Karl stared at him, heart heavy, guilt washing over him like a storm. He remembered all the times he played games, lazed around, pretended not to hear Milo’s soft voice asking for help. And now Milo looked exhausted, hiding pain behind a smile.
"I’m sorry..." Karl whispered, his eyes filling with tears. Then he suddenly pulled Milo into a tight hug, his arms shaking. "I’m sorry! I won’t be lazy again... I’ll help you! I swear, Milo!"
Milo blinked, stunned at first, then smiled warmly and patted Karl’s back gently. "Yeah, Brother Karl... that’s what I’ve been saying. You should help. If you haven’t seen Brother Adi’s hands, you should look... they’re all rough and red now from working all day. He’s so tired..."
Karl stiffened, even more ashamed now. The tears rolled down his cheeks as he buried his face into Milo’s shoulder. He hadn’t realized how much pressure Milo and Adrian had been quietly carrying behind their smiles.
From that moment, something shifted in Karl’s heart.
He wouldn’t let his family suffer again.
"I will work hard too," Karl said firmly as he pulled back from the hug, wiping his tears with his sleeve. His voice was filled with determination this time, not just empty words. Milo looked at him with surprise for a second, then his whole face lit up with a warm, proud smile.
"Yeah, we should," Milo nodded eagerly. But after a moment, his smile softened and his gaze dropped to the floor. "I also want to earn money like wife and Brother Adi," he mumbled, his fingers fidgeting nervously with the edge of his sleeve. "But... I don’t know what to do. I’m so stupid and slow..."
Karl’s expression changed instantly. "Oh no! You’re not stupid, Milo!" he said quickly, almost sounding offended. He took Milo’s hands again and looked into his eyes with seriousness. "Who told you that, huh? Don’t ever think like that again. You’re smart, kind, and you care about everyone. I believe in you, and I know you’ll find something amazing to do very soon."
Milo blinked, his eyes shining with emotion. "Really??" he asked, his voice small but hopeful.
"Yeah," Karl nodded his head with full sincerity. "You’ll find your thing, I know it. And until then, I’ll help you in every way I can, okay?"
Milo’s smile returned, brighter this time like a sunbeam peeking through the clouds. "Okay!" he said with a happy grin.
"But take rest," Karl said gently, his voice softer than usual as he looked at Milo’s pale, sweat-covered face. "Seeing you ... I feel worried."
Milo blinked at him, touched by the concern in Karl’s eyes. He gave a small nod, his lips curving into a tired smile. "Okay," he said quietly.
"Who are you???" the leader witch snapped, her sharp eyes narrowing as she looked Ruby up and down. Her voice carried weight, and even the crowd turned quiet for a moment.
"I’m Ruby," she said calmly, stepping forward with confidence.
She kept her expression calm and friendly. "We’re tourists," she said casually, gesturing to Julian beside her. "We were just walking around and overheard people talking... and well, it sounded serious."
Julian stood beside her silently, eyes scanning the villagers’ cautious expressions.
Kerry’s gaze didn’t soften. "Tourists? Around here?" she scoffed. "This isn’t exactly a place people visit for fun."
"I know," Ruby replied, her tone light but confident. "But we like exploring remote places. My husband and I heard some talk in the market earlier and followed the crowd. That’s all."
Kerry studied her carefully, as if trying to read through her expression. Julian stood silently, pretending to look around like a distracted visitor, though his eyes occasionally flicked back to Ruby.
"And why would strangers care about our problems?" Kerry asked, voice still guarded.
"We don’t mean to intrude," Ruby said gently. "We just... we’ve seen enough in our own journey to know when people are struggling. That’s all."
Kerry didn’t reply immediately. But the fact that Ruby didn’t flinch or fumble seemed to make her hesitate. She finally gave a short nod, not entirely convinced but no longer hostile.
"Fine. Just don’t get in the way," she muttered, turning her attention back to the other villagers.
"So... what’s the situation?" Ruby asked gently, trying to sound like just a curious tourist, but in truth, she wanted to know everything.
An older witch near her whose hair was tied into a loose braid and whose robes were slightly stained from farm work turned to look at her with a bitter expression. Her face was worn with tiredness, and her eyes were full of pain.
"You really want to know?" the witch asked sharply, her voice thick with emotion. Ruby nodded, and the woman exhaled deeply before speaking.
"About a year ago, a rich outsider witch came here," she said, voice growing louder with every word. "She acted kind... polite... even respectful. She said she loved our fabrics, said they were rare. She made us feel proud of our work, and then she gave us an offer. She promised to pay well for every roll of our fabric."
The witch’s hands clenched at her sides. Her jaw trembled slightly. "We trusted her. All of us. We worked day and night. We stopped making robes for our own people just to fulfill her demands. She gave us money—real ones on top, fake ones beneath. We didn’t know at first. Most of our villagers have never even seen modern fake currency."
Some people nearby muttered angrily, their voices low but bitter.
"When we found out, a few of our witches went to her city to confront her," the old witch continued, her voice cracking slightly. "But her guards—those bodyguards—were like monsters. They hit our people. Even our strongest witch came back with broken bones. She has powerful supporters and fake worshippers...people who follow her like she’s a goddess."
Ruby’s eyes narrowed. She hadn’t expected it to be this bad.
"And when we refused to deal with her again," the woman said with a pained laugh, "guess what she did yesterday? She stole from us. Half our crop—gone. The crop we grow to create that fabric... also our main food. Our children will starve this moonsoon if we don’t find a way. And that witch... she’s out there smiling somewhere."
—To be continued...🪄