Quest of Automata King

Forced Compromise

Mui, Emmellia, and Betty sitting at the round table of a tavern. Their eyes glancing at each other for a while as they observe two kids that are sitting at the same table as them. Although being watched, those kids did not seems to care of what Mui and Emmellia doing, instead, they are too busy pushing foods down their throat.

First servings, second servings... In total these are the fourth plate that they ordered. Their apetites are completely not matching with their body size.

These kids are the brothers that Mui saved previously. They are still wearing those rags as hoodie, and also to hiding the pointy part of their head, from what Mui and his friends see, these kids are Beastmen, or Half-Beastmen at best.

Under the hoodie, Mui could see strands blue hairs from them, and also beautiful green eyes. Too bad because of the dirts and dirty clothes, these kids looked very unattended. At a glance one brother is very identical to another, signaling that they are a twin.

Suddenly one of the twin cough, because he eat too fast the foods are escaping it’s way to his breathing organ, choking him.

“Cough! Cough! Cough!” he pushing his chest, trying to get the food out of his mouth. Betty who is sitting beside him handing over a glass of water where that boy quickly accept. Luckily, the water did the trick to relieve his throat.

“Calm down, or you’ll be dead on the dining table,” said Betty coldly. Again, her behaviour make Emmellia glancing at her.

The previous boy, notice that they are the only person on the table who are eating. He feels a little bit remorse, so he stopped eating to apologize and thanking them.

“Um... Thank you, for saving us from the scary man,” he said with a squeaking voice. Without the pointy end of their hoodie, Mui might think that he is talking with a Beastmen with rat attribute.

“My name is Aghya, and this is my brother, Malik,” the big bro shaking his little one who is still eating. With the face smudged by the sauce of foods, Malik stopped eating. He following the direction of his brother do, and they moved as if they have rehearse it.

“Thank you very much for helping us!” said both of them, bowing their back respectively.

Mui, Emmellia, and Betty looked at each other. Emmellia is smiling, maybe find out that their behaviour is kind of cute. She moved her hand to the napkin on the table, and use it to wipe the sauces on Malik’s face.

Meanwhile, Mui recalling half-hour ago when they succesfully saved Malik and Aghya. Using a spell that Goettia told to him, the merchant turn docile.

He let go of his knife and drop it to the ground, while at the same time almost losing his step because all muscles of his body become too relaxed. Luckily there are small wooden chair right behind him, Mui act quickly to catch the merchant’s body and sitting him to the chair, leaning his body onto his wooden stall.

“Alright then, since we all have calmed down, why don’t we have a chat to adress this matter?” asked Mui. The merchant looked at him, his eyes are still wide, as if he looking to the distance. His breathing are also long and regular, as if he sleeping with his eyes opened.

“My wares... My prized Goddess Fau-chi statue is gone... Those cost me fortune, and I know certain buyer who wants it. But right after I return from the bathroom the statue is nowhere to be found inside my cart!” shout him. The merchant is starting to get hysteria again, but mana flowing from Mui’s hand, and covering the man with calming sensation.

“Alright I understand the situation,” said Mui. “However, that is not a reason to hurt little kid that you don’t know. What makes you doing that?” asked him.

“I used to see those kids throughout the city. They are typical slum childern, no parents, no money, even without abilites to work. When that is the case, those kids have nothing else to do other than stealing. Isn’t that right?”

Mui turn away toward those brothers that are crying on Emmellia’s arm. He also heard about their confession, that they have take a bowl from the merchant’s ware.

“But are you seeing for themselves that they took the statue?” asked Mui. The merchant shake his head,

“Did you also put that statue on display that everyone can see?” asked Mui for the second time and he shake his head again.

“Then there is no way that those kids are the one that stole your statue,” deduct Mui. “They don’t have certain skills, other than taking what is in front of their eyes. Besides, there is no way they knew about the existence of that statue, since they don’t see it on display,” said Mui.

“I... I see... That is make more sense...” The merchant finally let out a sigh. He sounds dissapointed that he don’t have anyone to blame but him.

Mui let go of his mana connection with the man, and he seems tired now. The man nod his head, and snoring comes out from his nostril. He fast asleep, right in front of his stall.

“Right on time,” said Goettia.

“What do you mean?”

“Mind controlling spell have certain weight on someone’s mentality, but the one that you used is not something to push their target to do anything that the user wanted.” Explain Goettia for a second. “Instead, it is used to make the target vulnerable, revealing something important, while keeping their brain in function. If their brain starting to work too hard, the spell will make he shut his consciousness by deep sleep.”

“That is... A very gentle mind-controlling technique, don’t you think?” comment Mui.

“Or, we can explode his head right away, whatever, your call,” Goettia seems rather upset with the comment that Mui just said. He quickly reject it, saying that the takes back the comment so Goettia would not be offended.

In the end, they leave the sleeping merchant by giving him two pieces of gold coin, a price that seems too expensive for a bowl that those two have stolen. The extra money is for him to apologize for those children, and making sure that the merchant would never touch them again, nor selling his wares for them.

When Mui get back to Emmellia, the boys still clinging to her. Apparently they have found sanctuary under Emmellia’s protection.

“These kids won’t let go of my hand,” said Emmellia with and awkward smile. Meanwhile from the side, finally Betty come to her master.

“Your Hi... I mean Emmellia! What just happened? Are you hurt?” Betty running through the crowd, she frown and her expression is full of anxiety.

“I’m fine Betty,” said Emmellia, she just realized another thing, and turn her head toward Mui’s hand. “Mui, your hand...” said Emmellia.

Mui lift his hand according to what Emmellia just said. Over his right palm, there is a wound that run through his index, to the bottom palm of his hand.

“Ouch,” said Mui, because of all the adrenaline that running through his body, he almost forget about this. But after Emmellia warn him, the pain just begun to running through his entire body.

“It’s much hurt than i thought,” saying Mui giving an awkward smile. His eyes started to tear up, but he hold back his tear. It will be lame if he cry after all the cool action that shown to Emmellia.

“Let me help,” said Emmellia. She stretch out her hand on top of Mui’s wound, and a magic circle appear from there.

Mui feels lukewarm sensation coming from there, and he sees it himself, that his wound is closing up, leaving the blood dried in no time. This remind him for the first time that he and Emmellia met at the station.

“Thank you,” said Mui with a bright smile, remembering that although this is different from that time on the station, something did not really change after all.

Suddenly, a loud grumbling noise can be heard although they are standing in the crowd. Emmellia face turn red as if she ashamed of that sound.

“Um... Emmellia, is that?” asked Mui, but the girl quickly deny it.

“N-no! That’s not me! That is someone else!” said Emmellia. She looked under her, and notice that the brothers are still there, holding their stomach with eyes that looked up to Emmellia and Mui.

And that is the story how they get in here in the first place. The previous shop that Emmellia intended to get in turn out does not have the ingredients that they need. Therefore they decided to split up. Raul and Karas would go to the other shops that listed by Betty, while Betty will go to the next one.

Meanwhile, Mui and Emmellia will taking care of the childrens that they are helping. Luckily, Mui know just the right place.

Some times have passed, and Betty is the first one arrived at Thousand Barrels, the tavern that Mui knows from Aya, the school’s shopkeeper. Her face looked dissapointed as she let out a long sigh.

“Pardon me your highness... Even the most secluded shop in the city seems like out of stock regarding Feline’s eye,” she said.

Emmellia shakes her head. “It’s ok Betty, come here, have yourself some water,” she said. Betty showed her respect by bowing a little, and taking a seat beside the childrens that enjoying their meal.

“Still, it’s very weird for every shops in the city to running out of Feline’s Eye,” said Emmellia. Mui raise his eyebrow as he listening the conversation.

“You’re right Your Highness, beside, the timing is too matching out with the assignment that Miss Chiro give,” said Betty casually. “Are you think that there might be some kind of conspiracy behind the screen?” asked Betty, suddenly her eyes flashing, as if she finally in the mood to do something.

“I think you have to stop think that every possibilities have something to do with conspiracy, Betty,” said Emmellia with a small smile.

“Big bro, big sis, are all of you adventurer?” asked Aghya, still chewing his food.

Mui and Emmellia looked at each other, only noticed that the little boy is following their convesation.

“Hm? No, we’re not.” Said Mui.

“Oh, I see. That is too bad,” said Aghya. “I heard from the fellow kids that soon, the guilds will held an expedition to the area that full with bandits!” he explain the reason of his question.