Chapter 9: Yes, I Like Kids
Chapter 9 Yes, I like children
Two hours of traveling passed without Hajna feeling the slightest bit tired.
As they left the Red and White Queens, the center of the capital city, Glass Island, the smoky factories and speeding trains gradually began to grow in number.
The choking fog was accompanied by the smell of fish and shrimp, and the sound of whistles mingled with the voices of vendors.
The aroma of bakery baking came from the street, and people in thick trench coats and bowler hats walked through the streets.
Downtrodden painters in berets sat on the side of the street painting the darkened skyscrapers across the street and the metal pipes that circled around the outer walls of factories and wrapped around the buildings like snakes; inspectors in silver and white armor rode high overhead on tall, majestic, white griffins more than two meters tall.
A short-haired red newspaper boy of eleven or twelve, carrying two bundles of papers, clamored down the street:
“The Glass Steps Gazette headlines this day! Bishop Mathers of the Diocese of Red Queen was recently appointed by Her Majesty the Queen as a Spiritual Councillor! The number of Spiritual Members of Parliament from the Church has now increased to six!
“The Chancellor of the Exchequer plans to tax matches and kerosene lamps next year! Her Majesty strongly condemns the expulsion of three Knights of Avalon from the Kingdom of Star Antimony for murder, espionage, and interference in the internal affairs of another country!”
The Glass Steps Gazette had sold a good portion of its copies, and there were only a few left. The rope had to be tightened and tightened to keep it from slipping off his shoulders.
The other bundle of papers behind the newsboy had sold less than a quarter.
With somewhat parched lips he bellowed, “One copy of the Lloyd’s Weekly is only five red coins – the day of the hanging is approaching and the list of November’s condemned prisoners has been finalized! Thirty-eight persons will be sentenced to death this month, the second largest number in the last three years, and there is a definite list of those to be executed!
“Third round of apprenticeships for the Nichols Gypsum Factory in the harbor district, age lowered to fourteen!”
“A painter in Green Flute Street committed suicide at his home last week! The Lloyd’s Harbor Bank was robbed yesterday and the robbers have all been arrested! Come and see! Only five red coins a copy–“
“Sister.”
Ivars suddenly spoke up, “Buy me two newspapers.”
“Huh?”
Hajna froze for a moment, “The Glass Steps Newspaper should be delivered by someone in your family, right? Would you like to buy a copy of the Lloyd’s Weekly?”
“No, buy a copy of both.” Ivars emphasized.
“…… Oh, I see.”
It was then that Hajna reacted. This was Aiwas looking at the newsboy who was really working hard and wanted him to finish selling the newspaper earlier.
“It’s almost noon, no one will buy it. And this is the Lloyd’s District, it’s all sailors, fishermen and laborers, they don’t have that much money to buy newspapers.”
She whispered, “Why don’t I buy them all?”
“No, just buy one of each.”
Ivas shook his head, “The boy is laboring, not begging.”
“…… I see.”
Hajna stood in awe.
She nodded seriously and admonished, “I’ll get the paper, so be careful.”
Ivars opened his eyes and nodded wordlessly.
Hajna had only just left herself when a girl tiptoed up to her.
She was a little dirty, her clothes thin and her body dry and thin.
Looking at Ivas, who was wearing a hood, the girl hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to call her.
“…… Uncle, buy a bouquet of flowers.”
She whispered.
Obviously noticing that Aiwas was in a wheelchair – although it could be determined from the pattern of the wheelchair that Aiwas was supposed to be rich and supposed to be a kind person. Because she had just overheard their conversation surreptitiously from the side.
But because Aiwas was suspected to be disabled, she still didn’t have a firm enough tone in her sales pitch.
Aiwas reached out and touched her head.
When he reached out, the girl’s body shook as if she had been electrocuted, and her body was raised backward in fear. It was as if she was afraid of someone hitting her.
But because Ivars hand was slow and young enough to emerge from his sleeve. She quickly realized that she seemed to have called him the wrong name.
“–It’s brother.”
Aywas spoke softly.
His fingertips touched the girl’s hair, but they only touched dust and grease. Apparently she hadn’t bathed in days.
But the girl obviously knew that.
She took the first half step back with some trepidation because of Aiwas touching her hair, and in turn apologized to Aiwas, “I’m sorry, my hair is dirty …… I’ll leave now …… “
“Better sell me a bouquet of flowers.”
Aiwas said with a light smile.
As he said that, his outstretched right hand opened back up.
The palm that was empty just a moment ago suddenly had an extra red coin with a face value of 1.
This was not a transcendent ability, just a simple magic maneuver, but it made the girl’s eyes widen.
She looked at the bill and then at Aywas. Obviously thinking that Aiwas was a Transcendent Lord, she was a bit hesitant and afraid to take his money.
And the corners of Aiwas’ mouth rose slightly under his hood.
His fingers deftly clenched and slowly withdrew the bill in his hand.
But just then, he suddenly let out a soft eep and reached out to touch the back of the girl’s neck, “Hey, what’s this?”
With those words, he lightly removed a brand new red coin from the girl’s neck.
Watching the girl’s eyes widen in surprise and confusion, she obviously didn’t figure out how it flew past.
Without waiting for the girl to refuse, Ivars used three fingers of his right hand to deftly fold the red coin in two, and then put it into the girl’s large pocket of money collection that hung in front of her chest and stomach.
Ivars slightly lifted up the corner of his hood and revealed his young face to the girl with a heartfelt smile.
“Shhh ……” He reached out and put his hand in front of his mouth. Making a gesture of silence.
Immediately afterward, he once again put back on his hood and stretched out his white, slender right hand, “Little Miss, where are my flowers?”
“…… Ah, here!”
The girl then reacted, her cheeks slightly red as she handed Aywas a dried wild rose.
“Are you buying flowers, Ivars?”
Just then, Hajna, who was holding the newspaper, returned a little confused.
Seeing this, the girl was so frightened that she nearly fell straight to the ground. Looking at the monitor dressed Hajna, suddenly pale, the whole body shivering in fear.
But even though she was scared like this, she still didn’t immediately flee. Instead, she forced herself to be brave, shivering and stuttering as she whispered, “Wait, wait a minute, sir! Still, still have to find the money ……!”
Stubbornly, with her own trembling hand, she carefully counted out nine crumpled copper coins from the paper bag she had hidden inside her chest and respectfully handed them to Ivars. Immediately after that, she carefully folded the brand new red coin with a denomination of 1 that Aiwas had given him and placed it inside. It was a relief to receive it on the inside of his chest.
She had been under Hajna’s watchful eye the entire time, and by the time she excused herself and left, her legs had gone a little weak with fear.
“I’m not that scary, am I.”
When she was feared by people before, Hajna didn’t care.
But nowadays, maybe it was because of something she had talked to Ivas about. Or maybe it was because the girl looked young and innocent, and the whole thing of being feared by her frustrated Hajna a bit.
After watching the girl walk away, she whispered, “Do you need me to help you get rid of the flowers?”
The dirty wildflowers really didn’t match the outfit that Ivars was wearing.
“No need.”
Ivars replied, “After all, it is the child’s heart.”
“You seem to like children, don’t you?”
Hajna was thoughtful, realizing something.
Compared to his attitude towards himself, Ivas was clearly much friendlier towards those two children.
“Well, I like innocent children.”
Aiwas nodded his head and responded, rarely lying and speaking the truth from his heart, “It’s like liking cats and dogs, I can relax with them. There are many other things I like, just not people.”
“…… How does that sound, like swearing?”
It turned out that it sounded like a joke instead, and Hajna joked, “But you can’t treat children like cats and dogs.”
“It just sounds like it.”
The corners of Aiwas’ mouth lifted slightly without much explanation.
He did swear too – just at the adult set.
In his opinion, those adults with dirty minds, profit-oriented and two-faced are not as good as cats and dogs …… which of course includes himself.
As they talked and laughed, they finally arrived at the Pelican Bar, with Ivars pointing the way.
It was more of a residential home or warehouse than a bar. Its front door was painted in white, with an exaggerated, almost caricature-like representation of a pelican with its mouth wide open. And all sorts of fish are filled in its big mouth and floating in the beer foam, as if it were stewing fish in its mouth with beer.
And next to it hung a board with a long list of onomatopoeic words for drunken man’s burps scrawled in capital letters.
–This was the very sign above the bar.
In other words, the “Pelican Bar” should technically be pronounced “The (Burp) Bar.”
It’s almost noon, but it’s not closed. There are even a few customers inside.
Apparently it also operates as a restaurant during the middle of the day.
The moment Hajna pushed the wheelchair-bound Ivars slowly inside.
Her footsteps however, suddenly lurched.
Her eyes widened into shock.
Because the bartender who was leisurely washing the wooden wine glass at the front desk was actually not a human – but a rare wild elf!
The race of elves, in addition to having a lifespan four or five times longer than humans, were also generally taller than humans. Even females are generally over one meter eight, and occasionally grow up to two meters, while male elves even grow up to two meters four and a half are not uncommon.
This meant that if an elf had bad tutelage, it would be easy for them to become hunchbacks during their teenage years from frequent interactions with shorter humans. If an elf has a good upbringing – or, rather, has parents who take care of them – they generally don’t have hunchbacks.
Thus, hunchbacked elves are called wild elves. Wild elves are much less numerous than elves.
Elves place great value on honor, family, and lineage, and therefore reject wild elves and their parents as a discredit to the elven race. If an elf’s parents die in a matter of honor, they usually leave their children in the care of friends and family.
Unless they died of shame …… such as being sentenced to death, they would not entrust their children; or if they were abandoned by their parents, or were rebellious children who ran away from home and grew up to be wild elves for these reasons.
Wild elves do not have the elegance and reserve of elves, but have a lifespan, intelligence, and extraordinary power similar to that of elves, and are therefore usually regarded as unstable.
They are usually active in towns and villages, and are usually con artists, assassins, and mercenaries. Theoretically, all the wild elves in the capital “Glass Island” are registered. Anyone who makes a mistake can be put on the list, so the free-spirited wild elves usually don’t care to stay in the capital.
But for some reason, that wild elf bartender didn’t have much of a reaction when he saw Hajna. It even just glanced at her with contempt.
On the contrary, when he saw Ivars, Mr. Bartender froze for a moment, even stopping his hand movements for a moment.
Even though Ivars was wearing a cloak, the bartender easily recognized his identity.
–It was as if, he had never thought that he would be able to come here today.
…… Why is that, Mr. Bartender?
Is it because you think I …… should be dead by now?
Ivars narrowed his eyes, his pupils as deep blue as the sea were as deep as the abyss.
Remember to catch up on your reading during the new book period Meow~
Cat’s daily update will be above six thousand words!
(End of chapter)