My Goddess is a Tsundere

The sun sat high in the sky over the calm streets of Gren. The streets were clear; people went to their jobs, or, in most cases, adventurers made their way to the dungeon.

Currently, Eir and Bane were walking through some back roads to get to Old Grey's as fast as possible.

"Bane, do you know where we are?" Eir said, annoyed, looking around at the trash-filled back alley they had been walking through.

"Yes, Eir, I do," Bane said with a shaky grin. However, Bane did not know where he was. He knew the general direction of Old Grey's and thought that taking the back alley would be quicker. Currently, they'd made a dozen left and right turns and had been walking for twenty minutes. It was natural for Eir to question him.

Eir stopped. "Bane, you know that if you lie to a god, you'll be judged harsher in the afterlife." Just after she said this, Bane stopped too and turned with a guilty smile on his face.

"Ah—okay, I'm lost. I knew that Grey's was in that direction," Bane said, pointing off toward the slums he grew up in. "But I got lost. I'm sorry."

Eir gnashed her teeth and balled her hands into fists, ready to explode at the innocent Bane. But she reined in her emotions and calmly answered him.

"I understand. Then let's keep going until you know where we are. Sound like a plan?" Bane nodded.

'That's what I was already doing,' Bane thought to himself as they continued their journey through the alleys.

Bane couldn't help but keep looking to the top left of his vision. The box that displayed his status was constantly in his view. He hoped it was something he could ignore, but so far, it was proving a challenge for the young man.

The rest of the walk was mostly quiet until the two of them reached a main road for the first time in half an hour.

"Finally!" As childish as ever, Eir threw her hands up and stepped out of the alley and into the main road. However, after Bane and many others shot her embarrassed looks, she shrunk into herself.

"I know where we are, Eir. We're only a few minutes away from Old Grey's," Bane said, smiling.

"Okay, let's go." Her cool, calm demeanor returned, though her face still stung red with embarrassment.

The shift from the city to the slums happened abruptly. The road turned from a brick walkway to a dirt and mud path. Buildings that stood tall, made from white brick and the highest quality wood, turned into clay structures and knotted oak. Eir looked around and made a comparison.

"It's just like the building I bought," Eir said, looking around pitifully at the homes.

"Yeah, most of the outskirts are like this," Bane said. In Gren, as you got closer to the city, the more well-off people were. Practically all of the outskirts of Gren were slums.

"Well, let's get going. It's just down this way," Bane said, pointing down the muddy path.

Children of the slums peered through broken windows or cracked doors at the two of them. Most of them recognized Bane to some extent, but Eir was out of place. She wore plain clothes but had an ethereal aura and looked clean, while most of the slum's inhabitants were the opposite.

Through the watchful eyes of the slums, the two of them eventually made it to Old Grey's, which also seemed out of place compared to the rest of the buildings around.

This was the only building since entering the slums that had intact windows and was built soundly. A paper hung in one of the windows that read, "Open." Bane read that and walked inside, with Eir just behind him.

A bell above the door clinked as they made their way inside. After a moment, footsteps could be heard from behind the counter, where an old man emerged from a doorway.

"Well, if it isn't Bane," the old man said, looking at the boy fondly.

"Hello, Mr. Grey. How are you today?" Bane said, giving a light bow. Noticing that, Eir quickly followed suit, her hair shaking as she lowered her head to match Bane.

"No need to be so formal. Raise your heads. Who is this?" Mr. Grey said, looking at Eir with a tinge of surprise.

"This is—"

"I am Bane's goddess, Eir, the goddess of mercy. It's a pleasure, Mr. Grey," Eir interrupted Bane to introduce herself, making an awkward pose. Though the man didn't mention it.

"Wow, Bane, you really did it. You joined a faction? And with such a beautiful goddess, I bet you're happy," Mr. Grey said, smiling and teasing Bane.

Bane's face flushed slightly, and so did Eir's as she glanced at Bane to see his reaction. "Yeah, I'm a true adventurer now, so you can probably guess why I'm here," Bane said, ignoring Mr. Grey's teasing.

"I can't believe you actually did it. All those years of promise and ambition paid off," the man said, smiling and reminiscing about the past and Bane's actions up until now. "I assume you're looking for some equipment."

Bane nodded. "Yes, I am, but we have very little funds."

"Well, the more things change, the more they stay the same. I wouldn't expect you to get rich overnight. How much do you have?" Mr. Grey asked.

"10,000 shill," Bane said, to which Mr. Grey's eyes widened.

"10,000 won't get you something from Hephaestus, but I'm sure you can find something here that will fit your liking. And who knows? I may be generous today and give a discount," Mr. Grey said, hinting by raising his eyebrow.

"W-Would you really do that?" Bane asked.

"I think I can afford it. Don't expect too much. How about I give you twenty percent off?"

"Really?"

"Yes, really. It's the least I can do to help out a fellow slum rat with a heart like you," Mr. Grey said, smiling gently.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Grey," Bane said.

With that, Mr. Grey went back to the room behind the counter, while Eir and Bane looked through the shop.

They walked around the shop, looking at some of the more pristine armor sets and weapons before making their way over to the corner of the shop, which housed cheap merchandise. Extremely light cloth armor and less-than-ideal swords were hung on the wall and laid out in boxes on the floor. This was the only section with items they could afford.

"Well, at least we can buy something," Bane said, kneeling down to pick up a sword.

"Yeah, and Mr. Grey seems really nice, giving us twenty percent off," Eir spoke, smiling.

[New Skill!]

[Appraisal: LV 1]

Bane stood, observing the sword in silence. Eir's smile slowly faded after a minute passed.

"Is everything okay, Bane?" Eir asked, concerned. The weapon he was holding was nothing special—a white short sword as long as Bane's arm—but he was looking at it so intently.

"I can see…" His words faded as he continued staring at the sword.

"See what?"

"Everything." Before Bane was a light blue box, awfully similar to the one he saw with the message and his status.

"What?" Eir asked, flustered.

"I learned a skill, Appraisal. I can see what this weapon… is."

The blue holographic box read as follows:

Name: Basic Short Sword

Forger: Alfred Grey

Description: A durable short sword, perfect for inexperienced adventurers.

"A new skill? Really?" Eir asked. Bane simply nodded.

'A new skill just for picking up a sword,' Bane thought, swallowing as a cool sweat formed on his forehead. 'Brilliant.'

Bane asked in a hushed voice, "People don't normally gain skills like this, right?" Eir quickly nodded.

"Yes, adventurers could take months to gain just one skill. This is incredible," Eir said, keeping her voice to a whisper. Bane nodded in agreement.

He picked up a few swords. It seemed the Appraisal ability was quite blunt. One read:

Name: Basic Short Sword

Forger: Alfred Grey

Description: One of Alfred Grey's worst works. Steer clear.

Bane could have come to a similar conclusion—the sword was unbalanced and had a chip in the blade.

'The skill says it's only level one, too?' Bane imagined the possibilities before him. 'Exciting.'

Bane stuck with the first sword he picked up, reading a tag on the handle: 3,000 shill. Bane deemed that a good price and sheathed it for later.

Bane moved to the armor, simply placing his hand on a set that caught his eye for a decent price: 9,000 shill.

The Appraisal skill worked on that too:

Name: Adventurer's Light Armor

Forgers: Alfred Grey and Phillip Moore

Description: A set for an agile novice adventurer. A durable, cheap set that can provide some protection.

Bane was taken aback. 'Amazing.' He could judge swords with some accuracy, but armor was an entirely different game.

Bane checked out a few of the other pieces, deeming the light armor the best.

Bane set the sword and the light armor on the counter, and, true to his word, Mr. Grey gave them the discount. They paid for the items, leaving the duo with just 400 shill to their names.

They exited the shop together, truly penniless.