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n?”As long as you don’t leave, I will always protect you.” Howard’s voice was soft, laden with emotions that Jelia couldn’t quite discern.

nLooking up at Howard, Jelia whispered, “As long as you don’t ask me to leave, I will never disappear.”

nShe wasn’t some naive little girl oblivious to the world.

nIf she were, she wouldn’t have survived till now, nor would she be standing in front of Howard, offering a trade of labor for food.

nBut Howard just smiled and said nothing more.

nThe shopkeeper had already come out from the storeroom, carrying a package in his hands.

n“There are five fabric dresses here. They might not be the latest fashion, but they’re certainly beautiful.”

nPerhaps time had eased the tension, as the middle-aged shopkeeper began to negotiate a price with Howard.

n“For all these, thirty silver coins.”

nHe opened the package to show Howard the clothes, ensuring they weren’t tricked with damaged goods.

nWithout haggling, Howard pulled out a few gold coins from his pocket, handed them to the shopkeeper, took the package, and left with Jelia.

nThe incident at the second-hand clothing store had dampened Howard and Jelia’s spirits for further exploration, so they decided to head back to the inn.

nFor the duration of their quest here, Howard was unlikely to take Jelia out again.

nIf one cannot stand against the malice around them, the only option left is to retreat.

nEven burying one’s head in the sand is preferable to being lacerated by such hostility.

nKnocking on the door to the manager and Vivia’s room, Howard held Jelia’s hand in one and the package of clothes they had bought in the other.

nAlthough Jelia was young, it wasn’t appropriate for her to stay with several men.

nTouching Jelia’s hair, he said, “I’ll alter these clothes for you over the next few days. It might take some time, but I promise the end result won’t be bad.”

nHe paused, then continued, “For now, you’ll stay with the two sisters. They’re not bad people, so there’s no need to be too nervous.”

nThough Jelia seemed to have easily accepted him, Howard wasn’t entirely sure about her current mental state.

nTo avoid any unnecessary trouble, he decided to give her a heads-up, not that he anticipated any issues.

nBoth Antalya and Vivia were far from spiteful; on the contrary, they could both be considered kind.

nThe door opened to reveal Antalya in a cotton nightgown.

nThough her face appeared only seventeen or eighteen years old, Antalya’s figure didn’t match that of a girl her age, being curvy and full, more reminiscent of a woman in her early twenties in her prime.

nEven in the somewhat oversized cotton nightgown, her striking figure was unmistakably alluring.

nFor a moment, Howard found himself transfixed.

nNoticing Howard’s somewhat dazed look outside, Antalya’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she frowned, “Coming at this hour… you’re not here for my attire, are you?”

n“No, not at all!” Howard hastily averted his gaze, pushing Jelia forward slightly. 𝘪.𝘤𝑜𝘮

n“Actually, manager, for the next few nights… could Jelia possibly sleep with you guys? It’s not quite appropriate for a little girl to stay in my room.”

n“So, you did notice this, huh? I thought you had other intentions,” Antalya said teasingly, looking at Howard while gently touching Jelia’s hair.

n“Jelia, would you like to sleep with your sister tonight?”

n“Mhm.” Jelia glanced back at Howard and nodded.

nSeeing this, Antalya smiled, pulling Jelia into a hug and turning to Howard, “Howard… is there something you’ve forgotten?”

n“Something?” Howard paused momentarily, confused.

n“When you took Jelia out,” Antalya sighed, offering a reminder.

nVivia mentioned she had something to tell Howard.

n“She… hasn’t gone to bed yet?”

nIt was already late, and by Breeze City’s routine, most people would have been in deep sleep by this hour.

n“Go to the backyard. She’s been waiting there for you.”

nWith a barely noticeable sigh, Antalya embraced Jelia and retreated back into the room, closing the door behind her.

nThe backyard?

nThe inn’s backyard? Howard was somewhat startled.

nVivia had been waiting there all night?

nRushing to the backyard with a sense of urgency, Howard immediately spotted Vivia sitting on the clothesline bar, bathed in moonlight.

nSilver-white radiance spilled down from the endless azure, casting a soft glow over Vivia.

nThough she was only in a simple cloth dress, under the moon’s embellishment, it was no less striking than any lavish gown.

nPerhaps even more so, given the moon’s cool brilliance combined with Vivia’s serene demeanor and waterfall-like long hair, she seemed even more ethereal.

nLike a quiet angel with her wings folded.

nPausing his steps, Howard entered the backyard.

n“Vivia, I’m here.”

nHearing Howard’s voice, Vivia turned to look at him, her eyes carrying a calmness he had never seen before.

nShe nodded and patted the horizontal bar beneath her.

n“Come, sit here.”

nAfter a moment’s hesitation, Howard sat on the bar, looking up at the sky.

nPerhaps due to the primitive state of civilization here, the sky was exceptionally clear.

nAlthough the moonlight was bright, the night sky was still filled with stars.

n“Why sit so far away?” Vivia asked, her eyes still holding that unfamiliar tranquility.

nHoward hesitated for a few seconds, then glanced at the nearly half a meter of space between them and scooted closer.

nThe distance was reduced to a fifth, which from an outsider’s perspective, would seem like an intimate proximity.

nHoward could almost hear the girl’s heartbeat beside him.

nA body leaned closer, and a voice followed suit.

nThe weather carried a chill, and it was night.

nVivia, just an ordinary girl, had been waiting in the backyard all evening, dressed only in a thin dress, her hands and feet already cold.

n“My parents… were also adventurers. And not just any adventurers, they were part of an adventure group.”

n“The name of that adventure group was ‘Rangers’. Ten years ago, when I was seven, the Rangers adventure group, the one my parents were part of, was nearly wiped out due to a mission. Only two members of the adventure group survived, one of whom had not participated in that mission.”

n“After that, I was taken in by one of the surviving members of the adventure group and have been with them ever since.”

nHoward could vaguely guess who Vivia was referring to as the survivor, but the timeline seemed somewhat inconsistent.

nThough it was a sorrowful story, Vivia’s tone as she narrated it bore little sense of sadness, but rather a disconcerting calmness that unsettled Howard.

n“Losing my parents, I was forced to learn to be strong, but such a thing is not easily achieved. Many adults fail to live up to those simple words, so I had to force myself.”

n“While adventure groups earn high income, they also bear significant responsibilities and burdens. During that time, to keep the adventure group running, the two surviving members of the adventure group had already exerted all their efforts and had no energy to spare for me. Just maintaining my livelihood was a struggle for them.”

n“Do you know, before I met you, I was always called ‘Doll’?”

n“Not because I was particularly beautiful or adorable, but because my face always wore the same expression.”

n“It wasn’t their fault; it’s just how things turned out.”

n“Until you came along.”

nVivia’s voice took on an almost imperceptible softness.

nHoward glanced at her, and she was smiling, seemingly reminiscing about the moment they met.

nThat day, when Howard arrived in Breeze City and encountered Antalya, who was out on errands, his presence piqued her interest, leading her to bring him to the Gold Coin Tavern within Breeze City.

nThe tavern was not open for business due to staffing issues at the time, and it was in the courtyard of the tavern that Howard first saw Vivia.

nA girl who appeared subdued, her demeanor tinged with sorrow.

nFor reasons unknown, perhaps out of habit or some other motive, Howard approached her and offered, “Do you need a shoulder to lean on?”

nWhat followed wasn’t too surprising; the shoulder was, of course, not lent, but amidst Vivia’s wary gaze, the scolding of a rogue, and Antalya’s smile, Howard and Vivia got acquainted.

nIndeed, in the Gold Coin Tavern, the first person Howard got to know wasn’t Ali or Greg, but Vivia.

n“You really seemed like a rogue…” Vivia commented.

n“I had you pegged from the start as that kind of guy, one who plays with girls’ feelings, a smooth-talking rogue everywhere he goes.”

n“But afterwards, I realized… you might not be like that.”

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