I was taken aback. Compared to the time I realized that Kohru—the cute animal that turned out to be an Elvian pet—could become as ferocious as a tiger, this situation left me stunned. How could someone just appear out of nowhere and suddenly ask whether I was human or not? Even though I hadn't applied makeup to perfect my disguise, I was sure my appearance was enough to fool others.
A bead of cold sweat formed on my forehead. A fleeting thought crossed my mind—that this woman might be some sort of sorceress who could see through others. Perhaps she came from the capital and happened to run into me. A sense of unease washed over me. Trouble would come if people knew I was Haier-Elvian.
"M-Me? Not human? I don't understand what you mean," I protested, pretending not to understand.
"You know exactly what I mean, young one! Though your skin and hair are like a human's," with a flick of her wrist, suddenly her hand was inside my hood, and she gently stroked my long ears, running her fingers from the bottom to the top. I was too stunned to react, standing frozen like a marble statue in a garden for a moment, "but not the long ears you've hidden. A half-hearted camouflage technique."
The woman's smile spread, a look of satisfaction gleaming on her face. Still frozen in place, I decided it was time to make a swift exit. Though I bumped into several people and food carts along the crowded streets, I didn't slow down. There was no reason to look back. Whoever she was, she had already figured out my true nature. I had a bad feeling that my existence would bring trouble if discovered by this land.
After a few minutes of running, my stamina began to wear thin. My breath came in short gasps, sweat pouring down my body. My exhausted limbs carried me, forcing me to take a few more steps to reach a bench about five meters away. The thick, covered clothes I wore only made things worse. I was boiling with heat. Thankfully, the bench was in the shadow of a large building, providing some relief from the sun.
I waved my hand toward my neck, trying to cool myself. I wanted to take off my hood and let the cool breeze touch my face, but I didn't dare take that risk. I couldn't let anyone see my long ears.
I glanced around. This was a residential area at the edge of the city. The architecture of the houses in this neighborhood was rather plain and simple. It seemed like the homes of middle-class people. Luckily, I hadn't wandered into the noble district. Only authorized individuals could enter there, and ordinary people would be punished if they were caught.
A strong wind blew, easing the oppressive heat that clung to me. It dried my lips as well. I rubbed my dry throat. Thirst! There was no drinking fountain around here. Of course, the City Council—the authority that governed Glafelden—wouldn't bother to build a drinking fountain in this area. The shops were all closed, and the streets were empty. The windows and doors of the houses were tightly shut. It seemed like most of the people here had gone to the Sun Festival.
As I suffered from my fatigue and thirst, someone suddenly offered me a drink. "Here... drink this!"
I immediately grabbed the leather pouch she handed me and drank deeply. Cold orange juice. The perfect drink to quench my thirst. I emptied the pouch in moments. It felt so relieving.
"Thank you," I said, looking at the person who gave it to me. She was standing beside me, laughing. When I saw her face, I was shocked. "You? How did you get here?!"
The woman who had been in the square earlier was somehow now here. My eyes widened in disbelief. I wanted to run away, but my body wouldn't let me. My energy had been drained, and my legs felt like stone.
"You don't need to be so scared," she chuckled, sitting casually beside me. "It wasn't hard to catch up to you, you know? You ran while leaving an Esze trail. How foolish! You should have suppressed your Esze energy so it wouldn't leak out uncontrolled."
"Esze? What do you mean?"
After confirming that she wasn't as dangerous as I initially feared, I became more relaxed, curious about the word she had mentioned. Esze? It was the first time I had heard that term.
"What are you talking about? Don't joke with me! Even though your camouflage technique is far from perfect, someone using a disguise technique like yours would never fail to know about Esze."
I shook my head, still not understanding what she was saying. She should be answering the questions I wanted to ask, not making things more complicated.
The woman seemed startled. "Where did you come from? Didn't you know about yourself?"
I shook my head harder.
She slapped her forehead. "Oh my goodness! I can't believe there's an Elvian who doesn't know themselves."
"Elvian? I'm not Elvian, but—"
"Come with me!" The woman grabbed my arm and dragged me along, not bothering to explain where we were going.
We passed through streets leading to the southern city wall. The buildings made of stone were replaced with houses made of wood and tin. The layout of the neighborhood was irregular. Some houses jutted out into the road, while others blocked the street completely, forcing us to squeeze between them. The roads became narrower, impassable for horse-drawn carts. The roads were also damaged and muddy. At a glance, this area resembled a slum, like the ones in Jakarta.
If the previous area was neglected by the City Council, I was sure this part was completely ignored. They might have even erased it from the city map. This was truly an abandoned area.
"Where are we going?" I asked quietly, as the distance from the road to the doors of the houses was barely a meter wide. I didn't want my voice disturbing the people inside.
"Quiet and just follow me."
I followed her, trying to match my pace with hers, which was much faster. Along the way, I couldn't help but observe her more closely. Forgetting the question of "who is she really?", I found myself admiring her tall figure. She stood a little above my height. Her hair cascaded beautifully to her shoulders. Her skin was a warm brown, a perfect embodiment of a tropical beauty.
A moment later, we reached a small wooden house. It was a bit tricky climbing the three or four old steps to reach the porch. If you weren't careful, you might fall. The woman motioned for me to enter after she opened the door. The interior was modest, not what I expected from someone who could catch up to me so easily.
"Please, have a seat!"
I sat on the sofa in the living room, while the woman went into the small room beside it, which seemed to be the kitchen and dining area. I could tell from the long dining table and the stove inside.
My eyes scanned the surroundings. This 7x6 meter house had only four rooms. In addition to the living room, there was a bedroom, a kitchen, and a bathroom. It was quite small, but the woman had a lot of things. As a result, some of the furniture was stacked on top of each other, making the place resemble a warehouse for used goods. I didn't mind the disorganized state of the house. After all, the Dark Night Hunter's base was in worse condition.
This made me certain she wasn't someone with bad intentions. The woman came over and served me green tea that was still warm.
"Please drink!" she said.
Without thinking twice, I grabbed the small cup and took a sip. This was the first time I had tried green tea in this land. It tasted almost the same as I remembered.
"You must be wondering why I brought you here, right?" The woman seemed to know exactly what I was thinking. Her remark was spot on.
I nodded slowly.
"We should start with introductions first. My name is Almira. I'm just an ordinary bakery worker. At least, that's my identity in this land." The woman smiled faintly. As if sensing my confused expression, she snapped her fingers. That's when my eyes nearly popped out of my head. In an instant, her appearance changed. Her brown hair turned into a golden blonde, and her skin, once brown, turned as pale as marble. I was stunned as I watched her ears elongate upwards, almost a full inch. "But my true name is Elywien-Kri, a former scout from the Western Elvian Kingdom."
A small, knowing smile curled at the corner of her lips, as if there were many meanings behind it, meanings I didn't yet understand.