Chapter 11

Chapter 11

11. Bromwood (2)

Jenkinson who closed his mouth as if he had become mute.

“······.”

An appearance of blatantly avoiding talk about the knight.

“Last time too, whenever talk of that person comes up your expression gets bad.”

Benrik asked half-joking half-serious.

“Did you incur a debt or something?” “······.”

Finally even sweat beads formed on his forehead.

‘···What? Is it real?’

When he was looking at that appearance with squinted eyes, Hodge at the front shouted.

“Taking a break!”

Huh, while he looked away for a moment Jenkinson’s appearance disappeared. He moved his place to avoid Benrik’s questioning.

‘···Fast, but is he avoiding to this extent?’

Moreover thinking carefully, rather than disliking···.

‘Doesn’t it seem like he’s scared?’

Scared. Recalling the usual Jenkinson it was an appearance hard to imagine. Wasn’t he the one who put on airs saying he didn’t want to sound weak even at the time of the Yellow-Striped Fang.

“Hmm? The leader?”

Hodge who had approached at some point asked. If it’s Hodge who has known Jenkinson for a long time wouldn’t he know?

“He ran away.” “Ran away?”

When Benrik told the story of what happened just now, Hodge held his stomach and laughed.

“Hahaha-”

After laughing for a long time he even shed a little tear. He really likes it.

“Ah I should have seen that face, regrettable.”

He says as if sincerely regrettable.

Hodge added with the words that if he was thinking of bringing up that story again he must call him.

“That person is no different from the leader’s reverse scale. If I or other members brought up the story we would have been beaten thoroughly. He’s a human who is a corpse if you subtract the bluff.” “Who on earth is that person?” “Hmm, the leader’s leader?” “The leader’s leader···?” “The person who founded Jenkinson’s mercenary group and is also the teacher who taught the leader the mana operation method. Also···.”

Hodge who stretched the end of the words long smiled at Benrik.

“He is also the father.”

Father.

At that moment Benrik understood everything. Beyond understanding he comprehended.

“There was such a circumstance.”

In an instant countless memories flashed through Benrik’s mind.

The incident of being caught by Gerik’s hand and thrown into the nest of a dragon-headed bird. The incident of infiltrating an orc village as food unable to withstand threats. The incident of being scolded that there is no parasite like you under heaven.

‘Father would be like that.’

Benrik felt an indescribable sense of kinship from Jenkinson.

‘But wait a minute.’

What Jenkinson said he would introduce was clearly a knight?

A realization that suddenly brushed past.

“Then does that mean Jenkinson is the son of a noble?” “That’s right, because he is the son of a baron. But he is not a noble. Because it is not a hereditary title.”

···It was a shock.

He of an appearance where anyone would nod their head understanding if handed an axe and introduced as a barbarian,

‘Blue blood!’

Jenkinson was a person standing in the complete opposite position from the nobles in Benrik’s vague imagination.

“If the leader sees he will get quite hurt.” “···Jenkinson? Hurt?”

That human solid like a cast-iron pot?

“Even if the appearance is like that the inside isn’t. Thinking about it why even then···.”

At the story he brought out as if remembering Benrik could not hide his absurdity.

“No.”

At the beginning of the travel, the fact that he picked a fight with Benrik talking about his father was because he was worried about him.

“What kind of person in the world worries in that way?” “Because he is a person who originally can’t endure being shy.” “What about making him join the mercenary group? Isn’t the dangerous thing the same?” “That too half of it is a heart that wants to look after him, wouldn’t it? Even if Bromwood is said to be a good city to live in, it is a hard place for a child to survive alone.”

···Is it something like tsundere?

***

A few days passed.

─Clop clop···.

On a roofless carriage, eyes met with a filthy girl.

When Benrik waved his hand, the child who was now about two years old smiled bashfully-.

Seeing that appearance the youngest, Searik came to mind.

‘Is she doing well.’

It has already been over a month since leaving the Golden Mountains.

The hygiene concept of this world is terrible. Of course things like preventive shots against measles do not exist. Because of that the survival rate of newborns hit the bottom.

Fortunately or unfortunately Benrik and his siblings who were born with barbarian blood grew up almost without common minor illnesses, but a girl might be different.

Yerik also came to mind. Innately sensitive in temperament and timid, he might not be assisting well.

In a pinch he did tell him the hideout used like a base saying to charge and run, but.

“······.”

Really who is worrying about whom, my own nose is three feet long. Leaving home all sorts of thoughts come.

Then with noisy noise another carriage attached to the rear of the procession at the intersection. It was evidence that they had gotten close to the city.

‘Really almost arrived.’

Looking forward to it. While thinking idly he suddenly realized.

From some moment the excitement had become bigger than the anxiety.

The reason was guessable. Because he had filled all three privilege slots.

<​Demian's Crisis Sense (D)> <​Edgar's Secret Hand (B)> <​Marcel's Appraisal Eye (D)> <​Remaining slots: 0>

Obtaining Marcel’s remains from the dual-job pickpocket Marcus was heavenly luck.

[Sense: Value Judgment (D)]

He didn’t know how useful the ability would be but there were a few things that became established facts while obtaining the third privilege.

The first was the condition for the privilege to activate.

Demian and Edgar and Marcel, the common point of the three people was one.

That there was emotional exchange with Benrik, whether large or small.

The second was that a method to empty the full slots exists.

─Slots are full. Secure empty slots through privilege combination or enhancement.

Combination, and enhancement.

Presumably it is a form of combining two different privileges to make a new privilege or using them as materials to enhance existing privileges.

With one privilege regrettable now it was something far from testing.

‘When the time comes I’ll know.’

It was then that someone walked slowly from the front.

“Benrik.”

The pot-bellied peddler with half his head bald, Oswald.

“Tomorrow we will arrive at Bromwood.” “Somehow, it seemed there were more people.” “Right?”

When Benrik said looking around, Oswald smiled gently and agreed.

“By the way I heard the story. You decided to work in Jenkinson’s mercenary group?” “Yes, for now.” “For now?” “Yes, it is not completely decided. You know, mercenary···.”

When he stretched the end of the words long Oswald received the words as if knowing.

“It’s dangerous.”

Oswald had been coming and going to Logon Village since before Benrik was born. As much as he had seen the appearance of growing day by day like an annual event he knew the child well.

“That’s right.”

At Oswald’s words that seemed to read the inner thoughts Benrik chuckled.

“It was like that from young. Didn’t you live with it in your mouth that you absolutely won’t do dangerous things.” “I don’t remember well. That I was like that from young?” “Yes. This guy. Whenever I stopped by the village how much you whined.”

Well, if one overcomes life-or-death crises every day it can be like that.

“At that time unlike a boy, your guts are small. How will you live in this rough world···. I thought.”

The middle-aged man who said up to there made a smile as if relieved.

“There will be no particular need to worry. I came to know while going together this time.”

The face of the middle-aged man saying so looked sincerely relieved, so one side of Benrik’s chest became itchy.

Because he knows how rare it is in this hopeless medieval fantasy world to sincerely give affection to someone not even connected by blood.

“···Please worry, I’m only twelve now, I have to stand alone in a large city with no connections.” “Haha! I declare, among kids your age there will be no child who adapts better than you.”

Oswald was sincere.

There probably wouldn’t be many things that could truly threaten the child.

‘Even if he encounters them he will avoid like a sly snake.’

He felt it seeing Benrik calmly responding to magical beasts in situations where even adults get scared, and catching missed traces.

And how about the appearance of dealing with the mercenary group and merchants? It was to the point of doubting whether what was inside was an old man who lived half a hundred years.

Oswald who was thinking advised.

“By the way when you settle down send at least one carrier pigeon to the village. For Erina’s sake too. She didn’t show it, but the worry will not be small.”

Could such a thing be sent too?

“Yes, I will.”

Benrik who answered readily suddenly felt a sense of incongruity.

“···But why are you speaking as if a person we will never see again? Are you going somewhere?” “Yes.”

Huh? Really? At the unexpected story Benrik’s pupils grew large.

“I am thinking of crossing the border right away. Perhaps because I have grown old, it is burdensome on the strength. The empire is too wide for an old man to go around.”

···Quite sudden. It seemed the plan was to head straight to the border line today without passing through Bromwood.

“What old man. You’re not even fifty yet.”

While having good stamina from wandering his whole life. When Benrik grumbled he let out a hehe, hearty laugh.

“Fifty is old, this guy.” “In the place I lived it was the prime.”

A while later the middle-aged man took something out from his bosom and held it out. It was a gray bead of a size that fits snugly in the hand.

“Take it, it’s a gift.” “What is this?”

From the appearance the use could not be guessed. It also looked like a well-polished stone.

However Oswald had no thought of resolving the child’s curiosity.

“When the time comes you will know. I’ll just say that it is something very useful to you who likes money.”

This too is ‘when the time comes’. To the middle-aged man who pretended not to hear and acted otherwise he said while letting out a soft sigh.

“I don’t know what it is but I’ll use it well. Mr. Oswald take care too, live long and healthy.”

***

The very next day after parting with Oswald, the group arrived at Bromwood.

‘···Arrived but.’

Under the giant city wall, from the checkpoint pierced like a mouse hole the crowd continued endlessly.

Benrik muttered with a fed-up expression.

“···Will this end within today?”

It was clearly morning when they arrived but even now when the sun has risen to the middle of the sky there is somehow no change in the line.

Surely does one have to go through this process every time entering and leaving the city?

“It’s not like that. Originally the checkpoint is not this strict but it’s strange.”

Jenkinson muttered.

“Didn’t you hear?”

The one who spoke was a mercenary lined up behind the group.

“One high-ranking fairy of the Great Forest was kidnapped. It might spread into a dispute so the lord stepped forward barefoot they said.” “Is that true?”

When Jenkinson asked, the mercenary shrugged his shoulders.

“I also heard it on the way so it’s not certain.”

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