“50 golds to Free city of Orario, City of adventurers. Caravan is available for booking. We will be leaving at dawn.”

Jon stood listening to caravan master’s announcement as he had for past 10 years of his 15 years of life. His dark hairs that reached his shoulders waved gently in air, as his soft blue eyes once again expressed a melancholic expression for a place he hasn’t visited.

Looking at her friend’s sad expression, Eris couldn’t help but sigh and flick his forehead making him wince and snap out of his daze.

“Quit with that expression, already.” She scolded Jon as she continued to count their daily earnings. “Here,” she passed the pouch filled with coins to him, “unlike you, I quite like this day of the week. We managed to sell all the herbs. That’s 700 bronze total, so 3 silver and 50 bronze each; by the way, I gave you some extra from my share, since you are going to try to save some of them.”

Taking one last glance towards caravan, Jon trailed behind Eris to join her in exiting village square, “I have to, I am almost there.”

“Mmhm, I have been hearing that for almost a year now, haven’t I,” she commented even without looking back, “Tell me how much you have saved until now anyways?”

“Are you going to tag along with us and not with Victor’s gang?” Jon said with a smirk tone.

Turning back, Eris met her dark brown eyes with his soft blue, “Sorry, can’t. Not unless you are strong… or rich.”

“That’s why René calls you presumptuous,” Jon retorted without breaking the eye-contact.

“Presumptuous, as in I overestimate that you two will ever be able to make anything of yourselves?” Eris Replied smugly.

“Oh, he told you what presumptuous means?” surprise was evident in his voice.

“As if,” Eris stated, “I asked Mistress Hubris about it. ‘Someone who is irrationally bold’ or ‘arrogant’, right?”

“Yeah,” he replied in a meek voice.

“Hmm… It took me 3 days to figure out why he called me ‘arrogant’, you know.”

“Huh..? Why did you think about it for three days?” Jon asked with a strange expression. “Most sane people would just cuss at him for rambling insults at them, and not think why he called them what he did for 3 whole days.”

“Yeah, I know,” Eris replied nonchalantly as she started scanning food stalls. “How about pulses today? I was thinking about chickpeas. Although, if you are willing to chip in, we can have chicken. How about it?”

“I always chip in,” Jon shouted indignantly, “And no, René won’t eat any meat, anyways.”

“Hmm… I know. Shall we buy milk, then?”

“Yes. I was going to, anyways. He’s been asking to drink some for a while now.”

“Oh?” Eris looked at him questioningly and asked in a serious manner, “so, you two a couple yet?”

“W-what?” Job flustered bit his own tongue. “I am not gay! He might be, I am not.”

“With how much we talk about him, I find it hard to believe you don’t know about his preferences,” Eris spoke with a mischief in her tone.

“So, what? I only talk about him this much with you. So, maybe you are the one who likes him, and not me!”

To Jon’s loud defense Eris only smiled smugly, “Maybe?”

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“Tch, just buy the goddamm chickpeas.”

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Jon went ahead leaving Eris behind to buy milk for his ‘friend’.

*5 minutes later*

“You got it?” Jon asked holding a brown bottle in his hands.

“Yes. I brought some spices too, by the way. I’ll prepare it the way ‘your friend’ likes.”

“Shut up, already,” Jon sighed in defeat as if this wasn’t the first time he’d been teased by her. “And you don’t need to go through so much trouble. You are leaving tomorrow. Just go and rest. No need to feel pity for us.”

“I—”

Before Eris could say anything—

*Bark Bark*

*Mooooo*

*Click Cluck Cluck*

Variety of noises from many different animals could be heard at once from little distance.

“Shit…”

“Not this shit again…”

Eris and Jon screamed respectively and dashed towards the noises.

…

*Bark*

“Ah… Fuck!!”

Red haired boy screamed as a street dog took a vicious bite to his legs. However, only after a moment of faltering, he stabbed the pointy end of his one-handed spear in it’s back.”

With that dog down, only chickens remained clucking all over the place.

“Tch… dogs, cats, crows, chickens, and even these fuckin’ rats,” red hair scowled at René practically with his angry red eyes.

“That’s why I told you not to bother with him,” another red-hair, this time a girl with striking facial resemblance to previous glared angrily at all three of them from sidelines.

“Joffrey are you sure your twin’s on our side,” blonde hair swordsman with light skin spoke while holding blood on his thighs.

“Shut up!” Joffrey screamed staring daggers at René who merely stood at a place not moving while two of them fought with crazed animals, just so, they can bully him. “What is this witchery, you fcker. Why is it that every time, anyone decides to mess with you, all these animals appear out of nowhere. Huh… tell me, why is it so, if you are not witch’s spawn!!”

René has always been favored by nature.

To put it lightly he never ate any poisonous mushrooms or berries, or even if he did, they never showed their usual fatality. To be moderate about the above statement, small animals like rabbits and squirrels, and bigger animals like stag, and birds were never scared of him. They would willingly seek him out, some with berries and fruits, and make him pet them as they cuddled in his chest. During his most unlucky days, he’d find himself caressing herds and herds of rabbits and deers for couple of hours.

And, to understand the reason of Joffrey’s harsh criticism—well, when you are found sleeping in the embrace of a ferocious mother wolf or comeback in village riding a Dire Bear after bandits have ransacked and taken half of the village; you become worthy of the title.

“Are you trying t—”

“And you are trying to bully witch’s spawn?” René said with a blink and slightly tilting his head, his expressions unchanging from slight indifference look he had during the entire skirmish. His flawless brown skin, silky dark hairs and light brown eyes which can enrapture even the heart of statues, all expressed ice cold indifference to their assailant, “there are only two types of people who would try to do such a foolish thing, first, well… a fool of course. I mean does it even make a tiny bit of sense to have anything to do with witch’s spawn, much less antagonize him? Either that, or, you could be a hero with a holy weapon, who not only has the ability and skills, but also has discussed plans over plans with many veterans and his companions finally making ample preparations to defeat ‘the witch’s spawn’,” an extremely slight smile of contempt appeared on his face, “So tell me, my dear little Joff, which of the two are you?”

“—get insulted… ?” Cynthia, Joffrey’s twin mumbled her last quote under her breath. “René, I am not quite sure if that’s supposed to be an insult.”

“Or are you the third, more embarrassing, more cliché, more stupid kind?” René ignored Cynthia and continued to the duo. “You know, the subservient lackey, kind. They think that if they impressed their leader and stay In their graces by licking their boots and wiping their arses, then they will be rewarded for their so called ‘hard work’.”

“Shut UPP!!” Jon roared as he prepared to throw his spear with all his might.

However, before he could throw it, two hens, jumped on his face out of nowhere and started pecking him, making him lose his balance.

“Joffrey!” Joffrey’s blonde companion yelled as he quickly moved forward to strike one of the two hens, only to start fighting with another cock.

René continued ignoring them once more, “but, then again you can’t be lackeys now, can you? I mean who would believe that the twin of Cynthia the Valiant, who not only went against two wolves to save her brother when she was just 10, but also managed to kill not one or two but 5 bandits, albeit with a little support from Jon and Eris. No one would believe, that her twin is trying to kiss someone’s ass so he could prove that he is as strong as her,” René spoke slowly making sure Joffrey got the intonation of his last word perfectly, “Right?”

Joffrey didn’t bother to reply. Well, he just couldn’t come up with anything. Everything René had said was true. Her sister was strong and agile, traits that are valued and respected by all, unanimously. Joffrey had chased his sister for his entire life, and René knew it.

Fighting off the last of René’s ‘guardians’, Joffrey finally hurled his spear right into his target’s shoulder.