[Don't worry about my special ability. My strength isn't limited to it. Now, tell me, who do you think is stronger?]
Alvin didn't understand why Mr. Pie avoided revealing his ability. Could it be a weak ability? Or perhaps… this planet relies on scams and fraud to earn money—could that be his power? Fraud!
"I don't know," Alvin replied. Strength was something Alvin couldn't define. It could lie in intelligence, physical power, speed, and many other traits.
Planet Merrill had the power of healing, which meant it had endurance. Fighting it would be difficult. On the other hand, Mr. Pie was a clever planet, and it wouldn't be surprising if he betrayed his opponent—especially considering he was a scammer.
Choosing between them was difficult. Alvin sighed in annoyance at how abruptly the conversation had ended—Mr. Pie had already walked away without saying anything more.
He went back to lying down and watching the sky, but it wasn't satisfying. He turned right, then left, yet boredom wouldn't leave him.
From the edge of the carpet, Alvin looked down—they were at the edge of the desert, where gypsies usually lived due to the nearby small oases.
He glanced at Merrill and Elena, who were still flying far away. It seemed they were heading toward the middle of the desert. Alvin looked back at the gypsy tents—most of them were in poor condition. Until… his eyes caught sight of someone!
Someone was dragging something into one of the tents. Alvin immediately halted his carpet to get a better look, but the scene wasn't clear from such a height, so he had to descend into the desert.
He landed cautiously on the sand, sword in hand, walking slowly toward the tent, fully prepared to tear apart anything that came at him. But as the image became clearer and Alvin saw what was happening inside, he stopped in disappointment...
It was a boy, probably in his twenties, eating the flesh of a dead woman...
Was Alvin's disappointment for the boy's miserable state and the fact he had to resort to cannibalism? Or was it because he'd seen this scene before…? Alvin didn't know the answer.
Both Merrill and Elena gasped in shock at the sight. Merrill's eyes filled with tears that quickly spilled down her cheeks. Elena, on the other hand, was looking at Alvin more than the boy… and she knew he was thinking about that incident from many years ago.
The boy panicked upon seeing strangers outside. He grabbed a dagger he'd been using to cut the meat and lunged toward Alvin, determined to kill him. He was far too weak—Alvin knew that as he caught the boy's hand and forced him to drop the weapon.
But the boy didn't stop—he was extremely aggressive, lashing out with punches and kicks. Alvin pulled him into a reverse hold, tightening his arms around the boy's small frame.
"Alvin, he's poisoned!" Merrill said anxiously.
Alvin had known that the moment his hand touched the boy's. But since the child was still alive and functioning, it meant the poison in his body had no effect on him.
In any case, the poison had no effect on Alvin either—the thread of life Merrill had woven inside him was still there, and she was actively healing him.
"I'm fine," he said curtly. He didn't like Merrill, but he couldn't deny that she kept helping him despite how poorly he treated her.
The boy kept struggling violently in Alvin's arms without making a sound. He was trying to escape in complete silence. Alvin held him for several minutes, during which he assessed the boy's condition—physically and mentally—then purchased a few elixirs and forced him to drink them.
Several more minutes passed, and the boy began to calm down. He no longer moved or tried to bite Alvin. His chest rose and fell rapidly from the earlier struggle, and his pale gray eyes kept staring at Alvin in fear.
The boy said nothing, not a single sound, but Alvin could read the emotions in his eyes clearly. Alvin pulled a piece of cloth from his storage and covered the boy with it to shield him from the sunlight, then gently carried him toward another tent nearby.
As soon as he arrived, he moved to another section of the tent after telling Merrill not to follow him. Alvin and the boy were alone.
He gently removed the cloth covering the boy's face and saw the fear in his expression. Speaking softly, he said, "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you."
The boy didn't reply—he just stared into Alvin's eyes, his heart pounding fast. Alvin patted his head and smoothed his black hair, then asked again, "Do you understand what I'm saying?"
The boy hesitated and looked away. Alvin knew he understood, but he was still scared. He opened the system store again and bought another elixir—this one to calm the boy's nerves and help him relax. After making him drink it, Alvin gently pulled him into a hug and repeated softly, "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you."
The elixir did its job. The boy's nerves settled, his body relaxed, and he slowly reached out to return Alvin's hug, nodding his head in answer to the earlier question.
—[You have a tender heart.]
Alvin made sure the boy's face was tucked into his chest, then raised his finger toward the system screen where Mr. Pie could see him. He ignored the man's presence and went back to the store, buying lots of water and other items for a proper bath—he was determined to clean the boy up well.
In the other section of the tent, Merrill waited anxiously for Alvin to return with the child, while Elena stared absently at the cloth spread out on the sand.
"Do you think he'll kill him?" Merrill asked nervously.
"Don't worry. Alvin is gentle with children."
That was in the past—before he traveled to the city of Serenthia. Maybe he'd changed. Maybe he wasn't gentle anymore. After all, he was Alvin—moody, with a harsh view of the world and everything in it.
"Elena, did you notice that?" Meryl asked hesitantly, her tone cautious.
Elena looked at her with furrowed brows, prompting Meryl to continue,
"The baby's skin… it was dark, with white patches."
Elena tried to recall the child's appearance in her mind, but she couldn't be sure—most of her attention had been on Elvin.
"Maybe he was just dirty," she said, uncertainly.
"No. Maybe he's… afflicted by that curse!"
"What curse?"
Meryl leaned closer to Elena and lowered her voice as she said,
"The curse of vitiligo, the one that affects the people of Eldoria."
Eldoria, a city at the far east, was forbidden to enter by order of the Emperor himself. Scholars and philosophers claim that the people of Eldoria were cursed by the god for committing numerous taboos.
The curse manifests as a disease that darkens the skin with white patches. Only the people of that city are known to suffer from it.
At first, these were just rumors—but they became an enforced truth under imperial orders.
Elvin emerged from the other side of the tent, carrying the child—and the two girls couldn't hide their astonishment.
His skin truly was dark with white patches... Could he really be cursed?
But he's here, in Noxara! No one outside of Eldoria is supposed to be afflicted!
Meryl gathered her composure faster than Elena and said with admiration,
"Oh my god, you look so beautiful!"
Meryl's astonishment wasn't just at the child's skin or his sudden change in demeanor—it was the fact that Elvin was the one who helped him!
Maybe Elena was right… maybe Elvin really *was* kind to children.
The child hid behind Elvin, frightened by the loud voices. Elvin picked him up and walked over to sit near the girls, placing the little one gently in his lap.
Meryl stared at the boy's clothes for a moment. He wore a loose white jacket with long, wide sleeves that hung messily and covered part of his hands. Underneath, he had on a black turtleneck that reached slightly up his neck.
He wore black trousers and a belt that hung off his waist, and his black boots had high collars. It was obvious Elvin had spent quite a bit of money on the boy's outfit.
Seeing that made Meryl's heart warm. It was genuinely sweet to witness this side of Elvin—and it seemed she wasn't the only one moved by his gentleness.
Even the small child seemed at ease in his lap, resting his head on Elvin's shoulder, his eyes hidden against Elvin's neck.
For the boy, it wasn't just kindness that comforted him—it was the scent, too.
Elvin smelled faintly of fruit—soft, pleasant to breathe in, and deeply relaxing.
"Meryl," Elvin called gently.
It was the first time he had ever spoken to her with such a respectful tone—so much so that her eyes widened in shock.
— "Can you cleanse his body from the poison?"
"Ah… judging by his condition, it seems the poison has become a part of his body," she replied, her eyes fixed on the child. Then she added with a touch of sorrow, "To be honest, I'm not yet at the level where I can purify an entire body from poison."
"It's alright, Tulip. I'll find a way," Elvin said gently, running his fingers through her black hair, streaked with scattered strands of white.
"Is his name Tulip?" Meryl asked, surprised by how beautiful the name sounded.
"No. I named him that—because he's as beautiful as a tulip flower," Elvin answered, deepening Meryl's confusion about his strangely gentle demeanor.
Elvin had been searching the shop for tasty food for his sweet Tulip when he felt a subtle tremor beneath the tent. Gradually, the trembling grew into a quake that forced them all to rush outside.
Elvin placed Tulip in Meryl's lap and shouted, "Get on your carpet and fly high! Elena and I will handle the fight—your focus should be on healing us and protecting Tulip!"
Elena was supposed to be the brave one—after all, it was she who insisted on coming. But when she saw the massive vortex forming before them, dizziness hit her, and her legs began to tremble slightly…