Download App
2.95% The Laughing Swordsman / Chapter 11: Is It Ok For Him To Eat So Much?

Chapter 11: Is It Ok For Him To Eat So Much?

A bang resounded across the snowy field.

The tip of Apollo's bokken was right in front of Landon's chest. It could not move forward because the flat part of a metal sword was blocking it.

Willow was holding onto that sword.

She sighed and lowered the sword.

"Apollo, why are you being so aggressive?"

Apollo blinked a few times. His smile lost its intensity and he lowered his bokken.

"Sorry!"

Apollo scratched the back of his head.

"I don't know why I was like that."

Landon was trembling but forced a smile.

"Haha, it's fine, it's fine."

Willow's eyes narrowed after she saw her sword. There were fine cracks all over it, a testament to how hard Apollo hit it.

While Willow was focused on the sword, she heard a loud bang resound from the floor.

"Willow, I can't move!"

Apollo laid face-first on the floor and his bokken flopped over to the side.

"Do you have another one of those yellow food things?"

Willow smiled.

"Yes, but wait just a moment. Your teacher is going to buy you dinner!"

Willow turned to Seth and called out to him.

"Hey! You are a man of your word, no?"

Seth stuttered.

"Ah... Yeah, yeah."

Seth cleared his throat.

"Class is dismissed!"

Some of the kids that were in a stupor broke out of it. The people who could gather themselves quickly left, while a few lagged behind, their jaws dropped in shock.

Willow turned back to Apollo and was smiling sadistically.

"Let's go, before your teacher takes back his promise."

Apollo nodded.

"Ok!... Wait, why can't I move?"

Apollo turned his head from side to side.

Willow sighed.

"I will carry you."

Willow turned Apollo over then picked him up by his shoulders and legs. She made sure to take Apollo's bokken.

One of Apollo's arms dangled by his side. He held his head up and was smiling.

"Hehe... Mommy..."

Willow raised an eyebrow.

"My name is Willow."

Apollo swung his head from side to side.

"Ok, Willow. Hehe..."

Willow sighed.

She looked at Seth, who was still in a daze.

"Come on now, we don't have all day."

Seth shook his head.

"Ah, yes, yes. Let me bring you to a restaurant."

Seth led the way down a cobblestone path and Willow followed with Apollo in her arms.

The people they passed by would give a casual glance at Willow and Apollo, but it would stop at that.

It did not take long for them to reach a fairly large establishment.

The moment they walked inside, they saw many wooden tables that were almost all filled. The tables each had at least two people sitting at them and the sounds of eating were quite loud.

Almost everyone was talking at the same time, causing the sound to blend and become a mumble.

Laughter would ring out every few seconds, temporarily overshadowing the mumble, before the mumble came back again.

Seth, Willow, and Apollo walked around in search of an empty table. On their way, a woman turned to face them.

"Hey, would you like to take this table?"

The woman was sitting with a man. They both had a stone mug next to them that was half-filled with beer.

Seth waved his hand dismissively.

"Haha, no worries, we are in no rush."

The man smirked.

"It's fine, we were thinking of leaving anyway."

Before Seth could even reply, the man and woman had already got up and left.

Seth turned to Willow.

"I suppose we can sit here."

Willow's eyebrow twitched.

"Wow, they just gave up their seats? That's strange."

Seth laughed.

"What do you mean? People do that all the time."

Willow blinked a few times.

"Ah, yes you're right."

Seth nodded.

"Anyways, stay here. I will order some food."

After Willow nodded, Seth slipped past the crowd.

Willow sat down, then looked at Apollo.

"What got you so riled up?"

Apollo tilted his head and looked at Willow with big beady eyes.

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

Willow rolled her eyes.

"Don't you remember? The fight you just had, you tried to kill him."

Apollo tilted his head and used a few moments to think.

"I don't know!"

Willow shook her head.

"Ah, whatever then."

Seth returned holding a large tray of various vegetables in each hand. Though many people were shuffling around, they would let Seth pass and avoid bumping into him.

Seth laid the two trays on the table. He had brought enough for five normal people to have a hearty meal.

Willow wasted no time, taking a fork from one of the trays and raising a piece of baked potato to Apollo's face.

Apollo ate it happily.

In the meantime, Seth used a fork to pick up a piece of lettuce.

"Say, what is your name? I haven't seen you around too much."

Willow looked up after confirming Apollo got the piece of lettuce on her fork.

"My name is Willow. I have kept to myself most of the time, so it is natural you haven't seen me around."

Seth raised an eyebrow.

"Haha, why are you keeping to yourself? There are so many people to talk to and a wide village to explore."

Willow shrugged her shoulders while lowering some food to Apollo's mouth.

"That's something I've come to realize now, haha."

Seth laughed.

"Very well. Personally, I would recommend you visit the library, there are many good books and people there."

Willow nodded absentmindedly, her attention focused on Apollo.

"Sounds good."

Some time passed.

Willow picked up the last piece of lettuce from the tray and gave it to Apollo.

Seth's eyelid twitched.

"Is it ok for him to eat so much?"

Apollo hummed.

"But I still feel hungry!"

Willow laughed.

"Could you get some more for us?"

Seth flashed a bitter smile.

"Of course, of course."

Seth stood up and went off once again.

Once Seth came back, Willow continued feeding Apollo.

At first, Seth was a little surprised, but soon he began rubbing his eyes.

After seeing the second set of trays empty, the corner of his lip twitched.

He looked around, then pinched his side. He frowned from the pain, then sighed.

"It's not a dream huh?"

Willow couldn't help but laugh. She was covering her mouth with her free hand.

Apollo saw that Willow was laughing, though he wasn't sure why. He joined Willow in laughing, while Seth was bitterly smiling to himself.


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Disgrace Disgrace

Hey! Stop making fun of the middle-aged man!

Chapter 12: Outsider

Once the third set of trays were emptied, Apollo was finished eating.

The number of people in the restaurant began dwindling, though it was still fairly crowded.

Seth had a pained expression on his face, while Willow was smiling mockingly.

As for Apollo, his eyes got heavy, and began sleeping. His snores were faint and his body curled up in Willow's arms.

Seth shook his head.

"Anyways, were you the one who taught him his swordsmanship?"

Willow shrugged her shoulders.

"I suppose I taught him a little, but most of it definitely does not come from me."

Willow sighed.

"For some reason, he thinks I am the one who taught him his skills and also thinks I am his mom. Hopefully, his real mom never sees him calling me that."

Seth's eyes narrowed.

"...Apollo's mother has passed away."

Willow's eyelid twitched.

"I see..."

Seth sighed.

"He used to be such a kind child before. Now all he does is get others caught up in his antics."

Willow brushed Apollo's hair.

"Oh... I suppose Apollo misses his mother. Perhaps Apollo learned his swordsmanship from his mother, then since he thought I also taught him, he connected the two."

Seth rubbed his chin.

"Perhaps..."

Willow tilted her head.

"Did her mother teach Apollo swordsmanship?"

Seth shrugged his shoulders.

"I wouldn't know."

Willow sighed. Her subtle attempt at probing had failed.

"In any case, it seems he has been through plenty, whether it is his swordsmanship or family."

Seth nodded.

"Indeed, he is a pitiful child. Many of the townsfolk have tried to help him, but it must start with him. If he doesn't let us help him, there is nothing we can do."

Willow peered at Apollo, smiling in his sleep.

"Hmm... I've only seen him smiling and laughing so far."

Seth chuckled.

"Maybe you're the reason why. How did you even meet Apollo?"

The corner of Willow's lip twitched.

"It's... complicated. Also, saying I'm the reason why is giving me too much credit. He probably just deluded himself into thinking I was his mother."

Seth shook his head.

"Delusion or not, he is happy for now. It may not fix the problem, but let him be in his fantasies for a little longer."

Willow smiled bitterly.

"Haa... Alright."

Willow continued brushing Apollo's hair, then smirked.

"So, do you regret making that bet?"

Seth laughed.

"A little, yes."

Willow raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, how much did it cost you?"

Seth shrugged his shoulders.

"Five silvers."

Willow blinked. She realized she had no concept of how currency in this village worked. After all, she had stolen all the food she used to feed Apollo so far.

"How much do you earn?"

Seth looked confused.

"Uh, thirty silvers every month. A bit on the low end."

Willow raised an eyebrow.

"So those five silvers were a big loss, no?"

Seth laughed.

"What are you talking about?"

Willow frowned.

"Is it not a big chunk of your paycheck?"

Seth rolled his eyes.

"If you don't ask for too much, you can get food for free. Did you not know that?"

Willow's eyes widened.

"What? You must be jesting."

Seth chuckled.

"The market price for the food was 10 coppers or a tenth of a silver. I simply gave a tip. If you requested food, they would give you some without asking for anything in return."

Willow took a deep breath.

"So why did you look so pained when we kept ordering food?"

Seth leaned back in his chair.

"I simply decided I would pay a certain amount more for any food I buy. Food is very cheap, paying for it in the first place is a formality."

Seth looked out of the tavern window.

"The reason I pay anyway is to remind myself to be grateful. Before I was accepted into this village..."

Seth shook his head.

"Nevermind."

Willow nodded, with no intention to ask further. However, she was having trouble maintaining a neutral expression.

Her eyelids were uncontrollably twitching as a thought passed through her mind.

'Why did I go through so much trouble stealing food...'

Willow shook her head, putting the past behind her.

"Anyhow, why is food so readily available?"

Seth smiled.

"This village has what is called a greenhouse."

Willow raised an eyebrow.

"What is that?"

Seth chuckled.

"It is a large structure made from metal and glass. On the inside, there is a boundless amount of fertile soil. Anything that is planted will grow quickly and to great sizes. Not to mention, the quality of the food is the highest I've ever seen."

Willow tilted her head to the side.

"That sounds... like a miracle."

Seth sighed.

"It truly is. We always grow more food than our entire village can eat. As such, the most resilient village members brave the forest with this extra food. If they reach a far-off village, they will trade for anything interesting they find."

Seth looked at the bokken by Willow's side.

"Apollo's wooden sword was one of them."

Willow nodded absentmindedly. She was not paying attention to what Seth said after he explained the greenhouse.

"So... who made this greenhouse?"

Seth laughed.

"Haha, who do you think?"

Willow shrugged her shoulders.

"Enlighten me."

Seth rolled his eyes.

"Haa... taking the joke this far is not only blasphemous but plain ungrateful."

Willow was at a loss for a moment. She then forced a smile.

"I apologize, I am a forgetful person."

Seth raised an eyebrow.

"Are you an outsider?"

Willow was panicking on the inside, but other than a few beads of sweat on her forehead, she did not show it.

"No, no, of course not. I am just a recluse."

Seth sighed.

"No matter how much of a recluse you are, you would know his name. The only people who don't are kids still learning the language."

Willow could feel the tension in the air, but wouldn't back down.

"And how are you so confident that all villagers here that can speak know?"

Seth's hands clasped together and his elbows laid on the table.

"Because they are not outsiders."

Willow put her hand on her knife.


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Disgrace Disgrace

Just say the truth, Willow! ...Well maybe not the whole truth.

Load failed, please RETRY

Gifts

Gift -- Gift received

    Weekly Power Status

    Batch unlock chapters

    Table of Contents

    Display Options

    Background

    Font

    Size

    Chapter comments

    Write a review Reading Status: C11
    Fail to post. Please try again
    • Writing Quality
    • Stability of Updates
    • Story Development
    • Character Design
    • World Background

    The total score 0.0

    Review posted successfully! Read more reviews
    Vote with Power Stone
    Rank 200+ Power Ranking
    Stone 3 Power Stone
    Report inappropriate content
    error Tip

    Report abuse

    Paragraph comments

    Login

    tip Paragraph comment

    Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.

    Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.

    GOT IT