Malin also found out at this time that the metal head of his father’s axe was forged from the helmet and longsword of the Chaos warrior who killed his father.
The axe head Malin brought back would be buried with his father.
A standard Dwarven funeral.
The lad even wanted Malin to stay for lunch, but considering the Dwarves’ ’Dwarven Spirits’—spirits so potent they could be mistaken for industrial alcohol—Malin had no choice but to flee with the girls in tow.
Lastly, there was the half-human, a young thief with no family, who hailed from the Church of the Wandering God of the half-humans. Eventually, Malin d his due gold to the orphanage run by the Church, and upon hearing everything Malin said, the Church decided to name the next ten children admitted to the orphanage with the half-human surname Three-Toes.
Having done all this, Malin visited the elf in the hospital and brought him the firearm—it had previously gone unnoticed by Malin, and the girls thought it was broken, but the Baron had it delivered to Malin.
The Baron’s intention was to gift the firearm to Malin, as getting two Chaotic Sorcerers’ heads for 1200 gold was a fair deal, despite the fact that the heads of such sorcerers were a seller’s market. Malin could have driven the price up even double, and it would have been reasonable.
For the Baron, Malin’s refusal to haggle meant he owed him a favor, so he simply gifted the working firearm to Malin.
Then Malin peeled off the rag covering the firearm and discovered it closely resembled a bolt-action rifle from World War II, which was much better than the usual lever-action rifles.
Upon hearing that it belonged to an elf, Malin didn’t want to deprive someone of a cherished possession and returned it to the elf.
This delighted the elf, who couldn’t speak due to burn injuries but still conveyed his gratitude through gestures.
Malin left what was due to him and, after bidding farewell to the elf, he chose to leave.
"By the way, I’m treating today; let’s go have a feast," Jessica said, seemingly unable to bear the heavy atmosphere any longer. With her leading the way, the girls dragged Malin towards the north of the city without further discussion.
Malin didn’t want to keep a stern face in front of everyone, so he let the girls lead him along.
As they were passing along Central Avenue, the crowded scene caught their attention. Seeing they were in church attire, the officer outside the police cordon cooperatively disclosed what happened within—the young master of Mischael’s household had encountered an attack by evil pagans while dining at a restaurant.
"Things have been chaotic lately," Faye shook her head, and as she followed Malin away, she glanced back at the girls and said, "I feel Harvest Festival has been the longest and most eventful one I’ve ever experienced."
"I agree," the little lamb nodded vigorously. "Usually, it’s just watching the seniors get jealous over the senior girls, and a week goes by just like that. Right, Clovis?"
"Reading, doing experiments, studying spell formations—a week goes by very fast," Clovis answered, trailing behind Malin. She gave an answer that even Malin found boring.
"Yeah, last year I beat up quite a few guys who wanted to invite me to dance," Jessica rolled her eyes, "Damn it."
Following the direction of Jessica’s gaze, Malin saw a few whelps squatting or standing at the street corner.
Among them were the two troublemakers who had been whipped into the café by a streetlight the other day.
It could have been the Goddess of Fate’s arrangement, for when Malin looked towards them, they also turned their gazes to him.
One of the whelps, with a cigarette butt in his mouth, was momentarily stunned, then stood up and ran toward Malin. "Jessica!"
"Is that the one you just said got beaten up?" Faye leaned toward Jessica and asked.
"Yes, I think he’s about to get beaten up again," Jessica frowned.
"Let me handle this," Malin said as he noticed the other two whelps hadn’t rushed over but instead were holding back their companions, creating a one-on-one situation with the lead whelp and Malin.
Regardless, having a will to survive is never a bad thing.
Malin looked around while thinking, selecting a road lamp to grab in case he faced a potential opponent.
"Jessica, is this your boyfriend?" The wolf cub ran so fast that by the time he reached Malin, he was already a bit out of breath.
Seeing the mix of grievance and a hint of anger in him, Malin nodded: "I am their boyfriend."
Since the girls had all agreed, Malin felt it was his unshirkable duty to take responsibility.
"You, you’re Malin, right?" the wolf cub asked.
"Yes." Malin nodded, admiring the boy’s courage—he knew it was me and still he could be so brave.
Then Malin heard the wolf cub’s cry full of sorrow and anger: "I wish you happiness!"
Not until the boy had run off, not until the wolf cubs had retreated rapidly, did Malin recover from his shock.
The girls, however, were laughing so hard they could hardly catch their breath.
"What’s the matter, Mr. Malin, are you regretting not getting to fight?" Clovis asked with a Mage’s characteristic thirst for knowledge, facing Malin.
Malin nodded, then shook his head: "I just purely think that those guys are just spineless."
"I think they’re just purely afraid of death." After speaking, Clovis smiled and walked beside Malin: "It’s great to meet Mr. Malin, life may have become a bit more dangerous, but I feel very happy, thank you."
Seeing the smile on the Bunny Girl’s face, Malin also smiled and reached out to rub the Bunny Girl’s ears.
They were very soft, somewhat fragrant.
The Bunny Girl seemed very happy as she laughed and ran to Faye’s side, leaving Malin with Maya.
The little Leopard Girl sized up Malin, pursed her lips, and finally reached out to take Malin’s arm.
Malin was curious at his sister’s greeting, as the little Leopard Girl seemed... hesitant to speak.
"Sister Faye invited Maya to go hunting in the outskirts, so let’s go hunting." But it was quite obvious the little Leopard Girl couldn’t hide what was on her mind.
With that, Malin naturally nodded: "Brother will go with you, go tell your sister Faye."
So Maya also happily ran ahead.
Malin turned his head, looking at Jessica who had walked up to him.
"Sorry, for showing you my embarrassing past." Jessica pursed her lips.
Looking at the wolf girl who was much taller than himself, Malin shook his head with a smile, reaching out to take her hand.
"Everyone has a past, but I believe that the Goddess of Fate intertwining our fates is not meant for me to witness your embarrassment." Looking at the girls ahead, Malin smiled: "Jessica, walk with me."
The wolf girl didn’t reply, but she held Malin’s hand tightly.