Chapter_24: Lowfire Market

Ragnar wiped the remnants of salad from his mouth and sipped his tea with a satisfied smile. "I'm finally finished!" he exclaimed joyfully.

"You're finally done eating all those salads, Ragnar. We've been waiting for you for ten minutes," Bane said, clearly annoyed after waiting with Garnette.

Garnette sat next to him, smiling kindly at Ragnar without a hint of annoyance. "You're finally done, Ragnar," she said in a gentle tone.

Ragnar stood up, still smiling, and expressed his gratitude to Grandma Ethel. "It was a delicious meal; thank you," he said sincerely.

As he stretched his arms, his determination was evident. "I should continue with my order now. I don't want to return to the castle after dark, like last night."

"You're leaving already? It's not even an hour, and you haven't rested your injuries," Grandma Ethel asked with concern, leaving Bane and Falco puzzled.

"Injuries?" Bane inquired, concerned.

Ragnar turned to Bane, who looked perplexed, and replied, "I'll tell you about that later."

Bane resisted the urge to let Ragnar explain his injuries, choosing instead to remain silent. Ragnar, noticing Bane's resistance, smiled at him before resuming his conversation with Grandma Ethel.

Garnette also felt concerned about the possibility of poison in the arrow that had pierced Ragnar's skin. Like Bane, she resisted the urge and put her trust in Ragnar.

"Just trust me; nothing bad will happen to me," Ragnar reassured them, his eyes lacking any hint of fear and his tone tinged with humor.

"Are you certain, Ragnar? You're a big guy, but what if the injury worsens?" Grandma Ethel asked, her tone gentle as she tried to repress her own doubts.

"Yes, have faith in me. Nothing bad will happen, and I can assure you that this injury will be healed in just a day," Ragnar insisted.

After bidding Grandma Ethel farewell, Ragnar and Garnette prepared to leave. Grandma Ethel, having no other choice, accepted Ragnar's assurance and gave him a sly smile as she stood up to wave goodbye. "Goodbye, young ones. Especially you, Bane. Take care, all of you."

Ragnar and Garnette waved back as they left the house, while Bane stayed behind. He expressed his gratitude to Grandma Ethel, saying, "Thank you, Grandma, for letting me stay here for a day. Take care, all of you."

Bane joined them in leaving the house. Once the three of them were out of sight, Grandma Ethel noticed the two brooms Ragnar and Bane had left against the wall.

"Hey Falco, could you take those up to the second floor?" Grandma Ethel asked her son, Falco, who nodded and promptly carried out her request.

…

Ragnar and Garnette strolled steadily, with Bane following behind. They navigated through the narrow corners of the district and the bustling streets, where a crowd of people filled every part of the area.

The reason for these crowds in every corner of the district might be due to the street performances by famous individuals in the city or sometimes even the entire realm. People preferred to watch the performances with popular rather than unpopular individuals, hence the streets were often packed.

Ragnar and the two companions paused to watch some street performances—dancing, singing, and even comedic acts. After a brief moment, they continued on their way.

They passed through several gates and stairs as they made their way down the district. Some gates were guarded, causing their journey to be longer, but there were also unguarded gates, allowing them to continue without any trouble.

Descending the long stairs, the wind gently caressed their hair, and they gazed at the breeze blowing through.

After a lengthy journey in the district, they finally arrived at the last gate of the district, where more guards awaited. Fortunately, Garnette's position as a maid in the main castle expedited the process.

As they passed through the last gate, a new district lay ahead. It was a district teeming with markets and company buildings—fruit companies, rice companies, technological companies, and even a bank.

The district was known as "Lowfire Market."

They encountered many workers who appeared to be busy with their tasks. Mostly men were seen lifting sacks of rice or fruits or driving carriages headed to a warehouse.

They descended to the steep road, making their way to the large gate where the farmlands lay.

From their vantage point, the district was noisier and busier than Lowfire District, but the population was smaller. It seemed like a challenging district to live in, although it was designed for industrialization rather than residential purposes.

Finally, after a long journey from the Lowfire District to this district, they reached the gate for entering the farmlands. More guards stood near the gate as carriages entered the district.

After completing the necessary procedures, they finally reached the farmlands, their destination, in search of the farmer.

The farmlands were essentially a district designated for farmers, as the name suggests. It was probably the most peaceful district to live in due to its natural surroundings.

After exploring the farmlands, they walked down the hill and, upon further inspection, beheld the vast and expansive farms. They were all amazed by the length and the tranquil view, except for Garnette.

"Now that I think about it, we didn't see this view when we arrived here because it was nighttime. But now—now that I've seen this, I'm amazed that we didn't notice this kind of view," Bane expressed his amazement at the scenery.

Ragnar was still puzzled about why Bane remembered this as the place they rested for a night before the long night. But he knew that keeping his questions to himself could only make things worse, so he continued.

"This is indeed a beautiful scenery," Ragnar also expressed.

"But let's continue to complete this order first," Ragnar continued.

"Order?" Bane asked, confused.

"Yes, order. Lady Ana ordered me to pay a farmer 5 Gold Coins for the wheat she purchased."

"So that's why—the reason why you two brought me here was to pay a farmer, huh?" Bane replied to his explanation.

"Yes, but I have another piece of information about this farmer that I didn't tell you about, so please forgive me," Garnette said with a shy smile.

"What information is that?" Bane inquired.

"The farmer's name is Poppy, an old man with almost bald hair. That's what Lady Ana told me."

Ragnar lightly gazed at her and smiled, saying, "Then we'll have to find this guy."

As Ragnar jumped happily, he felt a sting on his shoulder and let out a huge sound.

"Ragnar!" Bane said as he hurriedly tried to support him.

Bane slowly placed Ragnar on the ground, where he sat.

"Ragnar, you should just stay here first and rest. We'll handle the rest," Garnette said with concern.

"No, Garnette. You should stay with him while I pay that farmer," Bane said with confidence.

Garnette did not insist but accepted it with no choice as she gazed at Ragnar. She nodded and retrieved five gold coins from her pocket as she handed them to Bane.

Bane nodded with determination as he strolled down the hill, heading to the barns and houses.

What was left was only Ragnar and Garnette. They were quiet for a while, but a strong wind blew rapidly on them. They both smiled at the wind and the birds above them.

Ragnar felt calm, while Garnette felt an emotion deep within that she could describe as eternal trust. At this moment, she felt that Ragnar was no longer a stranger to her but a close friend.

An overwhelming trust was deep within her as she said, in a quiet tone, "Ragnar, I want to tell you something—something precious to me that no one in the castle knew except Mr. Smith and the maids."

Ragnar slowly gazed at her with a confused look.

"Ragnar, I want to tell you about my childhood—the hell of my childhood."

Ragnar did not respond, but acted like he wanted Garnette to continue, so she did.

"When I was just nine, I lived in a calm household in the east with two older sisters. But a single night changed it all; the empire unexpectedly invaded our village and destroyed every piece of it.

"That village was no more, and my families were dead in front of me. The soldiers captured a few children from the village, and they would do every single wrong thing to us. I was a mole rat—for years I was a mole rat.

"But unexpectedly, Mr. Smith would buy all of the girls from the empire, and he raised us to be the maids now. For ten whole years, I was a mole rat, a mole rat with no dreams but to get assaulted daily if I do something wrong.

"Today, I am determined to do anything for Mr. Smith; I would do everything for him, even as a maid."

"That was it—it was a short story, but an impactful one for me."

Garnette closed her eyes and smiled gracefully at Ragnar.

"The things you've done to me today were at par with what Mr. Smith did to us. Ragnar, I am thankful for meeting you," Garnette said in an honest tone.

"Then, I am thankful that you are happy. You're welcome, Garnette."

The two continued to talk for minutes and decided to get quiet while Ragnar rested. And after a long wait, Bane finally arrived with a bag of bread in his hands.

He gazed at both of them and noticed that Ragnar was sleeping. But Ragnar noticed that Bane was there and decided to wake up.

"Bane, you're here with a bag."

"Let's eat this first before going to the castle."