Tears of Souls: Lament at Midnight

Chapter 7

The boy arrived at the inn and placed one of the earrings on the counter in front of the innkeeper.

"The lady who came with the caravan asked me to fetch some things," he said, his voice barely audible as he strained to peek over the counter.

The innkeeper, his eyesight failing him with age, squinted at the earring for a long moment before asking, "What did she ask you to bring?"

"Some tools for gathering herbs..." The boy's eyes darted around as he sighed dramatically. "She explained it to me, but I didn't understand any of it... She said I should just bring all her luggage."

The innkeeper had heard of such things.

Certain herbs required specific methods of collection and preservation, sometimes involving specialized tools.

And since young Johnny was known for running errands for the townspeople, he didn't suspect anything was amiss.

"What rare herbs could she possibly find around here?" The innkeeper chuckled, picking up a candlestick and a ring of keys as he headed towards the stairs. "If there were any valuable herbs growing nearby, someone would have already dug them up."

The boy trailed behind him. "That's because you don't know what you're looking at! We haven't had an apothecary this skilled in years."

The innkeeper paused, nodding in agreement.

The closer they were to the Black Abyss, the more barren the land became, and the colder the climate.

This town could barely sustain its crops, let alone cultivate the ingredients required for alchemy and potion-making.

In recent years, Candace was the only apothecary they had seen.

Even though she hadn't officially graduated yet, her skills had caused quite a stir.

As the innkeeper unlocked Candace's room, Aber emerged from the room next door.

Their eyes met, and an awkward silence descended upon them.

"Ahem... Miss Nymeros sent Johnny to fetch some things."

The innkeeper nudged the boy forward, who obediently presented the earring as proof.

Aber's gaze lingered on the earring for a moment before he turned to the boy, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "Oh..."

The boy squirmed under his scrutiny, shrinking back as he followed the innkeeper into the room.

Candace's luggage consisted of a backpack and a suitcase.

The boy eyed the backpack, deciding it was too heavy for him to carry.

And with both the innkeeper and Aber watching him, he didn't dare to rummage through her belongings. He settled for the suitcase.

It was surprisingly heavy, and the boy's thin arms strained under its weight.

As he was about to leave the room, Aber stepped forward, blocking his path. "Where is she? I'll help you carry it."

The boy took a step back, wary. "N-no, thank you, sir."

"I'll give you a generous tip." Aber pulled out a gold coin and flipped it in the air, catching it deftly. "Or are you worried I'll steal this old suitcase?"

Before the boy could respond, the innkeeper intervened.

"This gentleman traveled with Miss Nymeros, you can trust him." He patted the boy's head kindly. "They're both very generous people."

The boy hesitated, weighing the suitcase in his hand before reluctantly accepting the gold coin and handing the suitcase to Aber.

But the moment they stepped out of the inn, he made a run for it.

Aber grabbed him by the collar, swiftly snatching the bone whistle from around his neck.

"I've seen this trick before, don't think you can fool me with your tears." Aber tightened his grip on the boy's throat, his usual jovial expression replaced by a cold stare. "Where is she? How many of you are there?"

He knew better than anyone how dangerous those earrings were.

Vina had made sure to drill it into his head before he left...

And from his observations over the past few days, Candace was far too cautious to let a child handle such dangerous alchemical concoctions.

The boy glared at him defiantly, refusing to speak.

Just then, the town patrol passed by. Seeing the commotion, they stopped to investigate.

Aber explained his suspicions, demanding that the guards accompany him to find Candace.

The boy, seeing the guards, immediately put on a pitiful act, pretending to be bullied by a grown man. He was about to launch into a loud wail when Aber pinched his cheeks shut.

The guards hesitated.

The thugs were locals, and they were already short-staffed. They didn't want to antagonize the townspeople unnecessarily.

Aber, sensing their reluctance, let out a humorless laugh.

He placed the suitcase on the ground and pulled out a badge from his pocket, holding it up for the guards to see.

At first, they didn't react. It was just an Adventurer's Guild badge, nothing special.

They weren't some ignorant bandits who would be intimidated by such a common sight.

But then, Aber flipped the badge over, revealing a metal plate hidden behind it.

The guards' eyes widened in recognition, their knees almost buckling.

They saluted hastily before rushing off to report to their captain.

The boy, who hadn't seen the metal plate, continued to plead with the remaining guard, tears streaming down his face. "I-I didn't do anything... This man just grabbed me..."

The guard ignored him, standing stiffly at attention, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

Panic welled up in the boy's chest as he saw the captain of the guard approaching, his expression grim.

"My companion has been abducted by his accomplices, I need your help to find her."

Aber finally released the boy, who was now surrounded by towering guards, escape impossible.

He abandoned his attempts at defiance, leading them towards the alleyway.

"...Gold, like any other object, has its own properties. It's not edible, it's soft, and it can't be used as a weapon. Yet, it's more valuable than bread, copper, or iron. Do you know why?"

The young men huddled in the darkness shook their heads.

"Because enough people agree on its value. Or rather, its value is a label assigned by others, not an inherent quality. The foundation of any currency lies in the collective agreement of a large enough group."

"Therefore, as long as the group is large enough, anything can become currency, anything can achieve the same value as gold." Candace gestured with her staff, suddenly pointing it at one of the young men. "Do you understand what this means?"

The young man fidgeted nervously. "It means... it means..."

"You i***t!" The leader of the thugs smacked him on the back of the head. "It means that if enough people believe it, even a rock can be used as money!"

Candace nodded approvingly. "As expected of a leader."

Another young man raised his hand. "But how do you convince people to believe in a rock? No one's stupid enough to think a rock is the same as gold."

"Excellent question." Candace tapped her staff on the ground. "Of course, you can't use something like a rock, something that's already been labeled as worthless. People already have a preconceived notion about it, and it's impossible to change that overnight."

"What we need to do is introduce something new, something most people have never seen before, and then assign it a high value."

The thugs stared at her blankly.

"Let me give you an example."

Candace used her staff to move some dirt aside, picking up a black rock. "Do you know what this is?"

Thug: "A rock?"

"Wrong." Candace shook her head. "Look at the color, the texture, this is no ordinary rock."

She held the irregular black stone aloft, pointing it towards the rising moon. "This is a meteorite from the moon. Carrying it will bring you the blessings of the moon goddess. And if you grind it into powder and combine it with moonflower roots and blue morpho butterfly wings, it can cure insomnia, teeth grinding, sleepwalking, and other ailments. Its value is immeasurable."

Thugs: "Ooh!"

Aber: "..."

It was too dark to see clearly... but wasn't that just a lump of coal?!

The captain of the guard cleared his throat loudly.

Candace and the thugs turned to face him.

One of the thugs' eyes lit up, and the rest scattered.

The guards surged forward, blocking the alleyway, trapping the thugs.

The leader, realizing the situation was hopeless, protested loudly, "We were just listening to this lady's lecture! You have no right to arrest us!"

The others chimed in, "Yeah, yeah!"

Their shouts attracted the attention of the nearby residents, windows lighting up as people peered out curiously.

The captain, his head pounding from the noise, turned to Candace. "Your companion said you were being robbed by these men, is that true?"

The thugs turned to her, their eyes pleading.

Candace tossed the lump of coal aside and brushed off her clothes. "Yes, they were trying to rob me."

Thugs: "..."

Wait, that's not right!

Weren't they just having a friendly educational session?!

The leader, his mind racing, looked from Aber to Candace, a sudden realization dawning on him. "You tricked us! You were just stalling for time!"

Candace touched her hair sheepishly.

She had simply been trying to de-escalate the situation, hoping they would leave peacefully after taking her money.

Of course, she had intended to alert the guards afterwards.

She was far too poor to be funding petty criminals.

But she hadn't expected anyone to come to her rescue.

She glanced at the golden-haired young man, who smiled and nodded at her.

The thugs were led away.

Their robbery attempt had failed, and now they were facing jail time.

"Be grateful! This is Baron Paola's territory, the laws here are lenient. You'll only be sentenced to hard labor." The captain glared at them, kicking one of them in the backside. "You should see what they do to criminals in the South! Warlords down there have no rules! You lot would have been hanged by now!"

The thug who had been kicked didn't dare to retaliate. He looked back at Candace, a flicker of hope in his eyes. "Is... Is what you said about the rock true?"

The idea of creating value out of thin air was undeniably tempting. Even some of the guards turned to hear Candace's response.

Candace shook her head regretfully, sneezing as a gust of cold wind swept through the alleyway.

If it were that easy, she would be rich by now. Would she be freezing her butt off in this remote town for a measly twenty credit points?

The thugs, their dreams of easy riches shattered, were led away, leaving only the young boy behind.

Local laws didn't have specific provisions for dealing with juvenile delinquency.

And out of a sense of compassion for their own kind, they usually turned a blind eye to minor offenses committed by children.

The captain looked at Aber, who looked at Candace.

Candace approached the boy and held out her hand. "Give me back my earrings."

The boy reluctantly placed them in her palm. He glanced up at her with pleading eyes before quickly averting his gaze, like a frightened animal. "I... I was forced to do it... If I didn't help them, they would have beaten me..."

Candace stared down at him, her expression unreadable. After a long silence, she asked, "How old are you?"

"Ten..." The boy quickly corrected himself. "I'm eight years old!"

Candace nodded, waving dismissively at the captain. "Take him away."

The boy's face lit up, but then Candace continued, "Reduce his sentence, but don't let him off completely. And don't put him in the same cell as the adults."

The boy's face paled. As the guards grabbed his arms, he finally realized what was happening and erupted in a torrent of curses. "You b***h! You goddamn b***h! You're even punishing a child, the Earth Goddess will never forgive you!"

Aber, shocked by the boy's foul language, urged the guards to hurry.

Candace held up a hand, silencing them. She stepped closer to the boy, her voice calm and steady. "I'm a b***h? And what are you?"

The boy glared at her, his eyes filled with hatred. "It's all your fault! It's because of you nobles that I'm an orphan, that I'm like this! Go to hell!"

Candace frowned, not wanting to engage in a discussion about her social status. "Your past, your circumstances, they're not an excuse for your actions. You made a choice, and now you have to face the consequences."

Her eyes, pure black, held his gaze, their intensity almost hypnotic.

The boy shuddered, breaking eye contact as if he had been burned.

"You're ten years old, old enough to think for yourself and decide what kind of person you want to be." Candace straightened up, no longer looking at him. "If you want to be a thug for the rest of your life, then go ahead, experience what it's like, take a good look at the people inside those cells."

"That's your future."