"You want to know about the hero's whereabouts?" asked the woman, her voice shaking from old age.
"Yes, I do." Ash turned around fully. "You see, I don't have a communicator, and I am from another country. So I am not exactly up-to-date with the matters regarding the Lumberg kingdom."
The old woman smiled at his comment.
"You are curious to see Lumberg's hero. Hehe, there is no need to be so embarrassed, boya; tourists ask about this all the time." she turned around and began to walk away slowly. "No other nation is able to summon heroes like Lumberg, so having questions is normal."
She soon vanished from view as she moved farther into the store.
After she left, Ash's friendly exterior waned.
'I am well aware of that; that idiot is popular just from him having that title,' he spat. 'My main issue comes from the fact I never tried to leave the mansion, not to speak of exploring the nation. It's only a given that my knowledge of the outside world is pretty limited.'
Shortly after, the old woman walked out, holding a flat circular item in her hand. It was silver-colored and had a red gem at the center.
Walking up to him, she handed the item to him.
"Here you go. A communicator, it has the recent announcement from the kingdom. It should contain what you need."
Ash stared at the communicator.
This particular item was something this world invented, the closest thing to magic technology. It was capable of projecting a hologram filled with newscasts from the royal embassy, mainly for announcements and immediate warnings.
Though after the arrival of the heroes, it was then also used as a means to share the hero's journey with the people, giving them hope and also a deeper knowledge of their heroes.
Ash took the artifact from her.
"Thank you very much," he said, showing his appreciation with a warm smile on his face.
The old woman smiled back.
"Anytime." she then turned to the side and pointed at the next road. "Since you are a traveler, I am guessing you are also looking for where to stay for the time being," she hinted, many years of wisdom showing in her voice. "Just go down there; you should see an Inn next to the Aogins guild."
"I will. Thank you."
After bowing his head, he began to walk away, Aisha following right behind him.
…
Along the way, Ash stopped in an alleyway, his back resting on the wall while he could see the multiple people roaming the street outside.
Though, he paid them no mind.
In his hands were the hot buns he had bought from the old woman. He reached into it and brought out two, which he handed to Aisha.
"Here, take."
It was still hot, so the steam still oozed out of the wraps.
Aisha pointed, her mouth widening as the hot buns hovered in front of her face and saliva dripped from the side of her lips.
"I—are the two only for me?"
"Why else am I giving them to you? Hurry up and eat; I don't want to have to drag your unconscious body later on if you collapse from hunger."
It came as a genuine shock to Aisha. None of her former masters had ever given her food in such a way; she was either left with the leftovers or forced to watch them eat without having to take a single bite.
Gulping down her saliva, she cleaned her drooling lips and reached out to grab the buns.
"T-Thank you, master," she uttered, pulling the food close to her chest.
Ash looked away, reaching into the bag to grab his own food.
Before he could completely pull out his own buns, he heard sniffles and whimpers from beside him.
As he turned his head to check, he was surprised to see Aisha biting into the hot buns, even though they were obviously very hot.
Tears trickled down the side of her cheeks, though she paid it no mind; her eyes were burning with intensity, each bite paving a way for another one.
[The target, Aisha, is grateful for your action.]
[Bond level has increased to 25.]
...
[A/N]
I should make this clear as well: the mc doesn't hate this elf, does he trust her? No, but he doesn't hate her either. His lack of trust in people is the single reason why he pulls away; he acts distant, but as i said, he can be misunderstood.