"Hey! Are you sure this is the right way?" The thief trembled, holding his broken hand, and led us through the forest.
"Yes, sir! It's just right up ahead."
"What about any guards there?" Falgar asked. Oh yeah, I completely forgot to ask about that, since it's a thief hideout and with so many of them working together, surely there must be guards staying behind.
Hearing falgar words, the thief turned his eyes away. "That—We weren't expecting any setbacks, so usually all of us go out together."
"Really? You guys didn't think someone might follow you and loot the place when you aren't there?" Asfi asked.
"You're expecting too much from parasites, Asfi, if they had that amount of intelligence, they wouldn't be working as thieves." Lydia gave a jab of her own.
"If I remember right, weren't you also working as a thief before?" I asked, raising my brows.
Lydia scoffed, "Please, Arin, don't compare me with these monkeys. I was at least clever with my work. While they are just shame on all thieves! Hey! Apologize to every thief in the world!" Lydia shouted as she kicked the guy on the butt.
"We are sorry!!" they all shouted in practiced unison.
"By the way, how much money have you stored up there?" I asked the thief's second in command, as the leader was rubbing his ass all the while sobbing.
"Um, w-well, we never counted, but it's a lot," he answered.
"Why do you want the treasures, Arin?" Meryl asked softly, tilting her head.
"Eh? Oh, that—of course, to return those treasures to their rightful owners," I answered, beads of sweat running down my face as I lied through my teeth.
"That's a lie," Hermes retorted instantly.
"Definitely a lie," Lydia followed.
"Yup, a lie it is," said Lulule as the rest followed after her.
"Hey! Those lines were supposed to be reserved for calling out Hermes, not me!" I protested.
"If you hadn't broken someone's hand just to know the treasure location, maybe we would have believed you—" Asfi stopped, after glancing at my sword, she continued, "yes, I am sorry, but we wouldn't have believed you either way."
"Hey, you are going too far… besides, I didn't lie, I do intend to give this money to Ganesha's familia so they can return it, but!" I said, "Only after I have taken my cut!"
"Oh, me too!" Hermes showed his support, "after all, it's only natural we get a reward for our work."
"Yup, yup. I knew it, we think alike when it comes to money." Hermes and I shared a laugh as the thief sighed.
"How did we lose to these greedy bastards…" he muttered quietly.
"Hey, I think you should be a little grateful to me for ending the fight early, or you would have been at heaven's door right about now, if I wasn't there," I said.
"Yes, never underestimate adventurers. They are the most barbaric and the strongest beings in Orario." Hermes continued, "Well, it's often too late when you learn the lesson by experiencing it."
"While I do agree. But calling us barbaric is going too far, don't you think?" I asked.
"I don't think you are in any position to defend yourself after beating these people black and blue," Hermes replied with a hearty laugh.
"Tch! Maybe I should have let them stab you…"
"Hey, that's a dangerous thought you have there, Arin," said Hermes, after giving a glance in Asfi's direction. He continued, "Surely you wouldn't let something that dangerous happen near Asfi, would you?" he asked, an annoyingly teasing smile playing on his lips.
Hearing his words, Asfi's cheeks turned a shade of red, but before she could respond, the thief leading the way stopped in his tracks.
"This is the place," He said, pointing towards a hut that appeared abandoned. A chunk of the hut roof was destroyed, and the wooden wall seemed like it would crumble down.
"How were you even living here?" Thane asked, observing the sorry state of the hut, "You know what, never mind, I am not interested."
"Yup, what we are interested in is the treasures!" Hermes cheerfully walked inside the hut. I followed closely behind, wary of any traps that might be placed here.
Though that worry seemed unnecessary and we entered the place and found quite a few treasure chests lined up near the wall. And strangely, there was a pile of apples on the side of the wall as well, though most of them had started to rot away, spreading a bitter smell across the hut.
"What the heck with these apples?" I asked the thief standing by the door.
"Oh, those? …we just attacked a carriage thinking they were carrying valuables, but after looking inside it, all we found were these apples."
So, it was fruit cargo, huh? Ryuu would have beaten the crap out of them if she had seen this. Good thing she's not here. Actually… I should've brought her. These bastards deserved it. I thought in amusement, but didn't pursue the topic further, as my attention was stolen by a gold-filled box. "Oh… that looks like it would be worth quite something," I commented, examining a golden statue of a dragon.
"Right?" Hermes answered before he turned to address the others, "C'mon, everyone we let's load up the treasures. We need to get back to the city and hand over the thieves to Ganesha's familia as well."
"By the way, Hermes," I spoke as everyone started loading the treasures, "I am leaving it up to you to take care of the god these thieves are affiliated with.
Hermes gave a confident nod, his finger sliding off the edge of his hat, "Sure, leave it to me."
"It's good that you are confident." I said, "Though if you require any help from me, do let me know."
"Yup, will do that," he answered, "looks like everything is loaded up. So, should we leave now?"
"Yes, let's go, it's almost sunrise." I looked towards the eastern sky, observing the orange hue pushing away the night sky as we made our way back towards the city.
____________________________________________________________________________
By the time we reached the city, it was almost noon. After giving the whole report to the Shakti, we handed the thieves over to her and other Ganesha familia members.
After which, I promised to meet with Asfi in the evening, before parting ways.
I made my way towards the Twilight Manor, walking through the bustling streets of Orario, observing the hustle and bustle that had already engulfed the city. And that was when I came across two familia figures, with red and blonde hair respectively, walking by.
As I was about to call out to them, I noticed Ryuu had a disheartened expression, her long elven ears falling low. As Alise rubbed her back, supposedly cheering her up.
"It's fine, Lion! We can look at them somewhere else," Alise spoke with her usual cheerful voice. Though I could tell it wasn't having any effect on Ryuu, despite that, she still smiled, most likely not wanting to worry Alise.
"You are right, Alise," Ryuu answered.
"Hello, both of you." My curiosity didn't let me stay still as I approached them. Hearing my voice, both of them turned as they returned the greeting.
"What happened?" I asked Ryuu, "You seem troubled."
Ryuu hesitated, but Alise stepped forward instead. "Ah, nothing much, it just Ryuu was having a sudden craving for her favorite fruit. But no vendor seemed to have them."
"You mean Apples?" Just as I spoke, my memory went back to the earlier morning and the thieves' hideout, where a small mountain of apples was rotting away. Maybe I really had gone easy on those bastards. I thought as I looked at Ryuu's face, her eyebrows knitted together in sadness. "So, no one had them?" I asked, in hopes that surely at least one vendor must have them.
"We searched around, but no, they didn't have it, at least not the one we had visited," Alise answered, then, as if she suddenly got an idea, her eyes widened along with a smile creeping on her lips. "And while I would love to accompany Lion on her quest for apples, sadly, I have a patrol shift soon," she said, shaking her head dramatically.
"It's fine, Alise, like I said, it's just a fruit, surely they will have a new supply tomorrow—" Ryuu believed Alise's theatrical performance, as she tried to cheer Alise up instead, but was interrupted.
"Surely Arin won't mind taking my place, right?!" she cried, her eyes shining. She stepped forward, her face inching closer. "Won't you, Arin~."
"Alise, that really isn't necess—"
"Sure, I am free anyway," I answered before Ryuu could refuse.
"Really! Thanks a bunch!" Saying that, Alise turned to leave, "Then see ya!"
Ryuu sighed, looking at Alise's retreating figure.
"Shall we then?" I said.
"You really don't need to do that, Arin," she said.
I shook my head at her words, "It's fine, Ryuu. As I said, I am free now. Besides, I know how much you like apples." Ryuu's cheeks turn slightly red in embarrassment. "So let's go and find some."
Ryuu nodded as we started walking together.
"Are you coming back from somewhere?" She asked, her eyes roaming over my gear. While they weren't covered in mud or anything, there were small places covered in dirt so small that you might miss them without paying much attention.
"Ah, yeah," I replied, brushing off some dust from my sleeve. "Hermes dragged me into helping deal with some thieves outside the city. We just got back."
"Thieves?" Ryuu's expression shifted slightly, concern flickering across her face. "Were there any injuries?"
"Nothing serious. We caught them before they could cause too much trouble," I assured her.
"That's good," Ryuu nodded. "I'm glad you're safe," she said as we started walking through the market district, checking various fruit stalls. One vendor had pears, plums, and even imported citrus from the south. But no apples. 'Supply issues,' he'd said with an apologetic shrug. The other vendor replied the same.
Ryuu her ears drooped a bit more with each failed attempt. "Perhaps I should just wait until tomorrow..."
"Nonsense. We've only searched half the market," I said encouragingly. "Come on, let's try the eastern district. They sometimes have different suppliers."
As we walked, I noticed Ryuu's ears would perk up slightly whenever we approached a new stall, only to droop again when we found nothing. It was endearing, adorable, even.
"You really like apples, huh?" I asked with a smile.
"I do," she admitted, a bit embarrassed. "I've just been craving them lately. There's something about the taste that's... comforting."
"Then we'll definitely find some," I insisted. In the worst case, we can make a quick trip to Melen, they will surely have them.
We continued our search through the eastern market, checking stall after stall. The sun was getting higher, and despite my optimism, we weren't having any luck.
"Maybe we should—" Ryuu started, but I interrupted.
"Wait, isn't that..." I squinted ahead, recognizing a familiar figure. "That's the merchant who rescued this morning!"
Sure enough, a middle-aged merchant was setting up a stall, carefully arranging his wares. As we approached, he looked up, and his eyes widened in recognition.
"Oh! You're the young man from this morning!" He beamed at me.
"That's right," I said. "How's everything? Is all your merchandise safe?"
"All thanks to you and your friends!" He gestured enthusiastically at his stall. "I was just setting up to try and salvage what's left of my selling day. I can't thank you enough!"
"It was nothing," I replied. "Actually, we were wondering if you might have—"
"Apples!" Ryuu's eyes had landed on a crate behind the merchant, her ears perking up immediately, her usual composed demeanor breaking into visible excitement.
The merchant followed her gaze and gave a warm laugh. "Ah, yes! That was part of the shipment that those thieves tried to steal. Most of them got damaged, but I managed to save a few crates." He looked between Ryuu and me with a knowing smile. "Looking to buy some for your lady friend here?"
"Oh, we're not—" I started, not wanting to embarrass Ryuu lest she run away.
"He's just helping me search," Ryuu interjected quietly, her cheeks turning pink.
The merchant chuckled good-naturedly. "Ah, my apologies! Though I must say, spending the whole morning searching the markets together, that's quite dedication from a friend." He gave me a conspiratorial wink.
"We ran into each other, and I offered to help," I explained, though that only made the merchant's smile widen.
"Of course, of course," he said with clear amusement. "Well, regardless of how you young people want to label it, anyone who saves my livelihood deserves a reward!" He reached into the crate and pulled out several perfectly ripe, red apples. "These are the best ones I was saving to sell later."
"We'd be happy to buy them," She reached for her pouch.
"Absolutely not!" The merchant waved his hand dismissively. "You saved my entire shipment! My whole week's profit! A few apples are nothing compared to that." He placed the apples into a cloth bag and pressed it into Ryuu's hands. "Please, I insist. Consider it a gift for the happy couple—ah, I mean, for you and your friend."
He emphasized the last word with such obvious disbelief that both Ryuu and I were left speechless. I felt heat creep up my neck. Beside me, Ryuu had gone very still as she spoke after a slight struggle.
"Thank you very much," Ryuu managed, bowing deeply despite her embarrassment. "I really appreciate this."
"The pleasure is all mine!" The merchant beamed. "You two make a lovely pair—I mean, you seem like very good friends! Enjoy the apples!" He winked again before turning to greet another customer.
We quickly walked away from the stall, neither of us speaking for a long moment. Finally, I broke the silence. "He seemed... enthusiastic,"
"Very," Ryuu agreed, still clutching the bag of apples. The tips of her pointed ears had turned pink. "Well," Ryuu said, her embarrassment fading into a gentle smile, "at least we got the apples."
"Yeah, at least there's that."
We found a quiet spot in a nearby park and settled on a bench under a large tree. The shade was cool, the area peaceful, a welcome respite from the crowded market streets. Ryuu carefully selected an apple and, to my surprise, handed it to me before taking one for herself.
"What's this for?" I asked.
"You spent the whole morning helping me search for these," she said. "It's only right that I share them with you."
"Are you sure? You were the one craving them."
"Which is why I have plenty," she said with a soft smile.
I took a bite, and my eyes widened. The apple was crisp, sweet with just a hint of tartness. 'Wow, these are incredible." In all honesty, I wasn't that big of a fan of apples, but this one was especially good. Now, I feel bad for taking them for free. Maybe I will buy something from him later. I made a mental note of the merchant's stall location. Next time I needed supplies, I'd make sure to buy from him, I thought as I enjoyed the sweet taste of the apple.
"They are," Ryuu agreed happily, taking her own bite. Her expression became one of pure contentment, her earlier disappointment completely gone.
We sat there in comfortable silence, enjoying the crisp apples. The afternoon sun filtered through the leaves above us, creating dappled patterns on the ground.
We stayed there a while longer, the comfortable atmosphere returning as we shared the apples and talked about lighter things. When we finally stood to leave, Ryuu carefully tucked the remaining apples into her bag.
"Thank you again, Arin," she said as we reached the point where our paths would diverge. "For helping me today."
"Anytime, Ryuu," I said with a smile. "Though next time, maybe warn me before we spend hours searching every market in Orario?"
She laughed. "I'll try to remember that."
"Then see you later, Ryuu."
"Um, see you soon, Arin."
I watched her walk away, the bag of apples held carefully in her arms, her steps noticeably lighter than they'd been this morning. As I turned toward Twilight Manor, I found myself thinking about the merchant's words.
A lovely couple, he'd said. Is that the image we give? Is that the image we give? Is it the right time… to confess to them?
Or should I wait?
But I don't think I can. These feelings are just so overwhelming, I at least need to let them out.
Those complicated thoughts swirled in my head as I made my way back to the manor. Soon, I promised myself. Soon, I'd find the courage to tell them to tell her how I felt. The image of Ryuu's contented smile as she bit into that apple stayed with me the whole way home