Originally, Vieya had planned to rely on her short little legs, and this sli-girl body that could endure endless punishnt, to run all the way along the Moon River to Fengxiang Town.
However, Hua Shiyu said reinforcents from the Royal Capital were about to arrive at Deerhorn City’s docks. She could hitch a ride on a ship and even recover so strength aboard.
Precious stamina could not be wasted on sothing as pointless as rushing along the road.
Vieya found a resting chair at the docks and sat down, one hand holding a boat ticket, the other gripping a wine gourd—she had already spent her last few copper coins.
She had not once shut off the White Tiger Authority that maintained balance between the two forces inside her.
Among monster-girl physiques, the sli-girl’s was already considered durable, but once the strain grew too great, her body would rebel against her, and at the first chance, would ignore its owner’s will and fall asleep anywhere.
Think of it: it was about the sa as an ordinary human going three days without sleep, until the mont their head hit a pillow, they would imdiately snore away.
“Sigh... raise a cup to drown sorrow, but sorrow grows deeper still～”
Vieya leaned back in the chair, lifted the wine gourd, and gulped a mouthful. Her pale face flushed with a tipsy glow.
“What the—! Whose kid is drinking at the docks? Where are her parents? Any adults around?”
Suddenly!
The surprised voice from behind startled Vieya, who had completely relaxed her guard.
If not for knowing all too well that this was a safe zone at the docks, she would have already swung back with a Dragon&Blast strike!
“...?” About to curse, Vieya froze. The mouth of her wine gourd suddenly sprouted, twisting into an apple branch heavy with morning-dew fruit, the sour aroma scattering the reek of alcohol.
This was...
Elf magic!
Vieya’s breath hitched, the haze of drunkenness vanishing entirely, her mind crystal clear.
The noisy docks suddenly fell silent. The harp’s unique lodies rose and fell like waves, dotted with the sound of a flute.
An elf girl dressed like a bard plucked the cloud-patterned harp slung across her back and slowly stepped in front of Vieya.
As the music faded, scattered applause rose from around the dock.
“Little adventurer, what you’re drinking is a dwarf-made ‘Shapeshifting Potion.’” The elf girl tapped the gourd Vieya was clutching like a treasure and smiled brightly. “Last month a brat snuck a sip, and the next day he grew a pig’s tail!”
You’re treating like a kid to trick, aren’t you! This was clearly just cheap beer! Shapeshifting Potion, little adventurer—what nonsense!
Vieya shot the elf girl a sideways look. Since she was an elf, Vieya did not bother to argue about her wine turning into apples, and silently turned her gaze back toward the waters ahead. Judging by the ti, the ship should be arriving soon.
Even when ignored, the elf girl remained patient.
Back in her holand, children who ran away after quarreling with their families often beca pri targets for traffickers.
Especially in a busy dock like this, one careless mont and a child could be drugged, stuffed into a sack, and sold off who-knows-where, never to see their family again.
Suddenly, the elf girl conjured a glowing dandelion from her sleeve, watching Vieya with mystery in her eyes.
“Why not trade this with ? At night it can sprout real aurora bubbles.”
Her voice dropped low. ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) With the hilt of her sword, she pinned the wrist of a drunk who tried to sneak a hand toward a coin pouch, smiling at Vieya. “Or... would you like to hear the story of the Blood Wolf King having his tail yanked by a three-year-old elf child?”
Vieya finally shifted her gaze from the distant waters to the elf girl before her.
But—
It was not because she wanted to hear the story, nor because she wished to discipline the drunk thief. She only stared blankly at the glowing dandelion in the elf girl’s sleeve.
Vieya’s green eyes were calm, as if through those softly glowing dandelions she recalled so sealed-away mory.
“What is your na?” Vieya asked.
“Before asking soone else’s na, you have to give your own, little one. That’s the proper etiquette between humans and elves.”
The elf girl crouched down to et Vieya’s eyes, dropping to one knee. The fine elf-sword at her waist clinked against a dragon-bone flute, chiming like a wind bell. She deliberately let her pointed ears droop—an ancient Wood Elf gesture of goodwill.
“Vieya.”
This kid is a bit tight-lipped.
The elf girl sighed inwardly. Still, as soone who used to be the children’s leader among elves, she believed she could definitely beco friends with this child.
“My na is Aislin Iluwida Moon. You’d better rember it well.”
Aislin grinned. “But actually, you can just call Dandelion-sis. The kids I’ve t before all liked to call that.”
“Aislin.”
Calling her na directly on first eting! Aislin’s ears twitched, and she laughed:
“You have to call sister～”
Vieya was silent for a while, then said, “I am not a child.”
“I know you’re an adult. But you still have to call sister～”
Aislin nodded repeatedly at her. As a children’s leader, she knew all too well how kids liked to say they were grown up. Otherwise there wouldn’t be those funny little monts of sons saying to their fathers: “Wait until you’re my age, then you’ll understand.”
Heh.
Vieya heard the coaxing tone in her words and said no more.
As a bard, Aislin would not let the atmosphere cool. Livening things up was her specialty!
“Vieya little one, where are you going? Where are your parents?”
Aislin stood and sat down beside Vieya. Her traveler’s cloak embroidered with leaves of the World Tree spread across the long chair. She leaned close, looking at Vieya.
“Did you fight with your family? Planning to take a ship alone to another city? Wow, clever! Did you secretly use an adult’s ID card to buy that ticket?”
“Do you know why there are no child tickets at the docks?”
Suddenly, Aislin drew her sword and lifted a strand of the girl’s white hair. Along the blade’s edge, blue roses blood.
“A hundred years ago, a blacksmith’s daughter stowed away. Her courage awakened the spirit of an ancient ship—now the entire Coral Sea is her domain. But the price was...”
The blue roses on the blade turned into a honey stick. Aislin held it out to Vieya and sighed.
“But that blacksmith’s daughter will never again taste her mother’s hazelnut pie.”
“Thank you for your story and... your ration. I like it.”
Vieya took the honey stick and ate it bite by bite. It was very sweet. Aislin was a good elf, wanting to help her find her mother. Only... the one she sought was not her mother, but her daughter...
Nothing gets through, huh!
Aislin swore, swore to the great World Tree, she had never t such a difficult child!
Suddenly!
The elf girl’s gaze fell on the boat ticket lying on the chair where Vieya had set it down to eat the honey stick. Her pupils shrank—Starbell Lily of the Valley!
“Oh? You know this ship too?” Vieya asked as she licked the honey stick.
Aislin hesitated. “...You’re boarding this ship?”
“Mm. To find my relative.” Vieya replied flatly, still focused on attacking the honey stick in her hand.
“I see now!”
Aislin’s eyes lit up with sudden clarity, as if enlightennt had dawned!
As Vieya licked the last of the honey stick, Aislin suddenly untied the Light-Reversing Stone hairband from her silver hair, grabbed Vieya’s small pudgy hand, and tied it around her wrist.
Seeing her puzzled look, Aislin raised her own Starbell Lily of the Valley ticket and declared solemnly:
“From now on you are my temporary travel companion—until we find that guardian of yours so careless he deserves to be kidnapped by goblins!”
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