Jealousy

Amukelo followed the girl outside, where a neatly stacked pile of logs awaited him. The woodpile was substantial, with logs of varying sizes stacked against the side of the house. The girl gestured toward it, her expression serious but friendly. "We need to chop this down," she said. "The pig is so big that it's going to take a lot of time to cook, which means we'll need a lot of firewood to keep the fire going."

Amukelo nodded. "Got it. This shouldn't take too long."

He picked up the first log, placing it upright on a chopping block nearby. Gripping the axe firmly, he swung it down in a smooth motion, splitting the log cleanly in half. He set the pieces aside, then took one of the halves and split it again into quarters. As he worked, the girl watched quietly, her hands resting on her hips.

"Wait," she said after a moment. "You don't need to chop them that small. Halves will be enough."

Amukelo paused, looking over his shoulder. "Oh. Well, that makes it even faster."

The girl chuckled softly. "Yeah, no need to overdo it."

With the clarification, Amukelo made quick work of the pile. The axe rose and fell in a steady rhythm, each swing sending a satisfying crack through the air as the logs split. He worked efficiently, stacking the halved pieces into a neat pile near the fire pit. The girl occasionally handed him another log, and they exchanged a few words here and there, mostly about how much wood they thought the pig would need.

Before long, the entire pile was chopped and neatly stacked. Amukelo wiped the sweat from his brow, glancing over at the girl. "That should do it, right?"

She nodded, a small smile on her face. "Yeah, this is perfect. Thanks for helping."

Just as they finished, the grandmother stepped outside, holding a folded piece of paper in her hands. "I've got the shopping list ready," she announced. She walked over and handed the list to the girl, who took it and skimmed over it quickly.

The grandmother turned to Amukelo with a smile. "Thank you for chopping the wood, young man. Now, you can help my granddaughter with the shopping. It's a bit of a heavy load."

"Of course," Amukelo said, brushing his hands off on his pants. "Let's go."

The girl led Amukelo down the cobblestone streets toward the market. As they walked, the girl glanced over at him. "By the way, my name's Sara," she said, breaking the silence. "Nice to meet you."

Amukelo smiled and nodded. "I'm Amukelo. Nice to meet you too."

They walked in companionable silence for a few moments before Sara stopped in front of a small store. "This is the first stop," she said, pushing open the door.

Inside, the scent of grain and flour filled the air. Shelves lined the walls, stacked with bags of flour, sacks of oats, and various other dry goods. Sara handed the shopkeeper the list, and after a brief exchange, the man returned with a large bag of flour.

Amukelo stepped forward without hesitation, hoisting the bag onto his shoulder as though it weighed nothing. Sara raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed.

"We can take this back to the house," she suggested. "It must be heavy."

Amukelo shook his head, smiling. "It's fine. It's not that heavy, really. I can carry more."

Sara chuckled, her skepticism giving way to amusement. "Alright. We've got a few more stops to make, then."

The next few hours were spent weaving through the bustling market, stopping at various shops and stalls to gather the items on the list. They picked up vegetables, spices, oils, and other supplies needed for the party preparations. Each time they left a shop, Amukelo insisted on carrying the heavier bags, his arms gradually filling with bundles of goods.

By the end of the trip, Amukelo was carrying the large bag of flour over one shoulder and a bag of groceries in his other hand. Sara carried a smaller bag in both hands, clearly grateful for his help. They exchanged a few casual remarks as they walked, their pace steady as they made their way back toward the house.

Sara, walking beside him with her much smaller bag, glanced up at him curiously. "So," she began, "how did you get so strong? You've done all these tasks without getting tired, and even now, with all those heavy groceries, you don't seem to be struggling at all."

Amukelo chuckled lightly, shifting the flour bag on his shoulder to a more comfortable position. "Honestly? I think it's just because I'm used to fighting monsters. Swinging a sword, carrying gear—it all builds up over time. Compared to that, helping you out feels… easy."

Sara tilted her head, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Fighting monsters, huh? I guess that makes sense. You must train much. I don't know much about adventurers, but wouldn't a quest like this be rather a low rank? You seem to be qualified for much more difficult quests."

Amukelo sighed, shaking his head. " I trained before, but I just became an adventurer recently, so I still have the lowest rank. But I'm not from Llyn. And that's the problem. Since I got there, I don't really have the best place to train. My friend recommended a training facility here in town, but there's an entry fee, and I don't have enough funds for it yet. It's frustrating because I feel like I could improve so much if I had a proper place to train."

Sara's face brightened as an idea came to her. "If you're looking for a place to practice, I might know of somewhere."

Amukelo turned to her. "Really? Where?"

"There's an old building near the edge of town," she explained. "It hasn't been used in years, but it has a few training dummies left over from when some old soldiers used to train there. If you bring your own wooden sword, I don't think anyone would mind if you used it."

Amukelo's eyes widened. "Wow, really? You don't know how much that would help me. Sara, you're a lifesaver."

Sara chuckled at his enthusiasm. "It's no big deal. I'm just glad I could help."

Meanwhile, Pao was making her way back to the inn, holding a small stack of blank papers she had picked up from the market. Her pen had run out of ink earlier, cutting her studies short, and she had decided to use the walk to try to mentally review the spell she was learning. Her lips moved silently as she repeated the incantation under her breath, trying to picture the flow of energy in her mind.

As she walked, her attention wandered to the street ahead, and she froze mid-step. There, a short distance away, was Amukelo, walking alongside a girl she didn't recognize. Pao's heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. She instinctively raised her hand, wanting to call out to him, but the words caught in her throat. Her gaze shifted to the girl walking beside him, her light demeanor and the way she glanced at Amukelo as they talked.

Pao's chest tightened as a flood of questions filled her mind. Who is she? she thought, lowering her hand slowly. Amukelo was supposed to be questing today… is this part of the quest?

As Pao watched, Amukelo laughed. "Wow, really, you don't know how much you're helping me, Sara," he said.

Pao's stomach churned. Sara? Who's Sara? she wondered. Her fingers tightened around the papers she was holding. If this is part of the quest, why is he calling her by name? A pang of jealousy surged through her, followed by guilt for feeling that way. Maybe I'm overthinking it. But what did she help him with?

Unable to resist, Pao followed them at a distance, her steps quiet and deliberate. Her heart raced with each word she overheard from their conversation. She couldn't make out everything, but the lightness in their voices unsettled her. She ducked behind a stall as they turned a corner, then peeked around cautiously to keep them in sight.

Amukelo and Sara's conversation continued as they approached the house. Pao's unease grew with each passing moment. I shouldn't be following him like this, she thought, biting her lip. But why does it feel like I have to?

As they arrived at the house, Sara opened the door and motioned for Amukelo to enter. He stepped inside, still carrying the heavy bags with ease. Pao lingered just outside, watching from the shadows. Her thoughts were a whirlwind of confusion and doubt.

Is this part of the quest? Is it something else? Why didn't he mention this girl to any of us? She folded her arms tightly, trying to shake off the strange feeling in her chest. Maybe I'm being silly, she told herself. It's just a quest. It has to be.

Still, she didn't leave. Standing just out of sight, Pao leaned against a nearby wall, her gaze fixed on the door Amukelo had just entered. She told herself she was waiting for a good moment to approach him, but deep down, she wasn't sure if she was ready to hear whatever explanation might come.