Time passed ever so slowly, as if to spite the boy's emotions as a cruel joke. He was confused, ridiculed even, by his own fate… as well as the fate of his companions, which in turn ruined his own.
For some reason, the carriage didn't rattle anymore. It was as if the world itself was forcing him to reflect on his past, carry it, and make it better.
Of course, he could not do that so frivolously. Life was not that easy.
'If only it were.'
He took a deep breath, and went back to sleep.
◇◆◇◆◇
"Hey, wake up!"
The world shook like a powerful earthquake. Caught by the rumbling, Lieren jumped with a start, as if his body had been shocked by a divine force.
"What, where, who, why, how? What is going on?"
Harita stared at him, deadpan. He blinked a couple of times.
"Uh… we're here. Pack your bags."
"Really?"
Lieren looked to the side, past the open side door of the carriage. A towering wall of mortar and stone stretched for as far as his vision allowed it, trying to overpower him. There was a strange bleakness to it, though the boy could not tell how it came about.
Nevertheless, his heart skipped a beat as he saw the drab wall as he hurriedly grabbed his bag from under his seat.
It had been shredded here and there, most likely during the fight with the witch, and most of the contents had been pillaged… most likely by the other passengers they were travelling with. It was a cruel reminder of the reality of the world he lived in, one he was reminded of for as long as he wore the forsaken thing.
Lieren took a deep breath and looked at Harita. There was strange excitement in his eyes as he said:
"Okay. I'm ready."
Harita smiled and walked out of the carriage. He turned back to watch the boy leave right behind him with a hop to his step.
"Who's that?" Lieren said innocently as he got off.
A different man, unfamiliar to Lieren, stood by the side of the carriage. He wore silk clothing and bore a potbelly, as well as wore numerous jewelry on his fingers and around his neck. He smiled widely as he rubbed his hands together. It was insidious and grim in nature, but a smile nonetheless.
The man spoke before Harita could, grabbing the boy's hands:
"Oh, my deepest apologies. Safa Mercuri's the name, collecting's the game. I'm here to… uh… purchase your… uh… carriage here. No trouble, mind you. I will not ask as to how you got it. Do not worry. I'm a collector, not a knight. I only seek what is… uh… popular nowadays. Yup, that's it. Popular."
"Huh? …Yeah, sure. Whatever you say."
Lieren could not help but cringe at the man's suspicious behavior, but knew better than to judge a book by its cover. No matter how hideous that cover may be.
Before he could even ask for it, Harita was already there to help him. He pulled Lieren by the collar of his shirt and behind him, putting himself between the two.
"Oh my. How rough."
Lieren felt like he had been puncher in the gut.
'Ugh. That physically hurt!'
The man, Safa, was a weird man in his mid-forties… but Lieren just had to suck it up. His Aegis wouldn't talk to somebody like that if it weren't for something that they absolutely needed. He was certain of such.
"W-what is it?!"
Harita's eyes narrowed into slits as he glared at the man for a second, disappearing the next. That brief but powerful moment was enough to make the man shrink, sweat flowing down hid face.
Kafa dabbed his face with a handkerchief he held on his person. Even that small piece of cloth looked like it was worth vastly more than all of the two's possessions combined.
Lieren gripped his Aegis shirt and looked around, trying to busy himself with something else.
A long line of people stretched past where they were and down a hill on which they stood, leading into the gates of the city with drab walls. Various people, some human some not, gathered there, seeking entry and home, maybe even both. One thing was for sure though.. none of them looked excited about it.
Various pieces of conversations filled the air like a bee's buzzing:
"Ugh. Why did you bring me here, dad?"
"You know why."
"So. If I just leave the rest here and carry what I can, you'll guard this for me for just five shells? What a bargain! Thank you, mister."
"…Huh? Uh, yeah. Sure. Just… uh… be careful. Or whatever."
"Welp. That's guy's belongings are gone."
"Poor kid."
"Not really. He kind of deserved it."
"Yea. I guess so. You never can be careful around these parts."
"Maybe I should just tell her. No, no. It's too early. I need the right timing."
"What was that?"
"N-nothing!"
"Hey. Is there any news about that huge explosion?"
"Oh. Are you talking about the one from the forest?"
"Yeah, yeah! That one. So, what about it?"
"Eh. I don't know. They say there was a… uh… hunting party sent for the witch sent there or something. Nobody really knows."
"So. It's the same as usual, huh? That sucks."
"Yeah. It does. So, when are we going on that date?"
"Preferably never."
"Huh?! What do you mean the shop's been closed. I thought Marcus was keeping the place afloat while I was gone!"
"Yeah. Sorry about that. Apparently he's been gone for a while now. Probably from debts and stuff. That guy's always been a bit of a recluse. Never know what he's thinking."
Everybody had their own thing, their own life and their own tribulations that they deal with on a constant basis. Lieren was not the only one.
He looked at Harita, upturned.
"So. What'll it be?"
Harita kept his eyes trained on the man in front of him… as well as the dozens of guards behind him. They all carried crude weapons on their person. From the looks of it, the guards were experienced adventurers once. Though not as much as Harita, Lieren thought.
"R-right!"
The man, Kafa Mercuri, flinched. He waved for one of the adventurers… but nobody came.
Kafa hissed.
"H-hey! Don't embarrass in front of my friend!"
They all just stood there, polishing their weapons or looking at their nails. One of them was eating while another watched, salivating. At the man's pathetic beckoning, only then did one od them notice him.
Harita mumbled in a voice only Lieren could hear:
"I'm not your friend."
One of the guards sighed and looked aside, nudging one of the men to pull out a pouch of clanging coins and throw them at the man's feet, going back to what he was doing the moment before, polishing his sword.
"Tch. Damn miscreants. Father will hear about this."
Kafa glared at the group, who in turn chuckled, then struggled to pick up the leather pouch. He was panting by the time he turned back to Harita, his face drenched in sweat.
Lieren hid behind his Aegis even more.
"Well, here you go. One thousand five hundred shells in exchange for the carriage."
Harita ever so carefully walked over to the man, making sure to make the least amount of contact possible. His eyes were trained on the ragtag group of adventurers chatting casually behind the man, his gaze suspicious.
Meanwhile, Lieren's mouth was opened wide.
"O-one thousand five hundred hundred shells?!"