"Just walk in front of me, okay?" I said, unable to lift her on my shoulders through these alleyways.
She walked in front of me, holding onto my hand, while I curved my arm around her shoulders.
With my other hand around my sword, making sure that she would not be in its way.
I thought it was bad enough at night, but even during the day... it will always be just as disgusting.
I sneaked a glance at the cheerful girl that walked in front of me with the stiffness of the elderly.
I sucked my lips in—swallowing my laughter.
But that feeling disappeared,
"Sir... give me something... please"
Sir? I walked on, forcing myself not to sneak a glance at the woman.
I looked at the ground in front of Mim.
Luckily the vermin are hidden while the sun is out...
We had finally arrived at the last place I saw yesterday,
The guildhouse
As I walked towards it,
Would Eden be here again?
It made me stop my forward stride, and continued to the west.
"You can open your eyes now."
"Okayy, thank you!" She said, while opening her eyes.
She luckily never asks questions about this stuff.
While we walked down the streets, we were unable to find anything.
I turned around looking at the lights that reached us even in broad daylight,
We sadly won't be able to enter...
The only thing I saw around here, were worn out inns and cafes.
They may be poisonous...
I looked at the opposite side,
The people there will be troublesome— I lowered my head to Mim who was humming next to me.
Especially with a little girl around...
Even the streets here are bad.
Kage was a lawless place where people would flee to—especially criminals—not knowing what was waiting for them.
I luckily know every corner here... along with the weapon that repels most people.
We continued down the streets, holding onto my sword tighter than ever before,
Why are so many people staring at us?
"Sigh..." I slightly loosened my grip around the handle as it started to bury itself into my skin.
My eyes drifted down at the girl in front of me,
I did leave some loaves of bread before I left for the job, but it was not a lot...
I felt conflicted,
She hasn't said anything about being hungry...
I looked down the road we came from,
Should we just walk back to the guild house? The food there is good... and the people will hold themselves back...
But that man...
"Sigh... Mim let's turn back, I know a good place."
"Okay~ I'll follow you big brother!"
As we turned around and walked a few more steps, something caught my eyes,
Isn't he walking too close?
A hooded man, in a dark veil walked opposite of us—down my left side.
While he approached I could hear him from underneath his veil,
"Aghhw..."
Silent breathing came from underneath that hood, breathing like a man withheld from food for too long—on the verge of starving, as food appeared right in front of him.
Disgusting. My teeth bit into my lower lip, my grip tightening enough for my fingers to lose their color.
His elbow peeked out of his robe, with his palm slightly showing at the end of it.
I prepared to move both of my arms in sync,
I knew it.
As soon as Mim got in his reach, his hand left his veil.
Not a moment passed before his hand had landed on the floor, having covered her eyes before his hand even showed.
Huh? I didn't mean to do that.
Alongside his hand he lay on the floor.
He was unable to scream, rolling around, while holding his throat together with his remaining hand—choking himself out.
Why did I cut through his hand that easily?
At least it didn't splash on us. I swung the blood off my blade, and sheathed it.
I felt my palm vibrate as I started walking,
"Let... me... go!"
It was a muffled sound, my hand started to get wet.
"Sorry, wait just a bit longer." I increased my speed as I walked past him, with no one around us batting an eye at this sight.
After I walked far enough, I took my hand off her face,
"Finally, you let me go! Stupid, it hurts!" She pointed her finger at me.
"Sorry, sorry... it was urgent, will you forgive me?" She didn't even glance my way, pouting as she walked,
"I will buy you a nice meal?"
She turned around, with her face lit up once again,
"I forgive you!"
We continued down the road, and nothing happened anymore.
I pushed the door open, announcing our entrance with the chime.
From the first word we had exchanged I felt that there was something off,
Something was strange about him...
Let it be someone else...
And as the first lights reached my eyes,
"Sigh..."
It was someone that I did not recognize,
He looks a few decades older than Eden.
The rest of my senses came back, and I could feel Mim's grip tighten around my hand, hiding slightly behind me.
I tilted my head when I saw it, but as I looked up everything got explained,
It's just as busy as yesterday.
The day had just passed noon after all.
There were a copious amount of eyes looking over—even more than yesterday.
But it was to be expected, there was a young girl walking here after all.
"Good morning sir, can we eat something here?" I asked him, having grabbed my guild card beforehand.
"Sorry?" I raised my eyebrow as the worker kept silent—just staring at me.
"S-sorry—good morning, young master! Are you lost?" He ignored what I said.
"Young master?"
"S-sorry how do you want me to address you?"
"I'm Tjer. Why would you even think of calling me young master?"
"Well... you're dressed ....." His eyes went up and down again.
I lowered my head to Mim, who explained what he said,
I am dressed as a noble!?
"Huh?!" Heat quickly spread all the way to my ears.
"Hahahahaha, brother you look like a to—."
She knew she had to stop, after meeting my gaze.
"But why are you wearing those clothes?" His smile disappeared, and his face was tense.
Even in Kage the murder of a noble wouldn't go unpunished.
"The guy from yesterday... Eden! He gave this to me. That fu—"
"That idiot." I said, clenching my fist—keeping myself from trembling.
"He did tell me about a Tjer... so you're that Tjer?" His face had started to relax.
"Yes?"
"Sigh... Eden did tell me about a prank he did, and that I will find out tomorrow." He closed his eyes and hung his head,
"He truly is a strange guy..."
I nodded along at his last comment.
"But sorry I was rather... startled. What was your request again?"
"Can we get something to eat here?"
"You know I'm not Eden right?" He said as if he could read my face, knowing what I hoped for.
I should have acted like a noble...
"No, no of course not—we'll pay for it."
I felt a soft pull on my sleeve. I lowered my head as she whispered,
"Are you sure we can pay for it?" Her lower lip trembling as she spoke.
"Don't worry—I am a changed man!" I straightened my back, and patted her head.
"In that case you can choose the table you'd like to sit at, and you can go to the lady over there to order." He pointed toward the table behind us, where a woman stood on the right side—opposite of the stairs.
"Okay—thank you very much, sir."
We turned around and walked over to the tables he pointed at, recounting the money we had,
It's not going to be a problem.
As we sat down, I asked her to read me the menu.
"Yesterday I ate something really nice, it's called steak. Do you want to try it?"
"Yes!... Uhm, what is it?"
"It's a really big piece of meat, big enough to fill you for the entire week!" I grinned as I explained it to her.
She played with her fingers, asking me,
"Really... but would it not be too expensive?" She tilted her gaze slightly down already.
"It's a bit pricey, but your big brother got paid well, so don't worry—see it as a celebration!" A big smile appeared on her face after I finished speaking.
After which Mim looked up at me, almost shining as she said,
"In that case I'd love to have it!"
How much did I even eat yesterday?
I recounted the prices Mim gave me, and with each number I counted, the more I had to focus on keeping my expression steady.
I forced my mouth together as a gulp echoed inside my throat.
It was 70 Hansea...?
"You can look it over yourself, and tell me what you want—okay?" I covered my face—I had promised too much already.
She had fallen silent after I waited, while she stared at the menu,
"Have you decided yet?"
"Isn't the steak a bit too expensive?" She turned towards me.
"No, no—don't worry. I have enough." I waved my hand in front of my face.
"Okay~, if you say so big brother." Her finger slid over the menu.
Please have mercy...
"Can I have two pieces of steak, two bowls of soup, two loaves of bread, and a cup of milk?"
This is fate playing with me... we're too alike.
"Okay, come with me—you might need to translate for me..."
She was able to hear others, and I could still understand her—she was my only way to communicate with others.
After we reached the counter, I looked up and saw a woman towering over the counter, dwarfing both Eden and the man from today—two already big men.
Is this why she can work here?
My neck was hurting as I tried to meet her eyes,
"Good morning, could I have two pieces of steak, two bowls of soup, two loaves of bread, and a cup of milk?"
"Good morning, okay that'd be—" She met us with a smile, but even then I could feel my arms tremble.
"Add another piece of steak, with five loaves of bread, and a cup of milk."
"Oh uh.. sorry for interrupting." I shifted my gaze away from her.
"No, no don't worry—it happens. That would be 86 Hansea."
That is all I have...
My lips slightly curved out,
"Sorry... can I remove the second order?"
"Yes of course, it is 51 Hansea now"
I felt a shiver run down my spine as I held my purse in my moist hands,
This is my fault... I should be careful with money around her from now on... I stole a glance at Mim.
I had sorted the seal and mark purses, which had helped me out more than I expected.
I gave her five seals and one mark.
"This should be enough right?"
As she brought her face closer to mine—hanging over the counter—I knew what was coming,
Thank you...
I leaned forward as well, as she whispered,
"Sorry Tjer, I forgot to tell you. I have a discount for you, don't tell the master this, okay?" She shifted her eyes over to the man on her right, and then to me with a nod.
It was clear why she knew my name, my lips were pulled up by a smile,
"I promise," I brought my hand to my heart and nodded back.
"Here are the two seals you overpaid." Without a single pause she repeated our order.
"The order was two pieces of steak, two bowls of soup, two loaves of bread, and one cup of milk. Is that right?"
Thinking about it... I am quite hungry.
"Yes, but you can add one more steak."
I gave her a single seal back.
"Okay, thank you—you can wait at your table."
"Thank you very much for your help!"
I said with a glistening smile covering my entire face.
We reached the table when Mim asked me,
"Brother why are you smiling?"
"You won't understand it—it's adult business, Mim." Both rows of my teeth showed themselves.
"You are acting stupid." She pushed her lips out.
"You will understand it when you grow up." I had covered my teeth, but I couldn't hold my grin back.
After waiting for a while longer the food arrived.
As we looked over the food, I heard a gulp left of me,
"It's amazing right?" I had turned to her.
"But didn't you order too little?" Her lower lip was curved slightly.
"No! I just wasn't hungry after yesterday..." I scratched the back of my head.
Before she could ask me anything else,
"Let's start eating!"
"Yes!" She already held the fork in her hand, with the widest smile I'd ever seen on her.
Night had already started to fall as the man's shadow stretched across Tjer's house.
"Sir Ewan... his father is truly as delusional as we had heard." The words drifted quietly through the air, from the mouth hidden beneath his black hood.
Seven figures stood behind him—all veiled in dark red.
Their shadows merged into a single point—forming the outline of a cage.
The man clad in black closed his eyes, able to feel the house's interior even from a distance.
He stretched his arm to his side, and turned his thumb downward.
All seven passed by him, dropping silently down the low-hanging roofs.
The one at the back pointed at the door as the three frontmost broke it down—destroying the hinges with the handles of their weapons.
The first man jumped down along with the door.
A loud bang could be heard as the door hit the floor—air rushed through the room, and alongside it came the shadows.
They had not realized it yet.
But sir—
That was no mere delusion.