The high rankings secured in the Aden Square food competition brought a lot of new customers to Mamy Restaurant. The unanimous praise given to the restaurant by the existing customer base further contributed to this trend. Thus, the small restaurant situated in the westernmost corner of the Aden Square had become quite renowned.
Due to the excessive number of customers visiting the restaurant every day, many customers chose to order their food on a takeaway basis in order to vacate their seats as soon as possible. Some could resist the urge to eat the food until they got home, but the majority of them lacked that willpower, and began feasting as soon as they made it out the door.
"Grandpa, what's that in her hand? It looks really delicious."
On a long street in the Aden Square, a little elf pointed at the ice cream cone in a little girl's hand with a curious expression. Her large eyes were wide with intrigue, and she couldn't help but salivate at the sight of the joyful expression the little girl wore as she licked her ice cream.
The little elf appeared to be around five or six years old, and she was wearing a slightly worn pink dress. Her long golden hair was tied into a long braid behind her, and her pointy little ears wiggled with curiosity.
Beside her stood an elderly elf in a set of old gray robes. His face was heavily wrinkled and coarse, and his hair and beard were all snowy white. However, he wore a doting expression on his face as he looked down at the elven girl, and asked, "Anna, do you want to try it?"
Anna immediately nodded in response before looking up at the old elf with an expectant gaze. "Can I, Grandpa?"
"Of course you can; we just need to find out which restaurant is selling this food item." Joshua nodded with a smile.
"Then... Then I can ask her where she bought it." Anna's eyes lit up as a solution occurred to her.
"There's no need for that. Look, all of those people are coming from that direction. I'm sure we'll be able to find the restaurant if we go in that direction." Joshua pointed to the passersby, many of whom were holding ice cream cones, on the street.
"Yes! Let's go then, Grandpa!" Anna's eyes lit up as she dragged Joshua in that direction.
"Slow down." Joshua gave a resigned smile, but the doting light remained in his eyes as he looked at Anna.
I haven't been to Chaos City for over two decades, and a lot has changed. It's becoming more and more prosperous. Joshua looked around with amazement.
Eight decades ago, his situation was quite similar to that of all the other elves who had left the Wind Forest. He felt like the elven race was developing in a direction that was quite unappealing, and he was getting sick of living in the place that he'd once loved. He didn't want to create a family to take advantage of the new social system being implemented, so he chose to leave the Wind Forest and wander around the Norland Continent.
During his travels, he often encountered beings from other races that harbored animosity toward him. Danger was unavoidable, but to him, the experience was rather fun. At the very least, he felt alive on the road, and he often encountered interesting people and things, so he was quite happy.
However, over a decade ago, he gradually began to discover that a hidden force had set their sight on him, trying to force him back to the Wind Forest.
Many other wandering elves were also coming to the same realization.
Some of them tried to lure the wandering elves back with promises of lavish rewards, while others simply abducted elves by force. In any case, the movement was picking up more and more steam, and the methods used were becoming more and more drastic.
И
Most wandering elves were alone or consisted of small families; how were they supposed to contend with such a powerful force?
I hope that at least Anna can have a happy childhood. If we go back to the Wind Forest, she'll probably never know what it feels like to be free. Joshua held onto Anna's little hand and heaved an internal sigh at the sight of her innocent smile.
"It's here! Grandpa, this is where everyone is coming from!" Anna dragged Joshua in front of a restaurant. She looked at all of the little kids with ice cream cones in their hands, and her eyes lit up with excitement.
"It is, indeed." A smile also appeared on Joshua's face. He was a little surprised to see that a restaurant situated in the corner of the Aden Square could be so popular. He didn't have time to contemplate that notion, though, as Anna was tugging on his arm as she dragged him toward the restaurant.
"What a beautiful restaurant; it's like a palace. The food here smells so good!" After entering the restaurant, the lively and energetic Anna suddenly became very quiet and reserved. She took a step closer to Joshua, and inspected the surroundings with a slightly shy and apprehensive expression. Her gaze lingered on the dishes on the tables, and she felt as if all of them appeared very delicious.
These tables and chairs appear to have been constructed from a centaurea tree from the Wind Forest, and they're all cut out from the same tree. Is the restaurant owner an elf as well? Joshua's gaze was immediately drawn to the furniture in the restaurant, and there was a hint of surprise intermingled with wistfulness in his eyes. A centaurea tree of this size had to be at least 200 years old.
"Welcome. There are two empty seats over there; please take a seat." Yabemiya stepped forward and greeted them with a smile. At the same time, she was a little surprised to see that both of them were elves. It seemed that the restaurant had been getting a lot of elven customers lately.
"Sure." Joshua nodded as he led Anna toward the table with the two vacant seats. However, his footsteps faltered upon seeing Blour, who was also sitting at the same table, and a hesitant expression appeared on his face.
Anna's expression also stiffened at the sight of Blour, and she hid behind Joshua as if she were a little afraid of Blour.
They must be wandering elves, right? Why is that little girl so scared of me? Blour had also noticed Joshua and Anna, and he was rather confused about their reactions at seeing him, but he still gave them a warm and friendly smile. The gentle smile coupled with his handsome face made onlookers feel as if a warm spring breeze were blowing through their hearts, and Constantine was momentarily stunned as he sat beside Blour.
He doesn't look like a bad person. In any case, this is Chaos City, so we should be safe here. Joshua hesitated momentarily as he looked Blour, but still led Anna to that table in the end.
What a handsome big brother. Anna was still hiding behind Joshua, but she couldn't help but steal furtive glances at Blour.
Are they wandering elves? Sally had also noticed the two of them, and was feeling quite sympathetic at the sight of Anna's fearful display.