Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: A Talent for Fighting
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“Because I helped you, you couldn’t prepare your travel funds?”
“In the end, that’s how it turned out.”
“In that situation, what exactly were you planning to do to make money? You weren’t going to sell that necklace to those guys.”
Lander fiddled with the necklace as he spoke.
“I haven’t learned much. I don’t know how to do many things. Fortunately, I have one talent that’s better than most people’s, so I was planning to earn my travel money with that.”
“What talent?”
“Fighting.”
“What? Fighting?”
Guchi burst out laughing. He’d thought his friend was eccentric, but not to this extent.
“Look here, friend. You seem to be under a big misunderstanding. Musc introduced you, so I don’t know exactly where your village is, but this isn’t some backwater like that. Remember what those guys said earlier?”
“Roughly, yeah.”
“About killing people and having kids clean up the bodies. It might’ve sounded like bluffing to intimidate you, but those are the types who would do it. No, they’ve probably done it plenty of times. An outsider traveling alone. Someone with no repercussions if killed. And if they’re carrying valuables, it’s perfect. Just like you.”
“The villagers know this and still live here?”
“My friend, didn’t I tell you? They target outsiders. Those guys know where to draw the line. They never touch anyone who could cause trouble. They probably have connections with the territory managers too.”
“I see.”
“Human life isn’t cheap, but it’s not that expensive either. If there’s value in killing, they kill. And that necklace has plenty of value.”
“Is it worth that much? The friend who gave it to me said it wasn’t anything expensive.”
“Try wearing that necklace around the slums. The moment you step in, three or four naked kids will come running at you with rocks in their hands. But how did you know they’d follow you when you didn’t even know that?”
“Because they looked at me with familiar eyes. I thought, if I head out now, they’ll chase me, and I can find a quiet spot to get my travel funds from them.”
It was an answer that drew a hollow laugh. Even a seasoned mercenary would get hurt if surrounded by numbers in a narrow alley.
A guy like the dimwit in front of him would’ve been stabbed in the back and collapsed without even screaming.
He spoke to his naive friend.
“If you’re that good with your body, why not take mercenary work?”
“I thought about it, but there weren’t any decent jobs. Even reputable mercenaries are having a hard time these days.”
“True, the mercenary market’s tough right now. Someone like you would have an even harder time finding work.”
Guchi narrowed his eyes and scanned Lander up and down. Good build, but no sharp edge. Even a freelance mercenary would have a more honed aura.
“Can I see your palms?”
Guchi said. Lander unhesitatingly opened his palms and held them out. He examined them closely. Manly hands, but not those of someone who’d gripped weapons for years.
His gaze shifted to Lander’s waist. The hilt of the sword hanging there was spotless.
“Do you mainly use that sword?”
“I had one I used to use, but I left it at the smithy before coming here. It needed maintenance since I’d used it for a long time.”
“Used it a long time? That’s odd. Your hands don’t look like they’ve held a sword for years.”
“Everyone has their own standard for ‘a long time,’ but by mine, it was quite a while. Very long, in fact.”
“Everyone says that. But if I were hiring, I wouldn’t touch you. You look amateurish. So drop that ridiculous idea of making money by fighting.”
Louis cut in during the conversation.
“Don’t take it too harshly. The old man’s just worried about you. I told you, he’s got a soft heart. He’s saying it because he doesn’t want you getting hurt. The world’s a dangerous place.”
“That’s true.”
The two smiled at each other. Guchi wondered inwardly if they’d still be smiling like that even as luck ran out and a blade pierced them on the roadside. He clicked his tongue to himself.
“But are you really that good at fighting?”
Louis asked while collecting empty glasses. Lander gave a slight nod. The guy had confidence, at least.
“What do you think, old man? Is Lander good enough not to get pushed around anywhere?”
“I’m no Schola instructor. Just because I look doesn’t mean I know.”
“You know something. Just give me your gut feeling.”
“Probably just decent at throwing punches in the neighborhood. Maybe not, but that’s how I see it.”
Instinct, sense, presence. Things he could only describe with vague words, yet subtle atmospheres he couldn’t ignore. He’d survived mortal dangers several times by reading them.
Not always spot-on, but he trusted his discernment to a degree. Right now, those senses lay dormant. Meaning the man in front of him wasn’t a threat.
“That’s what Guchi thinks.”
Lander shrugged. Guchi could understand his attitude. It was a time of peace.
Unless you went looking for battlefields, it was hard to experience bloody combat.
For Lander, fighting was probably just a means to decide winner and loser. Not a crossroads between life and death.
Guchi stared at Lander’s profile, then drew the dagger from his waist. The blade slipped out smoothly, its tip stopping just short of Lander’s nape. Lander showed no reaction.
“Old man!”
Only after Louis shouted did Lander turn his head to look at the dagger. His eyes held no awareness of what had happened.
“Consider this a free service—remember it. Fights where you face off head-on are extremely rare.”
“Why use a dangerous blade when you could just say it? Lander, you okay?”
Lander smiled and said,
“It didn’t touch me, so no worries.”
Guchi set the dagger on the bar. He’d tried showing practical advice through action instead of words to the dimwit, but it seemed pointless.
Later, when steel pierced his flesh, he’d remember this day. Too late by then.
“The old man’s grumpy personality like that is why he can’t get married.”
“If you’re not going to live with me, quit nagging.”
“How old are you this year, old man?”
“Over forty, probably.”
“Shameless. If you’d married young, you’d have a daughter my age.”
“A daughter like you? Why does that sound so horrifying?”
Louis wrinkled her nose, then turned to Lander.
“What about you, Lander? You’re not a bachelor like the old man, right?”
“I’m married.”
“Is your wife back home?”
“How should I put it…”
Lander trailed off with an awkward expression. Sensing something off, Louis rolled her eyes at him. Her look said, old man, change the mood.
“She died. Two years ago.”
As the awkward silence stretched, Lander spoke.
“I shouldn’t have pried.”
“No. I’m grateful, actually. For reminding me of her, for not letting me forget.”
Lander smiled faintly and pulled something from his pocket. A dainty pair of woolen gloves.
“My wife made them. She loved knitting. She must’ve forgotten my hand size—they came out this small. Still kinda cute, right?”
“Looks like she had skilled hands.”
Guchi chimed in.
“A capable woman with strong hands. She could do far more than I ever could.”
“Was she a beauty?”
“Yes, truly beautiful.”
People’s hearts were simple. The dim-looking man now seemed like a guy who could handle his grief. Guchi asked Louis for drinks.
“I’ll buy a round. Payment for seeing well-made gloves.”
“She would’ve been thrilled to hear that. She loved getting compliments.”
“What was her name?”
“Naria.”
Guchi raised his glass slightly.
“To Naria.”
Lander echoed him. To Naria. For Naria.
“Actually, she was the one who told me Bellio flowers are beautiful.”
“Your wife?”
Louis said.
“Yes. Unlike me, who doesn’t know much, she was smart. When I made foolish choices, she’d firmly point out the right path. I learned a lot thanks to her.”
“Sounds like an amazing woman.”
“She was amazing.”
Lander pulled a book-like item from his backpack.
“My wife’s diary. One of the few mementos I have of her. There was a note too—embarrassingly, she asked me to read it. Inside were ordinary diary entries and writings about various scenic spots. Places too good to miss, so even alone, I had to see them, she wrote. I laughed as soon as I read it. So like her.”
Louis leaned her elbows on the bar and asked,
“So that’s why you started traveling alone?”
“Yeah. Took a while to wrap things up, but I managed to set off safely. But like Guchi said, the world’s no picnic. Should’ve taken the money when that old friend offered.”
“Money?”
“An old friend tried to give me all sorts of things. Since it’s all over anyway, maybe I should’ve taken it. Didn’t realize money was this important.”
“Ask him now. Don’t try earning it dangerously.”
“Can’t meet him anymore. Even the process of meeting was tricky.”
“Some big shot?”
Lander answered with a smile. Louis didn’t pry further.
“Any kids?”
Guchi broke the brief silence.
“None.”
“Sometimes that’s for the best.”
He saw Louis frown. As if to say he shouldn’t talk like that.
“I think about it sometimes too. What kind of dad I’d have been. Not a pretty picture. Maybe Guchi’s right—it’s better this way.”
“If I offended you, sorry. My filthy mouth spits out whatever.”
“No. I’m just grateful someone asks. Nice to talk about her like this, even a little. Never had the chance before.”
Louis said cautiously,
“If you want to talk more, go ahead. I love listening. That’s why I like this job.”
“Shut up when I’m talking, though.”
He tossed in a joke to lighten the mood. Louis, knowing him for years, laughed and played along.
Even Lander, who’d seemed a bit down talking about his wife, soon laughed and joined in.
Guchi drank as he listened to Lander’s tales of minor incidents on his way to the village. Lander wasn’t a great storyteller, but he had a way of holding attention. It had been ages since he’d spent time listening to someone.
“Lander, you’re thirty-five? Older than I thought. Makes Guchi look even older than he is.”
“Why pick on me when I’m just sitting here.”
He chuckled softly and stood.
“Leaving?”
Louis asked.
“Got something to handle briefly. Be back soon. Hey, Lander. If you’ve got nowhere to go, wait here. I’ll tell you a good inn.”
“Sounds good.”
Lander replied. Guchi waved and stepped out, exhaling booze-tinged breath.