Chapter 46.2
Chapter 46.2
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The door to the small room creaked open much later. “Everyone’s gone… Did it get so cramped in here you two started fighting?” Rune asked, looking at Adeline’s disheveled hair. Flustered, she tried to smooth it down, then turned to see an even more disheveled figure straightening up behind her.
A knowing look flickered across Rune’s small face. Adeline felt a strange embarrassment, as if she had been caught doing something inappropriate in front of a child, though she couldn’t be sure of his actual age. Quickly looking around, she asked, “Now that I think about it, it’s gotten quiet. Is the work finished?”
“It’s a break. Anyway, consider your debt repaid.” His dark eyes shone not with arrogance, but with pride. He hadn’t shown it, but he had clearly been dwelling on the help he’d received. Adeline thought that the ‘escape’ analogy wasn’t quite accurate.
“Thank you. I would have been in trouble otherwise.”
“You seemed to be on the run. Where are you going now?”
“I’m debating between District 9 and District 8, across the sea. I want to go back to District 9 and search again, but I doubt my friend is there either.”
“Across the sea…” A flicker of envy flashed in Rune’s eyes, but it vanished before she could be sure she’d seen it. He blinked his large eyes and asked carefully, “So you have to leave right away?”
“Sooner would be better, but why?” she asked, puzzled. The red-haired fairy fluttered over and tugged at Adeline’s sleeve, leading her away without a word. In a quiet corner of the forge, Adeline’s eyes widened at the sight of a large barrel on the floor.
“A small gift,” Rune said, fluttering up behind her with the help of the other fairies. Next to the barrel were several similar wooden mugs. Damian, already showing interest, sat down.
“It’s honey mead, made by us. It’s much stronger than regular beer.” Adeline knew what beer was, of course, but she had never tasted it. Food was the priority in District 13; they didn’t have the resources to make alcohol from grain. She took a sip; it was surprisingly sweet.
“I thought it would be bitter, but it’s different from what I expected.” Damian, clearly enjoying it, had already finished one mug. In the background, the forge blew flower-like embers, casting a cozy glow in the dim space.
“Aren’t you drinking?”
The dozens of fairies who had been observing Adeline and Damian looked at each other. Adeline wondered if they understood her but couldn’t speak. Just then, the red-haired girl who had tugged at her sleeve spoke up, seemingly as a representative.
“We have to get back to work soon, so we can’t drink. The work is too delicate to do while intoxicated.”
“Soon? But you’ve been working this whole time.”
“If we want to fulfill the orders from the humans, we don’t even have time to sleep.”
Indeed, most of the hundreds of forge fairies seemed to be asleep. Adeline remembered the workshops she had seen on her way here. Sewing, shoemaking, furniture making… all kinds of manufacturing taking place in poor conditions. Did they work all day like this? Without any days off?
“Are you being fairly compensated for your labor?”
“Compensated? We get fed, but that’s it.”
“Is there a way out?”
“When we get old or too injured to work, we’re naturally let go. But we’re not free. We’re just sold to fairy shops.”
Even if she hadn’t heard the details, it was exploitation. Lost in thought for a moment, Adeline made up her mind and lifted her head. “I see. That’s truly unfortunate. I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I can’t help you, even though I see what’s happening. I don’t have the means right now.”
These weren’t empty words spoken out of politeness; they were spoken with genuine sincerity, after careful consideration. The red-haired fairy stared at Adeline, then said, “I thought so from the moment you helped Rune, but you’re a bit strange.”
“Strange? How?”
“No one apologizes for the way we work. Of course, there are kind humans, but that’s a different matter. Why are you sorry when it’s not your responsibility?”
“Why wouldn’t it be my responsibility? Witnessing it creates responsibility.”
“I didn’t know there were such altruistic worlds.”
“It’s not altruistic. That’s why I apologized.”
The red-haired fairy tilted her head, a puzzled expression on her face.
“Humans try to help others because they’re selfish. It’s a survival strategy. Humans can only survive amongst other humans.”
“But we’re not human.”
“Really? You, who hid us, look human to me.”
This was apparently a novel concept, judging by the strange looks on the faces of the gathered fairies. One of the fairies hiding within the group peeked out and timidly said, “Human? I’ve never heard that before. We’re much cuter than you.” The way she ducked back into the group after speaking was, indeed, like a small animal. Adeline chuckled.
“I don’t mean that we look alike. I mean that you deserve the same rights as humans. Therefore, this exploitation is unjust. I’m sorry that I know this and can’t help.” She clinked her mug against Damian’s, offering a silent toast. He drank without a word; he was already on his second mug.
“There are humans who think like that?”
“Perhaps this perspective comes from where I’m from.”
“Where you’re from?”
“Unlike other humans, I’m from District 13.”
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