Book 13: Chapter 24
“It’s truly unfortunate to suffer a shipwreck. Here, this is for the shrine.”
The owner of the vegetable store was a lot warmer compared to the owner of the rice store. He, actually, sold a lot of things at his store besides vegetables. He also sold eggs and chicken. Of course, things he sold weren’t things he provided. He was considerably more generous than the owner of the rice store, but he still didn’t provide enough for two people. As such, I spent my own money to buy some more. Gold coins weren’t their currency. Still, gold is gold. If they melted the gold again instead of spending it, they’d still make a good deal out of it.
In a serious tone, I asked, “I want to ask one more thing pertaining to Ying. Why are you all so certain she can’t leave? She volunteers to offer you protection, but I don’t think that it’s right for you to treat her with this attitude. She’s willing to protect you, yet you’re not willing to provide her with sufficient food. You’re not grateful to her in the least. You’re treating her the way you’d treat a dog!”
Perhaps what I said was slightly harsh, as I noticed his gaze was weird. However, instead of answering my question, he abstained from speaking and looked interested. My anger gradually subsided. I started to feel awkward due to the way he looked at me. He finally laughed and, in a soft voice, replied, “Young man, I can tell you’re not from an ordinary family with a glance. You must’ve grown up eating meat, right? Perhaps you’re the child of a noble or you’re a Prince and have always had everybody protecting you. Others will also provide food and money to your family as well as loyally answer to your calls. Let me put it this way: have you ever had a bodyguard?”
I nodded.
“Was your bodyguard formidable, then?”
I thought about it. Tanya was, indeed, formidable. She was the young girl who managed to take the head of the anthropoids’ leader against an army of ten thousand. Say what you will, but she was a very strong soldier. In the past, I had Philes, who was also very skilled; he just didn’t have many opportunities to display his skills. There was no need to mention Nier. Other than Elizabeth, there wasn’t a single human who could defeat her nowadays.
“Yes.”
“If they wanted to kill you, would you be in a very precarious situation?” he asked, smiling sarcastically. “As you said, Ying is very powerful. You haven’t seen how she looks when she fights the wyrm. She’s practically a demon. What would you do with such a demon right by your side? Would you not be afraid? What would you do if she suddenly decided to do that to your family? You are a noble who eats meat. Your money can maintain the loyalty of those more powerful than you, but what about us? We’re just ordinary folks. Forget gold coins, we’d pick up bronze coins until we’re pale in the face. How could we get Ying to remain kind to us?”