CHAPTER 294: QUILL!?

When Grey stepped out the door, the mature woman froze, her eyes widening in surprise before her face brightened with a smile full of excitement.

"What’s your name?" Grey asked curiously.

"My name is Sophie," she replied softly, a tear glimmering at the corner of her eye.

Grey rubbed the back of his head with a helpless expression. "Cough, cough..." He hadn’t even realized how much he’d neglected her until now, enough to make her look as though she might burst into tears.

"Come inside," he said lightly, turning back toward the shop.

Sophie hurried after him, following him into his simple room.

***

The people around were secretly observing Grey’s every movement, curiosity flickering in their eyes.

"Is he finally tired of playing with Lucy?" one of them muttered with a sneer.

Lucy, stationed at the counter, twitched her ears at the remark but remained composed, continuing her work as if she hadn’t heard a thing.

But the truth was, these weren’t ordinary customers, they were spies.

Grey’s strength was unfathomable. He had single-handedly crushed one of the strongest kingdoms, a feat so terrifying that to many he was less a man and more a ticking time bomb, ready to detonate at will, unstoppable once unleashed.

Every "customer" here was a spy, whether from this kingdom or another, all gathered for a single purpose: to observe the monster.

***

Inside, Grey lazily slumped into his chair in comfort and asked with a neutral tone, "What do you need from me?"

"Umm." Sophie hesitated, her legs curled with hesitation as she just stood without a movement of her own.

"Sigh, sit and calm down first." Grey gestured to the chair opposite him.

"Yes." Sophie gulped and sat on the chair with a tentative expression.

"Now, tell me what’s going on and what you need."

"I..." She closed her eyes and hurriedly said, "I am the princess of this kingdom."

"Huh?" Grey looked at her, stunned on the spot. "What is a princess doing here then, and following me no less?"

"Well, I am an illegitimate princess..." she spoke, her head downcast.

"An illegitimate princess, huh." Grey was amused when he heard this.

Somehow, he seemed to have become a magnet to princesses, Lucy was a princess, and now here, Sophie was also a princess. Hey, he wasn’t complaining though.

"What do you need from me?"

"I need protection." Sophie bit her lips. "The crown prince/princess selection is two days from now, and even though I don’t want to participate, all are required to. I just need protection for my life."

"Ho." Grey rubbed his forehead. This kingdom was weaker than Lucy’s kingdom, so it was no problem for him to walk through this place easily, especially since he had the Mythical Clone Grimoire.

It was even easier for him to fight even a Book Taming Grandmaster.

But...

"What will I get?" Grey asked, staring at her with a neutral expression.

Although it was a bit of a scummy move, he wasn’t running a charity here. If he did work for free, then maybe more people would pile up on it. Being generous wasn’t his language, and he needed to be compensated for it.

"Yes, I have it." She gulped softly and pulled a crimson feather from her pocket.

The instant Grey’s gaze fell upon it, his pupils trembled as if bewitched. His spiritual energy surged violently, exploding within his body like a storm breaking free of its cage.

"This..." Grey exhaled deeply, steadying himself as it took several moments before the rampaging energy within him finally settled. When it did, he turned his eyes back to her, confusion flickering within them, "What is this?"

"This is an ancient artifact. It is said to be a feather from the legendary Sacred Flame Beast rumored to have transformed into a Mythical Grimoire." Sophie paused before continuing.

"There’s no confirmation of the legend, but using this quill to write in a Grimoire increases your strength by at least one-tenth and allows you to harness your Spiritual Qi more efficiently."

"I see..." Grey’s eyes lingered on the quill. The temptation was undeniable but he wanted to confirm it just in case, "How did you get it?"

Sophia’s gaze hardened as she spoke firmly with an unquestionable tone, "You don’t need to know how I obtained it but would this be enough for you to protect me?"

"Ha." He took a deep breath. "I will be honest with you, the reward you are giving me feels unfair. However, it is tempting to me; such a thing might finally help me to use a Mythical Grimoire. So I will help."

"Thank you." Sophie smiled and directly handed him the feather.

Grey took the feather and curiously observed it. "Is it authentic, Lilith?"

A bright red light flashed as a huge Grimoire hovered in front of his eyes.

"Yeah, it’s pretty authentic. I am impressed with the quality of the quill. If you wrote with it in a Fire Grimoire, its power would be enhanced even further."

"Interesting," Grey commented.

"Is that the Diamond Grimoire?" Sophie exclaimed.

"Yeah, girl," Lilith replied before Grey could.

"That’s amazing," she mumbled, looking at the ominous form of Lilith, with a skull-like shape to it.

"I can let you borrow her if you want," Grey said with an expressionless face.

"Really?" Sophie was excited.

"Don’t joke, dear," Lilith shyly nudged his shoulder and then whispered in an extremely hoarse and cold voice, "Otherwise, you will face the consequences."

"Alright, alright." Grey felt a strange shiver down his spine and hurriedly spoke to Sophie:

"I will protect you throughout the coronation, but I won’t help you become the crown princess. Will that be fine?"

"Perfect." Sophie’s expression lit up.

"Alright."

Both of them went out of his room.

Grey glanced around at the customers before shaking his head. His gaze then softened as he turned to Lucy, a small smile playing on his lips, "I’ll be out for two days. Take care until I get back."

Lucy flinched slightly at his words but managed a nod. "Okay."