That's the truth about Norco, people would flock around a person when the said person had some thing to offer, the moment that person loses their worth was the moment they'd realise they were alone from the start.
"Here. There isn't as much I can do, but take this and it'll lessen the pain, you need to see an oakliner soon, before you lose your sight forever." Hanon placed a round black pill in the man's palm. He looked at the unsightly wounds on the man's face then at Aeloria.
Hanon left the grumpy man and walked to Aeloria, he didn't say anything at first, but after taking a few steps from her, he spoke.
"We should go, the merchant is waiting." Hanon said, trying to break the awkwardness that had settled between them.
"You're right, we've kept him waiting long enough." Aeloria responded without giving her companion a single glance.
'This is the first time I've shown him this side of me since we met, I wonder what he thinks of me now.' She tilted her head slightly to look at Hanon.
The pair walked side by side but it felt like there was an invisible wall between them.
'I know I shouldn't be feeling this way as a man, however, I feel safe with her around. The way she slashed the man's face was so scary, she was incredibly scary, but, why am I not scared?' Hanon thought, looking sideways for a brief moment before fixing his eyes on the road.
"Are you scared of me?" Aeloria asked at last, after they took a left turn and Hanon had still not spoken a word to her.
Hanon turned to look at the woman who refused to look back. He then shifted his gaze to the lantern by the side of the street, illuminating the dusty ground.
"I was, at first. But now? I'm not. You could be the devil for all I care, and I would still walk beside you." He then turned to her and added."At least, that's how I feel."
Aeloria was taken aback about his sudden declaration. She only smiled but said nothing in return. 'I'm glad his view of me is unchanged.'
"By the way, how did you extend your nails like that, show me, I want to learn too." Hanon said with piqued interest.
Suddenly, Aeloria remembered something.
"A more important question is, how are you so weak. Did you lie to me when you said you were a protector?" Aeloria snapped. They were out hunting a thornsleeper and the supposedly protector was weaker than an average person.
"You shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, they don't call me the red demon for nothing, those thornsleepers wouldn't even know what hit them." Hanon boasted, taking confident strides forward.
"Forget the thornsleepers, you couldn't even beat a guy down the street, just what is going to happen to sir Krazel?" Aeloria had a genuine concern on her face. She had thought he had a secret way of dealing with the thornsleepers since he was one of the legendary protectors, but she was gravely mistaken.
"Oh, don't worry, everything would be fine, besides, that problem is for the future me, I'm sure he'll handle it perfectly as I have done in the past. Even if something were to happen, you could just eat the thornsleeper or slash them like you did the grumpy man back there." Hanon spoke with the confidence of a man who had his enemies dancing in the palm of his hands.
For the first time, Aeloria was truly worried.
They walked in silence again, but this time, one was worried and the other was overconfident.
....
It didn't take long for the to reach the inn in which Krazel was waiting.
They entered, drawing the eyes of the crowd as always.
The Yeminai selection had ended and the inn eatery was arranged once again to run as it always had.
"I'm telling you, that blonde haired man was certainly on something. He spent nine hundred gold coins on a single Yemi." A man tried to explain to his friends who were absent at the Yeminai selection.
"I wouldn't believe you even if it were silver. Nine hundred gold coins? If I didn't known better, I would say you are the one who certainly is on something." One of his friend said as he lifted his jug of wine.
"Nine hundred gold coins? As if. There isn't any one willing to spend nine gold coins on a Yemi let alone nine hundred." His other friend laughed as he spoke, certain his companion must've heard or seen wrong.
'Nine hundred gold coins? Unless there's a high ranking noble from one of the great kingdoms present in Norco, it shouldn't be possible. Even so, I have yet to meet a man willing to spend that much in a single night.' Hanon thought as they walked through the crowd.
They went through the same procedure as before, after which a maid guided them upstairs to the table where Krazel was patiently waiting.
The maid dismissed herself as they approached.
Krazel stood the moment he spotted them. They didn't look as friendly as they did in their first encounter.
"I must apologize before we proceed, I overstepped my bounds on our first meeting and disrespected your companion, please find it in your heart to forgive this merchant's foolish mistake." These were the people who would save him from the thornsleeper after his life, if he was on bad terms with them, it was only right he set things straight. After all, what would happen to him if they decided to abandon him?
Krazel apologized with his head bowed low towards the pair.
"Please, you don't need to bow, besides, she's the one you disrespected not me." Hanon said as he gestured towards Aeloria.
"Very well, I see my apology was wrongly executed." Krazel took a few steps forwards until he stood three paces away from Aeloria.
"I allowed lust to cloud my judgement, please forgive me, Lady Aeloria." The great merchant bowed once more, drawing a few eyes from stunned nobles nearby. The pride of the wealthy is unbending, and harder than steel. For someone as self established as she Krazel to bow his head is like having a king kneel.
"Please, sir Krazel, you needn't bow, it's all in the past. I never held it against you. That said, your apology is greatly appreciate." 'Be it a noble, a merchant, or a commoner, not many men can bow their heads. He's one of a kind.' Aeloria thought as she looked at the merchant before her.
"I'm truly glad to hear you've forgiven me. Please, have a seat." Krazel then pulled a chair back for Aeloria.
She glances at Hanon before taking a seat. "Thank you very much." She offered a brief smile as she sat.
'Why do I feel angry? or perhaps, is it sadness?' Hanon looked at them, unable to understand his own jealousy.
"You too, sir Hanon." Krazel gestured towards the chair besides Aeloria, after which he took a seat opposite them.
Krazel then called a maid and ordered for three sets of meal.
"If my memories serves me right, we were talking about how we should head out of Norco to draw out the thornsleeper after me, isn't that right, sir Hanon?" Krazel asked, taking a sip of his favourite swamp wine.
"That is indeed what we talked about." Hanon responded.
Two maids approached their table, one carrying a tray of swamp wine and the other a tray of fried potatoes and roasted meat.
They left with a bow after placing each wine and a plate of mushroom in front of each person.
"We leave before sunrise tomorrow. We'll head towards the great tree at the top of the hill." Hanon explained.
Krazel took a sip of the wine in silence, as if lost in thought. He glanced around to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation.
He spoke after making sure there were no big ears nearby.
"Why the great tree though?"
"Thornsleepers are very dangerous. I don't know which pathway the one after your life is linked to. It would be convenient to stay close to the town on case of serious injuries," Hanon explained.
"That is understandable enough. However, I fail to shake of the uneasiness in my heart." Krazel said in a frightened tone.
"As I said earlier, everything would be alright. Leave the worrying to me." Hanon picked a piece of the fried potatoes and bit into it without blowing. He twisted his face in silly expressions as the potato burnt his tongue.
"Very well, I'll head your confident words, sir Hanon." Krazel took the last sip of his wine but couldn't erase the scared look on his face.
"Then that concludes our discussion. We'll be taking our leave to make preparation." Hanon said as he shifted his chair back, standing.
In all the exchange, Aeloria was silent. She wondered how the coward could be so confident. She almost felt bad for the merchant for putting his trust in them.
"I would hold you back no further. It's a shame though. I wanted to introduce you to someone very important." Krazel stood, extending his right hand towards Hanon for a shake.
"That could still be done after the encounter with the Thornsleeper." Hanon shook the merchant's hand as he responded.
"Well, that is indeed true. Have a pleasant evening." Krazel spoke, looking at Hanon, then at Aeloria. His gaze lingered on the girl a beat too long before shaking it off.
"You too, sir Krazel." Aeloria stood, bowing her head slightly towards the Merchant.
As the pair left, the merchant couldn't help but sigh in frustration.
Meanwhile, as the Aeloria and Hanon made way to their inn, Ramius stood face to face with Jerice.
"I... had no choice in the matter. I wanted to keep my work, and I needed those coins too." Jerice responded, pushing Ramius's hands gently away from her shoulders.
"Don't give any excuses. I doesn't matter what you needed, that wasn't the right way to go about it. You shouldn't use your body like that."Ramius scolded, taking steps back as he allowed himself to sink into the bed.
"Right? And wrong? That's a luxury only people like you could afford. You may not know this, sir Ramius, but dignity and righteousness does not put food on the table. If I had refused the proposal to join to the Yeminai selection, I would have been thrown on the street again." Jerice spoke, looking down at her hands in frustration.
"You mean you have nowhere to go?" Ramius asked in surprise. As a noble with so much gold to spare and being the Heir to one of the wealthiest families on the land, this was the first time he'd faced such a situation.