- Episode 10
At the merchant's urging, Estio continued to shovel. The old man took the shovel from him when the large tank was covered with water and snow, and turned into a small arctic.
"It's pretty good, sweetheart."
"...Whoah."
Estio, who had to work hard in the middle of winter, stole the sweaty nape of his neck with the back of his hand. His gaze was on the baby Drake, who was fully animated and fluttering in the tank.
Ice-Drakey.
The Drake itself is a very rare species, and the Ice family was not well known due to the small number of individuals in particular. If it wasn't for Estio's ability, he would have lost the precious Drake for some absurd reason.
The merchant smiled for a moment, then returned to the eccentric old man and yelled.
"Look at this guy's unraveled. Don't you think you have time to rest? Follow me."
The merchant dragged Estio and went around the entire tent to check the condition of the animals.
And I completely trusted Estio's ability. Horses suffering from thorns stuck in their feet, and wild beasts that have a habit of killing each other because of a competitive spirit for territory when their people are in one place.
After wandering around the tent all day to solve the problem, the merchant handed Estio a small lucky bag.
There were two shiny golden guild coins inside.
"Don't lose it, take good care of it, you bastard."
The merchant spoke bluntly to the end and went inside the tent without saying goodbye.
The snow had stopped, but the sun had already fallen over the mountain, and the sky was colored purple with a mixture of sunset and evening darkness. Estio looked up blankly as the last sunlight of the day spread through the hazy clouds, and then slowly turned around, holding the lucky bag the merchant gave him.
"Estio, are you having a hard time?"
Neju, who had been following him quietly the whole time, was caught talking, and asked worriedly only now that no one noticed.
However, Estio was not in the mood to answer Neju's question.
"thanks!"
"Goodbye, Estio! Come play again!"
"Hey. I wish I hadn't gone."
Greetings from the animals flowing from inside the tent reverberated in my head.
'Oh My God.'
Estio raised his trembling hand and covered the corner of his mouth.
'I can hear much better than before...'
My stomach was churning and my stomach was thick.
Even when I was living in my hometown of Selvia, I was able to interact with wild animals, but I did not fully share emotions and pain as I do now and freely communicate.
Normally, he could only feel it when he touched the body, or when the animal had a strong desire to convey to him.
But today was different. At first, I was drawn to the eccentric merchant and worked so frantically that I didn't notice it, but as time went on, I became more and more anxious about the thoughts and emotions that I read over and over again.
"......why?"
"What?"
Neju tilted her head at Estio's self-talk.
Estio had a basic rejection and fear of his abilities. And when the situation came when that ability was not controlled by his own will, he felt extremely anxious.
For him, the sudden amplification of his abilities like now was literally poison. He couldn't walk for a while, and then he sat down, wrapping his trembling arms around himself.
"Why, why? Where does it hurt?"
Neju didn't know what to do and stood by his side. It had snowed all day and the cold wind blew in the dark evening, and there were few people passing by. Anyone who happened to see him saw the white-haired monkey on a chain and frowned and passed by.
"Estio."
nah ah
At that moment, the black cat flexibly escaped from the narrow gap between the building.
"what are you doing."
"......"
Tsuki sat quietly at Estio's feet and meowed.
"I don't see any pain."
The black cat, who had been raised with him since childhood, was sensitive to his condition.
"wake up. If you sit for a long time in a cold place, you will get hemorrhoids."
"Tsuki."
"Why?"
Estio, who looked at the unchanging two-colored eyes, took a short breath and stretched out his hand. Normally, he would have jumped and avoided it, but Tsuki let his dry, dry hands resting on his head.
It was too light for the hand of a 19-year-old young man who had just finished his coming-of-age ceremony. Estio, who had put his hand on Tsuki's head like that for a moment, got up slowly.
"thank you."
"what."
"For not avoiding it."
He looked a little tired, but there was no sign of trembling in anxiety. The black cat, who looked up at Estio, who had calmed down, started walking ahead of him, wagging its tail.
"Am I you? What are you going to do?"
"You don't like being touched, do you?"
Nyaan.
Tsuki replied with a smirk.
"Of course. I hate human hands the most."
"So just now."
"...You're really annoying, you."
Hearing the cold reply, Tsuki looked down at Estio, who had his mouth droopy, and shrugged as if smiling.
"Estio, you're talking about being different from other people."
"......Yes?"
Whirick.
Tsuki, who jumped over the branch at once, looked down at him with a tight posture.
"Do whatever you want."
"......"
"Because I won't avoid it."
The black cat hid itself among the branches and disappeared.
When Estio turned his head, he had arrived at the guild building at some point.
He went up to the second floor and presented Hawk with the lucky bag he had received from the bald merchant. After checking the two guild coins inside, Hawk exclaimed inwardly.
'Does that stingy young man have two guild coins instead of one? Ouch! This looks like a real exhaust!'
Hawk patted Estio on the shoulder with a bright face.
"Welcome. You are a member of the Ignis Guild from now on. I will give you clothes and badges to prove you belong to the guild, so make sure to wear them when performing your duties."
it was pass
With those words, Hawk moved quickly and gave him a guild suit and badge of the size that was right for him. He couldn't miss this talented guy he found at best as a seasoned branch manager. He was even more so because it was a unique ability he had never heard of in his life.
Hawk told the guild member preference in a noticeably friendly voice.
"From the 3rd floor of this building, all the accommodations are for guild members. The facilities aren't great, but if you don't have a place to stay, try using it. Animals are allowed too, so don't worry about that."
"thank you."
Considering that the building has a total of 7 floors, a considerable amount of money is being spent on accommodation alone. It meant that he was thorough in managing the guild members, so I could see that the prestige of the Ignis Guild was not for nothing in this regard.
"You can come down to the business support department again tomorrow morning. Then rest in peace."
Estio went up to the 3rd floor with the guild uniforms distributed in his arms. The shared bathroom was at the far end, and each room had two bunk beds. It means that a total of 4 people can fit in a room and rest, but the area is small enough to be cramped to walk around except for the bed.
Beds already occupied by users had their names written on their signs. The 3rd to 6th floors were all full, so there was no place to enter, and I could only find a seat by going up to the 7th floor, the top floor.
Estio unpacked a wretched bag with nothing to carry on his own bed. Neju, who is taller than a strong adult male, decided to use the first bunk bed, and Estio decided to use the second tier.
Then they went into the shared bathroom to wash off the old grime. I didn't know how many times I had washed with soap. Neju was the first, and Estio was the last to hold her mother's hand and wash in the river when she was very young.
The scent of cheap soap for supply was the same as back then.
Estio brought clothes that were dirty from wearing porridge and even hand-washed them. The rags on the clothes didn't even get rid of the burn marks, but after washing them, they felt like clothes.
He came out of the bathroom with wet clothes and put on the guild clothes in a clean state. It was in the form of a long hooded robe that covered his ankles. Although black and white with cheap materials and good colors, Estio, who grew up in the countryside, had never seen more sophisticated clothes in her life.
Estio laid Neju on the 1st tier of the bed and climbed the ladder to the 2nd tier to lie down.
As I lay on the top floor and stared at the ceiling, I remembered the attic of my hometown.
'No, it's completely different from back then.'
First of all, there were no icicles hanging from the side windows here. Pointed icicles that freeze transparently and drop like tears at the tip in the morning. Estio had measured the temperature and time of the day by looking at the small icicles hanging on the window.
The only furniture placed was two bunk beds, but the window was quite large. The city could be seen at a glance through the open window without curtains. Unlike in the countryside, even when darkness fell, twinkling lights and magic signs embroidered the city beautifully.
Estio turned his body over and lay on his stomach, gazing blankly at the colorfully twinkling city lights, and buried his chin in the pillow.
The guild dormitory was also well kept warm, so when I covered it with a blanket, my hands and feet quickly became warm.
"...Neju, do you catch it?"
"Nope."
The answer came right away. Since it was a shared bed, they could not see each other face to face.
The white fur monkey, which originally lived in the cave, was awkward with the bed itself. Still, Neju did not remove the quilt that Estio had covered her neck, but lay quietly, wiggling her fingers.
"Aren't you sorry?"
"What?"
Estio kept his mouth shut for a moment at the clear voice asking him as if he did not understand the meaning at all. The multitude of lights through her window seemed a little dazzling.
He closed his eyes and spoke slowly.
"The one who followed me."
"What?"
"With chains around your neck, your freedom bound, and your eyes on people."
For the first time in his life, Estio felt a sense of responsibility. At the same time, his guilt came with him.
"You may end up in a worse situation in the future."
After speaking, I waited, but there was no answer. Estio sighed slightly and opened his eyes.
A stillness fell in the dark room. The bed next to me was empty. If someone else came in, Neju didn't even know she would have to be kicked out of bed.
'After all... you will regret it.'
Estio glanced under the quiet bed and crouched down like a shrimp. He thought for a moment that he would have to go up the mountain again when the sun came up tomorrow and set Neju free.
"Estio."
evil.
Instead of human language, a strong ideological wave flowed into his head.
For a moment, Estio forgot to breathe and read Neju's thoughts blankly.
Complex and unfamiliar emotions that are difficult to express in words such as gratitude, comfort, and trust came crashing down on him like a wave.
- Episode 10
At the merchant's urging, Estio continued to shovel. The old man took the shovel from him when the large tank was covered with water and snow, and turned into a small arctic.
"It's pretty good, sweetheart."
"...Whoah."
Estio, who had to work hard in the middle of winter, stole the sweaty nape of his neck with the back of his hand. His gaze was on the baby Drake, who was fully animated and fluttering in the tank.
Ice-Drakey.
The Drake itself is a very rare species, and the Ice family was not well known due to the small number of individuals in particular. If it wasn't for Estio's ability, he would have lost the precious Drake for some absurd reason.
The merchant smiled for a moment, then returned to the eccentric old man and yelled.
"Look at this guy's unraveled. Don't you think you have time to rest? Follow me."
The merchant dragged Estio and went around the entire tent to check the condition of the animals.
And I completely trusted Estio's ability. Horses suffering from thorns stuck in their feet, and wild beasts that have a habit of killing each other because of a competitive spirit for territory when their people are in one place.
After wandering around the tent all day to solve the problem, the merchant handed Estio a small lucky bag.
There were two shiny golden guild coins inside.
"Don't lose it, take good care of it, you bastard."
The merchant spoke bluntly to the end and went inside the tent without saying goodbye.
The snow had stopped, but the sun had already fallen over the mountain, and the sky was colored purple with a mixture of sunset and evening darkness. Estio looked up blankly as the last sunlight of the day spread through the hazy clouds, and then slowly turned around, holding the lucky bag the merchant gave him.
"Estio, are you having a hard time?"
Neju, who had been following him quietly the whole time, was caught talking, and asked worriedly only now that no one noticed.
However, Estio was not in the mood to answer Neju's question.
"thanks!"
"Goodbye, Estio! Come play again!"
"Hey. I wish I hadn't gone."
Greetings from the animals flowing from inside the tent reverberated in my head.
'Oh My God.'
Estio raised his trembling hand and covered the corner of his mouth.
'I can hear much better than before...'
My stomach was churning and my stomach was thick.
Even when I was living in my hometown of Selvia, I was able to interact with wild animals, but I did not fully share emotions and pain as I do now and freely communicate.
Normally, he could only feel it when he touched the body, or when the animal had a strong desire to convey to him.
But today was different. At first, I was drawn to the eccentric merchant and worked so frantically that I didn't notice it, but as time went on, I became more and more anxious about the thoughts and emotions that I read over and over again.
"......why?"
"What?"
Neju tilted her head at Estio's self-talk.
Estio had a basic rejection and fear of his abilities. And when the situation came when that ability was not controlled by his own will, he felt extremely anxious.
For him, the sudden amplification of his abilities like now was literally poison. He couldn't walk for a while, and then he sat down, wrapping his trembling arms around himself.
"Why, why? Where does it hurt?"
Neju didn't know what to do and stood by his side. It had snowed all day and the cold wind blew in the dark evening, and there were few people passing by. Anyone who happened to see him saw the white-haired monkey on a chain and frowned and passed by.
"Estio."
nah ah
At that moment, the black cat flexibly escaped from the narrow gap between the building.
"what are you doing."
"......"
Tsuki sat quietly at Estio's feet and meowed.
"I don't see any pain."
The black cat, who had been raised with him since childhood, was sensitive to his condition.
"wake up. If you sit for a long time in a cold place, you will get hemorrhoids."
"Tsuki."
"Why?"
Estio, who looked at the unchanging two-colored eyes, took a short breath and stretched out his hand. Normally, he would have jumped and avoided it, but Tsuki let his dry, dry hands resting on his head.
It was too light for the hand of a 19-year-old young man who had just finished his coming-of-age ceremony. Estio, who had put his hand on Tsuki's head like that for a moment, got up slowly.
"thank you."
"what."
"For not avoiding it."
He looked a little tired, but there was no sign of trembling in anxiety. The black cat, who looked up at Estio, who had calmed down, started walking ahead of him, wagging its tail.
"Am I you? What are you going to do?"
"You don't like being touched, do you?"
Nyaan.
Tsuki replied with a smirk.
"Of course. I hate human hands the most."
"So just now."
"...You're really annoying, you."
Hearing the cold reply, Tsuki looked down at Estio, who had his mouth droopy, and shrugged as if smiling.
"Estio, you're talking about being different from other people."
"......Yes?"
Whirick.
Tsuki, who jumped over the branch at once, looked down at him with a tight posture.
"Do whatever you want."
"......"
"Because I won't avoid it."
The black cat hid itself among the branches and disappeared.
When Estio turned his head, he had arrived at the guild building at some point.
He went up to the second floor and presented Hawk with the lucky bag he had received from the bald merchant. After checking the two guild coins inside, Hawk exclaimed inwardly.
'Does that stingy young man have two guild coins instead of one? Ouch! This looks like a real exhaust!'
Hawk patted Estio on the shoulder with a bright face.
"Welcome. You are a member of the Ignis Guild from now on. I will give you clothes and badges to prove you belong to the guild, so make sure to wear them when performing your duties."
it was pass
With those words, Hawk moved quickly and gave him a guild suit and badge of the size that was right for him. He couldn't miss this talented guy he found at best as a seasoned branch manager. He was even more so because it was a unique ability he had never heard of in his life.
Hawk told the guild member preference in a noticeably friendly voice.
"From the 3rd floor of this building, all the accommodations are for guild members. The facilities aren't great, but if you don't have a place to stay, try using it. Animals are allowed too, so don't worry about that."
"thank you."
Considering that the building has a total of 7 floors, a considerable amount of money is being spent on accommodation alone. It meant that he was thorough in managing the guild members, so I could see that the prestige of the Ignis Guild was not for nothing in this regard.
"You can come down to the business support department again tomorrow morning. Then rest in peace."
Estio went up to the 3rd floor with the guild uniforms distributed in his arms. The shared bathroom was at the far end, and each room had two bunk beds. It means that a total of 4 people can fit in a room and rest, but the area is small enough to be cramped to walk around except for the bed.
Beds already occupied by users had their names written on their signs. The 3rd to 6th floors were all full, so there was no place to enter, and I could only find a seat by going up to the 7th floor, the top floor.
Estio unpacked a wretched bag with nothing to carry on his own bed. Neju, who is taller than a strong adult male, decided to use the first bunk bed, and Estio decided to use the second tier.
Then they went into the shared bathroom to wash off the old grime. I didn't know how many times I had washed with soap. Neju was the first, and Estio was the last to hold her mother's hand and wash in the river when she was very young.
The scent of cheap soap for supply was the same as back then.
Estio brought clothes that were dirty from wearing porridge and even hand-washed them. The rags on the clothes didn't even get rid of the burn marks, but after washing them, they felt like clothes.
He came out of the bathroom with wet clothes and put on the guild clothes in a clean state. It was in the form of a long hooded robe that covered his ankles. Although black and white with cheap materials and good colors, Estio, who grew up in the countryside, had never seen more sophisticated clothes in her life.
Estio laid Neju on the 1st tier of the bed and climbed the ladder to the 2nd tier to lie down.
As I lay on the top floor and stared at the ceiling, I remembered the attic of my hometown.
'No, it's completely different from back then.'
First of all, there were no icicles hanging from the side windows here. Pointed icicles that freeze transparently and drop like tears at the tip in the morning. Estio had measured the temperature and time of the day by looking at the small icicles hanging on the window.
The only furniture placed was two bunk beds, but the window was quite large. The city could be seen at a glance through the open window without curtains. Unlike in the countryside, even when darkness fell, twinkling lights and magic signs embroidered the city beautifully.
Estio turned his body over and lay on his stomach, gazing blankly at the colorfully twinkling city lights, and buried his chin in the pillow.
The guild dormitory was also well kept warm, so when I covered it with a blanket, my hands and feet quickly became warm.
"...Neju, do you catch it?"
"Nope."
The answer came right away. Since it was a shared bed, they could not see each other face to face.
The white fur monkey, which originally lived in the cave, was awkward with the bed itself. Still, Neju did not remove the quilt that Estio had covered her neck, but lay quietly, wiggling her fingers.
"Aren't you sorry?"
"What?"
Estio kept his mouth shut for a moment at the clear voice asking him as if he did not understand the meaning at all. The multitude of lights through her window seemed a little dazzling.
He closed his eyes and spoke slowly.
"The one who followed me."
"What?"
"With chains around your neck, your freedom bound, and your eyes on people."
For the first time in his life, Estio felt a sense of responsibility. At the same time, his guilt came with him.
"You may end up in a worse situation in the future."
After speaking, I waited, but there was no answer. Estio sighed slightly and opened his eyes.
A stillness fell in the dark room. The bed next to me was empty. If someone else came in, Neju didn't even know she would have to be kicked out of bed.
'After all... you will regret it.'
Estio glanced under the quiet bed and crouched down like a shrimp. He thought for a moment that he would have to go up the mountain again when the sun came up tomorrow and set Neju free.
"Estio."
evil.
Instead of human language, a strong ideological wave flowed into his head.
For a moment, Estio forgot to breathe and read Neju's thoughts blankly.
Complex and unfamiliar emotions that are difficult to express in words such as gratitude, comfort, and trust came crashing down on him like a wave.
