Not equal

"I got nothing like that – and thanks you for the clothes!"

The young man shook his head and made sure that the three monster cores were properly hidden within the bundled strand of hair before answering.

"Is everything okay...?"

Viria must have still sounded a bit bitter because Bossac picked up on it and asked in hesitation.

"Nothing. I just learned that the services that a green bill can pay for encompass more services than I expected. Would appreciate the warning, I would definitely refuse to be introduced to such a place."

Viria tried to shrug it all off, but in the end, he was still too annoyed to just hold back, so he complained without reserve.

"Wait...! They sent you a girl?! But the orders clearly stated to...!"

"...?"

To Viria's surprise, Bossac sounded just as taken aback as he himself originally was...

"Wait here – I need to have a talk with my colleague."

The helpful guard declared in a cold voice and left – this time his footsteps did resound as normal.

The surprised young man got out of the bath and hurried towards the door, grabbing the towel and wrapping it around his waist before leaning into the changing room...

"Are you illiterate or something?! Haven't you read orders that lord warden has given us before that kid showed up?!"

Bossac was shouting furiously at someone – and although Viria could quite hear whoever had responded to the helpful guard.

The young man was almost certain that the shout was directed at the bathhouse guard.

"I didn't tell you? You moron! How many Virias from block E-11 do we have in this place?! That kid was wrongly accused of raping the daughter of one of the king's advisors! Do you think that he would just happily pounce at some random broad that showed up out of nowhere?! Follow your damn orders and be mindful of the list! With that attitude, it wouldn't be odd if you already let some banned prisoners get right in. I swear. Listen..."

It seemed that Bossac cooled off his rampage because he began speaking quieter and quieter until Viria could only hear unrecognizable mumbling.

"...that did sound as if there were specific orders about me in particular... But... why...?"

The young man wondered to himself, backing off into the bath.

He did not return for another soak, instead, he just dried himself with a towel the best he could – the best he could was about his long bloody-black hair – before he actually got to the changing room and put on the clothes that Bossac brought him.

The helpful guard didn't forget about shoes and a pair of underwear, which was a relief.

Although he knew that he would regret it later, Viria tied his hair into a bun although they would dry better hanging down loosely.

He has done that not because of the convenience or anything, it was just that now he wasn't safe from others walking in on him, and changing the hiding spot of the monster cores could be suspicious.

The last thing that the young man wanted was to get his extra loot confiscated.

So the bun ended up being another, much thicker, layer of protection besides the strand the cores were already wrapped in.

Viria walked out of the changing room to see the old manager, the bathhouse guard, and Bossac talking with the brown-haired girl – who didn't particularly change her attire besides wearing slippers.

"...and you two thought that he was acting like that because he was a shy virgin...? Have you lost your mind?! You should know with a single look who that boy is in the outside world! How could that be your way of reasoning?! Do you want me to add obstructing the guards' duties to your crime lists?! Do you?!"

"N-no! Of course not...!"

"Sir Bossac, please – w-we just...!"

The helpful guard was certainly showing off a different side of him when talking with other prisoners besides Viria.

The young man felt that something was off back at the monster spawning area, but now with the new overheard information, he could clearly tell that it wasn't just a misunderstanding.

"Hmph. If you know what's good for you, you better show proper compensation to that young man. This visit was free."

Bossac, who had his back turned on Viria and didn't realize that the bloody-black-haired man was out of the bath, raised his head and crossed his arms as he declared.

"F-free...?"

"Fiho, silence! Of course, sir Bossac!"

The brown-haired girl gasped in shock, but the old manager shushed her in an urgent voice before bowing his head to the imposing guard.

"Sir Bossac is absolutely right! Mister Viria does not need to pay, the first visit was on the house!"

The manager said again, this time bowing down to the bathhouse guard.

"I understand. There is no debt to be paid off."

The bathhouse guard nodded and confirmed in a serious voice, but then Viria noticed him glancing at Bossac, and winking mischievously at the fellow guard.

"..."

Viria raised his brow, the encounter at the bath was annoying, but it didn't escalate above that and he was intending to pay up normally, was there a need to cause such a scene?

"Oh? Bossie, your guy is here."

"Hmm?"

The bathhouse guard looking at Bossac noticed the young man, and nudged the other guard, pointing him in the right direction.

"Boy! Now, you look much better! Sorry for the inconvenience that you had to suffer... there has been a mistake. On the bright side, it also turned out that the first visit is free!"

The helpful guard turned around and the atmosphere around him changed so suddenly as if someone flicked a switch in his head.

"Really? That's so convenient. I'll be sure to come by again then. Overall, the place is very nice."

The young man smiled as if he didn't notice anything suspicious and cheered, glancing at the borderline scared old man and the brown-haired girl and showing them the same expression.

"Now then, since you are ready to go. Do you want to catch a break back in your house or do you feel like checking out the workshops? Or maybe grab something to eat?"

Bossac stepped away from the bathhouse group and started walking toward the exit, clearly intending for Viria to follow him no matter the choice he picked.