Chapter 360: A Little Late-Night Snack
“Who?!” I turned around, instinctively reaching for a spell, only to find myself unable to muster any magic power.
A person was standing at the cabin doorway, though I didn’t know when they appeared. They looked like a sailor, burly and dark-skinned, their face weathered by the elements.
However, their white sailor uniform was stained with dried blood, and a pungent odor emanated from their entire body. Most striking of all, they had five eyes on their face.
“Since you’ve discovered me, I can only apologize,” the man said, his five blood-red eyes fixated on me. He held an axe in his hand and swung it directly at me.
“Ah!” In excruciating pain, I reached out blindly, only to be held tightly by someone. I cried out in panic, “Let go of me!”
“Parul! It’s me, calm down! Parul!” A familiar voice sounded in my ear, and the embrace was warm and familiar.
“Older Brother Jayad?” I couldn’t quite distinguish between dream and reality; my mind was in chaos.
“It’s me. What’s wrong, Parul? Having another nightmare?” Jayad held me tighter, emitting Holy Light. Just like before, under the radiance of the Holy Light, I gradually regained my composure.
But the shock and fear weren’t so easily dispelled. The injury I sustained from the attack just now, the loneliness of not seeing Older Brother Jayad upon returning home, and the helplessness of falling into nightmares all erupted simultaneously.
“Waaah!” I burst into tears, burying myself in Jayad’s embrace and sobbing uncontrollably. My tears soaked his suit, as if I wanted to vent everything that had just happened.
“There, there, it’s okay. I’m back. I won’t leave Parul alone,” Jayad said, holding me tightly to comfort me.
Although he didn’t have much experience comforting people, Jayad’s comfort was enough. I wasn’t a fragile person; it was just a temporary emotional release. I stopped crying soon after.
“Parul, having nightmares again?” Jayad asked. He had seen me struggling and tossing in bed when he returned and had come forward to wake me.
“Mmm,” I nodded and told Jayad about everything that had happened today, including what I saw at the Trade Fair, unexpectedly encountering a ghoul and an attacker afterward, and seeing a sailor with an axe trying to kill me in my nightmare.
“Wait a moment, Parul. You said that crew member had five eyes? Was it Pierce?” Jayad asked. Wasn’t this characteristic precisely Pierce’s?
“Huh? No, I don’t think so. They don’t look alike.” I thought back to the two of them. I hadn’t actually seen either of them with my own eyes; it was all in my dreams. But their features were vastly different.
Pierce had fair, delicate skin and a gentle, elegant demeanor, with a magnetic voice. He was a typical scholar. Even when driven to madness, he had the air of a mad scientist.
The sailor I saw in my dream had rough, dark skin, a large beard, and a robust, strong physique. His voice was loud and coarse, clearly that of an old sailor weathered by the sea.
Their appearances, temperaments, and voices were so drastically different that I couldn’t believe they were the same person, even with a disguise.
“That’s strange then. Miss Leo Man told me that mutations are often directional. Generally, mutations of the same type arise from the same root cause, meaning similar mutations should have similar origins,” Jayad said.
Similar mutations share the same cause? Then who was this sailor, really? What was his relationship with Pierce? Why did he have the same mutation?
“And about that attacker, Parul suspects it’s the serial killer who’s been making headlines recently, right? I’m worried she might target you for revenge. How about I resign and stay with you?” Jayad suggested.
“No! It’s fine. At worst, I won’t go out at night. Besides, you just found a job. At least give it a try,” I said quickly, shaking my head.
Whether it was the strange sailor on the ship or the mysterious attacker, I had no clue. If I wanted any leads, I might have to find Sebastian.
Since the night of the twin moon convergence was tomorrow, Sebastian and I had agreed to meet up the day after, after the meeting with those cultists, to deal with that Black Silk Monster back in Nameless Village. So, I might as well find Sebastian the day after tomorrow.
“Don’t come home so late from now on,” I said with a hint of complaint.
“Okay. Today, the boss bought a Golden Scepter and kept showing it off, that’s why I was a little late,” Jayad said with a wry smile. Parul had just asked him not to resign.
“Ah? Is that so?” It was then that I remembered seeing the old man in the wheelchair at the Trade Fair buy a Golden Scepter. There had been a robbery when he bought it, and he had left early. I hadn’t expected him to be Jayad’s boss. I wasn’t wrong.
“Older Brother Jayad, how was your work today? Was it smooth sailing?” I asked.
“Mmm, it was very simple. I just stood at the door and threw out any troublemaking drunks. I also met some colleagues. They even said they’d teach me bartending later,” Jayad said with a smile.
Then he seemed to remember something and took out a bag. “Oh right, the manager also told us to take home the remaining food. I thought Parul would like to eat it, so I brought back a bit more.”
“Hmm? Such a good boss?” I took the bag doubtfully and opened it to find hand-torn beef jerky, fried pork rinds, and smoked fish chunks – common European bar snacks.
“Oh! Nice, I was just wanting to eat something!” I said happily. For me, there was no such thing as being full, but feeling hungry was common.
For example, now, after a fierce battle and having my energy drained by a nightmare, I felt an urgent need to eat. But I had fallen asleep directly because I was too tired. Otherwise, I would have cooked my own late-night snack.
Jayad’s snacks came at the perfect time. I immediately grabbed them and devoured them. Although these were junk food, this type of food was often tastier.
Besides, in this world, it was good enough for most people to just fill their stomachs. Who would have the leisure to consider whether smoked food was healthy or if fried rinds were high in fat? As long as it could fill a stomach and provide energy for activities, it was good stuff.
“Mmm mmm~ Older Brother Jayad, you should have some too. This has black pepper on it, it tastes really good,” I said after finishing half the bag, only then remembering that Jayad hadn’t eaten.
“No need, I actually ate some at the bar,” Jayad said. He felt his job was even better now, being able to bring back snacks. Parul’s appetite was still exaggerated; she often needed to eat.
“Good things are tastier when shared. Ah~” I fed a strip of beef jerky into Jayad’s mouth with my hand.
“Uh, okay, it’s indeed good,” Jayad said, taking the beef jerky. Then we fed each other bites, enjoying our late-night snack together.
