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I was faced with an important decision—life-changing was an understatement. The fate of my existence hung in the balance.

I weighed up my options carefully, lest I reached the worst outcome.

「Um... sir..?」

The stallholder's voice was but a whisper amid my deep deliberation, for what lay in front of me captivated my senses and would soon satiate my appetite.

But only one choice gets to grace my tastebuds...

「Zozo... you're disrupting the poor guy's business... Can't you think it over elsewhere and come back?」

「No, Mel! How we spend our first paycheck, will determine how we spend all our paychecks in the coming months... One blunder, and we'll spiral down a path of financial suicide! If I leave now... who's to say some loaded bastard won't mosey over and buy out the entire stall!」

She stared at me through half-closed crimson eyes, as if I were a lunatic. But it mattered not. When it came to money, frugality was key!

Now then...which one do I take home?

The muffin or the pair of two mini cupcakes?

A dilemma for the ages.

Although they shared a price tag of two bronze coins, there were glaring differences that separated these two delectable round cakes.

For one, the mini cupcakes, while individually smaller than the muffins, did contain slightly more for the same asking price when bought as a bundle.

In fact, when going by caloric intake alone, the mini cupcakes beat the muffins by a long shot. Though... most of it had to do with the sickening amount of icing used.

However, that did not mean the muffins were any less desirable than the cupcakes.

But of course..! The main factor separating these two spongey snacks was flavor!

Judging by the dark brown crisp encrusted on the muffin top, the muffin before me was chocolate.

And the barely visible pink bread buried underneath the great dollop of snow-colored icing indicated a strawberry-flavored cupcake as my second choice.

I don't mind strawberry but... I do have a fondness for chocolate treats... Plus... icing does make me ill...

I was torn between the two cakes. Alas, I had to make a call...

Gravitating toward the chocolate muffin, I dug through my coin pouch and pulled out two bronze coins.

As they offered the same bang for my buck, I saw no reason to suffer through the sugary cupcakes.

Then... out of the corner of my eye, I caught it. An inconspicuous sign was hidden away behind the mini cupcakes. And it read...

Limited time only! Buy 2 mini cupcakes bundles... get 1 FREE?!

I stepped back and pocketed my coins. The circumstances had drastically changed. If I were to purchase two bundles for me and Melyn to enjoy, we'd have an extra bundle to savor...

It was now six mini cupcakes against a measly two muffins. All for the low, low cost of four bronze coins.

As much as I preferred chocolate muffins, I'd be betraying my sensibilities as a businessman if I didn't take advantage of this discount.

Prioritizing personal taste over once-in-a-lifetime deals was the epitome of careless spending.

And so I begrudgingly brought out the full four bronze pieces and bit the bullet. Slowly, I stretched out my hand to pay the stallholder.

「We'll take one muffin and a mini cupcake bundle!」

「Oh! U-understood ma'am..!」

Melyn beat me to the punch and ordered on my behalf.

「Wha—?」

I turned to her, baffled and exasperated by her blatant disregard for pecuniary prudence.

「Here you go Zozo, your muffin.」

She handed me the paper bag carrying my muffin.

「Mel! I was about to take the three-for-two deal!」

「Ehhh..? You were taking too long. Besides, you actually wanted the chocolate muffin right?」

「W-well yeah... but... that's not the point! We could've gotten more for the same price!」

「Always with the penny-pinching! You never change Zozo...」

The thief girl stuck out her tongue and strode away from the marketplace, leaving me to mull over my indecisiveness. I let out a groan and followed suit.

It's been a week since we've lived here...

Since then, a few things had been brought to light.

As we walked through Barbajou Street, the passersby reminded us of the Church's indomitable influence on the rumor mill.

「Did ya hear? They say th' Ashen Thief was th' one who orchestrated th' attack last week. Apparently, he was building a nation o' his own south o' 'ere...」

「Oh my..! Those poor derelicts..! Has the man gone mad?」

「Perhaps th' fame has gotten t' his head. Either way, many lives were lost that night.」

「Vel have mercy on their souls... Hell waits for the sinners who slew them. 」

I firmly held Melyn back upon noticing her dour countenance. It wouldn't do to have her cause a scene in the middle of town.

I don't blame her though. That cunning cult knows how to spin a story...

Yes... the razing of Jazga's outer layer was blamed entirely on Rysef and the Sentinels. The Church did well to mask its tracks.

Corroborating their fabricated tale were the city slum dwellers from the Lakua District. They were purposely left alive so as to testify against their former District Master.

As they'd already harbored animosity towards the Ashen Thief for abandoning them, the Church ran into no problems in using them to bolster their claims.

Followers of Velism naturally believed in this "official" news.

And while doubters of this obvious falsehood did spring up, their misgivings were practically overshadowed by the people's unyielding faith in the system.

It was frustrating. The Church had total control of the population... and by extension, reality itself.

Melyn and I zoomed by the gossiping denizens, ignoring their unfounded murmurs.

And as vexation overcame me, a familiar voice just had to call to us from the distance.

Not a moment's rest for this fourteen-year-old.

「Heeey! Kiiids! Thank Vel you're safe! It's meee!」

Goddammit... not him again...

Pink polka-dotted short shorts. I knew the drill.

I took a deep breath and yelled at the top of my lungs.

「HEY EVERYONE!!! THIS GUY'S TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAOS TO OPENLY WALK AROUND WITH HIS JUNK IN FULL VIEW!!!」

Persons within a mile radius swiveled their heads toward my direction. The exhibitionist zipped over to me and covered my mouth.

「Lorenzo! Haven't we been over this?! I really can't afford to go to prison, especially given the current situation!」

「Thought I could divert some of the bad press away from the Lakua District.」

「And pin it on me?!」

I removed his hand from my lips and raised a brow.

「More importantly... where have you been this past week? I figured you'd come running to the Pottershack the moment the lockdown was lifted.」

「Oh... I was uh...」

There was a flash of pain in his eyes before he dropped the subject altogether. It was an odd reaction, but I thought naught of it. Probably just another one of his quirks.

「Actually wait, what do you mean you figured I'd come running to you?! I'm no dog!」

And he was back to his normal self.

「Could've fooled me.」

The thief girl nodded along to my mean retort.

He heaved out a sigh and dejectedly slouched over.

In response, I pat the information broker on the back and sauntered ahead with Melyn.

「Well? What are you waiting for, Nago? Let's head back to the Pottershack and talk about the information you have.」

「That I cannot do, unfortunately.」

I stopped dead in my tracks and pivoted on my heel to face him. He was serious.

「Huh? Why not?」

The man cast his gaze to the cobbled ground and bit his lip.

「Did I go too far with the teasing? I'm sorry alright?」

That didn't seem to sway him one bit. He looked up at me with a solemn countenance.

「This town's gotten dangerous Lorenzo. I can't keep doing this.」

「I'll pay you. I have money.」

「It's not about the money. It's about my own safety.」

「I'll double your pay!」

「Lorenzo...」

「Don't leave me in the dark goddammit! I need to know what's going on now more than ever!」

The thief girl put her hand on my shoulder.

「Zozo... you're being too loud...」

「Mel don't you want to find those Bloody Talon bastards?! Get vengeance for what they did to everyone?!」

「Is that what you've been thinking about this whole time..?」

「Yes and you're lying if you say that hasn't crossed your mind at least once!」

I shifted my attention back to Nago.

「If you want out, then direct us to another information broker. It's the least you can do in return for our constant patronage.」

「A-another broker..? I'll think about it...」

「Mm. And make sure the guy you send us isn't as spineless as you are. It's a hassle having to change sources every time.」

Unable to accept his cowardice, I stormed away with Melyn in tow. I didn't know what expression he was making as I left him, nor was I aware of mine.

The thief girl glanced at the paper bags in our hands and thought to herself out loud.

「These cakes are going to taste bitter, aren't they?」

It was a simple statement, but one I couldn't help but echo.

「Yeah... that's for sure...」

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