"Hey, brat... was that your doing?"
Humiliated, the two adventurers flushed with anger. One of them swung a fist straight at Moke's face.
Moke didn’t retreat. Instead, he stepped forward, sidestepped, and crouched slightly.
Already shorter in stature, his sudden drop made the attacker miss completely, his punch slicing through empty air.
Without hesitation, Moke drove his elbow into the man’s gut, then snapped his palm upward, striking the adventurer’s chin and sending him crashing to the ground.
The adventurer writhed in pain, clutching his stomach and curling up like a shrimp.
"You little—" His companion’s eyes blazed with fury, but the cold glint of a dagger pressed against his throat instantly silenced him.
The man forced an awkward smile. "L-Let’s talk this out, alright?"
Moke scoffed, stomped on the man’s knee, forcing him to buckle, then kicked him square in the chest, sending him sprawling backward.
As a high-tier rogue, Moke’s skills were nothing to scoff at—though compared to Xia Lun and his crew, he often seemed outmatched.
In the world of adventurers, minor scuffles rarely drew attention unless they escalated into serious injuries or damage.
"Hey, kid! Which guild are you with? You’ve got some nerve messing with us—" The two thugs spat threats even as they retreated.
"Dawn’s Wing," Moke shot back without hesitation, naming his guild outright.
The duo faltered, exchanged glances, then scrambled away without another word.
"That guy’s from Dawn’s Wing?"
"Dawn’s Wing? Aren’t they the guild making waves lately? Heard they saved Olie City from some terrifying monster."
"Rumor has it their captain’s blessed by the goddess—insanely powerful..."
Since the incident with the Death’s Hymn was too sensitive, the Adventurers’ Association had covered it up, publicly attributing it to a fearsome high-tier shapeshifting fiend.
Regardless, Dawn’s Wing had earned a reputation—one that kept low-tier guilds from picking fights.
Shila glanced gratefully at the figure before her.
"Th-Thank you, um... Mr. Pervert." Clearly, her memory was spotty—she’d forgotten Moke’s name but remembered his earlier... antics.
The memory of Moke’s off-key, vulgar singing brought a flush to her cheeks.
"Hey! ‘Mr. Pervert’? I have a name—it’s Moke!" he grumbled.
"Shila, that’s rude. Apologize properly," Vic chided, giving her shoulder a light tap.
"Sorry, Per—er, Moke," Shila mumbled, avoiding his gaze.
"Whatever. I was just here to eat. Those two happened to piss me off." Moke scanned the room—most tables near the beastfolk were empty, while the rest were packed.
Unfazed, he slid into the seat across from Vic. "This spot taken?"
"Of course, Mr. Vic, what would you like to eat? This meal is on me." Vic grinned, revealing a mouth full of sharp fangs in a smile that looked somewhat intimidating.
"Ah, thank you..." Moke was startled but managed to keep his composure, not standing on ceremony.
Vic struck up a conversation with Moke, chatting familiarly.
Moke soon realized that this fierce-looking lion-headed man was actually quite thoughtful, speaking in a refined and polite manner... occasionally showing just the right amount of boldness. Spending time with him was quite pleasant.
Shila sat quietly beside them, head lowered, poking at her plate of vegetable salad with a fork without saying a word.
Halfway through the meal, someone else barged in.
"Ha, Moke, so this is where you are!" Liyana plopped down casually beside Moke. "Ah, Mr. Vic, Miss Shila, fancy meeting you again. How are you?"
"H-Hello..." Shila seemed a bit shy.
"Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be with Xia Lun and the others?" Moke asked suspiciously.
After arriving in the city, their group had mostly split up to do their own things.
"Ugh—that guy’s all lovey-dovey with Aina right now. Wouldn’t it be awkward if I stuck around?" Liyana pouted, then glanced at Shila across the table. "What, did I interrupt your date or something?"
Moke: "We just happened to run into Mr. Vic and the others."
"Pfft, figures. No way a guy like you would be on a date with a girl... You’re way too cute—I bet you’d only catch the attention of men." Liyana laughed, slapping Moke’s shoulder teasingly.
"You little..." A vein throbbed on Moke’s forehead.
"Mr. Moke isn’t like that! He helped us chase off some thugs earlier. I think he’s very manly!" Shila suddenly spoke up, raising her voice in his defense.
Moke blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting Shila to stand up for him.
He scratched his head awkwardly, his gaze shifting away. "It was nothing... I just couldn’t stand those two jerks..."
"Ah, sorry, my bad. I shouldn’t have said that—the joke went too far..." Liyana tapped her own head lightly. "Well, I’ll leave you to your meal. I won’t disturb you any longer..."
Before Moke could respond, Liyana had already stood up and headed for the door.
"I’ll go settle the bill." Vic also rose slowly, walking over to the counter to order a drink and taking his time with the payment.
"Um..."
"Um..."
Moke and Shila spoke at the same time.
Moke cleared his throat. "You go first, Miss Shila."
"I’m sorry for meddling. That elf girl is your teammate, right, Mr. Moke? I think I made things awkward between you..." Shila kept her head down, her expression unreadable.
"I was just about to say that. It’s fine. Liyana’s carefree—she jokes around like that all the time. I don’t mind... Oh, and I’m not blaming you either. I really appreciate you speaking up for me. I’ve been wanting to punch that idiot for a while now..." Moke rambled nervously.
Shila suddenly giggled. "You two really get along well, Mr. Moke."
"Huh? No way? That girl is the most annoying." But once Moke started complaining about Liyana, he couldn't seem to stop. "Don’t let her fool you—despite how she acts, she’s actually a pretty decent shot. As a teammate, she’s reliable enough… but you’d better keep your distance."
"Why’s that?" Shila tilted her head curiously.
"That elf is a lesbian! She’s the real weirdo. Next time you see her, make sure to protect yourself…"