Chapter 76

"Though I'm late, thank you for saving me."

Having finally finished putting on his clothes, Kisa bowed deeply to the girls.

His cheeks were red, but it wasn't just because of the firelight.

The girls, being long-lived elves, were probably much older than him. However, Kisa didn't have the nerve to dress himself boldly in front of them, who looked like children or young girls. He had tried to change behind a nearby bush or rock, but was told not to go where they couldn't see him, so he had no choice but to change in front of them. Moreover, it was under their watchful eyes, still wary of him.

Kisa couldn't help but look up to the sky and mutter, "What kind of humiliation is this?" but the girls only looked at him with even colder eyes, thinking he was saying something strange.

Furthermore, while Kisa was the only one feeling embarrassed about changing, the girls, including Erika and the children, didn't even seem to care. Kisa's male pride was secretly hurt.

Suppressing such feelings of shame, Kisa expressed his gratitude, but Erika's reaction was not encouraging.

"Thanks should be given to him."

Without even meeting his eyes, Erika pointed with her chin to a small mound of earth a little away from the rock. On top of the mound was a polished helmet.

"Take this and—first, the crossbow she had, then the helmet—this is the dwarf who wore it."

The helmet on the mound was a large, bucket-like metal object with a slit for vision and numerous small holes for ventilation in the mouth area.

"He risked his life to push you to the shore. If not for him, you would have died long ago, and I wouldn't have bothered to save you."

For a while, Kisa couldn't speak, just staring at the mound.

He recognized the helmet.

Kisa, without minding the wet ground, knelt and placed his hands on the mound, addressing the person who must be lying beneath.

"…Mr. Nal?"

Of course, there was no response.

Kisa pictured the dwarf, Nal, wearing the helmet, his face covered in a beard, with a broad smile.

"He… Mr. Nal was a big fan of the alcohol I taught him how to make. He always carried it with him. And dwarves always repay a favor with alcohol, it was like his catchphrase…"

These words were more for calming his own turbulent emotions than for explaining to Erika.

"I remember now. When I fell off the cliff, Nal jumped after me, and we both fell into the river… Then, in the river, he grabbed my body and told me to grab onto a floating log… Even though he couldn't swim, he still did it…"

He couldn't say any more.

Kisa placed his palms together in front of his chest and silently paid his respects.

At this, Erika tilted her head in curiosity.

She understood that he was mourning the dead, but the gesture of placing both palms together in prayer was not something in her knowledge.

After a while, Kisa, having finished his silent prayer, bowed deeply to Erika again.

"He was a dwarf, yet you buried him so respectfully, I can't express my gratitude."

Elves and dwarves have been enemies since the age of myths. The fact that these elves, who were elves, had buried the dwarf Nal was unexpected, and Kisa felt even more deeply grateful for it.

Seeing Kisa bow even deeper than before, Erika let out a small sigh of relief. Then, she shook her head and said,

"Your gratitude is unnecessary. We owe this dwarf something too."

"Owe something?"

Kisa tilted his head, wondering if something had happened with Nal while he was unconscious. Erika lightly tapped the crossbow hanging from her waist.

"Thanks to this, we were able to catch prey. Also, we borrowed various tools from him."

Kisa nodded in understanding.

Upon closer inspection, the crossbow Erika held, the water bag carried by the girl named Ilza, and the portable fire-striking kit and firebox placed by the fire, all looked familiar. They were all Nal's belongings.

Despite being soaked in the river, they still functioned well, which was a testament to the quality of dwarven items.

"By the way, are you from the city of Bornis?"

At Erika's question, Kisa's body trembled.

Her gaze, as if to say that he couldn't get away with lying, made Kisa, after much hesitation, respond with a question instead of an answer.

"Why…?"

"A dwarf who risks his life to save a human, or a human who mourns the death of a dwarf, is not something you see every day. If such a person exists, it would only be in the city of Bornis, as I've heard."

The name of the city of Bornis, which was only a trading post on the route to the maritime nation of Gebau in the south of the Solviant Plain, began to be heard more frequently in the streets a few years ago.

At that time, the Kingdom of Holmea, which was trying to develop the vast Solviant Plain, was driving out the Zoan, the native inhabitants of the plain, with military force. Despite their individual bravery, the Zoan could not resist the organized battles of the Holmea army, and it was thought that the Zoan would soon be extinct.

It was then that a human man appeared to the Zoan, who were in a dire situation.

This man, with his terrifying power, first burned hundreds of soldiers of the extermination army who had invaded the mountains with fire. By demonstrating this terrifying power, he united the Zoan and then destroyed the Holmea fort on the plain, followed by the city of Bornis.

Upon learning of the large-scale Zoan counterattack, the King of Holmea ordered General Darius to exterminate the Zoan.

Initially, everyone believed without doubt that the counterattack would be quickly suppressed by the ten thousand extermination army led by the renowned General Darius, the best general of Holmea.

However, the extermination army, which was not supposed to lose, suffered a crushing defeat.

This unexpected news of General Darius's defeat spread not only within Holmea but also to neighboring countries, causing great shock.

However, this shock was soon replaced by a new one.

The son of the goddess of death and destruction, Aura.

This was the true identity of the man who led the Zoan and defeated General Darius.

The name of the ancient goddess, known only to the elders and priests who passed down the traditions, and the news of the appearance of her son, spread among the people as a rumor, neither truth nor speculation.

It was said that he was a terrifying monster who ate human flesh and drank living blood.

It was said that he was the reincarnation of Genovanda, who fed the people excrement.

It was said that the peasants were suffering from harsh labor and heavy taxes.

It was said that executions were carried out daily on the public execution stands in the squares and put on display.

In the towns and villages of the western region, people talked about the miserable situation in Bornis and the terrifying nature of the son of the goddess of death and destruction.

However, recently, the actual situation in the city of Bornis, different from the rumors, began to leak out from merchants who actually went to the city.

One of these was that it was a city where liberated subhuman slaves and humans coexisted.

"Are you not from the city of Bornis?"

When asked again by Erika, Kisa nodded as if to admit defeat. Then, Erika leaned forward slightly.

"Why is someone from the city of Bornis here?"

"Well… I was investigating the upper reaches of the river with my friends, just a little…"

At Kisa's words, Erika's eyes widened.

"Friends? Do you mean there are other companions nearby?!"

The girl grabbed Kisa's shoulders and leaned in.

"I, I, I did, but I don't know where they are now…!"

As Kisa answered, his head shaking from side to side due to his shoulders being shaken, Erika came to her senses. She already knew that Kisa, who had been swept away by the torrent, didn't know where he was, but she had momentarily lost herself in a false hope.

"…I see."

Erika looked visibly disappointed. Kisa felt a sense of guilt, even though it wasn't his fault.

"Um… Is something wrong with the city of Bornis?"

Erika hesitated to answer for a moment, but then decided there was no point in hiding it and spoke honestly.

"We were trying to go to the city of Bornis."

At this answer, Kisa realized after a moment.

"…Ah. You are runaway slaves, then."

At this, not only Erika but also the girls who were listening were greatly shaken.

Slaves are living assets. If someone steals or damages another person's assets, they are punished by law, and this naturally applies to slaves as well. Therefore, in many countries where slavery is practiced, it is not allowed for others to mistreat or harm slaves arbitrarily.

However, the situation is different for runaway slaves.

In countries where slavery is practiced, slaves are valuable laborers who support the livelihood. Allowing slaves to run away could undermine the livelihood and even become a cause for rebellion. Therefore, all countries imposed heavy penalties for the escape of slaves.

Even if that were not the case, runaway slaves, being living assets, would be considered criminals for causing their owners to lose their property just by running away.

Moreover, a bounty is usually placed on runaway slaves. Owners never forgive runaway slaves to set an example for other slaves.

Thus, runaway slaves are not only targeted by the country's law enforcement but also by people who seek the bounty on their heads.

Coughing to cover her agitation, Erika retorted to Kisa as if she were offended.

"Wh-What makes you think we are runaway slaves?!"

Kisa looked at the children who were watching from a distance.

"Their behavior, I guess."

At Erika's puzzled frown, Kisa explained.

"Those kids speak in a much more mature way than their appearance suggests. An elf friend told me that children raised among elves don't differ much between their appearance and their inner self. But when raised among humans, they become more mature inside while still looking like children."

Children raised in elf villages are treated as children by the surrounding elf adults, so their inner self matches their appearance.

However, elves raised among humans, who until a few years ago were the same age as them, see them grow up and act like adults, so their inner self tends to mature faster than their appearance.

Kisa's explanation made Erika nod in agreement, but she quickly tried to cover it up, unable to come up with a good excuse.

"You don't need to be so wary. In Bornis, most of the people who are not humans or Zoan were originally slaves. People like you, who escaped from Holmea, are not uncommon."

To calm Erika down, Kisa explained in a particularly simple tone.

"Is that so? That's good."

Though bluntly said, Kisa noticed the tension in Erika's shoulders easing.

However, pointing this out would be like poking a hornet's nest, so he didn't say anything. Instead, he recalled something about the liberation of slaves.

"Ah, but sometimes there's a misunderstanding. In Bornis, people who were reduced to slavery due to crimes are not accepted."

Kisa said this with a bitter tone, as if recalling an unpleasant memory. However, in trying to avoid poking a hornet's nest, he ended up poking a snake's den, and Kisa was quite clueless about it.

"Don't mock us! We were captured and made slaves by humans, even though we did nothing wrong!"

As expected, Kisa's words touched Erika's sore spot, and she shouted at him.

Kisa, crouching and reflecting, made Erika realize that yelling at him was pointless. She exhaled deeply to calm her raging emotions.

"But it's true, isn't it? In the city of Bornis, they liberate subhuman races who have been made slaves…"

Erika asked, her eyes looking at something far away.

"Hey, is it true that people of all races live together in the city?"

"Yes. But, of course, there will be conflicts—no, disputes. However, no one will be made a slave or subjected to violence or forced to do unpleasant things just because they are not human."

Erika believed Kisa