Chapter 55
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Bernard the Mad Inventor
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Jayvolg scouted the village several times in a row. Then he tilted his head quizzically.
"Hmm... Are there really that many monsters or wild beasts around here to warrant hiring mercenaries of that caliber?"
Yeah, that's the normal reaction.
But what could we do about it right now?
I told Jayvolg,
"If they're there, they're there. If not, just believe it anyway."
Arguing half-heartedly that it doesn't add up would only stir up unnecessary trouble.
If he truly had doubts, he could raise a fuss after we'd figured out exactly what was going on.
Besides, our goal wasn't to uncover the village's oddities. We'd come here to meet Bernard.
Best to stop fussing over the village and just track down Bernard.
Instead of wandering aimlessly, maybe ask the locals?
I approached a street vendor who seemed the friendliest of the bunch.
He was selling skewers, so I figured I'd buy one and ask some questions.
But then—
Boom!!
"...?"
The skewer suddenly burst into flames on its own, roaring as it singed off what little hair the vendor had left.
The vendor touched his head.
Tears streaming down his face at the sight of his freshly bald dome, he bellowed,
"That damn Bernard!"
As soon as the vendor shouted that,
The villagers, who had seemed so dour before, erupted into hearty laughter all at once.
"Ahahaha!"
"That weirdo's at it again!"
"Bald suits you! Hahaha!"
To them, nothing seemed funnier than the name Bernard.
"Bernaaard!"
The now-bald vendor ground his teeth and dunked his head straight into a water bucket without giving us a chance to ask anything.
Ah... He kinda looks like a well-boiled octopus now, doesn't he?
Worried it might be rude, I turned my head away.
Unaware of my consideration, Jayvolg asked me,
"Young master, should we ask him?"
A burning skewer and a freshly bald man.
Gazing at his heartbreaking silhouette, I debated whether to speak up or not.
Better not...
"If we say anything right now, he'll skewer us with that thing."
Bald guys get emotional.
We left him be and scanned the village again. Who should we ask next?
Whoever we approached, we'd get an answer.
Bernard seemed like a local celebrity.
First impressions weren't bad. A figure who brought laughter to this bizarre village?
A fallen noble in name only, but still a noble.
He wouldn't get that kind of reaction if he strutted around flaunting his noble blood.
They called his name without hesitation. Clearly, he didn't lord his nobility over them—he'd blended right in.
That was a relief. I wasn't set on recruiting him no matter what. I wanted to judge his character first.
In that sense, he'd started off on a pretty good foot.
I was just looking around for someone suitable to ask about Bernard when a kid popped out from an alley.
Was he playing hero? He had a cloak thrown over his shoulders and a wooden sword in hand.
But then—
"Raaah! Leave our village alone, you jerks!"
The cloaked boy suddenly swung his sword at us out of nowhere.
Thud!
I stepped on his cloak to throw off his balance and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.
The kid instantly stood ramrod straight like a soldier.
"Huh...?!"
Finding his own at-attention stance bizarre, the kid scratched his head.
He mumbled blankly,
"Wh-what the...?"
"What else? We're the monsters you were about to attack."
Only then did the kid really look at us.
For some reason, our outfits and appearances struck him as odd, and he started pointing.
"Out-of-towners?! I've never seen clothes like that!"
He's freaking out big time. Even for a rural spot, have they really never seen outsiders?
I answered the kid with a wry smile.
"Yeah, out-of-towners."
"Outsiders?! Wait, no way! You're from the Pador family, right? Young master? You are, aren't you?!"
Huh? How'd he know?
I'd deliberately covered the Pador crest, too.
Does this kid have some kind of gift?
Nah, probably not.
His bright eyes sparkled with spirit, but that was a stretch.
He must've figured it out some other way.
I asked the kid,
"You know me?"
The redheaded boy clenched his little fists cutely.
He nodded vigorously.
His head might fly off at this rate.
The boy answered,
"Yeah! Big bro Bernard told me! He said someone interested in his inventions would definitely come here!"
"Hmm..."
Is that so?
Bernard must've tipped him off. Makes sense— he's the only one around here I'd have any connection with.
Hmm, I don't even know where Bernard lives anyway.
This kid seems to know him, so maybe have him guide us?
Sounds good.
And through the kid, I can get a sense of what kind of guy Bernard is.
Anyone can see this kid's a local born and bred.
Learning how a pure-hearted child sees him will help me judge better.
Sometimes, a kid's innocent eyes cut straight to the truth.
I set the kid down.
"Then, can you show us to Bernard?"
"Uh...! Sure. But are you guys trustworthy?"
The boy suddenly got wary.
He'd been all excited about the Pador family moments ago, and now this.
Kids gonna kid, huh?
"Didn't you just say we were from the Pador family?"
Caught off guard, the boy clutched his head.
"Oh yeah?!"
A bit flustered, he shook his head side to side to refocus.
"Still! How do I know I can trust you?!"
The boy suddenly raised his wooden sword.
"There are weird people out there who hate everything big bro Bernard does! Prove it to me...!"
Just as the boy was about to throw a tantrum—
Whoosh!
Someone grabbed him by the scruff and hoisted him up.
"Derek, didn't I tell you not to wander around? Huh?"
"Eeeeek! Korel sis, sis!"
Terrified, the boy flailed in midair like he was splashing in water.
Following his scruff led my eyes to a woman in leather armor.
She flicked the boy's forehead.
"Derek, you're done for."
"N-no! Sis!"
The woman easily subdued the boy and bowed to us.
"Sorry for the rudeness."
"The kid wasn't wrong. We could be a rotten bunch."
The woman burst into laughter, sweet as bursting fruit juice.
"I heard everything earlier. You're from the Pador family, right? Who in the empire would be crazy enough to impersonate a Pador scion?"
"You know your stuff."
Korel tapped the hilt of her sword with her finger.
"I ran into one once before. A Pador knight, no less... How could I not know about the Pador family that every knight dreams of joining?"
Was it because she was a rare beauty even in this backwater?
Her bright energy was infectious.
Jayvolg slapped his hip and guffawed.
"Hahaha! Exactly! Spot on!"
The woman gave Jayvolg a curious look, then realized her stare was rude and cleared her throat.
"But really, you came to see that fool's inventions?"
The boy shouted indignantly at her.
"Bernard's not a fool!"
"Shut it, you dummy."
Korel squashed the head of the boy, who was jumping up and down.
Their faces were similar—I'd guessed right; they were siblings.
"He said he wanted sponsorship for his inventions. I happened to be curious, so I decided to see them myself and judge."
In truth, I'd already judged him based on the name alone.
But no need to show that and undersell myself.
"Hahaha, judge, huh...?"
She looked uneasy for some reason.
Shifting awkwardly, she seemed pretty anxious.
Unlike her,
"Then you're in for a treat!! I'll show you big bro Bernard's latest work right now!"
The boy thrust his sword high. He squeezed his eyes shut, as if concentrating.
And then... he bellowed at the top of his lungs.
"Big bro Bernard said this sword can hold lightning! Just press this button here...!!"
The boy pressed the button on the sword. We couldn't help focusing on it.
Jayvolg especially gulped hard.
"A-a sword that holds lightning!"
Not that he'd learned any lightning arts—how could it contain lightning?
I tried to brush it off as no big deal.
Crackle!
My eyes widened at the current sparking from the sword.
It was real?
The boy hadn't expected it to actually work either; his eyes still closed, he jumped for joy when the light flashed.
"See?! See that?! That's what big bro's been bragging about...!"
Bang!!
The sword exploded in an instant. The boy let out a whale-like wail.
"Kweeeek!!"
"..."
Lightning, alright. Yep.
Lightning that attacks its user.
The boy's hair sticking up every which way like a peeled banana, and the sword splintered into pieces.
Failure, plain as day.
Korel scolded the boy and chucked the sword away.
"Great job, genius... Didn't I tell you not to mess with Bernard's stuff?"
So this is Bernard's invention...
If someone came purely to see Bernard's inventions, what would they think?
They'd turn right around.
Who'd trust an inventor who can't even make a proper toy?
Korel looked embarrassed too, her face flushing.
"Please don't mind that. Shall we head somewhere else? Derek, you stay out of trouble."
"When have I ever caused trouble?!"
The boy stuck his tongue out at his sister with a pbbbt and vanished somewhere in the village.
"Haa... What'll become of that kid..."
Korel sighed, rubbed her head briefly, and nodded to us.
"Sorry again. He's my little brother—still pretty immature."
"All kids grow up like that. It's fine."
"As expected of a Pador scion—such magnanimity! This way, then!"
Korel led us to the right side of the village.
Unlike the area swarming with guards, this was the locals' turf.
It looked unremarkable at a glance, but venturing inside revealed...
"Granny, how's this feel?"
"Ho ho ho! Wonderful. Just wonderful!"
...an elderly couple getting a massage from a wooden puppet.
"You brought another one of Bernard's inventions?!"
"Well, they say this one's the key to rekindling our love!"
"You believe that crap, you enemy?!"
A man in bizarre clothes fled from his chasing wife.
And it wasn't just them—every villager held some odd contraption.
The whole village felt like one giant workshop.
And at the far right end, hammer strikes on metal rang out—clang, clang.
Making something new?
That noisy spot must be where the inventor Bernard lived.
You could tell just from the location.
They'd neatly divided the areas, huh?
Bernard clearly wasn't with that rough crowd.
No weirdo would bunk with the folks tormenting him.
My evaluation of Bernard ticked up a notch as I followed Korel, and then...
"Hmm...?"
...a house appeared, so plastered with metal sheets it was hard to tell if it was a home or a scrap heap.
Clang!
Hammer sounds from the rooftop.
Bernard was pounding away at nails with a hammer.
Deep in concentration, perhaps.
He didn't notice us and kept hammering.
Korel, used to this, sighed and yelled,
"Bernard! I brought guests! The youngest from the Pador family you mentioned?"
"What...?!"
Bernard's gaze turned to us.
But the hammer in his hand kept going, slamming down on whatever mystery invention he was building.
Clang...!!
"Gyaaaah!!"
Bernard rocketed into the sky before crashing back down comically.
"..."
Disheveled hair, torn work clothes, broken glasses.
Not exactly an inspiring first impression.
The bumbling man flashed an awkward grin.
"Uh, hello?"
Is this really the same guy...?