Did Something Happen?

The adventurer took Alika's drink and turned to the closest plant. Swiftly, he emptied its contents into the pot with one careful motion of his hand. The waiter raised an eyebrow. But he remained silent and was patient enough to continue standing still. Alika sat still, breathless. For a moment, Remien's bizarre actions had her at a loss for words.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" the mage exclaimed. "Is it customary to water plants in that fashion around here? Are they so picky they accept only the best of cocktails?"

Her humor sounded oddly misplaced. The atmosphere was becoming heavy, almost unbearable. Remien shifted his gaze from the plant to the man and then back, but nothing strange happened. The waiter cleared his throat, and one of his fingers twitched.

"May I help you, sir?" the waiter asked.

There was no answer as the beautiful green plant began crumbling before their eyes. A few more seconds passed, and it withered away to the core. The leaves lay on the floor, brown and dry. Bended towards the ground, the stem had turned black.

The waiter paled at the sight of it and opened his mouth. His lips were quivering so much he couldn't force himself to speak. At that moment, he sensed Remien standing behind him, too close for his liking. As Alika watched what was happening to the poor plant, she felt her heart miss a beat.

"Now, you were about to say you had nothing to do with this, correct?" Remien said, lowering his voice. It remained soft and calm. But if sound could kill, the poor waiter would have already been dead. The man shivered and fell to his knees.

"I-I really don't know," the man stuttered. His eyes were wide.

Remien sighed and returned to his chair, motioning for him to leave. The man scrambled to his feet and bolted out the door. The adventurer moved his glass to Alika's side and continued enjoying his meal as if nothing had happened.

"So where were we? You were saying?" Remien relaxed against the backrest, and the soundproof barrier was up again.

"Uh… This… Does this sort of thing happen to you often? I mean… Will such attempts to kill me be common?" The mage struggled to articulate the words, nearly choking on them. Her mind spun. She had no clue why anyone would want to assassinate her. What could anyone possibly gain by going to so much trouble?

"Hmmm? Trying to kill you? I can hardly call that a try. The foolish girl had no chance. Who uses that sort of poison nowadays, anyway? Regardless, I'll deal with the source of this mischief. A bit later, though. There are more important things at hand, don't you think?" Remien said, brushing the topic aside.

Remien reached for the bottle of wine, unscrewing it with a soft pop, and filled the glass before him halfway up before passing it to Alika's side of the table. Next, he poured some fresh juice from the pitcher in the middle of the table into an empty glass.

"Whichever you prefer, both are worth tasting," he said.

"I think we need to settle something else first," Alika said with a tinge of frustration, accepting the glass of juice. Her eyebrow twitched. She was too afraid to drink from it. "It's absolutely unacceptable for YOU to decide what is important and what isn't for ME. And this incident IS important. I have a good reason for that. I want to continue living my life, and I would prefer it to be a long one."

Remien noticed Alika's hesitation and hurried to fill his glass with the same drink, emptying half of his portion in mere seconds.

"And so you will. Continue enjoying your long life, I mean. There was no real danger." The adventurer shrugged. "If it will make you feel better, we can give the 'poison master' a visit together. How does that sound?"

Remien poured himself some of the wine from the bottle and savored its taste by taking small, slow sips.

"You avoided answering my question about how often things like this happen to you."

The man gave her a long probing look.

"All my life," Remien said at last. "Since the day I was born and a little before that if you need the details. Should I continue with what I deem to be more pressing matters? Or are you finally ready to answer that hard question of 'what you need to know about me to make this partner thing work out?'"

"Don't you think the answer to your question is related to this incident in the most direct way possible?" Alika had more confidence in herself now. She couldn't predict Remien's reactions yet. However, Alika could guess that they were anything but straight-out hostile toward her.

"It would be nice if you could let me know about such…" Alika's voice broke off, but she forced herself to continue talking. "Such details of your reality. You can keep the reasons to yourself. As I said, everyone has their own secrets. But I need to know about the potential consequences of those secrets. That's important since they can affect our partnership and my safety. And not only in dungeons but also beyond their walls."

"Well," Remien began and paused, frowning. It was as if what he was about to explain was too obvious to bother mentioning. "Considering the sort of all the rumors going around yours truly, we naturally now have quite a few common ill-wishers. It may be better to pay careful attention to your surroundings.

It doesn't hurt to be extra cautious, anyway. However, I don't think that's necessary as long as you have me by your side. I'm convinced I can keep you safe from all the jealous, greedy, and plain old evil beings that are stupid enough to entertain the idea of harming you."

"Your life must be harsh," Alika remarked.

"Oh, no, my life has never been too difficult. I love it just fine. There is no need to pity me." Remien brushed away her statement, crossing his arms.