A shop owner calculates his profit on a shabby piece of paper. He sat calmly, watching the coins in his pocket with a flat yet unreadable expression.
His blank, tired eyes stared at the paper carefully, turning it over and over again, as if it were searching for something that didn't exist on it.
Then he turned to the other slave shop across the street—a crowded place, full of the clinging sounds of coins, and every half hour, something was sold.
The owner of that shop was never seen at the tent; he employed some people to take care of the place, and even paid an armored guard for better security against thieves.
It was opposite from him, who always brought a sword, and took care of the shop a whole day for nothing, except tiredness.
He let a quiet sigh escape from his mouth, laying his head on the wooden table, and saw the busy street ahead, hoping that someone would come.
Finally, someone from afar caught his attention, making him switch his gaze from the other shop toward him. The person looked like an old man with a stick in one hand and a huge bag in the other, walking unsteadily, and sometimes his body was about to fall on the crowded street.
As he became closer, the shop owner could see his face clearly, someone he had just met and made a deal with. Though his curiosity was growing inside, his gloomy appearance never faded away, surrounding him like a foggy night.
He becomes closer each second, his irritated face became visible from the shop, the sound of his stick striking the ground becomes louder, and finally, the smells of bread accompany his arrival.
The shop owner raised his head from the table, fixed his posture, and saw the person carefully, It was him, the one who made a deal with him, Kagayama.
His eyes scanning him, spotted several injuries on his body, the blood on his face, and his dirty appearance. The shop owner estimated the possibility of what had happened to him in just a few seconds, as it was merely an ordinary event in this place.
At the moment when the distance between them is five feet away, and both of them could see each other clearly, the shop owner said.
"Did you just get beaten up by the thug on the street?"
Kagayama nodded slowly without seeing his face as he didn't want to show his unstable expression right now. The shop owner turned his gaze from him to the bag of bread, his slightly hungry stomach sent an order to the brain, making him say.
"Give me bread and I will reduce her price by 3 Fevein."
It was a good offer for him, a 2 Fein bread reduced the little elf's price by 3 Fevein, which made Kagayama take a bread from the bag without any hesitation and hand it over to him.
But before the shop owner takes the bread, he asks Kagayama something.
"What will you do with all of this bread?"
The irritated face on him softened as he directed his gaze to the shop owner to explain his purpose in this place. He tried to seek a reasonable reason, although he had the answer a long time ago.
He remained silent for a second, making the curiosity of shop owner grow even more, until he started speaking.
"I wanted to share the bread with the elf."
"Is that so?"
He suddenly reaches a piece of bread inside the bag, ignores the one Kagayama has been holding for him, and eats it while his eyes seem to make sure that something is important.
"Alright, it's okay, you can feed them."
Now the curiosity was contagious to Kagayama, making him raise his eyebrow while pulling his bread away from him.
"Is the elf a picky eater?"
"No." He takes another bite, chews it, and swallows it before continuing his words. "I just make sure there is no poison inside the bread." The shop owner continued eating the bread until the last fragment.
Kagayama feels something is off with his words, but he couldn't figure it out because his mind is too hazy to even think properly right now. He simply nodded at him and said.
"Thanks for letting me feed them."
"No…no…I am the one who is supposed to say thanks, because you just cut my budget to feed them for one day." He said it while signaling Kagayama to enter his shop.
Now, without any hesitation, Kagayama stepped inside.
The elf watched him walking between them, while the smells of bread spread across the place like a fire in cotton cloth. They want the bread, but are scared he would punch or hurt them.
One elf, however, seemed different. She wasn't afraid of him. Her hands reach out, surely, quietly for a piece of bread from the bag. However, her act is stopped by her friends, who are scared of the consequences she might face.
Kagayama moved freely around them, as their hunger couldn't overcome their fear of taking a single piece of bread. He walked deep into a place named a shop, which looked like a barn for animals, and finally, he met her again.
The little elf seems to sleep, curled up with her head resting on his knees, leaning against the wall. When Kagayama approached her, there was no sign of her waking up. It makes him worried, especially since she looks weaker than yesterday.
As the gap between them disappears over time, Kagayama streched out his hand, touching her hair gently, but there is no response.
A wave of anxiety filled his head, making him lower his hands and tap her shoulder, then tap harder when she didn't move a single muscle.
The anxiety grew into fear as she didn't move at all, but before Kagayama panicked, the little elf moved her hands, raised her head in a sleepy face. Her green eyes reflected the sunlight, the same as her silver hair, and her chubby cheeks were wet because of sleepy tears.
He let out a relieved sigh as she woke up, his face softened like all his previous burdens had disappeared.
Kagayama put the bag down and sat beside the little elf, watching her.
The little elf swept the remaining sleepy tears from her eyes and began to see Kagayama's face carefully.
The eye contact happened, a rush of joy and happiness crowding both of them, making the remaining discomfort feeling disappear. A wide smile was written on their face once more, like the reunion after a long time, even though they were only apart for one day and one night.
The other elf watched them, and their feelings were unreadable; some of them didn't even know what to say or even think. It was wholesome but strange at the same time, knowing that humans treat them like stuff, not a living being. And now, a human sat there beside one of them, smiling gently. This man… he seemed different.
But the main reason why he felt different is that Kagayama could speak in the Elven language properly. They haven't seen a human who could speak their language before, even in a peaceful age between them. It makes their curiosity about him grow even stronger since he came yesterday, speaking in elven like a native, and now he appears again, bringing a bag full of bread—bringing another question.
Kagayama just paid attention to the little elf and asked the question he forgot to say yesterday, in a soft voice.
"I know it was too late, but…What is your name?"
"My name is Nemich, and you?" Her voice was low, like a slightly hoarse whisper.
"My name is…Kagayama."
"That name…is a little bit strange." Her voice, expression, and gesture suddenly became normal again.
"Ehh—."
The warm atmosphere they had built up instantly disappeared, replaced by the little elf's playful behaviour. Kagayama could only smile at her cheerful demeanor because she had not changed at all since yesterday.
Then, he switched his gaze to the bag he had carried all this time, reaching for a bread, and gave it to her.
Her eyes were sparkling as the delicious bread came in front of her face. She took the bread, ate it, and the hunger she had been holding disappeared when the first bite of it got swallowed down.
Kagayama felt a sense of relief as she ate the bread greedily. He then turned from her to the other elf behind him and gave the bread.
The elf seems alert, takes a step away, but her hands slowly reach the bread, and she watches it closely. She worried if the bread was poisonous, but after seeing the little elf eat, her hunger grew even more. Finally, she takes a first bite and swallows it, before taking another.
Kagayama gives the bread to the other elf again, and they finally take it without any hesitation. As time passed, the bread inside the bag disappeared, leaving nothing except the crumbs.
He sat between the elf, resting his leg from exhaustion. Slowly, the other elf began to loosen up, more relaxed than they were yesterday when Kagayama first arrived. Yet, some of them remain alert while eating in disbelief that there are humans who want to help them without expecting anything in return.
Their eyes, one by one, turned toward Kagayama. They were curious. Watching him carefully, trying to know the real reason behind him. But they spotted nothing strange about him, except some bruises on his face. It makes them eager to know who he is.
A female elf near him dragged her chain, moved closer toward him. Her eyes were gentle, yet filled with hesitant concern.
"It might be too sudden…but who are you, and what happened to your face? …human…"
Kagayama switched his gaze toward her, trying to understand her reason as well. His mind was alerted for a second, just like the elf. He pauses for a second, scanning her expression, before saying.
"I'm just an ordinary human…and about this face, some of the thugs punched it before, with their dirty hands…"
Her face changed from curious to worried, her eyes softened, almost looking like sleepy eyes, and she spoke again in low—unique tones.
"I'm…sorry…for that…It feels so hurt, aren't they?"
"Yeah, but not as much as when they start to strike my face." He said it calmly.
The elf was amazed by his answer, regardless of his pain, and the awareness that he could say it in a comforting tone. Her eyes became more relaxed as she sat closer to him.
"My my…You're a little bit easygoing for such wounds…I…couldn't help you with that right now…I'm sorry."
Kagayama sees her, noticing that her chain has become straight and seems painful.
"No… It's not your fault at all, and please take care of your chained hands."
"I wonder if the thugs who beat you are the same thugs who extorted this shop yesterday."
The other elf joins the conversation. She looks younger than the first, but has a fierce presense—scars on her hands, face, right leg, and neck.
Despite all of the scary descriptions of her, she is a feminine elf, it's written in the way she gestures while talking to him.
Her eyes shining in green colour, and the blonde hair she had made her more captivating.
She twirling her hair as if about to speak again.
"If I were you…I'd kill those thugs to stop all of this…At least we must make them a little bit scared."
Kagayama rolled his eyes, knowing it wasn't that simple, because the thugs attacked in a group, moved easily through the crowd, and most importantly—-he was terrible at fighting, especially hand-to-hand.
He shook his head, closed his eyes, and said.
"It's impossible, they were stronger than me and attacked in a group."
"It would be possible if you had a proper weapon," she said with the calm confidence of someone who knew what they were talking about.
"But I don't have any weapon and it wa—"
"If you want, I'll let you borrow mine."
Kagayama stopped immediately, like he was interested in the offer.
The elf chuckled, covering it with her hands seductively, while looking at him.
"Hmm, got you a little interested, huh?... Alright, I don't have it with me now, but I'll give you the location. Listen carefully—if you forget, you'll have to beg me to repeat it."
He became silent with a serious face.
"My weapon is a mini crossbow with a poisonous arrow…From here, you must search white marble fountain in the middle of a crossroad, you must take the way beside the jewelry shop. After you turn, you must walk for over 230 steps forward and enter the alley beside the main road. Walk for another 50 steps and search for the soil floor around a terracotta one, dig it, and you will find it under white cloth."
That afternoon, under the sun that slowly set behind the city roofs, Kagayama walked carefully following the directions. He counted his steps, paying attention to every alley and corner of the street, making sure not to get lost inside the alley.
When he finally found the spot—a small dirt platform that seemed out of place—he began digging with his bare hands, his fingers covered in cold dirt.
A few minutes later, his fingers touched something rough but wrapped softly. He pulled it out slowly, a white cloth covering a heavy object inside.
The crossbow was still intact.
Kagayama stared at it for a moment, then carefully rewrapped it. No one in town knew what he carried beneath the white cloth, and he was determined to keep it that way.