Their journey to the capital was drawing closer. Only about six days remained. Now, Alvaric and Tamae had arrived at a small village on the edge of a forest.
As they entered the village, Alvaric was shocked. The place was 160 degrees different from the previous capital or even Chillg city.
There were no stone roads. No magical lamps. No multi-story buildings. Only mud, tall grass, and the scent of earth. The houses looked like mere shacks. The roofs were nothing more than stacked leaves.
"What is this place?" Alvaric muttered.
Children sat in front of those dilapidated houses. Thin, hollow-eyed, holding their stomachs in hunger.
Some of them were barefoot, even though the ground was full of sharp stones. Their bodies were dirty with dried mud.
Elderly people sat on the steps of their huts, breathing heavily, occasionally coughing. Their clothes were torn in places.
A skinny dog walked by. Its bones were clearly visible. It collapsed at the roadside and never moved again.
"Why is this place so awful?" he asked quietly.
Tamae didn’t answer. She turned her head the other way, refusing to make eye contact with Alvaric. As if she didn’t see anything at all.
"Do you not care about them?" Alvaric asked again.
"This is a demi-human village, a backward race," she replied. "They can’t fight. They can only farm, and their lifespans are short. The kingdom purposely leaves them ."
Alvaric passed by a mother and her baby. Both looked weak and underfed. When their eyes met, the mother’s gaze was blank.
No smile. No laughter. Not even fear—just surrender. As if she were waiting for her scheduled death.
"Why doesn’t the kingdom help them?" Alvaric whispered.
"I told you, they’re useless to the kingdom. Rabbit types, chickens, sheep—all too weak to be soldiers or laborers," Tamae said flatly.
"The kingdom only cares about races they can use. The rest? Discarded."
Alvaric remembered how he, too, was abandoned back on Earth—because he was weak, dumb, and poor.
"Turns out, it’s the same wherever you go."
Suddenly, a young boy appeared from behind a wooden post. About eight years old, with messy hair, torn clothes, and sharp, alert eyes.
"You’re... not bad people, right?" he asked softly.
Alvaric crouched down. "We’re just passing through."
The boy lowered his head. "If you can... don’t stay too long."
Alvaric frowned. "Why?"
The boy bit his lip. "There’s... a shadow. They come at night."
The boy shook his head. "No. They kidnap people. Then... they never come back. You should be careful."
Tamae stiffened. This was the first time she’d heard about this. "How many have gone missing?"
"Twelve," the boy replied. "In the last two months."
Alvaric stood, looking toward the dark forest in the distance. He didn’t sense anything, but there was no way a child would lie about this.
"That forest?" he asked, pointing at the woods.
The boy nodded. "We call it the Forest of the Lost."
Alvaric turned to Tamae. He felt like he had to help. He couldn’t fix their poverty, but maybe—just maybe—he could help with this terror.
"We have time, don’t we?" he asked.
"It’s your call. Going to the capital was your idea," Tamae replied.
Alvaric nodded. He seemed relieved. His revenge could wait.
"Alright, then we’ll stay here for now."
That night, Alvaric and Tamae stayed in the small village. There were no inns, so they spent the night at the house of the boy from earlier.
Around seven in the evening, the family gathered in the front room. They all sat on the floor.
There was no dining table.
"Sorry, but this is all we have," the boy’s mother said.
She laid out three types of vegetables. One was simply boiled, the other two were turned into soup. Alvaric looked at the food, but his appetite wasn’t stirred.
Neither was Tamae’s. She wanted to get food from the horse-drawn cart.
But Alvaric stopped her. He shook his head.
"They’ve already cooked for us. Let’s just eat what they made," he replied.
Tamae wanted to complain, but she obeyed. Tamae was a tiger-type demi-human. Meat was her main diet.
The bread she often ate was made from wheat and minced meat.
Now, she had to eat vegetables without a trace of meat. It felt like torture.
"Does this make you lose your appetite?" the woman asked.
Alvaric shook his head. "Not at all. Please, you should eat first! As guests, we feel awkward starting before the hosts."
Tamae nodded, though it was a big lie.
The woman nodded and began eating. The young boy did the same.
Alvaric also began to eat.
Tamae stared at the vegetables in her bowl. The aroma was bland, the texture mushy, and the taste... flavorless.
She took a small spoonful and placed it in her mouth. The moment she chewed, her eyes squinted.
It was bitter and fishy. Like eating rotten grass boiled in rainwater. She nearly gagged, but Alvaric glanced at her quickly and gave a warning look.
Tamae held her breath, chewed slowly, and forced herself to swallow. Her body shivered slightly, but she didn’t let it show.
The boy across from her smiled. "Is it tasty?"
Tamae froze. Alvaric also turned to her, waiting for her response.
Tamae forced a smile. "It’s... soft and warm."
Alvaric suppressed a laugh, hiding it behind a cough. He knew Tamae was suffering, but he also knew... this was not the time to be spoiled.
Tamae took another spoonful. Slowly, carefully, each bite like a punishment. But she ate. Until it was all gone.
When she placed her bowl down, the rabbit-woman looked at her. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✶𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✶𝓷𝓮𝓽
"Would you like some more?" she asked.
Tamae immediately shook her head. Alvaric nearly burst out laughing. He barely held himself back.
Soon, he was offered as well.
Alvaric shook his head. "I’m full. Please, the two of you eat more."
The mother and child ate hungrily as if this was a feast. It wasn’t just vegetables. It was about water and flavor.
The water they used still had grains of sand, and there was no other ingredient in the soup. It wasn’t really soup—just boiled greens.
"How many demi-humans live ?" Alvaric murmured quietly.
"A lot," Tamae replied.
Alvaric turned to her, surprised she answered.
"It’s not that I don’t care. But there’s not much I can do. Even Chillg is the poorest city in Valanthria. Managing my own citizens is already a struggle. Let alone worrying about other towns," Tamae said.
Alvaric nodded. He understood. One person alone couldn’t change everything in this world, no matter how willing.
"I couldn’t help my mother either. I have no right to criticize others for not helping," Alvaric thought silently.