With the young girl on his back, Alex entered the Moonlight Inn.
There were a lot of customers dining inside the first floor and when they saw him with a young girl on his back, they looked at Alex strangely, some smirked.
However, Alex ignored them and continued, he stopped when he saw Lea, Ms. Lana's daughter. She greeted him but when saw that Alex had a beautiful young girl on back her expression turned cold.
Alex was expecting something like so, he asked.
"Lea please call your mother out. I need to talk to her. Also, I would need your help."
Lea looked at Alex for a while before disappearing into the kitchen. Soon, Lea reappears with her mother, when Ms. Lana saw Alex and the young girl on his back, she smiled and decided to tease him.
"Oh my, Alex came back tonight with a young girl. How bold. She seems too young, don't you think?"
Alex sighed before explaining to her what happened, her smiling face disappeared and her expression turned serious. After listening to Alex she asked Lea to take care of the young girl.
Alex excused and went upstairs in his room to clean himself, change into new clothes before coming back.
When Alex descended he saw the young girl dressed in new clothes, probably Lea's clothes. Lea and her sat around a table. Alex went toward the two and sat. Lea smiled while the young girl bowed her head and say.
"Thank you Big brother for rescuing Gracier. I'm grateful for your help."
"Oh, so Gracier was your name. What a good name." Alex complimented. Gracier smiled, happy to have her name praised.
"You welcome Gracier. How are you feeling now?" Alex asked while looking at her in the eyes.
Gracier averted her eyes before answering.
"I'm fine Big brother. It just that I'm a little hungry."
"Oh! Don't worry. The dish will be served soon."
It was Lea who replied, as for me Alex, he only smiled before asking Gracier to correct the way she addressed him.
"You can call me Alexander, Alex if it's too long to call."
"No Big brother, is Big brother."
An instant rejection, Alex was flabbergasted by her reaction. Lea smiled while looking at them.
Now that Alex took a closer look at Gracier, she was different from humans. Her ears were a little longer than human ear, while it was shorter than elves ear. She is a Half-elf.
In book, you could often read that Half-elf is hated by the Elves. Alex wondered if it is true in this world as well.
"Big brother, Big brother Alex."
Gracier shouted Alex's name, he was lost in his thoughts so he didn't hear her. It seemed that she had been called him since a while ago.
"Sorry, I was thinking about something. So, what were you asking me earlier?" Alex asked.
"No, Big sister Lea said that she's coming. She went into the kitchen to help her mother. She will be back soon with our dish. She asked me to tell you that." Gracier explained.
"I see," Alex replied when he wanted to start a discussion and some questions, Lea and Ms. Lana came with their meals.
Ms. Lana sat with them, when Alex asked her if she didn't have work to do, she replied saying that it was okay. The four ate, Gracier ate voraciously, it seems that she did not have a proper meal for a while. She was a little famished and now that she saw a lot of dishes in front of her, she could not control herself anymore, hence she ate to her heart content.
Finally, it was time for discussion. Therefore, Alex asked.
"Gracier, where are your parents?"
The moment she heard the word 'parents', tears started to fall from Gracier's eyes.
''Oh c'mon. Now you made her cry." Lea criticized Alex for making Gracier cry.
"Lea, shut up will you?"
Ms. Lana admonished her daughter, the latter pouted while glaring at me. Alex ignored her.
Gracier started telling them about her story as she cried. It was a typical tragedy.
Gracier grew up happily in a normal household composed only of her and her mother. They lived in a small village located fifty kilometers south of Eria town. She never saw her father. Her father was said to be Adventurer, after learning that Gracier's mother was pregnant, he disappeared leaving Five gold coins behind. With this money her mother raised her, their lives were simple, yet they were happy.
Gracier grew up and made many friends with whom she liked to play around the village. Life in the village was simple, everyone was friendly toward her even when she was a Half-elf. She lived happily with her mother and the other villagers.
She thought that things would continue like this until one day, their village was assaulted by a group of monsters, more than fifty goblins attacked the village. If only there were only goblins it would have been good, however, mixed with the goblin was orcs and goblins shaman.
The hundred and plus villagers were massacred, few women were captured. Her mother was raped until she died in front of her, the village chief and her friends sacrificed their lives for her to escape to inform the guild about the monster invasion.
She flees, running madly toward Eria town without stopping even once, nor she ate as the day went by and soon she saw a caravan. She became happy thinking that the person inside the caravan would help her. Sadly, the reality was cruel, she was caught instead of receiving help, nobody listened to her even when she shouted. Those men planned to sell once they enter Eria town to slave traders.
She managed to escape after entering the town, however, she was soon caught and it was at that time Alex rescued her.
By the end of her story, Lea was already crying holding Gracier's hand. Ms. Lana's expression was heavy. Even Alex felt sad for her.
"You have endured a lot, Gracier. Now, it's okay you can cry to your heart content.''
Ms. Lana said while rubbing Gracier on the head. The latter cried a lot. After a few minutes, she stopped crying.
''What are you planning to do now Alex.'' Ms. Lana asked Alex.
Alex was a little troubled, Alex must report this information to the guild. He bet they would be informed by now. As for Gracier, Alex was planning to let her stay in an orphanage or she could stay here and work in the kitchen with Ms. Lana and Lea.
When Alex explained his thoughts to Ms. Lana and the other, Ms. Lana did not say anything, same for Lea, she was looking at Alex strangely.
However, there was someone whose reaction was totally different. Gracier expression turned pale, she started crying when she heard that Alex was planning to let her stay in an orphanage or stay and work here.
"Um, please… I'll do anything, don't abandon me, Big brother. I went to be Adventurer like you big brother, to kill monsters and repay you my debt. I want to go on an adventure with you Big brother. So, please," Gracier desperately pleaded while bowing her head.
''So she says.'' Ms. Lana and Lea say, not trying to dissuade Gracier, they knew that they could not change her mind after looking at her eyes. It was the eyes of someone determined, someone who is sure of what she wants and what to do.
Alex contemplated, it's good that she wanted to become an adventure to kill monsters and help him but Alex did not need a burden. She may or may not be useful to him. When Alex was lost in his thoughts, Silveria who had stayed silent since the incident finally spoke, and what she said astonished him.
〖Master, accept her. You'll not regret it, I can assure you that. Later you will understand.〗
"Alright, I understand. Tomorrow we will go to the Adventurer guild together to register you and after we will see."
"Yes... Thank you, Big brother, I promise I'll work hard to not burden you."
Gracier says, looking happy, Ms. Lana and Lea smiled as well.
Perhaps she finally felt reassured due to Alex's words. She soon fell asleep and before falling asleep she said that left us bewildered.
''I'll with Big brother. Don't worry I know that Big brother will not do anything to me.'' Gracier announced suddenly.
Ms. Lana chuckled while Lea glared at Alex as though he was guilty.
Spare me from trouble will you? Alex mumbled feeling a headache coming.
Finally, it was decided that she will sleep with Alex because no matter what Lea did, Gracier refused to sleep elsewhere other than in Alex's room. So, Alex was forced to switch to a double bedroom.
After letting Gracier sleep in the right bed, Alex went to sleep in the right bed.
Looking at Gracier's sleeping face Alex's eyelids became heavier little by little until he also fell asleep.