Restart Again: Volume 2 by Adam Scott (hardest books to read txt) 📕

have that drawn up for you at once,” she replied with a smile before turning to me. “And for you, sir?”

“I will also be needing a bath, but I’d like to visit your tailor first,” I answered. “We’ll both be looking for a hot meal afterwards.”

“Naturally! If you’ll both follow me, I can show you to your destinations!” She spun on her heels and led us through a maze of corridors, some of which looked vaguely familiar from our first tour through the keep. She stopped abruptly at a seemingly random, unmarked door. “This is our tailor’s office. I will lead the young miss to the baths while you are served here, and return to guide you when you’ve finished.”

“Thank you, Tess,” I answered. “I’ll see you soon, Lia.” I sent out a quick pulse of mana, making sure that Lia was fully enveloped in the energy.

Her eyebrows flicked up briefly in surprise before she returned the gesture. “See you soon!” she said with a knowing smile.

I entered the room and closed the door behind me, making sure to keep a close eye on Lia and Tess through my Detection. Scanning the room around me, I was impressed by the incredible amount of product that had managed to be stuffed into the relatively small room. The walls to my left and right were lined floor to ceiling with wooden cubicles, each holding a cloth basket labeled with what appeared to be an arbitrary numbering system. Likewise, the floor was packed so tightly with display racks of shirts, jackets, pants, and dresses that I couldn’t find a clear path through the room.

An elderly man in an elegant cerulean suit appeared from behind a large stack of crates near the back corner of the room. “Good afternoon, my good sir! How can I be of service today?”

“I’m looking to acquire a pair of gloves. Something comfortable, but still strong and dexterous enough to be effective for manual labor,” I answered.

“Excellent! If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to the fitting table, and we can—”

“Actually, I was hoping you might have something already prepared,” I interrupted. “I’m on a bit of a time crunch today.”

He nodded. “Of course, of course. Bins thirteen, nine, three, and twenty-seven should have what you are looking for. Check eighteen if you need something a bit more rugged.” His hand gestured to the back-right corner of the room as he enumerated the baskets. “If I may ask, what has led you here today? Are you a new officer? Perhaps one of Gullen’s new guardsmen?”

“Oh. I’m, erm…” I fished through the pouch on my belt and retrieved the writ stamped with the King’s seal. “I’m here on business.”

The man’s eyes widened as he examined the paper, and he quickly folded in a deep bow. “Say no more. Please let me know if you need anything else; it would be my honor to serve you.”

“Sure. Thank you,’ I said awkwardly, carefully stepping my way through the packed room to the designated bins. I turned the small scroll end over end in my hand absentmindedly, my mind distracted by the interaction. That was...odd. Is this scroll really that important to these people? I tucked it carefully back into my pouch and pulled out the first of the specified baskets. After a few minutes of searching, I found what I was looking for: a pair of long black gloves made from incredibly soft silk, but reinforced on the palms with woven strips of leather.

After verifying they fit comfortably over my hands and beneath my leather bracers, I cleared my throat and waved to the shop attendant as I began to plot my course to the exit. “I’ve found what I was looking for. Thanks for the help.”

“It was my pleasure!” he responded jovially, giving me another deep bow. “If it’s not too much trouble, please give the King my regards.”

“Can do,” I called out over my shoulder, hopping over a haphazard pile of cloth reams and shouldering the door open. As promised, Tess was waiting for me just across the hall, and we set off towards the baths without delay. While we walked, I watched Lia through my Detection with amusement. She had just come to the realization that the three women in the elegant bath chamber were her attendants, and much to her apparent dismay, intended to assist her with her bathing. After a great deal of sputtering, she was able to convince them to face away while she removed her armor and clothing, only allowing them to return when she had entered the water. Despite her initial trepidation, she soon warmed up to the attendants as they brushed out her hair and scrubbed her back, and her face took on a dreamy, blissful look.

My bath was already prepared and steaming when we arrived, complete with a trio of my own female attendants. I felt a targeted rush of jealousy from Lia’s presence at the back of my mind, followed quickly by relief and embarrassment when I sent them all away without a second thought. Once the room was empty, I stripped off my clothing and gingerly lowered myself into the oversized ornate bathtub. The steaming water was uncomfortably warm to start, but as the knotted muscles in my back began to release, I sank deeper into the water with a relieved sigh. After a few minutes of relaxation, I scrubbed myself down with the provided soap and pumice stone, and emerged feeling refreshed and ready for the trials ahead.

Lia and I met up with Tess outside our respective chambers and followed her to a small dining room where a feast had been set out for us. Our table was set for eight, but nobody else arrived to eat with us as we began to pile our plates with food. The offering was incredibly varied and far too large for the two of us: platters of fresh fruits and vegetables, trays of beautiful pastries and cakes, and multiple preparations of fish,