Kays Translations

Chapter 165: Tears Don't Suit a Hero

Donald stood motionless in the materials yard.

It was already dusk, and he didn't expect to meet Lutz here. Still, he had nothing else to do but wait.

He wanted to go to Lutz's workshop right away and ask for help, but he couldn't. Lutz's wife, Claudia, despised the knights of Count Zander’s domain, and for good reason. It would only be a nuisance to barge in from here.

Lutz was the only person Donald could consult with right now. They weren't friends, and until recently, they had been enemies. Donald had shown nothing but one-sided goodwill.

Waiting for a chance encounter in the materials yard was his only option.

There was no promise with Lutz. He only came here every few days. When he was crafting swords, he might stay in the workshop for up to a week.

Still, all Donald could do was wait.

The sun had completely set, and the surroundings had become pitch dark. He felt like he was in the darkness, both physically and emotionally. He felt as if weights were attached to his entire body, making it difficult to stand, and he slumped to the ground. The cold dampness of the soil seeped through his pants.

He couldn't move. He had been given a task that was tantamount to a death sentence, and he couldn't go to the workshop for help. It was all because of his past actions that bound him with chains named guilt and shame.

How much time had passed? Suddenly, the area above him brightened. It couldn't be sunrise already. He slowly lifted his head, and Donald was overcome with emotion.

"Ah...!"

"Really, you're not at an age where you should get lost and start crying."

The man who spoke, illuminated by a torch, was the person he had been waiting for. Donald didn't know why he was in such a place at this time, but right now, he was just grateful for this miracle.

"What a miracle, what a coincidence! Thank you for meeting me, Lutz-sama!"

"It's not really a coincidence."

"Huh?"

"I heard from the neighbors that there was a suspicious person in the materials yard, so I came to check. And, as expected..."

"That's quite... troublesome."

"Well, it's fine. Do you have something to talk about?"

Lutz planted the torch in the ground and sat on a makeshift wooden crate. He seemed more exasperated than angry, which gave Donald some relief.

"Lutz-sama, please save my foolish self! No, I don't care what happens to me. I must ensure the success of this request!"

"Hmm?"

Donald explained the events at the Adventurer's Guild, about the orc attack in the neighboring baron's domain, and the man who had asked for help. The man had lived in this town before, but his eyes had been gouged out by the knights in a violent assault.

"So, is Donald the one who punched that man and blinded his eyes?"

"No, it was someone else who punched him. But..."

Confessing his sins and shame was more painful than he could have imagined. Even though words were supposed to have no physical form, they stuck in his throat and were difficult to say.

It hurt, it was painful.

“But I just stood there and laughed.”

"What a damn scumbag."

"Guh..."

Lutz's straightforward rebuke pierced Donald's heart.

"Did you want me to say something like, 'It's not like that'?"

"No, this is a crime I must atone for."

He wasn't a completely irredeemable scumbag, and Lutz seemed to understand that, nodding slightly.

Perhaps Donald had engaged in such behavior partly due to group psychology. Being part of a corrupt organization made such actions seem normal, and he had been swept away. If he defended the merchant, he might have become the next target himself.

What they had done was unforgivable. Still, maybe they deserved the right to walk to the executioner's block on their own two feet.

Autumn deepened, and the nights grew colder. Lutz spoke while warming his hands with the torch.

"...I know a guy who might be willing to join us. He's a man used to facing groups of enemies head-on and defeating them, a battle-hardened fighter who could be reliable in a case like this."

"Oh, Lutz-sama! Thank you!"

Donald sat up and bowed to the ground. It was the second time he had been kowtowed to.

"You're too hasty, Donald-san. It's not confirmed that I'll take your request," 

"For someone like you to act on my behalf... that alone is...!"

Donald was overwhelmed with emotion and his voice quivered.

"Do you know a man named Ricardo?" 

"I've heard he's the best adventurer in this town. I haven't spoken to him directly, though," 

"It's him, the one I gave the two cursed swords to."

Despite knowing that there were more important matters at hand, jealousy welled up in Donald's heart. He was also a man who had fallen in love with a cursed sword.

"Is he a man worthy of possessing the highest masterpiece of Lutz-sama?"

"I wonder..."

Lutz shrugged, and his expression showed neither doubt nor disgust. It seemed he was struggling to find the right words.

"I don't think there's anyone else as willing to confront dangerous items like Tsubaki or Sakura head-on as he is."

If Lutz was satisfied with him, then there was no room for Donald to interject. Instead, he should consider it reassuring to be able to fight alongside such a man.

"But there's one more issue," 

"What is it?"

"Ricardo is an adventurer employed by the Count’s family. He doesn't have to stay in the town all the time, but if he's going to the baron's territory, he needs to inform them. In other words..."

"Josel-sama might hear about it," 

Donald was a fugitive who had killed knights. Even if knight Josel claimed that he wouldn't personally get involved, there was no way he would do nothing if he appeared right in front of him.

"Of course, I don't intend to hand you over as the culprit. But there's a possibility he might approach in some way. Is that acceptable?"

"That's fine. After this battle, it doesn't matter anymore."

It was an immediate response. There was no more doubt in Donald's heart.

"Understood. Go home and get some rest today. Let's meet here again tomorrow afternoon. You won't be able to fight if you're sleep-deprived, and that won't be funny," 

Lutz said as he turned away and took a few steps. Then, as if he had thought of something, he spoke up again.

"Crying is only allowed tonight. You're a hero who gives people courage."

Even after Lutz had left, Donald continued to sit there with his head down.

A hero... would people still believe in me like that?

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