Chapter 11

Chapter 11. "The Thing Bought from Them with Money." (5)

"Fifty thousand woni,"

"...Fifty-five thousand."

Rene gazed at the face of the clothing shop’s owner for a moment, then gave him a small smile as she said,

"All right. Fifty-five thousand woni."

"Whoa?! That’s incredible! You knocked four thousand off against Old Man Jeff!"

"Whew~!! Well now, that’s amazing, miss!"

...Was it really such an astonishing contest that spectators had started gathering?

Rene gave a small wave to the people around us who were cheering, then pulled out her wallet from her trousers and paid the price. As soon as she did, the spectators crowding around us all raised their hands and applauded.

"Clap clap clap clap~!!"

There she was, Rene, receiving applause for haggling down the price of goods. Ordinarily, an elf traveling abroad would never do something like this and deliberately draw human eyes to herself, but Rene, an elf who had married a human like me, had started to change little by little.

For example, she would haggle down the price of goods and then accept applause from the people around her.

While the merchants gathered nearby, and even the housewives who had come out to shop, cheered for her enthusiastically, I turned my head slightly away from Rene’s smiling face and glanced at the old clothes seller.

His face was flushed bright red as he stared blankly down at the five silver gold coins resting in his palm.

...The shock must be great.

After staring at the coins in his hand for a long while, the old man closed his eyes, clenched the palm holding the coins tight, and said with a grin,

"......In all my forty years working in this marketplace, I’ve never had a customer knock more than three thousand woni off the price. Hah, good grief. Am I dreaming?"

Rene merely smiled gently in silence. The old clothes seller picked up the large wrapped bundle he had set aside and placed it in her arms as he said,

"Take it. You won. But miss, have you ever thought about doing business with me?"

Rene only smiled. At that, the old clothes seller stroked his bearded chin and said, sounding a little disappointed,

"Does that mean no? Hmm, what a shame~ You could’ve made a fortune. Whoever it is, the man who gets to marry you is a very lucky fellow."

At that, the eyes of the young men around us who had still not found brides began to shine, and I found myself wearing a rather pleased expression as I looked at their faces.

Who would feel bad hearing people say his wife is beautiful? Well, maybe it depends on the person.

In any case, when the old man said that with such a playful look, Rene smiled brightly, walked over to me where I stood a little apart, held out the bundle in her arms, and said,

"Honey, are you happy right now?"

"Ah. I’m happy."

I took the bundle she held out and answered with the gentlest expression I could manage. Rene smiled softly at that.

Then the people standing behind her each blurted out something or other, their faces filled with surprise.

The young men who had been sizing her up as a possible bride just moments earlier now shot me jealous looks with dispirited faces, but I merely smiled back at them.

Sorry, but Rene is my everything. There is no way I can let the likes of you have any chance.

Rene dipped her head slightly toward the old clothes seller, and the old man, who had been grinning in amusement at the young men glaring jealousy at me, noticed her and waved his hand.

"Farewell! And don’t come back again! If people like you keep showing up, we’ll have a hard time making a living!"

"Yeees~ I’ll come again next time~!"

Rene fired back magnificently at the old clothes seller’s words, and the old man and the other merchants laughed heartily.

Leaving their smiling faces behind us, Rene and I walked out of the market alley and headed toward the main road.

Behind me, a handcart trundled along obediently. I had spoken to Jonathan and borrowed it from him. The amount of things we bought at the market was beyond imagination, so even carrying a cart was not enough.

Since we only came out once every half a year, it was only natural that the amount of shopping would be enormous. Perhaps next time I should ask to borrow a freight wagon instead.

"Where should we go now? I think we’ve more or less seen everything we came to see at the market today."

At that, she rummaged through the cart that had been quietly following behind, pulled out a bundle of papers no larger than my palm, flipped through several of the pages, and spoke. She really was a thrifty woman. Just in case she forgot something, she had written everything down carefully.

"If we ask Jonathan, he can get us five barrels of beer, and... ah, right. We need to buy a few books this time, so let’s go to the bookstore."

She loved books. She loved them so much that, once we got home, there was a private study just for Rene. Me? I can read, so that is enough. I can just look things up whenever I need to.

At her words, I looked around and said,

"Hmm, bookstore, bookstore, where is the bookstore?"

Smack!

"Ah!?"

"Hm?"

At the sudden sound of something colliding, followed by Rene’s faint cry, I turned my head toward her.

Behind her, a tiny black-haired child who looked to be about twelve had fallen to the ground. It seemed the child had been running in a hurry and failed to notice Rene standing in front.

...But then why is Rene’s coin purse sliding into that brat’s sleeve?

She patted around her waist for a moment, then walked over to the child sprawled on the ground, bent one knee, held out her hand, and said,

"I’m sorry, little one. Big Sis didn’t see behind her."

Depending on how one heard it, that could sound like she was saying it was entirely her fault, inviting the child to vent his anger.

Or, depending on how one heard it, it could sound like a cutting remark telling the fallen child to watch where he was running.

In any case, she lowered her brows apologetically as she spoke, and the child, who had been staring blankly at her, sprang to his feet and began brushing off his clothes as though nothing had happened.

But the amusing part was that the child’s clothes were nearly the same as rags. They were torn in places and filthy, and he wore them around himself like a cloak. A discarded child? But that pretty face made it seem like that was not quite the whole story.

After dusting off his clothes, the child adjusted the strip of cloth tightly wound around his head, then looked at Rene, who was still crouching there with her hand extended, and said,

"Next time, make sure you watch where you are walking."

That was a strange accent. And somehow it sounded like a way of speaking I had heard many times before.

When I turned my head, I saw that Rene had drawn back the hand she had extended and was holding it before her chest as though she had touched something burning hot, her face stunned.

She remained frozen there, staring blankly at the child who had run into her, and the child, pretending not to notice her, simply turned his back and walked away.

I looked back and forth between the pickpocket child and Rene, then walked up to her, still crouched there silently watching the child grow farther away, placed my hand on her shoulder, and said,

"Rene? Honey, what’s wrong?"

At that, Rene slowly turned her head toward me and, in the very same accent as the child, said,

"Ra ii, jaira. Syoniri in demi. Han, rai in riru sentiriiin erpeu!!"

The instant I heard those words, I sprang forward. The child? Where was the child?

Forty meters ahead, taking a detour into an alley. Damn, so he plans to run.

As I admired the cunning of the child who had intentionally led us through a crowded market alley so that no one could easily chase him, I went back over the words Rene had just spoken in the language of the elves.

'Ra ii, jaira. Syoniri in demi. Han, rai in riru sentiriiin erpeu!!'

'No, catch him. Bring that child here. Han, that child is an elf child!!'

But why would an elf child be in a market alley? Dressed in rags like that, and on top of that, stealing! It makes no sense.

Elves are proud. Elves would never resort to theft like this. I need to bring that child back first and hear his story. Why did an elf have to steal? And why is he wandering around alone?

As I ran, I looked ahead and saw the market alley packed with people. It would be dinnertime soon, so they must all have come flooding into the market to prepare their evening meals.

If that brat forced his way through that many people, he would surely get away before long. Hmm, then I have no choice.

I sprinted toward the most densely crowded part of the street at full speed.

Thanks to the ability I gained because of that past 'incident,' I had become able to race even an elf through the forest, so, little brat, there is no way you are escaping from me.

The thickest crowd stretched for about eight meters. It was a little risky, perhaps.

Well, it did not matter. If I could bring that brat back and see Rene’s smiling face, that would be enough.

Gathering as much speed as I could, I took a running start and dropped to one knee directly in front of a young woman with short hair who was strolling along leisurely with a basket hooked over one arm while chatting with the lady beside her. At that, she stumbled backward in alarm and said,

"Ah, um... what is—"

Fwaaaaaaak~~!!!

"Kyaaaaah!!!"

My apologies, miss. I did not do it on purpose. I felt a little sorry that, of all places, the spot where I had bent my knees to leap just happened to be right in front of a young woman who had sunk to the ground and was now looking up at me as I flew into the sky.

Moving in slow, graceful motion, I spun once in midair and landed ten meters away.

Boom!!

The moment I hit the ground, I immediately broke into a run again, and after a brief silence, thunderous applause erupted behind me. My wife and I really had given those people a good deal of entertainment to watch today.

Leaving the applause behind, I flung myself into the alley the child had entered moments ago, only to be overcome at once by a desperate sense of misfortune. Inside the alley, four branching paths were waiting for me.

Ugh... damn it. I’ve always been terrible with this sort of thing.

While I stood there hesitating, thankfully, a wretched scream rang out from the second alley on the right.

Thinking perhaps, just perhaps, I dashed into that alley. Once I got a fair way inside, I saw the child from before in the middle of the dim passage, being kicked by two men.

Now what is this supposed to be?

"Hey, you damned little bastard! What are you, a dog?! Biting people just like that?!"

Thud! Smack! Thump thump thump thump!!

After continuing to stomp on the child, the man finally drew his leg far back and kicked him hard.

Thuuud!!

With that loud sound, the child rolled toward me. Damn, there was no time to stop them. Still, I had found him, and that was what mattered.

Thinking that, I checked the child’s condition, when the man in front, the one touching his ear with one hand, spat on the ground and said,

"Hck! Ptooey!! Hey there, mister. Mind kicking that ball over here for us?"

A ball....

I stared at the man silently, then lowered my gaze and looked at the ball. The child had lost consciousness and was clutching something tight against his chest.

Through the gap in his clenched fingers, what I could see was, no matter how I looked at it, Rene’s coin purse. I slipped my hand inside his rags and checked here and there, but there was no blood on him. He was an elf, after all.

That level of beating would not do him any real harm. But how much could a child this small endure? I tapped his dirt-streaked cheek lightly with the back of my hand and said,

"You endured well. I don’t know the whole story, but for now, I’ll collect that debt for you."

Then I rose to my feet and looked at the two men. Among them, the blond man who had called the child a ball looked at me with a crooked expression and said,

"A debt? Oh! So you’re some righteous hero, are you? The debt is the brat’s to us, not ours to him. Let me give you some advice. If you don’t want trouble, just leave."

As he spoke, he showed me the gleaming metal pieces tucked inside his jacket. I gave them a grin and said,

"I do not know your circumstances. I do not want to know them, either. What matters is that I need to take this child back to my wife quickly. If I am late, she will worry. So let me give you some advice in return. If you do not want something broken, then leave. I am taking this child."

"Oh? You’re an amusing old man, aren’t you?"

"Old man? We look about the same age, so why are you talking down to me?"

"Should I not?"

"Don’t."

"...Shut up!!"

The blond man, who had been exchanging a ridiculous conversation with me, drew the daggers hidden inside his jacket and charged.

The other man standing behind him bent sharply at the waist, reached behind his back, and pulled out his hand again.

Long knives were wedged between his fingers. He hurled the knives one after another, and at the same time, the man with whom I had just briefly spoken was already pressing a dagger toward my throat.

Hmm, these fellows are fairly skilled.

Why are men of this caliber shaking down a pickpocket? I have no idea.

Thinking that, I tilted my head slightly to the side. The dagger aimed at my throat missed cleanly, and the blond man scowled as he slashed with the dagger in his other hand.

I raised my left arm and lightly struck his wrist with the back of my hand. He grimaced and dropped the dagger he was holding, and I used that moment to drive a straight punch into his face.

Thuuud!!

"Ugh!"

One down for now.

But in front of me, silver knives were flying in at tremendous speed. Even now, the dagger the blond had dropped was still spinning slowly through the air.

I shot out my hand, snatched it, and began knocking away the incoming knives one by one.

There were four knives flying at me in total.

One aimed at my face,

Clang!

Then one at my heart,

Cling!

Then one at my thigh,

Twang!!

And the last at my shoulder,

Tang!

The man who had thrown the knives stared at me with wide eyes and, for the first time, spoke.

"What are you? Are you even human?"

"Yes. Fourteen years ago, I became a living human again. Though my time remains stopped."

I answered while wearing a bitter smile and looking at the blade of the dagger. He stared at me with his mouth hanging open, then changed his expression and bared a savage grin.

"Ridiculous."

At the same moment, both of his hands moved toward his back. Before he could pull out more knives, I hurled the dagger I was holding straight at his sleeve.

Riiip!! Thuuud!

The man froze halfway through drawing his knives and stared down at his torn sleeve with his mouth hanging open.

I threw that a little too hard. If I had thrown it with less force, he would have fallen backward.

The dagger ripped through his sleeve and buried itself in the wall of the alley behind him. He stared back and forth between the knife lodged in the wall and his sleeve, blinking furiously.

I watched him for a moment, then turned away and bent down to lift the unconscious child from where he had collapsed on the ground.

Light. Damn it, and he endured the kicks of a full-grown man with a body like this?

I looked down quietly at the blond sprawled on the ground with blood pouring from both nostrils.

...Should I wake him up and beat him some more?

Just then, the man who had sunk to the ground, staring at his torn sleeve and letting out a hollow sigh, spoke.

"You’re a monster. Take the brat and don’t ever come back."

"A wise decision."

"...Damn it."