Chapter 20: Valeria, A lesson. After Woodrow left, the bell above the door chimed again ten minutes later. Dingling This time, a very familiar face appeared. Noah stood up from his crate. Valeria... The red-haired guild captain who’d scammed him into a discount for his first-ever sale. The woman who’d introduced him to this world’s economy by threatening him with a knife. I’m not getting scammed again. He plastered on his best customer service smile. Valeria’s mouth twitched, looking at his expression. "What’s with that smile, baker? Do you hate me or something?" "Hate you? Never!" "Just delighted to see my favourite customer." Valeria snorted, approaching the counter with the confidence of someone who owned the place. Her silver wolf emblem gleamed on her armour as she surveyed the shop. "New product?" She nodded toward the glass bottles of iced tea. "Indeed. It’s iced tea. It increases mana reserves and regeneration by thirty percent for ten minutes." Her eyes narrowed with interest. "How much for a loaf of bread and an iced tea?" "Just, Thirteen gold coins." Valeria barked a laugh. "Thirteen? Your bread is three!" "The tea is more complex," Noah replied, already retrieving both items from the shelf. "Aren’t you a knight? Why would you want it anyway?" "It’s not for me," Valeria tapped her guild emblem. "It’s for my mages. If it works, we’ll place regular orders." Another potential bulk customer. Business is booming! "Thirteen coins total," Noah said brightly. Valeria leaned against the counter, her expression shifting into negotiation mode. "Thirteen? After I brought you the princess? A royal customer? You owe your success to me, baker." "And I’m eternally grateful," Noah countered smoothly. "That’s why I gave you a substantial discount on your first purchase." Her eyes narrowed. "Five gold for both." "Thirteen." "Eight." "Fourteen." Valeria drummed her fingers on the counter, then her eyes lit up with a new strategy. "Baker, why don’t I teach you swordsmanship?" Here we go, another scam. "I’m rather satisfied with my current skills," Noah replied immediately. "Thirteen golden coins," he repeated. Indignation flashed across her face. Many would kill to learn under her, but this baker wasn’t. "Baker, you are new to Esta. You haven’t heard of me." She unsheathed her sword in one fluid motion, it was too fast for Noah to even flinch. "I’m an Adept swordswoman." Pride colored her voice and face. "That’s not something just anyone achieves." Noah raised an eyebrow. "Adept?" "Four ranks exist in Esta’s martial traditions." Valeria ran her finger along the flat side of her blade. "Novices stumble through basic forms, usually cutting themselves more than opponents. Apprentices survive their first real fights. Adepts...they master combat as an art" She twirled the sword in complex motions that left a faint trail of light The display was impressive, even to Noah’s untrained eye. "And beyond Adept?" he asked, genuinely curious. "Masters create new techniques. Grandmasters change how warfare itself functions." Her expression softened slightly. "I’ve met two Masters in my life. Never a Grandmaster." System, is this worth considering? [It depends on the host. If the host wants to go out more without worrying about the pain penalty of dying, then learning a skill like swordsmanship would be useful inside this world.] "Fine," Noah decided. "I’ll do it. But I’ll only give you a gold coin discount." Valeria sheathed her sword. "Make it two." "No." "I’ll give you two lessons." Noah weighed his options. Basic sword skills might actually be useful, especially with the demons attacking the city. "Fine." Valeria’s smile was pure victory. "Smart choice, baker. Eleven coins for tea, bread, and two private lessons from an Adept? You are winning." After giving her the bread and tea, Valeria took them and placed the eleven golden coins on the counter with a clink. "Are you free for lessons now?" Her eyes shone with mischief. Noah hesitated before nodding. "Alright, let’s go," Valeria smirked, already heading for the door. Noah grabbed a loaf of bread from the shelf and tucked it into his jacket. You never know what could happen outside. Better prepared than sorry. He followed her out, closing the shop door behind him with a sense of foreboding. ... The Silver Wolf Guild hall appeared in front of him, a sturdy stone building with a wolf’s head carved above the entrance. Guards nodded respectfully as Valeria approached. "Training yards in the back," she called over her shoulder. Noah hurried to keep pace. "I thought maybe we’d start with some theory first? Maybe a lecture on proper sword etiquette?" Valeria laughed at him. "What’s so funny?" "Theory gets you killed. We learn by doing." The training yard opened before them—a packed-dirt rectangle surrounded by weapon racks, training dummies, and benches where off-duty guild members watched him with obvious interest. His clothes were things they hadn’t seen before. Furthermore, he was following their leader. "Everyone, this is Noah the Baker," Valeria announced. "He’s learning swordplay. Don’t kill him." A chorus of chuckles greeted this announcement. "Reassuring," Noah muttered. Valeria approached a weapons rack, selecting a battered iron shortsword. She tossed it toward Noah, who flinched aside, letting it clatter to the ground. "First lesson failed," she sighed. "Always catch your weapon." Noah eyed the sword with suspicion. "Can’t we start with something less... lethal? A stick, maybe?" "This isn’t garden play," Valeria countered, hefting her own steel blade. "Real enemies use real weapons." "And real weapons cause real death," Noah pointed out. "Which I’m trying to avoid." Their staring contest lasted ten seconds before Valeria relented with an eye-roll. She replaced the iron sword and retrieved two wooden training blades from a nearby barrel. "Fine. Wouldn’t want to damage the princess’s favorite baker." She tossed one to Noah, who managed to catch it this time. "Happy?" "Ecstatic."