The bonfire of Kanu Village blazed in the open space at the center of the village. To welcome the guests who had traveled from afar, Chief Toby had specially hosted this bonfire banquet.
Although the guests being welcomed were not Leopold and Isabella, but rather the chief of Hexi Village, it worked out perfectly by chance to show his high regard.
Toby calculated in his mind which side would bring the greatest benefit. Regardless, he needed to quickly toast Mr. Leopold with a few cups of wine to show his sincerity.
But... why hadn't Mr. Leopold come out yet? Oh no, he seemed to have forgotten to notify them about tonight's bonfire gathering!
Leopold and Isabella had actually arrived at the bonfire long ago. However, as soon as they arrived, Iron Fist had called them over.
Just as they sat down, Iron Fist shoved a coarse earthenware bowl into Leopold's hand. “Try this. It's home-brewed, much better than the watered-down stuff from Cabin Village.”
Leopold looked down at the dark yellow liquid in the bowl, lifted it, and took a sip. A wheat aroma mixed with a slight sour bitterness spread across his tongue.
“...It's indeed quite good.”
Isabella also took a small sip and said nothing.
Iron Fist grinned and sat down beside him, first gulping down a large mouthful himself.
“Can your 'Grand General' really control the Demon Race?” Iron Fist set down his bowl, his voice dropping a bit. “I've seen the Demon Race, and I've fought them before—to be honest, they're much better at fighting than humans.”
“Many of my brothers were killed by them...”
“But if they can be controlled and used for humanity, I'm not so close-minded that I wouldn't accept it.”
“Brother Leo, I know you are a great figure, while I, Iron Fist, am just an ordinary citizen.”
“If you can truly help humanity stand out, I, Iron Fist, am willing to bow my head and serve you!”
Leopold turned his head to glance at Iron Fist. The middle-aged man's face was full of openness and sincerity, completely different from Toby's shrewd calculation.
“Iron Fist, answer me honestly. How do you view sorcerers?”
The hand Iron Fist used to hold the earthenware bowl paused, the alcohol sloshing against the rim. He fell silent for a few seconds before putting the bowl down.
“To tell you the truth, I've killed sorcerers before.”
“They have bright red hair, but their appearance is no different from ours.”
“I'm just a coarse man, and I don't understand all those complex grudges, but from the bottom of my heart, I don't hate sorcerers.”
“Is that so?” Leopold lowered his head. It seemed Iron Fist still could not represent the attitude of the majority of the villagers.
If the villagers could not accept sorcerers, then the value of humanity would be greatly diminished. After all, a race that could not use magic was not worth choosing in the long run.
“Mr. Leo...pold!” a boy called out in pleasant surprise.
Leopold looked up, finding the boy in front of him surprisingly familiar.
“I'm Karl!”
Iron Fist recognized the boy running over. “Karl? What are you doing here?”
Karl ran to the bonfire, taking two breaths to steady himself, his face still flushed with excitement.
“My... my dad brought me here! He said Kanu Village is having a bonfire banquet today and that the people from Hexi Village would also come. I wanted to see if I could meet Mr. Leopold!” He turned to Leopold, the light of the bonfire reflecting in his eyes.
“You're really here!”
Leopold put down his earthenware bowl, his expression gentle. “Karl, is your body all recovered?”
“I'm all better!” Karl nodded vigorously, then seemed to remember something and added, “My mom said if it weren't for you and that big sister, I would have been sold to the mines by now. She told me I must thank you in person.”
As he spoke, he truly bowed deeply to Leopold, then turned and bowed to Isabella.
Isabella did not respond to him, continuing to drink on her own, her cheeks already flushed with a faint redness.
“You came at just the right time, Karl,” Leopold waved him over, gesturing for him to sit by the fire. Karl did not stand on ceremony and sat down right next to Iron Fist.
“Go ahead, I'm listening.”
Leopold smiled, took another sip from his earthenware bowl, and then spoke unhurriedly, “Are you afraid of sorcerers?”
Karl blinked and thought for a moment.
“You're talking about what you were just discussing, right? I didn't mean to, but I overheard.”
“Actually, regarding the villagers' fear of sorcerers, I have a different perspective.”
“Oh?” Leopold's interest was piqued. The child in front of him was exceptionally intelligent; perhaps he truly had a unique perspective.
“The villagers fear sorcerers not because sorcerers have actually done anything bad, but out of a sense of identity.”
“Identity?”
“Yes. Ever since the birth of any intelligent race, they have to face a single question.”
“What is 'I'?”
Iron Fist held his bowl and furrowed his brows, seemingly having absolutely no idea what Karl was talking about.
“Karl, continue.”
“As an intelligent race, when humans build villages and unite, they must face a question of identity: who is human?”
“The Demon Race is obviously not human; we can easily tell them apart by their appearance. But sorcerers look similar to us and even share the same bloodline ancestry.”
“So humans fear sorcerers because they see a 'different' version of themselves in the mirror.”
“If someone accepts the identity of a sorcerer, they detach themselves from the general collective identity. They will inevitably be questioned by others, and this questioning will cause the collapse of the collective identity.”
Iron Fist held his earthenware bowl, his brows furrowing even deeper. He seemed to understand a little, yet at the same time, understood nothing at all.
Leopold, however, understood. He leaned back against the haystack behind him, his gaze falling on Karl's still-childish face.
“Well said.”
Praised, Karl scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. “I... I thought about it for a long time before figuring it out.”
Iron Fist remained silent for a long while. He downed the wine in his bowl in one gulp and set it down heavily.
“Even though I didn't fully understand, I get the general idea—you guys think sorcerers are one of us, just looking a bit different?”
“You could understand it that way,” Leopold chimed in. “And not only do they 'look a bit different,' but they also possess the power that humans were meant to wield but have forgotten.”
At this moment, Isabella finally lifted her half-drunk eyes and suddenly hugged Leopold.
“Leo... let's go, let's go!”
Isabella's hug came so suddenly. Her entire body leaned softly against him, her warm cheek pressing against his shoulder.
“Leo, Leopold!” Isabella suddenly cried out. “I'm sleepy, sleepy!”
Iron Fist tactfully stood up, carrying his empty bowl as he walked toward the other side of the bonfire. Karl also stood up and winked at Leopold. “I'll head over there to get some food first.”
Watching Iron Fist and Karl blend into the crowd on the other side of the bonfire, Leopold couldn't help but sigh.
He looked down at Isabella, who was leaning against his shoulder.
Her eyes were closed and her breathing was steady, as if she had truly fallen asleep.
“...Bella?”
“Hmm?”
“Are you awake?”
“Silly Leopold, I'm not!” She buried her face further into his chest. “Hurry up and hug me, hug Isabella...”
Leopold sighed and could only lift Isabella up as he stood.
“With such a low tolerance, you shouldn't drink in the future.”
“Hehehe, now it's just the two of us. Does this count as a date...”
Isabella spoke these words softly and gently. What was worse, she deliberately leaned close to his ear, her alcohol-scented breath brushing past Leopold's ear, making him flush completely red from the base of his neck to the tips of his ears.
“...A date?”
“Mm, a date,” Isabella nodded with her eyes closed. “Adele told me... when humans are in love, they eat together, walk together, and watch the bonfire together...”
“You're so silly, Leo.”
“You don't even know what a date is!”
Rate on N.U.
