Now the day had changed. The dark night had turned into light that illuminated everything. The trio had slept outside, in the cold, unable to see their surroundings. Yet they passed the chilly night smoothly, without worry or fear in their minds.
In the backyard of Kirios's villa.
Morning came—bright and cool. Icam was lying on his back, tossing a small stone into the air and catching it again. His gaze lacked focus, like someone drowning in boredom.
Alif sat neatly with a gentle smile, drawing something on the ground with a twig. He wasn't really drawing anything—just dragging the twig across the dirt canvas randomly.
Iyas looked energetic. He could hardly wait to be useful to his master, the hero. He stood straight, striking a respectful pose for no reason at all, even taking a stance as if preparing to throw a punch.
The sound of a door opening echoed loudly, the motion just as forceful. It was as if someone was racing against time, even though time had no legs.
The trio paid no attention, still absorbed in their boredom. Alif even turned his gaze elsewhere.
Blond hair, fairly long. Distinct blue eyes. A young and handsome face. The confident smile had now turned into a frown; his brows knitted together, ready to unleash a barrage.
It was Kirios, the hero's son. He was starting to get annoyed seeing the trio not even looking at him.
"Hey!" Kirios shouted firmly, his voice booming and instantly drawing attention.
Kirios took a quick breath, preparing to speak again.
"You guys, if I—"
But his words were cut off.
"Hooray! Master Kirios! Is there anything I can help you with?" Iyas said enthusiastically, even approaching Kirios before bowing.
Kirios paused for a moment, caught between anger at being interrupted and feeling flattered by his subordinate.
"Now this is what it should be like when you have subordinates!" Kirios said proudly, smiling. His eyes gleamed with confidence as he kept looking at Iyas.
Icam suddenly stood up.
"Come on, come on! Use logic!"
"Huh? You lowly guy, don't just talk nonsense!" Kirios snapped, confused by Icam's statement.
Alif tossed away his twig. His crouching position shifted as he stood up and approached Kirios.
"Chicken chicken what, hmm?"
Kirios turned his head. Now he looked even more confused—like trying to fit an elephant into a bottle.
"You guys... what exactly are you talking about, huh?"
"Wrong! The answer is rooster! One to zero!" Alif declared, still smiling, completely unaware of how strange his words sounded.
"One to zero... what?" Icam asked.
"Maybe Kirios is one and Alif is zero..." Iyas replied, defending Kirios for no clear reason, even punching the air for emphasis.
The three of them began arguing, their voices overlapping as they talked about random things and kept circling around pointless topics. Kirios lowered his head, growing irritated, though he realized he might still be able to use these people.
"SILENCE!!"
Kirios's command rang out loudly—sharp, rough, and powerful. The trio immediately fell quiet under the force of it.
Kirios returned to his arrogant smile. He had a plan. He briefly glanced to the side before looking back at the trio in an instant.
"You want me to forgive you for the missing plate yesterday, don't you?" Kirios offered with a suspicious smile.
Iyas smiled, unsure whether he understood Kirios's intention or not.
"There's no need, Master Kirios. We're sincere about it."
"I'm the one who decides whether you're forgiven or not!!" Kirios's voice sounded like steel, sweeping through the air like a gust of wind.
Alif smiled, completely unbothered. So were Iyas and Icam.
"Oh, is that so?" Alif replied casually.
Immediately, Icam smacked Alif right on the back of his head, on the occipital bone.
"Yes, sir. Of course we want to be forgiven. Whatever you want us to do, we'll do it," Icam said calmly, his tone composed and obedient.
Kirios steadied himself, no longer on the verge of exploding.
"Huh—well, of course... Wait? What I want you to do?"
Kirios brushed it off. He was ready to give them an order.
"That's enough joking around…"
"I want you to buy some items!"
Alif and Iyas looked at each other with blank expressions.
Kirios took a few steps, passing by the trio.
"You should feel honored, you commoners. You should be happy you get to help the hero's son!" he said narcissistically.
"Even if the help is small, it should still be a great honor for people like you!" he continued, puffing up his chest proudly and ending with a small laugh before relaxing again.
Kirios pulled out a strange living object from his pocket—a fruit, or more accurately, a vegetable. Its shape resembled a carrot or radish, colored pale greenish white.
Icam stared at it seriously, as did Alif and Iyas.
Icam stepped closer and immediately reached for it.
"Wow, thanks, Master Kirios."
Just as Icam was about to take it, Kirios reflexively pulled his hand away and even slapped Icam's hand aside with the other.
"What are you doing trying to take it? Thief!"
"So it's not our payment?" Icam asked calmly, stepping back again.
"Wait, we're getting paid?" Alif asked.
"Do you want me to forgive you or not?! Huh?!" Kirios demanded seriously, his brows furrowing again, his voice barely containing his fury.
"You... want... forgiveness... or not?!"
Alif smiled sincerely, looking straight at Kirios.
"We already said we're sincere about it."
Kirios stared at him closely.
"Huh?"
Iyas joined in, nodding in agreement, though he seemed unsure what Alif had actually meant.
Kirios cut them off harshly.
"You're going to buy this at the market. Get exactly eight kilograms."
"Eight kilograms?" Icam repeated, calculating in his head. The metric system here seemed nearly the same.
Alif looked at Icam for a moment before turning back to Kirios's arrogant face with a playful look.
"Is that a vegetable or someone's body? That's heavy."
"Maybe Kirios himself weighs eight kilograms," Iyas added bluntly.
Kirios grew irritated again. Every word he spoke now rang sharply like a trumpet blast.
"Hey! Enough nonsense! Go! Get to work!"
Suddenly the trio raised their hands in salute and immediately left without even listening to the rest of Kirios's words.
Alif even saluted in the wrong direction—not toward Kirios, but toward the villa.
Their hurried footsteps faded as they moved farther away. Kirios watched them with a cynical look, making sure they were going in the right direction while muttering complaints about their behavior.
Forgetting about it, Kirios cleared his throat and turned around to enter the villa. But he paused for a moment as something came to mind.
"Ah... I haven't given them any money yet…"
"Whatever. It's their fault for losing my plate."
The market was noisy. Men and women alike shouted excitedly, arguing over prices, throwing numbers back and forth as they bargained. A local market was always chaotic.
The trio looked around with confident smiles, especially Alif, who seemed enthusiastic without any trace of laziness.
Iyas's head moved constantly, as if searching for the quickest way to complete their mission.
"Shouldn't we find vegetables in a garden?" Icam asked with a grin.
"Aren't vegetables discovered in Denmark?" Alif replied instantly.
A merchant who had been shouting to get their attention waved his hand repeatedly, beckoning them over.
"Hey, you three! What are you looking for, huh?" the merchant asked. His voice was loud, though his merchandise wasn't attracting much interest.
Icam approached, followed by the others. Their gazes fixed on the items the merchant was selling.
"What are you looking for that you're daydreaming in the middle of the road?" the merchant asked while preparing several strange-looking items—apparently souvenirs.
"Ghosts," Icam answered bluntly.
The merchant looked confused and made a strange noise. Icam quickly added, "I mean goods, obviously. What, did you think we were looking for soulmates?"
"What goods are you looking for, idiots? I ask one thing and you answer something else!" the merchant snapped.
"Do you even sell the things we want?" Iyas asked, sounding challenged by the merchant's rude tone.
"WHAT THINGS DO YOU EVEN WANT?!" the merchant barked, growing annoyed with his potential customers.
The trio fell silent for a moment, secretly glancing at the merchant's goods. The merchant simply grumbled.
"What are these guys even doing?"
Alif thought for a moment, still staring at the merchandise.
"Hmmm…"
"Well? Interested in something?" the merchant asked patiently.
"None of this looks like vegetables, sir!" Iyas declared loudly after finishing his inspection.
Icam was still busy observing.
The merchant went silent, gathering his anger, unsure what exactly he had just witnessed—meeting such naturally foolish people.
"Of course they're not vegetables! Use your eyes!" the merchant shouted, slamming his table and startling the trio.
The trio turned away, not forgetting to thank the merchant.
"Is it true that what that merchant said earlier wasn't vegetables?" Iyas asked innocently, looking at Icam.
Icam shook his head sharply at him.
"Oh," Iyas said after seeing Icam shake his head.
The trio began walking again, ready to find a new target who could truly help them complete their mission. They were now moving farther away from the merchant's stall.
Suddenly, the sound of bodies colliding rang out loudly, drawing everyone's attention. Footsteps hurried across the ground.
"Ahh!! My groceries! My money!" an old woman cried as she fell to the ground, her eyes still fixed on the thief.
"Hey! Call the guards or adventurers!" someone shouted.
The thief pulled a knife from its sheath and grabbed a young boy, intending to take him hostage.
"Don't! Don't come closer!"
Everyone in the market froze, unsure what to do.
The boy began to cry, overcome with fear.
Icam and Alif paused, clearly intending to help.
But Iyas was no longer with them.
The pickpocket had now turned into a robber. He sensed someone approaching quickly.
It was Iyas, arriving from behind him. Iyas struck him directly on the temporal bone.
The robber was instantly thrown aside and fell to the ground, dropping his knife.
Iyas picked up the old woman's bag of groceries and money while muttering, "I wonder if this has the vegetable Master Kirios wanted."
The little boy hugged the old woman—apparently his grandmother. Somehow they had been walking separately.
Everyone in the market burst into applause, praising him loudly. Even the souvenir merchant stared in amazement.
The old woman slowly stood up, smiling warmly as she gently held Iyas's hands.
"Thank you, young man... Because of you, my grandson is safe... safe..."
Iyas blinked in confusion.
"Really?"
"Come with Grandma. I'll give you a gift... It's only vegetables from my garden, but please accept them…"
The grandson smiled and nodded eagerly.
Icam and Alif caught up, standing beside Iyas.
"We're his friends, ma'am," Icam said.
People in the market gradually returned to their business.
"Oh my... you young people... young men should eat lots of vegetables... Come with Grandma, I'll give you some vegetables..." the old woman said slowly, making the trio wait patiently.
The grandson covered his mouth with both hands, clearly signaling that he didn't like vegetables.
Icam and Alif smiled with satisfaction, looking at Iyas as if ready to praise him.
Iyas simply reacted,
"What are you staring at?"
END