Sabrina

After Sabrina left the tavern, Roy had originally planned to visit the Magic Guild beside the Elf Academy in the Upper District.

There were junior appraisers there who could help identify all sorts of objects related to magic.

Roy planned to have the Light Flame in his palm appraised to see whether it was magic. If it was, he intended to study some subjects related to magic.

But when he reached the entrance to Brown Street, he discovered two Elf Rangers standing there, questioning pedestrians entering the street.

The entire Brown Street was under lockdown. People could enter but not leave, leaving all the residents anxious and uneasy.

Mrs. Winnie, the Boss Lady of the Potion Shop at the street entrance, stood on the steps outside her shop, boredly watching the two Elf Rangers while chatting with the Boss from the fruit shop next door.

The Night Blade Leopard in her arms glared viciously at Roy, its amber eyes full of vigilance.

The neighbors had all come out onto the street, discussing what could have happened for the Elf Rangers to lock down the entire Brown Street.

Since he could not leave Brown Street for the time being, Roy headed home.

Just as he reached his front door, Roy saw a beautiful elf in a white silk dress walking over from the street entrance, several books cradled in her arms. She wore sandals with straps winding around her legs, her footsteps clicking against the ground.

The legs wrapped beneath her skirt were truly long, and the small section exposed was as pale as ivory.

She was Sabrina, the eldest daughter of their neighbor Ms. Jillian. She was considered unusually tall among elves, at least a head taller than Roy.

Her skin was fair, and her eyes were like two gorgeous emeralds.

Only Wood Elves possessed green eyes and tall stature.

Yet Sabrina had inherited the refinement of Silver Moon Elves in other ways, such as her straight nose bridge and translucent Pointed Ears...

Like Moira, the neighbors believed Sabrina was a Half-Elf of Silver Moon Elf and Wood Elf descent.

There was no need to mention her mother—she was Ms. Jillian, who made a living selling fish. As for her father, everyone guessed he had been a Wood Elf.

Ms. Jillian never mentioned Sabrina and Moira's father.

Though the two were sisters, the elder sister possessed Wood Elf blood, while the younger had a trace of Dark Moon Elf blood.

Roy was not very familiar with the older sister, Sabrina. Instead, he got along fairly well with the younger sister, Moira.

Sabrina attended Castleton Elf Academy and was also a member of the Goddess of Freedom Temple choir, so she was rarely home.

Moira was a very introverted elf, even somewhat withdrawn, and always kept herself shut up at home.

"Good afternoon... Sabrina!"

Roy actually preferred calling her Big White Goose...

But if he called her that, he would definitely anger Sabrina. If she caught him, Roy would inevitably get a thorough beating.

Especially after she began attending school, he could no longer beat her no matter what.

After taking several vicious beatings, Roy had learned to watch his mouth.

Sabrina, standing outside the courtyard gate, turned when she saw Roy and swiftly rolled her eyes at him before walking into the courtyard.

It was always like this...

She walked into the courtyard with her head held high and chest out. Her alluring body, wrapped in her skirt, swayed rhythmically with every step, leaving Roy only with a broad view of her back.

The two courtyards were separated by only a low wall.

Roy carried the bucket into the kitchen, put away his fishing rod and hook, and washed his feet. Then he heard Sabrina's voice next door. "Moira, where are you?"

"Big Sister, I'm upstairs!"

Remembering the clothes he had left drying on the terrace the previous night, Roy climbed barefoot to the second floor.

He happened to see Sabrina climbing up to the second floor on the neighboring terrace as well.

She placed a paper packet on the small table in front of Moira, then sat on a square stool beside her.

When Moira saw Roy appear on the terrace opposite hers, she glanced at him and set down the book she was holding before asking Sabrina, "...Why did you come back so early today?"

Her voice was slightly husky. Perhaps because of her complexion, she usually liked wearing black dresses.

Sabrina casually kicked off her sandals, curled her feet up on the lounge chair, and lazily stretched her long body before saying:

"The Goddess of Freedom Temple was robbed last night. All activities were canceled today. I don't know what happened on Brown Street either, but the whole street is under lockdown. I couldn't go help at the Fish Market, so I had no choice but to come back."

Moira covered her mouth in surprise, then asked softly, "The Holy Grail in front of the Temple Holy Water Pool?"

Sabrina casually glanced at the terrace opposite. Seeing that Roy had already left with the dry clothes in his arms, she nodded. "That one. It usually holds a cup of water, and whenever someone comes to pray, the High Priest pours them a cup..."

Moira blinked. "Why would anyone think of stealing that?"

"Probably for the gold and jewels on it. Who knows!"

Sabrina seemed completely indifferent. Although she was a member of the temple choir, the loss of a Holy Grail from the temple had little to do with her.

It was not as though the stolen item had been the Old Harmonium...

She was a little distracted when that annoying fellow suddenly popped up beside the railing of the neighboring terrace.

"Have they caught the thief who stole the Holy Grail?" Roy asked Sabrina.

If he had not been extremely curious, Roy would never have taken the initiative to speak to Sabrina.

Whenever the two spoke, Sabrina never gave him a pleasant look.

But this time, Sabrina did not snap at Roy. Instead, she shed her lazy demeanor and said with a stern face, "No. You know how... outstanding those Rangers from the guard unit are. How could they possibly catch someone so quickly?"

Roy habitually drew his head back and replied, "That's true!"

After that, Roy went downstairs to take a bath and changed into clean clothes.

Castleton Harbour had cool sea breezes in summer, so it was not particularly hot. In an age without air conditioning or electric fans, lying on the bed with the windows open felt quite comfortable.

When it was time for dinner, Roy went into the kitchen and made stewed fish...

Roy ate dinner alone.

Ms. Belinda had not returned, probably because the Art Gallery was too busy.

Only after it had grown completely dark did Ms. Jillian push her cart back from the Fish Market.

The two Elf Rangers even went into Ms. Jillian's home next door and spoke with her for a while. It seemed they were investigating Jefferson, who had died during the day.

Roy deliberately waited until the two Elf Rangers left Ms. Jillian's house before running onto the terrace. Gripping the railing with both hands, he called down to the Elf Rangers outside the gate, "Excuse me, have those Sailors still not been caught?"

The two Elf Rangers stopped. They were the same ones Roy had seen at the tavern during the day.

They had not wanted to say anything, but when they saw it was Roy, one of them stopped and answered, "Not yet. They have diplomatic immunity."

"Oh!" Roy replied.

That Elf Ranger asked casually:

"...Did you know Jefferson?"

Roy answered frankly, "I saw him at the street entrance before, but we never spoke."

"All right."

The Elf Rangers felt they could not uncover any useful information from Roy. After exchanging a glance, they headed next door. They still had to investigate the other residents of Brown Street that night.

"Hey... hey!"

Roy still wanted to talk to the two Elf Rangers about the theft at the Goddess of Freedom Temple...

But the Elf Ranger left the neighbor's courtyard without even looking back and entered the house next door.

At night, the sea breeze cooled the entire city of Castleton.

Often, Roy would lie in a chair on the terrace like he was now and chat with Moira on the terrace opposite for a while.

When it came to what had happened during the day, Roy could only describe it in one phrase: It was awful.

At night, perhaps protected by the cover of darkness, Moira seemed to feel safer.

That was why she was more lively now than during the day.

And when she was in a bad mood and did not want to come out to meet people, Roy would not be able to spot her even if she stood on the terrace.

Roy did not know when he had developed the habit of telling Moira about some of the things that happened to him during the day.

For example, he told her everything about encountering those Sailors today and the fight at the tavern afterward.

Moira's eyes were very bright in the darkness.

Though the two terraces were separated by nearly five meters, Roy could still see what seemed to be a glimmer in her eyes.

She had just taken a bath and wore a loose Tube Skirt, her wet hair hanging loose around her shoulders.

Her little face looked especially innocent. Apart from her somewhat dusky skin, she had inherited everything else from Ms. Jillian and looked more like a Silver Moon Elf...

In the Silver Moon Elf Kingdom, Half-Elves of mixed blood held even lower status than Half-Elves like Roy and were more likely to face criticism.

"I understand..."

That was the only sentence Moira said all night.

The distant seaside docks were brightly lit. High tide would not arrive until after midnight today. Ms. Jillian had gone to rest early after dinner, as she needed to reach the docks around midnight to collect fish.

The lives of elves from the lower classes were usually very difficult as well.

Though Roy did not really agree with many of her attitudes toward life, he greatly admired her determination.

She was the sort of person who was extraordinarily persistent about life, insisting on selling fish at the dockside Fish Market every day to support her two daughters.

Moira had been protected by her like a flower in a greenhouse.

Compared to Ms. Jillian, Roy's mother was much more casual. She often left Roy home alone, and even though this Half-Elf son had become another Roy for so long, she had failed to notice.

Over the past year or so, Roy had gradually integrated into this environment.

Thinking about going to the Magic Guild tomorrow to have the Light Flame that always appeared in his palm appraised, Roy lay down in bed and fell asleep full of anticipation...