I walked to the guard.
"I saw him, he ran that way." I pointed in a wrong direction.
The guard looked at me and walked off.
-What a nice guard, sarcasm. Anyways back to shopping. –
…
After some walking
-Woah, that is a beautiful book. Zero what's the content of that one? –
[Scanning…
No content.]
-Um so its empty. Hmm, I could use a blank book, but I would also get one at home if I ask, at least I guess so. The book Mr. Cacklemi gave me is about ¾ full. It would also come in handy to have one to myself. If it's not too expensive I'll buy it. It's just to pretty. Besides I worked hard so some reward would be appropriate, right. –
I walked to the stall.
"Hello, how much is that book?" I pointed at the beautiful book.
"Huh, where oh down there. Little girl, I'm not sure if you know the value of money but hat book is pretty expensive even though it's blank."
"Alright, how much?"
"Sight, two silver."
"What?"
-Two silver is way too expensive. Maybe for one silver and one or two copper but not for two. –
"How about nine copper. It's blank after all."
"You can get a normal, blank book for nine copper, but I won't sell that one for this price."
"One silver."
"You can see how elegant it is right. Do you really belief it is worth only one silver."
-Arg, if this goes one it'll exceed my pain threshold. –
"One silver and one copper."
"See little girl if you can't afford a better price than you should go."
"If your price would be so fair than you'd have already sold it. So, my last offer one silver and two copper otherwise good luck with that book, besides you can see the dust on top of it."
"What, no I just cleaned it." He walked to the book "You are right, was probably some other book." He grabbed the book and walk back. "Fine, one silver and two copper."
I paid him and I got the book.
-Yay, I'm so happy. This book is really beautiful. – I put it in the basked.
-So now back to my problem about the accelerated growth. I can't say that I have some genes that make me develop faster. It probably won't be bellied if I say I was blessed or ate some divine plant. Would it end well if I said that I don't know why, or would I be turned into a guinea pig? Probably the best solution would be to leave home but how. I don't wanna ruin the relationship I have with Anthony besides he most likely wouldn't want me to just go anywhere. I at least hope so.
Then I'd need a save place and if there are people then they'd notice too. Sight, I won't get an easy explanation like mana age. I just hope that I'll have an easier live at home with that growth problem than running away, then nobody would ask questions. But my relationship with Anthony would be in the past. I don't want that. –
I contemplated about it while I shopped Anthony's order.
***
Ca. four o'clock
-I should be going back not that I'm late in the end. So, the things I didn't get are two weapons and one book out of three weapons and three books. I got half. Sight, I hope that it's good that I got that much. I kinda miss online-shopping. Now what is the best way to get back in one hour… -
"Little girl, come follow me for a bit."
I looked up and saw a guard.
-I can't say no to a guard, thy are the equivalent to the police in my old world. He looks a little shady tough. –
I nodded and walked behind him. He kept me in his field of vision to make sure that I followed him. As we walked to streets # with less and less people around us till, we stopped in a side alley with nobody else but him and me.
He radiates an imitating aura.
"Let me see your daggers!"
"M- my d- daggers?"
-The village chief tried to imitate me to, but back then I didn't get the feeling that he would harm or even kill me. This time I'm sure that he'll kill me if I don't obey and even than, I'm not sure if I'll come out of this situation unharmed. –
"Hurry up I don't have the whole day."
-I can't, they are the daggers Anthony gave me. Zero help. –
[Attack individual and run while he is stunned.]
My knees are about to give in, and I can barely think.
-I… I can't attack a person. Not if it's to injure them. –
I didn't think that far when I started learning how to fight. I guess like most people who learn karate or something similar, it's mostly for tournaments but it's a rare case to be forced to use it for self-defense. Otherwise the ones who don't now martial arts wouldn't have a safe live.
"HEY!!! Get going!" He yelled at me and some spit landed on my face.
My knees finally gave in and I landed on the ground. His patience seemed to have run out because he leaned for and was about to grab me and take the daggers himself.
But before he could do that a boy jumped down from the roof and landed on the man's back grabbed his shoulder and slit his throat. The boy then jumped form the man and kicked him sideways he then grabbed me by the wrist, yanked me up and dragged me away.
I at first was stunned and stumbled after him but soon.
"W- Wait!" I yelled but he didn't listen. I yanked my hand out of his turned to a wall and threw up.
"Seriously, you need to throw up? Sight, at least hurry, I want to get as far away from that corps as possible."
But instead of hurrying I had a mental breakdown. I had blood splashes on my face in my hair and on my clothes. There weren't much and barely visible if I cleaned my face, because of the contrast, but it made my mental state worse.
-A corps, a real corps. A man was killed in front of me. He was killed. Blood, his blood. It's all over me. A corps, a real corps… –
"Hey, snap out of it!" He yanked me by the shoulder, looked me in the eyes and spoke really slowly: "Get over it, he is already dead." But I didn't seem to react any time soon, so he shacked me. "Are you serious, you need to be pretty pampered to have never seen a corps." My face became green and he turned me immediately away from him. "If you don't get your act together fast, I'll leave you here."
[Best solution for regaining of mental state…. Shock
Please form a water rune or attract the water element.]
But I didn't notice Zeros prompt. But then came a not so cold shower. "Now better?" The boy held a drinking pouch that he had just emptied above me. "Yeah, thanks for rescuing me."
I got up and we started walking. I was in no mental state to dry myself with magic.
"I'm just paying back."
I looked at him and remember. "You are the boy that pumped into me earlier."
"You aren't really a fast one. So, rich girl how much'll you pay me?"
"Didn't you just say you payed me back? Besides why do you think I'm a rich girl?"
"Because you couldn't stand a corps and carry these daggers in plain sight with you." He pointed at my daggers. "Saving your live and getting you back to normal is worth more than pointing the guards into the wrong direction."
"I guess so. Is it normal to see dead people? You didn't even flinch."
"For commoners, yeah pretty much."
I looked at him questioningly.
"You really don't know a thing about the country you live in?" I just looked at him. "Sight, this country is poor. Not only in money but also in knowledge and weapons. It also doesn't make any advancements in any of these topics. Besides the taxes that the king and the nobles collect from the commoners rise every year and villages on borders between nobles must often pay two lords. "I looked at him interested and eager to know more. "You are aware that I'll charge you for the information I tell you." I nodded.
"Alright, you should be aware that slavery is forbitten in this country, but that's not true. Everyone even the king has slaves. But because it is forbidden in name you need to cover the slave seal.
The king also purges villages, I don't know the reason tough. When a village is purged then it vanishes overnight. Not really, only the villagers are killed overnight, the soldier's life there for one or two days."
"That sounds awful."
"You really didn't have a clue."
"No, why do you know so much about this?"
"It's more or less common to know this much. Most people noticed the on or the other purge and that with the slave seals is common knowledge, if you pay attention you can discern slaves from commoners. But not for some noble girl it seems."
"Sight, but now I know. Besides what is up with you?"
"Are you sure that you have enough money to pay me?"
"Hehe, I have something better, knowledge, what element do you want?"
He looked at dumbstruck which changed in contemplation: "As a rich girl you of course know about magic. Then, fire."
"Alright. Do you need the basics or more advanced information?" I took the beautiful book that I bought before out of the basked and ripped out a page.
"The basics"
-So, basics alright first the rune then… I guess that and that and that should fill two pages. – Then I used water magic to write down the basics –
After I finished, I skimmed over it. –I didn't find any noteworthy logic errors. –
On top was the fire run and below was information about the fire element.
"After you answered my question, I'll give that to you as payment. "He looked at me suspiciously.
"If I'm not satisfied then you'll need to stock up." I nodded. "I'm half dragon. Dragons mature faster, so my body looks older, but my mental age is even older."
"Explain more in detail. You look like seven, but you act more like 14 or even older. What's your real age?"
"I'm four, and the rest you guessed right. This country also hates magical beasts and halflings. I can mostly look like a human only my eyes and aura betray my appearance. You probably noticed it too, that I feel odd."
"Yeah, something about you feels different. Do other countries "like" them?"
"Yeah, our neighboring country, Etharia, for example. There it doesn't matter to which race you belong as long as you are friendly you won't get hunted down. Unlike our country."