Altair's feet pounded against the dirt as he moved through the increasingly crowded area of the refugee camp. Tents stretched as far as the eye could see, and unfamiliar faces pressed in from every direction. His heart raced, anxiety tightening in his chest with each passing moment.
"Verda… Alvis… where are you?" he muttered under his breath, eyes scanning every child, every corner.
He cursed himself silently. I shouldn't have left them alone. I thought it would only be a short trip—I didn't think something like this would happen…
Just then, a firm hand clamped down on his shoulder. Startled, Altair turned quickly, prepared to resist if needed, but the stern face that met him was familiar.
"You," the soldier said, his grip steady. "You need to come with us."
Altair blinked, recognizing the man as one of the soldiers he had given the stolen bandit map and confiscated weapon to days earlier. His breath caught for a different reason now. Why are they summoning me? Did something go wrong with the evidence?
"What is this about?" he asked cautiously.
"You'll know soon. Follow us."
He hesitated, glancing once more at the crowd. He still hadn't found Verda and Alvis. But with a tight nod, he followed. There wasn't much choice.
They led him past a line of tents to a larger, sturdier-looking structure—an administrative tent manned by armed personnel. Inside, a few officers stood behind a table, talking quietly among themselves. One of them looked up and gestured him forward.
"I'm Captain Yumir. Pleased to meet you," the man said with a firm nod. "You're the one who turned in the map and the weapon, correct?"
Altair returned the gesture, though his posture remained cautious. "Yes, Captain. That was me. Is something the matter?"
"We want to thank you for turning in the map and the weapon," one of the officers said, offering a polite smile. "It belonged to one of our fellow soldiers who… had an unfortunate incident. We're relieved it was recovered quickly. As such, we're issuing a reward on behalf of the town."
Altair kept his expression neutral, nodding slowly. So they're intending to hide it?
It's actually a good thing for him. It means they didn't doubt him.
Anyways, he already expected that they'll hide this matter. If word gets out about the bandits having this kind of organized operation…people would probably panic. It's good to handle this privately so as to not make people scared when travelling to town…
Still, he played along, keeping his voice even. "I'm just glad I could help."
One of the soldiers handed over a small pouch of coins and a tightly packed half sack of supplies. Altair looked inside and saw silver coins along with some fruits, vegetables, grains, and bread. It wasn't a lot, but it could sustain one person for about three days. He accepted them with a bow of gratitude.
"Thank you," he said aloud, offering the same polite mask they had shown him.
"Is that all, Captain? May I register and leave the town now?" Altair asked, his tone respectful but edged with urgency.
Captain Yumir gave a brief nod, his expression neutral. "Yes. You're cleared. You're free to go."
Altair gave a small bow. "Thank you. I'd better leave now, so as not to disturb you from your work."
He turned swiftly, the weight of the supplies in his arms grounding him as his thoughts raced ahead—he still had to find Verda and Alvis before it was too late.
But just as he was about to exit the camp, a loud voice rang out near the camp, where two officers were stationed behind a desk.
"Please, sir! You must help us!" the woman wailed loudly. "Our son and daughter have been missing for days. I'll die if we don't find them!"
Her voice broke with each word, people glanced at her with a frown because of her loud voice.
"Yes, officer. We don't know what happened to them. I suspect they might've been kidnapped," the man beside her added. Though his words were filled with concern, Altair caught something unsettling in his eyes.
His frown deepened. Missing children?
He stared at the couple, a man and a woman dressed in travel-worn clothes, their faces pale with exhaustion.
He remembered Verda and Alvis the moment he heard them mention their missing children. He had to hurry and find them—immediately.
But he hadn't gone far yet, and the woman's voice still carried clearly through the camp.
"Yes, thank you, officer. Our son's name is Alvis, and our daughter is Verda. I hope you can find them soon."
Altair froze mid-step. Slowly, he turned to look back at the couple. His expression tightened.
Are they... Alvis and Verda's parents?
So his guess was right. They really were here.
This is bad.
His heart pounded, and his pace quickened as the couple began describing the children's features to the officers. He needed to find them—before anyone else did.
As he rounded the corner, he saw a group of bickering children. His gaze instinctively swept past them—until he heard a familiar voice.
"Where did you go, huh?"
"You made us look everywhere for you!"
"Are you planning to run off huh! You're just waiting to get us in trouble are you?"
A small boy stood in the center of the scolding, shoulders hunched, face downcast. It was Lero—the boy Altair had met earlier. Now, he was being cornered by three older children.
One of them gave him a light shove, and Lero stumbled back a step.
"Enough!" a shrill voice rang out.
A familiar woman—his aunt—stormed over and grabbed Lero by the arm, making his expression crumble in pain.
"I've had it with you! Can't even behave for one day! I'm taking you to the officials. Let them feed you—I'm done!"
Lero didn't fight back, but his eyes filled with tears. "Please… I didn't mean to… I just wanted to—"
"Quiet!" the woman snapped. "You're not my responsibility anymore!"
Altair watched, stunned. The boy was being dragged toward the government building. If she really brought him there, he might be tossed into an overcrowded orphanage.
Should I really be worrying about someone else right now? he asked himself.
But something about Lero's trembling form made him pause. He was the first child Altair had met in the town. He had thought about adopting him before, and now, here was his chance.
Altair hesitated for a moment, torn between his responsibility to find Alvis and Verda and the impulse to help the boy.
I can't afford to waste time here, I still have to find where Alvis and Verda are, he reminded himself. Yet, Lero's pitiful state tugged at his heart. If he didn't help him now, would he regret missing this chance?
His eyes dropped to the sack of food in his hands and immediately had an idea.
He stepped forward, quickly intercepting the woman.
"Excuse me," Altair said, his voice gentle but firm. "Would you consider giving him to me instead?"
The woman blinked in surprise. "Huh? You want him?" She narrowed her eyes, her expression faltering as she scrutinized him. "Hmm… you look familiar…"
Altair didn't wait for her to piece it together. He quickly held out the sack of food he was carrying. "If you give him to me, I'll give you this food in exchange."
The woman's eyes lit up, her gaze greedily shifting to the sack. Before she could respond, the three children who had been bullying Lero turned their attention to the food.
"It's food. It's food. Mom, I'm starving!"
"Mom! Say yes! We're still hungry!"
"Yeah, mom. Consider it a payment for taking him with us!"
The children's eyes darted to the sack in Altair's hands, and their anxious expressions were unmistakable. The woman hesitated for a moment, glancing back and forth between Lero and Altair. Then, with a shrug, she sighed.
"Fine. You want him, take this burden. I've got enough mouths to feed."
Without further hesitation, she shoved Lero toward Altair, causing the boy to stumble slightly. Altair immediately reached out and caught him, feeling his small, trembling frame. The boy looked up at him, his face flushed with embarrassment. It seemed he still recognized him.
Altair offered a small, reassuring smile. "It'll be okay."
He handed the sack of food to the woman, who eagerly grabbed it, causing one of the bread loaves to fall to the ground. Her child quickly picked it up. Altair shook his head, his expression unreadable.
Without another word, he took Lero's hand, stood up, and turned away quickly, before the woman could change her mind.