Volume 1 Chapter 29 The Banished Half-Elf and the Foolish Prince [Dranix II]
...Where am I?
A deep, booming laugh rang out nearby.
"HAH! You're awake, good! Missy!"
Next to the bed sat a large man clad in golden armor.
"Who exactly are you...?" she asked, still disoriented.
"I'm Lawrence! The hero of the kingdom!"
A hero... then, did you save me?
"Not exactly! It was me and him over there!"
Mida turned her head. In the corner stood a man with sharp, raptor-like eyes, silent and still.
"He's Act Age! The kind-hearted man who saved you from the thieves!"
Thieves... yes...
She remembered. Being sold to a slave trader. The attack on the way. Then... darkness.
Now this place.
"Where...?"
"You're in an inn in the Royal Capital! Me and Act here were on our way when we came across a village being raided by thieves. So we helped out—and destroyed their hideout!"
Being a hero... that's amazing...
"No! I couldn't have done it alone! It's thanks to Act that we found them! And he's the one who treated your injuries!"
Mida's gaze shifted to the window, catching her reflection. Astonishment widened her eyes.
"I... can't believe it... my face... the injuries... they're healed..."
She should have been covered in bruises. Bones shattered from her encounter with Dranix.
But now, her body was whole. Unmarred.
"I... it's incredible... such amazing healing, even elves don't have something like this... what are you?"
"Just a guildmaster."
"No, that's not normal. An ordinary person couldn't heal like this..." Her eyes narrowed. "By the way, what happened to your left eye?"
The left side of Act's face was wrapped in bandages and talismans.
"It's none of your concern."
"Oh... um... well, thank you for saving me. Mr. Lawrence. And you too, Mr. Act."
Lawrence shook his head, smiling as Mida bowed deeply.
"Yeah! Glad you're okay! Right, Act!"
"That's right." His voice was quiet, but steady. "By the way, you said you were sold off. What happened?"
"Well..."
Mida told them everything.
Her exile for being a half-elf. Her punishment for defying Crown Prince Dranix. The cruelty she endured.
"HOW OUTRAGEOUS! I WON'T FORGIVE HIM!"
"Calm down, Lawrence." Act's gaze remained level. "What do you plan to do?"
"I'm going to go protest to the Crown Prince!"
"Give it up. He won't listen. It's a waste of time."
"Hmm... but I can't just stand by and watch!"
"The exile of the half-elves is done. It can't be helped now." Act's tone grew colder. "...Besides, you have other things you should be doing."
The Hero's mission: to defeat the Demon King. Not to get tangled in foreign politics.
"I'm sorry, Act. I've lost my cool! I'll reflect on it! I'M OUT OF HERE!"
WHOOSH!
Lawrence sprang onto the window frame and leapt outside.
Silence settled for a moment.
Then Act turned to her.
"Now, Mida. What are you going to do from now on?"
"I... I want to... see my mom."
She didn't even know how long it had been. How far her people had fled.
But she longed to see her mother again.
"Do you have any leads? Any money?"
"...I have nothing."
PLINK... PLINK...
Tears fell, hitting the wooden floor.
"I... I'm powerless. With my tainted blood... I can't do anything..."
Her voice trembled. She couldn't protect herself. She couldn't even search for her family.
The weight of her weakness crushed her.
"Look up, Mida."
Act stepped closer.
"It's too early to decide you can't do anything."
His uncovered eye, sharp yet calm, met hers.
"I have a suggestion. Do you want to become an Adventurer?"
"Ad...venturer...?"
"That's right. Adventurers travel. They gather information. And they earn money. It's the best path for you."
"But... someone like me... with tainted blood... being an Adventurer feels... impossible."
She had lost everything: her homeland, her family, her dignity.
There was nothing left.
Not even belief in herself.
"What makes you decide that's impossible... just from assumptions?"
"Huh...?"
Act held her gaze.
Not like the Crown Prince had. Not like those nobles and their scornful glances.
His eyes were earnest. Clear. Steady.
"Don't limit your potential based on guesswork."
"But... I'm a half-elf..."
"And? Do you think that brands you as incompetent?"
Memories flared. The cold stares of the elves. The whispered slurs.
"I see," Act said softly. "It runs deep."
He reached out, gently ruffling her hair.
"Don't worry. You possess a hidden power. A remarkable talent far beyond those who looked down on you."
"No way... That's impossible. There's no way I have such an incredible power inside me..."
"You do."
Mida wasn't naive. She didn't believe him just because he said so.
But at least... at least he was looking at her.
Not her blood. Not her race. Her.
"Trust me. You have talent."
"THAT'S RIGHT! YOU GOT THIS, MISS!"
Lawrence swung back in through the window, grinning wide.
"He's Act Age! The Guildmaster of Gem of Heavenly Gift! The one with the best Appraisal Eye in the world! He's the one who recognized my Hero talent and nurtured it!"
"R-Really...? That's... amazing..."
"So!" Lawrence leaned forward. "What's your next move?"
Mida thought deeply.
The words of the hero who saved her.
The gaze of the man who saw her for who she was.
She made her choice.
"Please, Mr. Act. Let me join your Guild!"
Act gave a single nod.
Permission granted.
"Mr. Act!" Lawrence was already beaming. "What kind of talent does the young lady possess?"
"She has good ears."
"Ears?"
"Yeah." Act folded his arms. "If she trains, she'll be able to distinguish sounds from afar. And... she can hear the voices of the voiceless. Beasts. Dragons."
"Wow! What a fantastic power!" Lawrence exclaimed. "But why did the country banish a child with such an amazing ability?"
"They never looked at her potential," Act said flatly. "They only saw a half-elf. What a dumb Crown Prince."
A small chuckle escaped him.
Then he turned to Mida, voice steady with conviction.
"Don't worry. I'll polish that raw talent of yours. I'll make you so outstanding, that idiot Crown Prince who threw you away will beg for you to come back."
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