Chapter 1695 (1/2)
Claudette's smile remained cool as the food came out once more and Randidly and the goblin devoured huge bowls of a thick and hearty stew. Even Claudette couldn’t deny that the food smelled delicious, even if her sudden realization about the truth of this man left her without an appetite. But almost as if he sensed her gaze, the goblin gave her a harsh look and jerked his chin over at Randidly.
When the next course had finished, Claudette pressed her lips together. There was still one thing that left her confused. “Setting aside the payment… Well, maybe because your payment will be relatively easy for me to fulfill… I want to make sure you understand… the… ahem, the results of helping me.”
“I might not succeed,” Randidly stretched his arms up into the air and yawned. His massive shoulders audibly cracked. Even the metal arm clinked slightly, seemingly just as much a part of his flesh as his right arm. “Will it really matter if I’m not good at the image refinement?”
He looks like a normal humanoid normally, but looking at how long his arms are… Claudette couldn’t help but scan the compact and powerful muscles of his torso as he stretched. The casual laziness made it clear to her that he wasn’t trying to show off his physique, which meant she didn’t studiously refuse to examine him. His body… was he really this broad shoulders when we met previously…? Somehow…
“Even if you fail and don’t end up offending my… buyer,” The word buyer tasted like copper in Claudette’s mouth. “I doubt that our actions will escape the attention of my father. He won’t move against you directly, but… you shouldn’t take his actions lightly.”
“I’m not taking his actions lightly,” For the first time since they had encountered each other, the light from the Ghosthound’s eyes changed he lowered his arms and laid his muscular forearms against the table as he leaned forward. He barred his teeth. “But am I supposed to just sit back and do nothing when some shitty-”
The Ghosthound huffed out a breath and shook his head. He pressed his eyes tightly shut through the whole of the motion. “...whoops. I’m projecting a bit. Heh. I’m not saying I’ll help you. I do still need to consider. But it just… pisses me off.”
There was a strange tightness in Claudette’s chest as she looked at Randidly. Somehow, she was torn between exasperation and fury by his words. Her smile was fraying. Licking her lips, she tried to figure out the source of the feeling, but only grew more irritated as she looked at the calm and righteous expression on his face.
“No need to pretend to be gallant,” Claudette said finally. “We both know the sort of transaction this is-”
Bang!
As always, the entrance of the goblin was abrupt and decisive. This time, he only had a single tray, but it was so large that he wheeled it out on a trolly. A massive bear carcass sat in the middle, surrounded by steamed carrots, mashed red skin potatoes, green beans, and a massive crock of gravy.
The goblin expertly wheeled the trolly next to the table and plopped down in his seat while tossing a knife toward Randidly. The black-haired man caught it expertly and didn’t question anything; he immediately been carving off juicy slices of marbled meat. Claudette kept her eyes on her lap, trying to suppress her nausea.
Why did I even want to ask this man to help me? Claudette bit the inside of her cheek. Even if I were to get the best image refiner in the Nexus… can I really improve enough for it to matter…? Can I really… escape this…?
She was so small. The pool of her father’s identity was all she had ever known. In a way… perhaps her self truly had drowned within its depths. All that left was the smallest shred of her, that observing portion.
Of course, I can’t escape this, another part of Claudette smirked. The numbing pool around her rippled and bubbled. This is just one last cry for attention. One last nameless boy I use to infuriate father.
Suddenly, she wished very dearly to be away from this. Maybe she could visit the Frost Matriarch, walk out into the field of snow beyond her palace and just lay down, allowing the chill to seep into her bones.
To Claudette’s immense relief, the two took to eating like they hadn’t seen food in years. Only ten minutes were required to leave nothing but bowls and empty bones on the trolly. After patting his stomach in satisfaction, the floppy-eared goblin looked at Randidly. “We still need to do the dessert courses, but it’s time to start talking about payment. You good for it?”
“Of course, I-” Randidly began, but then he rapidly paled. He awkwardly patted at his pockets and then toyed with his interspatial ring. While the goblin’s stare turned increasingly frosty, Randidly rubbed the back of his head and turned to Claudette. “Not that this is a guarantee that I’ll help you… but I’d really appreciate it if you could pay for the meal. I’ll pay you back.”
“You-” Claudette couldn’t resist snorting. “You… came here without bringing money…? What about your salary from being a Head Drill Sergeant?” Inwardly, she wondered what other debaucherous hobby he was hiding beneath his strangely compelling eyelashes. Where had all his money gone?
The goblin sighed very audibly and Randidly coughed. “I… haven’t really collected it yet. But anyway, I’m definitely good for paying you back, so…”
“Typical,” the goblin grumbled. Randidly Ghosthound flushed red.