<>
After Grace knocked out the thug-like employee, a full-blown fight was about to erupt.
The customers watching from the sidelines immediately sensed trouble and hurried out of the tavern. Meanwhile, the burly chef and the other employees flew into a rage, determined to teach Grace a lesson.
"You disrespectful little brat!"
"Who do you think we are, letting a kid like you walk all over us?!"
"Get her!"
The employees showed no intention of going easy on her. Or rather, none of them saw Grace as some fragile young woman. They rushed her all at once.
The group charged in and surrounded her. Grace grabbed a nearby table and, without the slightest concern for whether someone might end up with a cracked skull, hurled it straight at the employees in one direction.
Then she drew her sword—still sheathed—and fought them all with it. At least some part of her conscience remained, reminding her not to go too far.
Grace had long been hailed as the next Sword Saint. She was exceptionally skilled at fighting people... provided it was one-on-one.
Now, armed with the swordsmanship personally taught to her by the Sword God, her combat ability had been transformed completely. She fearlessly held off every attacker who came at her.
Meanwhile, Jacob, who had been knocked to the floor with a kick, quietly slipped into the now-empty kitchen while everyone was distracted.
After casting "Detection," he began opening every cabinet, searching for the hidden door.
The map created by Detection showed numerous life signs beneath the kitchen.
Yet Jacob was clearly the only person in the room.
That could only mean one thing—the space below the kitchen was occupied.
The question was... where was the hidden entrance?
Since Detection only displayed a flat, two-dimensional map, everything overlapped together. There was no way to tell which part was the hidden door.
"Where is it? Why can't I find it?"
Jacob searched every cabinet without success. For a brief moment, he questioned whether Ethefelis had been mistaken.
The thought disappeared almost as soon as it appeared.
"Ethefelis has no reason to lie. I just need to search more carefully."
He started over from the beginning.
This time, he removed everything from the cabinets and carefully felt every surface with his hands, searching for any hidden mechanism.
At that moment, a shadow approached him, blocking the light.
Whoever it was stopped right behind him... but said nothing.
Jacob instantly froze.
His thoughts raced.
(Who is it? Why aren't they saying anything? Did one of them catch me?)
He assumed it had to be another employee—or worse, someone connected to the Phinto Powder operation.
Cold sweat trickled down his back.
(I should call Grace over... but that's so pathetic.)
His eyes landed on a large cooking pot nearby.
Without hesitation, he grabbed it, ready to defend himself.
Summoning his courage, Jacob stood up, raised the pot over his head, and prepared to smash it into the mysterious figure.
The moment he saw who it was, however, he stopped.
He lowered the pot, let it drop to the floor, pressed a hand against his chest, and released a relieved sigh.
"Oh... Grace. It's you. Why didn't you say anything?"
"Sorry. Fighting that many people took more out of me than I expected."
She looked him over with concern.
"Mr. Jacob, are you okay?"
She was clearly worried about the kick he'd taken earlier.
Jacob patted his thick winter coat.
"I'm fine. My coat's thick enough that it barely hurt. What about you? Are you injured?"
"I'm a professional knight. They weren't a challenge."
"That's good. Come help me find the hidden door. The police should be here any minute."
"Okay."
The two of them searched every cabinet again.
Finally, inside the cabinet beneath the cooking counter, they found the concealed door.
"We finally found it!"
Jacob couldn't hide his excitement.
Just then, Grace heard distant commotion and turned toward the front of the tavern.
"Jacob... I think I hear something outside."
Jacob looked over as well.
A group of men in black coats and hats was sprinting toward Skoda Tavern.
"The police!" Jacob said nervously. "Quick, put on the invisibility coats!"
"Why?"
"There are people lying unconscious outside. They'll obviously assume a fight broke out, and if we're still here, it'll look like we're responsible. We need to leave before we end up with a criminal record."
"I see."
Both of them quickly put on their invisibility coats.
Afraid they might get separated after disappearing, Jacob instinctively reached out and took Grace's hand before activating the coats.
Grace's face immediately lit up.
She wrapped both arms around one of his, hugging it tightly as she rested her head against his shoulder.
Jacob stiffened at the sudden contact.
More than embarrassment, however, another thought filled his mind.
(My arm...)
It was sandwiched between two unbelievably soft sensations.
Even the thick layers of his winter coat couldn't completely block the warmth and softness pressing against him.
Before long, Jacob's imagination began running wild.
And so, the two of them shared a brief moment of quiet happiness.