CATB Chapter 37

After finishing the condensed milk shaved ice at the fountain (I'm the pig boss of this area), I pestered Belkellion saying I wanted to check out the market on the opposite side. Belkellion trailed off with a reluctant expression.

"That place is..."

I found out later that the place I was begging to go was mainly where guild members and rough mercenaries wandered around. Belkellion had never given me the proper story until the very end. He probably knew that telling me there were many shops that mainly dealt with weapons and dangerous magical items would only spark my curiosity.

In the end, the eastern market I entered after my pestering had a somewhat different atmosphere from the western market, but this place was still bustling with festival vibes. The only flaw was that I could see somewhat rougher-looking people more frequently than before... Because of that, bumping into people happened quite often.

"Damn it, what the hell!"

A man who walked straight toward me and bumped shoulders yelled sarcastically at me. That muscle pig came at me first and bumped into me...

"F*ck, don't you walk with your eyes open? Let me give you a taste of something hot..."

When that pig-like bastard started yelling loudly, Belkellion swiftly stepped in front of me.

"S-sorry!!"

Within a few seconds, he shouted an apology loudly and disappeared. But why is Belkellion scary while I'm not? This is starting to hurt my pride.

As if it was obvious that I was grumbling internally about how appearance played a big role in intimidation, Belkellion spoke to me.

"Do you want to eat that?"

Where he was pointing, there was a small shop with a large sign that read: "Angel Handmade Yogurt: Add toppings to your taste and experience heaven!" I nodded enthusiastically and emphasized to Belkellion that the toppings must absolutely be strawberry, chocolate, and condensed milk syrup. He nodded and went to buy the yogurt.

While I was waiting, watching him idly, an old woman approached me.

"Pretty miss, won't you take a look at these things?"

With her wrinkled hands, the old woman pointed to her street stall located a little distance away. Since the yogurt shop was quite far anyway and it seemed like Belkellion would take some time, and since he had been quite strictly controlling my visits to various shops after entering the eastern market, I was dissatisfied with not being able to look around properly. I quickly followed the old woman. I need to look quickly and come back. Pretending nothing happened.

The old woman's stall was quite flashy. Various accessories were sparkling on red velvet cloth.

I casually glanced at the items, but among the glittering ornaments, there was something that particularly caught my eye.

"There are also craft pins that young ladies like, and this is a ring that changes color according to your mood - it's very popular these days."

The old woman's words explaining each item on the stall didn't reach my ears. I was already completely captivated by a dusty fountain pen in the very corner of the stall, not by the sparkling jewelry accessories elevated on the velvet. Though it looked shabby at first glance, upon closer inspection, it had sharp golden craftsmanship and what appeared to be a ruby - a small, dim red gem embedded in the cap. Based on my judgment from having worked part-time buying and selling antiques around Dongmyo, that old fountain pen was the most promising item on this entire stall. If I cleaned it up and polished it properly, I could probably sell it for more than 20 times the purchase price...

I reached for the fountain pen. However, there was another hand that snatched that pen before me.

Huh?

What kind of daylight robbery is this?

"Granny, how much is this?"

The owner of the sharp voice stood next to me. Holding that fountain pen in his hand!

"Hmm? You mean this? Oh my, young man, you're going to buy that? You'll regret it..."

"Cut the chatter and tell me how much."

"Well, it's a bit awkward to ask for money for that, it's unsettling... I don't know how much to price it..."

"It's free? Then I'll take this."

Ignoring me, who had just been robbed of the pen right before my eyes, the man started a conversation with the old woman.

"Look here."

When I interrupted his words, the man next to me turned toward me. I lifted my head straight up and looked at the man. He was quite tall, so I had to look up at him. A man with auburn hair and gray eyes, slender but looking like he had quite a personality, looked down at me.

"That pen is mine."

"What are you talking about? Granny, how much is this? If you don't decide on a price quickly, I'll take it."

"Oh my... it's still unsettling to take money for it... just take it, handsome young man. But that's a cursed item. Everyone who took it..."

"I know. I'll take it then. Think of this as just a service fee."

Despite the old woman saying it was free, he dropped a few gold coins and his other hand swiftly grabbed the fountain pen again. I don't know about other things, but his personality is damn impatient, I thought, when I suddenly realized that my words had been completely and lightly ignored by the man.

"?"

I grabbed the wrist of the man holding the fountain pen. Though not delicate, it was a sturdy wrist where I could feel he was a man, but such things didn't matter to me when my item had just been snatched right before my eyes.

"This pen is mine."

"Yours? Didn't you just see me pay money and buy it?"

When did I see you to be speaking so informally? You look young yourself, you little punk.

Suppressing the slight tension rising in my forehead, I continued.

"I was trying to buy it after looking at it first, but you snatched it away."

"First come, first served. I already paid for it."

The man said this and shook off my hand. I grabbed his wrist firmly again. He who was trying to shake off my hand widened his eyes slightly at my strength.

"You want to have a strength contest? You're quite bold for a young girl."

G-girl? This little shit, looking at most twenty years old, calling me a young girl - how ridiculous. So damn ridiculous. F*ck.

"Then try to pull away. Let's see how strong someone older than me is."

The man moved his hand this way and that trying to pull it out, but I gripped his wrist even tighter. As I exerted strength just short of my maximum without releasing mana, the man's face momentarily contorted in pain before returning to normal.

"Are you planning to break my wrist? Do you know this is robbery?"

"Just give me back my pen and I'll leave quietly."

"Why is this your pen? I paid for it and have legitimate ownership of this item."

Even when he clearly realized he couldn't match my strength, the bastard's (I downgraded him from man to bastard) sarcasm didn't stop.

"Ah, you're quite strong for a woman, so you've gotten a taste for overpowering men and have no fear? What to do? I'm also someone with nothing to fear."

His sneering face was insufferably annoying. I shot back sharply.

"I discovered this item first and was about to pay for it, but you snatched it away, so the priority of ownership seems to be mine."

"The first one to pay is the owner. Pellipe's law recognizes the person who paid as the original owner."

"Unfortunately."

I sneered and turned my eyes to the stall. The few gold coins the bastard had offered were scattered on the stall. Because I had grabbed his hand, they hadn't properly reached the old woman. The old woman didn't dare pick up the fallen gold under my fierce gaze.

"You haven't paid yet. So stop spouting bullshit about ownership and give me the pen."

"That's ridiculous, you interfered so I couldn't pay. Hurry up and let go of your pig hands."

"P-pig... Just give me the pen, you beanpole bastard."

"Beanpole? Won't you let go of this hand? You want to get arrested for robbery and assault?"

What bastard would dare arrest a princess? I sneered and chuckled.

"Try arresting me. First, robbery doesn't apply since it's not your item, and assault doesn't work since I haven't hit you yet."

"Restraining a part of the body is also assault. Doesn't that empty head of yours work as well as your strength? You'd better let go of these thick hands quickly if you don't want to get f*cked over."

"If you don't want that d*ck to disappear, you better..."

The bastard and I could feel each other's patience gradually shortening with our back-and-forth banter.

"Let go of this hand!!! You crazy b*tch!!"

"It's my pen!! You crazy bastard!!"

"How is this your pen!! I paid money for it!!!"

"How is it yours when you didn't pay all the money!!"

"Hey, you crazy b*tch!!!"

"Don't call me a crazy b*tch, you crazy bastard!!!"

Before we knew it, there was no one around me and the bastard. Everyone was standing back and watching the spectacle. F*ck, Belkellion will be coming soon and I'm totally screwed. I'm completely screwed. Without realizing it, I got excited along with the bastard's unique sarcastic words that scratched at my nerves. I need to resolve this quickly and get back to where I was supposed to wait before he comes...

"Just give me the pen and I'll pretend nothing happened and leave quietly."

"Keep spouting that dog-like nonsense. Stop your bullshit and let go."

The bastard's mouth was as filthy as a rag. Calling it dog-like... Huu.. Be patient. Endure. I can't show any more disgraceful behavior. Without realizing it, as I suppressed my anger, I must have put more strength into my hand because the man twisted his face in pain and yelled.

"F*ck, let go!!! Are you going to cut off my wrist? You murderer!!"

M-murderer... Be patient... Endure... I said, loosening the strength in my hand that was gripping his wrist. Now that it's come to this, I will absolutely secure that pen no matter what.

"I haven't killed you yet, so how am I a murderer? You idiot. While I'm asking nicely, give me the p..."

Thwack!

?

What the f*ck?

Did this bastard just flick me in the forehead?

The tears welled up from how hard he flicked my forehead with his other free hand.

I used that as an excuse to unleash the wildness I had barely been suppressing.

"You son of a b*tch!!!"