At a child booth on the twentieth deck.
A cross-eyed kid was inside the booth, seated near the inglenook, but he wasn’t eating anything like the rest of the children—all of whom were in germ-free clothes that not-so-nicely fit their lithe bodies. Today’s menu had his favorite food, the vale sausage, but he was yet to put one on his plate.
“To speak fluently, you must work at using elision,” the governess—the quintessential part of the child booth—was lecturing kids with her mellifluous voice even when they were eating and playing. She secretly dropped translucent effervescent pills in water to make it all fizzy and made sure that the children found the bubbling water by a fortunate stroke of serendipity, so she could grab their attention and lecture them briefly about it.
“Look! There are bubbles rising in the water!”
“Eh? What’s this, teacher? Can we drink it?” many children gathered near the bucket of ‘strange’ water and peered at it with big eyes. The pet peacock raised by everyone in the booth also came and peeked into the bucket.
“It’s called bubbling water,” the governess expounded. “This phenomenon happens when you inject gases into liquids. Soda also looks like this. Consuming this type of drink often will create problems in your stomach. That is to say, your belly will bloat, and you will burp and fart more times per day.”
“Aiyah! We don’t want it!” the children spread out like chickens that feared their own crooked shadows. The peacock also ran off, flaunting its iridescent feathers.
“Hehe,” the governess laughed within herself. “The tongue should indeed be feared more than the sword.” Then she ran after a selective group of children and professed to them, “People with big bellies release a plethora of ‘them’ every day. So, learn the habit of watching out for the changes in your belly every single day!”
A child booth was a separate housing made just for children aged at or under seven years, and in some rare cases, eight years. Compared to a bread booth, a child booth was typically much bigger in size, and not just bread, but many other types of food were also made available to eat. Any deck usually had multiple child booths, but only one child booth on any deck was run directly by the authorities of the ship. This was called the Prime Child Booth. Every other child booth was run by private donations as still overseen by authorities themselves.
For the most part, children, who lost their parents or got abandoned, stayed in the chid booths, which also provided free accommodation. Their lifestyles in the child booths were not opulent by any means, but they weren’t underprivileged either.
The only strict rule followed in the child booth was to not take food outside the booth and instead eat everything inside. This was done so that adults couldn’t force children to bring them good food. If this rule was broken by a child, they would be sent away to another child booth, and if they repeated it three times, they would be kicked out, and no child booth on that deck would take them in anymore, thereby forcing them to leave the deck and move on to the other decks, the lower ones, in general, as they were too young to pass the deck tests. After all, a child born on the twentieth floor could freely travel to all the decks below that deck but had to pass the deck test of the floor they were born in if they wished to go to the upper decks.
“Beren, why aren’t you eating anything?” a seven-year-old green-haired girl sat at the cross-eyed kid’s table and gave him a demure smile, but he didn’t reply. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
“Just leave me alone, Lima,” Beren said in a disappointed voice.
“How can I? I just turned seven today. I’m at the same age as you,” she kept on talking, without reading the other one’s mood. “In a year, I’ll be leaving this booth. Though I’m scared, I’m also excited. Aren’t you getting fired up? As we promised to each other, we can explore all the decks on this ship, hear the Song of the Ship, and then see the world together! We should buy cakes for each other’s birthday when we go out. We should see the blue skies and walk on the earth side by side. We should see snow and wet our feet with it. We should soak in the rain together and see the sunshine that follows it. We should visit a lagoon and play with the fish living there. Oh, and we should also go to that place where it rains silver. We should visit all the cities on land, skies, and seas. We should verify if Critter City is real or not. We should—”
Beren stood and ground his teeth in frustration, puzzling her. “Lima, I don’t think I can keep that promise. And this Song of the Ship… is just a myth.” Saying that he began to walk away. He thought back on how he promised her that he would always be with her whenever she witnessed a myth come true or something new and wonderful. And the memories only brought a shade of gray to his face. “Look for another partner.”
Lima was left speechless and didn’t move an inch while in her seat.
Another kid walked in and said, “You should have let the funny-eyed one be, Lima. Don’t you know that his mom died today?”
“What?” Lima couldn’t digest what she heard. She was busy in the booth, given it was her birthday. She stayed with the cook and made sure that the vale sausages were being cooked well because she knew it was Beren’s favorite. She was immersed in perfecting everything to make the day as memorable as she can, but now, it ended up becoming an unforgettable day in an entirely different way.
Though the child booths offered good food, they never sponsored birthday cakes. Since nobody was allowed to sell most kinds of food on the lower decks, these children never got to taste cakes, let alone cut one for their birthday. If not for the adults talking about cakes, they wouldn’t even be knowing about such things.
Now, after Beren had said those words, Lima couldn’t imagine herself ever cutting a cake, much less the one that Beren bought for her. She couldn’t help but feel at a loss, for she had met Beren’s mother many times in the past. Even she didn’t understand what was going through her mind at the time.
Meanwhile, on the twelfth deck.
A few seconds after Everna left the clinic, “How is he looking now?” Mulyk asked aloud from outside.
“He...” Hundred, who was looking at Lirzod, couldn’t believe his eyes as Lirzod’s skin glowed greatly, “he’s shining like crazy!”
“Shining? Hmph, why wouldn’t he?” Mulyk bit her lower lip. “Just tell him to come out already!” A scornful voice beat against his eardrums.
“Uh,” Hundred fingered his ear, “but he’s not awake.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Mulyk turned around and peeked inside only to see Lirzod laying on the bed. “Why’s he napping? Wake him up!”
“He’s not napping. It seems he was forced into a deep sleep.”
“What?” she was initially discombobulated by his response, but then a knowing expression dawned on her visage.
“You told me to clean the room, didn’t you?” Hundred said, “Let him rest till then.”
Mulyk paused for a moment and then responded, “I have no problem as long as you clean it well enough that no cockroaches come near this clinic for many months. Otherwise, you will have to work as my assistant for a year!”
“Eh?” Hundred’s heart almost stopped. “T-That’s too much. How about a day?”
“Get to work. I’m not getting in until it’s fully cleaned!” At that moment, Mulyk looked to her right, and Sariyu was drawing near on foot at a quick pace. After closing in, Sariyu entered the clinic without even glancing at Mulyk, which made her mildly snort, because what Sariyu did made it seem as if she was entering her own clinic.
777, on the other hand, was watching things from afar. If he got any closer, he was afraid that Mulyk would demand some coin for everything that had happened. Why’s she standing outside? Is she waiting for me? He wondered.
“How is he?” Sariyu first asked Hundred and then looked at Lirzod.
“The jackanapes will not die, but he may need some rest.’ That’s what the monk said before she left,” Hundred put the broom into motion.
“Monk?” Sariyu was surprised a bit but then smiled. “Did she call him a jackanapes? Haha, a fitting word for this presumptuous young 'un.” She then quickly got herself under composure. “Ahem, can you brief me on what has happened?”
“Uh, sure,” Hundred hesitated because he didn’t know what exactly to say, but Sariyu took a seat and kept staring at him as if waiting for him to start. I think it’s better if I skip the awkward moments.
At that moment, Sariyu’s stomach grumbled a bit.
“Was that...” Hundred gave her a doubtful look.
“It’s my stomach,” Sariyu calmly replied.
A second of awkward silence passed in the room.
“And why are ‘you’ cleaning the room?” she asked.
He gave out a long sigh. “A lot has happened.” He began to explain most of the events, and in the end, he managed to make her breath a sigh of relief, and that was when he understood that things took place the way she had wanted.
A few hours later.
Not far away from the clinic, two men were showcasing their skills with wooden swords while their pupils clapped in the background. They only had one customer, and it was 777. After they were finished with their display, the two men in decent clothes looked at 777 with a proud look.
“Wow! Superb, masters!”
“That was one of the best displays in recent times!”
The pupils, mostly young adults, kept on praising their two masters and made them lift their noses even high into the air.
“Not bad,” 777 said, “but I don’t think I’m going to join.”
“Eh?” everyone was shocked.
The two masters quickly cleared their throats. “We’ll reduce the fee by ten percent.”
“No, not interested,” 777’s indifferent tone didn’t change a bit.
“Twenty percent.”
“No.”
“A-All right. Thirty percent, and that’s final!”
“No,” 777 stressed his words a bit.
“Why?” However, they were persistent. “We thought you were interested in sword fighting?”
“Yes, but I don’t think there is much to learn from you guys,” 777 retorted, startling everyone. “Even fools won’t waste one gold for nothing.” Saying that he turned around.
Both the masters looked at each other and then glanced at their pupils, who immediately deciphered their looks and jumped in 777’s way.
“Are you guys seriously doing this?” 777 glanced over his shoulder at the two masters.
“You think you can look down on us, Sword Morons[1], and leave without getting your skin sliced?” the masters snorted at him and tossed a wooden sword at his feet. “Let’s see what you can do with the sword.” They then looked at their pupils, “Show him who he has messed with, morons!”
“Yes, master morons!” all the pupils got into stances with their wooden swords, but 777, on the other hand, didn’t move an inch.
“What are you doing?” one of the masters asked. “Pick it up.”
777, however, stayed silent.
“You think we’re not being serious?” the masters barked, and then waved their hands in sync. “Beat this bastard to his knees!”
All the pupils, five in total, attacked 777 from every direction.
Five thick wooden swords smacked his body at various places and served more as sticks rather than swords. Even after receiving more than ten blows from each pupil, he didn’t flinch. One of the pupils then struck 777’s head from the front, making him fall backward, but he still managed to stand on his feet; however, four more swords simultaneously struck the top of his head, causing him to crash onto the floor on all fours. A stream of blood dripped down the backside of 777’s ears, but his eyes were still open and eyed the wooden sword on the floor.
“Hehe,” the two masters snickered from the sidelines while standing in a confident posture. “It looks like our pupils will gain a team technique today, thanks to you.”
The pupils then resumed to strike 777’s back and didn’t stop even after he hugged the floor.
“Stop hitting him!” a pressing voice made the pupils stop and look in the direction of the source, and there was a brown-haired child who was looking right at them, but none of them could tell who exactly he was looking at, because the child was cross-eyed. “I don’t know why you’re beating him, but…” he looked at 777, who was coughing up blood, “haven’t you already done enough?”
One of the pupils walked over to the boy and turned him in the other direction and pushed him forward. “Go mind your own minute business, brat.”
The cross-eyed kid, Beren, turned back right away. “Will you let him go?”
“Are you looking to get beaten or what? Where are you even looking at? I can’t tell at all.”
The pupil enlarged his eyes, “Didn’t you hear what I just said?”
Blood rushed through Beren’s heart, and he could hear his own heart thumping, “D-Didn’t you hear what I said?”
The eyes of the pupils bulged out from stupefaction. “You’re courting death, kid!”
“Y-You’re courting death, adults.”
The pupils felt like boulders fell on their heads. “You little… you sure can send back our words, but let’s see if you can send back our attacks as well!” the pupils all jumped at him, startling the heck out of Beren. “
“Stop!” the two masters' voices halted their pupils. “You morons want to disgrace our training center by bullying a kid?”
“B-But, master morons, he’s mouthy. His tongue needs treatment.”
“Just kick that pushy kid away, and then focus on taking care of this fool,” they pointed toward 777 and made their priorities clear.
“Y-Yes, master morons.” One of the pupils walked up to the kid. “You heard our masters. If you scram right away, I’ll not touch you.”
Though Beren was literally shivering in his poor sandals, he didn’t move an inch. “W-Would you let that man go if I leave?”
“Of course…” the pupil said and smiled cockily. “No.”
“Then I’m not moving,” Beren voiced his mind without showing fear on his face.
“You…” the pupil ground his teeth. If he didn’t move the kid away quickly, he would have to face the swords of his masters later, so he raised his hand high for a slap into the kid’s face, but just as his hand descended, the corner of his eye caught some movement on the floor and looked to the side. There was something crawling on the floor. A moment later, his lips curled up into a smile, and he asked. “How old are you?”
“Eight years!” Beren said, as his birthday was nearing.
“Oh…” the pupil suddenly pointed his finger to his left. “Look there, kid! That’s a snake.”
“Snake? What’s that?” Beren looked to his right and saw a snake slowly crawling at the corner of the street. “It’s moving a bit fast, but it’s only a big worm.”
“No, it’s not a worm but a snake. It’s much more capable than a worm. It may give you knowledge.”
“Knowledge?” the kid was surprised. “Really?”
“Yeah. There is a legend that some snakes can transfer some of their knowledge through a bite. You just go and stand in their path.”
“Bite?” Beren paused briefly. “D-Does it hurt?”
“A little, but it's a bearable pain. If you want us to free that man, then you should bear at least that much pain. Also, the pain’s really nothing compared to what comes next.”
Beren suddenly stood straight. “I’ll do it.”
Right after Beren said that, 777 looked at the kid while still lying on the floor.
“Good,” the pupil was full of smiles. “Now go before the snake slithers out of sight!”
“Yes.” Beren was about to go, but then stopped and asked, “But what about you guys? Don’t you want to gain some knowledge as well?”
The pupil’s shoulders jerked a little, but then he smiled and said, “We are all adults. Not just any snake can give us knowledge.”
“Oh, I see,” Beren nodded. “Thanks for the information.” He began to walk straight toward the snake. Maybe after I get some knowledge, people might no longer make fun of my eyes. I can share that knowledge with Lima, too.
The pupil who sent Beren to the snake came back to other pupils, and they all began to smile as if they were being entertained. The two masters also watched with inquisitiveness.
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[1] Sword Morons: It’s a sword-art training center that has ten pupils. Its two masters dream of giving competition to Drill Hall, which is why they established their center on the other side of the road to the entrance of Drill Hall; however, after their pupils lost to the pupils of Sean, they were forced to change their center name from Sword Majesties to Sword Morons as per agreement beforehand.
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