Even though I told them to take their time to think about it, they were too young to mull over a decision forever. When I visited them the next day, they told me they had made their choice. We sat down again next to their dilapidated home.
It was Erin who spoke first, a large frown on her face.
“We accept. But I’m warning you, if you do anything wrong to us, I’ll never forgive you.”
“All right. If you do anything wrong to me or the people around me, I’ll also never forgive you.”
She scowled as I returned her words straight to her face. Aren’s reaction was very different. He fidgeted with his hands, looking anxious.
“What now, mister?”
“Call me Tila. You too, Erin, Orun.”
The sister didn’t answer but the cute brother smiled widely.
“Tila!”
I answered his smile with mine.
“That’s right. You three should pack your things. I’ll give you a better place to live in.”
“What place?”
“A temporary one for now, in an inn. It’ll still be much better than your current home, and a lot safer too. I’ll pay for your food there so eat as much as you want.”
“An inn… You say it’s temporary? What about after that?”
“Do you know about the bunnies’ village south of Geola?”
Erin looked startled.
“Bunnies? That cursed species?”
“Don’t say that, it’s just mistaken folklore. They’re very nice people. I’m friendly with them, so I’m having a house built in their village. You can move there when it’s finished if you want.”
“Outside of Geola? How far it is?”
“It’s about twenty kilometers south of here.”
This explanation didn’t seem to help as the two siblings looked lost.
“How far is that?”
I thought about it for a moment. I realized I never did the trip normally even once.
“It’d take about six hours on foot for a rank 0, five if you walk fast.”
“Six hours? That’s too far!”
“It had its advantages. The village is protected by Geola’s army so it’s very safe. Plus, if you’re open-minded and treat the villagers well, they’ll also appreciate it and help you. Because so many folks say they’re cursed, they like it if you don’t discriminate against them. Anyway, think about it. If you don’t like living there, we’ll find another solution.”
They nodded and went to fetch their stuff. It only took a couple of minutes since they possessed almost nothing. A few pieces of clothing, some everyday items, two toys for Orun, and some food. From my point of view, it was all good to be thrown away but I didn’t say anything. Some of it might have sentimental value.
“Ready?”
The two older siblings nodded while Orun didn’t seem to understand the situation very well.
“We’re leaving? We’re going where?”
Erin gave some of her stuff to Aren and took his hand in hers.
“We’re going to a better place. Don’t let go of my hand, okay?”
“Okay!”
“Let’s go. Follow me.”
I started walking, the three children after me. When it was time to exit the dirty alley, they stopped simultaneously. They turned around and watched their house one last time. Erin soon turned her head away with determination, while Aren lingered a bit more. When they were ready for good, we began a strange procession through the slum’s streets, comprised of one adult and three children with their possessions in hand.
The residents stared at us weirdly but none hindered our movement. After a while, we left the impoverished district and reached the most normal part of the city. Now, the passerby ogled the children but for a different reason, as if they were filthy, which was indeed the case. Although Orun was mostly oblivious to everything, only rotating his head left and right to discover these new places, the two older siblings shrank under the malevolent gazes.
“Don’t pay them any attention. It’s the last time people will ever look at you like this.”
My words seemed to reassure them a little and we picked up the pace again. After a few minutes, we reached one of the most decent inns in the city. It wasn’t as expensive as the high-class inn we stayed at in Alfiro, but it still charged 25 silvers per room per night.
“You’ll stay here for a while.”
The children looked at the nice building as if they couldn’t believe it. I didn’t wait for their reaction and made my way inside, with them following me in a hurry. The ground floor served as both a reception and communal room, with many tables where meals could be served. I went directly to the man who was handling customers at the counter. He smiled professionally at me, but then frowned at the kids behind me.
“Welcome, sir. What’s that? Did you find these kids in the slums or something?”
I gave him a large smile.
“Precisely.”
“What?”
Taken aback, he could only alternate between looking at me and the children. When his face turned to anger, I lifted my palm to precede a useless outburst.
“Please prepare a bath for them. It’s the last time they’ll ever be in this state so don’t worry. I’ll pay for everything.”
Even that didn’t seem to please him too much.
“I don’t want any trouble in my inn.”
“And they won’t give you any. Isn’t that right?”
I looked at them and they slowly nodded, seemingly a bit overwhelmed by the circumstances.
“I’ll book a room for them. Do you have one that’s large enough for the three of them together?”
Even the owner was a bit slow to respond to my fast demands.
“…I do.”
“Great. And also three meals per day. I’ll pay upfront for one week.”
He opened his mouth and closed it again, resigned.
“…Three golds.”
It was a bit higher than the normal price, though not too much so I didn’t care to haggle. The children were shocked in front of the exorbitant price, their eyes bulging so much they were almost popping out of their orbits.