The stove was burning brightly, little stars of fire dancing as they leapt. Free of illusion’s disguise, Larraya was slicing the fruit in her hands, a fresh vegetable introduced to the market by Malin. Although a bit sour, it turned out to be unexpectedly popular with Clover, so whenever there was a harvest, Larraya would buy a few for her to taste.
The half-blood elf girl was working on potatoes by her side, ingredients for a meat stew that Clover wasn’t particularly fond of. But for Larraya’s sake, she had grown accustomed to cutting the meat and placing it into the pot.
Everyone, for the sake of the one they love, to see a smile on each other’s face, to walk side by side, would choose to become proficient in areas they were not skilled in,
So did Clover, and Larraya felt she should do the same.
Just like what Malin described in his romance novel, young hearts attracted by the warmth they spread to each other eventually come together, supporting and cuddling each other.
How long can Clover and I continue on the road of life?
I suppose until I grow old, so old that I can no longer walk, so old that I can only lie in bed waiting for death, and by then young Clover must be by my bedside with the children she had with him.
When Larraya thought of that, her heart wasn’t sad. This was the difference between humans and elves, he understood, she knew, but the different fates, the disparity in lifespans, did not stop them from coming together, and that was enough.
Moreover, if it weren’t for the fact that both he and she came from the same orphanage, with Larraya’s identity, it would have been impossible to marry an elf. The young man was well aware of this.
After slicing the fruit, Larraya packed them up, washed her hands, and then started to peel oranges. For some reason, Clover always liked to eat sour things.
Peeling one, Larraya took a segment and fed it to Clover.
"It’s very sweet," Clover said happily, looking at Larraya, "Larraya, you eat too."
"Hmm," peeling the smallest segment, Larraya placed it in her mouth.
It must be the countries to the far south with their excellent sunlight that yielded such sweet fruits. How wonderful it would be to live here always.
Unfortunately, they still had to head north. In this place, the forces of Chaos still existed. Everyone said to go to Carterburg, that it was the safest place. Larraya thought it should be so, after all, it was the home defended by Malin.
Like him, one who took the destruction of Chaos as his own duty, would never allow those chaotic forces to easily enter the town, just like in the stories, any creature that tried to come in would pay the price.
"Clover, I have already bought the tickets; we will leave in two days," Larraya whispered to her beloved.
"Are we leaving again?" The elf girl was somewhat puzzled but smiled anyway, "Although I’ve met some nice new friends here, wherever you go Larraya, I will follow."
"We’re going to Carterburg. It might be a bit colder there, but the public order is good. I could also get a job there. Although it might not pay as much as we get now, at least we don’t have to be in constant anxiety... Is that okay?" Larraya asked her love.
"Sure," Clover nodded, "I always worry when you leave. I worry about you getting caught... If you work, then I don’t have to be so worried when you’re away from home."
"...I’m sorry, for the past few years, the factory wouldn’t hire me, said I was too slight," Larraya knew exactly what Clover was afraid of.
Shaking her head, Clover replied, "Don’t be like that, Larraya. All along the way, I’ve known that what you’ve done was to keep us alive. So, don’t say that. I just worry about you. After our lives settle down, let’s have children."
"Ah, can we really...?"
"Of course, I am Larraya’s bride, after all."
This made Larraya very satisfied. He was somewhat eager to start such a new life, but the doorbell rang untimely at that moment.
"Who could it be?" Larraya looked toward the living room and reached under the cabinet, pulling a revolver out of the gun case on top.
"I don’t know, it might be the neighbor. Mrs. Karn next door sometimes shares her pizza with me, and Mrs. Sackler occasionally invites me over for delicious pastries; they often come over for visits."
"I’ve been here for two days; they must have seen me and wouldn’t come knocking at this hour," Larraya said as he heard the second round of knocking, returning to his middle-aged form, "Who is it?"
"Your new neighbor, just moved in," came a young voice from outside. "Father sent me over to bring you some snacks; they’re really delicious."
Clover tucked the meat knife behind her back and glanced at Larraya, "Dear, I’m right behind you."
Larraya nodded. It was night, and having a new neighbor come calling at this time was something Larraya had never experienced before. Perhaps he was a young gentleman from an upscale neighborhood?
"We’re here, welcome to Rongma New City," he said, tucking the revolver behind him and walking to the door. He opened the peephole and saw the boy holding a bag.
"Hello, sir," he said with a smile.
Looking somewhat like a down-on-his-luck noble, but for some reason of late, that look had become quite the trend among young men in societal circles, a style of having narrowly escaped death after adventures quite popular in the entire southern region, probably due to Malin’s latest book, Creed of Assassins, a very interesting new novel.