DanMachi: Cheat? What's a Cheat?

Chapter 36 – Uncle Eldrin

10 AM.

I woke up feeling way more refreshed than usual.

For the first time in a week, I didn't wake up with that annoying drowsiness or dark circles under my eyes.

"Ahh..." I stretched with satisfaction.

"This is what enough sleep feels like."

The warm morning sunlight streamed through the small window of the old church, giving off a pleasant warmth.

But something was weird.

Wasn't I supposed to feel that comfortable morning vibe?

Usually at this time, Goddess Hestia would still be sleeping or just waking up with messy hair.

But today...

"Kaen-kun! You're awake!" a cheerful voice came from the kitchen direction.

I sat up in bed to see a shocking sight.

Goddess Hestia was already dressed neatly with a clean apron, hair combed properly, and busy preparing breakfast with incredible enthusiasm.

"Goddess... why are you up so early?" I asked while rubbing my eyes.

"Of course I have to wake up earlier!" she answered with slightly flushed cheeks.

"How could a goddess let her favorite child wake up without a proper breakfast?"

The way she moved around the kitchen, preparing plates carefully, even folding napkins neatly... like a wife preparing breakfast for her husband.

"Goddess, you don't need to go through all this trouble..." I said, but she already cut me off.

"No way! You looked so tired yesterday. As a responsible goddess, I have to make sure you don't starve while staying with me!"

I felt weird about Goddess Hestia's words. Shouldn't I be the one saying "as an adventurer I can't let Goddess Hestia starve with me?"

Even though I was thinking like that, I didn't dare say it out loud.

Seeing Goddess Hestia's excessive enthusiasm, I could only smile.

Seems like last night's conversation really made her more... attentive.

After breakfast that was incredibly delicious for me (doesn't mean it's good for others) and incredibly huge, I started preparing myself for today.

But today was different.

Today, for the first time, I'd be bringing my new spear.

I lifted the 1.6-meter spear carefully.

Its weight felt perfect in my hands, not too heavy but not too light either.

"Alright," I muttered while trying some basic movements.

"First time using a spear. Hope I don't stab myself."

However, I'd never held a spear before.

It'd be embarrassing if I got hit by my own weapon.

I strapped the spear to my back with sturdy leather straps, while the 60cm short sword still hung at my left hip.

The problem was, I wasn't used to this spear's length yet.

Every time I turned around, the spear tip almost hit the wall.

However, this spear was really long.

Its length was only 1cm shorter than my height.

Even though I tied it diagonally, this spear still hit stuff.

As for why I didn't tie it vertically, don't ask.

Because the long spear tip (1.6 meters) could touch the ground or disturb movement while walking.

Moreover, diagonal made me feel cooler and it was easy to access and aesthetic.

"Kaen-kun, be careful with that spear," Goddess Hestia warned when she saw me almost knock over the table.

"Sorry, Goddess. Still adapting," I said while adjusting the spear's position.

The small mirror in the corner of the room showed my appearance that was...

"Pretty cool too," I muttered while adjusting the spear position.

After saying goodbye to Goddess Hestia who followed me to the door with a worried expression (seriously, she really looked like a wife seeing her husband off to work), I left the church and started walking through Orario's streets.

First problem: walking with a spear on my back turned out to be way harder than I imagined.

Every time I passed through narrow crowds, I had to tilt my body so the spear wouldn't get caught on other people's heads.

"Excuse me, excuse me," I said while trying to get through the crowd of people on the street.

A fruit seller stared at me with a worried expression as my spear tip almost swept his apple merchandise.

"Sorry, sir!" I said with an awkward smile.

While walking carefully, my mind wandered to last night's events.

Goddess Hestia today was really... super attentive.

The way she woke up early, prepared breakfast enthusiastically, even saw me off at the door with a worried expression.

I felt like maybe because of last night's deep conversation, our relationship got closer.

If before maybe her affection level was around 60, now after last night's conversation it might've gone up to 75.

And if she keeps being like this, maybe it'll break through 80 soon.

That thought made me smile a little. Would there be a hidden route? I was looking forward to it.

I thought like that while continuing to walk while avoiding people.

Without realizing it, I'd already arrived in front of the potion shop where I usually shopped.

As for why I didn't switch places to buy potions, it's because I felt a bit bad about it.

It's like when you cut your hair at the same place several times, you'd definitely be reluctant to go somewhere else.

At least that's what I felt right now.

But something was weird.

The shop that was usually crowded with customers at this time looked... empty.

Really empty.

"Maybe because of previously fight?" I muttered while hearing noisy sounds from the dungeon direction.

I frowned and pushed the shop door while making sure the spear wouldn't get caught in the door frame.

"Good morning, Uncle Eldrin," I greeted while entering the shop.

"Ah! The loyal customer who comes like morning dew!" Uncle Eldrin's characteristic voice came from behind the shelves.

"But today's dew comes when the sun is already high. Is late dew still dew?"

The old man with messy white beard appeared while carrying bottles that kept changing colors.

Seeing Uncle Eldrin, I sighed. Who would've thought this old man's personality was so weird.

When I first bought potions at this shop, my first impression of Uncle Eldrin was that he was a normal person.

Who knew that after getting to know him for a week, his personality completely changed.

As the saying goes, when people meet someone they click with, their true nature comes out.

Eldrin Vex was an old man with a messy white beard sitting behind the desk, his sharp eyes staring blankly at the bottles neatly arranged on the shelf.

Don't know what he was thinking.

While looking at Uncle Eldrin...

"Why is the shop empty today? Usually it's crowded."

"Empty?" Eldrin tilted his head.

"Or maybe crowded with silence? Noisy silence or silent noise?"

I felt a headache coming on. Seems like Uncle Eldrin was gonna start talking nonsense again.

"I mean... there are no other customers besides me."

"Ah, customers!" he suddenly laughed.

"They come like waves. Sometimes big, sometimes small, sometimes they don't come at all. But the sea remains the sea, even without waves."

Conversations with Eldrin were always confusing, but somehow I was starting to get used to it.

"Alright," I said while taking a seat in front of the counter while sitting carefully because of the spear on my back.

"I want to buy potions like usual."

"Like usual?" his eyes sparkled.

"But today you're not like usual. You're shining like a newly sharpened sword. Does a newly sharpened sword need the same potion?"

Was he complimenting me? I looked at the new weapon on my body.

"Ah, you're very observant. Yes, I bought a new weapon yesterday."

"New weapon, new soul, new potion!" he clapped his hands.

"Or maybe... old potion for a new soul? New soul for old potion?"

"Uncle Eldrin," I decided to get straight to the point.

I didn't want to hear his weird sentences anymore.

"Since becoming a regular customer here, I've only interacted with a few people. You, Goddess Hestia, Eina-san, the bread seller, and... friends in the dungeon."

Saying this, I stared at Uncle Eldrin trying to see if he was lying or not.

"Friends in the dungeon?" he tilted his head.

"Living friends or dead friends? Or living-dead friends?"

"Living friends," I answered quickly, not wanting him to ask more about Gob.

"What I mean is... is there anything weird about the potions I bought?"

Eldrin was quiet for a moment, then laughed loudly.

"Weird? What's weird? Potions that work or potions that don't work? Potions that heal or potions that..."

He stopped suddenly.

"Or potions that do something you don't know about?"

My heart pounded hard. This guy clearly knew something.

Was he the one who poisoned me? But I'm still not sure.

However, I don't have proof.

"What do you mean?"

"Mean?" he scratched his beard.

"Mean is like a door. An open door or a closed door? A visible door or an invisible door?"

"Uncle Eldrin, please answer clearly. Is there something wrong with my potions?"

Uncle Eldrin's words made me use up more brain cells.

Really gives me a headache talking to this guy.

He looked at me with eyes that suddenly became very sharp or deep?

"Wrong? Right? Who determines what's wrong and what's right? You? Me? Or someone you've never seen but who always sees you?"

Cold sweat started flowing down my back.

I don't know what Uncle Eldrin was saying but somehow I felt a bit cold.

"Alright," I said while taking out money.

"I'll buy potions like usual. But this time I want potions that are... clean."

"Clean?" he laughed again.

"Clean like water or clean like thoughts? Clean thoughts or dirty thoughts? Dirty from dust or dirty from..."

"Regular healing potions, Uncle Eldrin. The standard ones."

"Standard!" he clapped his hands.

"High standard or low standard? Standard you know or standard you don't know?"

I stared at him grimly.

Seeing I was about to get angry, he hurriedly disappeared to the back of the shop and returned with potion bottles that looked... normal.

Didn't change colors, didn't emit weird smoke.

"Standard potions for standard adventurers," he said while placing those bottles on the counter.

"But remember, what's standard isn't always the best. What's best isn't always standard."

I paid quickly and rushed out of the shop.

Didn't want to hear any more nonsense.

Suddenly...

"But remember, kid," his voice suddenly became serious.

"Sometimes the people we suspect most are the least dangerous people. And sometimes danger comes from the most unexpected places."

His words echoed in my ears as I left the shop (while carefully making sure the spear wouldn't get caught in the door frame again).

What did he mean?

After leaving, I stopped for a moment to catch my breath.

"Uncle Eldrin is getting... weirder," I muttered while walking toward the dungeon.

"But at least his potions still work well."

Even so, my suspicion toward that shop was getting bigger.

Especially after realizing I might be getting poisoned.

I take something serious very seriously, especially when my life's at stake.

From the people I knew, there were only a few possibilities.

Goddess Hestia and Eina-san were definitely impossible.

The bread seller... maybe.

Eldrin... very possible, and Gob.

But Gob didn't make sense either. He's a monster who wants to be friends, why would he poison me?

I still kept big suspicions about Gob. However, he's a monster.

Or maybe there was someone else I didn't know yet.