Chapter 56
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: A Familiar Story Emerged
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Yuderg wiped the smile from his face as if he had never laughed in the first place.
"It was impossible from the start. I just carried out my orders as a soldier, even with this broken body of mine."
Well, does that mean he's given up on living as a soldier now?
At any rate, this is the first time I've heard his true feelings.
I'd already guessed he'd changed a lot since we first met.
He's not the type to show his inner thoughts, so I'd been watching him closely in bits and pieces.
"Do whatever you want. Everyone has their own guiding star in life."
"Star..."
Yuderg mumbled like a timid kid and looked up at the sky.
There were no stars up there—just the blue sky.
"I can't decide that for a grown man. Anyone who tries would be a cult leader or a con artist. Only heretics who deserve to die pull that crap."
"Crook used words like that too. What exactly is a heretic?"
The others asked the same thing, and now this guy's doing it too?
Does this world not even have a definition for heretic?
'The Ruler of Frost called something a heretic, right? I swear I heard it in that voice while fighting Luke.'
[Silver Star heard that too!]
Anyway, what do I do about this?
I don't even know what it means.
"It's nothing special. It just means someone who deserves a whipping."
"A whipping... you say?"
Do I have to spell everything out for this guy from one to ten?
That's why smart guys are no good.
They never stop with the question marks.
"Who am I? As you know, I'm fake on the inside, but on the outside, I'm Hellite's top Holy Knight, right?"
"Yes. I still can't quite believe you're fake, but I know for sure."
"Anyone who goes against or contradicts the words of the top Holy Knight like me is a heretic. Simple, huh?"
"Ah..."
Yuderg tilted his head, his face saying, Is that really it?
It might be hard for you, but it's easy for me.
Black-and-white logic, binary thinking.
It's the ultimate move for the strong to use against the weak.
Back to the point—
"And you've lived like a beggar too, so you know there's nothing dirtier or sneakier than the weak. If I were you, I might've bitten my tongue and died. But you chose life even in that gutter-rat situation. You've got stronger self-respect than me. Asking what a guy like that will do is just messing with me."
"I didn't mean to mess with you."
Ha, dealing with such a serious guy is exhausting even for a chat.
"That's just a figure of speech. Figure it out yourself, man. Why ask when you're smart enough to handle it?"
Yuderg looked like he was pondering my words deeply.
I watched him for a bit, then added,
"I can tell you one thing, though."
"What is it? Please tell me."
"You need to get a little dirtier. Like those thieves over there. You're a homeless bum washing every day and mending your clothes. If you die traveling with me, I'll carve 'Died Clean' on your grave."
Yuderg clamped his lips shut.
Oh, that got a laugh out of him this time.
"I'm not saying to deliberately filth yourself up and think like a beggar. It means you gotta know when to let go—makes life easier."
"Ahem... I'll keep that in mind."
For the next three days, Yuderg didn't wash.
'That rigid bastard. He said he'd keep it in mind—what part did he get? I didn't mean skip bathing on purpose.'
It was my metaphor, but this guy takes things way too literally.
"Lord Yuderg! You reek! Did you go swim in shit by yourself or what?"
Kruuk pinched his nose and recoiled, finally making Yuderg's face flush as he went off to wash.
It ended up being four days instead of the planned three.
The rations for travel were ready.
Not as much as we'd aimed for, though.
I wondered if it'd last even ten days.
We lacked bows, and only four thieves were good at hunting, so even this was a blessing.
I ordered Kruuk to get us moving.
I wasn't planning to wait until the meat dried out completely. It'd be gone before it turned into proper jerky anyway.
"Vice Captain Kruuk relays the order! Pack your gear, everyone! We're moving out soon!"
The thief beggars dawdled.
Anyone could see they were dragging their feet.
'The more I look, the more innocent these kids seem.'
I wasn't the only one who thought so. Fred muttered while watching the dawdlers.
"They've grown attached after just a few days."
Those who didn't hunt had tidied up around the houses outside of training time, so our stay had left the place looking lived-in.
"It'll look like a proper home for a while now. Edinson and Erakins worked especially hard."
The weed-choked field looked farm-ready, and a new fence had gone up around the huts.
"It felt good working the soil and remembering family and old friends."
"Our house with our parents had a fence like this. Seeing those old folks' remains made me think of my parents a lot."
Edinson and Erakins weren't the only ones—other thieves showed complex emotions too.
Longing, anxiety, fear, regret.
Emotions anyone human carries.
The world and values might differ, but human feelings were the same.
"Anyone who wants to stay and live here can."
I said it softly, meaning every word.
I hadn't just goofed off while the thieves prepped rations.
I poked the stars and trained my mana.
I expanded my vessel to borrow more Toolsep.
Sticking to it obsessively in the most comfortable state yet improved my Insight Ability.
As a reward, I could see wider areas and peek deeper into others' emotions.
More specific than mere intuition, but still a bit blunt for true insight.
[Thonk!]
'Ah, so "thonk" means that?'
Even without the ability, reading the thieves' emotions was easy.
I hung out with them, slicing meat, gathering and burning weeds.
Hauling wood, driving stakes.
The effort and care in the labor bridged our hearts.
Same for them, I bet.
"Eh... what would we even do staying here?"
A guy named Sergei—dark brown hair, pale skin—scratched the back of his head. He smacked his lips like he regretted it, though.
"Can't live in a place like that. We'd have to build new."
"A bunch of guys living here alone? We'd all die. Kill each other fighting, and the last one dies lonely."
Wahaha—
Medde—, Medbede—, ah crap—. These kids' names are too hard.
Anyway, everyone laughed at the banter from the similar-sounding name guy.
"Can't even do thief business here. No customers come by."
Wahaha—
Seeing them joke around, they seemed more at ease with me now.
I could sense they were diluting the regret of leaving.
Then I'll help them decide.
I'm the boss, after all.
"We're heading out."
I nudged the pig-like hippo snoring at my feet.
"Move it, man."
Grooo—
The hippo spun its tail like a propeller.
From what I'd seen, it did that when annoyed or lazy—basically when it didn't feel like it.
'I don't wanna leave either, man.'
Fred with his wanderlust looked excited even leaving his family in the border city, but I'm the type who likes settling down.
Meals at set times, showers and bathroom around the same, sleeping in the same spot—a civilized guy.
Letting go of attachments is each person's job anyway.
If you could force it, why have emotions?
Those who can't let go will come back here or drop out somewhere else.
I turned to the thieves silently following me.
I hope they do.
"I hope they drop out... in a safe, peaceful place."
"Pardon?"
Kruuk caught my mutter and asked back, afraid to miss an order.
"Full speed to the next rest spot."
"Aigoo—. Back to it, huh."
Kruuk glanced back and swung his fist.
"Boss says we're running again! Dropouts are heretics!"
Classic Kruuk.
A bit twisted, but better at communicating than me.
Requiya and Yuderg were strong to begin with, but the beggars' progress was dazzling.
They ran full tilt for half a day without making a sound.
'Lots of mouths to feed is a worry, but no other worries.'
Thirty nimble, tough guys—not ten.
Any smart monster wouldn't mess with us.
Monsters spotting us from afar vanished on their own.
Reading my mind, Requiya grinned while running.
"Even two ogres at once wouldn't be a problem."
Never seen an ogre up close, so who knows.
But Requiya's confidence wasn't baseless.
"Slowing down."
"Slow down! Anyone who rams the guy ahead is a heretic!"
That heretic talk again.
Who started this crap for it to spread like a trend?
Kruuk, still breathing easy, sped up to my side.
"Boss, wanna rest?"
I nodded toward it instead.
Kruuk followed my gaze and looked dumbfounded.
"Uh... what's that."
Ruins were there.
With Blue Eye, I'd thought it might be a small village.
Burned palisades and crumbled walls first, then large wooden building foundations inside.
Small homes too, of course.
Requiya, watching with us, clicked his tongue.
"Burned to the ground. Long time ago."
I nodded at Requiya's words and ordered Kruuk.
"Call Erakins."
The call rippled back to Erakins guarding the rear with Fred.
"Vice Captain Kruuk relays! Erakins, come to the boss!"
"Erakins—. Boss wants you."
"Erakins—. Front with boss—."
"Era—. Boss—."
Damn it, you lazy asses.
It's just a few words—why shorten it 'cause it's annoying?
While calling Erakins, I noticed Yuderg's odd expression.
"If you know something, spill."
"You don't recognize it?"
With that, Yuderg pointed to a house-sized brick.
'It has a pattern.'
First time seeing it.
A blazing sun in the center, swords, axes, shields, and staves at the corners.
"Imperial army symbol."
Meaning, why doesn't the Holy Knight Captain who fought the imperial army recognize it?
I'd explained plenty before.
What happened at the Sanctuary, why I'm pulling this stunt.
Telling the truth is easier than lying—no headaches.
But Yuderg never fully bought it.
To him, Luke Seid must be like a faith.
Can't understand knights.
Worshipping the guy who beat you up.
So whenever our stubbornness clashed over my identity, I backed off.
Like now.
"Huh. Didn't recognize it flipped over."
"Yes..."
Why the downer tone, you punk!
Should I stand on my head and make you guess who I am?
[Again, again! Rage without any substance!]
'Anyway, first time for me.'
'First time for me too! We're all strangers to it!'
Right on cue, Erakins arrived.
We moved closer to the ruins, discussing.
Mainly Yuderg and Erakins talking.
"There was that time the imperial army attacking Brad got wiped out in one go. The empire hushed it up."
"I only heard rumors while building the fortress. First time seeing it myself."
Oh, nice.
A story I know came up.
'The army massacred by the disaster.'
Like spotting a place from Crawling into the World on an overseas trip— that kind of happy coincidence?
Or not.