Chapter 123: Medical Store
There was a very specific reason why Eren had chosen this specific restaurant for today’s date.
Of course, spoiling his three girlfriends with the most lavish lunch was a non-negotiable priority. But off-route efficiency was the true name of the game. The restaurant just so happened to be one-minute walk away from the shop he needed to visit.
"Who would have ever guessed that this shop would be hiding in plain sight right in the busy commercial street?"
He stopped in front of a little medical shop tucked between two high-end boutiques.
Too ordinary.
Eren sighed in amusement. ’Thank God I sank hundreds of hours into completing every single route and reading the obscure fandom wikis in my past life. Otherwise, finding this would have been an absolute nightmare.’
He pushed the door open and a tiny bell rang softly above his head.
Behind the counter sat a kindly looking old man with a long, snow-white beard and a mop of wild white hair, casually flipping through a thick book. He looks like a Santa. Hearing the bell, the elder looked up through round, innocent-looking spectacles, offering the handsome young noble a warm, grandfatherly smile.
"Welcome, young lad," the old man greeted gently, setting his book aside. "How may this humble shop serve you today?"
Eren stepped forward as he offered a polite, charming smile.
"I’m in need of a very specific prescription, sir. Specifically for... severe body pains. The lingering kind. Extreme muscle strain, joint stress... that sort of thing."
Eren slid a small folded sheet of paper across the counter.
"It’s quite urgent," Eren added softly.
The old man reached out and unfolded the paper. The instant he read the words written on it, his innocent, kind personality vanished, posture straightened, and his eyes sharpening behind his spectacles.
Without saying a single word, the old apothecary grabbed a brass lantern under the table, and gestured toward a door at the back of the shop.
"Follow me, young lad," the old man instructed in a gravelly voice.
Eren followed quietly behind like an obedient child following a stranger promising free candy, stepping through the back room. The old man pulled a hidden lever, revealing a heavy stone trapdoor in the floor that opened to reveal a steep staircase descending straight down into the darkness below—looking like a gateway straight to the earth’s center.
The old man lifted the brass lantern, its dim yellow light casting over the walls as he carefully led the way down the steps.
"You don’t bear the typical mark of my usual clientele, kid," the old man noted, his voice echoing off the stone stairs. "Why exactly are you looking for a suppressant like that?"
Eren tucked his hands into his pockets as he descended behind him. "Oh, I’m actually not here to buy the medicine, old man. I just came to verify whether or not you’ve been supplying those exact suppressants to a certain girl."
The old man’s foot froze mid-step, the lantern flickered for a second. After a second, he gave a gravelly exhale and resumed walking down the stairs.
"Let’s talk proper business down below, lad."
The staircase lead to a massive underground warehouse with multiple tunnels connecting to it. Dozens of heavily scarred, insanely muscled men were bustling about, lugging heavy crates and inspecting illegal contraband. The moment Eren set foot there, everyone paused, casting glares toward the little noble.
"Are all these crates filled with the suppressant?" Eren asked, looking around the den.
"Don’t be ridiculous, lad," the old man grunted. "Suppressants are extremely rare. Keep your mouth shut and follow me."
He led Eren into a makeshift office at the far corner of the warehouse. Eren nonchalantly pulled out a wooden chair and sat down, crossing one leg over his knee, while the old man settled into his own desk chair.
The kindly shopkeeper routine was officially dead as he pulled the glasses from his face. The old man leaned forward, steepling his calloused fingers as a suffocating murderous intent emitted from him.
"Alright, kid," the old man growled, his voice raspy as iron. "Let’s state your business."
Eren scratched his chin gently, unfazed by the lethal pressure. "I’m just here to make a quick inquiry. Have you been selling those exact suppressants to someone affiliated with the Royal Academy?"
The old man scoffed dryly. "I’m a dealer. I have buyers taking bulk shipments once a week. I don’t ask for academy IDs."
"Do you remember what they look like, or maybe a name?"
"They send a different runner every single time."
"Damn... that’s surprisingly thorough," Eren muttered, leaning back in his chair, his lips curved into a sharp smile as his blue eyes locked onto the old dealer’s. "One final question, old man... is this specific suppressant actually The Substance?"
The old man’s eyes widened for a fraction before his face hardened back into stone. "Yes," he answered calmly. "It is."
Eren humed, amused. "You know... that’s pretty strange. In my knowledge, black-market bad guys never hand out information like a free pub quiz."
The old man chuckled as a chilling sound that echoed off the stone walls. "That’s because you’re not leaving this room breathing, kid."
SHING—!
Eren’s instincts flared.
Without turning his head, Eren slammed his boot against the desk, shoving his chair backward across the floor. At that exact moment, a massive blade descended from beside him straight through the place where Eren’s head had been a second prior, slicing the stone floor.
A towering, bald man materialized out of nowhere, rolling his broad shoulders with a thrill-seeking grin as he yanked his blade from the floor. "Kid’s pretty sharp..."
"Whoa there," Eren said, standing up from the chair and dusting off his jacket. "That almost cut through my very expensive attire. You know that could kill a guy, right?"
The iron doors of the warehouse slammed shut behind him. Every single mercenary present dropped their crates and pulled out their blades.
But...
Eren calmly checked his pocket watch.
"Well..." he sighed, looking at the ring of muscle flexing before him. "I’ve got exactly fifteen minutes left before my girlfriends start wondering why the washroom took so long. Let me wrap this up quickly."
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[Gonna write next story simeltanously. It would be more chaotic and more species. Dragon girl🔥]