The Scum (4)
It was one ordinary day.
Roy seized Jack’s arm just as the boy was about to splash ink across his book.
Then he hauled him straight out to a quiet spot.
By now he could tell the instant this kid came near.
That he was about to try something nasty.
Of course it wasn’t Jack’s own will. Those damned bastards had put him up to it.
“Jack. What’s with your face?”
Jack gave no answer to Roy’s question.
The truth was that every one of Jack’s attempts these past few days had ended in failure.
His movements never strayed outside the range Roy could predict.
He even telegraphed his intentions.
With a face that said, I’m about to do something bad, Roy. Please stop me.
From their perspective, it must have been maddening and infuriating to send Jack to mess with Roy only for him to get caught and come back empty-handed every time.
How badly had they beaten him? His lip was split open and a bruise ringed his eye.
If his face looked this bad, what lay under his clothes was surely far worse.
These bastards. They’re getting worse. At first they didn’t use violence.
Roy took the unspilled ink from Jack’s hand and spoke to the boy wearing the world’s saddest expression.
“Those wounds on your face. Why don’t you get them treated by a priest? Why leave them like that?”
“I don’t have the money…”
“What? A noble without money? How much could treatment even cost?”
“…I don’t. The territory’s situation is bad right now. I can’t go asking them for more.”
“Listen carefully, Jack. You don’t want to keep living like this forever, do you?”
“……”
“I get that they’ve got something on you. But grain comes from other territories too. Ours included.”
Jack kept his mouth shut about the people behind it to the very end, but Roy already knew the whole story.
Jack knew that he knew, too.
Yet the boy still sealed his lips tight.
This wasn’t some ordinary tight-lipped type.
Was it because the territory was entangled in it? Or because he feared retaliation?
“The south is too far. The shipping costs are expensive.”
“Not that different. Our territory’s grain is traded in the capital at prices comparable to the marquis family’s.”
“But if we buy grain from another territory, our family’s position gets worse. We’re under the Rosmond family’s influence. If we step wrong, they might not stop at the food problem—they could pressure things so soldiers and mercenaries can’t even reach our lands. Then even more of our people will die on top of the hard times we’re already facing.”
I was worried when he asked those odd questions in class, but he’s not completely thoughtless.
“Fine. If you’re going to dig in like that, I’ll make it a formal request. Lure them to a place of my choosing and I’ll give you ten gold coins.”
“Then… they’ll take revenge.”
Jack’s face twisted in pure misery.
Blood welled from the lip he bit down on so hard.
The fist he clenched trembled violently.
After taking in the boy’s state, Roy spoke again, slowly.
“Don’t worry about that. All you have to do is pass along my words. In the end I’ll make it look like I drew them in myself, so no revenge will fall on you or your family.”
“But…”
“If you don’t want to, forget it. I’ll handle it alone. Then the gold-coin talk never happened.”
Jack hesitated.
Ten gold coins.
A boy who barely received any pocket money because of the territory’s current state imagined all the things ten gold coins could buy.
Roy saw right through that feeling as well.
A noble too poor to see a priest for treatment.
Of course nobles came in every circumstance under the sun, but that didn’t make the boy in front of him any less pitiful.
“You’re really kind. You’re deliberately trying to give me money after hearing my situation, aren’t you? Meanwhile I took part in harassing you… Maybe I’m the worst person of all.”
Resignation filled the face of a boy who was only twelve.
Roy found that thoroughly, unspeakably unpleasant.
He wanted to teach this gloomy kid the pure satisfaction of getting back at bastards who deserved it.
Even if he could take the entire revenge alone, he wanted the boy involved in even the smallest part of it.
Those bastards had definitely harassed Roy.
But Jack was suffering something far worse.
And still he deliberately made noise to signal Roy.
So Roy would stop him ahead of time when he was about to do something filthy.
Is he naive, or just dense…
Roy felt deeply uncomfortable.
Normally he wouldn’t have given a damn.
Was it because someone had called him kind for the first time in his life?
That single word he had never once heard even in his previous life?
This is driving me crazy.
Even if Roy got his revenge on those bastards, if this kid remained exactly where he was, just watching would make his blood boil.
So he wanted to flip the entire board.
“Jack. You’re good at magic, right? You take A-class lessons.”
“Yeah.”
“Good. I’m raising the payment to thirty gold coins. On top of that I’ll even create a job for you. A solid job you can do while attending school. Still going to refuse?”
“……”
“Afraid of revenge? Don’t be. The moment you join in, you’re my ally. If you ever take a hit for it, I’ll pay them back double. Worried about the territory? Don’t kid yourself. You think a marquis has that much free time? You think he’ll move over some little kids’ squabble like yours? Think carefully. Are you just using the territory as an excuse because you don’t have the courage to strike back at the ones who harassed you? Even after thinking it through, if you still feel the same, then reject my offer. Keep living this nauseating life just like now. I won’t care about you anymore.”
Jack stared at Roy, dumbfounded.
This boy was worried about him right now.
Why on earth?
He had been unable to refuse their orders and had been about to do dirty work as told.
“Why are you going this far for me?”
“Just. A little bit of the past came to mind, that’s all.”
“……”
Jack hung his head for a long moment without answering.
Then he opened his mouth.
“But do you really have that kind of money?”
“…What’s with you? So you do have a greedy side after all?”
The corner of Roy’s mouth tilted slightly upward.
In the end, Jack decided to take part in Roy’s revenge.
“Jack. Is that true?”
“Yeah…”
“You’re sure?”
“He really said so.”
The faces of the kids who heard Jack’s words were pure little demons.
“So that country bumpkin really begged us to please forgive him just once?”
Jack nodded.
“Haha, of course he did. So? Why didn’t he come himself instead of making you say it?”
“He said he wants to get on your good side and is preparing something. Here, take this. He told me to give it to you.”
—Clink!
A pouch holding no fewer than five gold coins was pressed into their hands.
There were five kids currently harassing Roy, and each of them received one gold coin.
“This really came from that Greenhilt kid?”
“Ah, that’s what I said. Where would big-shot Jack get gold coins like these?”
“Heh heh heh. True enough.”
They knew Jack’s circumstances and had been mocking him as a “big shot” all this time.
Jack put on the manufactured smile he always wore for them again today.
But his true feelings were completely different now.
Because he had decided to trust the boy named Roy once.
That didn’t mean the anxiety completely vanished, though.
Their group was a full five strong.
Not only baronial houses—three of them were from viscount houses.
If the revenge failed, terrible retaliation awaited.
On top of that it would be like throwing five gold coins straight into the trash.
He couldn’t easily calm his racing heart.
He said he’d pay even if it fails… He really did look like he had a lot of money.
Jack had been truly shocked when Roy casually pulled out gold coins just for the sake of revenge.
He had even promised thirty gold coins as payment.
At first Jack hadn’t believed it, but now he did.
Because he had confirmed it with his own two eyes.
A pouch stuffed full of gold coins.
Fifty? Maybe even more…
Just how had that kid gathered such a large sum?
Was the territory so vast, and the second-biggest granary in the kingdom, that the family had that much wealth?
Jack hoped time would hurry up and pass.
Only then would he receive those thirty gold coins.
Please… he has to be all right…
He had delivered the message.
When this class ended, those guys would head for the stables.
Roy would be waiting there.
And with a grand gift prepared, no less.
Caught between anxiety and anticipation, Jack could barely take in a single word of the lesson.
Roy waited in the stables for them to arrive.
He himself had only just gotten there, so he quickly took stock of the situation.
Ugh, the smell.
Even if this was a knight academy reserved exclusively for lordly nobles, the stench of horse dung in the stables was unavoidable.
Are they coming soon?
Since he had run over the moment class ended, he expected they would arrive just as quickly.
Then—
“Greenhilt! So you’ve finally learned your place?”
Their voices rang out.
Watching the little brats swagger in with arrogant faces, Roy found it truly absurd.
It was a thought he’d had in his previous life as well: some people were completely beyond help, age be damned.
Noble brats who didn’t know their place and ran wild.
“Why the hell did you call us to a place like this? Just how amazing a gift are you trying to give us?”
“We prefer gold coins. If you prepared something lousy, you’ll have to exchange it for gold again.”
“Right. Ah, I’ll make good use of this gold. Kee-hee.”
“What? Why are your hands empty? You said you prepared a gift.”
After confirming all five kids had entered the stables, Roy finally opened his mouth.
“You vermin bastards. Why didn’t you bring that Jack kid too? I was going to thrash the whole lot of you.”
Roy made a point of showing that Jack had been fooled by him as well.
“What?”
“Heh heh… What did he just say?”
“Is he out of his mind? Don’t tell me he thinks he can take on all five of us?”
“Nothing I can’t handle. About five little bugs.”
Their faces twisted at Roy’s words.
“This bastard’s really gone crazy. You didn’t call us here to apologize, did you?”
“Apologize? Don’t make me laugh. You don’t have the guts to formally challenge me to a duel because you’re scared, so you hide like cowards and harass me—why the hell would I apologize to you?”
“Don’t you know who I am? My father’s a viscount! You know the Kespin Viscounty right next to Rosmond!?”
“A third son of a mere baronial house, and you have no manners.”
“This bastard. Looks like we need to teach him a lesson today.”
Shiiing—
Shiiing—
Without a shred of fear they drew the real swords at their waists.
Things are going too easily. Don’t they even know that a freshman drawing a sword inside the stables without permission is a rule violation?
“Oh my, so scary. Why draw a sword you can’t even swing properly? Planning to threaten me like bandits?”
At Roy’s provocation their faces flushed red as demons.
“Or are you trying to show off your swords? What, these are cheap blades without even an enchantment. Do you know whose disciple I am, you vermin bastards!”
They looked ready to charge at any second.
Roy activated the spell he had prepared in advance before they arrived.
None other than Psychic Bind.
Clumps of horse dung rose into the air and poured down on them.
“Aaaagh! Wh-what is this!”
“Urgh.”
“You guys don’t deserve swords—horse dung suits you, you shit piles.”
“Greenhilt!!”
Unable to contain his rage, one of them charged at Roy.
He swung his sword without a hint of fear.
Roy dodged it lightly.
Once one found the courage, the others charged in one after another.
Covered in horse dung, they seemed to see nothing else.
“Ugh, you guys stink—can you get lost already?”
“This bastard! Die!”
“Slow. You have to aim for openings. You can’t just swing a sword however you please.”
“Who asked for your advice!”
“When you put your center of gravity forward and swing, you have to keep your balance. If the attack fails you can end up like this.”
Roy kicked one kid’s heel.
He didn’t put much force into it, yet the boy toppled over beautifully.
“Grr… Let’s see how long you can hold out, you bastaaaard!”