Resolve
That was why the core-concealing equipment Leonard had handed him—commonly known as concealment gear—proved so useful to Jun.
“How did you even get this? It couldn’t have been easy to find.”
Jun had known the value of concealment gear for a long time. He’d asked Lawrence to scour every possible channel for one, yet even after considerable time had passed, nothing had turned up.
In truth, the gear wasn’t useful to Jun alone. When an ability user shut down their core to hide it, they lost access to their powers entirely and suffered a crushing sense of emptiness. Most therefore relied on concealment gear in such situations. For adventurers who needed to move undetected by monsters inside a labyrinth, it was practically essential equipment.
“I didn’t buy it. I pulled it out of a treasure chest in a labyrinth a long time ago.”
“Oh… so this is something you used to wear? Are you sure it’s all right to just give it to me? It must hold memories.”
“I’m not so old that I’ve forgotten those days yet. And I’ve got plenty of other things that bring back memories.”
Leonard spoke with a cool, unbothered expression. He truly seemed free of any lingering attachment, so Jun stopped declining and slipped the concealment gear—or rather, the silver bracelet—onto his left wrist.
“Remember, it’s not all-powerful. If you use more than a certain amount of power, the concealment will break instantly.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Jun nodded in understanding, yet he couldn’t help asking once more whether it was truly all right. The gear’s value had only just hit him again.
“You’re really okay with this? No taking it back later.”
“That won’t happen, so stop fretting. This isn’t a simple gift. It’s an apology from an idiot who failed at the role he was given—and a bit of self-indulgent consolation for myself.”
An apology and a means of self-consolation, was it?
Leonard clearly blamed himself for the recent attack. And, to be frank, he wasn’t entirely wrong. Jun had uncovered the village chief’s corruption only because Leonard had asked him to. The fact that Jun’s actions had leaked outside was also Leonard’s doing—or more precisely, the orphan who had overheard him and spread the word—but the root cause still lay with Leonard.
A man with that much sense of responsibility would be drowning in guilt. Offering protection now, even belatedly and by another means, was probably his way of lightening that burden even a little.
“And one more thing…”
“There’s still more?”
“A lot of the children will feel deprived because of you. So keep the bracelet on at all times. Don’t mention that you’ve gained a new core, and don’t use it in front of the other kids.”
“Uh… that puts me in a bit of a bind. Where am I supposed to train with the new core, then? I need to practice weapon techniques while reading the books, but the playroom books can’t be taken outside.”
Jun shook his head, looking troubled. Leonard scratched his chin with the same troubled expression. Then his face brightened as if a good idea had struck him.
“I’ll ask Robin to train you. That would be better for you than training alone, wouldn’t it?”
“It would, but… will he even agree?”
Robin’s occupation was hunter. To put food on the table he had to climb the mountain nearly every day and hunt wild game. His skill was exceptional enough that he probably had some free time, yet there was no real reason for him to spend that free time training Jun.
And could Jun even learn proper weapon techniques from him in the first place? He had no intention of looking down on hunters, but if he was going to learn from someone else, he would rather learn from people who handled weapons professionally—like the village self-defense force.
“As it happens, Robin said he has a favor to ask of you. If you grant it, he’ll gladly train you. And with my request plus a little sincerity on your part, he might even teach you a few advanced techniques.”
A little sincerity? Did that mean money?
Jun would gladly pay if it meant learning advanced techniques—but did Robin even possess such techniques?
“You seem doubtful of Robin’s skill.”
“To be honest, yes. I’ve only heard how great he is. I’ve never actually seen him hunt.”
Jun nodded frankly. Even a recommendation from an acquaintance needed to be examined carefully. Blindly trusting a friend’s word was a recipe for regret. So go on—give me information I can accept. His eyes sparkled with that unspoken demand, and Leonard let out a short laugh before speaking.
“I settled here first, so his reputation got overshadowed, but Robin was a well-known adventurer in Lemumni. He can handle multiple weapons, and when he wasn’t exploring labyrinths he was hired by the guild as an instructor. Thanks to that, he knows quite a few of the advanced techniques stored in the guild.”
“Ohhh!”
The very talent he had been looking for had been right under his nose all along!
The darkest place is under the lamp, Jun thought. That proverb must have been coined for moments exactly like this.
“Well? Shall I ask him?”
“Yes!”
Jun beamed and nodded without hesitation. Leonard also let out a sigh of relief, as though a difficult problem had been solved, and nodded in return.
“Then I’ll go tell Robin the news. You go have your breakfast.”
“Understood.”
When Jun nodded once more, Leonard gently ruffled his hair and turned away. He was about to take a step when he suddenly flinched as if something had just occurred to him. He spun back around and scanned the surroundings thoroughly.
“Boss?”
“Jun. Where did Fortuna go?”
“Uh… she said she was bored just sitting around and went for a walk.”
“You’re certain?”
Though inwardly flustered, Jun put on a puzzled expression and nodded as if to ask why. Leonard searched the area once more, then leaned in close and whispered carefully.
“Jun, has Fortuna ever told you her chest or the place between her legs hurt and asked you to touch them?”
…So he did notice after all?
It didn’t seem that way. If Leonard had realized that Jun and Fortuna had slept together, he would already have been glaring sternly and grilling him. The way he was acting now wasn’t the behavior of someone scolding a culprit.
It looks more like he’s trying to protect a victim of sexual assault.
He was clearly under some ridiculous misunderstanding. Or was it more ridiculous to assume a ten-year-old boy had done that sort of thing? Jun wasn’t sure which was right, but for now he simply shook his head and said no, nothing like that had ever happened.
Leonard did not look convinced.
“Really? You’re absolutely sure nothing like that happened?”
If anything, the denial only seemed to feed his distrust and anger toward someone else.
“Yes. Nothing. Really.”
“…All right. If you say so, then that’s how it is.”
Leonard patted his shoulder kindly. His eyes, however, still burned fiercely. He clearly hadn’t accepted a word of it.
“Jun, if Fortuna ever asks you to touch those places like I just described, you must never do it.”
“Why? If she’s in pain—”
“If she says that, it isn’t those places that hurt. It’s her head. So if Fortuna claims she’s in pain, don’t try to handle it yourself. Come find me right away. Understood?”
Faced with Leonard’s utterly serious expression, Jun could only nod in silence. Fortuna’s spirit form was thrashing about in a frenzy, but he ignored her as though he couldn’t see a thing.
I can’t see her.
An angel’s spirit dyed with shame? Completely invisible.
After finishing every last bite of the breakfast Leonard had brought, Jun headed for the well to wash. To preserve someone’s dignity and prevent any further incidents, he needed to scrub the female scent clinging to his body as quickly as possible.
As he set out, a damp weight settled on his head together with a mournful sob. He offered a vague smile and spoke to the fairy lying face-down atop his hair.
“Fort, stop being mad, okay?”
“…Shut up. Don’t talk to me.”
“I didn’t have a choice back then.”
“I said don’t talk to me! Someone like me… someone like me…!”
Jun hastily clamped both hands over his ears. The fairy’s bitter wail followed immediately.
“I’m just a perverted fairy who tricks an innocent little kid into playing dirty games! Hwaaang~!”
“…Hang in there.”
After long, agonized deliberation, that was all Jun managed to say. He pushed his super-cognition to its absolute limit, yet no decent words came. Some did surface, but every single one failed to comfort the imaginary Fortuna in his head and ended in a bad ending.
“I-iih! Hwaaang~!”
Fortuna tried to snap something back, but her emotions surged too violently; she could only break down sobbing again. No matter what comfort he offered, her feelings would only grow worse, never better.
Jun simply left her to cry and kept walking.
As expected, no one’s around here.
The church was currently in the middle of cleaning up the dust that had accumulated overnight. Naturally the bathrooms and washrooms—where water could be drawn—would be crowded with children fetching cleaning water. Jun, who preferred quiet, had no desire to wash in a place like that.
Tch. What kind of cleaning do they do every single day?
There couldn’t be that much dust overnight, but diligence and cleanliness were the church’s policy for cultivating consistency, so he had no choice but to follow. Refuse and they would stop feeding him and tell him to leave. How could he refuse?
Well, today I’m the exception.
Grinning to himself, Jun set up a screen around the well. Then, wary that someone might appear, he hurriedly washed. The white traces of milky fluid still clinging to his hair and upper body were rinsed away by the water.
A tongue-clicking sound came from the fluid’s owner.
“Fort, you really are a pervert.”
“Wh-what! What did I even do?!”
“You mark your territory with breast milk, then get angry when the mark is washed off. If that isn’t perverted, what is?”
“…”
Fortuna’s face flushed scarlet, yet she couldn’t open her mouth. Even she seemed to think her own behavior was thoroughly perverted.
“More importantly, aren’t you going to wash? You’ll start to smell.”
“…I’m fine. I already cleaned myself with purification.”
“Why didn’t you use it on me?”
“…”
“…You really are a pervert.”
Fortuna could not deny it.