Zack lounged lazily in the cockpit, sinking comfortably into his seat.
Barely a minute into their flight, the magic artifact's detection system beeped loudly, drawing his attention. Glancing at the map displaying red dots indicating activity in the surrounding area, Zack recalled, "Oh yeah, we're heading straight through the former Tormentaheim. That's where I sensed those lifeforce fluctuations earlier."
But he shrugged it off, sipping on Fannie's fruit juice. 'Eh, maybe just some lost folks stumbled in by accident. Who cares?'
The magic vehicle not only mapped out the area around it but also projected an outside view, like peeking through a giant window. Well, not really a window, more like a fancy recording gadget that beamed the outside world onto the walls.
At this speed, everything outside was a blur, only catching glimpses in a split second. Zack could keep up with his accelerated thoughts thanks to his superhuman body, but he wasn't about to use them just to enjoy the view. Nah, he wanted to take it easy, munching on snacks, sipping juice, and catching up on gossip from his badge.
In a split second, as the vehicle zipped through the life force settlement they'd detected, Zack's heart leaped. "STOP!" he shouted, signaling the vehicle to halt. Quickly, he steered it back, eyes wide as he took in the scene outside.
"Fannie, get to the control room," Zack messaged through the ship's comms.
"Right away, teacher," Fannie replied promptly, entering the control room moments later. Zack gestured towards the scenery outside, prompting a gasp from beside him.
It wasn't surprising. Outside, there were about 20 people, looking like teenagers or even younger, but with faces weathered beyond their years, like they'd been through hell and back. They were so skinny, they could pass for skeletons, wearing ragged clothes. Dark bruises and patches covered their skin, resembling vitiligo but in black. And the most shocking part? They all had black hair and eyes, just like Fannie!
The ship hovered about a hundred meters above the ground, pretty close to the settlement, but thanks to its invisibility cloak, nobody there had noticed it.
Right now, there were about 10 kids huddled around a teenager on the road.
"Hey sis, we're starving," one of the kids piped up.
"Sis, when's the gathering team coming back?" another asked anxiously.
"Sis, my stomach feels weird," another whimpered, clutching his belly.
"Sis, why is it suddenly so cold?" another shivered.
The other kids echoed similar concerns. The teenager in the center looked troubled, her eyes wavering before steeling with determination, especially at the last two comments. Those were the signs of dying by starvation.
"Okay, hang tight for a bit. I've got a little food left. Stay in the shade and behave, okay? Running around will just make you thirsty," she said, crouching with a reassuring smile.
Then, she ducked into a nearby building and retrieved a knife. With trembling fingers, she aimed it at her own arm, right around her elbow. Zack, shocked by the sight of so many black-haired people in dire straits, snapped back to focus. He activated his [Triple Enhancement], crackling with lightning as he appeared beside the teenager, grabbing her hand.
"What do you think you're doing?" Zack asked.
The girl's eyes widened at the sudden appearance of Zack and she immediately struggled. "Let go!"
Zack released her only after snatching the knife, causing her to stumble to the ground. "What were you planning?"
"It's none of your business, please just go," she mumbled, avoiding Zack's gaze, hugging herself and trembling as if she was scared stiff.
Seeing Zack unmoved, the girl raised her voice, though it trembled. "Please, just go!"
Hearing the ruckus, the kids outside rushed in. Seeing a stranger, cloaked and hooded, the kids were taken aback. They were scared of this man, who seemed stronger than any of the older boys in their settlement, or maybe even any man they'd ever seen.
But seeing their sister on the ground, looking hurt, and the stranger holding a knife, the kids jumped to conclusions. They immediately stood in front of the teenage girl, scowling and shouting.
"What do you think you're doing? Don't you dare hurt our sister!"
"Just you wait, our big brothers will teach you a lesson!"
Despite their tough act, Zack could see right through their fear, evident in their trembling fingers, legs, and eyes. Sighing, Zack realized how the situation looked, with him, a stranger, holding a knife while the girl sat on the ground. It definitely seemed like he was about to hurt her.
Making the knife vanish into his storage ring, Zack watched as the kids gaped in shock. Seeing their reaction, Zack got an idea. "Hey, you guys wanna see a magic trick?"
Without waiting for an answer, Zack held out his hand, conjuring an apple with a thought. The kids' eyes widened, one even drooling a bit. Zack chuckled, feeling both amused and sorry for the state they were in.
"You want it?" Zack tossed the apple to the drooling kid, the same one who'd mentioned feeling cold earlier. His body trembled even harder now, not just from feeling cold but also from fear. The kid clumsily caught the apple, his hunger evident, but he hesitated, realizing the others were just as famished.
So, he held back and handed the apple to the teenage girl. "Sis, can you help me split this for everyone?"
Zack clapped his hands, drawing the kids' attention back to him. Then, he conjured another apple from his ring. "No need for that, little buddy. I've got an apple for each of you."
Their eyes practically sparkled with delight as Zack handed out the apples, including one for the teenage girl. But before the kids could take a bite, she stopped them, taking a bite first while giving Zack a suspicious look. After a few tense seconds, she nodded, allowing the others to dig in.
Zack chuckled, watching the girl's cautiousness. 'She thinks I poisoned the apples?'
As the kids devoured the apples in seconds, Zack lamented dramatically, "Oh no, those were my only apples! My precious apples are gone, and now I have nowhere to stay for the night as the sky darkens." He pressed a hand to his forehead, exaggerating his distress. Peeking at the kids' reactions, he saw them fidgeting, looking guilty, even the teenage girl.
"OHHH!! My sweet ap-" Zack was cut off by a sudden slap to the head.
"Sorry about my teacher, he gets a bit carried away," Fannie interjected, smoothing things over. "We're travelers who accidentally stumbled into your settlement. Would you mind if we stayed here for the night?"
The teenage girl hesitated for a bit before leading them to a building, surrounded by the abandoned structures of the former Tormentaheim.
On the way, they exchanged introductions. Zack, now hoodless, introduced himself, "I'm Zack, and this is Fannie, my student slash lov—ow!" He winced, clutching his side where Fannie had jabbed him.
Fannie re-introduced herself, "I'm Fannie, and despite his antiques, my teacher's actually quite reliable. What's your name, little lady?"
Despite their ordinary faces, Zack insisted they retain some of their actual height and physique, partly so they wouldn't be looked down upon. Of course, it was also a chance for him to flaunt his muscles. So, Zack stood at 2 meters tall with a toned physique, while Fannie measured at 1.8 meters. Compared to the 1.5-meter-tall teenage girl, they seemed like giants, hence Fannie's address.
"Ivy," the girl said shortly, then added, "that's what they call me."
They reached a building, and Ivy gestured inside. "You can stay here. It's one of the cleanest houses we have," she said before leaving.
Surveying the small two-story house, Zack nodded. "Alright, this'll do." They weren't just planning to stay for one night; they were prepared to linger for days to observe this group.
Meanwhile, Ivy held her wrist where Zack had touched her earlier to stop her. She reflected on her encounters with Zack and Fannie, the two peculiar individuals. Despite being cloaked, Ivy could sense whether someone's gaze was malicious or not. But with Zack, there wasn't even a hint of malice, nor the disgust she typically faced from non-black-haired people. Not even when he touched her. Reflecting on this, she chuckled bitterly. "How low have we sunk, to feel happy when others treat us like normal humans?"
***
Half an hour later, Zack lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, when he heard a commotion outside. He sensed several life force signatures entered the settlement. "Looks like that's the gathering team or the big brothers they mentioned," he remarked to Fannie.
Fannie hummed, asking, "Should we go out to meet them?"
"Nah, let's wait here. Charging out might come off as aggressive. Their leader will come to us eventually," Zack replied.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, there was a knock on Zack's door.
Outside stood an older teenager with a determined look accompanied by Ivy who they had met earlier. The older boy spoke, "Sorry for not welcoming you earlier. I'm Asher, the leader. We were just about to eat. Want to join us, or should I bring some food over?" he offered.
"We get it, no worries. We'd love to join," Zack replied, noticing a slight twitch in Asher's eyelids.
"Great. Follow me," Asher said, turning to lead the way.
Suppressing a smirk, Zack realized Asher was reluctant to let them join. He likely asked out of politeness. But Zack couldn't pass up the chance for more interaction. Investigating this group was his main reason for cutting his holiday short and staying here. He needed to get closer to them.
Stepping into another building, this one much larger with a spacious hall, Zack noticed a large table in the center. The kids from earlier were seated there, along with many unfamiliar faces. In total, there were 33 people, including their leader, Asher.
Plates of food soon appeared from the back of the hall. On the plates, Zack spotted small strips of unknown meat, a few worms, and a smattering of mushrooms and vegetables. The food was lightly seasoned with unfamiliar herbs, but it emitted an indescribable aroma. While the smell wasn't exactly unpleasant, Zack, accustomed to Fannie's unique culinary creations, looked forward to the meal—except for the worms. But he couldn't refuse since he already felt guilty for enjoying a free meal.
Closing his eyes, Zack took a bite of the worm. To his surprise, it wasn't half bad. His eyes lit up. Glancing at Fannie, he saw she was already digging into her food and nearly finished.
Unbeknownst to them, Asher, the leader, relaxed his grip on his spoon, his tense expression from earlier fading into relief. He had expected Zack and Fannie, dressed in clothes fancier than even the nobles', to sneer or show disgust. "Ivy was right, these strangers are incredibly strange," he thought with a small smile as he continued eating.
After finishing their meal, some of the kids began to rise, likely intending to clear the plates. Zack, sensing this, immediately raised his hand. "No need, kids. Since you've kindly fed us, it's only fair we return the favor."
With a flick of his fingers, he cast multiple spells to clean the plates and cutlery in an instant. Then, with another wave of his hand, the plates floated into the air and arranged themselves into a small tower, which Zack directed to a nearby table.
Observing the shocked faces of the kids, Zack waved his hand once more, summoning 35 bowls into the air. A delightful aroma filled the room as each bowl contained Fannie's special beef porridge. Zack directed a bowl to land gently in front of each person.
"No, we can't accept this," Asher protested frantically.
"Please," Zack insisted, his tone firm but friendly. "Consider it a token of thanks in advance for something we'll need your group's help with."
Seeing no hint of malice in Zack's eyes, Asher hesitated. But as he noticed the longing looks from the kids, he relented. "Alright, we'll hear your request gladly. And we'll see it through to the end," he said to Zack, then turning to the others at the table, he motioned for them to eat. "Dig in, but take it slow so you don't choke."
As soon as Asher gave the command, the kids dove into the porridge, devouring it eagerly. Even Asher, who had intended to eat slowly, found himself increasing his pace unconsciously. He couldn't seem to stop himself. Zack smirked inwardly. "Yeah, taste that. That's Fannie's special," he said after slurping down some porridge, then added, "Great food as always, Fannie." Fannie simply hummed in response.