"47… 48… 49… 50! Holy shit! 4 whole gold Krona and 50 silver Krona! This is three times what I usually earn in a week! As expected from a big merchant, they are so fucking rich! I should've fleeced them more if I knew this earlier!"
It was after the show was over, and currently, Eden was counting the money he earned from the Old Man Bato. He nodded satisfactorily, knowing that he didn't need to worry about money for at least another month, knowing that he had everything covered by the commission today. That meant he could use his time more freely, researching his magic more in the near future.
Yeah, besides showing off and performing in front of the crowd, Eden had a unique hobby, and that was to research the usage of his magic more. Originally, he did it out of spite, wanting to prove to everyone else that his magic, illusion, was not a useless one. After all, almost every historical book in the world would point out that illusion magic was the weakest one that humans could ever possess, and it would be better for anyone who was blessed - or cursed, some might say - by this ability to be an ordinary human rather than being an illusionist.
However, as time went by, the boy started enjoying the process of discovering something new about his magic, such as how he managed to replicate the breath of the wild beast, making the beast that he created with his magic as real as possible.
Of course, it wasn't as easy as it said. To do so, Eden had to catch the beast that he wanted to replicate, observing its every movement to make it hard for other people to distinguish it from reality. However, the satisfaction he felt after he was succeeded was definitely worth every Krona in his pocket.
'Hmm… Well, research could wait for tomorrow. For now, let's think of what to eat tonight.' He muttered. With his stomach rumbling and his mind eager for a tasty treat, he wandered through the busy market stalls, looking for something delicious.
As he walked, many people greeted him warmly. "Hey, Eden! Come here and buy some mangos!" called a merchant, handing him a ripe mango. "Well done today, young magician," said an elderly woman with a kind smile. Children giggled and tugged at his sleeve, asking for a new trick or just to say hello. Never being the one who was shy from attention, Eden answered the greetings one by one, sometimes playing a little trick like summoning roses out of nowhere or even creating a little origami for the little children here. His presence alone was enough to make the atmosphere around him turn lively.
The boy glanced around, eyes scanning the stalls for something tempting—a steaming bowl of noodles, a fresh pastry, or perhaps a sweet fruit. The aroma of spices, fried snacks, and fresh bread filled the air, making his stomach growl louder.
"Ara~ It is young Eden… Have you done your performance today?" Suddenly, an older, mature woman greeted him with a gentle, knowing smile. She had a tall, slender figure that moved with a natural elegance, her long, dark hair cascading in soft waves over her shoulders. The way she looked at him, with a gentle but playful glint, made Eden's cheeks flush a little pink.
However, Eden was not the one who was timid from this kind of teasing. "Ah, Miss Hana, you look as beautiful and radiant as ever… I wonder, do you really have a stock of the fountain youth to maintain your charming appearance or not?" He smiled charmingly, inwardly punching the air when he saw a little blush on her face.
"Ara, young man, don't tease me like that~ I have a husband, you know?" The woman – Miss Hana – blushed at the praise. However, her body language told Eden that she enjoyed his praise earlier.
"Oh, well… The thing he doesn't know would hurt him. What about us…" A glint of mischievous smile shone on Eden's face as he walked closer to the woman. "Meet in your house alone, and do something passionate all night, just the two of us…" He whispered seductively, enough to make the woman's face red like a boiled lobster.
All the people around them could only roll their eyes in amusement and exasperation. It wasn't the first time that they saw Eden teasing a woman like this. However, there was not a single time the boy managed to land his charm on his target, and that was because….
BONK!
"Ouch! What the hell?!" Eden winced, covering his head unconsciously. "What the hell is wrong with you – Oh, Sister Ilya… What are you doing here?" He smiled stiffly at the girl about two or three years older who appeared out of nowhere, hitting his head with her wooden sword.
The girl's name was Ilya, and she was Eden's older sister. Unlike him, who was indulged in magic, she didn't possess any supernatural ability. Usually, that meant she would be bound to live an ordinary life. However, her physical ability was way off the chart, and in a fair fight, she could even beat three adults at the same time. Currently, she was training to enter the knight school for the kingdom, and that was why she brought a wooden sword with her.
BONK!
"Ouch! Stop it, Sister! It hurts!" Eden wailed pitifully when another strike hit his head again.
"Well, who told you to flirt with all the women you met on the road?!" Ilya narrowed her eyes dangerously. Then, she turned her head at the woman who Eden was flirting with earlier, who somehow looked at their interaction in amusement. "Mrs. Hana, please, don't indulge my little brother in his voyeur activity! Also, you are a married woman! Have some decencies!" She scolded.
"But your little brother has a good pick-up line…" The older woman giggled girlishly, not matching her age at all.
In the end, Ilya just heaved a sigh, exchanging words with the older woman out of politeness before dragging the unwilling Eden with her.
"Tch… What a gorilla…" The boy muttered lowly. Unfortunately, it wasn't low enough to escape from the girl's hearing range, as she narrowed her eyes dangerously.
"What was that?!"
"Nothing!" He replied quickly. Way too quickly even.
The girl just sighed once again at her brother's innocent act, muttering lowly, "You are way more talented than me. So, why would you have to do this, Eden? If only you were a little bit more self-disciplined, maybe, you would not be trapped here with me and even find a clue about Father…"
Eden scoffed inwardly when he heard his sister mentioned about his father. Unlike Ilya, who grew up with their father for a while, Eden didn't have any memory about his sperm donor – yeah, that was the term he used to describe his father. After all, his sperm donor went to the capital as the royale knight, leaving his little family without even saying a single word. Up until now, not a single person in the family knew about his whereabouts, and honestly, in Eden's mind, it would be better if his father died anyway. Even if that old bastard suddenly came back to the family, he would never acknowledge the cowardly man who left his family for glory as his father.
Ilya sighed when she saw the ugly expression on her brother's face. She knew that Eden didn't have any good impression of their father, and honestly, so was she. However, it was their father that they were talking about, a family. If there was something in the world that Ilya was yearning for the most, it would be a big family. That was why she hadn't given up on searching for their father's whereabouts up until now, to the point that she wanted to be a knight and follow their father's path to find out a clue about him.
Before she could say something to melt the tense silence among them, though, the two siblings suddenly heard someone scream in panic from the dark, narrow alley just two blocks away from them.
"HELP! SOMEONE, PLEASE HELP!"