The Village (2)

"Hello?"

"Hello."

I awkwardly responded to the girl's greeting with honorifics. Despite her outward appearance, there was an undeniable sense of experience about her.

She gave a casual nod in response to my greeting, then placed the long pipe she'd been holding between her lips onto the table.

After briefly sizing me up, the girl spoke again.

"So you're the person Kain mentioned?"

"Pardon?"

Kain.

When this completely unfamiliar name tumbled from her lips, I was momentarily taken aback.

For a second, I wondered if I'd come to the wrong place and started to question her.

She tilted her head slightly before letting out a sigh of understanding.

"Ah, so you don't know that name."

With a gesture that clearly conveyed annoyance, she flicked the tip of her long pipe a few times.

"Duke Hardenberg. He's something of a regular here."

So Abel had another name—Kain. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Of course, he couldn't very well use his real name when operating in the underworld like this.

Still, I wondered if this had been part of the original work's setting. Not that I could be sure, since I'd never actually read the original.

My friend wouldn't have bothered mentioning such minute details anyway.

'Of all names, Kain...'

Abel and Cain.

Even someone like me, who knew little about the Bible, had heard of them.

The first murderer, Cain.

And the first man to be killed by another, Abel.

Had Abel deliberately chosen that name because of the original author's intent?

There was no way for me to know, having never read the original work myself.

"What's wrong? Something the matter?"

I shook my head at the girl's puzzled expression. Seeming thoroughly unimpressed, she placed the long pipe back between her lips.

"Still, this is amusing. That guy forming ties with a woman. The storytellers would've had a field day with this."

"Excuse me, but could I get some information?"

"What, you're the type who hates small talk too?"

When I gave a slight nod, she let out a deep sigh. Then, with a flick of fire magic, she lit her long pipe.

The pungent scent of tobacco began to spread from the pipe's tip.

The acrid smoke stung my nose, and before I knew it, I was coughing.

But it was only momentary—the smell vanished almost instantly. In fact, it left behind an oddly refreshing aroma, almost crisp in its clarity.

As she tapped the pipe against an ashtray, she spoke again.

"Ah, sorry. This is our first meeting, isn't it?"

Even as she said this, she continued puffing away at her pipe without a care. If sheer audacity was the measure, she might have even outdone Abel.

I knew it was a somewhat rude thought.

But she'd been the one to act impolitely first, so did it really matter?

"Louie. Call me Louie."

"I'm Adel. It's a pleasure."

"Yeah, yeah."

Her face was an open book of boredom. Judging by her manner of speech and how she treated people, she must have lived for quite a long time.

Then again, elves as a race were strongly associated with longevity.

Still, I hadn't expected other races like this to exist in this world.

Perhaps noticing my gaze, Louie let out a snicker and asked,

"What, never seen an elf before?"

"Huh? Oh, no, I haven't."

"Figures. We're practically extinct."

"Ah..."

When she said it so matter-of-factly, I had no idea how to react.

My expression must have been amusing, because she stifled a laugh, her shoulders shaking slightly.

"Don't look so serious. It's just the way of things."

Louie paid it no further mind, putting the pipe back in her mouth. White smoke billowed out in all directions.

By all rights, the smell should have been unpleasant, but it wasn't overpowering.

No—if anything, it even carried a hint of crispness.

"The tobacco's a bit strong, isn't it? Sorry, it's just a habit."

"No, not at all. It's actually somewhat refreshing."

"Refreshing?"

Louie's eyes instantly sharpened. The dull haze that had clouded them moments ago was gone, replaced by sudden vitality. Her abrupt shift in demeanor left me slightly flustered.

She hopped onto the table and leaned in, locking eyes with me. Before I could even react to her impulsive action, she spoke first.

"Hoh..."

Then she began tilting her head this way and that, scrutinizing me all over again.

Unlike her earlier cursory glance, she was now examining me with meticulous attention.

"Um..."

Ignoring me completely, Louie crossed her arms. After a moment of contemplation, her eyes closed briefly before she gave a small smile.

"You're mixed-blood, aren't you?"

"Mixed-blood...?"

It was a term I'd never heard before. But the certainty in Louie's eyes made it impossible to outright deny.

No—more importantly, what kind of mixed-blood was she referring to?

Did Adel have the blood of another race in her lineage?

"Elf mixed-blood, I mean."

"What do you mean by that?"

Instead of answering, she simply stared intently into my eyes.

By this point, it was clear that this woman operated entirely on her own whims.

Whether she sensed my thoughts or not, Louie continued to bore into me with her gaze.

"Ruby-red pupils..."

Her words made me unconsciously touch my necklace. If the artifact was functioning properly, my eyes should appear blue.

As if reading my thoughts, Louie let out a soft chuckle.

"Elves aren't fooled by artifacts like that."

We see the essence. An elf's eyes do.

She added that and then flopped back onto the sofa. Now, without even bothering to decline, she began puffing fiercely on her tobacco.

"Not too strong, though. Maybe one ancestor about ten generations back?"

"Me?"

Without realizing it, my hand went to my ear.

Only the ordinary, human ears I'd always known met my touch. Seeing this, Louie shook her head slightly.

"Only pure-blooded elves have pointed ears. Half-elves have normal ones too."

"Ah..."

Pure-blooded, then.

Did that mean the woman before me was a pure-blooded elf? The thought that a different species stood before me felt strangely unfamiliar.

"Still, it's fascinating. Who'd have thought the woman of Kain's would have elf blood?"

"Can you even call that mixed blood?"

If it was just one elf ancestor ten generations ago, wasn't it a stretch to call it mixed blood?

As if refuting my thoughts, Louie shook her head again.

"Elf blood runs deep."

She gestured toward my face.

"Your face is proof enough of that."

Now that she mentioned it, I had often thought my beauty wasn't quite human. Had elf blood been the reason?

"Well, it's not important, so let's move on."

Saying that, Louie tapped the end of her long pipe again.

"Normally, I would've just sent you back empty-handed. Kain probably expected that too."

"Huh?"

Normally?

Did that mean she'd originally planned to send me away with nothing?

"I've withdrawn from any information regarding the Emperor. Kain must know that."

She exhaled deeply before continuing.

"Still, meeting a descendant of my kin in a place like this is something worth commemorating."

"Then you mean—"

"Here."

Louie pulled out a subspace and rummaged inside. After swiping her hand around for a while, she finally retrieved something and tossed it at me.

Before I could even react, my reflexes kicked in, and I caught it. Opening my palm, I saw a silver compass.

"It's a compass inscribed with the location you seek."

White smoke curled from her pipe.

"The rest is up to you."

"Ah, thank you."

I bowed my head in gratitude, but she waved her hand dismissively, looking almost disgusted.

"Save the thanks. We just exchanged what we both wanted."

With that, she set her pipe down on the table.

Then, resting her chin on her hand, she studied me before speaking again, slowly.

"Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes?"

"Regression—use it sparingly."

A chill ran down my spine, every hair standing on end. When I met Louie's gaze, her eyes were deadly serious.

I didn't ask how.

To someone who had lived for centuries, seeing through my ability probably wasn't difficult.

"But—"

"Listen carefully. This is advice from a fellow kin."

Her face carried a trace of regret. Her eyes were so deep that no words could follow.

"There's no ability without a price."

"...I understand."

With that, I quietly opened the door and stepped outside.

My hands trembled slightly.

I hadn't expected my Regression ability to be exposed so easily.

Let alone before I'd even used it once. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

§

The awkward silence in the inn stretched between Lily, dressed in her maid's uniform, and Evan, clad in armor.

Evan, seemingly accustomed to such tension, rested quietly.

But Lily, unable to bear the atmosphere any longer, spoke first.

"How did you meet His Grace, Sir Evan?"

At her question, Evan, who had closed his eyes, opened them again. Then he answered.

"At an orphanage in the back alleys."

"An orphanage?"

"Yes. My birth parents sold me."

Lily's gaze faltered awkwardly. She had meant to lighten the mood, but the opposite had happened.

Seeing this, Evan chuckled softly and continued.

"It's a common story, isn't it? I'm actually grateful—because of that, I met His Grace."

"...That's good to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hear."

"And you, Miss Lily?"

At his question, Lily crossed her arms, seeming to think for a moment before answering.

"My ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠story's similar. My so-called parents abandoned me and ran away..."

A faint, bitter smile crossed her lips.

"Then Lady Adel picked me up. Said I was a gemstone among rubble."

"Sounds like me."

"Yes. Though she's changed quite a bit since then..."

Lily suddenly recalled Adel from those days—violent, always driven by something, worn down to exhaustion.

Even now, seeing Adel, who had lost her memories after the accident, sometimes brought those memories back.

Especially the vivid recollection of when Adel had abandoned her in the back alleys again.

That memory was Lily's deepest wound.

Which was why she feared the back alleys.

The reason she had trembled with unease upon coming here.