Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Halini Kitindar

The gentle midnight wind blew, causing the trees around them to dance in unison while airing the soothing sound of the leaves. Gideon remained silent while looking at Halini with nothing but a kind expression on his face. Halini hugged herself as her body shivered.

After some time, Halini raised her palms, placed them near her mouth, and blew, sadness visible in her blue eyes beneath her lovely smile. Only a few people had seen this side of Halini, and it was right in front of Gideon.

"I was the third child of my father and mother, or rather, my late mother," she explained as a pained smile appeared on her flawless, beautiful face. "One of our maids told me that even on her last breath, my mother insisted on naming me," she said before shifting her gaze to Gideon. "Halini is a Yatian word that means gift, but my father sees me as a curse because my mother is no longer with him because of me."

Gideon's eyes widened as his jaw slowly dropped; the thought of someone being treated the way Halini was treated caused him great distress. "Halini..."

Halini hugged herself even more tightly and shook her head. "Growing up, I never knew what it was like to have a family who loved me unconditionally; however, I can't blame my father and two older sisters... They adored my mother and despise me for taking her away from them... I know because they were constantly reminding me... Every day," she chuckled. "To the point where I decided to leave the house and go somewhere far away so I wouldn't have to hear their words again... At the very least, my father allowed me to live in one of our other mansions and sent maids to make sure I wasn't doing anything that would bring him disgrace, as if my mere existence wasn't enough of a disgrace in his eyes."

"Is that why you're in this town?" Gideon inquired.

Halini shook her head. "This is my tenth town; living in an isolated mansion with no friends or family was exhausting. I just happened to wake up one day in this town and decide to try adventuring because I was bored." She stood up, stretching her hand and releasing a soft moan. She took one step forward, both hands clasped behind her. "So I joined the guild."

"Now that you bring it up, how old are you? Isn't it seventeen? That only means you joined the guild when you were fifteen. You are a fearless young lady," Gideon paused for a few seconds. "I'm sure your father was concerned that you had decided to enter a dangerous line of work at such a young age."

Halini smiled as she turned her gaze to Gideon. "Unfortunately, that was not the case," she said as she looked up at the starry sky, the light from Loafy illuminating her soft and smooth cheek, which possessed such elegance that it made the beautiful sky seem less interesting to watch in comparison. "When I first moved to this town two years ago, I had no real friends. But not until I met Ordy and Mian. They have always been kind to me, joining me at my table whenever they see me eating alone, and cheering for me whenever I finish a quest, even if those quests were just flower-picking quests." Her face came back to life as a genuine bright smile appeared on her lips. Reminiscing about the past.

Halini exhaled, feeling the gentle breeze blow through her smooth, wavy fiery red hair. She closed her eyes for a few seconds before opening them again and smiling cheerfully at Gideon. "Then one day, they decided to bring me along with them so that I would never be alone while waiting for them again. For me, a total stranger, unlike them, who had known each other since they were children, they decided to start a party so they could bring me everywhere with them, and they have never made me feel different despite being new. They've always been nice to me... like a family—even though I have no idea what it's like to have a family. Ordy and Mian are two of my very first friends. True friends. That is why I adore both of them. They are the only family I have."

Gideon rose and took a position in front of Halini. Gideon looked around, watching the silhouettes of the trees dance in the calming music of the wind, while Halini looked at his face. There were a few moments of silence as neither of them said anything and simply observed the nature around them.

Gideon swallowed and cleared his throat. "I'm at a loss for words when it comes to this subject. I grew up in a family where everyone is loved and valued equally. I'm not sure how it felt to live with a family like yours. I can't believe people like your family exist; after all, who wouldn't like a person like you? You're adorable and fun to be around... I mean, if I were them, I'd pick you every time because I've always wanted a cute little sister like you— the real kind, not the anime kind... just to be clear."

Halini burst out laughing. "You always have something to say about everything, don't you?"

"I am well aware that I am a very talkative individual," Gideon responded, shifting his gaze to Halini's eyes, a gentle smile on his face visible thanks to Loafy floating next to his face.

"Perhaps I'm just not good enough for their standards, there's nothing I can do about it, it's who I am, I'm not good at everything—" Halini's words came to a halt as a hand gently landed on top of her head. The hand gently patted her head, providing her with great comfort with each tap. Halini raised her head and fixed her gaze on Gideon. "Gideon?"

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Gideon took his hand off Halini's head. "Sorry, I was thinking of patting your head... I just thought it might work on you because my big brother was always doing it to encourage me. It always worked for me, at least temporarily," he explained as he slipped his hands into his pants pockets. "I'm such a mess and cringe."

Halini responded with a long, soft giggle. Her sweet-sounding voice echoed in the small space the two of them were in. Gideon just smiled as he watched Halini.

"I think it's working; I feel better now," Halini smiled.

"That makes me very happy. But seriously, you are an incredible person. So far, you are the best mage I have ever met in my life— I know that doesn't mean much given my circumstances, but what I mean is, I think you are an amazing person— as long as you stop scaring the shit out of me with your disturbing monster stories," Gideon said, raising his thumb and smirking broadly.

"Do you think so?" Halini asked, smiling.

"Yes," Gideon replied. "You have the ability to cast cool spells. Have you ever caught a glimpse of yourself while launching those terrifying attacks? I almost became your fanboy because you were so cool. How I wish I could learn such skills... If only there were some way to."

"There are many ways to learn skills, though," Halini said as she picked up her staff from the grass and walked toward the campfire. "Like skill tutors, like the one who lives in this town and taught me my elemental balls."

Gideon followed Halini, his brow furrowed. "Skill tutor? How come I've never heard of that before?"

"You've never heard of them? That's odd because they're everywhere and quite popular. They can, however, only teach you basic elemental skills such as Fireball or Water ball. After all, advanced abilities can only be obtained through specific means," Halini replied without looking back.

"I know what they are, but I didn't know they were around, especially in this town; can you tell me more about it?" Gideon inquired.

Halini slowed down and moaned softly as she stretched both of her hands. "I'd love to, but I'm afraid I'm already exhausted. If you can wait until tomorrow, maybe. After all, we need to get some rest before our adventure tomorrow."

Gideon placed both hands on his hips and narrowed his eyes at Halini. "Ha? I don't need sleep, I need answers," Gideon accelerated his pace and caught up to Halini. "If you don't tell me first thing in the morning tomorrow, I'll follow you around like a bothersome wagging, talking tail."

Halini's smiling face slowly rose and faced Gideon, who was much taller than her. "Yes, yes, I will tell you tomorrow... Gideon."

"Why are you staring at me like that? Please don't tell me you're going to make me follow you around like a dog all day before giving me my answer—don't laugh! I knew it!"

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