Chapter 60

After finishing a meal that was almost like an ascetic practice, Aldis and Kirill began to talk about what to do next.

"Kirill, you can stay here for tonight. If you say the sword is fine, I'll keep it for a night. If you don't have the money for the inn, I'll pay for it today."

"Oh, no, I'll pay for the inn myself. I've saved some money for the way back... And this..."

As he said this, Kirill handed a few silver coins to Aldis.

"What's this?"

"I'm sorry. This is all I have on me right now..."

Kirill's voice became smaller, as if he felt apologetic.

"So, what is this?"

Aldis asked again, his displeasure seeping through.

"It's a thank you for saving me and helping me find the sword..."

"I don't need it."

"But..."

"I didn't help you because I wanted money. And you said you had money for the way back, didn't you? Isn't this the money for your journey back?"

"..."

Kirill's silence affirmed Aldis's point.

"There's no way I can accept this."

By offering all the money he had left, Kirill might have been trying to show his gratitude to Aldis. He probably intended to spend the nights on the way to the Union of City-States in the open, but for a child who couldn't fight, spending the night outdoors would be extremely reckless.

Kirill didn't seem like a foolish child who wouldn't realize this. However, caught between the sense of mission to repay Aldis's kindness and the frustration of having nothing to offer, this was the conclusion he had reached as a last resort.

Still, offering all the money for the journey back was too extreme.

This imbalance and extremity in his thinking revealed Kirill's youth and inexperience, making Aldis feel frustrated as he scratched his head.

Even if the Union of City-States was a neighboring country, crossing the border to travel there involved risks and required money. The silver coins Kirill offered were barely enough, if at all.

A seasoned traveler wouldn't embark on a journey with such a meager amount. There was no guarantee of reaching the destination on schedule, and unexpected troubles could arise. It was common sense for both mercenaries and merchants to prepare at least twice the amount.

Given that Kirill had probably never left the city walls, it was understandable that he didn't know this.

Kirill wasn't incompetent. Considering he was only twelve, coming to the capital alone, hiring a guard, and reaching the Kossus Forest was already quite an achievement. Most children wouldn't even make it to the capital.

Even though he had started working for a merchant at ten, seeing the world earlier than other children, it was still a remarkable feat. Most children were still under their parents' protection at that age.

Aldis was frustrated by the thoughtlessness of sending a child, who knew nothing about the world, on a mission to a neighboring country, especially through the Kossus Forest, where monsters roamed. Why didn't they send him with a guard? At the very least, they could have sent an adult with him. This anger was hard to suppress.

Moreover, from what Kirill had told him, the initial travel money given to him was also too little. It was understandable that he couldn't afford to hire a guard with just one gold coin.

"Don't worry about it, kid."

Pushing the silver coins back, Aldis asked Kirill, who looked dejected.

"Is your client really that eager to get the sword that they sent you?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Getting the sword was just a pretext. In reality, they just wanted to get rid of you—"

Aldis swallowed his words mid-sentence. It wasn't right to say such things to a child.

"---No, it just seems like they don't really believe you can bring the sword back."

Hearing this, Kirill tilted his head.

"I don't think so... Marida said the ruins and the sword were exactly where she said they would be, and I met you just as I was told."

Aldis, who had started to yawn, stopped mid-yawn.

"What did you just say?"

He asked Kirill seriously.

"You don't think so, right?"

"After that."

"Marida said the ruins and the sword were there, and I met you just as I was told—"

"Right there!"

Aldis interrupted Kirill.

"What? What do you mean?"

"What do you mean by 'just as I was told'? It sounds like you knew you would meet me."

As a result, Kirill obtained the sword with Aldis's help. Normally, it would have been a dangerous forest, requiring a skilled mercenary as a guard, but he returned safely because he met Aldis by chance.

Aldis didn't know about Kirill until they met, and Kirill probably didn't know about Aldis either. If Kirill had known about Aldis, he would have tried to contact him before going to the Kossus Forest.

"No, I didn't know your name, Aldis. I was only told to trust the man with a violet cloth on his forehead."

Kirill denied Aldis's words. It seemed he had only been told about a specific characteristic, not a specific person.

But, Aldis thought, touching the violet cloth on his forehead.

Even in this capital, with so many people, there couldn't be many who matched that specific description. The instruction felt like it was pointing directly at him, which made Aldis feel uneasy.

"What exactly did they tell you?"

"I don't know anything more. I was only told this, without any reason, and instructed not to forget it."

The person who told him this was Marida, the merchant. She was the one who, as a condition for lending money to the merchant guild Kirill worked for, instructed him to retrieve the sword from the ruins in the Kossus Forest.

"Oh, by the way..."

As if remembering something, Kirill began to rummage through a small bag.

"I was told to open this if I successfully obtained the sword."

He pulled out a small envelope, about five centimeters long.

"What's that?"

"I don't know... Marida only said I might need it later..."

Kirill's voice also carried a hint of confusion. The envelope looked thin and light, and it didn't seem to contain travel money.

"Well, let's see what's inside."

"Sure."

Kirill was eager to open the envelope. Since he had obtained the sword and returned to the capital, there should be no problem opening it now.

Kirill immediately opened the envelope, and inside was a small card.

Kirill stared at the card for a while, but his expression showed confusion.

"What is it? Is there something written on it?"

"It's... I can't really understand it."

His voice conveyed his bewilderment.

"You can't understand it? Is it not in a language you know?"

"No, I can read it, but I don't understand the meaning."

"What does it say?"

"Um... 'Our sword is for victory, our hearts are for comrades. Let us go, to the glory under our flag.' ... What does this mean?"

As soon as Kirill read the words, Aldis stood up, his face changing. The wooden chair he had been sitting on fell to the floor with a loud noise.

"W-What's wrong?"

Kirill's eyes widened at Aldis's unusual behavior.

Ignoring Kirill's question, Aldis leaned forward and snatched the small card. He read the words on the card over and over, then stared at it for a long time.

"Um... Aldis?"

Kirill called out tentatively, but there was no response. Aldis stood there, as if cut off from the surrounding noise, and muttered to no one in particular.

"Why... Who..."

2019/05/03 Typo correction: "報いなければとという" → "報いなければという"

*Thank you for reporting the typo.