Chapter 7

"Ding Ling~"

It was also at the moment when Afura finished speaking.

The wooden door of the tavern was pushed open.

The bell hanging on the door rang once again, producing a clear and pleasant sound.

This made Afura, Lily, and Light instinctively look up towards the entrance of the tavern.

With a tail growing from behind and a pair of pointed ears, wearing round-framed glasses and dressed in a suit, Demiurge appeared before the three of them.

Following Demiurge were more than twenty crew members, all with identical long swords at their waists.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter..."

The sound of their footsteps echoed densely and neatly in the tavern.

Demiurge had a faint smile on his face as he walked straight toward Carnes.

The more than twenty crew members behind him split into two rows upon entering the tavern, standing on both sides of the entrance, forming a path.

"This... is a pirate?" Light's eyes trembled slightly as he witnessed this scene.

An indescribable emotion surged within him.

Demiurge reached Carnes' side.

Facing Carnes, Demiurge respectfully bowed and humbly spoke.

"Apologies for keeping you waiting Captain."

"We have come to pick you up, Captain."

Hearing Demiurge refer to Carnes as Captain, Light hesitated for a moment and subconsciously looked at Carnes with an expression of disbelief.

"Captain...?"

Carnes didn't respond to Light.

Instead, he turned his head towards Demiurge, nodded, and softly replied.

"Very well, I understand."

With that, Carnes finished his drink in one gulp.

Then, he looked at Afura and spoke softly, "Well, I should be going now."

A gentle smile appeared on Afura's face.

"Wishing you the best of luck on your journey!"

"Mmm." Carnes responded, then turned and walked towards the exit of the tavern.

Demiurge glanced at Carnes' departing figure.

He could tell that the Captain and the people in this tavern seemed to have a close relationship.

After a momentary hesitation, Demiurge used magic to conjure a bag of gold coins from thin air. He turned to Afura and said, "This is payment for the drinks. Please allow me to cover it on behalf of the Captain."

Demiurge Placed the bag of gold coins on the counter.

As Afura, Lily, and Light watched Demiurge produce a bag of gold coins out of thin air, their eyes widened in astonishment.

But as Afura was about to politely decline the gold coins given by Demiurge, he had already caught up with Carnes, who was leaving.

The crew members standing on both sides followed the footsteps of Carnes and Demiurge after they passed.

They arrived swiftly and left just as swiftly.

In no time, they had left the tavern.

In the vast tavern, only Afura and her family remained.

Lily tugged at Afura's clothes, her eyes flickering with an inquisitive expression.

"Mom, did Carnes grandpa really leave? What that big brother said, is it true?"

Afura turned her head to look at Lily, a loving smile on her face.

"Yes, it's true, Lily. Are you going to miss Carnes grandpa?"

Lily didn't speak but nodded sincerely.

Afura seemed to share the same feeling. She gently rubbed Lily's head and murmured to herself.

"Yes, after spending so much time together, it's natural to feel a bit reluctant..."

"Light, go and close the door. We won't be open tonight."

"Oh," Light replied and ran.

"Well, Mom, I don't understand. Why did Carnes grandpa leave? Wouldn't it be better for him to stay in the town and live with us? He's already quite old."

Hearing Light address Carnes as grandpa instead of old man, Afura couldn't help but show a hint of surprise.

But quickly, she smiled and responded.

"Because, Carnes grandpa has something very important to do. He's been waiting for this."

"Alright, after resting early tonight, tomorrow will be busy."

"Oh/Okay~" Both Light and Lily replied simultaneously.

Shortly after, Afura went upstairs.

She entered a room.

Sitting on the bed in the room, Afura picked up a photo placed on the bedside table.

In the photo, there were three adults and one child.

They stood in a row, with a man holding a little girl in his arms in the middle.

Standing to the left of the man with brown hair was a man with black hair.

To the right stood a woman with long golden hair.

The little girl in the photo was a young Afura, who has now grown up.

The man holding her was her father, and the woman with golden hair on the right was her mother.

As for the man with black hair on the left, it was a young Carnes!

At that time, Afura was still very young, and her parents were also young.

She gently caressed the photo, murmuring to herself.

"Dad, Uncle Carnes, he went out to sea."

"You may not believe it if I tell you, but Uncle Carnes has become younger."

Saying that, Afura instinctively looked up at the ceiling and couldn't help but exclaim.

"Ah~ When I saw him just now, I was startled. I almost thought he was a relative of Uncle Carnes."

"It's really surprising."

"He seems to have become even younger than me."

"I almost didn't recognize him..."

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