Chapter 1 Part 17: People Are The Enemy

“…”

At some point, the surroundings had fallen silent.

Aslan struggled, bound from head to toe in chains.

Somehow, it had ended up like this.

His mouth was covered too, so he couldn’t even speak properly.

I awkwardly scratched my cheek.

I approached Aslan, who was struggling without rest to break free.

“Hey, Aslan.”

Clank.

The chains clashed, making a harsh sound.

Flames squeezed out through the gaps in the chains again.

I watched them with weary eyes, then tried to calm him down.

“Let’s take deep breaths.

This isn’t good for you, you know.”

Aslan finally bit through the chain covering his mouth.

The chain melted away with the flames.

“Cut the fake kindness!”

The chains clanged violently.

Aslan twisted his body as if he was about to devour me.

“Get angry!

Just get angry already!

If you don’t get angry even in a situation like this, you’re a real pushover!”

Haah.

I sighed.

And then I reached out my hand.

“Why would I get angry?”

I could resolve the situation well enough without getting angry.

More than anything…

As he bit through the chains, he must have bitten his lip too, as a drop of blood was beading there.

I stared endlessly at the drop of blood, round like Aslan’s birthstone, then wiped it away with my finger.

“There’s no way I could be angry at you.

No matter what anyone says, you’re my precious colleague.”

Puff.

At that moment, the flames died down weakly.

He had calmed down.

Yeah, getting angry for no reason is bad for your mental health anyway.

I looked at the dazed Aslan and smiled weakly.

***

The eldest child in a family is often good at everything.

Cleaning, laundry, even cooking.

That’s not all.

They also have a high chance of being good at indulging others.

I was one of them, too.

My parents both worked to earn every penny they could.

They left early in the morning and came back late at night, and until then, taking care of my younger siblings was entirely my responsibility.

I had a younger brother two years younger and a younger sister three years younger.

Instead of clinging to our mom and dad, my young siblings clung to me.

Whenever I tried to sit and study, they would bother me.

‘Brother, I’m hungry.

Feed me.’

‘Bro, I spilled my juice.’

I couldn’t take my eyes off them for a single moment.

Because if things didn’t go their way, they would scream and throw tantrums, causing trouble for the neighbors.

If they caused trouble for the neighbors, the aftermath was entirely my burden.

‘You’re the older brother, what were you doing not looking after your siblings?’

‘You’re the eldest, can’t you help your mom and dad a little?’

To avoid hearing that repetitive nagging, I had to take care of them.

I studied hard to escape that life and entered the academy, so why was I remembering those times now?

“Haah, I’m tired.”

It must be because there’s not much difference between then and now.

My shoulders slumped.

I guess I’m destined to always take care of something.

Still, thanks to that experience, I was able to adapt well at the academy and the Magic Tower.

As expected, no experience in life is useless.

I loosened my shirt buttons.

I entered the tent.

“Let’s see.”

After putting on gloves, I spread my fingers wide.

Checking if the light intensity and temperature were adequate, I touched the soil.

Good, it was damp today too.

The seedlings I planted a while ago had finally sent up flower stalks.

It seemed I’d finally found the most optimal environment for them.

Just keep growing like this, I patted the soil near the seedlings.

Having checked the seedlings’ condition, my work for the day was done.

I’d eat dinner and go straight to sleep.

I was starving.

Taking off my gloves, I went inside the house.

“Oh, there’s exactly one egg left.”

Lucky.

I thought they were all gone.

I immediately heated the frying pan and cracked the egg.

Egg fried rice on a slice of bread, yum yum.

Flipping the egg with the spatula, I opened the cupboard door.

I remembered hurriedly putting it there this morning as I rushed out.

I’ll have two slices of bread today.

As I felt around inside the cupboard, my fingertips touched a bag.

“I’ll have two slices of bread today.”

I muttered and pulled the bag down.

Somehow, it felt much lighter than expected?

The bag was empty.

I alternated looking at the already cooked egg and the empty bag, then plopped down on the floor.

Why didn’t I check if there was any bread left first?

Not long ago, I mindlessly chopped lettuce and tomatoes to make a sandwich and failed.

I should just eat this for now, I ate the fried egg.

It didn’t satisfy my hunger at all.

It actually whetted my appetite and made me hungrier.

I wanted to eat something more, but there was nothing left.

“Should I just skip dinner?”

No.

Then what was the point of earning money?

This was all for a living, so why should I starve?

I’d go out and eat.

While having dinner, I could do some grocery shopping too.

I’d treat myself to something delicious after a long time.

I immediately grabbed my wallet and went out.

***

“Hey there, handsome mister passing by!

Come take a look at these clothes!”

“Rare accessories brought from a neighboring country!”

The market was incredibly noisy with hawking.

Merchants held goods in both hands and shouted at the top of their lungs.

Everyone was working so hard, it felt close to home.

My nose tingled for no reason.

Rubbing my nose, I entered a restaurant.

Perhaps because it was dinner time, it was crowded with people, with barely room to step.

The smell of food made me even hungrier.

A waiter running around with a tray in his arms spotted me.

“Welcome!

How many in your party?”

What a lively person.

I held up one finger.

“Just one.”

“I’m sorry, but our restaurant doesn’t serve single portions.”

I was kicked out in one minute for being alone.

As soon as I stepped out, the door closed mercilessly.

Yeah, during peak hours, accommodating me alone would be awkward.

It would be more profitable to serve other customers.

I understood, but on the other hand, I felt a bit sorry for myself.

I trudged to another restaurant.

“Welcome.

How many in your party?”

“Just one.”

A look of difficulty flickered in the waiter’s eyes.

This restaurant didn’t serve single diners either?

I was about to leave again when the waiter clapped his hands.

“Ah, would you be okay with sharing a table?”

“Pardon?”

“There’s another guest who came alone.”

As long as I could fill my stomach, I didn’t mind.

When I nodded, the waiter said he’d go ask the other guest and went inside.

It’s hard to eat alone, I thought.

This is why I usually tried to eat at home.

If that guest said no, I’d just buy some street food and eat at home.

Just as I was thinking that, the waiter came back.

“He said it’s fine.”

Thank goodness.

I was really hungry.

Relieved, I headed to the seat the waiter guided me to.

At a two-person table in the far corner, a person wearing a light brown robe was sitting.

The person paused while drinking beer and glanced at me.

I immediately lowered my head.

“Thank you for letting me share your table.”

“No, it’s fine.”

As I sat down, the waiter handed me a menu.

“We can’t make the item at the very top because we’ve run out of ingredients.

But everything else on the menu is available.”

Too bad.

That was the most delicious one.

I looked regretfully at the menu item under the waiter’s fingertip, then pointed to an item on the next page.

“Then I’ll have this.”

“Okay.

I’ll bring it right away.”

The waiter poured me a glass of water and disappeared.

I didn’t know where to look.

It would be awkward to make eye contact with someone I wasn’t accompanying.

The other person would probably feel burdened too.

I should just fix my gaze out the window…

Ah, right, this wasn’t a window seat.

I accidentally made eye contact with someone at the next table.

Feeling embarrassed, I turned my head back.

“Are you a local?”

As I was just sipping my water, the person suddenly asked.

Why ask that all of a sudden?

Curious, but I shook my head.

“No, I’m just traveling here for a while.”

“Ah, so you’re an outsider.”

The person pushed the plate in front of them towards me.

“Would you like some?”

“No, it’s fine.”

Despite my refusal, the person even held out a fork to me.

“This is really delicious.”

With the food right in front of me, my stomach started clamoring for it.

I had no choice.

Taking the fork, I said.

“Then please have some of mine when it comes out.”

“Okay.”

I picked up a piece of chicken with the fork and brought it to my mouth.

The crispy batter and spicy sauce went well with the chicken meat.

After work, greasy food was the best.

After one more bite of chicken, I gulped down the water.

Setting down the now-empty glass, I wiped my mouth.

“This is what I live for.”

Keuruu.

Even though it wasn’t my cooking, it put me in a good mood.

Just as I was about to thank them again, the person propped their chin on their hand and said in an amused tone.

“You really drink water like it’s alcohol.”

My face flushed hot belatedly.

I stammered an excuse.

“…The water just tasted sweet, like alcohol.”

“The way you drink, you look just like a connoisseur.”

The person lightly swirled the beer glass they were holding.

The beer inside looked impossibly delicious.

“Do you like alcohol?”

I nodded as if spellbound.

“Yes.

I do.”

The person slightly lifted the edge of their robe with a finger.

Lips as red as pomegranate seeds were briefly revealed.

“It’s fate that we met like this.

Would you like a drink?”

I hurriedly shook my head.

“No, that’s a bit…

I think it’s better to keep my distance from alcohol.”

“Oh, come on.

Have one drink.”

My pupils noticeably shook.

Originally, I was of the principle not to even talk to strangers, let alone drink with them, but I was exhausted.

For one simple reason: my recent re-employment.

It seemed that when people get tired, they become that much more impulsive.

The person slowly swirled the glass, tempting me like a cat with a toy.

Whenever the beer sloshed, my resolve sloshed too.

In the end, I succumbed to temptation.