Fei and Mordred finished their morning training, drenched in sweat. As usual, Fei collapsed, ending up with his head on Mordred’s lap. Having lost his left eye, Fei’s narrowed field of vision left him struggling to move as he wished.
“……”
“Good morning, Dear Fei. As promised, let’s head to the prosthetic eye shop.”
“…Yeah.”
Fei, Mordred, and an extra—Alicia—set off for the prosthetic eye shop. Along the way, Mordred clung to Fei’s arm. Her voluptuous chest pressed against him, but Fei remained utterly unfazed. Meanwhile, the male adventurers around them bit their lips in envy.
“…Bet they’re all over each other in private.”
“Flashing that woman around, you happy now? Ugh, look at him, arm all cozy like that… So annoying… I mean, jealous.”
“Seriously. Not jealous at all, right? Ugh, hate it… Would never wanna be like that… So jealous.”
“Wish I could walk around with a woman like that… So jealous.”
“That ghostly girl trailing behind them is cute too.”
“Wait… Isn’t that Fei the One-Eyed?”
“Huh? Who? You know him?”
“Idiot, you heard about yesterday, right? An adventurer who lost an eye?”
“Oh, the one that sewer rat accidentally shot—”
He never finished. Fei’s gaze snapped toward them, and a crushing pressure fell. The adventurers instantly averted their eyes and fell silent.
“—Tch.”
Without another word, Fei’s group walked away. Once the air lightened, the adventurers resumed their chatter.
Watching this exchange, a certain duo spoke. A male adventurer known as [The Informant]—Muscoy—and another male adventurer, Sucoy, who wrote articles for the Free City’s newspapers. Muscoy was a burly, rugged middle-aged man, while Sucoy was slender, verging on middle age.
The two drank as they discussed the one-eyed man.
“One-Eyed… That his epithet now?”
“Yep. And that blonde beauty with him, you saw her?”
“The one shoving her obscenely huge chest against him?”
“Nah, the one trailing behind him. She’s got an epithet too, but… damn, what was her name? Ali… Ali… Sorry, One-Eyed’s too memorable—I forgot.”
“Come on, man. I can’t write an article like this. Well, whatever. What’s her epithet?”
“The Ghost.”
“Hah? What’s that mean?”
“Sticks to One-Eyed like a shadow, never leaves his side. Rumor says she mooches off him for meals and lodging too.”
“Wow. Total leech… ‘The Ghost,’ huh? What about the other beauty?”
“No clue… But damn, she’s a stunner. Bet he’s banging her.”
“Lucky bastard… You think they’re doing threesomes?”
“Probably.”
“Dream life… Maybe if I lose an eye, I’ll get a harem too.”
“Not something to joke about. He didn’t choose to lose it. And it just happened yesterday. Guy’s probably still raw inside. Heard he’s only been in the Free City for three days.”
“Rough… Maybe I’ll skip writing about him…”
“Yeah, do that. And… you really don’t wanna mess with him. That pressure just now? That wasn’t human.”
“True. If that’d been aimed at me… yikes.”
“You’re an adventurer first, a reporter second. Remember: some lines you never cross. That guy? He is the Rhine.”
“That bad?”
“…This is off the record, but… Apparently, on his very first day here, he got into a life-or-death fight with a lizardman on the first floor and ended up seriously wounded.”
“No way.”
“On the second day, he clashed with that serial killer. And even though he was half-dead, he somehow survived and got rescued.”
“No way… And then on the third day, he loses an eye… Is he cursed or something?”
“Dunno. But if you misjudge the distance with the one-eyed man… you’ll get devoured.”
“…R-Right. I’ll try not to get involved with him. I won’t write about this. That good? But… what about the others?”
“There are some real scumbags in Free City who write the nastiest articles… The one-eyed guy and his crew might get dragged into some serious trouble. And speaking of rumors, that ‘Sewer rat’ nickname? Some say the whole bad rep started because of those same shady articles.”
“Sewer rat… You mean the one who messed up and fired by accident… And in the end, he didn’t even get punished, right?”
“So it seems. No clue what the one-eyed guy’s thinking. But something’s… brewing.”
“……”
“Call it a veteran’s intuition… But things are about to get rough. The times… they’re changing.”
The arrival of the One-Eyed… It felt like the dawn of a new era.
The Free City sprawled like a vast maze. Main streets were relatively straightforward, with major hubs like Legion’s headquarters nearby.
But venture further, and the paths narrowed, lifeless and winding.
Fei’s group walked in silence. After a while, Mordred stopped at a modest house and knocked. A weary woman’s voice answered from inside.
“It’s open.”
“…Pardon the intrusion.”
Inside, an elderly woman—glasses perched on her nose—looked up from her book at the newcomers.
“Well, well. You showing up here… Goblins gonna rain from the sky tomorrow?”
“Who knows? Don’t ask me. More importantly—the prosthetic eye, Fermi?”
“Tch. Just ‘cause I used to work for you, now you’re bossing me around?”
“Not at all. You sell them here, don’t you? So sell us one.”
The white-haired, hunched Fermi sighed, closing her book. Her gaze shifted to Fei, his arms still crossed.
“For him?”
“Yes. Dear Fei needs one. A party member… misfired yesterday.”
“Ah. So he’s the famous One-Eyed. And what, you’re telling me this isn’t your man?”
“Wish I could say otherwise, but… not currently.”
Fermi and Mordred bickered like old acquaintances. Alicia, curious, cut in.
“Wait, you two know each other?”
“Yes. She’s my former servant.”
“Former?”
“I was once a noble’s daughter. The family fell, but she served us then.”
“WHAT?! You were nobility?!”
“Slow, aren’t you? My elegance should’ve made it obvious.”
“No, it wasn’t! There’s zero ‘elegance’ overflowing!”
“Dear Fei, were you surprised?”
“No… I had my suspicions.”
“Ohhh♪ You saw through my noble aura? How exceptional♪”
Alicia gaped. Fei, however, stood silent, detached—as if none of this mattered.
There was no surprise in his reaction. As if he had truly understood it all along. Like someone completely detached—showing no interest in this déjà vu presence—he waited silently for the conversation to end.
His demeanor was the polar opposite of Alicia’s. And Alicia’s shock only deepened as Fermi, as if to drive the point home, continued speaking.
“And she’s not just any noble. Her lineage traces back to Arthur, the Primordial Hero.”
“WH—?! You’re… way more impressive than I thought…”
“Hardly relevant. Now, Fermi—the prosthetic eye, if you would?”
“Impatient brat… Fine. Boy, let’s see that eye.”
“…”
Mordred released Fei’s arm. He removed his eyepatch, revealing the bloodstained socket.
“Alright… Time for surgery— Wait, the anesthetic’s expired… Can’t operate like this—”
“Don’t need it. Just do it.”
“You’re quite the impatient one, aren’t you? How do you expect to perform surgery without anesthesia? The pain will be unbearable.”
“I’m fully aware. That’s precisely why I’m saying this.”
“…You’re insane. Rather than enduring that, just wait while I go buy—”
“—Dear Fermi… We’ll proceed as Dear Fei says.”
“…Are you out of your mind?”
“Yes. If Dear Fei says it’s unnecessary, then it’s unnecessary.”
“What’s with these two…? This will be excruciating, you understand? Prepare yourself.”
(He actually endured the entire surgery without anesthesia… What kind of person… Not a single scream… Not even a twitch of his brow…)
(His body is drenched in sweat… His flesh is clearly screaming in agony. Yet he shows absolutely no sign of it… Is this what they mean when they say the mind transcends the body?)
(In all my long years… I’ve never met a man like this…)
(It’s not that he doesn’t feel pain… Which would make him a genius of endurance…)
“So this is the prosthetic eye?”
“Y-yes, exactly. Though you should wear an eyepatch for a while to get accustomed—”
“I see… Does it have any special abilities?”
“Of course not. It’s just a prosthetic. A substitute.”
“I see.”
“Though… some magical eyes can be transplanted. Those special substitutes do have unique abilities.”
“…I see.”
(No anesthesia… Even with anesthesia, connecting optic nerves is agonizing… Now I understand why Mordred is so taken with him. That girl who never showed interest in any man before is now completely devoted… Must take after her mother in that regard. I never thought this boy resembled either parent… And this man who’s captured Mordred’s heart… Somehow…)
Fermi stares intently at Fei, but has forgotten where. Frustrated by her inability to remember, she frowns.
(Where was it again…? Getting old makes you forgetful, and it’s such a pain… It wasn’t when I was [Romeo] and serving as captain. Back when I was drifting between houses… Can’t recall, huh…?)
“Dear Fei, if it’s about the payment for the prosthetic eye, I shall cover it for you.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“Oh, but it is. After all, what you have on hand now is far from enough.”
“…I see.”
“Yes, but there’s no need to feel pressured. This is simply an investment—much like what you do, Dear Fei♪ I have quite the confidence in my wealth, you see.”
“…I’ll pay you back eventually.”
“No need. I’ve already received more than enough in return… Please, don’t trouble yourself over it.”
Mordred hands Fermi a gemstone-like mineral in place of payment.
“You carry gems around? You’re a strange one.”
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