Home (2)

While Krum was speaking, the others began arriving one after another. They cheerfully greeted Solam, but as they did, they all kept glancing at the stranger sitting atop Frostfang. They thought he looked rather odd, though a little like Solam. It couldn't be helped; most Orcs had never seen a human.

"Ram, who's that? I've never seen him before," one of the clan warriors finally asked. Everyone turned to look at Solam. Even Krum, who had been so focused on Solam that he hadn't noticed anyone else, came back to his senses.

"Yeah, who is he? And weren't you with the Forge Clan? Why are you back now?"

"Oh, this old gentleman came to see my grandpa. He was Grandpa's friend from back when he went adventuring. As for me, Dad Blackhand said I can practice the path of a Shaman on my own now, and don't need him to teach me anymore," Solam said casually.

"Oh," everyone replied just as casually, but their minds were clearly elsewhere. They kept staring at Arando. The old man, on the other hand, took it in stride. He didn't seem uncomfortable at all about being watched; instead, he smiled openly at everyone.

Seeing them act like that made Solam's temper flare. Staring at people like this was rude, whether in his past life or in this world.

"What're you staring at? This old gentleman's human. Don't gawk at him like a bunch of country bumpkins. It's rude. Grandpa'll give you a beating if he finds out." Solam felt embarrassed for them.

The others didn't think much of it. They didn't consider "country bumpkin" an insult—they were country bumpkins, after all. Besides, a few stares weren't going to get anyone pregnant, so what was there to worry about? Still, now that Solam had said something, it probably wasn't very polite to keep gawking. And this was the old chieftain's friend; who knew if he'd fly into a rage when he heard about it? So they looked away, though they kept talking among themselves.

"So this is what humans look like. I heard they were strong, but why's he so skinny?"

"Exactly. He looks like a weakling. A gust of wind could blow him away."

"Yeah, and he's got no teeth. He's a lot like Ram."

Solam watched the bunch of simpletons with helpless amusement. Damn, even if they wanted to talk about him, couldn't they at least do it behind his back? They were so loud, it was as if they wanted him to hear. He could only give Arando an apologetic look.

Arando didn't feel out of place. He was old enough to have seen and experienced just about everything; a little scene like this wouldn't make him angry. In fact, seeing these simple, honest Orc men made him think they were rather charming. After experiencing so much scheming, betrayal, and plotting in the human world, Arando especially liked their straightforward nature. At least their feelings showed plainly on their faces. They weren't one way to your face and another behind your back.

"Damn it, are you going to leave me standing here all day? Let's get home already! I haven't had a proper night's sleep in days. I've been traveling for ages, and I'm exhausted." Seeing the bunch of simpletons get more and more carried away with their chatter, even getting around to debating whether human men were well-endowed, Solam had had enough. What did anyone expect? Could a bunch of hot-blooded young men get together without swapping dirty jokes?

But was it really appropriate to discuss that in front of the person they were talking about? Even the old man, who had been so composed a moment ago, was starting to look awkward around these idiots. It proved that no matter how simple a place was, crude jokes were inevitable. They were a basic need. Solam figured he had to cut them off before these idiots dragged Avalon's reputation all the way into the Abyss.

At that, the jokers finally realized that leaving someone standing out in the open was pretty inconsiderate, especially when they had a guest with them. They immediately ushered Solam and Arando toward the clan settlement.

Krum offered his Direwolf to Solam and said he could run alongside them. Solam accepted without hesitation and climbed onto Bloodfang. He knew Krum's stamina; this short run wouldn't even count as a warm-up for him.

Before long, they reached the clan settlement. Soon, everyone in the clan knew that Solam had returned—and that he'd brought a human with him.

The whole clan, young and old, came out to see the commotion. Whether they were there to welcome Solam or get a look at a human, only they knew.

Once Solam reached the camp, he dismounted and headed toward his family's tent, greeting the aunts, uncles, and elders along the way. But most people craned their necks to stare at Arando, who was still seated atop Frostfang. There were murmurs and exclamations, mingled with Solam's greetings and everyone welcoming him back. The whole place was as lively as a market.

Solam wasn't all that annoyed this time. The clan was small, and Avalon was cut off from the outside world. Nothing new happened all year. Now that an outsider had finally arrived, of course everyone would get excited. It was only natural, and there was nothing to criticize.

The old man was the one suffering. He didn't mind a few youngsters talking about him, but being stared at by so many people like a zoo animal was a little uncomfortable.

His ordeal ended soon enough, though, when Solam's grandfather—the clan chieftain, old Kramsh—arrived. As soon as everyone saw him, their voices immediately quieted. The old man's authority was undeniable.

Naturally, someone had gone to tell Solam's family he was back, so the old man already knew. But if Solam had returned alone, the old man wouldn't have come out to meet him. He would have waited at home for Solam to pay his respects. But the report had said a human had returned with Solam, claiming to be an old friend of his. Kramsh only had to think for a moment to know who it was, so he hurried over in person.

The crowd naturally parted to let the old man through. He soon spotted the person he'd come to find. Though Arando was now very old, Kramsh recognized him at once and hurried over, overcome with emotion. Back then, the two old friends had parted ways because their beliefs differed too greatly. But there had never been any doubt about Arando's loyalty as a friend—he was the kind of man who would go through fire and water for you. Even after they parted, the old man had always considered him a friend.

When Arando saw Kramsh coming toward him, his heart was a jumble of emotions. He didn't know how to explain himself to Kramsh. He simply dismounted from Frostfang in silence and watched his old friend approach.

When Kramsh reached Arando, he said nothing. He simply gave him a big hug. Arando was at a loss. As a slave trader who had made his living in the underworld, he hadn't been so close to another person in many years. This old man had once been famous for being grim and utterly heartless. But then Arando let it go, smiled, and patted Kramsh on his still-strong, broad back.

"Arando Schindler, you old rascal. You actually came to see me. I thought I'd never see you again after all that happened."

"Heh. Is that really how stingy you think I am?" Arando knew that if so much hadn't happened, he might truly have gone the rest of his life without seeing his old friend again.

"Come on, come home with me. We'll have a proper drink. I've still got plenty of good liquor stashed away. We'll talk after we've had our fill." He pulled Arando toward home without even sparing Solam a glance.

Solam stared speechlessly as his grandfather "abandoned" him. He'd never imagined that one day he'd be so thoroughly ignored by the old man himself. Ever since Solam had come to this world, his grandfather had cared about him more than anyone else—without a doubt, even more than Granny Karom. The old man was just reserved and didn't show it the way Granny Karom did.

When the others saw the old chieftain lead the human away, they didn't rudely ignore Solam as the old man had. Instead, they warmly fussed over him, moving Solam's wounded little heart to tears.

No matter how lively things were for Solam, Kramsh had already led Arando to his tent. He told his wife to prepare some good food, then brought out the fine liquor he'd been saving and began drinking with Arando.

Over drinks, the two reminisced about their younger days. They talked as they drank, and when they got excited, they even pounded the table and glared at each other. No one else could get a word in. Solam's eldest uncle, Krumsh, and his second uncle, Trick, had stayed to keep their guest company at first. But when they saw how things were going, they felt like they were in the way, so they quietly slipped off. Solam's two aunts didn't pay much attention to the human, either. As soon as they'd finished preparing the food, they hurried off to check on their nephew. They were curious about the stories between their father-in-law and the human, but their beloved nephew mattered more.

Seeing Kramsh's two daughters-in-law in such a hurry to check on Solam, Arando sighed to Kramsh, "Solam's lucky to have so many family members who care about him."

Kramsh had spent a long time in the outside world, so he naturally understood what Arando meant. Beast Elves were famous for being unloved by their uncles and grandparents.

"Hey! So what if he's a Beast Elf? He's still my grandson. We're family. Who else would we treat well? Besides, we in Avalon don't care about that sort of thing. What's there to be lucky about?"

Kramsh said casually, then set down his drink and looked at his old friend seriously.

"Arando, tell me what happened. Don't deny it. I know you. Unless you'd run into a hurdle you couldn't overcome—unless you'd been driven into a corner—you wouldn't have gone through so much trouble to come find me.