The Master's Junior Could Not Tell His Master
"This tea's pretty good."
"Is that so?"
It was the tea Mr. Las had given me, insisting it was excellent. The aroma and depth of flavor certainly suggested it was quite expensive. I'd only accepted it under the threat that he'd throw it out otherwise, never imagining it would prove so useful. And now this guy could actually taste the difference… It seemed that given enough time, anyone was bound to grow.
"You've grown enough to appreciate tea. You've come a long way."
"…Ahem. Yeah, I've grown quite a bit."
Watching Balik clear his throat and look away, I figured he'd just said it out of politeness… Here was the Mercenary King himself, still clinging to that same dim-witted side of himself. I couldn't help but wonder whether I ought to scold him for it, or simply be glad that the little-brother figure I knew hadn't changed a bit.
He's all grown up now. Treating him like he's still under me forever would be pretty ridiculous.
A retired A-class mercenary looking down on the Mercenary King and lecturing him… Even I had to admit how absurd that was.
But I soon shook my head and revised my thinking.
If he'd really wanted to be treated as the Mercenary King, he would have sent someone. He wouldn't have come himself.
The fact that he'd sought me out in person meant he clearly wanted to be treated the same as before. So I decided to forget how long it had been since we'd last met, and simply deal with him exactly as I always had.
"You, the Mercenary King? There'll be no end to the incidents and accidents."
"Hey now! I've grown a lot, I tell you! I'm not the same guy you used to look after!"
"I'm living in seclusion, but I'd gladly march down to the Mercenary Guild for your sake. Want me to?"
"Ahem. Would a hermit really go that far? You don't need to do all that for me."
I couldn't help but smirk. I'd always thought human relationships were nothing special—that they inevitably faded with time. But looking at Balik, still the same as ever, I realized just how premature that judgment had been.
So that's it… Have I been lonely all this time?
It was almost funny.
I'd grown weary of everything in the world, left it all behind, and chosen a life of solitude in seclusion. And yet, somewhere in a corner of my heart, I'd still been feeling lonely.
I'd only been putting on a strong front. Deep down, I hadn't wanted to be alone.
It was a thoroughly embarrassing admission.
But no matter how embarrassing it was, this was my true self—my essence. Without accepting it, nothing could begin. People sought the truth because that was where endings and beginnings both resided.
"So what exactly is that thing?"
"A dragon egg."
"Are you joking?"
"Have you ever known me to make that kind of joke?"
"Absolutely not… The presence coming off it is enormous, too… It really does seem to be a dragon egg… But how did you end up with something that incredible?"
"It's a grand magic left behind by the Last Dragon Lord. The child was protected by a time-stop spell, set to be passed on when a suitable caretaker appeared. I was chosen as that person, so now I'm looking after the little one."
"Even after turning your back on the world and going into seclusion, you still have a knack for getting tangled up in troublesome problems, don't you?"
"…I was thinking the same thing myself."
"But, Mister…"
"Brother."
"Huh?"
"Call me brother. Isn't it ridiculous to keep calling me 'Mister' forever?"
"…Come on. You're the one who said titles like 'brother' or 'big brother' weren't allowed."
Well, back then I never imagined our connection would last this long. I'd assumed it would be a fleeting relationship, severed before long. Looking back, that had been arrogant of me. I'd known the saying—that no human bond is ever trivial, that no one can predict how any connection might unfold—and I'd ignored it anyway.
Since we were clearly bound by a deep tie now, leaving past mistakes uncorrected would be the truly shameful thing. So I decided to fix it.
"If you don't want to call me brother, keep calling me Mister."
"Hey! Who said I didn't want to? Still, plain 'brother' feels a bit off, so how about we settle on 'big brother'?"
"Suit yourself."
"Heh heh heh. Big brother."
"…Don't grin like that. That orc face of yours just looks even more like an orc."
"Ha! The only person who can look the Mercenary King Balik dead in the eye and call him an orc is you, big brother… Ah. There's one more, actually."
"What an honor, being one of only two people in the world."
"That's right. Consider it a great honor. Both master and disciple are really…"
"Hm? What are you talking about?"
"Just stating the obvious—that the only ones who can call me an orc to my face are you and your disciple."
I could tell at a glance that Balik had come because of Sera. Nothing short of something involving her could have bent that stubborn will of his. So I'd assumed their paths had crossed and that was what brought him here eventually…
"My disciple would never say something that rude to you. She's such a well-mannered, quiet child."
"……?"
Balik stared at me with a look that clearly said, What on earth is this man talking about?
…Why is he looking at me like that?
Balik was dim-witted, but his instincts were sharp. That keen intuition left him no choice but to recognize that Jade's reaction was completely genuine.
That little fox has pulled the wool over big brother's eyes completely.
Just how thoroughly had she worn that mask in front of him—how perfect had her performance been—to hide her true nature so completely? He'd expected her to put on some act around big brother, but this went far beyond a little pretense. Having experienced Sera's true self firsthand while half-dead, Balik couldn't help but feel a genuine chill.
In his heart of hearts, he desperately wanted to shout, Big brother! It's all an act! for Jade's sake…!
But his quick instincts told him that doing so wouldn't just leave him half-dead—it would leave him actually dead. So he couldn't. No matter how much he valued Jade… no matter that he'd gladly risk his life fighting for him… this was a different matter entirely. This was simply impossible.
A mercenary's odds of dying were overwhelmingly high. Anyone who lived under that profession inevitably formed a mental picture of how they'd prefer to go, if they had to. Of course, drawing that picture didn't make it come true—but living with death at your doorstep, you couldn't help but imagine an ideal end.
Didn't they say a person's life was defined by how they died? And for a mercenary, with death so probable, thinking at least once about the manner of that death was only natural.
In that sense, Mercenary King Balik had never once pictured his ideal death as: mess with big brother's disciple, get beaten half to death, then take one more hit and die for real. Therefore, choosing not to reveal the truth to Jade in this moment was, for him, a truly unavoidable necessity.
"R-right. I misspoke."
"Good."
Big brother genuinely thinks that girl is quiet and kind and all that…
Just how thoroughly had she worn that mask… for a man with instincts this sharp to be so completely, thoroughly deceived? Sera… what a terrifying girl…
Balik couldn't help but feel genuine fear.
"So, has my disciple gotten a lot stronger?"
"Well, of course she has."
"I take it you taught her a thing or two."
"Huh?"
"What's wrong?"
"Ah. No. Um. Yeah. Nothing."
"I taught her as much as I could, but… well, my body's not exactly in normal condition."
"I heard about that."
"Did you? I taught her not to tell anyone if she could help it. And she went and told you right away just because you're an acquaintance of mine. Really, she's worrying me in all sorts of ways. Maybe I should have taught her more…"
"……"
Balik felt his mind go blank.
Just how thoroughly had that girl deceived big brother to make him worry at this level? This was the kind of fretting a parent did over a child who'd just left home on their own. The normal thing would be to worry whether she'd gone on such a rampage that the whole world was in chaos… Instead, he was fretting as if Sera were some fragile child that even masters couldn't handle.
In other words, her strength doesn't come from big brother's teachings.
Being able to create that alien Aura Blade was possible because big brother had given her his Aura Heart—but the essence of that tremendous power didn't originate from him. Balik picked up on that easily enough.
In other words, that girl had been a monster from the start. Jade's Aura Heart had simply given that monster wings.
Balik arrived at the door of that truth in a single leap.
However—
…Does that even make sense?
Being dim-witted, he could approach the door of truth but couldn't open it—that was the limit of a thick-headed man like Balik. Unlike him, Jade was sharp. He wanted to ask and get a clear answer that would settle his mind, but…
"Anyway. About my disciple… Hm? What's wrong?"
"…Nothing."
Hmm…
They did say ignorance was bliss… And knowing the truth didn't necessarily make you happier, did it? Here he was, talking about his disciple with that bright, carefree expression, completely unaware of the truth. Pointing out That's not the truth! right now would feel like raining on his parade…
Big brother… please forgive this little brother who cannot speak the truth.
Such was the fate of Balik, forced to feel guilt toward the big brother he so respected, after so long apart.