"Yea? And, what else?"
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Elin said with a smug smile, he took off his helmet.
His golden hair glimmered in the sun along with his blue eyes; he looked like a holy knight from a children's book manifested to fight off evil. He wore a silver armor, with beautiful etchings of golden color. He hid his hands with black gloves and his belt held two weapons, the basic broad sword and the spearhead which he had attached to his back.
His smile was mesmerizing, and many were unable to take their eyes off him. However, in no way did he look 16; he looked 14 at most, and any more than that it would seem like a lie. To everyone, Elin could only be 16 and look 14 if he were extremely malnutrition-ed, which made sense; he was a 'Nullborn' after all.
The bully tried to take away Elin's reputation by first trying to win using force and he failed of course. Then, he tried humiliation via beauty when he himself did not even look half-decent. The bully looked so half decent, Elin did not even look at his face much nor did he have many defining features too. He looked like a blank slate human.
Elin was even better looking than anyone could have even imagined. The bully was stunned. He definitely had gotten information that Elin was very ugly, and to hide that ugliness used a cloak and a hood, but what is this? Elin was the opposite, he was too good-looking.
"What? Mesmerized?" Elin provoked the man as he held his hood in his hand.
Even the old man behind Elin was stunned. But, after the provocation from Elin, he immediately took action.
"What a fucking bastard, aren't you ashamed being mesmerized by a man? A minor no less?", the old man scanned his eyes to the crowd as well, reminding everyone that the person in front of them was, in fact, a minor.
After hearing the old man's words, most of the eyes which were stunned by Elin's handsome face quickly looked away.
"W-What i-is that supposed to mean? I-You bastard!", the bully was in fact, not mesmerized by Elin, he was actively cursing the person he got the information from.
"T-This is it! I have given you enough mercy!!!", The bully screamed.
He put his hand on the overly glamourous hilt of his sword, and immediately drew it…he attempted to at least. His hand was stopped. Elin put out his hand as soon as the bully's hand moved. When the bully managed to pull out half of his fancy decorative sword, Elin grabbed his hand before he could fully take it out.
The man did have some strength, his muscles were perfectly trained but, of course, he seemed to have no experience in using those muscles for any practical use. He exerted more force on his hands as he tried to pull out his sword, but he couldn't do so no, matter how hard he tried.
He looked in front of himself, to see two blue eyes staring at him. Those eyes held not even a speck of struggle; the face which contained those eyes had no beads of sweat falling them. Elin was completely unfazed by his strength. Elin opened his mouth.
The bully saw this, he felt a shiver, he felt as if something bad was going to happen to him the moment Elin finished his word. He tried to back away, it was already too late.
"Alright, that's enough of you for today.", Elin's hands moved very fast, faster than the bully could see.
Elin's hand struck the bully's abdomen.
KUGH!
The bully spat out the air in his abdomen as he was flung aside.
CRASH! SPLASH!
The bully hit the statue's leg. Thankfully, the statue was sturdy; it didn't have any cracks on them. The bully fell on the water inside the fountain. He sank a bit only to surface later when his 'scar' was half removed from the water.
The scar on his chest seemed to be a sticker whose ridges seemed to have been concealed with some makeup to make them seem real. Now that the makeup was gone, the scar sticker seemed apparent.
The bully was unconscious. He would probably wake up sometime later.
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There was silence in the crowd. Elin stayed quiet.
"That was quite the show, young man. Now everyone, back to your duties; go do your work or stand still with your shitty weapons looking 'cool' or whatever.", the old man broke the silence as everyone began moving on to their day again.
Elin looked at the man, and then he looked at the bully.
"Don't worry about that disappointment of a human being, young man. Let's go, the others are waiting." the old man said with a small smile on his face.
"The others?" Elin asked confused.
"Yes, the others." the old man looked back replying to Elin.
Elin stared at his face for a bit. Suddenly like a hammer falling on a nail, Elin realized who this old man was. Although today's events definitely made him stand out, he was already a person who was hard to ignore before; the owner of the bar 'The moonlit lounge'.
With a short stature, he stood tall; his face had many wrinkles, and eyes which showed wisdom and his struggles in life, Roland. He was someone who had once served in the military alongside the old emperor; he was once hailed as the 'Iron-blood' knight, the one who had conquered the entire district of 'Tomar' up north almost by himself, someone regarded as the hero of the battlefield in his time. He was also unknowingly a hero for many commoners who hoped to make it big in the world as he himself was a commoner as well. Apparently, he had come to Titan's canyon because he was impressed by Julius; hiding his identity and living as Lucian, an old bar owner who uses a lot of vulgar words.
Elin remembered the times with his father who told stories about the heroic, Roland; the man who fought in the front lines of the battlefield even when he didn't need to do so, simply because he hated the idea of losing his subordinates to battle. A story based on reality more than 50 years ago, is now reduced to stories in mere children's storybooks.
"The others are waiting in my bar currently. Let's be quick, you don't want to keep them waiting." Lucian said with his old husky voice as he turned around and began to make his way towards his bar.
Elin followed behind him. He passed by, and many stared from the crowd as he moved by, stares of envy, stares of respect, and even some stares of longing. Elin wore his helmet again; he did not want to attract more attention.
Elin and Lucian passed by the town square, where the roads were not pitched roads which were muddy and the real show of the town named 'Brookshire', the falling district of Titan's canyon.
Elin soon stood in front of a building that was a bit shabby. Although it was leagues better than the inn which made Elin wonder how it managed to stay afloat for so long. There was a sign on the door which wrote "The Moonlit Lounge", as Elin pushed the door in.
He was immediately greeted by 4 people. They were the contractors, and even Elmyra was among them.
"Ah, Miss Elmyra is also here?" Elin asked. He was sure she hadn't come out of her shop.
"Yes, I contemplated informing every one of your arrival. But, since that Asher was trying to bully you, I thought it might take a while so I decided to gather everyone here so that you could get along with your day sooner. Do not worry I haven't said much, I will let you do most of the talking."
"Asher? Ah, that bully?"
"Yes. That bully, oh my how the youth have fallen. He was once someone who was quite dependable you know." a relatively young man said shaking his head and palming his face.
The man looked to be in his mid-thirties. He had brown hair and eyes; he had a somewhat sturdy body. He was Reynard, the 'The Midday Bistro', restaurant owner. He ran his shop along with his wife and had migrated to the district when an epidemic wiped out his hometown a bit over 10 years ago. He seemed to be an outgoing man who was very likable. However, for some reason, his eyes held some deep sorrow. He seemed tired.
"Well, for me I think that Asher was never good. He never stood out to me as the 'good' guy. He always had ulterior motives." a woman spoke up this time.
She seemed to be someone in her mid-twenties and had long dark-blue hair with brown eyes. She had tied her hair beautifully in beautiful complicated knots. She also wore the most fancy dress here among all the people. She touched her forehead as she seemed to remember the bully. Her fingers had many calluses; she was the seamstress, Rosalind, and the owner of the tailor shop, "The afternoon attire". She spoke in her own tune however; her voice seemed deep in thought, almost melancholy.
"Of course, you wouldn't know. You are young after all, a bad judge of character.", Reynard provoked her.
"If you keep this up, I am going to complain to my sister ok!", Rosalind spoke back.
"H-Hey!", Reynard seemed to say something.
"Kuhum.", a small cough came from Elmyra's direction which took the two bickering people's attention. "Please bicker at a later date in an appropriate area. We have things to discuss with Mister Elin today."
Everyone was silent. Lucian looked at the current situation and began the discussion.
"Hey brat, say something now. We are all waiting, I am going to fall asleep if you're gonna stay quiet."
"Ah yes. My name is Elin Nullborn. I am the companion of the man who has offered his proposals of investments to all of you. Firstly, I like to thank you on his behalf for accepting-"
"Kid, just get to the meaty part. We're people from a dying city, you think we give a shit about formalities.", Lucian said as he yawned at Elin's starting speech.
"Hey Lucian keep quiet, will you? You're going to scare our benefactor.", Elmyra spoke up. "Don't mind him, Elin. Keep going.", Elmyra gave a helpless smile.
"A-Ah yes, in any case, thank you for accepting the offer. For some personal reasons, my companion cannot move his body. I will be his messenger so if you have something to ask him please contact me. Now, my companion has asked for thirty percent of the profits from the shops. The proposa1 states that the benefactor will provide the contractors with a gold coin per month for the next five years, which will be obeyed as stated. Also, please take this.", Elin put 9 gold coins on the table. "This is the opening investment for insurance on the contract."
Everyone was stunned. They all seemed to have the same thoughts. While 30 percent would've been a high number for most businesses, the ones in question were not 'good' businesses. They were from a declining district that saw almost minimal profits even at a high time. So, 30 percent was way too low. Elmyra sat in the corner looking at Elin, she seemed to be observing Elin as if he were some weird creature in a zoo; she seemed to be curious about his next moves.
Lucian took the 3 gold coins and sat there. He seemed to be content with Elin's words of assurance as he took them. He sat on his chair observing the other two.
"Please do not worry about the things on our side. I assure you that this is also profitable on our end." Elin assured them.
Even with that much assurance most of them seemed hesitant. Elin sighed inwardly; this was going to take a bit of time.
"What are you guys doing? Take it. You're muddying the traveler's intention.", a familiar voice came from behind
Elin turned around and saw a dark blue-haired individual, Francis.
"B-But…", Rosalind seemed to have something she wanted to say.
"You're gonna need them if you want to cure your sister y'know. You will need the money to pay me back once someone is able to cure her."
Elmyra's and Rosalind's faces became dark. They seemed to be overcome with something.
Elin had done a pretty good job investigating the most important people within the town. He knew most things in the town at the surface level, which he was able to find through the records of his family. With his investigations, he knew many things that locals had no idea about, like the emergency escape route, or the secret underground bunker. A big hole in his investigations was however present-day relations of the citizens.
"I-", this time it was Reynard who seemed to say something. His face darkened as he looked at the ground. This expression did not fit his kind extroverted face.
"Just shut up kid and take the money. You'll need the extra 9 gold for the 30 you will need to pay back to that shrewd bastard.", Lucian said something.
Hearing Lucian, Reynard and Rosalind took the gold coins and put them in their pockets. They both looked very down as if remembering something.
"Um? What is this about?", Elin seemed to be the only one out of the loop.
"Ah…", Elmyra looked at Rosalind who nodded back at her.
"Reynard's wife and Rosalind's sister, Violet, suddenly contracted Aero's disease one day, so they went to many doctors hoping for a cure or just a way to delay the disease, but each time they were turned away. Having no choice-", Elmyra wanted to say some more…but she couldn't, she stopped her explanation.
"Having no choice, they wanted to post a request on the town hall for someone who knew about the disease. But they lacked funds, so they came to me. I gave them 30 gold as prize amount for the request…and as a bonus, I sent their request to the territories outside the barony too…", Francis looked at Elmyra and continued what she couldn't, as he opened a bottle of booze.
"T-the disease…it's…", Elmyra's soft voice echoed through the room.
"Elmyra…please…", Rosalind spoke up, she knew what Elmyra's next words were going to be, as she was brought to tears.
"The disease is incurable…", Elin subconsciously spoke up as he put his hands up to cover his mouth.
"…Please…", Reynard heard Elin's small voice. He seemed angry, he seemed genuinely angry at himself.
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Silence encompassed the room once more.
Aero's disease was a disease that slowly killed a person from the inside. It was a disease which attacked the thalloid nexus; well it was more suitable to say that it was a condition of the body which created more than required 'will' which in un-trained bodies lead to solidification and slowly making the body's muscle's dysfunctional.
The starting symptoms would begin from parts of the body which are easy to miss like the pinky toe, then it would spread into the other limbs, and if one was very unlucky it would spread to the important muscles and organs like lungs, or heart immediately killing the patient.
It was also extremely painful as the solidified will could sometimes enter the bloodstream and form clots in them, leading to vascular conditions too.
Most people would die by the end of the year through the disease but, even more would just kill themselves before the 4 months mark due to the pain and stress it caused the body. It is a disease that slowly kills you from the inside after all.
In Rebecca's world, this disease also had no cure, which is until the war against the demons. Many scientific discoveries were made during the war, and many breakthroughs in alchemy, magic, weapons, and health. One of these discoveries was a cure for Aero's disease which they called 'The black rot disease'.
There was a myth about it being a curse from a god but, it did not seem to gain traction in both worlds.
The cure for this disease was simple for the most part. It required the essence of mistletoe, some fast-acting poison, potions whose natures were against one another so that they can neutralize each other, and dragon scales. The hardest part of this entire cure was the dragon scales. The side effect of this medicine was that the patient would never be able to use their 'will'; however that was only for the worst of cases.
Dragons were the apex predators of the world; they were able to use both mana and aura, using no-cast magic while destroying cities through an aura blade; dragons were not something one should ever think of going against. To get a scale from one of those noble, self-righteous, and arrogant creatures and then come out alive, one needed to be someone at least at the level of a sword master who had realized their potential.
Elin was somewhat stuck in a dilemma, he knew all the parts, the how's but all he lacked was the parts required, the poisons and mistletoe were easily available, but the dragon? Well, aside from that one poster on the town hall which was well…less than believable to say the least, dragons were very hard to find. So, he was stuck on his next decision.
"Hey, you know something about it?" Francis asked, who had been drinking some booze in a small voice.
"Well…I wouldn't say it is completely incurable…", Elin spoke in a very small voice, however due to the silence in the room Rosalind heard it.
"It…it isn't incurable?!" she spoke up louder, and then everyone heard her too.
These few words, the 7 words spoken by Elin suddenly changed the atmosphere inside the room. All but Reynard were surprised at the sudden confession by Elin. They were about to burst into a sea of happiness at those few words, but Reynard seemed different.
While his face contorted to happiness and joy at first, he was happy at those words too. But, he was suddenly struck with this doubt, this doubt which whispered to him that Elin was lying. He wanted to ignore the voice; he wanted to hope that Elin not lie, he wanted to believe that the cursed disease had a cure.
He knew the moment his beloved wife had the disease, he knew she couldn't hold out much longer, but he hoped; he wished this was just a misdiagnosis.
"You-I hope you did not lie…", Reynard said as his face held deep longing, and hope.
Out of option, Elin threw a glance at Francis, who just continued chugging down the booze, and announced his side.
"No, I have not. When did Miss Violet contract the disease?", Elin asked with a straight face.
"It has been about 6 months…We posted the notice about two month ago after going to many clinics around the empire. We even went to the capital…but all was for naught", Rosalind explained as it seemed that Reynard wasn't in any position to speak.
"Six months? That's…", Elin's face darkened.
Elin needed to make sure she had all the required pieces of the cure in about 2 months at least and at most 4. He can't have the patient wait any longer than that; she was a normal person after all.
"Oy kid! What're ya thinking?", Francis spoke out loud, slightly red from drinking booze but not drunk, as Elin had been in deep thought for a bit.
Elin glared at him for a second, before continuing on.
"The disease might be in its mid-stages, for now, we need to delay the spread of the disease until I can find all the materials for the cure."
"O-Oh and for that what do we need?", Rosalind asked as she wiped her teary eyes. She was no longer in fear; she now had proper hope to stick to.
"Well, it doesn't need to be anything grandiose but a mana or aura potion once a day can help with stopping the spread of the disease, since it will neutralize some of the solidified will in the body. Then…we need something…some object that has a lot of energy; something like a holy sphere or something…anything which numbs the nexus so that it lessens the production of will", Elin explained but, he knew that there would be no way anyone could have a holy sphere here.
Rosalind's face again grew darker, although knowing that potions could delay the thing which seemed inevitable at this point, she also realized the limits. There would be no way a holy sphere could be at this place.
"I-How long can the potions stop the spread of the disease?", Reynard asked.
"About a month at most…if the potion is of high quality…", Elin said as he began to contemplate the best way to find a dragon's scale…there was one quest about a dragon in the forest of the district.
"I-I see…how long will the holy sphere or something of equivalence stop the spread of the disease?", this time Francis asked the question. He seemed strangely interested in Elin's words about the seemingly incurable disease having a cure.
"It can extend a person's life by at least a two month…" Elin said confidently.
"Oh…I see…", Rosalind's face was now like the night sky, dark but still shining with hope.
"Then what about the cure? It's materials?", Elmyra asked hoping for the best.
"Essence of mistletoe, potions and poisons of opposing natures, and…", Rosalind's and Reynard's faces lit up.
This was much easier to obtain than a holy sphere. Maybe saving their loved one was not out of their reach yet.
"…and a dragon scale…"
Their hopes and dreams seemed to crumble in a split second.
"W-Why did you even bring up this topic…no why did you even say there was a cure when you knew…", Reynard seemed to have lost it.
"No, I-" Elin wanted to speak up, but-
"Reynard…stop…Mister Elin must have a plan or something…right?", Elmyra tried to interject.
She looked at Elin hoping that he would say something, anything. She hoped, and wished, Elin would say something. But, it only hurt her more when no words were spoken.
Rosalind felt like Tantalus, unable to take what was in front of her. She knew how she could save her sister, but no matter how much she tried, no matter what she did, she knew this action couldn't be done. She wished she never knew that there was a cure for that cursed illness, she wished she had never heard Elin, she hoped Elin had just stayed quiet.
Reynard banged on the table as he stood up, unable to take Elin's gal. He felt played, felt humiliated. He was angry.
"…No…I'm leaving…I could be spending time with Violet instead of coming here…", Reynard said as he left the bar, he did not look back at them.
"N-" Elin wanted to stop him, but…
Elin did not stop him.
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Silence. Once more. The room was silent.
Sniff. Sniff.
Rosalind's warm tears hit the ground as her knees began to lose their strength. She stumbled almost falling on the ground, when Elmyra caught her. Elmyra looked at Elin.
Elin did not know what expression he should've been making as Elmyra took Rosalind and left the bar.
The only ones left in the bar were Francis, Elin, and Lucian. The room was quiet.
Suddenly, Elin felt someone put their hand on his shoulder.
"Come on, let's go…you have someone to meet…remember?" It was Francis.
Elin glared at Francis, he wanted to shout at him, but he knew, he knew he should've just feigned ignorance, maybe it was his fault. So, all he could do was glare at Francis, even that he couldn't do. He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
"Mmmm…yea…", Elin nodded as he turned to Lucian and gave nodded his head to signify going out.
The trek was quiet.
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Who knew how many steps had been taken? Elin did not count them, nor did Francis. Soon, they arrived at a distinguished location. There was no one near the forested area as it opened up to a small clearing. It seemed to be near the west end of the district, which was heavily separated from most of the civilization because the forest housed many dangerous creatures within it.
"Was that true?"
"Mmm…yea? What was?"
"You know…the thing about a holy sphere and the dragon scale…"
"Yes. Of course, it was true. I would never think about lying…I-I should've kept quiet though…there's no way I could do anything even if I knew it…"
"So…hypothetically…if we were to get those materials…are you sure you could save Violet, Miss Eleanor?"
"…", Elin stayed quiet, he seemed to be in deep thought.
"Are you sure?"
"…"
Elin looked at Francis. He was staring at Elin as if he was judging him.
Many things went through Elin's mind at the moment. The event that happened in the bar, the faces of Rosalind and Reynard which were filled with despair and anger, those things clouded his judgment. His body began to heat up; he wished something like this never happened. He wished-
"ELEANOR VON RUSSEL!"
Francis' shout woke him up. His face was full of sweat; from guilt and sadness, his heart felt heavy. He looked at Francis dazed, and Francis looked at him as if he knew every passing thought in his mind.
"…"
"I am asking you. Are you sure that Violet can be cured?"
"…"
Sigh.
Francis turned around with a small sigh. He seemed…disappointed.
Francis began walking down the clearing in the forest. He did not turn around to face Elin.
One step. Francis took a step forward.
Two steps. Three steps. Soon, he had taken 5 steps forward.
The atmosphere between them was heavy. No words seem to be spoken.
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"Yes. Yes, I am sure that Miss Violet can be saved."
Francis stopped. He did not face Elin, who was on the verge of tears. He turned his head sideways slightly and smiled.
"Then, what are you doing standing there"