Chapter 5

"Aldis, I'll go call Ted and the others, so can you wait here for a moment?"

"Ah, ...got it."

That probably means I should keep an eye on these two to make sure they don't do anything strange.

Aldis shifted his gaze from Norris, who was running to the other carriage, and observed the two girls.

They looked to be around seven or eight years old.

They were dressed in rough loincloths, and seemed to be trembling, huddled together, as if they were afraid of Aldis.

Their eyes clearly showed signs of wariness and fear.

Upon closer inspection, the two girls looked identical.

They were probably sisters close in age, but more likely twins.

At first, Aldis speculated that they might be relatives of the merchants, but he quickly dismissed the idea.

Their clothes were far too shabby for relatives of merchants, and their emaciated cheeks suggested they had not been given enough to eat.

"There are children?"

Ted and Orphelia arrived shortly after Norris called them.

The moment they lifted the carriage flap to look inside, they both frowned and muttered, "Wow, really...," and "This is a problem..."

Aldis, who was rubbing his temples, asked them,

"What do we do with those kids? Even if we take them to town, they'll have to walk..."

"Hold on, I'm thinking. Man... of all things, twins?"

Ted sighed, holding his head.

"Commodities?"

"Yeah. Look at their limbs. They have bracelets and anklets, right? That design is the mark of a commodity."

Sure enough, the two girls had the same circular marks on their limbs.

But Aldis's question was not about that.

"What are commodities?"

"Huh?"

Not only Ted, but Orphelia and Norris also looked at Aldis as if he were unbelievable.

"Are you serious?"

"Hehe, you really are different, Aldis."

"Well, I thought you were naive, but... I didn't expect this much."

Aldis, who was usually calm, seemed to be in a bad mood at their harsh words.

"So, what exactly are commodities?"

It was understandable that his words came out with a bit of a sharp edge.

"Sorry, sorry. Don't be mad. I'll explain."

Norris hurried to calm him down.

"Let me warn you, it's not a pleasant topic."

Seeing Aldis nod silently, Norris began to explain about commodities.

"Commodities are people who are bought and sold for money. How should I put it... they're like the product name when merchants handle them. Children sold by their parents, people who have lost everything due to debt, criminals, and prisoners of war are often sold as commodities. Commodities can't own property, have no freedom of movement, and receive no legal protection as human beings. After all, they are considered objects."

"Like slaves?"

"Sort of. But slaves are a bit better off. Even at the bottom of society, they have a status as slaves and are treated as human beings to some extent. They have to obey their master's orders and have almost no social rights, but depending on the master's policies, they can be allowed to own property and have families."

"Commodities are different?"

"Commodities are not treated as human beings. Killing a slave is considered murder, but killing a commodity is only treated as property damage. Abusing a slave can ruin your reputation, but hurting a commodity or not feeding them is only seen as poor product management. For merchants, it's just a bad reputation. The fact that these girls are even dressed is a better treatment than most commodities get."

"..."

Ted continued the explanation.

"Once they have a buyer, they become slaves and are no longer commodities. As slaves, they can be treated as human beings within the limits set by their masters. It's not a happy life, but compared to being a commodity, it's better. But in this case, they're twins..."

"Is there a problem with being twins?"

"What? You don't know that either? Not knowing about commodities or twins, where did you grow up?"

"How should I know? Where I come from, I've never heard of commodities or anything about twins."

"Hey, Aldis. Have you ever seen twins in this country?"

Suddenly, Orphelia asked from the side.

"Twins...?"

Aldis searched his memory. The memory of the year he had spent in this country—no, in this world.

"Come to think of it, I've never seen twins. ...But it's probably just a coincidence. Twins aren't born that often, right?"

"Well, in a village of a hundred people, maybe. But in a city as big as Tria, haven't you found it strange that you've never seen any?"

"..."

"Twins are considered cursed children. They are said to be the messengers of the evil god who opposes the goddess."

The moment Aldis heard "goddess," a murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

"Hey, don't look so scary. You really hate the goddess, don't you?"

Ted spoke hesitantly, noticing the sudden change in Aldis's demeanor.

"It's okay since it's just us, but be careful in town."

"Ah, yeah... sorry."

"Especially if you're seen by church officials. The reason you're being watched by the church is probably because you criticized the goddess in front of a priest, right?"

"Norris is right. You may have your reasons for disliking the goddess, but criticizing her openly in broad daylight is not a good idea."

"Got it... I'll keep that in mind."

Orphelia, relieved by Aldis's response, exhaled and began to explain about the cursed children.

"During the ancient divine war, the evil god Gris was the last to torment the goddess. The twin demons, who were the vanguard of the evil god, were the only ones to wound the goddess."

The moment Aldis heard "twin demons," his fists clenched tightly.

"To the church, twins are born with an unforgivable sin, as they are seen as descendants of the demons who wounded the goddess."

"Orphelia... do you believe that's true?"

Aldis asked in a strained voice.

"I don't know if it's true. No one has ever seen or heard the events of the distant mythological era. But..."

"But?"

"The world is too harsh for twins to live in, and that is a fact."

"In reality, it's common for twins to be disposed of immediately after birth. In some regions, they keep one and raise the other. They are looked down upon by society, not blessed by the church, and not treated by doctors when they get sick. They can't get decent jobs. Often, the parents suffer more than the twins themselves. Most likely, these girls are in the same situation. They've either lost their parents or been sold..."

Ted's eyes showed a faint trace of pity.

"Either way, most twins die in childhood. If they survive, they end up as commodities or, at best, slaves. Otherwise, they become outlaws."

"So, what do you do, Ted? We can't stay here forever, right?"

Norris was right.

Even if Aldis and the others were innocent, there was no one to prove it.

With bodies scattered around, they could easily be mistaken for bandits.

"Can't help it. Let's move for now."

Aldis and the others quickly disposed of the bodies and carried out as much of the goods as they could.

"Norris, did you find anything that could identify them?"

"Well, it seems they were merchants from the capital, on their way to deliver goods to a guild in Tria."

Norris concluded after checking the documents in the merchant's pockets and the carriage.

"Then there's no point in taking the remains back... How about Orphelia?"

"Mostly textiles and clothing. We can only take a small part. It's too bulky."

"Damn, we're out of luck. If the horses were still alive, we could have taken everything!"

That night, Aldis and the others made a fire in a hollow a little off the road and spent the night.

Fortunately, there were firewood and tools in the carriage, so they were not troubled by the unexpected camping.

The night was already spreading across the sky.

Around the fire were Aldis, Ted, Orphelia, and Norris. The two commodities huddled together, barely within the reach of the light.

"Ultimately, you brought them along..."

Ted sighed, looking back and forth between the commodities and Aldis.

"We can't just leave them."

Aldis, frowning, replied, and Ted responded with a guilty look.

"Sure, leaving them behind would be a bad start to the day, but... they're twins. If they were ordinary commodities, we could sell them in Tria, but with twins, there won't be any buyers..."

"What happens if there are no buyers?"

Aldis asked, and Ted, unusually hesitant, replied irritably.

"Unsold goods... are discarded, I guess."

"Killed?"

"Probably not killed, but... it's pretty much the same. The only thing I can say for sure is that it won't end well."

"For example, what kind of things?"

As Aldis pressed, Orphelia interjected from the side.

"It's better not to know. It's not a pleasant topic."

Ignoring Aldis's puzzled expression, Norris spoke to Ted.

"So, are you really going to take them? Honestly, they'll be a burden. Children are already a hassle, and as commodities, they can't walk well. Even if we take them to Tria, they'll only fetch a pittance, right?"

Ted, of course, understood this.

Children, and especially twins, would fetch only a small amount of money if sold.

Bringing back the goods, such as clothing, would be more profitable.

Indeed, as Norris said, they would be a burden.

"Should we give them food and water and let them go to Tria on their own?"

But Ted did not seem to be as cold-hearted as Norris suggested.

He remained silent, looking as if he had bitten into a bitter pill.

Ted and Orphelia probably felt pity for the girls.

If they were not twins, they might have taken them to Tria without a second thought.

"I'll take those two."

The hand that was scratching Ted's head, the fingers that were rubbing Orphelia's forehead, and the hand that was about to add more firewood, all froze at Aldis's words.

"Hey, Aldis."

"I'll give up my share of the goods from the carriage. If they slow us down, I'll carry them. Is that okay?"

Aldis interrupted Ted and said.

"Sure, but..."

There was no objection to the proposal itself. If his share was not reduced and it did not affect their progress, there was no reason to oppose it.

"Then, what's in it for you? They're strangers, and twins at that. Taking them won't get you much money. We don't even know if they'll be allowed into the city."

"There's no benefit. But if what Orphelia said is true—"

He muttered to himself that leaving them behind would be irresponsible.

Orphelia, seeing Aldis close his eyes and remain silent, asked,

"If it's true?"

"Nothing, just a whim."

Aldis's vague answer seemed to indicate that he had given up.

Ted, apparently resigned, said,

"Alright, do as you please. I don't want to abandon them either."

"Sorry, Ted."

"But even if we take them to the city, as Ted said, we don't know if they'll be allowed in."

"If not, we'll sneak in at night."

"Hehe, you really are interesting, Aldis! In that case, I'll help you!"

Norris laughed happily, while Ted and Orphelia wore exasperated expressions, which probably meant they had given up.

The twins showed no reaction to the conversation and only clung to each other, watching the situation.

As the night spread over more than half the sky, they finally began to breathe softly, having succumbed to fatigue.

2016/12/20 Correction: "Leaving them behind would be a bad start to the day" → "Leaving them behind would be a bad start to the day"

*Thank you for the correction in the comments.

2019/07/16 Correction: "There is no objection" → "There is no objection"

2019/07/16 Correction: "Watch the situation" → "Watch the situation"

*Thank you for the correction.

2019/11/15 Correction: "There is no objection" → "There is no objection"

*Thank you for the correction.