Yes, I Like Children

Hai Na didn't feel tired at all after the two-hour journey.

As they left the Red Queen Parish and White Queen District in the center of the Royal Capital "Glass Island," the factories belching thick smoke and the speeding trains gradually became more numerous.

The choking smog mingled with the fishy smell of seafood, and the sound of steam whistles mixed with the hawking of vendors.

The aroma of baking bread wafted from the street-side bakeries, and people in thick windbreakers and top hats walked along the street.

A down-and-out painter wearing a beret sat on the street, painting the tall, black buildings across the street, as well as the metal pipes that coiled around the buildings like snakes on the factory walls; an inspector in silver-white armor rode a tall and sturdy white Griffin, more than two meters tall, flying overhead.

An eleven or twelve-year-old newsboy with short red hair carried two bundles of newspapers, shouting on the street:

"Glass Staircase Newspaper's headline today! Bishop Mathers of the Red Queen Parish has recently been appointed as a Spiritual Councilor by Her Majesty the Queen! The number of Spiritual Councilors from the church has now increased to six! The Minister of Finance plans to tax matches and kerosene lamps next year! The Stibium Kingdom has expelled three Knights of Avalon for murder, espionage, and interference in other countries' internal affairs. Her Majesty the Queen has expressed strong condemnation!"

The Glass Staircase Newspaper was more than half sold, with only a few copies left. The rope had to be tightened again and again to prevent it from slipping off his shoulder.

The other bundle of newspapers behind the newsboy, however, was less than a quarter sold.

He loudly hawked with his somewhat chapped lips: "Lloyd Weekly, only five Red Coins a copy—Execution Day is approaching, the list of death row inmates for November has been confirmed! Thirty-eight people will be sentenced to death this month, the second highest number in the past three years, with a clear list of those sentenced to death! The Nikas Plaster Factory in the Port District is recruiting apprentices for the third round, lowering the age to fourteen!"

"A painter on Green Flute Street committed suicide at home last week! Lloyd Port Bank was robbed yesterday, and all the robbers have been arrested! Come and see! Only five Red Coins a copy—"

"Senior."

Iver suddenly said, "Buy me two newspapers."

"Hmm?"

Hai Na was taken aback for a moment: "Your family should have someone delivering the Glass Staircase Newspaper, right? Do you want to buy a copy of the Lloyd Weekly?"

"No, buy one of each," Iver emphasized.

"...Oh, I understand."

Hai Na then realized. Iver saw that the newsboy was working so hard and wanted him to sell the newspapers earlier.

"It's almost noon, no one will buy them. And this is the Lloyd District, full of sailors, fishermen, and laborers, they don't have that much money to buy newspapers."

She said softly, "How about I buy them all?"

"No, just buy one of each."

Iver shook his head: "That child is working, not begging."

"...I understand."

Hai Na was filled with respect.

She nodded seriously and instructed, "I'll go buy the newspapers, be careful."

Iver opened his eyes and nodded silently.

Just as Hai Na left, a girl tiptoed over.

She was a little dirty, thinly dressed, and scrawny.

Looking at Iver, who was wearing a hood, the girl hesitated, unsure of what to call him.

"...Uncle, buy a bouquet of flowers."

She said softly.

She had obviously noticed Iver was in a wheelchair—though she could tell from the patterns on the wheelchair that Iver was probably a rich man, and a kind one at that, because she had been secretly listening to their conversation.

But because Iver was possibly disabled, she wasn't assertive enough in her sales pitch.

Iver reached out and touched her head.

When he reached out, the girl flinched as if she had been electrocuted, her body recoiling slightly in fear, as if afraid someone would hit her.

But because Iver's hand was moving slowly, and the hand emerging from his sleeve was young enough, she quickly realized she seemed to have addressed him incorrectly.

"—It's big brother."

Iver said softly.

His fingertips touched the girl's hair, but only felt dust and grime. She clearly hadn't bathed in days.

But the girl obviously knew this.

Because Iver had touched her hair, she took a half step back in a flustered manner, and in turn apologized to Iver: "I'm sorry, my hair is dirty... I'll leave now..."

"Sell me a bouquet of flowers anyway."

Iver said with a light smile.

As he spoke, he turned his outstretched right hand over and opened it.

His previously empty palm suddenly held a Red Coin with a face value of 1.

This wasn't an extraordinary ability, just a simple magic trick, but it made the girl's eyes widen.

She looked at the banknote, then at Iver. She obviously thought Iver was a transcendent adult, and hesitated, not daring to take his money.

And the corners of Iver's mouth under his hood tilted up slightly.

He deftly clenched his fingers and slowly withdrew the banknote in his hand.

But just then, he suddenly made a soft exclamation and reached out to touch the girl's nape: "Oh, what's this?"

As he spoke, he deftly retrieved a brand new Red Coin from the girl's neck.

Watching the girl open her eyes in surprise and confusion, clearly not understanding how it had flown there.

Without waiting for the girl to refuse, Iver deftly folded the Red Coin in half with three fingers of his right hand, and then put it into the money pouch hanging in front of the girl's chest and abdomen.

Iver slightly lifted a corner of his hood, revealing his young face to the girl, and gave her a heartfelt smile.

"Shhh..."

He reached out and put his hand to his mouth, making a silencing gesture.

Then, he put his hood back on and extended his fair and slender right hand: "Little miss, where are my flowers?"

"...Ah, here you go!"

Only then did the girl react, and with slightly flushed cheeks, she handed Iver a withered Wild Rose.

"Are you buying flowers, Iver?"

Just then, Hai Na, who had been getting the newspaper, returned looking somewhat puzzled.

Seeing her, the girl was startled and almost fell to the ground. Looking at Hai Na dressed as an inspector, her face turned pale, and she trembled all over.

But even though she was so scared, she didn't run away immediately. Instead, she forced herself to be brave, stammering and stuttering softly, "W-wait a moment, sir! I-I need to find the change...!"

She stubbornly used her trembling hands to carefully count out nine wrinkled copper coins from a paper packet hidden inside her chest, and respectfully handed them to Iver. Then, she carefully folded the brand new Red Coin with a face value of 1 that Iver had given her and put it inside. Only after putting it away inside her chest did she breathe a sigh of relief.

She was under Hai Na's gaze the entire time, and her legs were already a little weak with fear as she excused herself and left.

"Am I that scary?"

Hai Na hadn't cared when people had feared her before.

But now, perhaps because she had talked to Iver about some things, or perhaps because the girl looked so young and innocent, being feared by her made Hai Na feel somewhat frustrated.

After watching the girl walk away, she said softly, "Do you need me to throw away the flower for you?"

This dirty wildflower was really out of place with Iver's attire.

"No need."

Iver replied, "It's the child's good intentions, after all."

"You seem to like children a lot?"

Hai Na said thoughtfully, realizing something.

Compared to his attitude towards her, Iver's attitude towards the two children was obviously much friendlier.

"Yes, I like innocent children."

Iver nodded in agreement, rarely not lying and saying something from the bottom of his heart, "It's like liking cats and dogs, being with them can relax me. There are many things I like, but I especially dislike people."

"...That sounds like an insult?"

As a result, this sentence sounded more like a joke, and Hai Na joked, "You can't treat children like cats and dogs."

"It just sounds like it."

Iver's lips curled up slightly, without explaining further.

He was indeed insulting people—but the adult ones.

In his opinion, those adults who were dirty-minded, profit-seeking, and two-faced were not as good as cats and dogs... of course, that also included himself.

Amidst the banter, under Iver's guidance, they finally arrived at the Pelican Bar.

It was more like a private house or a warehouse than a bar. Its front door was painted with white paint, and a pelican with a wide-open mouth was painted in an exaggerated, almost cartoonish style. All kinds of fish were stuffed into its big mouth, floating in the beer foam, as if stewing fish with beer in its mouth.

Next to it hung a wooden sign, with a long string of onomatopoeic words for a drunkard's burp painted in capital letters.

—This was the sign above the bar.

In other words, the "Pelican Bar" should strictly be read as "(Burp) Bar".

It was almost noon, but it was not closed. There were even many customers inside.

Obviously, it also operated as a restaurant at noon.

The instant Hai Na pushed Iver in his wheelchair inside,

her steps abruptly halted.

Her eyes widened, and she was struck with astonishment.

Because the bartender leisurely cleaning wooden mugs at the bar was not human—but a rare Wild Elf! Aside from their lifespans being four or five times longer than humans, Elves are also generally much taller. Even the women are usually over 1.8 meters tall, occasionally reaching two meters, and male Elves often grow to be two meters four or five.

This means that if an Elf is not well-educated, they can easily become hunchbacked from frequently interacting with shorter humans during their adolescence. But if they are well-educated—or rather, if they have parents to care for them, they generally will not become hunchbacked.

Therefore, hunchbacked Elves are called Wild Elves. The number of Wild Elves is even smaller than that of Elves.

Elves place great importance on honor, family, and bloodline, so they are quite repulsed by Wild Elves and their parents, believing that they tarnish the reputation of the Elf race. Because if an Elf's parents die for reasons of honor, they usually entrust their children to relatives and friends to care for.

Unless they die in disgrace… such as being sentenced to death, they will not entrust their children to others; or they are abandoned by their parents, or are rebellious children who run away from home, and grow up to become Wild Elves for these reasons.

Wild Elves lack the elegance and poise of Elves, but they have similar lifespans, intelligence, and supernatural powers, so they are usually regarded as unstable elements.

They are generally active in rural areas, and their usual occupations are con men, assassins, and mercenaries. All the Wild Elves in the Royal Capital "Glass Island" are theoretically registered. If anyone causes trouble, they can be easily identified, so Wild Elves who value freedom usually disdain staying in the Royal Capital.

But for some reason, the Wild Elf bartender didn't react much when he saw Hai Na. He even gave her a contemptuous glance.

On the contrary, when he saw Iver, the bartender was visibly stunned, and even paused his movements for a moment.

Even though Iver was wearing a cloak, the bartender easily recognized his identity.

—As if, he never thought he would come here today.

...Why, Mr. Bartender? Do you think I... should already be dead by now?

Iver narrowed his eyes, his sea-like deep blue pupils as profound as an abyss.

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