Chapter 46
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 045
Chapter Title: Family
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Time passes differently on a ship than on land.
Open your eyes, and it's blue water.
Eat a meal, turn around, and it's black water.
Wake up from sleep, and it's blue water again.
Eat, shit, sleep.
Sometimes, if you're lucky, you catch Baekrin washing her body in the seawater.
If you're unlucky and get caught, you get beaten.
Like that, two weeks passed.
.....
"Grampa!"
"......It's uncle."
On the deck. Noy was grabbing Kain's empty left sleeve like a swing and hanging from it, laughing his head off.
"Grampa! This! More! More!"
"Ugh, you little rascal... I told you to call me uncle. Ah, jeez."
At first, he'd only cling to me and act shy.
But now, the kid seemed to have adapted to life on this cramped ship.
And in the process, this rough-looking old man had instinctively realized he wouldn't harm him.
"Ah... um......"
"That's right, and?"
"......Grampa!"
"......"
Kain let out a deep sigh.
He looked troubled, unable to peel off the chubby kid dangling from his arm.
"Uncle! I'm hungry!"
"......Now you're mixing it up completely."
Kain grumbled, but he still pulled a piece of hardtack from his pocket and popped it into Noy's mouth.
His rough handling looked surprisingly practiced now.
I chuckled at the sight.
"Just give up already, you old geezer."
"Give up what?"
"Your mug's so old you can't deny it even if you tried."
I spat out the jerky I'd been chewing and teased him.
"Kids' eyes are honest. They take things at face value."
"......Shut it. Wait till you get old yourself."
"Even if I age, I won't end up all wrinkly and ugly like you."
Kain looked pissed and raised his fist, but with Noy hanging on his arm, he couldn't swing and just fumed.
"And you, not even old yet, and half your face is already wrinkly?"
"Doesn't matter. The other half's peak handsome."
Sure, it was convenient.
The kid who used to stick to my leg like gum all day, bothering me,
now spent half the day playing around that old man.
Thanks to that, I even had some precious "free time" I'd never enjoyed before.
Lying on the floor of a dim corner cabin,
solemnly handling my business undisturbed.
Squish squish. Splurt!
Ah, global warming really is a serious issue.
At this rate, polar bears' habitats will vanish,
sea levels will rise, and island nations will be in danger.
Of course, in this barbaric world, it's a worry not worth a damn,
but that's wise-man time for you.
I straightened my pants and headed to the deck, washing the fishy smell from my hands in the seawater.
This peace was nice.
The others weren't much different.
"Hmmm~ hum~"
Captain Jack was still staring blankly into space with empty eyes,
humming some incomprehensible sea shanty.
Luckily, his 50 years accident-free record held so far.
And Baekrin.
"Heh heh... heh heh heh..."
That woman was squatting at the bow,
giggling like a madwoman as she examined the gold ring she'd pried from that corpse's wrist last time, holding it up to the sunlight.
She did that all day without getting bored, apparently.
"Hey, slave. Gimme meat."
"Go eat some fish."
"Sick of it. I want land meat."
She was whining about food again.
Her gluttonous mouth was as lively as ever.
The day seemed to pass without incident, just like any other,
until,
"......Leon."
I'd put Noy to sleep and come out to the deck to catch the night breeze when Kain approached and tapped my shoulder.
Not his usual creepy smirk,
but a strangely serious, heavy expression.
"What's up? Male menopause hit?"
"......Follow me."
He ignored my joke.
He just jerked his chin toward a corner of the cabin.
"I have something to say."
"What? The breeze is nice, just say it here..."
Without answering, he turned and slowly walked ahead.
"......What's with the mood."
I swallowed my unease and silently followed him into the cabin.
.....
The cabin was dim.
Kain lit the lantern and perched on an old wooden crate.
The flickering light cast deep shadows on his wrinkled face.
"Sit."
"......"
I plopped down on the floor opposite him.
Normally I'd act cocky right away,
but the old man's vibe was off tonight.
After holding the weighty silence for a while, he slowly spoke.
"Leon. Fifteen years."
"That's how long Sharl entrusted you to me, and I've been your guardian."
"......Guardian my ass."
I snorted.
"You beat me, nagged me, treated me like a dog. Some guardian."
Slave overseer, child exploiter.
I'd heard somewhere in my past life about evil bosses supervising salt farm slaves,
squeezing out every salty drop of sweat.
Exactly like this old man Kain.
"Still, I trained you, didn't I?"
"More like beatings disguised as training. But yeah, my durability shot up thanks to it."
Kain chuckled and nodded.
"Right. So you won't die easily anywhere."
He scanned me up and down and continued.
"Sword work, fists. Street brawling without any pedigree... but you've grown decently usable."
"Praise or sarcasm? Pick one."
"Praise, of course. But..."
Kain's eyes sharpened.
"There's one thing I never taught you, even if it killed me. Know what it is?"
"I know. How could I not."
I answered immediately.
"Aura."
That damn aura.
That's why I'd asked Baekrin if she could use it.
Over the past 15 years, while getting pummeled by this guy,
I'd begged endlessly.
Teach me.
Might as well learn something flashy while taking hits.
But the answer was always the same.
[Are you my son?]
[I'll be your son! Just adopt me!]
[I don't need a worthless son like you.]
Stingy old bastard.
So I'd given up and lived with it.
"So, what now? Suddenly wanna teach me?"
"......Yes."
Kain nodded.
So readily it threw me off.
"......For real?"
"Yes. For real."
He fiddled with his empty left sleeve and went on.
"Like I said before, I got kicked out of my family. Now I'm stuck leeching off you."
"I said I didn't want that."
"Shut up and listen. Anyway, for my twilight years, I'm hitching to you, but..."
Kain gave me a pitiful look.
"You're so pathetic, I worry I'll be your guardian till I die instead."
"......Harsh words."
"It's the truth."
He clicked his tongue and got serious.
"More importantly, the western continent ain't easy."
"......"
"Your street fights? Just thug tricks that work on small-time punks."
Kain clenched his fist.
"That place has more monsters than people.
Skins tough as steel, sizes like houses, swarming everywhere.
Your toothpick dagger against them? Won't even scratch."
It stung my pride, but I had to nod quietly.
Honestly,
in 20 years since reincarnating here,
I'd never seen a monster with my own eyes.
Spent my life crawling around Bellua Kingdom, so it made sense.
At best, mercenaries' tales at the tavern.
[Raided a goblin nest, got some nice magic stones.]
[Lucky to find an imp den...]
Goblins, imps.
From what I'd overheard, small ugly things any adult with a spear could skewer.
That was all I knew of monsters.
But the western continent was different.
The "demon realm" everyone whispered about.
More monsters than humans, and they hunted humans.
If it was full of beasts several times bigger, with hides tougher than leather armor, like the old man said?
Stabbing them with a rusty dagger?
I'd be a snack in one bite, easy.
"......Fair point."
I swallowed dryly and admitted it.
"But we can't just turn the ship around."
"So you gotta learn."
Blue light gleamed in Kain's eyes.
"Use aura. No choice."
So I wouldn't croak somewhere,
and he could keep using me as a dogsbody till he shits himself against a wall,
he needed me strong. Pure self-interest.
Classic Kain logic.
I loved it.
"I thought about it a lot."
Kain gave a wry smile.
"You're not my real blood, and you won't treat me proper as master."
"What, want me to call you real dad now? Daddy?"
I grinned slyly, mimicking Noy.
But Kain shook his head firmly.
"Nah, too creepy.
......Instead, one condition."
Solemnity entered his voice.
"Don't blab what I teach you to just anyone.
And far in the future, if you have kids..."
Kain stared straight into my eyes, emphasizing each word.
"Pass it only to your bloodline. No one else."
"......"
His lifelong martial arts,
leaving it only to me and my kids.
"......Kain."
That was basically recognizing me as...
his successor,
no, family.
My nose tingled a bit.
The mood grew heavy.
A weight I couldn't brush off with jokes like usual.
I swallowed and slowly started to nod.
"Got it. I promise......"
"But."
A totally out-of-place voice cut in from the side.
"......?"
"......?"
Me and Kain turned our heads at once.
A shadow squatting in the dark corner of the cabin.
Baekrin.
When the hell did she sneak in?
She was munching jerky nonchalantly,
blinking innocently.
"Can I be here?"
"......"
What the fuck.
Give me back my emotions, you bitch.
.....
"What the fuck. Since when?"
"From the start."
Baekrin replied shamelessly.
"Woke up while sleeping here, precisely."
"Make some noise then."
"The mood seemed serious..."
She shrugged.
"Tried to slip out but couldn't find the right moment."
"Eavesdropping like a rat, you rat bitch."
"You were clueless 'cause you're trash, but uncle knew."
Baekrin nodded at Kain.
"Even locked eyes a few times."
"......"
I glared at Kain.
The old man coughed awkwardly and nodded.
He knew she was there and still dropped that bombshell?
Emotions dull with age, sure, but...
......Not embarrassing?
"Anyway, miss."
Kain changed the subject to Baekrin.
"You heard, but the west ain't easy."
"Yeah. Monsters everywhere."
"Ever fought monsters bigger than you?"
Baekrin thought, then shook her head.
"Nah. Not in the East, not here in the central continent.
Bears or tigers, maybe."
Bears or tigers.
Guess beasts have reunions.
With that,
Kain locked eyes with Baekrin for a long moment.
Like he was pondering or sizing her up.
Then he said,
"Truth is, I haven't known you long, but..."
"Just call me Baekrin. I call you uncle."
Baekrin cut in. Kain chuckled.
"......Fine. Baekrin it is from now on."
"Yeah."
"You know, you're stronger than this punk Leon."
"Obviously. He's weak."
She glanced at me and sneered.
Annoying, but true.
"And I hear he's your slave or something."
"True."
"How long you planning to stick with him?"
"Ten years. That's the deal."
Ten years. Still sounds insane.
I ground my teeth beside them, but Kain nodded.
"If you're not backing out of that deal with him."
He jerked his chin at me.
"Like it or not, you'll be seeing my face a long time too.
I've decided to mooch off him till my end."
Baekrin nodded coolly.
"If you're strong like uncle, not some useless brat, it's fine."
Surprisingly agreeable.
Having been beaten by Kain once herself,
she knew the value of a strong ally.
"Then I might leech off you a bit too."
Kain smiled slyly.
"Since we're all in the same boat now.
How about it? You learn aura too."
"......What the fuck?"
I couldn't hold back the curse.
Thought my ears failed me.
I begged 15 years and got rejected,
but her, not even a month, and he's offering?
You crazy old perverted geezer.
Fuckin' unfair.
Should've been born a busty loli.
I was about to burst from injustice,
but Baekrin looked surprised, eyes wide.
"Great for me, but...
You cool with that? Teaching an outsider like me?"
She glanced between us.
"You two have history, but I'm a total stranger."
Reasonable take.
But Kain laughed heartily.
"I said it. Heading west together means we'll live and fight side by side.
Not exactly strangers. Comrades sharing life and death."
Kain glanced at me and added.
"Truth is, having you around is a boon for me too.
Better than just this ugly punk. Pretty young thing like you freshens the air."
"Hee hee."
Disgusting old perv line, but
Baekrin smirked, not hating it.
"Sure. No downside for me."
"Same condition for you."
"Yeah, don't blab to anyone?"
She nodded.
"No plans to anyway."
"No selling it for money either."
"......Got it. Promise."
She twitched at the money mention,
but accepted readily.
"And kids? No worry there.
I can't have any anyway."
"......Hm?"
Kain's brow twitched.
I stared at her too, shocked.
"Not that you don't want a family, but physically can't?"
"Right. Too personal to elaborate."
Baekrin smiled bitterly, rubbing her lower belly.
Some backstory, sure,
but not worth prying.
"......?"
But why's this bitch
glancing my way after saying that.
Can't have kids so creampie anytime OK?
Not like she gives it up even when asked.
Weird bitch.
"Understood."
Kain nodded without pressing.
"Just keep that promise."
"Should I call you master?"
"......Uncle's fine."
Kain waved it off with a chuckle.
"One calls me geezer, another grampa.
Uncle's tame."
Warm vibe.
Old perv and wild bitch meshing well.
[My nose tingled a bit.]
Fuck off. Bullshit.
Never happened.
If it did, allergies or some shit.
Successor? Family? Pure crap.
Just this sleazy old fuck,
jobless and homeless, now investing late,
trash thug salt farm boss.
So,
"Since I brought it up, let's start with aura basics."
Stuff my face now,
and someday get way stronger than this monster geezer,
"Aura is usually......"
till he's old enough to shit the wall,
then smile and give him a dirt nap.
That's real family. Yeah.
.....