For a while, Valyr was left at a loss for words at the sudden question. After all, he was more or less daydreaming while he was making his way back to the inn.
However, the sudden question had brought him back to reality, prompting him to take a look at his current surroundings to get a better idea of what was going on.
Currently, a kid in his early teens stood before him, looking at him with a hopeful expression. Thinking about the words spoken to him earlier, it did not take long for Valyr to figure out that the kid was begging him for food.
Realizing this, Valyr briefly had an urge to ignore the kid and continue making his way back to the inn. After all, he would only incur the disappointment of a few people in their surroundings, something they would undoubtedly forget the following day.
Though, as he looked at his surroundings more, he noticed that a great portion of the people in the area were looking at him and the young man. At first, he wondered why everyone was looking at them, only to then notice that they weren't exactly looking at him.
They were looking at the kid.
'Judging from their faintly disgusted expressions, the kid must have asked others for food as well.' Continuing to look at the people in the area in silence, the gears in Valyr's mind turned. 'And seeing how I'm currently wearing the full Nascent Wyvern Armor, the kid decided to leave me for last, thinking that I'm some sort of young master who'd immediately say no to this kind of request.'
"Hmm." Feeling like he had gotten a good grasp of the current situation, Valyr let out a faint sound, which caused the kid before him to flinch.
However, rather than expect to be ignored or declined by the young man before him, the kid instead received something else.
"I don't really have any food with me at the moment, but if you want, we could grab some food from a nearby restaurant." Saying these words to the kid, Valyr was not surprised that most of the people staying to look at what would happen had shocked reactions on their faces.
Of course, he also wasn't surprised to see some people briefly having looks of pity on their faces, knowing what was going on in their minds.
'Well, whether this may be a scam or not, it still doesn't feel right to ignore a kid like him…' Ignoring what other people in the vicinity were thinking, the young man eventually continued walking, beckoning the kid to follow him.
'Especially with how he reminds me of a certain person.'
…
"Are you sure it's fine for me to eat all of this?" Staring at the multiple platters of food spread out around him, the kid could not stop himself from drooling. However, knowing where all this food came from, he restrained himself, looking at the young man on the opposite side.
"Feel free to dig in." Taking delight at the kid's reaction, Valyr gestured for him to eat to his heart's content.
With that, it was only then did the kid finally not holding back, proceeding to go through the various foods available in front of him in order.
'I wonder how long it's been since he hasn't eaten.' Watching the kid eat with a satisfied smile on his face, Valyr recounted the things the two of them had done before arriving at the restaurant.
Considering that he was basically bringing a beggar along to eat with him, the young man decided to bring the kid to a bathhouse first, tipping the attendants there extra to make sure that the kid was squeaky clean.
Though, after waiting for a while for the kid to be fully cleaned, the young man eventually changed his mind and decided to get clean himself as well. It was there that he had discovered something gruesome about the kid.
While the kid looked to be 12 to 13 years of age, as the two of them relaxed themselves in one of the bathhouse's many pools, Valyr saw the numerous scars scattered all over the kid's body, some of which overlapped over others.
From what he could see, the only parts of the kid's body that weren't wounded were his head, his forearms, his hands, and his feet. Other than that, his body was riddled with scars that even he did not wish for a full-grown man to have.
After getting out of the bathhouse, the two of them then went to a clothing store, allowing the kid to select the clothing he wanted to wear.
Unsurprisingly, the kid was hesitant at first, feeling like he would have to do something in exchange for it. However, Valyr reassured the kid multiple times that he wouldn't have to do anything for it, which eventually gave the kid courage to buy a few articles of simple clothing.
It was only after going through those places did he and the kid arrive at a restaurant, choosing one that was slightly more lavish than normal.
"So, mind telling me more about who you are and how you got here?" Deciding to finally pick up a few pieces of food for himself, Valyr set up a thin barrier of mana around them as he asked the kid a question.
"Of course, if you're uncomfortable talking about it, pretend as if I've never asked." Seeing as the kid stopped eating just as he had finished asking his question, the young man decided to add on a few words at the end.
"It's not uncomfortable…" The kid shook his head in response, neatly placing his utensils down. "But I have a question."
"Go ahead." Valyr nodded in response.
"Why… are you so nice to… a beggar like me?" the kid asked, prompting Valyr to faintly smile.
"Do I really need to have a reason to help other people out?" asked Valyr back, letting out a chuckle soon after. "Well, if you really want me to give you a reason… it's the fact that someone as young as you is out begging in the streets."
"That…" At those words, the kid wryly smiled as he went silent for a bit. Seeing this, Valyr wondered if he should postpone the conversation to another time.
However, once the kid opened his mouth, that thought swiftly dissipated into thin air.
"My name…" the kid said all of a sudden. "…is Edward Jerome… of the Nicholas clan."
'Ah,' Valyr thought to himself, his mind seemingly on the verge of collapse after hearing the young man's name.
After all, he only knew one being in his past life to have such a name.
'I'm talking to the future Grand Marshal of the Zeihardt Sovereignty.'
