Chapter 63: Value (Part 1)
“Old Man Robert, where are you? I need to talk to him.”
No small talk here; I’m diving straight in.
The few guys around seemed to pick up on my not-so-cheery mood, exchanging glances like they were in a silent movie. One of them, holding Betty, said, “Follow me,” and off we went into the town. I paid the old man holding the beast of burden and followed right after.
We made our way through a fence twisted with wisteria, entered the little town, and trudged along a dusty road where the gray sand danced around us. The man in front was chatting with Betty, glancing back to make sure I was keeping up.
A moment later, as we approached Ailna’s mud house on the east side of town, a small, hunched figure trotted toward us, cradling a pipe.
Ah.
It’s Old Man Robert…
“Betty…”
“Grandpa!”
The man stopped, set the little girl down, and off she went, stomping toward the old man like a mini wrecking ball. She crashed right into his arms, and for a second, I worried his old back was going to snap like a dry twig.
But the old guy didn’t crumple. He stumbled, caught himself, and patted the little girl’s back for what felt like an eternity, his tone a mix of worry and scolding. Then he turned his gaze to me.
“Ah, Young Lady… you’re back… that’s good… very good…” he stammered, plastered with a nervous smile. “I was worried… that something happened to you…”
You were worried I wouldn’t come back, weren’t you?
I grimaced, stepped closer, and furrowed my brow.
Whoa, the smoke…
Ah.
That old man has got some Lotus Seed Grass in that pipe of his, doesn’t he…
I remembered the merchant caravan Carlos and the others intercepted, and the smell wafting off the old man was a tad offensive. It hit me in a flash that the Lotus Seed Grass was probably headed into town too. But that was neither here nor there; who cares.
“I need to ask you something,” I said.
He blinked. “What is it…?”
I glanced around; the men were standing close by, and my frown deepened.
“Let’s find a place where we can talk.”
…………
Under the moonlight.
In the dim cellar, flickering firelight cast shadows while the little girl blew out a candle, ran to the stone bed, rolled up the bedding, and soon emerged with a pile of blankets.
I sat at the table, staring across at Robert, who was fidgeting across from me with a goofy grin like he’d just seen a ghost.
There was a platter on the table, piled high with shiny, purple lizard meat slices. I guess town folk finally caught one of these critters after I left, so now we’ve got meat again.
Nice.
I had packed enough food for the journey, but somewhere near the end, I thought, why bother saving it? I picked away at jerky and whatnot just to pass the time, but by lunch today, I realized I had demolished everything. By the time I returned to town, my stomach was growling like a bear, and when the townsfolk served up the fresh grub, I wasn’t shy—handfuls of meat went down the hatch!
Robert just watched, old hands clasped dryly, hesitant to interrupt. After a while, he finally stammered, “Well, um, Young Lady… I’m just glad you’re back… When that sandstorm hit, even we saw it over here… I was worried sick these past few days…”
“…Yes, yes. You and your granddaughter are safe; that’s what matters. I owe you gratitude for keeping her safe…If there’s anything you need, just ask; anything I can give, I will… uh… are you looking for something specific?”
“Gulp—”
I swallowed a large chunk of meat and met his gaze.
“Uh…”
Robert paused, looking thoughtful but forced a weak smile. “Well… Miss Ailna, she… she hasn’t come back yet. She might be delayed for a few days because of something… but I promise, within three days, she’ll definitely return!”
“She might not come back.”
I wiped my mouth, interrupting Robert mid-sentence.
“…What do you mean… Miss?”
“Ailna might already be dead.”
I was blunt, feeling that I had eaten enough; I didn’t want to waste any more time: “You’ve been telling me she’ll return soon… so tell me. When she left town, was it those two knights you mentioned? It was right after they showed up.”
“……”
I stared him down, but the old man stayed silent, lost in thought until I called him again. His greasy fingers waved in front of his glazed-over eyes until suddenly he snapped back to reality.
“Ah, yes… she… you mean…”
Robert stumbled over his words, gripping the table, visibly shaken as if still processing the surprise: “Miss Ailna… she left not long ago. She said she was just going to the Sand Valley for a little while…”
“How do you get to the Sand Valley?”
I cut him off. The old man was clearly in a state, but I had no patience for tiptoeing around his feelings. “That woman left, and someone followed her… or maybe she left to lead them away. Do you know anything about this?”
“I—I don’t know…”
“They had a deadly showdown in the Sand Valley.”
“A deadly showdown? What kind of showdown… I don’t understand what you’re saying…”
“Betty and I got caught in the sandstorm. It blew us to the eastern town where we ran into two of the knights. They told me what happened.”
“Those knights… they really are still around?”
“The showdown in the Sand Valley was three against one. Three really tough guys… you know about the Pope Knight, right? Ever heard of Sword Saint Ryan?”
“……”
The old man’s cracked lips were trembling now.
He clearly knew who Sword Saint Ryan was and understood what I was implying.
“Ailna is likely dead there…”
I fixed my gaze on his increasingly hollow, wrinkled face, my tone serious. I paused briefly then switched gears: “But… it’s not certain.”
“You know the power of Infernal Fire. She did lose the fight, but whether she’s dead or not is unclear… Regardless, she hasn’t come back yet, and she might not be back any time soon. I need to go see for myself… tomorrow.”
I continued to stare at him, my tone leaving no room for negotiation: “Old man, find someone to guide me.”
Then there was a brief silence in the cellar.
Old Man Robert lingered in his thoughts for a moment, swallowing hard several times. He instinctively reached for the pipe at his waist but realized I was there and hesitated, pulling his hand back. His ten dark fingers clutched the table tightly, knuckles paling from the pressure.
“You’re serious…”
His voice trembled, eyes wide: “Miss Ailna, she really…”
“I said it’s only a possibility.”
I tapped the table impatiently, feeling a strange rush of irritation as I saw the Old Mayor’s expression turn to sorrow.
“What do you mean—”
“She—she is a good girl…”
Suddenly, the old man’s eyes turned glassy right in front of me.
