Can Someone (Anyone!) Please Turn Off the Auto-Skill Setting?! - Chapter 11
“It’s the first time I’ve heard of him.”
At this point, Nancy couldn’t admit that she actually knew who Leo was, so she feigned ignorance. It wasn’t entirely a lie. She knew that Leo was a famous knight, but she had no idea what he looked like or what made him so great.
The man, seemingly shocked, mumbled something unintelligible as he stared at his broken sword.
Maybe it would have been better if I hadn’t lied and just admitted I knew who Leo was?
As soon as she thought that, her morality dropped. Nancy clicked her tongue internally and searched for something to say to make up for her lie.
“So, are you going to compete in the Hero’s Festival or not?”
“…I don’t know. I always assumed I would compete since I was a child, but now I’m not so sure.”
Now’s the time.
Nancy smiled brightly and spoke in an upbeat tone.
“Well, I’d really like it if you became the hero.”
The man, who had been so downcast that it seemed like he was about to fall into the shards of his broken sword, lifted his head.
“Then I could advertise that the hero visited my shop. Would that be alright?”
The man, who had been staring at Nancy with a serious expression, suddenly let out a small laugh at her playful tone.
It went up after saying something nice. Though it only increased a little, Nancy decided to be satisfied, even if the system was being stingy.
“You’re the first person to support me besides my family, even if you have ulterior motives.”
“Oh no! You’ve seen through my ulterior motives!”
Nancy exaggerated her tone in a playful, dramatic way.
“Since I’ve been found out, I’ll be honest. It would be better if you bought something rather than just visiting, so why don’t you take a look around and see if there’s anything you like?”
You don’t have to buy anything if nothing catches your eye. Take your time looking, but no credit, please.
Nancy gently coaxed him, but the man hesitated and declined.
“I don’t have any money with me right now. I’ll visit again another time.”
Drat. I thought I’d make a sale.
Nancy sighed in disappointment and sipped her tea. The man, who seemed to have relaxed a bit, also reached for his tea.
Finally, the moment came when he removed the helmet that had looked so suffocating.
Nancy was curious about what he looked like and sneaked a glance.
As he removed the helmet, revealing about two-thirds of his face…
Nancy was momentarily stunned.
It felt as though the rain had cleared and the sun had come out.
It wasn’t an exaggeration—when he took off his helmet, it truly seemed as though light shone from him.
“Wowza.”
Was all her bad luck today because fate wanted her to meet this man? If so, she was fine with that. It was worth it.
As soon as she saw his face, all thoughts of him being gloomy or poorly paid vanished. His good looks made up for everything.
As if agreeing with her, the system notified her that her stress had disappeared. With the stress gone, her mind cleared remarkably, and her eyes sparkled.
She had been planning to break the awkward silence with some light conversation, but now she decided to engage with him more actively.
“I’m Nancy. What’s your name, Sir Knight?”
The man, puzzled by her suddenly changed tone, introduced himself as Aaron. The name sounded familiar, but she couldn’t immediately place where she had heard it before.
“Sir Aaron, isn’t it boring just waiting for the blacksmith? How about I tell you an interesting story?”
The best way to charm someone was with an entertaining story. Nancy was willing to turn her recent misfortune into a funny tale if it meant she could keep talking to this handsome man.
“The Hero’s Festival is coming up soon, right? I thought I’d sell some pork there—salted pork.”
“…”
“They said there would be a lot of people, so I got a bit greedy and ordered 300 pieces. It was a bit of a stretch, but it was a manageable amount.”
He didn’t react much, but his head nodded slightly, indicating he was listening.
Nancy watched for his reactions and continued with more energy in her voice.
“But when the goods arrived this morning, guess what!”
“…”
“Three thousand pieces showed up! Turns out I accidentally added an extra zero when I placed the order!”
His eyes showed a hint of curiosity, as if he wanted to know what happened next. After all, nothing piques a person’s interest more than someone else’s misfortune.
“The system immediately sent an Expropriation warning. It said that if I didn’t pay off the debt quickly, it would delete me!”
Nancy, thinking she had told the story well, placed her hand on her forehead and collapsed dramatically toward Aaron. Startled, Aaron quickly caught her by the arms, thinking she was actually fainting.
Nancy’s lips curled into a brief smile before she relaxed against his arms, pretending to be weak. He smelled like a forest in the early morning, with the scent of dew—exactly to her liking.
Nancy was growing increasingly fond of this handsome knight and smiled slyly to herself.
“I was losing my mind when a customer came in.”
When Aaron realized she wasn’t actually fainting, she could feel the tension in his grip easing. Still, he didn’t let go of her, which Nancy took as a very good sign.
