They spend the rest of the night to discuss about the issue.
"I'll left the rest to you then, sir Nein." The king said with a smile.
"Very well your majesty." He replied after setting down his tea.
Both of them getting up from their seats to end their conversation for tonight.
"Keep an eye on him." The king speak to his back after he's alone in his study.
The maids taking him to his room to sleep. Despite the night time however, there's still many kind of activity around him, whether it's from the patrolling guards or the villager.
"Thank you." He said to the maid after they reach the guest room.
Like usual, the maid simply ignores him and left once her duty was done. He simply sigh at it and enter the room.
He lay down on his bed. Awake and restless, especially when there's an eye spying on him. Even the king doesn't trust him yet. Luckily he's already spreading his smoke around the kingdom and surveiling the surrounding.
Yet, despite his attempt to distract himself from the fact he was treated like a suspect, he can't help but wondering what the reason behind it.
Knock, knock...
Someone's knocking on his door in the dead morning. The sounds stirring him up from sleep. He walk to the door to see who is it.
"Sir Nein, his majesty's wishing for your audience at the dining hall for breakfast. Please get ready." The maid state before immediately leave her spot.
"... Huh?" Baffled and confused, he simply stand there by the door while trying to gather his mind around it.
With him already awake, he make his way toward the dining hall along with the butler. The hallway is quiet, too empty unlike how he imagine with a palace full of servants.
"Ah, sir Nein. Good morning to you. Did you sleep well?" The king greets him immediately the moment he stepped into the room.
"I slept like a log, no need to worry, your majesty." He answered with a smile.
Despite their warm atmosphere, this place is actually a form of test to check what kind of man he is. And he can tell just by looking at it. The setting were obvious for someone living among pretender.
"Why are you standing there? Come on, take a seat." The king suggest lightly.
There's seven chair in one big table. With one occupied by the king, so there's three on either side of the table for him to choose.
He take a moment to think about it, clearly aware of what the king trying to pull. He finally make his mind and approaching one of the chairs.
"I'm honored to be invited to have a breakfast with you, your majesty." He said with a polite smile.
He takes the furthest chair on the king's right side. Showing that he's on his side and want to keep a clear line that he's here for business.
"I see, so that's what you want." The king mumbles to himself before looking at him with renewed interest.
He call for the servants to bring their food to the table. And suddenly, the table's filled with a variety of dish, warm and fresh.
"What are you waiting for? Pick what you like." The king suggest, his focus fixed on him.
He's curious, are the elf were like this or there's something happened in the past to make them so suspicious of him. And it begin to irks him.
He lift his hand to grab the foods on the table. His pick will determine whether he's selfish or not.
And to everyone surprise, he choose something that not even the king know an option.
"The elf... Really have appetite. I'm sorry but, I'm fine with just tea and bread." His actions makes everyone in the room even suspicious of him.
The king's quiet, decided to watch as he began to eat his own food with alluring gesture. Hoping it'll break his act of being humble and decent.
Yet, even after he's full, Nein simply sit there, waiting for him despite finished with his food several minutes ago. He sat there with a cup of tea.
He set down the cup with more force than necessary.
"Perhaps there's something behind all this. Behind your doubt and suspicion toward me. But to make it clear, it was you who called for my help, voluntarily." His tone carries a clear hint of annoyance.
He gets up from his seat, the chair making a loud creaking sound. Making it clear that he's annoyed.
"If you can't even give me the slightest of your trust, how do you expect me doing my job properly?" He finally snaps. No longer speaking politely but honesty.
"Watch your ton-" the guard, trying to stop him but his body immediately went rigid as smoke begin to enveloping not only him, but everyone including the king.
"You've told me that the you care about the missing elf. That you will do anything to find them and taking them back home. Making you agreed to your daughter to hire me to taking care of it." His voice carries easily after he sealed everyone's mouth but the king.
He simply seated there, unable to move nor struggle and had no choice but to listen.
"You have a... very peculiar magic. Despite having no trace of mana, it's strong enough to keep me in place. You could've killed everyone in this room, but you instead choose to speak." He finally said something, his voice carries a weight he never know exist.
His face somber, he doesn't struggle, can't. He lift his gaze toward the man infront of him, showing him he's already defeated.
Seeing that, he release everyone, gently lowering their exhausted body to the floor before looking with intensity toward the king.
"So...should we terminate our contract or not?" He ask with finality.
Feeling no longer being restrained, he stood up and looking at him seriously. No longer hiding behind that polite smile of his.
"There's something you need to know first. Follow me." He said before walking away.
The king taking him for a walk around the palace. Only two of them, no eyes nor ears following now.
"Mind explaining the reas-"
"Five years ago..." The king interrupted suddenly.
They stopped by a secluded place covered with yellow flower. In the middle of it, lies a grave, two of them.
"The kingdom in the past actually very open with outsider. But after that incident...we decided to close ourself. The incident of my human friend I treated like brother, he's attacking this kingdom due to his greed and costing me my wife and my older daughter. And since that day, except for the Duke of Bellona... No... That's not quite right." He pause, reconsidering his words.
"Since that day on, we still haunted by that massacre and begin to fear humanity for its destruction for something so simple such as wealth. And with the missing elf from time to time... makes me even paranoid. I apologize if my act toward you make things difficult." He explain about the past briefly before bowing down slightly to show his apology.
The information make explain everything to him. It's reasonable for them to see him as someone dangerous, especially from his appearance alone. And since there's nothing he can do about it, he simply sigh at it.
"It's fine. You have reason to act that way. So... I suppose that we're clear." He said with a more relaxed expression.
"Very well... I shall stop any act that will put you in difficulty. So please, don't turn your back against us, Nein." The king plead, not for him, but for his people after witnessing his power.
Meanwhile, in the royal training ground. Both Ellie and Valix just finished with their training and ready to start the day.
"Say Valix, do you trust Nein?" She ask suddenly while wiping her face.
He's silent for a moment, thinking to himself before looking at her again.
"He... Had such unusual aura around him. It makes him unpredictable and... I can't help but keeping my guard up around him. How about you? Do you trust him?" He pass the question to her.
"Well... I've seen him working before. He might be looking like that, but the fact that he saved me without even knowing who I am and doesn't ask for a pay... I think I can give him a chance. It's been five years isn't it?" She pause, checking on him whether he's listening or not.
"And? It's not erasing the fact that he's a human. He might be acting and really good at it... Just like back then." He said with grim before walking away.
The implication makes her expression harden before standing up slowly. What her brother said was true, the incident were caused by no other than someone they called uncle.
She took a stroll around, simply to ease her mind and enjoying the morning. Until she spot Nein walking toward the front gate accompanied by a guard.
"Huh? What he's doing?" She whisper to herself before making her way toward him.
"So... Sir Nein..." The guard said nervously.
"Drop the formalities. I'm not someone to be addressed with title." He reassuring the guard.
"Right... Well then, I shall take you to the blacksmith now. Please follow -"
"Where are you going?" Her voice suddenly called. Making the guard even more tense than before.
She take a step closer, now standing between them with her smile.
"We're going to a blacksmith. Your father recommended it to me." Nein explain after a brief moment.
"Blacksmith? But why?" She ask curiously.
"It's a part of our agreement. We've talked about it earlier and come to a deal. For the exchange of my help, he'll pay for my custom weapon." He explain briefly.
His words makes her even curious of what happened between him and her father. She finally looking at the petrified guard before speaking.
"I'll tag along then. Do you mind?" She's asking at the guard.
"Certainly not, princess." He answered immediately. There's a slight relief on his eyes when he doesn't need to taking care of Nein alone.
"Can we go now? I still have work to do." Nein hurried them up.
"Y... Yes! We can go now. Please follow me." The guard then begin taking them.
As expected, the locals were suspicious and terrified by his presence alone, in a bad way. He's thinking of what could've happen back then to make everyone so scared of human, but it's not his place to ask since the king told him to never mention that since he's an outsider, to avoid trouble.
"You're surprisingly calm despite the starring you get. Doesn't it make you nervous?" She break the ice as they walk, keeping her tone teasing.
"I'm... Used to it already. Not my first time and not even the worse scenario in this case. They have their reason to look at me that way, it can't be helped." He said calmly, keeping his eyes straight to avoid startling them.
She's listening carefully, aware of the fact that he knows already about it and keep watching over him as if trying to find the smallest crack of his act.
"That's rough." She replied dryly.
The three of them keeping their pace while ignoring their surrounding.
"We're here." The guard state before turning around to them.
They've arrived at the only blacksmith in the Elven kingdom. The source of every weapon and tools for decades.
"It's huge. Is there really just one... What are you doing?" He raise a brow at the gesture the two were making.
"You'll know shortly. Now knock the door." She said with mischief after wearing her earplugs.
Knock...
"ARGGHH!!!!" A loud and frustrated roar answering to the single knock on the door.
It's so loud that it caught him off guard. And before he can even processing what happened. The door suddenly opened.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT! CAN'T YOU READ THE SIGN!? HUH!?" It's a dwarf, a loud one at that. Yelling at them like they're in the middle of war.
Ellie can't help but cackle upon seeing Nein reaction. She make a step forward and grab the sign the dwarf mentioned from the floor.
"You mean this? I thought it's a welcome mat." She said with a playful smile before handing it to him.
"Oh, did it? Looks like I need to change the wood of my door then." He finally speaking normally.
Nein can't help but rubbing his face and sigh. His ears still ringing from earlier and finally understand what she meant by that.
"How's you're doing old Sidir? Still hammering steel like usual?" She ask teasingly while taking off her earplugs.
"Of course I am! There's simply nothing to do here beside working. That brat Lucas doesn't even paying me a visit after he became a king!" He complained while nailing the sign back.
"Lucas?" The name makes Nein wonder who is it and looking at her.
"It's my father's name. Old Sidir were around even before he was born. We doesn't know what makes him stay, but he's been helping us with his crafts for decades." She explain briefly to him.
"Ho... I see." The revelation intrigued him.
"ALRIGHT THEN! What do you want from me and who the hell is this guy?" He said after turning around to speak with them.
"Ah, let me introduce you to Nein, he's here to help father with the missing elves." She introduce Nein to Sidir.
As usual, the first thing he gets after people seeing his appearance is suspicion.
"I thought you'd never let human entering the forest again. What happened?" His tone changed immediately, as if being ready if interrogating them. Him specifically.
"It's not what you think... Its-" Nein immediately grab her shoulder, making her stop before walking forward.
"I'm here to help the king finding the clue about the missing elves. Just to make things clear, it was his majesty who called me here and told me that you can make me a weapon as our agreement." He take hold of the conversation now. His voice steady and calm despite the tension between them.
"Are you threatening me boy?" He challenged, holding his hammer firmly in his hand.
"No, you misunderstood. I'm here to simply asking for a weapon and his majesty will pay for it." He clarify calmly, gesturing to Ellie and the guard to stay back.
"And why should I do that? Who knows what will you do with that weapon. Are you even deserve to carry one?" He pressed further, taking a step closer, making him need to look up to maintain eye contact.
The question hang in the air. It appear to be a cheap taunt, but actually it's a test whether his weapon will put into a good use or becoming something he'll regret later. And Nein aware of that, since it's not his first time being asked with a similar question.
"I'll use it as it desiged for. To kill and to protect those who deserves it." His tone clear and certain.
The dwarfes is keen with their talent to see others character by talking with them. Using their traits of finding the right way under the ground, they use it as a personality check. The very reason why they lived underground, away from conflict created by the land dwellers.
"Tch. You could at least stutter." He said, annoyed and turn around sharply.
The unexpected turn caught her and the guard off. It's the first time they ever see him admitted his defeat and not yelling at his eardrum like he usually do.
"DO YOU WANT WEAPON OR NOT!?" He yells, expecting them to follow inside.
"Ah, we won't interrupt you guys. We'll just going to return now." Ellie said before dragging the guard away with her before he can do anything.
She need to tell her father about this. The stern and grumpy dwarf is defeated in argument without a single words. She's too excited that she doesn't realized the guard's being dragged by his collar.