The sun struggled to shine through an early cloudy morning while a yawn interrupted the group's somber mood.
"Not morning people either, huh? I almost wish I stayed asleep."
The voice came from the back of the carriage, now uncovered. The group remained tense in silence while Kamiro observed the girl inside the cage from behind the carriage.
Who'd guess the cargo we're transporting was a criminal.
Upon the revelation the night prior, no one seemed sure of how to act. The carriage drivers admitted that they were given strict orders about keeping silent that the cargo was a dangerous criminal. Still, even they seemed surprised to learn that this dangerous criminal was a young girl.
Could it really just have been a mistake?
Criminal transport was above the party's ranking, and the whole thing was pretty vague, to begin with.
Well, no point overthinking it now.
Having traveled more than half-way to their destination, the party had decided to continue the quest instead of turning back.
Kamiro's eyes were fixed on the girl. Still, how can this frail-looking girl be such a dangerous criminal? Then again, looks seem to be particularly deceiving in this world.
"Hey, you," Kamiro said.
The girl laid faced away, only her silver hair visible. For a moment, she remained silent before she muttered, "Fleur..."
"Huh?"
"Criminals have names too, you know."
"Oh, sorry..." Wait, should I be apologizing to a criminal?
While Kamiro spoke a bit with Fleur, the drivers glanced at each other with an unsure expression.
Ayu turned toward Earla while they overheard them speak behind the carriage. "Is... this okay?"
Earla appeared to be in deep thought until Ayu finally got her attention after calling out to her a couple times.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Ayu."
"No, it's fine. I'm just... Is it okay for us to speak to her? I know she's a criminal, but..."
"I... I don't know." Earla stared at the ground while they walked.
No one is sure of anything anymore, this whole situation doesn't feel right, maybe if I can learn even a bit of who this girl is... "Fleur..." Kamiro called out to her. He was momentarily entranced when her crimson eyes locked onto his dark brown.
She squinted. "You're... not from here, are you?"
Kamiro's stride stopped for a split second. "Huh? No, I'm not, I'm... Wait, I'm the one asking questions."
A subtle, sly smile came across Fleur's aloof demeanor. "Oh? Please, go ahead."
Kamiro tried to hide a pout. "That spell you used last night on the bandit, it was dark magic, right?"
Fleur nodded while she laid facing Kamiro with her cheek resting on her hand.
"The guy ran away in a panic. What kind of ability was it?"
"The kind that would make a grown man run away in a panic."
Kamiro sighed.
"If you really want to know, maybe I can show you sometime. But instead of a nightmare, I'll show you the most wonderful dream you'd ever have." A mischievous grin ran across her face.
Kamiro's heartrate rose a couple notches. "What!?
Fleur chuckled. "That's a great reaction."
I need to calm down. How am I letting this girl get to me? "Nightmare..." he muttered to himself. "So, it's a type of hallucination, right?"
Their eyes locked in a moment of silence before Fleur gave a teasing smile and nodded. "Congrats. As far as your reward for guessing correctly... I bet you've never been with a half-elven girl before."
Kamiro's face flushed.
"But..." She motioned to him with her finger to come closer and he placed his ear against the cold bars of the cage.
"...you're going to have to wait until nighttime for your reward." She whispered.
Kamiro tried his hardest to show his best poker face, but the tickle of her breath made that impossible.
Under her frail figure and soft voice is a beast, no doubt about it. Still, the more I talk to her, the less I can believe she's a dangerous criminal... "Okay, Fluer, this is the end of the game, so one last question. How... did you end up here?"
Though she had a naturally aloof and deadpan manner of speaking, her teasing demeanor reverted to being distant, with a hint of sadness. "All you need to know is... I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be." She turned away. "It was fun talking to you, Kamiro, but you should listen to your friends in the front. You shouldn't be talking with criminals."
Ayu and Earla glanced at each other with a guilty expression upon hearing her words.
Whatever her reason is for being in that cage, one thing is clear, that's not a face a dangerous criminal would ever make.
***
Another day passed, and the group got ever closer to their destination. Earla and Ayu decided to converse with Fleur and somehow seemed to have grown comfortable with each other in record time. Kamiro had moved to the front and led the carriage but couldn't help trying to eavesdrop on the girls' conversation.
Ayu and Earla were kinda sus about Fleur really being a criminal... but they hit it off fast. What, are they best friends now? They've been talking for hours.
"I'm kind of jealous that Kamiro gets to travel with such beauties. I imagine guys go crazy when they see you two while out on quests." Fleur seemed amused.
"W-What? No..." Ayu chuckled with rosy cheeks while Earla darted her eyes about while she fidgeted.
Ayu seemed to try her best to change the subject. "We've been traveling for days. Are you thirsty or hungry? We can't have the criminal arriving dead, right?"
Fleur laughed. "I appreciate the concern. Luckily, I was under a sleep spell, so I didn't feel anything. And wouldn't... At least until I arrived, and they..." Fleur's gaze shifted for a moment. "Anyway, if it wasn't for that bandit trying to mess with this cage, I would've kept sleeping like a baby."
Earla inspected the cage. The attached talisman was damaged. "This is..."
Fleur sat up on her knees. "I guess they didn't want to take any chances. It's imbued with some sort of spell that activates if the cage is opened."
"I-I see..."
"Umm, listen. I'm okay without food and water, but now that I've been awake for a while..." Fleur squirmed while glancing at the girls. "They could've at least left a bucket in here," she muttered.
Ayu and Earla's eyes widened for a moment before they looked at each other and nodded.
Ayu went and blocked Old Bill's path, making him come to a halt. "Hey, guys. We're going to need to stop for a short break. Thanks!"
Earla led Old Bill to the side of the path, under the comforting shade of a large oak. The mule didn't hesitate to concur; his pupils nearly turned to hearts each time he saw her.
"A break, why now?" Kamiro said.
"And we will also be borrowing this. Sorry for the inconvenience."
"W-Wait—"
Earla snatched Kamiro's water pouch.
"Also, don't any of you dare come back here until we're ready to go. Got it?" Ayu motioned with her hand as if cutting across her neck.
Kamiro, Marvin, and Gregory looked at each other in confusion, and Old Bill joined them with a questioning neigh while turning his head sideways.
***
"Woo! We're unstoppable," Ayu said.
Kamiro sheathed his twin daggers. "I might have to agree with you."
A group of low-level monsters left a dust trail in the wake of their desperate retreat. Their figures disappeared into the horizon along with the setting sun.
"Our combat abilities have definitely improved, but we cannot become complacent," Earla said.
Light applause came from the opened carriage hold. Fleur sat inside the cage with a subtle smile. "You guys aren't half-bad."
I can't tell if she's mocking us or not.
"T-Thank you," Earla said.
Ayu gave her a thumb's up with a broad grin.
Fleur chuckled.
Kamiro took a big gulp from his water pouch, and the three girls stared at him with an uneasy look.
He relished the refreshing water. "That really hits the spot after a battle under the hot sun."
"I know we washed it and all, but..." Ayu whispered.
"Hm, what's wrong?" He looked at the three girls while they wore a strained smile.
"Oh, nothing." Ayu chuckled, with a bit of sweat on her forehead
The group stopped and rested for some time. Before they realized, the sky turned from orange and red to dark blue.
"Should we get going? We still have some time before it gets too dark," Marvin said, "If everything goes well, we should arrive by late morning if we get an early start tomorrow."
Earla nodded.
Marvin commanded the mule to move, and Old Bill stubbornly obliged.
Kamiro took the rear while Ayu and Earla led the way in the front. The dirt road had gotten bumpy, and it made the carriage shake. It was annoying to walk in, but with the sun out of view, the air was noticeably cooler—a welcomed relief for Kamiro, who hated the summer heat.
He observed Fleur while she sat, hugging her knees. A frown filled her face. Guess she's not looking forward to tomorrow...
While he watched her, his eyes glued to her ears. Seeing real elf-like ears in person was an entirely different experience. They were beautiful.
Fleur glared at him from the corner of her eyes. "It's not very polite to stare, you know?"
"Oh. Ha-ha, sorry." He scratched the back of his head.
"You've never seen elven ears before?"
"Well, not real-life ones, just in shows and stuff," Kamiro said, "Oh, wait..."
"What? You're always saying weird things. Where'd you say you were from again?"
"Uh, from a southern island nation, it's not even on the maps."
Fleur narrowed her eyes. "Riiight."
Having traveled with her awake for the past few days, the group had slowly gotten Fleur to open up to them and reveal a bit more about herself. It seemed just as they had grown comfortable around her, so had she, and Kamiro couldn't help wanting to learn more about what made her show such heart-aching faces at times.
I know there's not a lot of elven people left nowadays in the kingdom... Kamiro cleared his throat. "You mentioned being from a small elven village, are your parents still...?"
Fleur gave him an icy stare.
Oops, did I push too far?
She seemed reluctant, but eventually spoke. "My parents... When I was little, my parents and I were exiled from the elven village we lived in; once they found out my mother was human, they didn't give us any other choice."
"..." Kamiro listened without judgement, and it seemed Fleur picked up on that. Though she appeared hesitant, she continued.
"But I can't really blame the village for having so much resentment..." She stared at the metal flooring of the cage. "Not long after, we learned that the village was attacked. In a way, we were lucky, I guess, by being exiled, we avoided the destruction and death. But not completely..."
"Fleur—"
Kamiro's words were cut short by a sudden gurgling noise. Both he and Fleur turned and looked at each other. Her usual aloof demeanor had broken, and a vexing smile crept up Kamiro's face.
"T-That was..." Fleur's fair cheeks filled with a pink hue while she averted her gaze.
He chuckled with mischief in his tone. "You keep saying you're not hungry, but there's no denying it now."
"N-No, I'm not... I..."
"It's fine. Here, have some." Kamiro took out a small loaf of bread from his travel pouch.
Fleur's voice was jittery. "Thank you, but really, I'm okay."
"Just take some."
"No."
"Eat!"
I can't!"
Kamiro grunted. "What, why?"
"Because!... You really want to see me relieve myself inside this cage that badly?" Fleur crossed her arms and looked away with a shy demeanor. "It was embarrassing enough having to pee inside a water pouch," she muttered.
Kamiro didn't make out the last part. He blushed, unsure of what to say. This unexpected, cute side of Fleur caught him off-guard. I-Is this moe? A sudden chill crept up his spine, and he peeked to the side of the carriage to confirm its source.
Ayu and Earla seemed to have overheard the conversation and had their narrow eyes fixed on him.
He crept back behind the carriage with a nervous chuckle. "S-Sorry."
"..." Fleur fidgeted while her stomach sang.
Kamiro sighed. "Eating a bit won't... You know... Do anything." He held his arm out with the bread until Fleur finally snatched it.
"Fine." She took a vicious bite from the loaf. "But if anything happens, you'll take responsibility, right?"
Kamiro's face grew hot, and he tried his best to not let her teasing get to him. He forced out a reply. "I will..."
Fleur gave a sly smile. "Perv."
***
Although the blazing summer days were brutal, the cool breeze and comforting glow of a clear night sky provided a sense of calmness. Kamiro didn't mind watch duty. It gave him some much-needed peace and quiet to reflect, which he quite enjoyed. Earla and Ayu slept like a newborn, and only the occasional loud snore from the mule or a sleep apnea-like flare up from Old Man Marvin interrupted the serenity. Yet, his mind wasn't at peace.
It was the final night before the group reached their destination, a small mining town named Petram. Located on the south-western side of the kingdom, it bordered a natural barrier of mountain ranges and wastelands that laid beyond.
Kamiro glanced at the carriage, a bit out to the side of where they had set-up camp for the night. The cargo hold was covered up, and he couldn't help but wonder what was going through Fleur's mind.
This isn't right. Kamiro snuck over. Even if I'm wrong, and she is a criminal... We still shouldn't be transporting her like some captured animal. He pulled back the curtains and opened the cargo hold.
Fleur was awake, with an appearance as if in deep thought. She turned to Kamiro with a prankish grin. "Wow, you're more forward than I thought. You really wanted that reward that badly?"
Kamiro didn't flinch; he knew Fleur was probably just trying to hide her nervousness, considering what was waiting for her the next day.
"Fleur, we all know you're not a criminal."
She hung her head with an empty stare, which fit the silence of the night, with only the sound of a few nocturnal critters in the background.
There's no more time, you have to tell us, or we can't do anything."
"..."
You... were just a victim. From what she's mentioned, there's almost no doubt.
During one of the days he spent at the academy's library trying to learn about the kingdom, Kamiro came across some curious books tucked away in a far-off corner. They spoke about the Elven Genocide of Faro, a dark part of history in the kingdom that happened almost a century prior. As reparations for those mistakes, the kingdom gave the elven people their own land, and the thriving elven city, Silvapax, was established. But the peace was relatively short-lived; beneath the shadows of the kingdom, an extremist hate-group organization rose, which led to the destruction of Silvapax and many of the remaining elven people in the kingdom.
The few elven people left settled into small villages throughout the kingdom. Even though the extremist organization was dismantled by the kingdom, prejudice lingered. It wasn't uncommon for the kingdom to turn a blind eye towards the violence, slavery, and trafficking the few remaining elven people experienced.
Kamiro waited patiently, not releasing his stern but empathetic gaze.
Fleur finally spoke. "They didn't stop at the village. They looked through every nook and cranny in search of elven people. And if you were not elven, they didn't care; if they found you with them, you were dead too."
Elven have a naturally high magic affinity... Just because they're a little different, they're persecuted. Guess some things never change, even in another world.
Fleur fought to release her words as if a knot was in her throat. "But if it wasn't for me..." She hid her face between her legs.
Seeing a girl make such a face was painful. "It's okay. You don't have to—"
Fleur clenched her jaw. "They told me it wasn't safe for me to go out and play..."
She confessed everything to Kamiro. After everything that had happened in the past, most elves were distrustful of humans, which led to her family being exiled from her village when they found out that Fleur's mom was human and that she was half-human. But her family made a new home in the outskirts of a small farming village and thought they could start over... Until Fleur befriended a human girl from there. One day, when out playing with her new friend, too far from her parent's supervision, Fleur caught the attention of some unsavory characters from the farming village.
Fleur covered her face with her hands and snickered. "Apparently, elven people were a valued commodity. Especially young ones." She sat in silence with a downcast gaze. "They weren't going to let them take me without a fight. It was my fault... I killed my parents."
Kamiro stood in silence, powerless to do anything but listen.
"That was when I was ten." She rubbed away the red in her eyes. "Whatever. It doesn't matter now." Fleur's expression changed, no longer of anger and sadness, but to her usual aloof demeanor. "They sold me off to some rich old pervert, and I was his slave for the past five years." She rolled her eyes. "After years of 'disobedient conduct,' I'm surprised he actually went through with his threats of selling me off to some weird cult."
Kamiro looked like he'd seen a ghost. What does this mean...? How did we end up helping in human trafficking? Or wait... Is it demi-human trafficking? No, now's not the time! "That's it. I'm getting you out of this cage."
"Don't. If you open this cage... everyone will die."
For a moment, Fleur's sudden remark froze Kamiro in place. "You're not a criminal. What we're doing right now shouldn't be happening at all. We need to tell the others."
"It doesn't matter. Like I told you before, I'm exactly where I need to be."
"No, you're not. What happened to your parents wasn't because of you. You were just a kid playing with a friend."
"But they warned me! They told me to always stay nearby, and I didn't listen..." Her voice trembled.
"I'm not gonna stand here and try to comfort you into believing that what happened in the past was not your fault. Deep down, you already know that it wasn't."
Fleur tightened around her knees.
"But by staying in that cage, you're letting those truly at fault run free. Is that what you really want?"
"..." She sat in silence; her unruly bangs hid her gaze. "No..." she muttered.
A brief, stifled grin ran across Kamiro's face. "What? Didn't quite catch that."
"No!" Her voice cracked.
"That's more like it."
Fleur appeared in thought while she stared away. "Okay... Tomorrow, I'll tell everyone. Then you all can decide what to do with me."
Kamiro nodded and glanced at the sleeping group out on the campsite.
Fleur let out a deep breath, and her expression softened. "I can't believe I told you everything. Where'd you learn to be so convincing? Are you some kind of womanizer?"
"I wish." Kamiro snickered. "It's just when I look at you... I can't stand not doing anything when I see someone show such a lonely expression. And I'm sure Ayu and Earla feel the same."
"Fleur's eyes widened before she chuckled. "You really are a womanizer..." she muttered.
"Let's get some rest. We'll see each other in the morning."
"Wait, one last thing before you go. There's something I've been wondering..."
What's with that look? Do I really stick out from this world that much?
Fleur smirked. "How often do you masturbate to your party?"
Kamiro's jaw dropped.
"Two beautiful girls like that with you all the time, there's no way the thought doesn't come across your mind, right?
"What!? N-No."
"Also, Adventurers are out on quests all of the time... How do you even find a moment?"
Kamiro struggled to keep eye contact. "I mean, we have free time between quests, so... Wait. No, that's not the point!"
"You actually tried to answer. "Fleur's eyes teared up while she laughed. Most likely, from a mix of happiness and sadness. "I almost wish this quest would never end."
An endless quest with us? Seeing Fleur in a moment of bliss, devoid of her gloom situation and history, made Kamiro smile. At that moment, it seemed as if everything would turn out okay.