n

n

n“Good job.” Ryouma

nAs expected, in the last nest, other tunnel ants came pouring out after we took out the guards. the guards included, there were 15 of them all in all. I defeated 5 tunnel ants ahead of time, so Berk’s party only had to take care of the remaining 10.

nI figured that was a safe number for them, and as expected, they were indeed able to defeat them all. They tumbled a little and were bitten here and there, but none of them were gravely injured.

n“Do you need water or healing magic?” Ryouma

n“No— On second thought. Give me some water so I can wash my wounds. I have water for drinking.” Berk

nWise decision. I poured water into a stone bowl using magic.

n“Ah, you don’t have to use the same water. I’ll prepare some for everyone.” Ryouma

n“Huh? B-But it’s still clean… That would be so wasteful…” Wist

n“If you keep using the same water it’ll get dirty. Even if it’s just a scratch, it would be bad if some bad bacteria entered it.” Ryouma

n“Bacteria (Saikin)? Recently(Saikin)?” Wist

n“Oh, right. You can think of it as a kind of disease demon.” Ryouma

n“…Wist. He said it’s fine, so just accept it.” Berk

n“R-Right…” Wist

nAfter washing his wounds, Berk left to pick up the corpses. Wist-kun followed after him after washing his wounds. After the remaining four washed their wounds in turns, I called my Rimel Birds and had them enter my Dimension Home.

nAlong the way back home…

n“Ryouma-kun. Why are you so strong?” Ruth

nRuth suddenly asked me that.

n“What is it all of the sudden~?” Ryouma

n“You easily beat the goblins back then, and today you also easily beat the tunnel ants.” Ruth

n“They weren’t your opponent at all …Desu.” Finia

n“You would have definitely beaten them faster were you alone.” Ruth

nIt must be because we fought the same monster that they were able to strongly feel the difference between our strength.

nThat being said, it’s only a given I’m stronger since I trained my whole life. If I were to be just around their level, I would instead be depressed. But since I look their age, they took it the wrong way and ended up depressed themselves.

nIn that case…

n“Well… Maybe it’s because I had a master to guide me.” Ryouma

nWith someone to guide you, you can train without having to worry about your livelihood. I told Ruth and the others that having a master just makes that big of a difference.

n“Did that master teach you how to use those twin swords?” Ruth

n“These aren’t swords, but katanas. Also, the reason I’m using two of them is to train myself to use one with just one hand.” Ryouma

n“Can you become strong doing that?” Berk

nBerk showed interest, but there’s not much meaning in just using one hand to swing your weapon.

nThis training is partly meant to increase my grip and physical strength, but its main purpose is for me to be able to fight even if I can’t use one of my arms anymore.

nThe threat of injury is ever present in battles. There’s no guarantee that I’ll be able to fight in perfect condition. If my arm is crippled in battle and I can’t use my weapon anymore, then I will die. And even if I manage to use it without training, without the skill behind the sword, I doubt I would be able to do much against an enemy that was able to deeply wound me when I was still in perfect condition. In such a situation, I would be at a huge disadvantage.

nBecause of that possibility I decided to start training myself to be able to use my katana with only one hand. And that’s exactly what I did just now. I used two different katanas with one hand on each and was freely using my skills regardless of if it was my left hand or my right hand. Because of that it wouldn’t be apt to call it a Nitouryuu (dual-wield katana) style that treats two katanas as one, but merely me using two different katanas at the same time.

nOf course, I had to properly train before actually trying it out in live combat. If I actually tried to use a katana with only one hand without any training and then immediately tried to use two katanas, it would have been a disaster. Receiving some kind of training beforehand is definitely ideal.

nCome to think of it, doesn’t Berk and the others have a master?

nWhen I asked them, it turns out they learned the basics from a senpai, but those senpais were busy, so they mostly trained by themselves. They could ask for guidance from the guild, but they’re worried about how much they’d have to spend before they’re good enough.

n“We have to save money first…” Berk

n“C-Can I ask a question too?” Wist

n“Sure. What is it?” Ryouma

n“R-Ryouma-kun, what do you think of when fighting? Umm… Aren’t you scared?” Wist

nI see… Wist-kun certainly does seem to like the shy sort and when fighting he’s always reserved and unable to attack proactively.

nFrom what I’ve seen, Berk would use the lightness of his body to suppress the enemy with a combination of his short sword and his martial arts. Martha would provide support with her wood magic, while Ruth and Rumil would suppress the enemy with their sword and spear, and then Finia and Wist-kin would use their hammers to finish the enemy off with their great strength. That was how they fought.

nAlthough they did well by coming up with a way to deal with the tunnel ants, Wist-kun, individually speaking, was never really proactive in attacking.

nIt’s not just because he’s scared, but also because he’s too gentle that he never really put enough strength in his attacks and had to attack the enemy 2 or 3 times to finish them off. If he attacked with full strength right off the bat, he should’ve been able to finish them off with a single blow.

nSince he’s asking me about my state of mind, then he’s probably aware of his own problem.

n“Didn’t I tell you to stop being such a coward?

nJust hit them will all your strength.” Berk

n“Yeah… But when they stand in front of me like that, I just…” Wist

nAs expected, it seems this isn’t a recent problem for him. But what should I tell him?

n“I’m… Not really thinking of anything, to be honest.” Ryouma

n“Huh?” Wist

n“When I fight, I fight. My focus is solely in the enemy’s movements as well as my own.” Ryouma

nAs a person trains, he will gain confidence in his own strength. Saying this to him might cause him to blame himself, but I don’t feel any fear when fighting tunnel ants.

n“To that end, you really need to train and accumulate experience.” Ryouma

nA politically correct opinion. It would be great if I could say something better, but I’m just not that good at talking. I know he went out of his way to ask me, but sadly, this is the best I’ve got. Sorry.

n“Ryouma-kun, don’t blame yourself! Even the adults tell me the same things…” Wist

n“Hmm? Is there another problem you’re dealing with?” Ryouma

n“No, but…” Wist

n“Wist was told that adventurer work doesn’t suit him.” Berk

n“!” Wist

nWhen Berk interjected, Wist went quiet. Bullseye, huh?

n“Who said that?” Ryouma

n“The others. We’re not the only kids in the slums doing adventurer work.” Berk

n“Anyone can become an adventurer and it’s easier to find work when you have ‘former adventurer’ in your resume.” Martha

n“Everyone… is wary of the people from the slums. So they’re more at ease when dealing with former adventurers… Desu.” Finia

n“It’s because adventurer work is proof that we’ve done honest work.” Ruth

nAfter Berk spat that out, the girls followed up with those words.

nMeanwhile, Wist-kun was standing on the side with his shoulders dropped. Ruth tried to console him, but…

n“Don’t you get along with them? Those kids?” Ryouma

n“It’s not that we don’t get along with them, but they’re really good at fighting. They also make more, so lately they’ve been making fun of everyone else who does nothing but gather herbs. Especially, Wist, since he has a strong body, but his personality is like that… Seriously, Wist. Quit being so hesitant already! They’re them and you’re you! Besides, compared to them, isn’t ‘this’ way stronger?” Ruth

nI see I’m being used as a point of comparison. But don’t you kids think it’s a bit cruel to be referring to me as ‘this’?

nStill, these children sure have a lot going between them…

n“But… If I keep working as an adventurer, the day will come when I have to kill people too.” Wist

n“That’s then! Even those guys haven’t killed anyone yet!” Ruth

n“But didn’t Berk say it too?” Wist

n“What!?” Berk

n“You said that if I just attacked properly!” Wist

n“Idiot! I didn’t mean it like that.” Berk

n…Isn’t Berk getting too heated?

n“Stop. There’s no point even in arguing here, you two.” Ryouma

nBlood seemed to be getting to their head, so I stepped in.

nI wanted them to calm down a little, so I listened to them while walking.

n1. Just as they mentioned, those kids definitely told Wist-kun that.

n2. Just as Berk said, there are many things they’re talking about that aren’t related to their current situation just yet.

n3. It’s also true that if Wist-kun were to continue working as an adventurer, he might find eventually himself up against a wall.

n4. Wist-kun is seriously thinking about things and wants to quickly become an adult to help his friends.

n5. It’s good that Berk is looking at the long term perspective, as that also goes to mean that he’s planning to stay with them that long.

nThese are the key points.

nWist-kun is aware of his own problems, so although he’s a bit of a coward, he is trying to improve himself. That’s why he’s so panicked and he feels like he’s not improving. Berk seems to have realized that, but this is a personality issue. And Berk recognizes the problem on the level of ‘don’t worry about it, just laugh and send the monsters flying’. Because of that he has a hard time understanding why Wist-kun is so worried about it.

n…This is difficult.

n“If you don’t mind me giving my opinion on the subject, I personally think you’re worrying too much.” Ryouma

n“Right?” Berk

n“But…” Wist

n“Listen until the end. It’s true that there’s no reason for you to be so worried about it now. But it’s also important to think about the future. Not wanting to hurt other people or other living things is an important thing.” Ryouma

n“So which is it?” Berk

n“It’s not an issue of ‘which’. Let’s put it this way… Right… Let’s say you’re in town and you’re hungry. What are you gonna do?” Ryouma

n“Obviously, I would eat my fill.” Berk

nBerk immediately answered. No hesitation whatsoever. But what if you don’t have any food at hand?

n“Then I’ll buy from the store.” Berk

n“Right now, we’re already well off enough to be able to eat at a store…” Wist

n“Eating outside is expensive, though. If you can endure it for a bit, you should go out to the fields and look for food there instead.” Martha

n“You could also try trading with the neighbors… Desu.” Finia

nEveryone gave their opinion one after another.

n“You could also plant some crops and harvest them when the time comes. If you’re willing to do some bad things, you could also steal.” Ryouma

n“Stealing is bad.” Everyone Else

nThe six of them said.

n“…You say that now, but didn’t you try to take away the monster corpses my party threw before?” Ryouma

n“Uu.” Berk

n“T-That’s…” Wist

nWhen I pointed that out, their expressions immediately turned for the worse. I might have teased them a bit too much there.

n“I’m not criticizing you. You seem to have turned over a new leaf, and I don’t really think much of that incident anymore anyway.

n…Let’s go back to the topic. It’s true that stealing is bad, but it’s one method you can use. What I’m trying to get at is that there are many ways to accomplish something. In the same way, there are other answers than the ones Berk and Wist-kun gave in response to my question. The two of you are too extreme.” Ryouma

n“T-Then what would you do? If you had to fight with a monster…” Wist

n“It’s ‘necessary’ to take a life.” Ryouma

nIn order to eat. In order to dress oneself. In order to find work. It’s ‘necessary’ that’s why I will take life.

nAnd if they attack me, regardless of whether it’s a monster or a human, to protect myself, I will take a life.

nThat’s all.

n“It sounds complicated, but basically, don’t worry about stuff that will get in the way when fighting.” Ryouma

nWhether it’s a biting louse or a human, that’s one life all the same.

n“In peace, even insects are treated like people. But in war, even humans are cut down like insects.” Ryouma

nIn a situation where worrying can cost you your life, it’s better to stop worrying altogether or find a solution to it.

nIt’s a family precept handed down in my family since days of old.

nI don’t think it’s wrong.

nI haven’t gone as far as to think of other people as insects, but at the very least, when the time comes, I won’t hesitate to take a life.

n…I believe that won’t be a problem for me.

nBut…

n“That’s precisely why it’s important to have some hesitation in hurting others, regardless of whether it’s another human or something else. Wist-kun, as a human, I can resolutely tell you that there’s nothing wrong with the way you think. I won’t ask you to solve that issue right away, but don’t you think it would be good if you could find a place to compromise?” Ryouma

n“…Yeah.” Wist

n…That might have been a bit too deep. Everyone’s reaction is a bit slow. It’s not like I gave a clear answer either. Problems like this can only really be solved by the person himself.

n“And in order to do that… Berk!” Ryouma

n“Me!?” Berk

n“Well, the others too, but from time to time, try talking to each other calmly, will you? Without getting all hot blooded. There’s a lot of things you can do if you hear each other out and talk calmly like adults. And Wist-kun, you can still continue being an adventurer for the time being even if you don’t panic, right?” Ryouma

n“Y-Yeah! It’s scary to fight, but it’s only been a year and I want to keep working with everyone…” Wist

n“Then just take your time to think. From what I’ve seen today, unless you do something reckless, you shouldn’t suffer any major wounds.” Ryouma

nNo matter what answer he comes up with, I’ll accept it.

nIf he decides to give up adventurer work, I could ask him to come work at my store. But I won’t say that for now… Oh.

nWe’re at the gate. After showing our guild cards, the guards let us through.

n“Are you going to the adventurers guild?” Ryouma

n“Yeah. We have to give a report first.” Berk

n“I’ll be going to the tamer guild, so we’ll part here.” Ryouma

n“Got it. Thanks for today.” Berk

n“T-Thank you for taking care of us.” Berk

n“You really helped us out… Desu.” Finia

nEach one of them thanked me, and then we parted ways. I went to the tamer guild by myself.

n…I did something out of character…

nWhy did I say something like that?

nI wanted to encourage him, but maybe I was meddling needlessly.

nI’m a beginner myself. What was I acting so experienced for? I feel like I’m starting to turn into a preachy person…

n“Boss!” Fina

n“！ Ah, it’s Fina-san and Leelin-san. What’s the matter? Why are you here?” Ryouma

n“We went out to buy some things.” Leelin

n“We ran out of seasoning after cooking one trial dish after another. Also, we needed to buy some miscellaneous consumables like paper and stuff. What about you boss?” Finia

n“I’m on the way back from a job. I just got back, actually.” Ryouma

n“Did something happen? You look like you’re thinking something really deep.” Leelin

n“Really?” Ryouma

n“You looked worried. Is there something troubling you?” Fina

n“That’s not it… I was just wondering if maybe I’ve started putting on the years…” Ryouma

n“What?” Fina and Leelin

nTheir face said they had absolutely no idea what I was talking about.

n