The bodies of both Haruki and Yamika trembled as they listened to this tragic story, and how the life of a human, someone like them, had ended in this world. Haruki was practically shaking all over, unable to imagine that monsters could reach such a level of… savagery.
Yamika, on the other hand, received the story with anger; her fists clenched tightly at her sides until her knuckles turned white, and she kept her head lowered. Yet behind that anger lay a subtle fear… perhaps of the story itself, or perhaps of something deeper.
Noroi stepped closer to the counter, the gleam of the oni mask reflecting off the glass of his gas mask. He lifted his gaze toward the goblin, his voice muffled by the mask as he spoke.
"How much is it?"
Haruki and Yamika's eyes widened in shock, both left speechless by surprise. Meanwhile, the dwarf's grin stretched wide, revealing rows of yellow teeth, as he answered in a falsely sweet tone.
"Oh, my dear young man, this is a rare piece… its price will be high."
The goblin studied Noroi's face, expecting to see amazement, but was met only with cold indifference. His shoulders slumped in disappointment, the grin fading as he rolled his eyes with annoyance.
"Fine… take it for five coins."
"Four."
"Deal."
The goblin's reply came instantly to Noroi's blunt counter-offer. Without hesitation, Noroi pulled four coins from the pocket of his cloak and placed them on the counter. The dwarf snatched them greedily, clutching them to his chest and inhaling their metallic scent as though it were sweeter than musk to his heart.
He then tossed the mask upward toward Noroi ,but Yamika's hand shot up quickly, catching it midair.
Yamika placed the mask directly onto her face, as if she had finally found something that allowed her to lift her head high.
In the back, the goblin merchant was rolling the coins between his fingers one by one with affection, muttering to himself while chuckling softly.
"I've scored another deal… I mean, nothing to lose, I stole the mask from the site before the fire could melt it, hehe…"
Once the three were out of the merchant's earshot, Yamika quickened her steps and seized Noroi's arm harshly, forcing him to turn toward her until his masked face was directly in front of hers. She spoke in a low voice, laced with restrained fury.
"Why did you buy this thing? I don't want to wear the mask of a girl who was burned alive!"
No expression could be seen from behind Noroi's mask. He calmly raised his hand, then smacked the forehead of her mask with his palm, making her head jerk back slightly, before remarking with a muffled, mocking tone from behind the mask.
"Because it's ugly… like you."
Noroi pulled his arm free from Yamika's grip, leaving her frozen in place, still trying to process what he had said.
Haruki pressed a hand against his mask as if it could stop his laughter from bursting out, before he hurried to run after Noroi.
A sharp scowl formed on Yamika's lips, and she muttered under her breath.
"Idiot…"
Then she quickened her pace to catch up with them.
The three continued on their way until they stopped before a clothing shop, where a scowling ogress stood behind a table, her lower tusks jutting upward.
But the moment their feet touched the threshold of the shop, the ogress's nose twitched suddenly, as though struck by a strong scent. She strode out from behind the table with sharp, fast steps, approaching them directly.
The three froze in place at her unsettling movements. Cold sweat trickled down their bodies… had she discovered them?
The ogress bent down toward Haruki, sniffing him intently. The boy held his breath, unable to move a muscle. Then she straightened slowly, her narrow eyes scrutinizing them one by one. She circled them with slow steps, the air growing heavier with every moment of silence.
Finally, she stopped in front of Yamika. Her yellow eyes lifted to meet hers, scanning her body from head to toe as though searching for something specific. Suddenly, a wide smile spread across her face, and she threw her arms around Yamika in a crushing embrace, lifting her off the ground as she shouted loudly.
"Cousin!"
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Thank you for reading! If this moment touched you even a little , please consider adding it to your library.💐