Chapter 5: A Half-Elf
Returning to the commercial street, Asher immediately headed toward the slums. Although it was still midday and a couple of hours remained until sunset, he wanted to scope out the area before Felt appeared.
The place was particularly crowded. Carriages pulled by ground dragons occasionally passed, and a crowd clustered around stalls where vendors loudly touted the virtues of their goods.
As he pushed his way through the crowd, his gaze fell upon a small girl with green hair and a pink dress, adorned with a white ribbon. The child seemed on the verge of tears, looking around with a heartbreaking despair, clearly separated from her parents.
Asher hesitated. Logic screamed at him that a strange-looking guy approaching a frightened child was a recipe for disaster. He could be accused of anything.
No, I'm thinking like an idiot. I must help her. Otherwise, some real pervert could take advantage.
However, just as he decided to act, a young woman with silver hair walked past him, heading directly toward the girl. Asher stopped dead in his tracks, paralyzed.
She wore a short dress in white and purple tones that fitted her torso like a corset, with wide sleeves that flowed to her wrists. The white, pleated skirt evoked the petals of a flower, accented by thin purple piping. White stockings covered her legs past the knees, and a white flower next to a purple ribbon adorned her silver hair, completing an image of delicacy and mystery.
"This girl… she looks too much like that woman," Asher murmured, frozen in place. Was it a simple coincidence, or was there something more? An urgent need to find out who she was took hold of him.
And then there was the other sensation, deeper and inexplicable: a magnetic attraction that went beyond the physical. It was as if a part of his being was searching for her. He had never felt anything so intense for anyone. This strange certainty sealed his decision: he had to find out who she was, at all costs.
The girl, who had been looking at the ground with tears in her eyes, looked up with a flash of hope that was instantly extinguished. In its place, fear appeared. The approach of a stranger made her small heart shrink with terror.
"I'm sorry to say I'm not who you are looking for," the silver-haired girl said, kneeling to be at her height. Her voice was kind, sweeter than Asher had ever heard in his previous life. But it wasn't enough. The girl, already scared from being lost, shrank away.
"Umm… Uh… Please don't cry. I won't do anything to hurt you, okay?"
The young woman tried to open the girl's heart, but only managed to make her shake her head, tears about to overflow. It was then that…
"What we have here is an old 100-yen coin."
"Huh?" the girl exclaimed, startled by the intrusive voice. Looking up, she found a tall young man with long hair and strange clothes, a mischievous smile on his face.
Asher directed his smile at the girl, who was also looking at him in surprise. Then he held out his right hand.
"Now, can you see this coin in my hand? Very good, now I'm going to squeeze it tight. Like this…"
"Wait, what are you…?"
Ignoring her, Asher closed his fist and then opened it wide. The coin had disappeared.
"And now… what a surprise."
The girl blinked, staring at his empty hand. Asher, smiling at her reaction, nodded and, with a gentle movement, ran his left hand through the little girl's hair.
"So this is where the coin was hiding."
Seeing the coin between his fingers, the girl gasped. The silver-haired young woman was just as perplexed.
Asher dropped the coin into the girl's hand. "I'm giving it to you. It's special, so take good care of it, okay?"
The girl nodded vigorously, clutching the coin like a treasure.
"How did you do that?" the girl asked with genuine curiosity.
"I have my tricks. If you want the details, maybe we can chat later," Asher replied with a wink.
Then he turned to the girl, whose anxiety seemed to have vanished thanks to the trick. When Asher knelt down and asked her a few questions, she answered clearly.
"I see. So you got separated from your mother. Don't worry. Leave it to your older brother and sister. We'll find her right away."
After patting her on the head, Asher held out his hand. The girl hesitated a moment before taking it. The silver-haired young woman watched with wide eyes.
Asher looked at her with his mischievous smile. "How about you take this lonely little girl's hand, little sister? She looks like she could use another friend." The girl, as if understanding, extended her other hand toward the young woman.
She held her breath for an instant, then released it and took the hand offered to her. "Alright. Don't worry. Let your big sister handle this. We'll definitely find your mom, yes?" she said, smiling. The girl nodded silently.
Asher and the young woman guided the girl, with her between them, making their way down the main street. Fortunately, the trio attracted so much attention—Asher for his clothing, the young woman for her ethereal beauty—that it didn't take them long to find the girl's mother.
"Thank you so much!"
The woman profusely thanked them as they downplayed their help. As they left, the girl turned several times to wave goodbye, a gesture both of them returned. Asher looked at his companion and saw an expression of pure, youthful joy on her face that took his breath away.
Once they were gone, the young woman turned to Asher.
"I… thank you very much. I'm glad we found her. I'm not very good at talking to scared children, but your trick was incredible."
Asher smiled when he heard her. "Are you talking about the coin? Nothing that can't be found in anyone's pocket. But don't worry, I've always been the hero for girls in distress."
She couldn't help but let out a giggle. "Wow… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed," she said, covering her mouth, but the smile persisted. "It's just that you sound very sure of yourself. But I mean it: I was very impressed by the trick. Is it something you learned in your village?"
Asher raised an eyebrow. It was time to be direct. "Let's say so. But what about you? You don't look like you're from around here. Your silver hair is… very striking."
She lowered her gaze, her smile fading. "Ah, yes… About that…" she murmured, fiddling with a lock of her hair. "Well, the truth is, I'm not from this place. I'm looking for something that was stolen from me. Something very valuable."
Asher crossed his arms, his expression growing more curious. "Stolen? What is it?"
She hesitated, her large violet eyes studying him cautiously. "I don't know… I don't think I should tell a complete stranger. It's a private matter."
"Private matter?" Asher leaned in slightly. "Come on, in this world there are no strangers, only friends who haven't met yet. Besides, this place is huge. You might need a guide."
"Are you a guide?" she asked.
"You could say so. I know some interesting areas. If you need guidance, you could talk to me. I don't bite, I promise." He winked at her.
"Well, before that, I don't think I've introduced myself. My name is Asher Mugen, 19 years old, born in Picoutatte, wanderer, frustrated pianist, and now a former convenience store employee. A pleasure."
She blinked, her face a picture of confusion. "…Pi-an-ist? Convenience store?" she asked, frowning. "I'm not sure I understand those things, Asher. And… born in Picoutatte? That's one of the cities in this Kingdom."
"Ah, yes. Things from my homeland, don't worry. But the important thing is that I have good intentions. So, will you at least give me a hint?"
She hesitated, biting her lower lip. She needed help, and this guy, although strange, had been kind. "Alright," she sighed. "It's known as an 'Insignia'. It has a red gem in the center. I'm afraid that without it… I'll be in re-a-lly big trouble."
Could it be that…
"An Insignia, you say?" Asher repeated, his voice suddenly serious. "I think I know where to start looking, although I don't know how to refer to you. You still haven't told me your name."
The young woman was silent for a few moments, as if weighing an important decision. Finally, she spoke. "You can call me Emilia."
[Time Skip]
It's time to take her there. The sun is almost setting, Asher thought. They had been "searching" together for just over an hour. He had taken the opportunity to confirm a few things: indeed, he couldn't read the language of this world. Although he communicated without problems, the merchants' signs only showed incomprehensible runes.
He had also learned that a festival for the Kingdom's founding anniversary, apparently a monthly event, would be held in a few days. People referred to the calendar as "Lugunican" or mentioned "Od Lagna," the name of this world. And, to his surprise, today was April 21st; the festival would be in four days. The timelines seemed parallel.
According to the conversations he had overheard, they were in the "Green-Sun" season, the equivalent of spring. And time was divided into "BrightSun" (from 6:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.) and "DarkSun" (from 6:00 P.M. to 6:00 A.M.). Fortunately, people preferred to use more direct terms like "morning" or "afternoon."
Furthermore, during that hour, his mind hadn't stopped churning over other issues.
Where had he gotten the strength to lift Rom's club? That thing weighed over 70 kilograms, and he had used it like a baseball bat. How the hell did I manage to do that?
And then there was the suffocating smell of miasma. He had learned to suppress it until it was almost imperceptible, allowing him to breathe normally. But the mystery of the silver-haired Witch and her "love" for him remained unanswered. With the current information, he wouldn't reach any conclusion, so he set it aside for later. His main goal now was to elicit any useful information from this girl, so similar to the Witch.
Asher and Emilia had reached a high part of the kingdom, climbing some cobblestone stairs to an overlook. From there, the view of the buildings and houses was imposing. Without his help, it would have been almost impossible for Emilia to recover the insignia, or at least that's what his ego liked to believe.
"Wow, this place is huge, don't you think, Emilia-tan?" Asher said, leaning his hands on the railing.
"Emilia… tan?" she repeated, confused.
"Yes, Emilia-tan is perfect," he nodded, amused.
She brought a finger to her lip. "Umm… I've never heard the suffix 'tan' before. Does it mean something important?"
"'Tan' is a more childish and affectionate way of saying 'chan.' It means I have a lot of affection for you. I think it was obvious!"
It was then that a mass of white and grayish fur with cat ears emerged from Emilia's pendant, spinning in the air and stretching its four paws with an air of superiority.
"Puck is he—"
"A TALKING CAT?!" Asher exclaimed, his eyes wide.
"It's bad manners to interrupt someone, human," Puck replied, flying around Asher and observing him with curiosity.
Asher was still gaping. "But it's a flying cat! Are you her familiar? Her magical pet?"
Puck tilted his head, his fluffy tail floating lazily. "Magical pet… That's a very simple-minded way to refer to the Great Spirit. My name is Puck, and I am Emilia's contractor, not her mere pet, you insolent human."
Emilia intervened, putting a hand on Asher's shoulder. "Puck! Don't be rude, he helped us. Asher, this is Puck, my… my contractor."
"A pleasure, floating kitty," Asher said, regaining some composure. "So she is your owner… I mean, contractor. And you watch over her all the time?"
Puck narrowed his blue eyes. "I am Lía's guardian. And yes, I always watch over her. And if anything happens to her, I will make sure whoever is responsible regrets it… re-a-lly much."
The use of "re-a-lly," identical to Emilia's, made Asher swallow. He wasn't dealing with a simple girl, but with someone with serious connections.
"Understood. Message received," Asher said, raising his hands in a gesture of peace. "It seems we started off on the wrong foot. My name is Asher Mugen, and I'm helping Emilia-tan recover her insignia. A pleasure, Great Spirit."
"How noble of you, human. Do you expect a reward? Anyway, I'm Puck. Nice to meet you too." The spirit examined Asher more closely. When he held out his hand, Puck jumped onto it with his whole body to "shake" it. A spectator would have thought Asher was trying to strangle it.
"No, re-a-lly, hehe. Let's just say that if I can help such a cute girl, I'll be happy to do it," Asher replied, scratching the back of his neck.
Meanwhile, Emilia looked him up and down. "Taking another look at you, you actually seem to be in good shape. Uh… Asher."
Asher cleared his throat. "Oh, well, yes. I used to work out regularly in my free times."
"Mmmm, you sound like you come from a high-ranking family, don't you? Didn't they teach you some kind of martial art?"
The question made him hesitate. In his world, his father was a famous pianist in Japan, champion of the Virtuoso since childhood, as well as talented in martial arts and business. However, he was a whole different story. He never particularly excelled in sports, martial arts, or fencing. He wasn't really interested, so he didn't put much effort into it. The only thing he might stand out in was that he had outstanding hand-eye coordination.
That's why he's so talented at the piano; it seems it was the only thing he got from his father. But the pressure his father put on him was toxic; he treated him like he was useless at everything. And when he didn't meet his expectations with the piano, he would punish him physically. His wrists bear several scars from cuts made with the ruler he was hit with frecuently. His mother was a decorative piece of furniture who only repeated, "Listen to your father, dear," or "He wants the best for you." As if anyone had asked him what he wanted in first place.
"In fact, yes. I come from a noble family. And yes, I have some knowledge of martial arts and fencing, although I'm not very good at it, to be honest." he laughed bitterly. "Besides, I ran away from home. I don't have a good relationship with them."
Emilia showed increasing anxiety. With every word, her urge to help became more evident.
Suddenly, she took his hands. Asher, disconcerted by the contact, blushed slightly.
"So you are of the nobility," she concluded. "Your fingers, your skin, your hair… They are not those of a commoner. Your muscles are not the product of hard work. Dark hair and yellow eyes. I've heard it's a common trait of refugees from the south, but the fact that you are here in Lugunica with those features means you can live a life of luxury. Also, the craftsmanship of your clothes is magnificent… So, am I right?"
"You have a good eye," Asher replied, smiling. "Though you're making me blush."
Emilia realized she was still holding his hands and blushed visibly before letting go.
Asher cleared his throat, looking at the sunset that was painting the sky orange.
"Well, Emilia, and you, Puck, I think I know where that insignia might be."
"Really?" Emilia asked, hopeful.
"Yes, but I need to ask you a question first." His gaze became serious. "You two… are you strong? Strong enough to face a sadistic assassin if she ambushed us at this very moment?"
"What a specific question… Although if we were in that situation, I would destroy anyone who laid a finger on Lía," Puck said. A fragment of ice the size of Asher materialized in the air, floating above them and leaving him wide-eyed.
"Does that answer your question?" Puck said with a feline smile.
Asher turned to Emilia, still in shock. "C-can you do that too?" he asked, cold sweat on his forehead.
"Ah, yes. I can also use a little magic. It's mainly fire magic, through my contract with Puck. Although I can use all four elements, fire is where I do best."
Fire? A gigantic, sharp piece of ice is "fire"! My RPG knowledge is failing! Wait… if ice is "fire"… then it's not an element, it's temperature control! What a tricky mechanic! Asher thought, overwhelmed.
"Well, it seems I don't have to worry about you any more than I am about myself," he said, regaining his determined smile. "In that case, let's go!"