Chapter 13 Fairness

Now that Hajime was dead, their hopes were shattered. There was not much the four could do. They decided to continue looking for the white dragon tail after burying Hajime. U-ri sat under a tree and carved Hajime's name on a piece of wood. Michio and Abrafo start digging Hajime's grave. Abrafo was still crying as he dug. Abrafo couldn't believe that he had killed Hajime.

Yul puts Hajime down and starts wiping the blood off his face. Then Yul wiped Hajime's neck, and Hajime started giggling.

Shocked, Yul quickly withdrew his hand and took a step back.

Hajime moaned in pain while clutching his stomach, and slowly sat up. The three rushed over and stood beside Yul.

Hajime looked at the four of them looking down at him and smiled. "What are you four looking at?"

Abrafo looked at the three men and asked, "Is he dead?"

Hajime sighed and said, "Did you know I can hear you?"

Michio said, "What if something controls him after he dies? With such a wound on his abdomen, there is no way he could have survive."

Hajime looked at the big wound on his abdomen, and frantically raised his head to look at Abrafo. "How many days will it take for this wound to heal? You have gone too far this time."

Michio said, "Tie him up first, before he attacks us."

U-ri said, "There must be some demon controlling him, or because he is the great mage Hajime, he suddenly came back from the dead."

Hajime rubbed his belly and asked, "Have you guys finished debating?"

Michio asked, "Hajime?"

Hajime replied, "Yeah, what's wrong?"

Abrafo said, "You're dead, but now you're not dead. How is that possible?"

Hajime said, "Some angry Goddess don't want me dead." He looked at Abrafo coldly. "You owe me a sword stab."

Abrafo pointed to Yul, "Who is he?"

He stood up, and the four began to back away from him. "Why are you asking me?" Then he realized that the four must be terrified of him, since he had just come back from the dead. He laughed, but the injury in his abdomen was not completely healed, and it prevented him to laugh harder because of the pain. He looked at the four people in a daze, and said, "Oh, I forgot to tell you. I can't die."

U-ri asked, "You can't die?"

Hajime sighed and said, "Yes, I can't die. A very evil goddess cursed my ancestors."

Abrafo rushed over and hugged Hajime. He said happily, "Thank the goddess for casting a curse on your ancestors. Unless... I will feel guilty for stabbing you to death for the rest of my life."

Hajime frowned, "Put me down. Even if I can't die, I can still feel the pain." He snorted in pain.

Abrafo put Hajime down and said, "How long will it take for your injury to heal?"

Hajime replied, "At most ten days, because the wound is very large."

Yul walked up to Hajime with a smile and said, "I'm glad you didn't die."

Hajime asked, "What happen to you two?"

Yul tells his story to the four men standing in front of him. He said, "We entered the bell fruit area. When I stood up, Abrafo was gone. Then I saw a scary goblin eating Abrafo's body, and then I started attacking the goblin."

Abrafo jumped in, "I held Yul in my arms. Yul was dying and he said he was attacked by a demon. Then the demon appeared in front of me, and I started attacking the demon."

Michio said, "What we see is different than the two of you."

Yul and Abrafo asked at the same time, "Different? How?"

Michio said, "We saw Yul swinging his sword at the branches and then on the ground."

Hajime said, "And you." He looked at Abrafo and chuckled. "You kneeled on the ground crying with two fruits in your arms."

Abrafo opened his mouth wide, "I was what?" He felt embarrassed. He looked at the other four men. "We'll never mention this again. Let's burn this forest to the ground."

U-ri said "We are in the middle of the forest. If you burn it, we will burn too."

Hajime said, "Since it is protected by magic, it will not be so easy to burn."

Yul said, "Let's put up a warning sign. At least it keeps people away from it."

After U-ri wrote the warning on a piece of cloth and hung it on one of the trees, the five picked up their belongings and made their way down the waterfall stream.

After walking for two hours, they saw a small village down the mountain. It took the five men another two hours to reach the village. The five walked into the town center.

The market in the town is crowded and noisy. Merchants are trying to sell their items to travelers on the street. Hungry, young, and old, went to the streets to beg for food. Women and men wave travelers into their brothels.

U-ri said, "Looks like these people don't really care if we're travelers or not."

Michio said, "Let's find a place to sit and eat."

U-ri looked at the four men and asked, "Do they use the same currency as us?"

Abrafo said, "I don't think they'll deny our golden feather."

The five found a dilapidated inn. The five of them walked in, and the welcome staff stepped forward to greet them. They sat at a table in front of the front door.

Michio was afraid that the waiter might not understand him, so he speaks slowly to the waiter, "Do…you…accept…this? He showed the waiter a silver feather.

The waiter slowly replied to Michio word by word, "Yes…we…accept…it…"

Michio made a scooping motion as if eating. Michio said, "Great…give…us…some…food…"

The waiter nodded and said, "We…have…thirteen…different… dishes."

The other four people sitting at the table were a little annoyed when they saw Michio's action, because they could see that the waiter and they spoke the same language. Hajime said, "Bring us one of each dish."

The waiter sighed and threw the towel over his right shoulder. He said, "Oh, why let this disabled monk talk if you can talk normally?" He looked at Michio, then at the four men. "Your food will be ready soon." The other four men at the table laughed at Michio.

When the five men were still eating, suddenly, the people in the inn rushed out of the street. The five stood up and walked towards the main entrance. They saw handcuffed women following a man on the back of a tiger.

It was a big tiger four feet tall. The tiger eyes looked fiercely at the people on both sides of the street and growled.

Michio grabs one of the men stood beside him. He asked, "What's going on?"

The traveler said, "You probably don't know. Did you see those slaves?" The five nodded. "They're for bidding."

U-ri asked, "Is that why there are so many people here today?"

The traveler said, "It happens every few years. Merchants will travel across the land, collecting the rarest of beauty to sell here. Whoever bids more wins the item."

Hajime uttered madly, "These are people, not a thing." Hajime walked out, but his arm was caught by Yul.

The traveler said, "Not in the Land of The Alpha." He continued to look at the fifty women following behind the man on the back of the tiger.

Yul said, "It's a tradition in their kingdom, so whatever you plan to do won't change anything here."

U-ri said, "Hajime, Yul is right. Don't be so reckless." He patted Hajime's left shoulder lightly. "If traveling in their land, we must respect their traditions. Remember, we have our mission."

The five watched as the people disappeared into the crowded street.

The traveler looked at Hajime and said, "Don't worry, many of these beauties would rather be sold than be slaves. Those who can afford it are rich and wealthy people, so in a sense, it's better to be sold here in this market than to be a slave in the desert."

Michio asked, "Kind sir, how do you know that?"

The traveler laughed and said, "I brought back my fourth wife from him four years ago." He pointed to the table. "Look over there, that's my wife."

The five people looked at the table and saw a beautiful woman sitting and eating.

Uri asked, "Then why are you looking at another beautiful woman, since your fourth wife is sitting there?"

The traveler said, "Sir, don't tell me you don't want more than one wife."

U-ri, "I have a wife who died many years ago."

The traveler said, "Then what are you waiting for? He looked at U-ri's appearance. "Thinking about it, I don't think you can afford it."

U-ri smiled and said, "I don't want one." U-ri shook his head, then walked back to their table.

Michio said, "You see Hajime, everything is fair in this universe because heaven created us equally. Life is always fair."

Hajime looked at Michio who was eating happily. He wondered, if everything in the world was equal and without prejudice, then why someone like him, had to die alone in the back alley of some unknown garbage area.

Hajime looked at Michio and said, "Life is never fair. Everything in the world is not created equal as you said. I know it's true, and you know it too."

Yul found Hajime suddenly angry. He looked at Hajime and said, "Hajime, don't make trouble."

Hajime said, "I'm not making trouble." He felt upset and wanted to be alone at this moment. He stood up and walked to the counter. He placed a golden leaf on the counter. "I need a room."

Michio said confusedly, "Did I say something wrong? Why did Hajime suddenly get angry?"

Abrafo said, "His temper is always out of control. Yul, why don't you go comfort your wife."

U-ri said, "Then I think we will stay in this inn tonight." He looked at Hajime who had followed a waiter up the stairs.

Inside the room, Hajime was lying on the bed alone, staring at the ceiling. "Life is not fair… for you and me...why are our lives so miserable? We are just two blank innocent canvases and adults think they have the right to paint us any color they want so how can life be fair." Hajime sighed and closed his eyes. "Two people from two different universes, but...have the same pain and humiliation..."