Death Frost | Deathsworn #2

Chapter 87 ❆ Azurian

We didn't come home empty-handed. The mistresses took the opportunity to shop around the black market, deciding to pick up everything they thought they might need. This was mostly Mistress Kora, who swept the shelves off of herbs and medicinal ingredients. Some were so jaw-droppingly expensive for their rarity that I even felt bad for having to spend all that money—and that was coming from me, who was earning quite a keep from the perfume shop I was running.

Well, it wasn't technically my money anyway, but then Mistress Kora told me that some of the most expensive ones he'd been picking up was for me. My ability, to be more precise. Herbs or materials that were rich in pure life energy was needed to help combat my New Moon Blues, as I'd begun calling it. And they were pretty damn expensive. I mean, one even dropped as far as two thousand per ounce.

To put it to perspective, Viron sold himself to a lifetime of slavery for just five thousand gold.

There were twelve months in a year. Although this monthly sickness of mine wasn't always so bad that I'd need to be pumped with these things to keep me stable, I imagined I would have to keep these things around to make sure nothing went wrong. I calculated in my head, and the expected expenditures for just the medicinal ingredients alone could cost me upwards ten thousand. A month. For just one night.

And that was because Mistress Kora was treating me for free. If he were a stranger and I had to pay him, it wouldn't be surprising if I get charged ten times that prize.

After realizing the adulting that I would have to face sometime soon, I wearily dragged back Maun to the Temple with the envelope in my hand.

"Your place's nearer. Can I go in and talk?" I asked.

He was very happy that I proposed this. He nodded enthusiastically and skipped all the way to his residence. Maun welcomed me inside. I respectfully left my shoes at the door and trudged inside the small living space.

To be honest, it wasn't that small. It was exactly like mine—quite bare, but otherwise livable. Nonetheless, Maun seemed to be the type to not clean too often. His place was a little messy. It wasn't dirty, per se. At the very least, no matter how chaotic the room was, there was no smelly leftover cup of noodles or moldy pizza...not that those even existed in this world in the first place. And I would assume that the canteen being available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner had a lot to contribute on the state of things. Otherwise...ay.

Feeling like a helpless mother, I went around picking up the laundry scattered on the floor. I kicked aside the pile—no, mountain—of wood shavings in one corner beside a floor pillow where I assumed he did his sculptures often.

I thought I would be able to talk to this guy right away about the contents of the envelope, but then I realized I would have to help him clean up first. Otherwise, I don't think I would be very comfortable. He might, but not me.

I mean...judging by the clueless look on his face, I would assume he lacked some awareness regarding the disastrous state of his room.

"Maun, you can't leave things like this. Your place looks like a pigsty. Try to clean at least once a week. By the look of things, you haven't even picked up a broom since you first boarded."

He scratched his head and followed me around as I cleaned. Thankfully, even if he was a messy kid, he at least knew how to follow directions obediently. He helped me go around and sort out his stuff. He even borrowed a broom from the maintenance shed to sweep away the wood shavings stacked up in the corner.

By the end of the day, we had a couple of bags of trash sitting outside his door. I was sitting on the floor with my legs folded as I drank I cup of tea to wind down. For sure, I never expected I would have to do a cleanup of a messy room. Maun seemed very embarrassed about it and apologized a couple of times.