Family (2)
In the adventurer guild in Karpe city.
A man was pacing in front of the bulletin board covered with request slips waiting to be fulfilled.
His hair was a deep golden color, and his eyes were even more golden than that.
Someone who recognized the golden eyes that would make the viewer feel mysterious and beautiful spoke to him in a low voice.
“Isn’t it unusual for someone to come to the guild alone?”
“... Lize?”
The one who spoke to that man was Lize, an employee of the adventurer guild.
With her usual flat face, she said to the man with her emotionless eyes.
“Yes, it’s Lize, the employee. Do you remember?”
“You think I’m a goldfish? We’ve met several times, of course I remember.”
It wasn’t just recognizing the face; they’d had conversations multiple times. If she didn’t remember, it would mean something was wrong with his head.
To Lize, who was starting to feel a bit familiar, Ain said.
“What’s up? Is there another request or something?”
“There are no requests naming Ain-nim and the party members of Er’s party.”
“That’s a pleasant surprise... No, if I just fade into oblivion as a third-rate adventurer?”
“...I don’t think that will happen.”
Answering Ain’s joke with that, Lize continued.
“You haven’t been with Er-nim, Jina-nim, or recently Haru-nim, have you? The last time I saw you alone in the guild was after you came to register as an adventurer.”
“...Is that so?”
“Yes, even when you’re alone, you join up with your companions soon after. But... it doesn’t seem to be the case today.”
Originally, Ain’s attire itself wasn’t prepared for performing a request.
It was light clothing like daily wear.
In this state, it didn’t make sense to be waiting for companions to perform a request, so Lize could see that Ain had come to the guild alone.
“So, what exactly is it? Did you come to find a request to fulfill in advance?”
“No, I don’t have any particular thought... Why are you like that?”
“What do you mean? Is there something strange about me?”
“No... You weren’t this kind originally.”
Lize was dealing with adventurers in a business-like manner without showing any emotion.
Her beautiful appearance was ruined by her expressionless face as she sat in the office, and her unfamiliar kindness to the receiver was uncomfortable.
“You, what’s the matter?”
Ain asked without thinking.
Hearing that from Ain, Lize, unusually for her, widened her eyes slightly and said.
“Are you worried about me?”
“...Sorry if that was weird.”
“It’s not that. It’s just... I’ve been worried, and it’s been a while since I saw someone worrying about me, so I was surprised for a moment.”
Saying that, Lize put on a faint business smile.
“There’s no particular issue. It was just an order from above.”
“...An order?”
“There was an instruction to maintain good relations with the two disciples of Grand Inquisitor Veronica from the Church.”
Among the Church’s knights who are extremely closed and secretive, the one whose name is known and famous is almost only Veronica.
She herself has immense power, and if she wanted, she could solidify her position within the Church.
It was natural for her disciples, who could directly connect to such a Veronica, to want to maintain good relations in the adventurer guild.
“...Isn’t that too straightforward?”
Even so, saying it without reservation to the person involved wasn’t a big deal. Thinking that, Ain’s question to Lize was,
“Compared to lying, it would be better. Do you want to be close to someone who lies, Ain-nim?”
“...Not just me, most people would be.”
If it’s a secret, it can exist.
But lies can’t be tolerated.
Trust built on lies will collapse the moment it’s revealed as illusion.
“So, from the beginning, they reveal it openly. Then, Ain-nim will judge for yourself.”
“...Yeah, I’ll think it over carefully.”
“I hope you receive a positive response.”
Looking at Lize saying that, Ain let out a small laugh.
To that Ain, Lize turned the topic and asked.
“If you’re not here to get a request, why are you here? It doesn’t seem like you’re meeting anyone in particular.”
“I got kicked out.”
“...I should update the member list of that party.”
“No, I wasn’t kicked out of the party... It said to leave because I was in the way. So I wandered aimlessly... and ended up here.”
“...You said ‘in the way’?”
Ain’s companions that Lize had seen wouldn’t treat him like that.
...No, thinking about it, there were many cases where he was treated poorly, but not to the point of saying ‘in the way’.
Even so, hearing that means something important happened.
However, it seemed like it might flow into personal talk, and Lize, thinking it was premature, noticed Ain’s awareness of her thoughts and said with a smirk.
“I’m preparing to be a guest.”
“Can I tell you about their guests?”
“Well, how about it. They’re my mom and dad.”
Saying that, Ain waved his hand.
Unlike Ain’s attitude, Lize, upon hearing the content, seemed surprised and raised her eyebrows slightly and said.
“Ain-nim, do you have parents?”
“Why do you only talk about my parents and hit me with pad lip?!”
“Surprisingly. It didn’t look like that.”
“What, are you challenging me to a fight? Then I’ll accept it. I’ll definitely lose, but!”
Answering with half-joke, half-serious, Lize, realizing her slip, covered her mouth and said.
“Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean that... It’s rare for someone with a family to become an adventurer.”
“...If that’s the case.”
“Adventurers don’t know when they’ll die. If there’s someone to take responsibility for, it’s hard. Many adventurers who were doing well quit when they had a family and looked for other jobs.”
What if I die? What happens to the remaining family.
Those who thought that, when they fell in love and formed a family, found other jobs.
Even if the pay was less, more stable work.
Of course, there were also those who continued being adventurers even after having a family.
No matter what, income is high, and big money can be earned in a short time.
But most were like that.
Rather than living as a guard or hunter in some village, they would quit being adventurers.
“Occasionally, there are young people who start as adventurers to earn big money by being the main one... But I don’t think Ain-nim is such a case.”
“...That’s right.”
“So I thought it was surprising. Since you mentioned parents, both of you are alive, but you’re doing such dangerous work. You even refuse the priest position.”
A man who is a formal priest of the Church but does adventurer work.
Such a special case was enough to make Lize unable to take her eyes off Ain.
Since his junior sister Jina was also marked as his special management target for the same reason, the fact that his parents are still alive is quite valuable information.
However, Ain waved his hand as if it was nothing.
“It’s fine, there’s no big change from before.”
Ain added that it’s not enough to worry his parents, and looking at the adventurer guild emblem on Lize’s uniform chest, said.
“Still, your family doesn’t worry much, do they? Employees are safe, there are occasional troublemakers.”
“Well, I don’t know.”
“Huh?”
“Because I don’t have a family.”
It was a chilling feeling.
Seeing Ain, whose smile froze as he thought he had poked at someone’s sore spot,
“It’s fine. I didn’t think much of it.”
“Eh, sorry. I didn’t mean it.”
“You don’t need to apologize.”
Lize said it as if it was really nothing and thought for a moment.
If she used this opportunity well, she could reduce the distance with Ain. Thinking that, Lize started to pour out very personal stories.
“I was an orphan raised by my master. Since childhood, I’ve lived in the guild. The reason I became an adventurer was because it was a job I could start immediately.”
“...Master? The master of Karpe adventurer guild?”
“Yes, at that time, he wasn’t the master yet.”
Guild master.
I’ve only heard about it, never seen it directly.
It was the same for Er, who was silver rank, so I just thought of it as a character in a story.
“Someone close to such a great person right next to me...”
“It’s not that close. I just owed him, and I’m just repaying it.”
“...Really?”
“Yes, so it’s far from family. If I have to say, it’s a creditor-debtor relationship.”
Seeing Lize say that stiffly, Ain scratched his cheek awkwardly and kept quiet.
Just that achieved Lize’s purpose. By leaving such a strong impression on Ain, she would be conscious of herself no matter what.
Without knowing Lize’s thoughts, Ain, who had been standing blankly for a long time, said.
“...Then, I’ll go. It seems like it’s about to wrap up. Time’s up too.”
“Yes, take care. See you next time.”
“I... don’t know what to say, don’t hold back.”
“...What?”
Suddenly, Lize couldn’t understand Ain’s meaning and asked,
“Will it happen to you someday? Someone who worries about you and becomes your ally.”
“...”
“It was a pointless meddling, forget it!”
Seeing Lize closing her mouth, Ain, realizing his slip, ran out of the guild.
Lize, chewing on the words Ain left, tilted her head.
He said he was having a hard time.
She had no such awareness.
It was natural. Originally, this was it.
She hadn’t thought about it being hard, and wouldn’t in the future.
Why did that person think that?
No matter how she thought, no answer came.
Meaningless worries are just energy waste, no need to continue.
So, next time I meet him, I should ask.
Did his eyes see her as being that hard?
Still, it didn’t feel bad.
“Someone who worries and becomes my ally...”
It would be good if there was at least one.
Lize’s voice muttering that was unusually thin.
●
“Aish, this image, this bastard...!”
Ain muttering while slapping both cheeks with his hands.
How many times did he kick the blanket last night to say such things,
It didn’t seem normal for a middle schooler in his age to be spouting such words.
“I have to die, just die...”
“Ain! Where did you go?!”
Ain muttering with self-reproach, lifted his head at the sharp voice calling his name.
There was Er, with her neatly combed golden hair.
Not in her usual armor, but Er who had finished dressing in clothes that seemed to care about appearance and light makeup.
Ain froze at the sight of Er.
“What? Why aren’t you saying anything...?”
Surprised for a moment at Ain’s appearance, Er asked,
“Ah, nothing...”
“After disappearing for a while, did you eat something weird?”
“I’m your kid.”
“...”
“Why aren’t you answering?!”
“What, second to Ain’s mental age... How is it? Doesn’t it seem strange?”
Saying that, Er turned lightly.
Following her movement, the hem of her clothes and hair fluttered, and Ain, who was watching it blankly without realizing, hurriedly turned his head and said.
“...It’s fine.”
“Hmm...? Is that all?”
“Then what answer do you want?!”
“Your sincerity.”
Saying that, Er grabbed Ain’s face and forced eye contact and said.
“How is it? Pretty?”
“...Yeah, pretty.”
If it was that much, passersby couldn’t take their eyes off Er.
“Will your parents like it too?”
“...Probably.”
“Ah, that’s good.”
Saying that, feeling ashamed to look at her smiling face, Ain removed Er’s hand from his face and said.
“Why the fuss. What big person is coming...”
“If you say that, it’ll be sad. It’s all for Ain.”
“...Why me?”
“Because the more beautiful I am, the more value Ain gets, right? I’m your match.”
Saying that, Er lightly pulled the chain of the rosary necklace.
The rosary itself was hidden inside clothes and not visible, but Ain, who realized the meaning, lowered his head without realizing and said.
“...Stop saying embarrassing things! Coming to find me means the fuss is over, right?”
“Yes, Jina is waiting too. It’s been an hour since you said you were coming.”
“Ah, now it seems like we can go to meet at the city gate.”
“Fortunately, it was perfect. Then let’s go.”
Saying that, Er took Ain’s hand.
Ain was momentarily stunned by her decisive attitude without any hesitation, but soon held her hand and said.
“...You don’t feel embarrassed anymore?”
“Because if I lose it, it’s a big problem.”
“I’m your kid?”
“...”
“Answer!!”