NOVPUBReunion
“What the hell, old man?”
“What do you care, old man?”
“Get out of here, old man!”
The boys, after seeing a strong-looking guy who I was sure looked like Feld, were still being aggressive and pointed their iron knives at him, probably because they outnumbered him and thought they could take him down with their numbers.
He was Feld, wasn’t he? It’d been a year, so I couldn’t say for sure, but still, I’d never forgotten him.
The person who looked like Feld had a vicious smile that could be felt even when his silhouette was under the glare of the sun that served as a backlight as he responded to the boys’ words.
“I’m not an old man!”
Ah, it was indeed Feld.
Feld assaulted the boys with his bare hands. The boys’ fighting strength was around 40 to 50, perhaps having [Taijutsu] Level 1, but from Feld’s 1500 combat power, it didn’t make any difference whether they had weapons.
He called himself 20 years old… he should be 21 now, but was age and appearance really something to be concerned about?
Perhaps he felt better after beating up a bunch of delinquents with his bare hands without any problems. He noticed me staring at him and raised one hand with a good-natured smile.
“Hey there, boy. Are you okay?”
“Yeah…”
I really should have left before I got into trouble.
Still, I felt a little reluctant to leave because I was reunited with the man who had been kind to the vagrant me when I first met him, and taught me how to survive in that wilderness and vicious world.
What did he think of my lack of response to him? Why did he give me a toothy grin?
“As I thought, you really are strong for your age. I knew you wouldn’t mind getting tangled up with these guys, but they told me to help you out.”
“…”
I did expect that he wouldn’t remember a random vagrant that he found and only spent a day of training with him.
I guessed it was partly because my figure had grown to about the age of 11, but if he didn’t remember me, there was no need to force him to remember me.
It was enough that the kid who couldn’t do anything back then was now someone he could regard as a strong boy. Only I should remember the debt I owed him, and I didn’t have to show it in my attitude.
“They?”
“Those boys.”
I looked in the direction of Feld’s gaze and saw two boys who appeared to be in their early teens standing at the entrance to a back alley.
Behind them was a hooded female-looking figure, but since Feld said those boys, she must be their escort.
They exuded a good upbringing, as one would expect. I did not know what kind of people they were, but I felt it was better not to get too involved with them, since they were dressed as if they had blended in with the capital city.
“Hey, you. Are you okay?”
One of the boys, a reddish, shiny blonde, approached me with a very amiable smile.
“…No problem.”
“If possible, would you thank him for his help? He seemed distressed for you.”
I glanced at the boy as I listened to his words, and this boy, who also had a well-defined face, but more importantly, a soft smile that seemed to be universally appreciated, slowly approached me.
“…Thank you.”
“No, it’s okay. It’s my role to help the citizens.”
A child of nobility, after all… I stayed here because of Feld, but I should leave immediately.
“No, no. I really appreciate it.”
As I was about to leave after thanking him once more, the boy with red blonde hair sneaked up on me as if we were passing each other. 𝒏𝙤𝙫𝒑𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝒐𝙢
“You. You’re dressed like that, but you’re a girl, right?”
“…”
I stopped for a moment at the unexpected words, and he looked at my face, which was hidden by a shawl.
“According to one, who helped you directly, you’re so strong that you wouldn’t need any help, right? What would be the reason for such a girl to dress up as a boy and go into a back alley like this?”
The blonde boy seemed genuinely interested in helping me, but this boy seemed suspicious of me, which could be seen in the way he had approached me.
“What’s going on? Mikhail.”
“Nothing, El. I just don’t feel like this kid is a stranger to me.”
“Well… come to think of it, I don’t know what color your hair is, but you and Mikhail seem to have a similar vibe.”
Perhaps intrigued by the blonde boy’s words, Feld and the woman in the hood who had been indifferent to his words also approached.
This was troubling…. But as expected, I couldn’t cause a commotion at the Royal Capital now. Even if I tried to break through with all my might, I had a feeling that Feld, as well as the woman in the hood, was as capable as Sera and Viro.
I owed Feld a debt of gratitude, and while I had no intention of becoming Feld’s enemy, I also had no intention of bothering anyone around him.
As I was looking for a way to get out of this place quietly if possible, Feld spoke to me again casually, unaware of my concern.
“You’re an adventurer, aren’t you? Your clothes are damaged, and so is your equipment. Maybe you should get them fixed?”
“…Un, I am looking for a Dwarven armor shop in the Royal Capital.”
Like my adventurer’s tag, my armor was still in the same condition as well as the century old gear that Master had given me, and while the leather and metal parts were fine, the cloth parts were at their limits.
It wasn’t anything I had to deal with right away, but I had to use it as a way to get away from them. The brother of Galbas, who gave me the black knife, was supposed to be in the Royal Capital, so I let that be my reason as well.
I didn’t know the details of the shop, just that it was a Dwarven armor shop in the Royal Capital. However, even though Dwarven blacksmiths are well-known, it must be rare to find a store specializing in armor. As I was about to leave them with the reason that I was looking for it, the hooded figure, who had remained silent until then, interjected.
“If you’re looking for a Dwarven armor shop, I know one.”
Saying this, the person who took off her hood and showed her face was a forest elf woman with soft chestnut hair, and her race was said to be on bad terms with the dwarves.
***
From their conversation, I surmised that Feld and the forest elf woman were escorting the boys to see the city covertly.
Well, I knew that was probably true from the looks of it, but for some reason, it was decided that they would all head to that Dwarven armor shop with me, including the two boys who looked like nobles, with Feld and even the elf.
I really didn’t understand how this ended up happening.
I thought I could just say something appropriate and leave, but that red haired blonde boy – Mikhail – was strangely getting involved with me.
Perhaps because of this, the other boy, El, also became interested in me, and I ended up walking around town between the two boys.
I suppose they were both good-looking, although I couldn’t judge clearly. Being sandwiched between them made me stand out, even though I didn’t want to.
“You are taciturn. What are you so cautious about?”
“I don’t like the attention”
“Well… do you understand the situation?”
The reason I couldn’t force myself to run away from them was because there were not only them but also a few other guards protecting these people, who were also hiding in the crowd.
If these two were nobles, I was wary that their guards would be people like Sera’s organization, but their guards consisted of people who fought with heavy armor and weapons that could not even muffle the sound of their footsteps.
Was there a reason for this? Maybe that was why people like Feld were acting as their bodyguards.
In any case, forcing myself to run away from the boys would be like saying that I was acting suspicious.
“Mikhail, what are you talking to this guy about? It’s unusual for you to be so interested in someone else.”
“I told you before, didn’t I? I don’t think she’s a stranger.”
“…”
I didn’t know what Mikhail was thinking, but El said earlier that he and I were similar. Impressions changed depending on how you felt at the time, so you couldn’t rely on them, but to tell you the truth, I understood a little why Mikhail said he didn’t feel like a stranger to me.
Mikhail and El seemed to be friends, but I felt a sense of distance that drew a line between them and others. I felt that such distance was somewhat similar to mine.
El did not seem to be aware that I was a woman, but Mikhail, who was aware of this, seemed to be on the lookout for me, trying to figure out who I really was.
The two men following right behind us, Feld probably didn’t even care, but the elf woman was staring at me as if she were observing me, so she might have noticed that I was a woman too.
“Hey, what does a young adventurer like you do?”
El smiled at me, not caring about the delicate atmosphere. I didn’t feel obligated to answer, but the amused look Mikhail directed towards me forced me to open my mouth.
“Goblin hunting and gathering wildflowers.”
“Goblins…I’d like to fight them too, but is that too much to ask?”
Perhaps he was not talking about his ability, but his position, which meant he was not allowed to fight. But I pretended not to notice that and simply summed it up in terms of combat.
“It doesn’t matter who you are. If you’re willing to kill, you will kill.”
Combat was only about whether you could kill without hesitation or not.
No matter how strong you were, no matter how much power you had over others, if you couldn’t kill them, that would be a weakness. Not killing your enemy in battle would just be conceit in my opinion.
“Heh…”
I heard Mikhail’s amused chuckle and turned my head to see not only him and El, but also Feld and even the elf woman staring at me with a curious look on their faces.
What’s wrong…? I had just said the obvious.
The atmosphere became even more awkward, but fortunately, it didn’t take long before we arrived at our destination, a Dwarven armor shop.
The store was located on a street away from the main street, where there were clothing stores and general stores for the common people, and it looked like an ordinary white stone and plaster house with a sign attached to the door.
This was the store run by Galbas’s younger brother… Galbas, who was known for his eccentricity, called him an eccentric, so he must be a craftsman with a quirk or two.
Perhaps this was the first time for them to visit this kind of store.
She, who was familiar with the store, opened the door, and I followed her in, to find the store filled with armor that was very light and looked like clothing.
But this was no ordinary armor. Both the metal and leather armor were made of rare metals or monster skins, and many of them had magical powers, which made me wonder if they were safe from security.
“Gelf, are you there?”
The elf woman called out to the back of the store, and a few seconds later, a strong, booming voice that sounded like a middle-aged dwarf came from the back.
“Oh, no, if it isn’t Mira-chan. What’s the matter of bringing such a pretty girl here?”
Galbas’s… brother?
