Lucian stared at Russel with a sharp gaze as the man fell silent for a moment. Fortunately for both of them, their argument was imperceptible to the rest of the bar thanks to the magical hourglass resting on the table.
Russel, for his part, took a deep pull from his pipe to calm his mind. It had been many years since he had seen Lucian look so determined.
"(That look… it's been a long time since I've seen him like this, at least he doesn't have that hollow stare he had when he left the last time…)" Russel thought as he stroked his beard.
"Alright… let's talk calmly… So you're saying she knows the location of your precious gem?"
Lucian nodded, then took another sip of his beer, which was already half empty.
"And how do you know she's not lying to you? I suppose she told you when you were about to enforce the law, like the good samaritan you ar—" the bearded man said while directing his gaze toward a small crack in the middle of the wooden table.
"Yes, I thought about that too…" the elf said, then sighed and looked at the hourglass in the center of the table. "The truth is, I planned to bring her here to get the truth out of her with your help… and then, well… enforce the law… But that changed."
"That plan does sound like the Lucian I know… But for you to say the plan changed, something must have happened. What was it?" Russel asked as he exhaled some of the smoke trapped in his lungs.
"As I told you, she saved my life and—" the elf began, only to be interrupted immediately.
"No, no, no. I want the truth. Aren't we friends? Don't underestimate me, idiot. I know you wouldn't break that law even if she saved your life a hundred times. Now tell me what really happened," Russel said with an enraged stare.
Seeing his friend's gaze, the elf lowered his head slightly. He knew he wouldn't be able to fool this man. Maybe he managed to fool Veronica, but she was careless. This one was different from anyone else.
"I know she's dangerous to our world… and I know that helping her could bring me before the Demon King. Something like that would only bring about the end of my race… But…"
Lucian looked to the side. The bar was full, and through the window the sunlight was no longer visible.
"Tell me, old friend… have you ever heard the story of the Caterpillar of Midas?" Lucian asked, refusing to look directly at his friend, knowing that seeing disappointment in his eyes would be something he could never forget.
"..."
Russel, who knew the elf's temperament well, didn't know how to process what he was seeing. The same cold idiot who once sought a quick death was there, now with a guilty look and a softened voice.
"Alright, tell me…"
"... Well… this story comes from my homeland, one of the few tales my mother managed to tell me when I was a child… It's about the Caterpillars of Midas. That species lives in my mother's forest. They're small and weak against nature, so much so that even a breeze could send them flying through the sky," Lucian said, his voice clearly affected by the memories.
"Despite being so weak and defenseless, the Caterpillars of Midas manage to survive an entire year. They devour rotten fruit or dry leaves that fall to the ground… In other words, they eat the trash that no one else in the forest wants in their diet."
As the elf spoke, Russel's expression softened slightly.
Never before had his old friend told him anything about his mother. On every mission or gathering, it had always been a subject he avoided, even when drunk.
"And after a year of barely surviving winter and hiding through spring… the caterpillar creates its cocoon. It's special and unique across the entire continent, because it's enchanted with pure gold thanks to its magic. However, this is a trap imposed by its own nature," Lucian continued, gripping the handle of his beer mug tightly.
"When the cocoon is complete, it hardens and becomes almost indestructible to any external damage, at least as long as the worm inside keeps feeding the hardening enchantment. But because of this, the worm could die if it's unable to break the cocoon from the inside…"
The elf paused for a moment to take a sip of his beer.
"Not even the strongest lightning or the hottest fire can free it from there. Only the caterpillar itself… However, for this to be possible, there is one condition. The cocoon must be near others of its own kind, because between them a resonance is created that slowly cracks the cocoon during the months of metamorphosis…"
With sadness, Lucian watched a group of mercenaries cheerfully toasting in the middle of the bar. There were five of them: a dwarf, a human, and two savages. Despite their differences, they smiled happily, celebrating their safe return from an adventure.
"In other words… the caterpillar needs to be able to communicate with its own kind to escape that golden prison… If for some reason the caterpillar is left alone during its time of confinement, it will die, unable to reach its potential, unable to enter the world and fly…"
When he finished, Lucian looked into Russel's eyes, not with coldness or pain, but with conviction.
"That girl is many things… She's dirty, careless, arrogant, foul-mouthed, and she's even a terrible Healer. Seriously, she couldn't heal you even if her life depended on it… But… She's just as alone in this world as I am… And we both need each other to escape our prison," the elf said, closing his eyes, resigned to whatever decision his friend would make.
After hearing the story, Russel lowered his gaze for a moment. He had been ready to argue with his friend and bring him to his senses for loving a Visitor. He was even willing to fight him right there if he suspected he was being manipulated.
However, those words—both sincere and bitter—left his thoughts in silence.
"... And tell me, pointy ears… does the boy traveling with you already know about your girl?" the bearded man finally asked as he scratched his red hair.
"If we're both still alive, it's because he doesn't know yet, don't you think?" the elf replied as he crossed his arms.
"Huh? Oh right, of course. You don't have my super special, one-of-a-kind eyes that can see people's Traits. I guess long-ears aren't that special after all, ho ho ho," Russel said, teasing Lucian.
"Fuck you, idiot. Besides, you're not the only half-dwarf with that ability," Lucian replied seriously, before laughing together with his friend.
Now more relaxed, Russel looked at his friend, and seeing life back in his eyes, decided to trust his choice of companion.
"Alright, my friend. I'll help you, don't worry… However, you can tell your new little friend about the girl. Just like us, he's no longer bound by the sacred law that forces us to kill Visitors," the half-dwarf said.
"What? But he's human. He was part of the Cult of Promises, they only accept humans," the elf said, confused.
"As I said, your lack of vision, my friend… because that boy right now is a hybrid between human and undead."