Aka sat on an old wooden chair, his body so frail it seemed a gust of wind could knock him over.
His skin clung tightly to his bones, revealing how his once-strong frame had withered to an extreme.
His sunken eyes were filled with endless sorrow and pain.
Owen found himself at a loss for words.
"I..."
Erin, standing beside him, was visibly moved, her eyes welling up with tears.
She thought of Windshadow Forest, overrun by trolls due to the decline of the green dragons.
Though her people had not become troll fodder, the pain of losing their homeland weighed heavily on her heart.
The agony of being reduced to mere food for another race was unimaginable.
Aka's hands trembled, his fingers thin like dried twigs, the skin under his nails pale and bloodless, sickly in appearance.
His arms bore scars, evidence of his struggles for his people and a reminder of his inability to change their fate.
"It's all because I'm not strong enough to change the fate of my people," Aka said, looking at the wounds on his hands, nearly breaking into tears.
Yet, no tears appeared on his face, as if they had dried up long ago, leaving only the pain of his people being slaughtered.
Owen licked his lips, deep in thought.
The courtyard door opened.
"Grandpa Aka, I've brought some food for the guests."
A little girl stood at the doorway, timid and endearingly vulnerable.
She held a small wooden plate with berries and some unknown wild herbs, and just two pieces of dried meat.
Seeing the meager food on the plate and the girl's thin, stick-like appearance, Owen felt even more uneasy.
How could he bring himself to eat such meager fare?
"I... I can actually hunt for myself. There's really no need..." Owen said, finding it hard to watch.
Aka's face changed slightly, filled with a melancholic expression, "I'm truly sorry. As honored guests of our clan, you should be treated well, yet we struggle even to offer a bit of food."
Owen quickly waved his hand, smiling without a hint of concern, "It's fine, really. Just having a place to stay is more than enough for me. At least I won't have to endure the wind and rain outside."
Yet the little girl approached, placing the small wooden plate before Owen, "Brother, please eat. Grandpa always teaches us to offer our best to guests. We in Darkveil are the friendliest race."
Owen gently stroked the girl's hair, and she squinted her eyes like a contented kitten, snuggling up, clearly enjoying the warmth.
"Big Brother, your hand is so warm, it makes my body feel toasty," the little girl said, her lips curving into a cute dimpled smile.
"I haven't felt this warm in a long time."
This was the effect of the Gold Divine Dragon blood in Owen's veins, keeping his body at a constant temperature throughout the year, even in the coldest of lands, as warm as a furnace.
Seeing the girl's adorable demeanor, a wave of sympathy rose in Owen's heart: "What's your name?"
"You can call me Nina. And how should I address you?"
"Addie."
Aka, glancing at the food on the small wooden plate on the table, couldn't sit still any longer.
His eyes shifted as he spoke, "Nina, why don't you keep our guest company for a bit? I'll go and see if the other villagers can spare some more food."
Hearing this, Owen quickly interjected, "Aka, please don't. Your tribe is already in such a difficult situation."
Aka, however, smiled, "It's our tribe's tradition. Even in hard times, we can't let our guests go hungry. What would people say about Darkveil's honor if word got out?"
With that, Aka slowly made his way to the door.
Stepping outside, he murmured in a voice heavy with years, "But can our Darkveil even survive? The gods are so unjust..."
Owen, now not the man he once was, heard Aka's murmured words as if they were spoken directly into his ear.
Aka surely didn't realize Owen had heard him.
Owen looked at Nina, asking with a hint of curiosity, "Have you encountered some trouble?"
Upon hearing this, Nina's face grew sad, a rare maturity appearing on her young face,
"Mr. Addie, in three days, it will be time for the Flamekin to raid us again. Then our tribe will be humiliated by them, and many of our uncles and aunts will be..."
At this point, Nina began to sob, her body trembling uncontrollably, her amber eyes welling up with tears, "...eaten by them."
Owen's pupils narrowed slightly, his lips pressed tightly together.
Erin pouted at Owen's side, speaking indignantly, "Master, let's help poor Nina. With our care, they can surely have a better life."
Nina's eyes lit up, wiping the tears from her cheeks, her eyes sparkling with hope, "Mr. Addie, can you help us?"
Owen felt a surge of anger, reminiscent of past grievances with Roger.
At school, Roger, capitalizing on his status as the team captain, bullied the weak.
A sense of frustration grew within Owen.
Should disadvantaged races be constantly invaded by intermediate races?
Continually looted?
Are they destined to perish?
Owen's eyes glimmered with determination, and a fierce expression spread across his face.
To hell with it, these were just the machinations of the gods.
Seeing Owen seemingly unmoved, Nina pulled out a sticky object from her small pouch.
Holding it out like a precious treasure, she offered it to Owen,
"Mr. Addie, I know the rules. I heard that hiring human mercenaries requires payment..."
"I have nothing else, the most precious thing I have is this candy – a gift from a human traveler. I've been reluctant to eat it."
"I offer you my most treasured candy. Can you... help my people?" Her voice quivered, "Even if it's just saving one more person."
Owen looked down, the scene before him causing a slight sting in his nose.
Nina carefully cradled a candy that had been stored for who knows how long.
The candy's color had faded under the assault of time, barely retaining a faint yellow hue.
Its surface was riddled with cracks, as if time had mercilessly peeled away layer after layer.
The edges of the candy had melted, with drops of syrup seeping out from the fissures, solidifying due to the cold temperature.
The candy barely resembled one anymore; if not for Nina's declaration, Owen would have mistaken it for a lump of dirt.
In Nina's eyes shone a look of treasuring and reminiscence, as if this candy was not just a sweet treat, but a repository of all her memories and hopes.
Her fingers gently caressed the candy, as if feeling its warmth, its texture, its very life.
A sweet smile curled at the corners of her mouth.
Owen, observing the candy in Nina's hands, felt a pang of sorrow.
He couldn't imagine how such an ordinary candy could occupy such a significant place in Nina's heart.
Perhaps the people of Darkveil had never tasted candy, not even on their most important festivals.
Looking deeply at Nina, Owen firmly took the candy from her hands, holding it in his palm, squeezing it as if to grasp all of Nina's hopes and expectations within his grasp.
He looked at Nina, his gaze resolute and affectionate:
"A fine payment..."
"Your village, I will protect."
Nina, unaware of the weight of Owen's words, only watched as Erin, elated, lifted her into the air, cheering loudly, "Nina, your village is saved!"
Nina, suspended in the air, broke into a giggling, innocent laugh.
…
For the following days, Owen lived among the Darkveil.
Life in Darkveil was far from easy.
The village was in ruins, houses dilapidated and crumbling, walls spotted and peeling, roofs leaking.
The streets were littered with trash and weeds, emitting an unpleasant odor.
The villagers were few, mostly the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled.
They looked haggard and worn, their clothes ragged and threadbare, exuding an air of exhaustion.
When Owen inquired about the cause of all this, he was told that the people of the intermediate race had consumed most of the Darkveil's youth, leaving only a few for breeding.
Such a brutal reality filled Owen with rage.
He couldn't fathom that such cruelty was happening on this continent.