Chapter 3

"Hey, Aldis! Are you alright!?"

The boy who had repelled the men's attack turned around in response to the voice calling him.

In his eyes, three people appeared. All of them showed a relieved look as the boy waved back.

"You set it on fire again..."

The man with a stern face, leading the group, grumbled as he approached, surveying the part of the forest that had been charred black.

His brown eyes and nearly burnt sienna hair, along with his sturdy build and bulging muscles, gave off a rough impression.

Clad in leather armor, wielding a bastard sword and a round shield, his appearance clearly marked him as a swordsman.

"I didn't set it on fire."

"That's right, Ted. Aldis wouldn't fight in such a stupid way."

The young woman, wearing a deep green hooded robe, defended the boy who had responded with a sulky tone.

She held a short wooden staff, indicating she was a typical magician.

Strands of bright red hair peeked out from under her hood, and her eyes, directed at the swordsman called Ted, were a dark crimson.

"Hey, why do I always end up looking like the bad guy?"

"Who knows? At least I think Aldis and Orphelia aren't saying anything wrong, right?"

When Ted asked the archer standing next to him, he received a dismissive answer.

Whether it was because he didn't want to get involved or found it troublesome, the small archer with steel-colored hair and eyes shrugged and quickly ended the conversation.

"How many were there on your side?"

The boy in the robe asked the female magician.

"There were three on our side. But they didn't seem to have any real fighting spirit. They retreated quickly after Norris shot at them—"

"Right as we were about to join up with Aldis, they started causing trouble."

Ted picked up where Orphelia left off, sounding annoyed.

"So? And on your side... as you can see?"

Seeing the blue-robed figures lying on the ground, he momentarily grimaced.

"You didn't have to kill both of them, did you?"

"There were three, not two. Another one died over there."

Norris, the archer, seemed to have noticed the charred remains of a leather-armored man.

"You can tell?"

"Of course, for an archer, eyes are everything."

Norris responded smugly to the impressed boy.

"Either way, they're all dead, right?"

Ted said with a sigh.

"Given your skills, you could have captured them alive."

"These guys were trying to kill me. What's wrong with taking them down?"

The boy, looking annoyed, said he was just defending himself.

"Yeah, I get that, but—"

Orphelia tried to help, seeing Ted's frown.

"Ted, I'm not taking sides, but wouldn't it have been better to capture at least one and get some information?"

"Troublesome. It doesn't matter who sent them. If they attack again, I'll take them down. That's all there is to it."

"Ha ha. Aldis, you always say such scary things, even though you look so innocent."

"True. You have the power to take them down, so it's even worse."

Orphelia sighed and agreed with Norris, who had a dry smile.

No one here was going to blame him for taking the lives of the attackers.

The law only extends to cities and villages, and to the reach of the law's enforcers.

It would be foolish to appeal for legal protection in the deep forest where beasts and monsters roam.

In a lawless land, one must protect oneself.

Those who cannot do so will lose their lives without anyone knowing.

Of course, criminals have no qualms, and those who cannot defend themselves are mere prey.

There is no distinction between attacker and victim; only who is stronger.

If you attack someone stronger, you will be the one to die. This is the only law that governs the lands beyond human reach.

"Well, regardless, they did challenge us, the 'Morning Star of White Night.' We'll make sure to settle the score."

The stern-faced swordsman quietly showed his fighting spirit, while the small archer moved the conversation forward.

"So, Aldis, do you have any idea who they were?"

"I don't know. But they knew about the sword magic."

"Hmm. Well, your sword magic is becoming known these days. You're not hiding it, right?"

Aldis, the boy, replied to Norris with a "Yeah."

He then looked sideways, listing all the possibilities he could think of.

"Nobles trying to recruit me, burglars who attacked my home and were taken down, magicians demanding I teach them sword magic, priests with grudges, city thugs I beat up, envious mercenaries, and bandits trying to steal my earnings. And—"

"The noble lords probably resent you too."

Orphelia added, and Ted, hearing this for the first time, asked back.

"Huh? Why would the noble lords resent Aldis?"

"Once, a general from the noble lords came personally and asked this boy to teach sword magic to a military magician. He flatly refused without even considering it."

"Magic isn't something magicians can learn. It would be a waste of time for both of us. I'd rather sleep in bed."

The boy bluntly stated.

"Still, there's a way to refuse! To dismiss someone so rudely without even listening to their side is bound to cause trouble!"

Ted sent a disapproving look to the boy.

"If you're humiliated in public, it's no surprise they'd hold a grudge."

"Ha ha. As always, Aldis has a lot of enemies."

"Stop laughing, Norris. Thugs and bandits are one thing, but nobles, the church, and the noble lords are a different matter. Aldis, don't go making unnecessary enemies. I know you're strong, but it's still dangerous."

"I understand, Ted. I appreciate your help and don't want to cause trouble. I'll be careful with nobles and the church."

At these words, Ted and the others said in unison:

"Three copper coins on the side that can't control himself."

"Then I'll bet five copper coins on the side that won't control himself."

"Ha ha. One silver coin on the side that doesn't even think about controlling himself."

The bet was so lopsided it didn't even form.

"..."

Aldis's promise to "be careful" was clearly not taken seriously.

"Let's head back to the city for today. Aldis, are you done with the recovery? We want to leave the forest before night falls."

"Yeah, I'm done."

The "recovery" here refers to collecting valuables from the enemy's bodies.

It might seem like highway robbery, but this is the lawless deep forest.

Moreover, these were enemies who tried to take Aldis's life. Checking their possessions for identification and taking valuables as compensation is not something anyone would criticize.

"They didn't have much worth taking."

"Then I'll burn them."

"Sure. I'll burn the other guy."

After burning the enemy's bodies, Aldis and the others left the forest and hurried towards the city.

The city where Aldis and the others lived was Tria, a port town with a sea breeze from the east, located southeast of the Canobis Mountains in the central part of the Robles continent.

Surrounded by fertile farmland, it is the second largest city in the Nagras Kingdom, thriving on the forest's bounty and coastal trade.

The Kosus Forest, which spreads south of Tria, provides the city with fuel, food, and herbs, supporting its development since ancient times.

Of course, it is a place where human reach is limited, a secret land teeming with wild beasts and monsters.

However, the various blessings found deep in the forest are very attractive to humans, and many enter the forest, aware of the risks.

Occasionally, large merchants form teams for large-scale explorations, but usually, small parties of a few people enter the forest.

For mercenaries, gathering herbs and rare plants from the forest is a valuable source of income.

Mercenaries don't fight all year round.

There isn't always a battlefield.

If they can't earn a living with their sword skills, they must find some way to make a living.

Those who can't take jobs like escorting travelers, delivering letters, exploring uncharted lands, eliminating beasts, or collecting in dangerous areas eventually become bandits and are hunted by mercenaries.

The job Aldis and the others took this time was a preliminary survey of a logging site.

The request came jointly from several timber merchants.

The traditional logging site had already been depleted, and they needed to open a new site for the next year.

"So, how was the place we surveyed this time?"

Aldis asked, as if it didn't concern him.

"Not bad. It's close to the road, and with some road improvements, it shouldn't be a problem. The quality of the trees was good, so the timber merchants might invest to secure the site."

"There were a few 'Dual Sword Beasts' nests, so we'll need to clear them out beforehand."

Norris added.

"Interesting."

"Sure, but can't you show a bit more concern, Aldis?"

Ted complained to Aldis, who showed no enthusiasm.

"Well, I'm just participating temporarily. Since it's a job taken by the 'Morning Star of White Night,' it's kind of a third-party matter for me."

Ted's expression twisted at this response.

"Hey, Aldis. How about joining our party?"

"Me?"

"Sure. We end up working together often, and you're practically a member of the 'Morning Star of White Night' already."

"Party... I'll think about it."

"Every time you do that, you just delay the decision—"

Orphelia's words trailed off in response to Aldis's lackluster answer.

"Did you hear that?"

Aldis and Norris's eyes met.

"Yeah, someone's being attacked."

With his eyes closed, Aldis focused his senses and heard the cries of a person seeking help.

He also heard the neighing of horses and the screams of the dying. The direction was the road ahead, and they would inevitably encounter the scene if they continued.

"Ted, what do we do?"

Aldis sought the judgment of the stern-faced man, as he was the leader of the 'Morning Star of White Night.'

"Of course, we help."

"Who?"

"We'll see when we get there!"

With that, Ted sprinted off at full speed.

"Ha ha. Really, he's so nosy despite his tough face."

"True. Can't he stop getting involved in other people's problems?"

Despite his stern appearance, Ted couldn't help but help those in trouble.

Even as they complained about their leader, the two would stick with him to the end.

To Aldis, Ted's way of life didn't seem wise.

The world is full of dangers, and those who seek out trouble don't live long.

But Aldis didn't want to think of Ted as foolish.

He was glad that Ted's way of life reminded him a little of his benefactor, and it was because of Ted's meddlesome nature that Aldis could survive in this world.

"Can't be helped."

Muttering, Aldis drew two short swords from his waist, threw them into the air, and followed Ted, the floating swords trailing behind him.

2017/01/19 Typo correction: "相手の良い分も" → "相手の言い分も"

*Thank you for pointing out the typo in the comments.