âTrue,â once the knightâs initial shock passed, he suddenly revealed a very curious expression, âso just the shower costsâŠâ
âUn, four hundred gold coins.â The dwarf nodded.
The elfâs ears twitched violently, seeing this scene, the knight suddenly buried his face into the pillow, and started to laugh silently, his body shaking.
âGod⊠it seems⊠Duke Elmond⊠is⊠really a⊠cheapskate⊠four hundred gold⊠hahaha⊠shower roomâŠâ
The dwarf looked at the knight a little confused, âis that a joke? Iâm sorryMr.Frank, I donât really understand human culture. Would it be impolite if I didnât laugh along?â
The knightâs shaking got worse.
âCâŠaâŠiâŠn!!â The elf practically shouted the knightâs name with gritted teeth.
âSorry Ellen⊠I didnât mean toâŠbut⊠ow that hurtsâŠâ
âIf you laugh again, Iâm going back to find the Joseph brothers, and invite them into the team. Then appoint Titan to sleep in the same bed as you.â
âCaptain you canât⊠thatâs bullying an injured teammate.â
âIf you still remember youâre injured then quickly lie back down and be quiet.â
The knight immediately laid back down obediently. The elf glared at him for a moment, sighing, âIâll go take the night watch, you should all sleep first.â
âCall me in two hours.â The knightâs whose face was still buried in the pillow, said in a muffled voice.
The elf ignored his words, turning to the dwarf to say, âJulian, Iâll be counting on you for the latter half of the night.â
âYes, Mr.Ellen,â the dwarfâs eyes brightened, âkeeping the night watch⊠it really feels like an adventurer!â
âItâs not âfeels like an adventurerâ,â the elf smiled weakly, âyou are an adventurer now.â
âYes, Mr Ellen!â the dwarf stood straighter, âIâll try to get used to it quickly! Do you have any other orders?â
â⊠Please get rid of that Mr.â
âYes sir! ⊠Ah no, I mean, yes, Ellen!â
It was late into the night.
Other than the occasional crackling of firewood, everything was quiet.
Borrowing the light from the fire, the elf looked through the map, but rather than say he was making plans, it should be said that he was simply enjoying the feeling.
â The feeling of being an Adventurer.
Some people are domestic, others wander aimlessly, who can say which is better or worse, but if it was about himself, he would absolutely be a helplessly addicted wanderer(1). Just sitting in front of the fire, knowing that his companions are sleeping soundly in the tent, gives a feeling of warm security in his heart.
This was the environment that the elf was most familiar with, or perhaps, this was his only familiar living style.
If it werenât for the âDeath Dragonâ, perhaps he would be in the âUnicorn Legionâ, watching the team grow and members change, until finally one day, dying in some battlefield without a care due to some serious accident.
Footsteps interrupted the elfâs thoughts.
The knight exited the tent, grinning when he saw the elf turn around, âCame out to answer a call of nature â by the way, isnât it almost time to change shifts?â
âItâs nothing, Iâll stand watch for a bit longer,â the elf shook his head, âIâm just feeling a little⊠sleepless.â
âDonât force yourself.â
âIâve slept for three hundred years,â the elf smiled, âone or two hours less isnât a big deal.â
The knight shook his head disapprovingly, coming over to sit next to the elf.
â⊠Every time it was Toddâs turn to stand watch, he would always write in that journal.â The elf lifted his head, gazing at the shadow of the mountains in the distance, âalthough we always thought that he was just balancing the books. If⊠we knew he was thinking like that, perhaps we wouldnât have asked him to stay in Elvira.â
The knight didnât reply.
âJulian doesnât look much like him, and he didnât speak a lot, but they are probably quite similar on the inside.â
âJulian is a good fellow,â the knight finally said, looking a little pensive, âbut havenât you been reminding him the whole day
âHmm?â
The knight seemed to have realized something, he turned his head away a little embarrassed, âNothing, forget what I said.â
The elf looked at his profile, suddenly smiling gently with a bit of understanding, âStill thinking about the difference in treatment, huh?â(2)
âI donât care about that, I mean,â the knight coughed, âbeing nice to a new person is normal.â
The elf thought for a moment, reaching behind to remove something. Then he pulled the knightâs hand over, placing it solemnly into his hand.
âWill this be acceptable?â
The knightâs eyes widened.
âSpirit Stone of the Moonâ the elf said briskly, âit is said that wearing it would increase your magical powers by a little, once itâs used up it can be recharged with moonlight. But since I donât have magic powers I always forget about it â since you donât have your cross anymore, Iâm not sure if this is a suitable replacement.â
âEllen⊠I really was just joking,â looking at the clear stone in his palm, the knight smiled weakly, âthisâŠis very precious right?â
âNo, how would you call this⊠itâs defective? Anyways, the sentimental values are higher than its actual practicality.â The elf smiled a little apologetically, âSorry, Iâm very poor, with nothing to give. âŠYouâve chosen a pretty unreliable master.â
âEllen, if God banished me from his team,â the knight closed his fingers, holding the crystal in his palm, âit was so that I could meet you â I think Heâs generous enough, really. âŠI really want to show this off everywhere.â(4)
âShow off⊠donât tell Shelly, if he comes asking for equal treatment, I can only give him this.â The elf pointed to the earring on his left ear, saying helplessly, âeven though itâs from three hundred years ago, but just to give him one side, would be too stingy.â
âI didnât know elves have the tradition to wear earrings.â
âThere really isnât,â the elf nodded, âthisâŠhow to say it, could be considered a mistake of youth.â
âA mistake of youth,â the knight revealed a secretive smile, âthat sounds very romantic. A love story?â
âNo, a stupid story.â The elf grinned, replying, âWhen I was fifteen or sixteen, a group a human merchants passed through the forest. That group specializes in body art, like tattoos, or piercings. â As a result all the children in the tribe couldnât resist running to see. Itâs something weâve never seen before, so it was especially attractive.â
âUnderstood, it would be pretty attractive even to human children.â The knight thought for a moment before replying, âIf it werenât for my discipline, I would probably get a tattoo as well.â
âYes, a few of the braver ones, really came back with tattoos, and mostly on the face and forehead. â In the end they could only spread the rumor to the outside that it was a tribal tradition.â
âAre you one of the braver ones?â
âMe? I was one of the more cowardly ones. Only sneaking out to get my ears pierced, hoping my parents wonât find out.â
âAnd?â
âOf course I was found out,â the elf spread his hands, âI was grounded for a month and not allowed to go hunting. â Then I became more honest, only the piercings I couldnât resist leaving as a memento.â
âIt was only one side from the start?â
âNo, it was originally a pair, but only one side was left when I woke up.â
The elf reached a hand out, touching the empty right ear a little regretfully, âI donât know when I lost it, three hundred years, itâs impossible to find now. Then again itâs already grown back, even if I find it I canât wear it again.â
âActually, itâs very beautiful,â the knight grinned, âcanât really be considered a mistake.â
âTruthfully, it hurts quite a bit. I wouldnât advise for you to try it. â By the way, what happened to the natureâs call?â
âIt was just an excuse, I actually came out for some sweets,â the knight gripped the crystal in his hand again, âIâm going back to sleep. Want me to wake Julian?â
âSure.â The elf took a last look at the sky, standing up.