All the visitors' attention was focused on one boy sitting on a stool with his legs dangling, and his sword lay on his knees. A little later, he pointed to his open mouth again with his left hand, while his right held the hilt of the sword.
Ben instantly snapped out of his stupor and, looking around at those who silently couldn't tear their eyes away from the boy, he grabbed the bag. They weren't bothered by his smell, they weren't bothered by his appearance, they were bothered by this bag. Looking at the boy, the first impression was that he was a simple homeless person who had lost everything during the last migration, but this bag turned their opinion upside down. Many had already decided something for themselves, but did not dare to say anything.
Ben took only three pieces from the bag and threw them into a lidded bucket, where similar monster ears flew from time to time. The man thought about putting food on a plate, but glancing again at the boy's external condition, he realized that this would not be enough, so he simply took a spoon, put it on the pan, and then handed the pan, which still contained stew for several portions, to the boy.
The boy looked at the amount of food for a moment, his facial features did not change, he remained calm in the face of strangers' gazes. Taking the spoon in his right hand, momentarily switching hands to support the sword, he carefully examined the spoon, which consisted of an admixture of aluminum and some other alloys. After examining the spoon, the boy put it on the bar counter and after a couple of moments of silence, he slowly turned his stool towards the hall. The hall, which was already holding its breath, became even quieter, as if nature itself was silent, awaiting the boy's actions. The young man's gaze did not change, remaining as lifeless as before, he examined everyone present in the hall, from ordinary guards to some privileged people.
Seeing nothing unusual, he turned back and, taking the spoon, tried the stew. Ben froze in anticipation, waiting for the boy's actions. What he definitely didn't expect was how quickly he switched from his cold unhurriedness to a wild instinct; the boy put more food into his mouth than he could swallow.
Seeing this, Ben quickly poured water into a mug and handed it to the boy. As soon as he removed his hand, the young man grabbed the mug and drank the cool liquid in one gulp. The boy's greed knew no bounds.
Ben didn't know what to say; it was his first time. He looked at the captain of the guard and, seeing his reciprocal glance, the captain of the guard quickly gestured to his two accompanying guards, and they immediately rushed out.
The boy paid no attention to this, continuing to enjoy the food.
"Hey kid, what happened to you?" Hol asked, not hiding his interest.
The boy had almost emptied the pan of stew and, tasting the last spoonful, turned his head towards Hol. His gaze was still empty, but after this small meal, it seemed a little more alive. Looking at Hol, the boy shifted his gaze to the bag with monster parts stored inside. The question was inappropriate, Hol understood this immediately, but after waiting a moment, he asked another question:
"Did you kill all these monsters?" Hol's face tried to remain impassive.
The boy nodded after a moment.
After his nod, a whisper went through the hall:
"This child couldn't have killed those monsters, look at him, he's skin and bones."
"Yes, he could, he could, you saw his gaze, it gave me goosebumps."
The whispering continued for some time, and just as Hol was about to ask a new question, a man sitting in the hall jumped up and, with a threatening grin, stomped towards the bar.
"Such a big catch for one boy is too much, share with others, treat us, so to speak, for your successful campaign," the drunken grin was filled with malice and envy.
Ben shifted his gaze from the boy to the drunkard and said in a rough voice:
"Leave him alone!"
"I'm not touching him, I'm a perfectly good-natured person, let this runt share his goods with me, and then I'll do good too, I won't touch him."
Ben didn't want to interfere, but he saw a slight change in the boy out of the corner of his eye. The boy put the spoon back on the pan, and his hand on the hilt of the sword.
The captain of the guard reacted in no way; fatigue forbade him from interfering in people's disputes. He could act in case of a threat to a person's life, so he just waited for that moment. However, he didn't have to wait long.
The man, approaching the boy, was about to place his right hand on the boy's shoulder. But before he could say a word, the tip of the sword plunged into the man's shoulder. Everything happened instantly; the drunken man lay on his back, and the boy sat on him, pushing the sword's tip deeper into his shoulder. There was nothing to be heard in the inn except for a desperate scream.
"Hey, kid, leave this drunkard alone," a grim but slightly drunk voice sounded inside the establishment. The captain of the guard drew his blade and aimed it. The voice was full of seriousness and weight.
Hearing this, the boy sharply pulled the sword out of the man's shoulder and struck him in the solar plexus with the hilt of the sword, depriving him of breath.
Standing up and looking at the captain of the guard, the boy pointed his left hand at the man and indicated his wound with his index finger.
"Take him to the healer quickly, we don't need any more casualties." The gaze and the direction of the sword were still directed at the child, who lowered his sword and headed towards the bar.
Meeting Ben's gaze, the boy demonstratively yawned, hinting that he wanted to sleep. Ben, trying to remain calm, replied:
"If you want to rent a room, you go to the second floor to the far room, it will be yours for tonight, we'll talk about payment tomorrow." Ben's face remained grim and pale.
Putting the bag with monster parts back into his backpack, the boy walked towards the stairs, dragging his sword behind him. Soon, the sound of the sword hitting the wood was heard, and then on the second floor, the sound of him dragging the sword behind him was heard, and then it became quiet.