"Why are you so late, lad? Do you want the whip or the sword?" Mr. Gunter was serving a customer, a frail young man with unfocused eyes inspecting the weapons.He replied awkwardly, "Just the whip," and then left after paying. I became worried that he might stumble and accidentally lash himself with the whip."My earnings have increased drastically because of the upcoming festival!" exclaimed Mr. Gunter, pocketing the silver coins."Congratulations, Mr. Gunter!" I sincerely congratulated him while arranging the daggers. It was now past noon, and the market was starting to quiet down; many stalls had closed. Perhaps people were getting ready for tonight's party."Don't you want something, Joe? A bow and arrow or anything, since you've been helping me a lot lately," Mr. Gunter offered, showing each of the latest weapons.I quickly declined, as I didn't see any potential events requiring me to use weapons. My daily routine revolved around working at his stall from morning till night, goi
Due to my extreme poverty, I don't have a mirror in my little shack, and I never even considered buying one. So, I use the reflection from the window glass to admire myself, neatly dressed in my modest attire. My trusty old black shirt, and oversized pants of the same color. I comb my hair, which is starting to grow past my ears; I might not have noticed if I hadn't looked in the mirror today.I make sure I don't smell of sweat because even though I don't wear perfume, I refuse to go out smelling like that. Poverty is one thing, but smelling bad is out of the question!I also grab my bag containing the remnants of my silver coins, only fifty pieces left. Most of them I've spent on food, and the most draining expense is the paper and pen I use as long as possible. I don't consider it wasteful because I use it to teach my students how to read! I'm proud, and I still have plenty of gold coins!This is just in case I have to pay for food at the party, and I don't want to attend such an ev
"Duke Nephim the Great, thank you for gracing our village with your presence," Lord Crys said, bowing deeply, not daring to speak as freely as before to the other Elves.After being glanced at by Duke Nephim earlier, I felt a shiver seeing him, especially with his pale eyes. Yet, I couldn't help but gaze at the extraordinary creature.The Elves shone amidst the kneeling villagers. Two Elves, presumably Duke Nephim's aides, wielded swords, while two others carried bows and arrows. I could feel them scanning each face with lifted chins.I glanced at Celine beside me, stealing quick glances, sometimes closing her eyes in awe.I couldn't bear being in this position any longer, perhaps because my daily life was so relaxed and I didn't have many activities, my body wasn't accustomed to it since I used to engage in heavy activities. I felt aches creeping in my back, even though I never experienced it while cutting grass.My knees were trembling. Why do we have to kneel like this? There wasn'
"Ew, the smell of human blood is fishy," commented one of the Elves pointing a sword while covering his nose in distaste. "Yeah, there's nothing good about them," the other Elf said. I gritted my teeth. Damn them, instead of helping, they were making fun of me! Being too angry, I pushed Mr. Shuan out of the way, to hell with the trouble I would get into later. Celine was already crying out hysterically as she shook her mother's body. I quickly lifted Anne's body, but I forgot that I wasn't that strong. However, I tried with all my might to carry her somewhere, certainly away from the savages who were just watching this event. "Where are you going, human? Duke Nephim is still here, so why do you think you can leave without his consent?" The dark blue-eyed elf seemed to be the leader of the aides because he was the most talkative and had the most annoying face. I rolled my eyes lazily. "Didn't you see that someone was injured? You must have no intention of healing him, I'll take hi
I forgot when was the last time I had roasted chicken, back in Swinggelir, it was rare to have chicken dishes. Most of the time it was goat meat, wild boar, or deer. Here, now, I understand the pleasure of well-prepared wild chickens, with crispy skin and tender, juicy meat. It's no wonder everyone swarms around it like flies; if I were a second late, I wouldn't get any."Delicious, isn't it?" I asked Celine, who was devouring chicken thighs, her mouth smeared with food. She nodded, though her eyes occasionally glanced towards the treatment room.The reason we're here, surrounded by drunken people, is because of hunger, of course. I handed over Anne's care to the healer who preferred grappling with potions in Lord Crys's room.Not only for that reason, but also because we intentionally didn't eat before the party so we could taste various dishes. Who knew something like earlier would happen? Now, I also have to make sure I'm full since I don't have any money left to exchange for gold
"Uncle Owen?" I let out a small exclamation as I entered this dusty convenience store, and I even felt the dust thicken after the last time I came here. I held my breath with difficulty as I was sneezing from the dust particles. I knocked impatiently on the counter. Where could that man be? Was he hiding under the counter? To be sure, I called his name several times but he still didn't show up. I glanced at the blacksmith's stall belonging to one of the getrios opposite this shop, he was forging an enormous sword. The sound of forging mixed with thumping also graced my hearing since I stepped into this area. I couldn't wait to leave, not only because I had to pay the remaining medical fees, but it was already noon and I wasn't comfortable staying here for too long. I woke up late after the party and also carried Anne who was still unconscious to her hut last night, luckily Mr. Gunter put up a poster that his shop was closed today. Besides, my reason was because today was the day w
My sword clashed with the blue blade of the sword wielded by the young man whose name I didn't know. Damn that Duke Nephim, after casually saying that I was going to duel, he pushed me and the young man into the middle of a compact street surrounded by curious-looking people. I dodged the sword slash with ease, fortunately the youngster didn't seem to have any fighting experience because he was so amateurish. I even noticed that his hand was trembling holding the hilt of the sword, either because he was afraid or the sword was indeed heavy because it was deliberately created for Elves whose stature alone was very different from humans. "Lyn, finish him!" another young man exclaimed while taking turns making fun of me. The young man named Lyn was getting more and more excited swinging his sword and I backed away to dodge, not intending to retaliate. If there was anyone I wanted to retaliate against, it was the Duke who was standing among the stalls with his arms crossed. His lips wo
When I went to the street, I found that the exhibition was still going on even though I had time to cook and eat for a while, which was still accompanied by Anne's hysterical screams. I didn't really know what to do to help her, and then I remembered when Anne told me that she was sexually abused by Celine's father. It was very complicated and I wasn't the right person to consult. Saving Celine was my mission, and I certainly wouldn't be able to separate her from her mother after realizing how affectionate the child was despite her mother's abuse. Celine was also still a child even though she was already very independent. I tried to rack my brains, the situation was very different from when I faced Adellia. At least that princess has a decent and luxurious life. I wondered if there was a profession like psychologist or psychiatrist in this world? But, I thought it must exist, I just didn't know where to find it. Before I knew it, I had arrived in front of the doctor's gloomy house