PASP Chapter 10

Egru got up clumsily. He pressed down on the wrinkled parts of his robe as much as possible to smooth them out. The rag-like fabric tended to crease at the slightest pressure.

‘To call 300,000 gold coins pocket change…’

As expected, D’Élysée was amazing.

‘But still…’

It must be money he’s saved up through hardship all this time.

Egru’s hands stopped listlessly. His amber eyes looked down at his own shabby appearance. Everyone he had met today seemed to radiate brilliance just by standing still. Like a beautifully assembled puzzle, they were all people who suited his brother well.

In comparison, he was far too shabby. Wealth and honor – neither were words that suited him at all.

‘If I had known the day would come when I’d become a burden to my brother…’

Egru swallowed the rising sorrow. Showing tears here would truly be shameful.

“I-I’m sorry, D’Élysée. And thank you. I’ll never forget today’s kindness for the rest of my life. I’ll definitely repay you, so please wait.”

“It’s fine. I’m not losing out on this deal either.”

“Still, I’ll pay you back as soon as possible…”

“I said it’s fine. I’m not giving it away for free, you know.”

D’Élysée said as he moved towards the left side of the office.

“Follow me. I’ll show you something interesting.”

There were several frames hanging on the left wall of the office. When he tapped on a canvas with a bunch of keys painted on it, an oak door magically emerged. Egru unconsciously opened his mouth and clapped.

“It’s not this. What I want to show you is something else.”

D’Élysée said as he turned the doorknob with familiarity. The well-oiled door opened smoothly.

The interior, without a single candle, was pitch black. As light from the office flowed in, the outlines of the room gradually appeared. D’Élysée added a brief explanation.

“It’s a makeshift bedroom. A space to rest briefly while working.”

“I-I see.”

Even that was unbelievably luxurious compared to Egru’s home. Especially the down bed, which was an incredible luxury.

“Go in.”

“H-Here?”

“Yes.”

D’Élysée was calm. Egru swallowed hard. His amber eyes scanned the dim room once more. Though it was clearly a very neat bedroom, there was a strangely eerie feeling about it. Perhaps because there wasn’t even a window for ventilation. An instinctive fear gripped his ankles.

“C-Can’t I not go in?”

“Why?”

“It’s too dark inside the room.”

“I’ll turn on the lights once you go in.”

Egru fidgeted as he felt a body press firmly against his back. It felt like his rear was blocked by a high wall. Now he couldn’t even step back.

“We need to catch up on lost time, and you need to hear my conditions too.”

“C-Can’t you just tell me here, D’Élysée? I think here is good too… Ah!”

Startled, Egru took a step forward.

“Why are you so surprised? When we were young, I used to touch you until you fell asleep.”

D’Élysée laughed good-naturedly. At the same time, he gently caressed Egru’s pointed ears, which had flattened down tightly with tension.

“I like your ears, brother. They seem to express your feelings.”

“Th-Thank you…”

“Come on, go in. There’s really something I want to show you.”

After hesitating for a while, Egru glanced at the door leading out of the office. D’Élysée moved a step to the side, blocking his view.

“I didn’t want to say this, but…”

D’Élysée let out a short sigh.

“You know how bad the views towards magical races are, right? There’s even a superstition that touching a magical race on a happy day brings bad luck. Well, you’re half that too.”

D’Élysée’s hand gripped Egru’s shoulder.

“I became Commander today, brother. How do you think it would look if there was a magical race half-breed in the middle of my office? That stupid man was already hitting on me earlier.”

“I-I’m sorry…”

“Yes, if you understand, that’s enough.”

D’Élysée’s face turned back towards the bedroom. Egru, staring into the dark room, finally took his hesitant steps.

The office light passing through the bedroom door was cut into a rectangle, stretching long on the floor. There was only one human shadow cast in the pale light, and it wasn’t Egru’s. His short shadow had long been swallowed by his brother’s.

Only after Egru had fully entered the room did the heavy sound of shoe steps follow. The shadow, which had been growing larger, vanished without a trace as the makeshift bedroom door closed. They were surrounded by darkness on all sides.

Darkness where even objects right in front of you couldn’t be distinguished. Blinking made no difference. With vision blocked among the five senses, Egru instinctively focused on his hearing. It was as quiet as a cornfield at night. Next, he focused on his sense of smell. There was no smell at all. Even water would have a fishy smell.

‘By the way…’

Why isn’t he saying anything? His spine tingled for no reason, but he tried to stay brave.

What posture would D’Élysée be standing in? Is he folding his arms alone? He might be pressing his tired eyes for a moment.

Just as the sound of his heartbeat, clearly audible in his ears, was gradually growing louder.

“Sit wherever you’re comfortable.”

“Eep…!”

The pitch-black view suddenly brightened softly. D’Élysée shook out a match that had lit three or four candles.

Egru finally felt like he could breathe. While D’Élysée adjusted the internal temperature with a magic stone, Egru hesitantly looked around the room. It was a space perfectly focused on rest. With just one large bed sitting there, that was the only place to sit.

‘Sh-Should I…’

Can I sit on such clean sheets? What if I dirty them somehow? But sitting on the carpet seemed like it would displease him too.

“Don’t just stand there staring, go sit down.”

“Th-Thank you.”

The hesitation didn’t last long. Egru carefully approached the bed. The height of the iron frame, fitted to D’Élysée’s build, was considerable. And what about the mattress like a white prairie? It seemed like he could roll over eight times without falling off even if he tried.

Egru awkwardly climbed onto the bed. He put his right knee up first, then grunted as he lifted his frail body. As he gently perched on the edge of the mattress, his feet didn’t touch the floor.

“Oh…”

Egru took a short breath at the softness that enveloped his bottom. His two holey boots swung in the air from inertia.

‘It’s really soft…’

It was a luxurious feeling he had never experienced before. The air, warmed by the magic stone, was cozy, and a wonderful fragrance wafted from somewhere. It was enough to make his whole body feel languid.

Feeling like he might doze off if he wasn’t careful, Egru had to stay alert. So as not to repeat the same mistake this time.

Rustle, rustle.

His lime-green palm carefully pressed the bed. It was like slime, but soft like silk.

‘So, so this is a down bed…’

Thanks to D’Élysée, he got to experience such luxury.

It was incomparably cozier than the house they had lived in before. Not to mention Egru’s current shelter. The furniture in the slums, known as ‘Easthole’, were things someone had used until they were worn out and then discarded.

The ‘Dump’, on the outskirts of the district and at the entrance to the slums, is filled every Thursday. It’s an exciting free shopping day, but you had to hurry. Because they completely burn the inside of the dump that evening.

Although the slums were the most deprived area in the district, they had rules. It was even praised as a somewhat livable place. Unlike the thieves’ den in the west, there was a culture of helping each other. Someone called the ‘chief’ takes care of everyone by setting turns. Even if they collect small bribes, it was a custom with its own warmth.

Except for those like magical race half-breeds who weren’t included in the rules at all.

Egru, the only mixed breed in the slums, couldn’t even dream of nice accessories like a broken mattress. He would quietly hide until everyone left the dump, then dash in with a basket just before the fire was lit. The mismatched boots he was wearing now were also obtained from there.

Occasionally, when he ran into people, he would be picked on one-sidedly. After people learned that Egru was waiting, some would deliberately dawdle.

On such days, he had no choice but to return empty-handed. Holding the empty basket to his chest, Egru would often imagine himself becoming as strong as a real orc.

‘Even if I get hit by something someone throws, it won’t hurt thanks to my thick skin. I’ll be able to rummage through every corner of the dump easily with my sturdy arms.’

In fact, when he was living with his brother, things weren’t this shabby. To begin with, they didn’t live in the slums back then.

Beyond the outskirts of the district. The small but nostalgic brick house filled with memories still flickered before his eyes.

“You’ll fall off like that, brother. Why are you sitting so uncomfortably?”

“?”

“Move in further.”

“Why, why are you sitting on the floor, D’Élysée?”

“I know, right? I hate sitting on the carpet.”

“Then I should also…”

“No, you stay there. This way we can look each other in the eye.”

D’Élysée settled between Egru’s knees. His firm palms gently caressed Egru’s bony, lime-green knees.

“We need to fatten you up.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Have you ever entered someone else’s bedroom so easily before?”

“Huh?”

Egru thought carefully and nodded. D’Élysée’s expression hardened instantly.