Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: After the Orphanage
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“So, what are you going to do next? After finding the orphanage.”
I said it while tracking a squirrel darting away quickly with my eyes. Lander, who had been walking in step with me, answered.
“I don’t know. After that.”
“You don’t have anything planned?”
“No.”
“That’s surprising. I figured someone like you, Lander, would move according to a precise plan. Didn’t you say yesterday that you’d lived a formal, rigid life?”
“I did. But right now, I’m at a loss.”
“Why?”
Lander stopped walking and fixed his gaze on the ground. My eyes naturally followed to the dirt.
Ants were marching in a line. Their target was some nameless insect, dead and shriveled up dry.
“It was like that. I had a clear purpose, a visible goal, and straightforward tasks. It was a simple life, but I had no complaints. It was what I wanted, what my friend wanted.”
“But things have changed now.”
“I accomplished what I had to, and achieved my goals to a certain extent. It was time to reassess the future and build new plans. My wife died. The person who showed me the way was gone.”
Lander started walking again, stepping around the ants.
The uncle walked silently beside us with his arms crossed. He seemed more interested in listening than joining the conversation.
In the end, it was I who spoke up again.
“My master said that when you lose your way, go back to the starting point. If you retrace why you clung on so desperately to survive this far, the path forward will appear. Of course, I’ve never gotten lost myself—I’m built simple that way. Once I found my path through sheer power, I just lived thinking about getting stronger.”
“That’s a good attitude.”
“What about you, Lander? Why not try looking back? Though it might be presumptuous. I get it, an ignorant kid like me chattering away must be annoying. Still, turning points in life are important, right? Like when I found that old candlestick way back then—I hope this rude conversation becomes some kind of clue for you.”
It pained me to see someone as strong as my master wandering without purpose.
If I could, I’d introduce him to Shilder. Unlike me, who’s no good with words, Shilder would make a great counselor.
“Why are you worrying about me, Inebil?”
“Because I admire strength. Isn’t it human nature to want the person you aspire to be like to stay perfect? Putting aside deep psychology like that, just looking at your face makes me want to help. It’s only natural to approach a lost child and comfort them.”
“Congratulations, Lander. Looks like you’ve become a kid now.”
Guchi, who had been listening, said with a laugh. Lander opened his mouth and let out a small chuckle.
“Call it reckless if you want. Think I’m a nuisance, fine. But when I decide to follow someone, I focus on them completely and give my all every moment. I stick to them obsessively, too. That’s my way.”
“You’re saying you’ll give your all after knowing what kind of person I am?”
I placed my interlaced hands behind my head and replied.
“We can figure that out along the way. The important thing is my feelings. Once I decide ‘this is the one,’ I invest my time.”
“What if I turn out to be human trash?”
“Short life so far, but from experience, trash can never get strong. True strength comes from beating yourself down. Trash can’t do that. They might show some skill from innate talent, but it’ll never reach the standard of strength I have in mind.”
I thought of my master.
Overwhelming power beyond personal might, and the mental fortitude to control it. The measure of strength I held in my heart was my master.
“Even if you’re human trash, that’s fine. As long as there’s something I can learn. I’ll use you as a stepping stone for my growth and clean up later.”
“Approaching based on just one side seems dangerous.”
“I hear that sometimes. ‘What part of them are you trusting?’ But can you ever fully understand someone else by investing time? What you see is just a facet, and in the end, it’s your own interpretation. So I act on my feelings.”
“You say the most outrageous things so casually. I definitely need to keep my distance from this woman.”
Guchi said, stepping back a pace. I quickly stuck to his side.
“Uncle, you don’t have anything that catches my eye, so no need to worry. I told you—I focus scarily on people I want to follow. But I ignore people I don’t completely. So don’t worry.”
“Then why do you keep picking on me?”
“No learning points, but as a person, I just like you, uncle. Kind, upright, looks out for others. Perfect friend material?”
“If I’d married young, I’d have a daughter your age.”
“What does that have to do with being friends? Mental age matching is what matters.”
“Me and you? Good lord, is there anything more horrifying?”
“Why? Living young is great.”
Inebil giggled and asked Guchi.
“Lander says he has no plans for a while, so shall we hear yours now, uncle?”
“Suddenly?”
“We’re traveling together. It’s easier if we know what each other wants, what we’re pursuing. And I’m tired of talking alone. Even quiet guys should join in when I’m putting in this much effort.”
Grumbling “pointlessly” or whatever, Guchi finally spoke.
“My goal for now is to take this guy as my partner.”
“Partner?”
“To hunt in dangerous zones, I need someone who matches my moves. A skilled guy like him? I’d welcome him with open arms.”
“In terms of skill, no one matches Lander.”
“That’s why I’m courting him by tagging along. Let’s work together.”
Scratching the bridge of my nose, I said.
“What? Then my situation’s no different. Lander, wanna partner with uncle?”
“Not right now.”
Lander answered immediately.
“You’re following a guy who says he’s not even thinking about it? Uncle, you’ve got no shame.”
“That’s rich coming from you. And there’s a deep, profound story between me and this guy that I can’t share here. So outsiders, back off appropriately.”
“A deep, profound story? What is it?”
“Can’t say. Don’t want to.”
“That’s disappointing.”
I switched targets to Lander.
“Uncle won’t say, what about you, Lander? Can’t you tell me what happened between you two?”
“Nothing major.”
“Then why the secret?”
“It’s not something I have to keep strictly, but not worth broadcasting either.”
“So you won’t tell me?”
“That’s right.”
“If we get closer, could I find out?”
“Maybe.”
“Vague answer.”
Lander stroked his short stubble and spoke.
“No obligation to keep it secret, but if I don’t, a few friends would be in trouble. Some got saddled with extra work because of me. So I plan to live quietly without causing more issues.”
“From that… your mere existence could be a problem?”
Lander replied by slightly lifting the corner of his mouth.
A person whose existence alone causes trouble. Maybe a tragic noble tangled in politics. Or someone from the Union Kingdom.
All sorts of assumptions popped up, but with the person involved staying silent, no way to know.
I stopped my wild theorizing.
It didn’t matter anyway. Lander was strong, and he saved the weak even in the chaos of battle. Plus, he taught me a move.
Whatever problems he carried, the Lander I saw was worth following.
“Doesn’t matter. The skill you showed me was real. So I’ll stick around, watch, and learn. You said it’s not something to pick up, but no one knows the future, right?”
“On that point, I can say for sure. Impossible.”
“You cut it off so cleanly. Can’t you give a hopeful message to a student eager to learn?”
“Sorry to repeat myself, but impossible is impossible.”
“My creed is different. Make the impossible possible! Of course, it won’t be easy. When I first learned from my master, I got beaten all day. Master was confident. ‘You’ll never learn under me.’ But I endured. On the first anniversary, master had to admit it—his judgment was wrong.”
Enduring and taking one step forward was my specialty.
The realm of power Lander showed. A supreme domain hard to reach with pure physicality, but if I grit my teeth and work hard, maybe someday…
I loved the word ‘effort’ more than anything. I believed I was born with the talent to make it.
“How about that? Don’t I seem different now?”
“I listen well to others. Accepting different views shows me things I missed. But when it comes to the sword, I don’t heed others.”
“Because you think you’re the only right answer?”
“Not the only one. There are eccentrics in the world I don’t know. But I’ve never met anyone who could convince me.”
“Got me curious suddenly. You must’ve lost a duel sometime, right, Lander?”
No one’s perfect from birth. Growth comes from learning and breaking, getting closer to perfection.
Even Lander, with his formidable skill, must’ve been a clumsy swordsman in the past.
You grew through teachings when you lacked, so I can too. That was my argument.
“I’ve been pushed back strategically before. But I’ve never lost a battle I had to win.”
“What about as a kid? When you first picked up a sword?”
“From my first spar as a knight’s squire to now, I’ve never lost a duel.”
“You’re not making it up because it can’t be verified?”
A warrior undefeated? Ridiculous joke. I’d never heard of an invincible swordsman. Well, one existed.
The head of the Imperial Knights, the military’s monster, the emperor’s strongest weapon. But he died, and a tombstone was raised.
Frankly, even the great Sir Huss must’ve lost a few times. Playwrights packaged him as undefeated since blemishes weren’t allowed for an imperial hero.
“I believe it. Can’t imagine this guy losing to anyone.”
Guchi answered. I glanced back and forth at the two men ahead.
“Am I the weird one, or are those two?”
Muttering to myself, I shouted, “Wait up!” and chased after them.