Chapter 258: Strange Human

"I don’t mean to be rude, but that elf earlier is very unique..." Pio commented as he walked, holding a paper cup of coffee and a paper bag of bread.

Fidel shook his head with a smile, taking a sip of his coffee, "I know what you’re thinking. She’s unique indeed, and although I cannot speak for her, I’m sure she must’ve had a difficult life..."

Pio knew better than to continue the conversation, just silently gazing at the ever-so-bustling streets of Harmonia as the two of them walked.

However, as they neared the spot in the central plaza earlier, a strange light flickered in their eyes.

They could see Regis talking happily to the children, seemingly discussing something as he played a game of chess with the beastkin boy.

But what caught their eyes the most was Marzana’s wrinkled expression.

"Oh! You’re getting good already!" Regis said with a smile.

The beastkin boy had his brows furrowed, "Ugh, I lost again..."

At that moment, they noticed the two men who had just bought their snack.

Regis and the beastkin boy vacated the seats as the former expressed his gratitude with a smile, "Thank you for letting us borrow your chessboard. We had a fun time learning!"

Fidel let out a chuckle, "Oh, you just learned? I’m guessing this elven young lady was the one who taught you?"

"Mind if we play a round or two?" He expressed his interest in playing with Marzana.

However, the person in question shook her head, "I’m good. However, I believe my friend over here will be able to give you a good match. Although he just learned earlier, he was able to beat me multiple times already."

The two old men exchanged glances; they could see the surprise in each other’s faces.

Elves were not ones to lie.

It had always been their principles as the stewards of nature and the children of the World Tree.

Thus, they find lying to be beneath them, especially for elves of the royal lineage.

Fidel took a sip from his coffee before sitting at his spot and gesturing to the seat in front of him as he looked at Regis, "We elves are prideful. For this young lady right here to say such things really stirs my competitiveness. Mind if we play some rounds?"

Regis looked at Pio, who just shook his head with a smile, "Don’t mind me, I want to focus on eating anyway. Besides, watching a match while eating isn’t bad at all."

"If you say so, Uncle." Regis politely smiled as he took the seat.

Fidel spoke as he deftly arranged the pieces on the board, "Let’s play three rounds, the first one to win twice wins."

"Alright."

"Then let’s begin."

Tap— Tap— Tap—

"Checkmate." Fidel observed Regis’s expression.

However, the latter merely smiled, "You’re the strongest I’ve ever faced."

On the side, Marzana’s eye twitched, ’But you have only played against the children and I...’

Fidel chuckled heartily, "As I’ve said to my friend earlier, if I’m not good despite living for centuries, then I’m no better than a piece of rotting wood."

And so, the second round began.

Tap— Tap— Tap—

The two hands moving the chess pieces halted.

On the side, Pio took a bite of his bread as he commented, "Oh, a stalemate! That’s rare. It’s said that a stalemate is only reached either when both players blunder, or when they play a perfect game of chess."

Fidel’s eyebrows rose, "Oh, interesting."

’This is strange...’ Marzana could not help but feel a sense of déjà vu.

Tap— Tap— Tap—

"Oh, I got lucky!" Regis smiled as he placed the bishop in a certain position.

The corner of Fidel’s smile twitched, "Well done, young man! However, we can’t leave on a draw, so let’s play a tiebreaker round."

"Oho!" Pio had an interested expression on his face as he kept eating.

Fidel said as he arranged the pieces once again, "This time, I’ll be going all out, so you should too."

Regis nodded, also with a serious expression on his face, "I will!"

And so, the fourth round began.

Tap— Tap— Tap— Tap— Tap...

Fidel’s hands got slower, as opposed to his earlier plan of showcasing his quick strategy and decision-making skills.

Tap...

Tap—!

"Checkmate."

Regis said as he pushed the knight into a certain position.

Plop—

Even Pio’s bread dropped on the ground.

Creak—

Regis slowly stood up, his chair making some creaking noise as he did so.

Then, with a smile, he reached out his hand, "Thank you for playing with me. It’s getting late, so we should get going."

Fidel shook his hand, still with a dumbfounded look on his face.

The two old men watched as Regis and Marzana departed, surrounded by children.

Time seemed to have stood still at that moment.

"Pfft— HAHAHAHA"

Pio suddenly burst out laughing, "He destroyed you!"

"You wouldn’t have won against him either!" Fidel scoffed.

Then, he looked at the human boy’s back for a while before saying, "You told me that the young lady was unique, right? It seems that the human boy was even stranger than she."

Pio nodded as he picked up the bread that had fallen on the ground, dusted it off with his hands, and took a bite from it, "You’re right."

Fidel looked at his friend, "Isn’t that dirty already? You could’ve left it for the birds."

"It’s fine, five minutes hadn’t passed yet."

"I thought you humans only had a five-second rule when it came to dropped food?"

"I make the rules."

"Silly old man."

Under the setting sun, two men of different races shared a chuckle as they played more rounds of chess.

***

"Bye, Big SIs! Bye, Brother Regis!"

The beastkin boy shouted happily before storming inside his home.

"To think that you memorized where each of them lives just to drop them off at their homes every day..."

Regis commented as he waved at the beastkin boy.

He was already the last one they needed to drop off, as the other children all lived relatively close to the plaza.

Marzana kept her eyes glued to the beastkin boy’s house for a while before turning to Regis, "It’s simply natural. After all, they were the ones who looked at me without any sort of disgust."

She paused for a moment and said, "Though I guess that’s the same to you, Devil’s Spawn."

"I’m flattered, Cursed Miss." Regis replied without missing a beat.

"Pfft— Hahahaha!" Marzana could not help but let out a hearty laugh.

She laughed to the point of having teary eyes, "T-This is the first time I am not offended by someone calling me that."

"It’s the same for me." Regis smiled as well.

Although he had not really been offended by it for a long time, having someone he could joke around with it was another matter altogether.

The two of them began to walk under the darkening sky.

They gazed at the stars that were slowly appearing above in silence, surrounded by the ever-so-bustling streets of Harmonia.

Marzana opened her lips first, breaking the silence, "You know, I first thought that I would just rot here in Harmonia.

After all, I believe that my family banished me here just so I could avoid damaging the family’s reputation."

Regis did not interrupt her and just began to listen attentively.

Marzana continued, "Although I still believe it even now. However, I also think that life here isn’t too bad. Back in my hometown, even as a princess, I would experience being stared at by my own people.

My position as part of the royal lineage did not make my situation any better. In fact, it had only worsened it."

"The reason why I take care of the children is that they were the ones who did not look at me with disgust. Instead, they only looked at me with curiosity, unlike how I was once seen as a symbol of bad omen."

She then glanced at Regis, "I’m sure you’ve noticed it too, right?"

The latter merely nodded, but did not speak.

Marzana wryly smiled, "The reason why no elven children are around me is as you have guessed. Their parents were the ones who told them to stay away from me.

Even in a city that’s like an extension of Ligera, such things could not be avoided."

"Why did your family send you here and not to Ligera? I’m sure the elven royal lineage would have enough power to do so."

Marzana was at a loss for words at Regis’s question, "I-I..."

It took her a moment to think, but ultimately could not find the words to respond.

’...didn’t think of that.’ She added inwardly, but the realization made her heart sink further.

’He’s right... My family could have at least sent me to Ligera if they just wanted me to be away from them, but...’

Marzana’s thought only led to one idea, "They must’ve been very embarrassed by me, then."

"Do you want to prove them wrong?"

Her head turned to Regis as soon as she heard his question.

"I-I’m not sure. Even if I do, what can I even—"

"Just answer me. Do you want to, or not?"

"I do."

Regis stared her in the eye for an instant before breaking into a smile, "Then become an adventurer."

Marzana took a few moments to process what she heard before ultimately opening her lips.

"What?"