Seagull Town's pub generally doesn't do business in the morning.
Nonetheless, Ed, the pub owner, is unable to enjoy ample sleep.
The bearded man tiredly opens his eyes and arduously climbs out of bed, gritting his teeth as he attaches the wooden prosthetic to the lower end of his knee.
Ever since losing his legs on the battlefield, the stump areas have consistently tormented his nerves every cold season.
"I should have died in the hands of those northern bastards..."
Ed curses as he adds some firewood to the crude stove, suddenly noticing something, he turns to look outside the window.
The sky is dim, with a blurry shadow standing there.
Ed furrows his brows and strides to the door, yanking it open, and a familiar slender figure immediately enters his sight.
The girl wearing thin linen garments lifts her head, looking at the man with bloodshot eyes.
"You..." Ed is about to scold something, but then remembers he promised Wendy last night to help find the missing little Lisa.
"It's nearly winter, how long have you been standing outside..."
Ed stares into the girl's eyes, then actively shifts his gaze away: "Forget it, it's all the same anyway."
He has seen eyes like hers on the battlefield.
Despair, emptiness, numbness, eyes devoid of highlights as if leading to a vortex of nothingness. Compared to last night, the girl's skin is even paler, with blood vessels visible.
Her condition is worsening, she doesn't have much longer to live.
"Want to eat something before inquiring about Lisa?" Ed's tone remains cold as usual.
Wendy gently shakes her head, and only when hearing Lisa's name does a faint light appear in her eyes.
"Then let's head out."
Ed puts on a coat, locks the door, and strides forward past the girl: "But I advise you not to hold too much hope."
Wendy silently follows behind, the girl barefoot on the cold, uneven ground, seemingly oblivious to the injuries on her soles.
Their pace is not fast.
With each step, Ed feels his knee resisting the poor-quality prosthetic; such ceaseless pain can easily lead the average person to depression and frenzy.
But Ed learned to endure long ago.
His face remains expressionless, mind emptied.
Why did he take on the trouble to help them?
Maybe... because their parents were good people...
Sadly, good people in this world never live long, only selfish and malicious bastards survive.
Gradually, Ed senses something unusual.
The town's atmosphere is somewhat strange today.
People are moving hurriedly, with urgency in their expressions, not bringing fishing gear to the seaside as usual but heading to the town center.
"Hey!"
Ed grabs a young man's shoulder: "Where are you all going?"
"Ah, let go! That new large fleet is recruiting people now!"
The young man tries to break free from Ed's grip: "The merchant lord is recruiting laborers for repairing the fleet in the town center, hesitate and you'll miss the chance!"
"Recruiting people?"
Ed's eyes twitch: "You should know many died near the shore yesterday, right?"
"If we work for the merchant lord, we can earn a whole hundred copper coins a day!"
The young man speaks hurriedly: "This is a promise made by the lord himself! If I perform well, I might even become a sailor in the trade fleet!"
The threat of death seems trivial in the face of the allure of copper coins.
Ed releases his grip, frowning, and in an instant, the young man runs off into the distance.
Such a strange occurrence...
Since when did the greedy Lion Heart nobles start paying the defenseless peasants?
Ed feels a tinge of unease inside as he coldly watches those joyfully-faced people, as if seeing a herd of slaughter-bound cattle and sheep.
What exactly does that lord want to do?
...
Wendy doesn't know how long she has been walking.
She looks at the blurred figure ahead, feeling that the view before her is getting darker, her body no longer feeling cold but becoming very, very hot...
In a daze, she falls into that soft dream.
The hearth spreads warm, bright light, a gentle mother has made egg soup, the usually serious father puts down his endless reports, and little Lisa hugs her beloved doll, giggling.
They sit around the steaming table, all looking at herself in the white floral dress.
"Surprise~ Today is little Wendy's birthday."
Her pointy-eared mother teasingly smiles at her, looking at her husband: "I wonder what gift dear father has prepared for Wendy?"
"Why, it's..."
The father clears his throat, hiding his hands behind him, then like a magic trick, produces a delicate gift box: "Wendy's favorite fairy tale book!"
The firelight grows warmer.
"Dad... Mom..."
Wendy stands still, gazing blankly at her parents' smiles.
In the flickering firelight, the black-haired girl's lovely face shows the happiest smile as she extends her hands: "I really miss you all so much..."
Wendy... Wendy...
At that moment, she hears someone calling her name from afar again.
"Wendy!"
The tear-stained, frail girl weakly opens her eyes.
The firelight shatters, and unknowingly, Uncle Ed has carried her near the lord's manor.
Still... so cold...
"Hold on, we're almost there." Ed carries the weakly breathing girl, his gaze growing convoluted.
If his daughter were still alive, she'd be about Wendy's age...
He shakes his head painfully and strides toward the manor gate.
A nonchalant attendant guards the entrance.
"Stop." He symbolically waves a spear: "Who are you?"
"Sir." Ed steps forward, handing two copper coins to the other: "Please help us inquire about a child named Lisa..."
"Lisa..."
The attendant pauses: "Are you that little rascal's family?"
He discreetly pockets the copper coins: "The lord is sending people to find you, come with me."
The lord is looking for us?
Ed looks astounded, quickly following the attendant's steps.
He tentatively asks: "Sir, what exactly happened yesterday?"
"The lord successfully dealt with the Celestial Calamity, and that little rascal sneaked onto the lord's carriage."
The attendant impatiently waves: "Thankfully the master was merciful, otherwise she would've been punished."
Ed nods and asks no more.
Little Lisa truly survived... the calamity by the shore didn't take her life!
He feels a bit uplifted internally.
Yet sensing the girl's excessively light weight, Ed suddenly realizes this might be Wendy and Lisa's last meeting.
Clearly, his heart is unperturbed, he's witnessed such occurrences countless times, yet he inexplicably feels short of breath, as if a heavy stone blocks deep within his chest.
He shakes his head to dispel stray thoughts.
Leaving the garden, crossing the corridor, shortly after, the attendant guides them to a warm hall.
Ed notices a gray-haired boy in a black suit lounging on a chair.
The boy warms himself by the fire, looking somewhat fatigued, sipping the odd brown liquid from a cup.