toward Gray's head.
Gray nimbly dodged aside, causing the jug to swing wide. Immediately following through, he drove an uppercut squarely into the bald man's chin!
The blow landed with immense force. Struck on such a vulnerable spot, the bald man briefly lost consciousness.
His body toppled straight backward, collapsing a wooden table and sending liquor splashing everywhere.
The surrounding patrons erupted into shrieks, scattering in a panic.
Gray certainly wasn't about to let the opportunity slip. Letting out a wild whoop, he mounted the burly bald man and began unleashing a furious flurry of hooks from both sides.
"Damn it! This brat dared hit one of ours!"
"Get him!"
"Beat him into the dirt!"
The burly bald man's companions surged to their feet at once. Four or five men crowded in aggressively, bristling with hostility.
"Wait, what's going on... Is this turning into a tavern brawl?" Zelier stared dumbfounded at the turn of events.
"Looks unavoidable. Let's go."
Marcus unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt and stepped into the fray.
He charged like a raging bull, scooping up the foremost two men onto his shoulders before slamming them violently into the floor.
Crash!
"Oof...!"
The brutal slam wrung agonized groans from the bald man's companions, their faces turning deathly pale.
"Can I use magic?" Zelier asked.
"No need. It's just a tavern brawl. A single Wind Blade could kill quite a few people."
Though Vallis didn't usually seem like a hot-tempered sort, he didn't shrink back in times like this.
Before jumping in, Vallis gave Zelier a word of advice:
"Just stick to fists."
Then Vallis grabbed a tankard and hurled it.
It smashed right into the head of someone attempting to blindside Gray. Vallis rolled up his sleeves, charged in, and drove a straight punch that set his opponent's nose bleeding profusely.
"Fine, fine..."
Zelier sighed.
The next second, he grabbed a stool and plunged into the melee.
The tavern's atmosphere peaked in an instant as onlookers cheered loudly.
Shouts urging them on echoed without end—cries like "Give him an uppercut!", "Elbow him!", and "Kick him in the nuts!"
Barmaids screamed and dodged out of the way, and the tavern keeper shouted at the top of his lungs trying to break things up, but all in vain. Nothing could stop this wild free-for-all fueled by alcohol and hormones.
The night in Blackstone Town seemed to have grown a bit livelier yet.
...
Creak—
With a soft sound, the wooden door of the Nightflower Inn was pushed open, and a wave of late-night chill swept inside.
Behind the counter, Oro, who had been spacing out while staring at a candle flame, was stirred by the noise and looked up at once.
"Oh, it's Mr. Zelier... Why are you back so late?"
Yet as Zelier walked closer and the candlelight caught his face, Oro got a clear look at him, and her expression froze in surprise.
Zelier looked rather disheveled. His gray coat was stained with wine and dust, a dark bruise marred the corner of his mouth, and a crusted bloody scratch marked the corner of his brow.
"Ah... Are you hurt?" Oro let out a soft gasp.
"Ah... this?"
Zelier instinctively touched his cheek, hissing in pain when his fingers grazed the bruise.
Still, he stubbornly waved it off.
"It's nothing, just a few superficial scratches."
In the brawl just now, even though they had won decisively and beaten the other guys black and blue, he had still taken a few knocks.
There was no helping it; Zelier was a mage after all, hardly skilled in hand-to-hand combat. Facing wild haymakers swinging indiscriminately at his face, he inevitably caught a few blows.
"How could that be nothing?"
Oro's brows furrowed slightly. Without giving him room to protest, she pressed Zelier into a chair near the fireplace. "Wait here, I'll go get some medicine."
"Uh... thanks."
Zelier rubbed his temples and rested for a moment.
Before long, Oro returned carrying a copper basin filled with clean water, a towel draped over her arm.
Dipping the towel into the water, Oro wrung it out gently, leaving it damp.
"This might hurt a little, so bear with me."
As Oro drew closer, bringing with her the faint scent of lavender, she gently dabbed at the blood mark on Zelier's face, her expression focused and attentive.
Unlike the rough-and-ready treatment Vallis gave Gray, Oro's touch was filled with gentle, delicate care, making him feel thoroughly soothed.
Because her head was lowered, several slightly curled strands of brown hair fell beside her ears. With every movement she made, they lightly brushed against Zelier's cheek, tickling faintly.
"Actually, I've been wanting to ask you... Mr. Zelier, are you an adventurer?" Oro suddenly asked.
"Yeah, I am." Zelier nodded.
"Then you must have encountered a lot of dangerous things, right?"
"It's not too bad. I handled them all one by one." Zelier smiled.
"You're truly amazing, Mr. Zelier," Oro praised sincerely.
In terms of age, Oro was slightly older than Zelier. Yet here was a boy younger than herself, leaving home far behind and coming alone to an unfamiliar town to work as an adventurer.
Such courage was genuinely admirable.
She retrieved a packet of white medicinal powder from her clothes, shook a bit out, and gently applied it to Zelier's cuts.
A cool, soothing sensation eased the burning ache on his cheek considerably. Zelier said softly, "Thank you..."
"No need to be so polite."
Oro looked up with a sweet smile. "I just think that venturing out on your own at such a young age must be really hard, so I wanted to help you a bit."
"You say no need to be polite, yet you keep addressing me as 'Mister' with every breath," Zelier chuckled.
Oro paused briefly, then caught on. Her eyes curved into smiling crescents, revealing her cute canine teeth.
"Then I'll just call you by your name: Zelier."
"Of course."
"Hehe, whenever you head out on quests in the future, I'll be cheering for you!"
Oro packed up the copper basin and towel, tilting her head playfully.
"Good night, Zelier."
Chapter 36