The Ember of Beginning III

Silora didn't have much time to think before she spotted the blue-haired man again, this time, he wasn't alone. Accompanied by the large man with thick white eyebrows who was always behind the bar. As they approached, Silora's confusion turned to fear and even terror. She tried hard to maintain her indifferent expression as she looked ahead.

The ugly, large man grabbed the blue-haired man by his collar, literally dragging him towards her. The blue-haired man didn't resist; even his legs didn't help him. Every time he tried to stand or regain some balance, he stumbled and was mercilessly dragged across the floor.

A feeling of pity crept into Silora's expression as she watched this injustice unfold before her. She would have tried to stop such brutal actions, but seeing the blue-haired man's intelligent and determined blue eyes burning as they looked at her stopped any thought of intervention. The man smiled lightly when he noticed she wouldn't interfere.

Silora stood up from her seat, wearing an indifferent expression as she looked at the large man standing before her. She didn't even glance at the blue-haired man who was thrown to the ground like a worthless corpse. She remained silent as she didn't understand the man's previous actions. also, she didn't want to cause him any more trouble than he was already in.

The thick-browed man scrutinized Silora for any cracks in her demeanor, but he found none. He took a deep breath, and only then did he reveal his left hand, which he had hidden on his way to her. 'Is that my staff?'

The large man was holding Silora's silver staff, which she had brought all the way from her family's farm to the town. 'But I left it in the stable with the horse and other things?' She raised her head to meet the man's eyes and said in a cold voice, "I wouldn't mind knowing why my staff is in your hands?"

The large man smiled widely with his black teeth and said, "So fancy with them high-falutin' words, princess. Hardly make sense of what yer sayin'." He played with the fragile staff in his hands as if trying to assess its value. Of course, the staff held no real value; Silora just thought she might need it, and she did, for a while at least. She planned to get rid of it once she sold the horse. 'But what is my staff doing here?... There's no doubt this is the one.'

Silora didn't respond to the man's playful words, only intensifying her gaze. The man just smiled in response and said, "Ah, maybe we owe the princess here an apology, eh? Fer the food and the staff." He cast a look of anger and contempt at the blue-haired man on the ground and continued, "This lout went and spoiled the fine food, so now I gotta make it up to ya. As fer the staff, I ain't got the whole tale. He just brings it to me, jabbin' his finger at ya. Might be ya don't know, but the fool can't speak nor use his brains either... Maybe the princess knows somethin' I don't?"

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Silora pretended to think. She didn't know why her staff was in the blue-haired man's possession, but she knew that asking was futile. So she said in a calm voice, "I forgot it here yesterday during lunch downstairs. I didn't bother looking for it... As you can see, it's just an ordinary staff." Silora turned her expression to the blue-haired man and said with pity, "Thank you for picking up my staff." She then looked back at the large man, "I don't think the poor man deserves this for doing the right thing. Am I wrong?"

The large man smiled from ear to ear and said in a gruff voice, "Can't say yer wrong there. As we all know, the customer pays the shell, and the shell's always right. But that fool there, he done made a mistake. Why, ya ask? 'Cause he cost me money by ruinin' yer food, and I gotta be a good boss and make up fer it, even if I ain't thrilled about it. But I will, 'cause I’m a good boss, I am."

Silora just stared at the man, not understanding. 'Are his words supposed to be a joke?' She took a deep breath and said in a calm voice, "Well, good Boss, I want my staff back... And as you know, I'm still hungry."

The man laughed uncontrollably, Silora felt the ground beneath her move. Even the blue-haired man grabbed the leg of the table to avoid falling on his face. His eyes met Silora's, and he nodded at her as if to say, 'You did well.'

Silora hid the guilt that crept into her expression and focused again on the large man, who had finished his crazy laughter and seemed ready to speak, "Got it, princess. Not many do, but ya see it, don't ya?" He continued his crazy laughter, but with less intensity.

Only after he finished laughing did he hand the staff to Silora. She took her time examining it. She wanted to be wrong, but she wasn't. This was the staff she had carried with her all the way here. 'Now how do I explain this to myself?' She took a deep breath. 'I'll see when I get back to the horse.'

Silora didn't want to think too much about it and listened to the large man's words, "Yer food'll be here soon." He grabbed the blue-haired man by his collar again and started dragging him back towards the bar. The blue-haired man smiled at Silora and clenched his fist tightly as a sign for her to stay strong. Silora nodded at that, with a small smile, she waved goodbye to the blue-haired man. He nodded back seriously, his smile never fading.

Silora didn't know why she felt the need to do any of what she did. But she felt indebted to the blue-haired man; all his actions had no meaning to her. But eyes don't lie, something her mother always said, and Silora came to understand and even experience. His eyes shone with unwavering intelligence and determination; she didn't believe for a moment that his actions were meaningless. She was ready to believe that what the man did was beyond her understanding rather than doubt his honest eyes.

'Another thing to think about.' Silora sat wearily at the wooden table, not wanting to think about anything now. All the events of the past few minutes seemed strange and incomprehensible. This made her think again about the strange events of yesterday. 'Am I just ignoring what I clearly see because I'm afraid of confrontation?' Silora didn't want to answer or even think about an answer to this question, but she felt she had to.

'I can't deny the strangeness of what happened now, or what happened yesterday... especially yesterday.' Regardless of Silora's thoughts, her natural instinct to understand the world forced her to refute this idea. But this also made her more alert. Silora now wouldn't turn a blind eye to anything.