Chapter 116
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The old man happily replied, "Ten silvers!" It was obvious he was happy to have a buyer for that concoction. It was still covered by a little dust, but it didn't do anything to hide its visible contents. The crystal flask it was in itself was still in pristine condition and it was made to keep the scent of the alchemical contents inside of it.
He had that kind of flask made just for the nobles who usually bought these sorts of things. He didn't predict that the last time someone would come looking for it would be over a year ago. He could barely remember where he put it…
Altair's expression visibly soured. She knew it wasn't even worth five silvers for the antidote. However, that was if it was in a generic container. The container the old man gave her was a crystal flask. She had no idea how much these were worth. She only knew it was commonly used by nobles to story liquids. She didn't know if it was really worth ten silvers in total though, even including that.
She asked, "Is this a double dose of the antidote to be worth that much?"
The old man immediately replied in a wounded tone, "Nonsense! It is a single dose. Don't try to consume only half of it if you suffer from the poison or it won't work at all!"
Altair gave him a flat look as she continued, "Then why is it worth ten silvers?"
The old man gave her an odd look in return, "This must be your first time buying such a thing. In the past it was common for the antidote to not be worth that much but nowadays its different." He really didn't know why a noble was trying to haggle over ten silvers. This was beyond him. Still, if she wanted to haggle, then he was going to have some fun. Noble or commoner, he had no intention of ever letting his entertainment down. Thus, he continued to spew lies, "The wolf population has been growing as of late and most alchemists can't afford the costs of hiring people to gather the materials needed for this particular tonic. As such, the price has gone up over the last few years."
Altair looked at the antidote and shrugged. She then stood up and placed it on the chair she was on so she could grab the money out. She honestly didn't care. She had procured enough funds for something this cheap.
When she pulled out the transparent bag, the old man's eyes nearly fell out with how shocked he was. He quickly stammered, "W-What is that bag made of?" Thoughts of haggling fled his mind immediately.
Altair didn't look at him as she pulled out ten silver squares and replied tonelessly, "I don't know. Plastic I think." She then closed the bag and placed it back inside her satchel before handing the money to the old man without ceremony.
The old man stared fixedly at the satchel by her side while taking the money. He had never seen such a flexible container that could be seen through. It was a little of a shock to him and he wanted to know where she got it. It would be quite valuable to him for being able to keep precious herbs separated properly and to see their quality over time for when they were at their best to mix them.
Altair took the crystal flask and added it to her satchel while turning to leave. She didn't mind the old man still staring at her back as she exited the building.
The market street was still packed with people. Altair didn't know how long she had been in there, but the sky was still clear and the sun was still in the air. She looked for the right timing to enter the throng before her and slipped between two women who were carrying baskets of fruit while holding her satchel to her chest. She then made her back out of the market, attempting to leave the same way she came to it.
Unfortunately for her, there were too many people around who were moving this way and that. It was impossible for her to figure out where she had entered the market from. As a result, she wound up exiting somewhere she couldn't recognize and frowned deeply.
She surveyed her surroundings. There was a well that had been dug up due to the locations distance from the river. Around the well were a group of women in the middle of washing their clothes. Surrounding the well were several houses cluttered together. There wasn't enough room to even walk between them.
One of the houses was separate from the others and had enough room around it to have a small farm growing in their front yard. There was a fence around the yard to keep people and animals from wandering into it as well. It was obviously higher quality to the other houses in the area and it stood out like a sore thumb.
A little girl came running around the building with that timing. She had an energetic smile on her face as she was dressed in a simple woolen dress. She looked to be around five years of age or so as she rounded the corner with two boys hot on her tail.
She looked vaguely familiar to Altair. But that would be impossible. After all, she was maybe five years old.
The children's energetic laughter instantly brightened the faces of all the women who were in the middle of cleaning. The air became filled with laughter and the sounds of children playing as Altair followed the girl with a dazed expression.
After an unknown amount of time to Altair, a man had appeared around the corner of the building. He stared with a shocked expression at Altair for a long moment before he softly called out with a voice full of doubt, "Altair?"
Altair's eyes twitched as she was drawn back to herself. 'No, not possible. I don't know anyone here,' she told herself as she turned to leave. She had gotten too caught up with the children playing just now and wasn't really paying much attention to her surroundings. Her name was anything but rare in her world. That young girl was probably who that person was calling for.
A familiar voice to Altair rang in out from behind her that was filled with pain and grief, "Altair!" Immediately following that were the sounds of footsteps running toward her.
Time seemed to slow down for Altair. 'That voice… Impossible. There's no way he could be here.'
'Don't look,' she told herself as she started to turn her head. 'It would be better if you didn't know.'
Altair couldn't stop herself from turning her head towards him as he called out her name again in a voice she still remembered. Her eyes quivered slightly upon seeing him.
'Traitor,' she told herself in a dark voice, 'Backstabber. Betrayer.'
'Brother,' she told herself softly.
A mix of anger and love flowed through her in a complicated mess. None of it showed on her face as her face paled slightly and she quickly drew back from him.
Sief was taller than the last time Altair saw her brother. He had grown older and his body became more bulky as his hard-worked body became impossible to conceal. There was a mixture of fear and sorrow in his eyes that looked at Altair.
'Why is here?' she asked herself knowing that she wouldn't get an answer. 'He should have been six towns away.'
She turned away abruptly before he could reach her and continued to walk away as if she didn't know him. 'We aren't family anymore.' She then told herself in a dark voice, 'I can't hesitate if he makes trouble for me.'
She could hear him approaching and felt the urge to turn around and call out to him. Her family had always been a weak spot to her. Even though they threw her out it still didn't erase all of the love she had grown up around.
She hated them at first. Until she found out that Demi-Humans weren't anything like what she was taught. When she found out the truth and acknowledged it, she couldn't continue hating them. They just didn't know the truth.
Sief grabbed Altair's arm and cried out right next to her, "Altair why are you running away from me?!"
Altair turned a confused look at him and shouted, "Let me go!" as she acted like she didn't know him. 'Let me go,' she pleaded in her mind, 'Don't make me kill you.'
Sief didn't get the message that Altair sent through her mind as he pulled her towards him while saying, "I won't turn you in! Altair please!"
All eyes were drawn to them. They all knew who he was as they had lived here for a while with him. They all heard the stories he would tell them about his childhood. Of course, those stories were filled with his two sisters, Aselia and Altair.
Altair ignored his words as she shouted back at him, "Who's Altair!? I'm Aria! Let me go you filthy commoner!" She then struggled more fiercely against his grasp as she hardened her emotions.
'I won't give in here. We don't live in the same world anymore. I am no longer his sister.'
Sief tightened his grip around Altair's hand. It was obvious to her from the bit of pain she felt that he was using Magic now. He pulled against her as she started burning her Mana to resist his pull. He shouted, "Calm down! I'm not going to hurt you!"
Altair gritted her teeth. 'Sorry,' she told him in her mind as she shouted and thrust her free hand at his torso with a burst of power.
It slammed into him like a boulder and he was sent reeling backwards with his grip lost on her. Surprisingly, he didn't fall over from taking the hit. Instead he looked at her with eyes filled with regret, as if he had a lot to say.
But Altair wasn't willing to hear any of it as she angrily shouted at him, "Don't ever touch me again! You damned commoner!" She then turned on her heel and fled back into the market.
She could still hear Sief shouting her name a few times as she vanished into the crowd.
'Why is he here? Does that mean my sister is here? Is that girl his daughter? Did he get married already?'
Dozens of questions flew through her mind as maneuvered through the crowd with her satchel to her chest. All of them were about her brother and the rest of her family. She could never bring herself to welcome him as a brother again but that didn't mean that she didn't hope for his own happiness.
'Why did he look at me that way? What have I missed?'
Altair ducked out of the crowd and into an alley. She ran through the maze-like interior of the town until she couldn't hear the hustle and bustle of the market anymore. She then planted her back to a building and took a deep breath to try and calm herself.
"Hey," a deep voice called out near Altair, "Give me back my bag girl!"
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The old man happily replied, "Ten silvers!" It was obvious he was happy to have a buyer for that concoction. It was still covered by a little dust, but it didn't do anything to hide its visible contents. The crystal flask it was in itself was still in pristine condition and it was made to keep the scent of the alchemical contents inside of it.
He had that kind of flask made just for the nobles who usually bought these sorts of things. He didn't predict that the last time someone would come looking for it would be over a year ago. He could barely remember where he put it…
Altair's expression visibly soured. She knew it wasn't even worth five silvers for the antidote. However, that was if it was in a generic container. The container the old man gave her was a crystal flask. She had no idea how much these were worth. She only knew it was commonly used by nobles to story liquids. She didn't know if it was really worth ten silvers in total though, even including that.
She asked, "Is this a double dose of the antidote to be worth that much?"
The old man immediately replied in a wounded tone, "Nonsense! It is a single dose. Don't try to consume only half of it if you suffer from the poison or it won't work at all!"
Altair gave him a flat look as she continued, "Then why is it worth ten silvers?"
The old man gave her an odd look in return, "This must be your first time buying such a thing. In the past it was common for the antidote to not be worth that much but nowadays its different." He really didn't know why a noble was trying to haggle over ten silvers. This was beyond him. Still, if she wanted to haggle, then he was going to have some fun. Noble or commoner, he had no intention of ever letting his entertainment down. Thus, he continued to spew lies, "The wolf population has been growing as of late and most alchemists can't afford the costs of hiring people to gather the materials needed for this particular tonic. As such, the price has gone up over the last few years."
Altair looked at the antidote and shrugged. She then stood up and placed it on the chair she was on so she could grab the money out. She honestly didn't care. She had procured enough funds for something this cheap.
When she pulled out the transparent bag, the old man's eyes nearly fell out with how shocked he was. He quickly stammered, "W-What is that bag made of?" Thoughts of haggling fled his mind immediately.
Altair didn't look at him as she pulled out ten silver squares and replied tonelessly, "I don't know. Plastic I think." She then closed the bag and placed it back inside her satchel before handing the money to the old man without ceremony.
The old man stared fixedly at the satchel by her side while taking the money. He had never seen such a flexible container that could be seen through. It was a little of a shock to him and he wanted to know where she got it. It would be quite valuable to him for being able to keep precious herbs separated properly and to see their quality over time for when they were at their best to mix them.
Altair took the crystal flask and added it to her satchel while turning to leave. She didn't mind the old man still staring at her back as she exited the building.
The market street was still packed with people. Altair didn't know how long she had been in there, but the sky was still clear and the sun was still in the air. She looked for the right timing to enter the throng before her and slipped between two women who were carrying baskets of fruit while holding her satchel to her chest. She then made her back out of the market, attempting to leave the same way she came to it.
Unfortunately for her, there were too many people around who were moving this way and that. It was impossible for her to figure out where she had entered the market from. As a result, she wound up exiting somewhere she couldn't recognize and frowned deeply.
She surveyed her surroundings. There was a well that had been dug up due to the locations distance from the river. Around the well were a group of women in the middle of washing their clothes. Surrounding the well were several houses cluttered together. There wasn't enough room to even walk between them.
One of the houses was separate from the others and had enough room around it to have a small farm growing in their front yard. There was a fence around the yard to keep people and animals from wandering into it as well. It was obviously higher quality to the other houses in the area and it stood out like a sore thumb.
A little girl came running around the building with that timing. She had an energetic smile on her face as she was dressed in a simple woolen dress. She looked to be around five years of age or so as she rounded the corner with two boys hot on her tail.
She looked vaguely familiar to Altair. But that would be impossible. After all, she was maybe five years old.
The children's energetic laughter instantly brightened the faces of all the women who were in the middle of cleaning. The air became filled with laughter and the sounds of children playing as Altair followed the girl with a dazed expression.
After an unknown amount of time to Altair, a man had appeared around the corner of the building. He stared with a shocked expression at Altair for a long moment before he softly called out with a voice full of doubt, "Altair?"
Altair's eyes twitched as she was drawn back to herself. 'No, not possible. I don't know anyone here,' she told herself as she turned to leave. She had gotten too caught up with the children playing just now and wasn't really paying much attention to her surroundings. Her name was anything but rare in her world. That young girl was probably who that person was calling for.
A familiar voice to Altair rang in out from behind her that was filled with pain and grief, "Altair!" Immediately following that were the sounds of footsteps running toward her.
Time seemed to slow down for Altair. 'That voice… Impossible. There's no way he could be here.'
'Don't look,' she told herself as she started to turn her head. 'It would be better if you didn't know.'
Altair couldn't stop herself from turning her head towards him as he called out her name again in a voice she still remembered. Her eyes quivered slightly upon seeing him.
'Traitor,' she told herself in a dark voice, 'Backstabber. Betrayer.'
'Brother,' she told herself softly.
A mix of anger and love flowed through her in a complicated mess. None of it showed on her face as her face paled slightly and she quickly drew back from him.
Sief was taller than the last time Altair saw her brother. He had grown older and his body became more bulky as his hard-worked body became impossible to conceal. There was a mixture of fear and sorrow in his eyes that looked at Altair.
'Why is here?' she asked herself knowing that she wouldn't get an answer. 'He should have been six towns away.'
She turned away abruptly before he could reach her and continued to walk away as if she didn't know him. 'We aren't family anymore.' She then told herself in a dark voice, 'I can't hesitate if he makes trouble for me.'
She could hear him approaching and felt the urge to turn around and call out to him. Her family had always been a weak spot to her. Even though they threw her out it still didn't erase all of the love she had grown up around.
She hated them at first. Until she found out that Demi-Humans weren't anything like what she was taught. When she found out the truth and acknowledged it, she couldn't continue hating them. They just didn't know the truth.
Sief grabbed Altair's arm and cried out right next to her, "Altair why are you running away from me?!"
Altair turned a confused look at him and shouted, "Let me go!" as she acted like she didn't know him. 'Let me go,' she pleaded in her mind, 'Don't make me kill you.'
Sief didn't get the message that Altair sent through her mind as he pulled her towards him while saying, "I won't turn you in! Altair please!"
All eyes were drawn to them. They all knew who he was as they had lived here for a while with him. They all heard the stories he would tell them about his childhood. Of course, those stories were filled with his two sisters, Aselia and Altair.
Altair ignored his words as she shouted back at him, "Who's Altair!? I'm Aria! Let me go you filthy commoner!" She then struggled more fiercely against his grasp as she hardened her emotions.
'I won't give in here. We don't live in the same world anymore. I am no longer his sister.'
Sief tightened his grip around Altair's hand. It was obvious to her from the bit of pain she felt that he was using Magic now. He pulled against her as she started burning her Mana to resist his pull. He shouted, "Calm down! I'm not going to hurt you!"
Altair gritted her teeth. 'Sorry,' she told him in her mind as she shouted and thrust her free hand at his torso with a burst of power.
It slammed into him like a boulder and he was sent reeling backwards with his grip lost on her. Surprisingly, he didn't fall over from taking the hit. Instead he looked at her with eyes filled with regret, as if he had a lot to say.
But Altair wasn't willing to hear any of it as she angrily shouted at him, "Don't ever touch me again! You damned commoner!" She then turned on her heel and fled back into the market.
She could still hear Sief shouting her name a few times as she vanished into the crowd.
'Why is he here? Does that mean my sister is here? Is that girl his daughter? Did he get married already?'
Dozens of questions flew through her mind as maneuvered through the crowd with her satchel to her chest. All of them were about her brother and the rest of her family. She could never bring herself to welcome him as a brother again but that didn't mean that she didn't hope for his own happiness.
'Why did he look at me that way? What have I missed?'
Altair ducked out of the crowd and into an alley. She ran through the maze-like interior of the town until she couldn't hear the hustle and bustle of the market anymore. She then planted her back to a building and took a deep breath to try and calm herself.
"Hey," a deep voice called out near Altair, "Give me back my bag girl!"
The old man happily replied, "Ten silvers!" It was obvious he was happy to have a buyer for that concoction. It was still covered by a little dust, but it didn't do anything to hide its visible contents. The crystal flask it was in itself was still in pristine condition and it was made to keep the scent of the alchemical contents inside of it.He had that kind of flask made just for the nobles who usually bought these sorts of things. He didn't predict that the last time someone would come looking for it would be over a year ago. He could barely remember where he put itAltair's expression visibly soured. She knew it wasn't even worth five silvers for the antidote. However, that was if it was in a generic container. The container the old man gave her was a crystal flask. She had no idea how much these were worth. She only knew it was commonly used by nobles to story liquids. She didn't know if it was really worth ten silvers in total though, even including that.She asked, "Is this a double dose of the antidote to be worth that much?"The old man immediately replied in a wounded tone, "Nonsense! It is a single dose. Don't try to consume only half of it if you suffer from the poison or it won't work at all!"Altair gave him a flat look as she continued, "Then why is it worth ten silvers?"The old man gave her an odd look in return, "This must be your first time buying such a thing. In the past it was common for the antidote to not be worth that much but nowadays its different." He really didn't know why a noble was trying to haggle over ten silvers. This was beyond him. Still, if she wanted to haggle, then he was going to have some fun. Noble or commoner, he had no intention of ever letting his entertainment down. Thus, he continued to spew lies, "The wolf population has been growing as of late and most alchemists can't afford the costs of hiring people to gather the materials needed for this particular tonic. As such, the price has gone up over the last few years."Altair looked at the antidote and shrugged. She then stood up and placed it on the chair she was on so she could grab the money out. She honestly didn't care. She had procured enough funds for something this cheap.When she pulled out the transparent bag, the old man's eyes nearly fell out with how shocked he was. He quickly stammered, "W-What is that bag made of?" Thoughts of haggling fled his mind immediately.Altair didn't look at him as she pulled out ten silver squares and replied tonelessly, "I don't know. Plastic I think." She then closed the bag and placed it back inside her satchel before handing the money to the old man without ceremony.The old man stared fixedly at the satchel by her side while taking the money. He had never seen such a flexible container that could be seen through. It was a little of a shock to him and he wanted to know where she got it. It would be quite valuable to him for being able to keep precious herbs separated properly and to see their quality over time for when they were at their best to mix them.Altair took the crystal flask and added it to her satchel while turning to leave. She didn't mind the old man still staring at her back as she exited the building.The market street was still packed with people. Altair didn't know how long she had been in there, but the sky was still clear and the sun was still in the air. She looked for the right timing to enter the throng before her and slipped between two women who were carrying baskets of fruit while holding her satchel to her chest. She then made her back out of the market, attempting to leave the same way she came to it.Unfortunately for her, there were too many people around who were moving this way and that. It was impossible for her to figure out where she had entered the market from. As a result, she wound up exiting somewhere she couldn't recognize and frowned deeply.She surveyed her surroundings. There was a well that had been dug up due to the locations distance from the river. Around the well were a group of women in the middle of washing their clothes. Surrounding the well were several houses cluttered together. There wasn't enough room to even walk between them.One of the houses was separate from the others and had enough room around it to have a small farm growing in their front yard. There was a fence around the yard to keep people and animals from wandering into it as well. It was obviously higher quality to the other houses in the area and it stood out like a sore thumb.A little girl came running around the building with that timing. She had an energetic smile on her face as she was dressed in a simple woolen dress. She looked to be around five years of age or so as she rounded the corner with two boys hot on her tail.She looked vaguely familiar to Altair. But that would be impossible. After all, she was maybe five years old.The children's energetic laughter instantly brightened the faces of all the women who were in the middle of cleaning. The air became filled with laughter and the sounds of children playing as Altair followed the girl with a dazed expression.After an unknown amount of time to Altair, a man had appeared around the corner of the building. He stared with a shocked expression at Altair for a long moment before he softly called out with a voice full of doubt, "Altair?"Altair's eyes twitched as she was drawn back to herself. 'No, not possible. I don't know anyone here,' she told herself as she turned to leave. She had gotten too caught up with the children playing just now and wasn't really paying much attention to her surroundings. Her name was anything but rare in her world. That young girl was probably who that person was calling for.A familiar voice to Altair rang in out from behind her that was filled with pain and grief, "Altair!" Immediately following that were the sounds of footsteps running toward her.Time seemed to slow down for Altair. 'That voice Impossible. There's no way he could be here.''Don't look,' she told herself as she started to turn her head. 'It would be better if you didn't know.'Altair couldn't stop herself from turning her head towards him as he called out her name again in a voice she still remembered. Her eyes quivered slightly upon seeing him.'Traitor,' she told herself in a dark voice, 'Backstabber. Betrayer.''Brother,' she told herself softly.A mix of anger and love flowed through her in a complicated mess. None of it showed on her face as her face paled slightly and she quickly drew back from him.Sief was taller than the last time Altair saw her brother. He had grown older and his body became more bulky as his hard-worked body became impossible to conceal. There was a mixture of fear and sorrow in his eyes that looked at Altair.'Why is here?' she asked herself knowing that she wouldn't get an answer. 'He should have been six towns away.'She turned away abruptly before he could reach her and continued to walk away as if she didn't know him. 'We aren't family anymore.' She then told herself in a dark voice, 'I can't hesitate if he makes trouble for me.'She could hear him approaching and felt the urge to turn around and call out to him. Her family had always been a weak spot to her. Even though they threw her out it still didn't erase all of the love she had grown up around.She hated them at first. Until she found out that Demi-Humans weren't anything like what she was taught. When she found out the truth and acknowledged it, she couldn't continue hating them. They just didn't know the truth.Sief grabbed Altair's arm and cried out right next to her, "Altair why are you running away from me?!"Altair turned a confused look at him and shouted, "Let me go!" as she acted like she didn't know him. 'Let me go,' she pleaded in her mind, 'Don't make me kill you.'Sief didn't get the message that Altair sent through her mind as he pulled her towards him while saying, "I won't turn you in! Altair please!"All eyes were drawn to them. They all knew who he was as they had lived here for a while with him. They all heard the stories he would tell them about his childhood. Of course, those stories were filled with his two sisters, Aselia and Altair.Altair ignored his words as she shouted back at him, "Who's Altair!? I'm Aria! Let me go you filthy commoner!" She then struggled more fiercely against his grasp as she hardened her emotions.'I won't give in here. We don't live in the same world anymore. I am no longer his sister.'Sief tightened his grip around Altair's hand. It was obvious to her from the bit of pain she felt that he was using Magic now. He pulled against her as she started burning her Mana to resist his pull. He shouted, "Calm down! I'm not going to hurt you!"Altair gritted her teeth. 'Sorry,' she told him in her mind as she shouted and thrust her free hand at his torso with a burst of power.It slammed into him like a boulder and he was sent reeling backwards with his grip lost on her. Surprisingly, he didn't fall over from taking the hit. Instead he looked at her with eyes filled with regret, as if he had a lot to say.But Altair wasn't willing to hear any of it as she angrily shouted at him, "Don't ever touch me again! You damned commoner!" She then turned on her heel and fled back into the market.She could still hear Sief shouting her name a few times as she vanished into the crowd.'Why is he here? Does that mean my sister is here? Is that girl his daughter? Did he get married already?'Dozens of questions flew through her mind as maneuvered through the crowd with her satchel to her chest. All of them were about her brother and the rest of her family. She could never bring herself to welcome him as a brother again but that didn't mean that she didn't hope for his own happiness.'Why did he look at me that way? What have I missed?'Altair ducked out of the crowd and into an alley. She ran through the maze-like interior of the town until she couldn't hear the hustle and bustle of the market anymore. She then planted her back to a building and took a deep breath to try and calm herself."Hey," a deep voice called out near Altair, "Give me back my bag girl!"
