Demon Bookshop 12

"I think Teeter-nim is lacking exercise."

"Can you not hit me with a distressing fact so suddenly…?"

Pablo spoke in a serious tone as he watched Paul applying an ice compress. They returned to the bookshop and ran into a surprised Pablo standing in front of the closed door.

"Oh! Pablo-nim, I'm sorry. We suddenly took a break without notice."

"That's alright. Why is Teeter-nim on the boss’s back? Did you get hurt?"

"It's nothing major. I just sprained my ankle a bit. Come on in! I'll serve you some tea." Paul hurried down to greet Pablo. He tried not to show it but was still walking with a limp.

"Sit down. I'll take care of it."

The boss, who was watching over Paul, headed directly to the kitchen. He got some tea and handed Paul a bag full of ice.

"You're not wrong. I can't believe he's exhausted just by climbing a mountain for a bit. I think I even lifted him more than half of the distance."

"Are you now hitting me too, boss? I'm obviously a patient. Everyone, please be quiet in front of a patient."

Pablo grinned at Paul's joke. However, when he saw Paul's swollen ankle, his smile disappeared. He put down the teacup and asked. "Teeter-nim, if your ankle is better, could you visit our Merchant Guild?"

"What? Why?"

"I'd like to teach you some exercise."

"At the Wolf Merchant Guild?"

Paul, who was curious about where Pablo worked, looked at the boss.

"You heard that, right, boss? Do you mind if I do as Pablo-nim says?"

"Why do you want to learn from Pablo? If it's exercise, I can teach as much as you want."

"But boss, you don't usually move your body much and use only magic…"

Pablo politely bowed his head and apologized as Paul hesitated. "I'm sorry if I offended you. We're well-prepared here at our guild, with a training ground and all. Boss, can I tell Teeter-nim about the exercise?"

Paul thought he would be rejected again this time. However, the boss gave his permission after taking a moment to think.

"Beastmen are good at martial arts, so it would be good to learn basic self-defence. Let's do so."

Of course, his voice sounded hesitant.

"Paul, you will have Sundays off from now on, so make sure to learn something every time. Pablo, I'm sorry, but can you take Paul back here? I'll compensate you."

"Of course. I'll take him safely in a carriage. And there's no need for compensation since I was the one who made the suggestion."

"No! There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Just say what Pablo-nim needs. Oh! Would you like me to pack you a lunch box on the day of my visit?"

"No."

However, the boss immediately interrupted Paul. He seemed to be in a bit of a bad mood since earlier.

"Paul, it seems like you're misunderstanding something. I can pay for it because you're my human. Pablo, if you've finished drinking, you can leave now."

"What? But last time, you were the one who talked about cook…"

"Stop. I'll say it just once. You're trying to give Pablo a lunch box that you've never packed for me. Anyone would think you're Pablo's human."

The boss continued to block Paul's words and gestured to Pablo to go. Pablo's body was pushed toward the door without his consent.

"I'll be on my way. Teeter-nim, I'll pick you up on Sunday."

The boss now knelt down and put an ice pack directly on Paul's ankle. Pablo bowed and left the bookstore a little annoyed.

Time passed, and it was finally Sunday, the day Paul had been looking forward to.

"We've arrived. Please be careful getting off."

"Wow~~!"

Paul, who took Pablo's hand and got off the carriage, opened his mouth wide. The Wolf Merchant Guild was much larger than he had expected. In the back stood a tall building made of red bricks, resembling a castle, and numerous demons were selling goods in front of the building. Paul could not help but be amazed by the bustling scene he had never seen before, not even in the human world.

"Teeter-nim, please stay here for a moment. I'll park the carriage and be right back."

"Yes, please go ahead."

Pablo's carriage, which dropped Paul off first, entered the stable at the corner of the guild. Paul stood still and looked around at the items on the nearby stands. Fruits, vegetables, bread, meat, etc. Most of the items sold by the demons were food and daily necessities.

At that moment, Paul felt someone touching him. Startled, he looked around, but there was no one nearby. Just as Paul noticed something, a fragrant smell tickled his nose. It was the savoury smell of freshly baked bread.

'Wow~ it smells so good. I would have begged the boss to buy it if he were here. Oh! That's right. He gave me some pocket money earlier!'

Paul put his hand in his pants pocket to take out his coin purse. However, no matter how hard he searched, even when he turned the pocket inside out and shook it, he could not find it. It was clear that it must have been lost somewhere.

'Sigh… The boss gave me this while saying something. I'm in big trouble.'

"Paul, you're grinning from ear to ear. Why don't you just go live in the Wolf Merchant Guild?"

Just before leaving, the boss still gave him gold with an annoyed expression. Lately, he had been giving Paul strange looks whenever he mentioned the Wolf Merchant Guild or Pablo.

It can't be helped. I'm gonna smell them at least. Don't tell me I have to pay just for smelling? Paul was sniffing hard. Just then, Pablo approached him, panting, as if he had rushed here.

"Teeter-nim, I'm back…"

"You're here? I haven't moved an inch from here like Pablo-nim said."

"Great job. Let's go inside."

"Oh! Isn't it Pablo? Great timing! Take this. It's freshly baked bread, best to eat it warm!" 

Pablo was immediately caught by a bakery merchant. A demon wearing a white baker hat gave him a puffy bread. It was the same bread that Paul had been smelling.

"Our bread is so good that two people eating it won't notice if one person dies! We'll give you plenty, so go share them with the Merchant Guild staff."

"Thank you, sir. Your bread is my favourite, but how can you do business if you keep giving them to me every time? There will be nothing left at this rate."

"We're getting much more from the Wolf Merchant Guild. They don't even charge us rent, you know."

The other merchants nearby also chimed in with smiles.

"I heard that other Merchant Guilds charge a lot for rent. Compared to them, us merchants are so lucky. Speaking of which, Pablo, take these, too. They're vegetables that came in early this morning, really fresh."

"Right, take these apples to eat, too. They have little scratches on the surface, but they taste great. By the way, Pablo, who is this person with you?"

Pablo quickly introduced Paul to the fruit merchant.

"This is Teeter-nim. He's a representative that deals with our Merchant Guild."

"Is that so? Welcome. I don't know about the others, but our acknowledgement of the Wolf Merchant Guild is brimming over!"

Paul smiled and greeted them in demon language. There was some truth to what this merchant said. Pablo’s hands were full of gifts they had given him before he knew it. They were piled up so high that it was difficult for Pablo to see where he was going.

"Thank you, everyone. I'll get going now. I hope your sales go well."

"Sure. I shouldn't keep a customer on the street like this. Go ahead~"

Pablo politely bid farewell. Paul also said goodbye in demon language before following him. Of course, he did not forget to help carry Pablo's gifts.

"Pablo! How have you been lately? Are you doing well?"

The demons they encountered inside the building also greeted Pablo in friendly voices. Paul felt good from their friendly attitude toward him.

"Pablo-nim, are there any stalls that sell books?"

"Not as far as I know."

"That's too bad. Should I set up a stall? How about you become the Wolf Merchant Guild branch manager?"

"You're always welcome to, Teeter-nim."

As they chatted and laughed, they arrived at Pablo's room on the top floor of the building.

"Wow~ is this really Pablo-nim's room?"

"That's right. This is my humble room. Please make yourself at home."

"What do you mean by humble? I think you're too modest, Pablo-nim."

This was the second time Paul gasped in surprise since he arrived at Wolf Merchant Guild. Pablo's room looked simple overall, with clean white wallpaper and simple flooring. However, the place was more magnificent than any room Paul had ever seen. Every corner was filled with sparkling golden ornaments.

"Pablo-nim, are you perhaps a third-generation Chaebol or something like that? Even my boss's room doesn't sparkle like this."

"My father is the guildmaster of the Wolf Merchant Guild, and these ornaments are our family’s collection."

"Wow, amazing… I didn't know I was this close to a second-generation Chaebol! Even so, you still deliver goods yourself?"

"Yes, I'm learning everything from one to ten."

Paul was well aware of Pablo's diligence. He thought that the reason he was respected by the demons was not simply because he was the guildmaster’s son.

"Oh! Is this the box I gave you?"

Paul noticed a brown box on the table. The box stood out because of its simple appearance among other flashy ornaments.

"Teeter-nim, please wait…!" 

Startled, Pablo shouted as Paul tried to open the lid of the box, but it was too late.

Teeter-nim will be disappointed when he sees that there are still cookies left, right? Pablo broke out in a cold sweat. Sure enough, Paul asked him with a surprised voice.

"What's this, Pablo-nim?"

"T-that's… actually, I…"

"I didn't expect you would eat them all so cleanly!"

Pablo looked into the box upon Paul's words. Contrary to his memory, the box was empty. It was because Ia had been going back and forth from Pablo's room and stealing the cookies.

"Next time, I'll make more for you without the boss knowing, so don't worry."

Pablo felt his face turn slightly red when Paul smiled mischievously and winked. He turned around and fanned himself with his hand.

‘Isn't it unfair to smile so prettily without warning?’ As soon as Pablo thought so, he realized for sure that his feelings towards Paul were not temporary.

Later, Paul and Pablo stood on the grass lawn. Next to them were boxes of swords and straw dolls lined up. This was the training ground behind the Wolf Merchant Guild.

"I didn't know there was such a space like this in a Merchant Guild."

"We beastmen like to move around, and we train regularly to protect our things from the bandits," Pablo said, handing Paul a wooden sword for practice.

"I see." 

"Well then, Teeter-nim. Would you like to learn my specialty, swordsmanship?"

"Yes!" Paul answered confidently and took the sword. But soon he was surprised since it was much heavier than he expected.

"It's a wooden sword for practice. It's for beginners, so it's not sharp, so even Teeter-nim can use it easily."

Paul was at a loss as Pablo explained. This is for beginners…? Paul, holding the sword with both hands, felt his arms trembling. He thought something was wrong as he watched Pablo take it back and handle it easily.

"I'll show you a demonstration. The action of pulling a sword out of its sheath is called 'balgeom'. Widen your stance to shoulder width and shout as you pull the sword out. Hold the sheath with one hand and hold the sword's handle with another. After pulling the sword out, turn it around like this, and move your other hand to hold the handle with both hands."

T/N: 기합 (気合, kihap) = short shout in martial arts when performing an attacking move

He explained while showing Paul the movements slowly. Paul was impressed by Pablo's elegant performance despite his simple movements. His appearance was beyond the beauty of this world, especially when he shouted.

"Would you like to try it yourself?"

"Yes, I'll give it a try!"

Paul took the sword again. However, there was one thing he had not thought about, which was the fact that he needed to 'pull the sword with only one hand.'

"Ah!"

'As expected, Teeter-nim's shout is also cute.'

However, contrary to Pablo's expectation, it was not a shout. It was Paul's scream that came out because he accidentally dropped the sword on the ground while trying to hold it with one hand.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm sorry, Pablo-nim. I dropped it because it was too heavy…"

"It could be heavy for a human to lift. But don't you also handle heavy books well? You'll be able to lift it easily with a little more practice."

Pablo tried to comfort Paul who had a sullen expression.

"Boss~ please have some snacks! Of course, it's even better if you don't eat any, because I'll eat them all!"

At that moment, a familiar figure appeared holding snacks. It was Ia, who was smiling with her eyes folded beautifully. Paul burst into laughter as soon as he saw her outfit.

"Pfft! Ia-nim, what are you wearing?"

"Why? Is this your first time seeing a maid outfit? My boss has a unique taste, so please understand."

Ia was wearing a black mini dress that clearly showed her thighs, with a frilly white apron. She was also wearing white knee-high socks and even a headband with frills all over it.

"What…? Your boss, do you mean Pablo-nim?" Paul looked at Pablo next to him in surprise.

"That's right~ He always wanted me to dress like this and clean his room. Isn't he so sly? They say all men are wolves. Oh, but he's really a wolf."

"Really? That's unbelievable!"

"Ia! Stop joking around!"

Pablo could not stand it anymore and shouted at Ia, his face flushing red. Only then did Paul realize that he had been fooled by her again.

"Ahahahahaha! I'm just kidding. Someone left it in the laundry room, so I just put it on for fun! Don't stare at me like that, it's scary."

"Teeter-nim! Please don't think weirdly. I really don't know anything about it."

"I know. It's obvious that Ia-nim was just joking around."

Contrary to Pablo's concern, Paul just laughed it off. He immediately picked up the wooden sword he had dropped on the ground and handed it to Ia.

"Ia-nim, would you like to try holding this sword for a moment?"

Ia took the sword without batting an eye, swinging it back and forth effortlessly like she was twirling a ballpoint pen.

"It's definitely satisfying to cut things with a long sword, but I still prefer a dagger. Its tastes good while stabbing things, you see."

"What?! J-just give it back, please."

Paul, appalled by her words, hurriedly got his wooden sword back.

"But, Pablo-nim, didn't you just say that it might be too heavy for humans to lift?"

"Haha…" Pablo laughed awkwardly in response to Paul's comment. It was at that moment that an incident broke out.

"Thief! A thief broke in!"

A voice suddenly came from outside. Pablo quickly addressed Paul and Ia.

"I'll find out what's going on. You two stay here."

"Yes, please go ahead."

"Yes~"

After hearing their responses, Pablo rushed out of the training ground and only the two remained. 

Paul then spoke up, "Ia-nim, you're so mean. You insisted on pushing our appointment date back two days, and I went along without knowing anything!"

"Why? Did something happen that day?"

Ia responded while sitting on the table, tearing a piece of bread she had brought.

"Something did happen! Pablo-nim's r-ru… anyway, that's what it was! Ia-nim knew everything from the beginning, right?"

"What's r-ru~? I just told you because I heard it was the wolf's payday. Oh, my. This is why they say no good deed goes unpunished~"

T/N: 물에 빠진 사람 구해 주니 보따리 내놓으라 한다 (lit. If you save a man from drowning, he’ll demand you also save his baggage) = acts of kindness backfire on those who offer them

‘Did Ia-nim really not know? Was it just a coincidence?’ Paul grew increasingly confused by her acting.

"I mustn't believe what Ia-nim says…"

"Hey! Be careful!" Ia suddenly shouted as a suspicious shadow passed behind Paul.

"Gasp!!" Paul felt like his heart would jump out from the cold touch on his neck. Someone grabbed his hair from behind and pointed a sharp knife at his throat.

"Transparent goblin!"

A goblin that could make its body transparent with magic. It was a quite famous thief among the demons due to its ability. However, there was something wrong with this transparent goblin as only its lower half was transparent.

"Yes! It’s a transparent goblin!"

At that moment, Pablo heard a loud voice from Ia and hurried back to the training ground.

"Teeter-nim!!"

"Boss! Please don't move, Paul has been captured!" Upon Ia's shout, everyone stood frozen in place except for the transparent goblin.

"Luck, bad! Invisibility, release! This way, escape! Was there, only a weak human!" the goblin chuckled.

T/N: Sentences are in reverse order.

Hearing his words, Ia thought of something and spoke urgently while hiding her excitement. "Just a moment! I'll be the hostage instead. I'm a slave of this guild and can even show you a way to escape secretly!"

"What? A hostage, want to become? Play the hero, do you want?" 

The goblin thought it might be easier to hold a woman hostage than a man, and also could not resist the temptation of Ia's beautiful face and special outfit. He quickly gestured towards Ia.

"Come here, you! Resist, don't! To that side, you go away!"

Ia raised both of her hands and slowly approached the transparent goblin. Thanks to her, Paul was pushed towards Pablo. Now, the transparent goblin was aiming the sharp blade at Ia's neck instead.

"Are you okay?" Pablo asked while embracing Paul with both arms on impulse. Paul's body was trembling. Seeing him like that, Pablo carefully patted his back while holding him.

"I-I'm okay. But, it's because of me that Ia-nim…"

"Everything will be okay if we just listen to their demands. Tell me what you want, goblin!"

"Because you don't know, you ask? From here, get out! The hidden door, show me! This female human's life, you should know! My hands, it’s in!"

The goblin brought the knife closer to Ia's neck as if to intimidate her.

"P-please spare me! I'll do whatever you want!" Ia screamed in fear while also exchanging sharp glances with Pablo.

"Oh! When did you come, Fomor-nim?"

"What? A Fomor?"

The goblin's attention was drawn by Pablo's surprised voice. Then, Ia strongly hit the goblin on the side with her elbow in an instant.

"Kkeuaaak!!"

Thanks to that, the goblin's arm that was holding Eia became weak. She quickly twisted the goblin's wrist, and Pablo forcefully stabbed down the goblin's head with the wooden sword he picked up from the ground.

"A long sword not only tastes good when it cuts, but also when it stabs."

"Acknowledged." 

Pablo confirmed that the goblin had fainted, and Ia responded with a big smile.

"Ia-nim, your neck is bleeding!" Startled, Paul pointed to her neck. Blood was dripping down because she was cut with the knife. Fortunately, it did not seem to be a big wound.

"Hey, it's okay. Why are you making such a fuss? When I was at the Bear Merchant Guild, I didn't even pay attention to this kind of wound."

Ia shrugged her shoulders and kicked the goblin lying on the floor.

"It was foolish to let your guard down just because the other person is a woman. Transparent goblins aren't a big deal, I'd say. They say they're a big thief, but it must be a pure bluff, right?"

"Maybe Ia-nim is just an unusual person…?"

"This guy~ I let myself be caught instead of you, but you didn't even know to be thankful."

"Pablo-nim! Ia-nim is about to hit me!"

Pablo, who was searching for stolen items that the transparent goblin had taken while the two were arguing, asked, "Is this Teeter-nim's wallet?"

"Oh! That's right. So this dirty thief stole it when I was alone earlier!" Paul replied as he received the wallet. The small coin purse, which contained a small amount of gold, had his name embroidered by himself. Fortunately, the gold inside remained the same amount.

"This is…"

Likewise, Ia, who was looking through the goblin's bag, looked surprised. Soon after, she angrily hit the head of the goblin that had already fainted.

"You bastard! There are ranks even among thieves! I'm the one who saw this golden candlestick first!"

Inside his bag, there was also a golden candlestick with Ia's clear teeth marks.

---

"Ha!!"

After taking Paul to the bookshop and returning, Pablo went back to the training ground again. He shouted vigorously and swung his sword in the same stance. It was a swinging motion from top to bottom, simple and repetitive.

"Boss, it's time~ Actually, it's been more than 10 minutes late." Ia, who was sitting next to him while reading a book, looked at the clock and said. Pablo finally stopped his sword, sweat running down his forehead.

"Here's a dry towel. It's better not to drink water right away, so I'll give it to you a little later," Ia said while handing Pablo a towel. Now, she was wearing a plain dress usually worn by slaves and had a cute yellow ribbon that Paul had given her around her neck.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it~ Anyway, seeing the tip of your sword shaking, it seems that the boss also has a lot of worries?"

Pablo's tail flinched involuntarily upon her words.

"…Did it look like that?"

"Even if others don't know, you can't fool my eyes. But what could be the problem~? Are you having relationship troubles?"

Pablo's tail flinched even more at Ia's playful voice. Everything she said was true. Pablo went to the training ground to clear his head of all the thoughts in his mind.

'I miss him.'

How could he miss him so much when it had not even been long since they had parted? No matter how hard he wielded the sword, he could not shake off his thoughts of Paul. The more he tried to focus on the sword, the clearer Paul's smiling face became. 

After wiping off his sweat, Pablo asked Ia with a serious look, "Would you spar with me?"

"No. Why should I?" Today, once again, Ia refused his request without hesitation. But Pablo now knew how to deal with her.

"If you win the spar, I'll give you 10,000 gold."

"Deal. Don't go back on your words later."

"Of course not."

And so, their wooden swords clashed with a dull sound. They often sparred with each other, and it usually ended with Pablo's victory, who was far superior in weight class. But now Pablo had a slower reaction speed than usual. Thanks to this, Ia was able to overwhelm him relentlessly.

Oh, boy~ This is a chance to get 10,000 gold for free~ Ia smiled and started talking to Pablo on purpose.

"Boss, you want to be with Paul longer, don't you?"

"!!"

"That's why you brought him all the way here to teach him exercise? It's the first time I've seen the boss bringing someone to the Wolf Merchant Guild."

Pablo's movements were shaken noticeably.

"In fact, do you have hidden intentions? What a sly wolf!"

Pablo finally showed a gap. Ia did not miss the opportunity to trip his legs. Fortunately, the ground was a soft grass lawn, and Pablo learned how to fall, so he fell lightly.

"Boss, you like Paul, don't you?"

Ia spoke while pointing her sword next to Pablo's face. She clearly won the spar.

"Well…"

Ever since Paul touched his tail, or perhaps even before that. In Pablo's mind, Paul had an infinitely warm heart despite his small and cute body. His face turned red when he saw him, his heart pounding, and the kiss of that day kept coming to his mind. Every detail was telling him that he liked him.

"I do like him, but…"

"Then what's the problem with liking him? Repeating the same movement for an hour, anyone can see you're sick in the head."

"… I'm not sure if it's okay for me to like him. Teeter-nim is a human, and also a man," Pablo spoke in a careful voice, afraid someone would hear him. Yes, they were from different races and more importantly, of the same gender. Beastmen, who had a strong animal nature, despised homosexual relationships. 

‘But why does my heart pound every time I see Paul, who is of the same sex?’ Pablo could not understand this at all.

"Oh~ don't waste your time worrying about unnecessary things," Ia said, handing her hand to Pablo, who was lying down.

"Is it a waste of time?"

"Let's not waste time trying to find a reason not to like someone. We're not immortal like a Fomor, are we? We don't even have enough time to find good reasons to like them."

"Is that so?" Pablo repeated Ia's words and asked.

"But how did you know I liked Teeter-nim?"

"God~ Who doesn't know? Even that transparent goblin must have known. I couldn't believe you were hugging Paul so tightly even though there was a hostage in front of you! I was going to say something, but held back in case the goblin would think that I was trying to send a signal."

Pablo cleared his throat upon hearing her words. He did not think it would be this easy to find out.

"Anyway, you don't have time to go back, so keep going straight no matter what!" Ia slapped Pablo on the back and laughed.

"How does Ia know so much about love?"

"Oh~ about that? Here!"

Ia showed him the book she was reading, an adult BL novel.

"I learned everything from books! Ahahahahaha!"

She laughed heartily in a loud voice and suddenly remembered something, reaching out her hand to Pablo.

"Rather than that, give me 20,000 gold quickly."

"Why does it suddenly go up? I'm pretty sure we agreed on 10,000 gold."

"The remaining 10,000 gold is for love counselling. Where can you get free things in the world? It's like being asked to pay a hundred million, saying I was born as a human.

"Well then, I'll pretend that didn't happen. Didn't Ia finish the cookies I got as a gift? I wouldn't exchange those even if you give me a hundred million, since Teeter-nim specially made them for me."

"What did you say? Then you should have told me earlier! Aigo, you said the Wolf Merchant Guild always keeps promises, but it was all a lie! I've been deceived, I've been tricked~~!"

Ia lay down on the grass like a sulking child. Pablo looked at her and smiled with a slightly lighter expression.

---

"Boss, can't you buy me tomatoes? I really want to eat them…"

"No."

At the same time, Paul and the boss were shopping at a small grocery store in Moires. The boss lifted the shopping basket with magic and Paul filled it with the necessary ingredients.

"But I love tomatoes so much. My dad said that I've been eating tomatoes since I was in my mom's stomach. And you have been buying a lot of meat since you arrived here, only the most expensive parts!"

"Paul, I won't eat tomatoes even if I die."

"Oh… Others might not know our Fomor boss is a picky eater. He only likes meat and hates tomatoes."

"It's not that I don't want to eat them, I can't eat them. I'd rather eat slime than tomatoes."

"That's what picky eaters always say. Well, what can I do?"

Paul looked at the bright red and appetizing tomatoes that he could not have with a sentimental expression. The boss shook his head and soon dragged Paul to the checkout counter. Paul pursed his lips and watched the boss take out his wallet.

"Huh? Wait a minute, boss! I'll go out first."

Paul could see a familiar face beyond the boss's figure. He hurriedly went out of the store and chased after the demon without asking for the boss's permission.

"Pekka!"

"Paul hyung-ah! H-hello!"

There stood Pekka, who smiled brightly with his snaggleteeth showing. In his hands was a small and cute pink gift box.

"Oh! T-this is a birthday present for my younger sibling. I heard that there’s some left in Moires so I c-came to buy it."

Pekka immediately noticed and replied as Paul looked at him with a curious expression. Most of their conversation afterwards was Pekka asking questions and Paul answering briefly, but Paul was happy even with that.

"Hyung-ah, did that m-mystery novel come in?"

Paul nodded quickly. That book was the debut work of Paul and Pekka's favourite human mystery novel author. Paul barely managed to get it by requesting Pablo, and it happened to have arrived yesterday.

"Wow! I'm l-looking forward to it! I'll go buy it s-soon. By the way, are you here alone? What about the b-boss?"

Paul pointed to the boss, who could be seen through the transparent door of the grocery store. He was paying with an expressionless face.

"So you c-came shopping together! Just like my m-mom and dad."

Paul's cheekbones rose automatically upon Pekka's words. Acting like a married couple with the boss? They were words that made him feel good somehow.

"But hyung-ah, I'm c-curious about something."

Paul continued to smile and nod as if to say he could ask as much as he wanted.

"Why did the boss come to M-Moires? There's a rumour that he received a r-royal decree. Do you k-know what it is about?"

Royal decree? This was the first time Paul had heard of it. He did not even know that there was a king among the demons. He shook his head in bewilderment.

"Paul, let's go."

Just then, the boss came out from the payment and approached Paul. Pekka greeted the boss in a faltering voice as soon as he saw him.

"H-hello."

"…."

The boss did not respond. Pekka waved to Paul and disappeared as if he was running away from the awkwardness.

"Did you rush out because you saw that demon?"

"Yes! I happened to find him passing by the store."

"Happened to?"

"I guess he came all the way to Moires to buy a birthday present for his younger sibling. Isn't it impressive? By the way, boss, did you claim the reward points? I asked you to do that so you surely did, right?"

"…."

"I knew it! You didn't claim them again, did you? No matter how much gold you have, you have to get what you can get! Go back and earn some points!"

The boss quickly picked up Paul, who was nagging at him, as if he felt annoyed. He carried Paul in one hand and the groceries in the other, striding with his long legs toward the bookshop and leaving Paul chattering on his shoulder.

‘Does he not know what the royal decree is about? Or did the Fomor keep his mouth shut?’ Pekka was hiding in a corner while watching their backs.

'No wonder it didn't seem to be an easy mission since a Fomor is involved.'

Soon after, he threw away the gift box he was holding in a nearby trashcan and returned back.

<End of Volume 1. TBC>