Sacrifice: Time of Mine

The men were fighting against each other in the outer circle. It may be for fun or they were serious about the food. It became a tradition for them. The women, elderly, and children were not able to participate in this, only men who do "work" for their family. While all of this happens, Tamya asked;

"Who are you?"

"Bahahahaha!" Etor behind Avion began laughing, "So you are not part of Miss Tamya's family." he was relieved, now he can mess with this boy.

"My name's Avion." Avion just simply replied after glancing at the laughing man behind him, not knowing what's so funny about anything.

"Oh, okay, Avion." Tamya cheerfully smiled, "Since you came here to get a free meal, you get a free meal." she then went to get a wooden bowl but was stopped when she was about to get the wooden ladle.

"Wait," Avion raised his hand.

"Yes?" Tamya couldn't help but give her full ears to Avion.

"I don't want the soup but can you give me the four pieces of bread instead of one?" he negotiated.

"...." the crowd became silent. They haven't heard of anything like this before.

But it didn't take long before Etor broke out of laughter again, "Bahahaha! I guess you're a new one here, boy! If I was to be offered ten pieces of bread in exchange for the soup, I would take the soup if I were you." he smiled in mockery but he actually gave a bit of advice.

The men surrounding them then laughed after what Etor said.

Someone actually wanted to exchange the soup for three pieces of bread? Doesn't that kid know that they were fighting each other so that they could get that soup and maybe get a slice of meat?

Didn't he know that if you sell a single piece of meat, you can buy more than five pieces of bread?

To get meat, the hunters would risk their lives to hunt normal animals. If only there were only normal animals around the area then the meat would be cheaper but no, hunters' lives are endangered than usual as there is a small percentage that they got to encounter an aggressive Elemental Beast in the wild.

If they were unlucky enough to have that small percentage, then there is no escape. Unless extremely lucky, no matter how skilled a hunter is, as long as they are not an Elementalist, they would become prey.

So meat is too valuable for the penniless people in the slums and now they heard someone wanting to exchange the soup for three pieces of bread?

It is hysterical for them.

"Hahahahaha!" the crowd laughed at Avion. They are all men and some of this laughter is forced out of envy just to further shame this boy with beauty.

Etor pointed at Avion like a bully as he laughed too. He was extremely satisfied at the moment.

Avion glanced at them before looking at Tamya again.

"Are you sure?" Tamya asked.

But ignoring the laughter, Avion nodded and said, "I am sure."

That was when the laughter abruptly ended. The men were both baffled and annoyed, 'So that didn't affect him?'

"Maybe he's an idiot." many whispered.

Even after all the laughter, a normal person should've been pressured and filled with embarrassment. Some men just laughed because of jealousy and now that they found their laughter didn't affect him, it somehow pissed them off.

Avion's look was enough to make him an enemy to men and a treasure to women.

"He should be an idiot, there is no other explanation." some shook their heads in "disappointment" while they relieved themselves from irritation as they thought, 'That good look is wasted on his empty head.'

I guess the world is fair, they thought.

So after receiving the four pieces of bread, Avion was about to go out of the crowds but Tamya asked, "If you want, I can still give you a bowl of soup." she smiled.

Hearing this, the men's fading irritation went back again. It was not towards Miss Tamya but still towards Avion, 'Ugh! The handsome always get the good stuff!'

However, Avion still declined, "Sorry, but I satisfied with these. I think the soup is better to be given to others than me." he said before turning his back.

The men raised their eyebrows. After hearing what he said, they began to ponder and reconsider his action.

'So he didn't take the bowl of soup because he wanted to give that extra bowl to us?' suddenly, the men's anger mellowed, and felt guilt. They mocked and laughed at him out of envy while not knowing what his true intention is.

There was another silence.

"Oh, he's a good person. Not just his looks." an old lady, Tamya's assistant and also her personal maid, said to her with a wink.

Tamya blushed and gave a chuckle, "I don't know about that."

"You sure that's what you want to say with that cheery smile of yours?"

"Hmph!" Tamya ignored her, "Next, please." she said.

Etor who was the first person to mock Avion had his head lowered as he stepped forward in shame.

After giving a path to Avion, the crowd went back to beating, pulling, and pushing each other. They wanted to forget their guilt and made them exert more force on another than usual...

"When we first met him, he had a sad face, you know a depressed look." Temon was still talking to a child playing with a rock after she finished her breakfast while he sat on the soil, his face looking at the sky. His words philosophical and was resounding to nature.

"Mm-hmm." the child replied, not listening to a word he said while her every attention was towards the rock she was holding.

"He looked so innocent but we still had the intention to rob him. If God wants to punish us," Temon spread his arms like a fanatic, "then let the judgment be-"

"Hey, Temon, what are you doing there?!" Naron shouted at him.

"I am searching for Avion..." he said with a deep tone, "I am searching for who he is..."

"Mm-hmm." the child replied.

"I found him, get up there!" Naron kicked Temon which made him lay on the soil ground.

"So this is your judgment." Temon frowned at the sky.

After he stood up, he found Avion with four bread in his arms. As they walked towards him, Avion gave one bread to Fobo then to each of them.

"..." they looked at the bread and then gave a questioning look to Avion.