Chapter 96- Take Care Of Him For Me
"Any particular reasons?" Kai asked as he crossed his arms in front of him.
"Sigh, I do not know myself. But, people have been avoiding the southern sea for a while now. Some rumors circled around that some kind of monster lurked in the depths of that place and it hunted sailors down left and right."
"A monster?"
"I know, it's silly. I don't believe it myself. But, the point is, you can't make a trip to the frozen plains legally." Puffing out a cloud of smoke from her pipe, the woman looked at Kai with a rather apologetic expression.
"What should we do, Kai?" Eva asked with a serious expression.
"Do you have a boat ready now?"
"Hmm, I do have one."
"Then, get it ready. We will take it."
"Did you hear what I just said? For god's sake, Kai. The government of F-country will come after you."
"I have my ways of avoiding the sea patrol."
"Sigh, I see your stubborn ways didn't change after all these years. Well, that's what makes you different I guess." Murmuring so, the woman stood up and pointed at another door in the corner of the shop. "I have a collection of boats ready for sailing in the dock. You can go check them out."
Kai nodded his head before he looked at Eva. "Stay here."
"Ok…" Eva smiled lovingly at Kai.
"Ohoh…"
After Kai walked away, the woman finally focused on Eva and a small mischievous smile appeared on her face.
"And who might you be, lady?"
"An acquaintance of Kai. Who might you be?"
"Haha, my name is Chaldia. But, you can call me Chal. I'm also an acquaintance of that little rascal there. He is also my benefactor."
"Benefactor?" Eva tilted her head confusedly.
"Yeah, he saved my life years ago and gave me something to work hard for. Now, I have a husband and this small place to work on my passion. I'm really grateful for him."
'I never thought Kai had this side to him…' It would be a lie if Eva said she wasn't shocked at what she heard. Although her beloved was in her biased opinion, the best human being that could ever exist, she still knew that he wasn't the type to save people out of good will.
Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine when she realized who she was talking to. A seductive woman who exuded charm from every fiber of her being.
'A seductive old lady… a young boy… Kai… No! What am I even thinking of?!' Shaking her head, she tried to erase the weird thoughts that appeared in her head.
"Why did he help you if I may ask?" Eva decided to ask.
"Hahaha, you're really making me remember some old memories. It was around 7 or so years ago. Because of my bad upbringing, I ended up drowning in debt because of my gambling addiction. So, I ended up getting abducted and sold as a slave to a weird slave owner. I was tortured for a long while before one day, Kai appeared in the underground area where I and many others were imprisoned." A small, nostalgic smile appeared on Chal's face.
"I remember him saying to all of us 'I have killed the owner. The mission requires me to free you all too. You are free to go.'. He didn't seem to sympathize with any of us at all. However, his words still sounded like a god-sent message at the time. However, even when he opened all the cells, I was the only one who didn't leave immediately. At the time, to not lose my mind from torture, I carved small boats out of wooden bowls. It was my passion since I was young but I long lost it because of my crippling addiction. So, I stayed behind, collecting all the small boats I created."
"..." Eva listened quietly to Chal. Her expression was as serene as a beautiful lake.
"When he noticed what I was doing and looked at the wooden boats, I panicked. I thought because of his cold glare that he wanted to destroy them. So I said 'Please, these are my precious works. I-I'm passionate about making boats so these are my only possessions'. For some reason, he didn't say anything as he turned around to leave. When he reached the door he turned around and said 'You have talent. If you want to pursue that work. Contact me.'. Before I could even say anything, he already vanished. Then, I realized he had somehow put a piece of paper in my hand without me realizing it with a way to contact him on it. The rest is history."
"So Kai helped you because he saw talent in you?"
"Mhm, pretty much."
Eva was surprised at first but then a small smile appeared on her face. 'Well, that sounds more like him I guess.'
"Now, tell me, young lady. You did say you two are acquaintances. But, you don't seem to look at him that way." Chal said.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Very. I have keen eyes for love, after all."
"Fufufu, well, you're right. I do love him." Eva admitted it. She had no reason to hide what she felt toward Kai from Chal.
The older woman looked at Eva for a second with a rather surprised expression before she smiled and nodded her head. She could see it clear in Eva's eyes that her feelings were the real deal and she had no malicious intentions hidden.
"I see, so that boy finally found someone that cares about him. I'm really glad. I thought he would've spent the rest of his life alone with his cold attitude even with that stupidly handsome face of his."
"I'm here to make sure he won't feel lonely."
"... Lady, can I request something from you?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm not sure whether you are aware of it or not. But, that boy is someone shrouded in mystery. I don't know why but whenever I look at him, I always get this odd feeling that he has way more to him than what meets the eye."
"... I already am aware of that. But, I really can't ask him yet. Whatever it is, it's paining him greatly and that breaks my heart." Eva replied as she looked at the door Kai walked through.
Eva already knew that Kai's past wasn't as simple as him being an orphan. His powers alone are enough to prove that he isn't just a normal boy. He was special… extremely so and that's what made Eva even more curious about his life years before they first met.
During the first 8 or 9 years of his life, where did he come from? Was he really an orphan? Why does he possess such tremendous power? All these questions were still a mystery.
"I know that it won't be easy for him to open up to you. But, I'm certain that he cares about you. He never treated someone as gently as he treated you. Soon, he will open up and tell you. So, when that time comes, take care of him for me, would you?"
Eva's eyes widened at Chal's request. However, she quickly shook her head.
"You don't have to tell me. I have made an oath to stay by his side till the moment I die. No matter what he went through, he's still the love of my life. How can I not take care of him?"
"Good… Very good. You have my blessings, lady."