บท 40: Freedom and Hesitation
"Excuse me?"
Evelyn, who was about to leave the room, halted her feet and looked at her master.
"I said you should join the hunters today. Maybe you'll gain a better insight."
"Alright." She responded, though she followed up with a heavy sigh.
"Seeing how they are so welcoming and kind, I'm sure they would not shun you. Show them what you can do! As for I…"
He patted his chest and continued, "I'll rest and hang out with Ami."
As she knew he would not reveal anymore, Evelyn did not deign to ask and simply left the room. She marched to the entrance of the village, where the usual suspects were gathered, apparently waiting for Arthur.
"Oh? Good morning!"
Greg, as always, performed a cheerful greeting but could not mask his confusion, like all the rest.
"You wouldn't mind if I joined you today, right? Alexander needs to rest a bit."
"Join us? Emm… but of course! As Alexander's friend, I'm sure you can handle yourself well!"
Greg was all smiles as he welcomed 'Despoina' into their midst. She kept a stoic face and did her usual slow nod, preferring to watch rather than socialize.
Suffice it to say, not all were pleased with today's company, especially Gary. The self-proclaimed trader of the town scrutinized the maid then whispered something into Thaman's ear.
Most, if not all, were skeptical and did not know if bringing a woman was a good decision. They have yet to see her fight but that wasn't the real reason. They were simple-minded folk and were not used to seeing women go outside to hunt.
They clung onto primitive traditions and idiotic thoughts. Nevertheless, none voiced their thoughts, they merely contented with watching Evelyn and sometimes talking in barely audible whispers.
As they exited the village and were looking for a target, Greg walked beside Evelyn and curiously asked,
"Are you also a magic user?"
"No." She perfunctorily replied, her expression unchanging and eyes looking forward.
"A-ah… okay."
"Say… are ye really a fighter?" sheepishly asked the fat Gary as he glanced at her.
"Gary! Mind yer damn words! Of course she can fight!
Vanraz slapped his friend's balding head then apologetically nodded to the maid, who did not react in any way. In fact, she did not seem to mind nor care about Gary's questions.
****
"Really? She can hunt too? That's so cool!"
After Arthur explained a couple of things, Ami clasped her hands and imagined Evelyn swinging her hidden blades. He met up with her the moment she left her home and they went to eat in the tavern.
Ami emptied her cup of heated milk then licked her lips as she beamed at the man across her. He too, was eating, but in an extremely slow manner as most of his attention was on her.
"Today, I want to hire you as my guide again. What do you say?"
"Err… what? W-why?"
She tilted her head in confusion, momentarily forgetting to chew the food in her mouth.
"You also know the layout of the area outside of the village, right? Surely, an adventurous girl such as yourself must've gone outside once or twice."
A bit flustered, Ami swallowed the food then let out an embarrassed laugh, neither denying nor confirming his words.
"I will pay you one gold coin for the full day."
"Ah! Really? I will do it!"
"Good."
All of a sudden, she creased her brows and pouted, "But… you can't change your mind afterwards, okay?"
"Of course not, hahahah.."
…
When they were done eating, Ami and Arthur left the tavern and the village, heading South, opposite to the direction the hunters went.
"It's a bit dangerous."
"Don't worry about it. I'm here."
"Maybe I'll get to see your magic, hehehe…"
Ami was joyfully making small jumps instead of walking, she enjoyed being outside despite how creepy the forest actually was. She knew where to go and was seemingly used to the terrain, nevertheless, she was exhilarated to be outside.
"There's two swamps up ahead. I got chased by a weird orange frog once!"
"Oh?"
"Yeah! It was freaky and weird!" She explained while trying to remember, "I only saw it once, though. It had three eyes and was very, very fast!"
"Did it catch you?"
"It bumped into me then disappeared! Poof!"
Ami made it look dramatic as she giggled and turned around, continuing her playful jumps.
"Did you see other strange things?"
"Umm…"
Ami looked around and pondered before nodding and pointing to the left.
"I'll show you! Come!"
She quickened her pace and, in a couple of minutes, they arrived near one of the small swamps surrounding the village. Before showing Arthur, Ami carefully looked around and inspected the dirt.
Eventually, she found it, which made her crouch down and dig down for a couple of breaths. Soon, there was a golden black metallic object visible within the soft dirt.
"Back then, a third of it was above ground. This must be due to yesteryear's storms."
Arthur knelt down and examined the object as he gingerly touched it. It was inexplicably cold and smooth to the touch, but apart from that, there was nothing. Almost its entirety was buried and it would take no small amount of effort to dig further down.
"I don't know what it is…"
"Have you ever seen anything like it?" He asked with a serious expression.
The girl hesitated and fidgeted, choosing to avert her eyes. In the end, she meekly nodded twice and, with a much lower voice, mumbled,
"It's like the one in the village. The praying altar…"
"Oh? Curiouser and curiouser..."
"Mister Alexander?"
Seeing him chuckle and enthusiastically dig, Ami was startled but proceeded to help him remove the dirt. They dug for one whole hour but managed to reveal only a third of the object.
"It appears to be a monolith."
"Monolith? What's that?"
"A stone that serves as something special… like a monument? Its real definition is too vague to give an explicit answer."
"But it's not a stone." She said back as she touched the monolith.
Indeed, it was made of something akin to glass and metal. It definitely wasn't stone, as Arthur suggested.
"Tell me, Ami, have you ever heard of the Arman Empire?"
"No…"
She immediately, without giving it too much thought. It did seem strange but Arthur chose not to gloss over it. He wiped his sweaty forehead and sat down.
"I don't think we'll be able to dig it out today. Let's rest a bit, shall we?"
"Sure!"
The girl sat cross-legged, unbothered by the dirt that stuck to her shoes or pants. There was a brief silence, one cut short by Arthur.
"Are you happy, Ami?"
"Excuse me? A-ah… Happy? I am! I like going outside!"
"Ah, forgive me. I meant, are you happy with your life? Do you think it's worth living?"
Even after hearing his question, the girl did not know how to reply. Her mouth was half-open yet no words came out. It's not that she couldn't reply but that she did not know how to.
"What's the matter? Was my question too personal? I'm sorry if I-"
"No no! It's alright!" She faintly smiled and shook her head reassuringly, "It's okay! I'm happy with my life. There are others that have it worse."
"That is true. Still, it's not all about comparing your life with others'. If there was a way to make things better, wouldn't you take it?"
"..."
Again, she did not reply, thus making Arthur chuckle. "Forget about it. I have another question: You see the value in exploring the world, very much like myself, so why do you hesitate?"
Ami bit her lips and unknowingly clenched her fists as she struggled for half a minute.
"I… don't want to be a burden. I want to be free… free to do whatever I want."
"Who said you'll be a burden? I quite like you, Ami, and I would be elated if you join me. I promise you that, together, we will see unforgettable sights. You need but accept my offer."
"..."
"Think about the sights we will see. If you seek freedom, why are you staying here? Is it truly because you lack money? Freedom will not for you. You are required to take the first step."
"I-it's not like…"
Ami began to tremble as her eyes got teary. She sniffed, wiped her eyes and looked up.
"Mister! I promise I'll think about it! Let's continue our exploration!"
"Good. Lead the way."
Arthur made sure to remember where the monolith was then resumed his brief journey with Ami. Unfortunately, there were not many interesting places in the Hollow Creek Region. The place was desolate and crude… definitely not meant for sightseeing.
Still, Ami showed him a relatively small pond in which grew weird jellyfish looking creatures and several colorful fish. She also took him to an open field in which he caught a glimpse of a couple of crows. Strangely enough, these were the first birds he stumbled upon ever since arriving here.
Overall, it was an enjoyable exploration and it ended when the sun started setting. When the canopy fully darkened, they had finally returned to the village.
Arthur wanted to take Ami to the tavern and eat together but, as is her wont, she became frantic and ran back home.
Every night, Ami would feel the strange sensation and run straight home. However, unlike any other day, when she slammed the door and jumped on her bed, she heard footsteps.
"Ami?"
Arthur's voice echoed from behind the door, startling the girl. She expected Dominus and did not think Arthur would follow her. After all, he never did in the past few days.
"Is everything okay?"
"I'm fine. I'm a bit tired, that's all."
She controlled her voice, trying to sound unperturbed. Alas, Arthur did not budge, he actually pushed the door open and looked at the bed at the back of the room.
Ami had been peeking through the old blanket, her eyes emitting a golden glow that was too eye-catching inside this dark room.
When their gazes met, she let out a soft gasp and hid her face.
"Please leave!"
"Isn't it too late to try and hide it? Also, why are you scared?"
"I-I'm not. Please leave, I want to be alone." She repeated but to no avail.
The parasite, while avoiding the disorderly boxes riddling the ground, approached her and only stopped when he was beside the bed.
"I have seen your eyes. Do you think I'll be frightened or something?"
"..."
She was shaking under the blanket, vehemently refusing to show her face. Arthur did not care, he looked down and was still able to see the golden light shining through the blanket.
"Calm down, Ami. Let us talk."
"..."
Yet again, he was met with nothing but silence, which did not deter him. He looked at her for a bit then quietly left.
Time passed and Ami's anxiousness had calmed down. She revealed her face and laid on the bed, sobbing in silence as she covered her eyes.
Out of the blue, however, the door was pushed open again and Arthur returned, his hands holding several dishes.
The girl, surprised, forgot to cover her face or talk. The small of freshly-cooked food made her stomach growl and momentarily stole her attention.
"It's better to talk over a delicious dinner, right?"
He neatly put the plates of food atop two stacked boxes then took a seat on another one. He disregarded the strange gaze she was giving him and proceeded to pour the milk and subtly push one of the plates closer to her.
"Eat."
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