Kays Translations

Chapter 38: Heroes are not Afraid

The man told him not  to go inside.

With the lights inside the tent, only the silhouettes of those inside could be seen. It was still daylight and faint even though it was bright outside. Perhaps it was because the angle of the tent made it difficult to see the sunlight. The person inside seemed to be sitting on a chair. He looked like a boy about the same size as Ren and was smaller in stature than the men outside.

“You say your name is Ren Ashton.”

His voice was still that of a boy.

But it sounded unnaturally croaky, as if it’d been altered a bit with some magical tool. That may be why. He knew this voice, but he couldn't remember it.

“Yes, my name is Ren Ashton.”

“You don't have to be stiff. Make yourself comfortable.”

“How much should...?"

“You can talk to me as you would talk to a friend your own age.”

“----“

“What's the matter? Why are you silent?”

“I beg your pardon. Come to think of it, I don't have any friends my own age.”

And now the boy in the leather tent became silent.

His silhouette was sitting in his chair, holding a book or something in one hand while talking to Ren, but his hand was placed on the table right beside him. The sound of the book slamming shut was heard softly outside.

Next thing he knew, the boy turned his head toward the sound of Ren's voice.

“Hahaha! You don't know because you don't have any friends! Then it's no wonder!"

“..... I would appreciate it if you wouldn't laugh.”

“Pardon me. But you don't have to worry about my status because I am an executive of the Arne Verde Trading Company. You can talk to me as you please.”

“Is that all right?”

"Yes it is.  I just want to ask you a few questions, so you don't have to worry about it.”

He didn't think he should let the other party say so much and then be so reserved and concerned about it again.

Ren had no reason to complain after he had done what they had asked him to do, since they had asked him to do so many times.

Therefore, he said, "Okay," in a reserved manner.

He was hesitant until the very end, but he decided to respect the other person’s words.

“What's the reason you called me over?"

Ren asked in a broken tone, unlike before.

Unbeknownst to him, the swordsmen around him belonging to the Arne Verde Trading Company were surprised, and some even had their cheeks slightly scrunched up.

Ren, who knew nothing of such things, waited patiently for an answer.

“I have heard an interesting story. You say that you have received a commission from the Trading Company?”

“Yes, it is true. What's the use of lying?”

"One more thing ---- Have you contacted us in any way?”

“Yes, on the first day I received the request.”

Hearing this, the silhouetted boy's body jerked and shook slightly.

The men around Ren also lifted their eyebrows and looked at each other once more.

“What about it?”

“I had remembered that someone had made an interesting contact with me. I had hoped to meet him someday if I had the chance. Now that you mention it, you will understand why I have arranged this meeting.”

“Ah, no wonder. I was relieved to hear that the request was completed right after that.”

Ren said that the investigation must have gone well.

The boy in the leather tent, on the other hand, looked like he was beginning to think about something. He was sitting in a chair with his hands over his mouth and his legs crossed as he seemed to be thinking.

“You seem to be interested in this matter.”

I would be lying if I said I was not.

For Ren, who now wants to run up to any fire spark as soon as he sees it, and put it out by swinging a bucket of water around and spraying it.

“We think the culprits are bandits. It's dangerous.”

“I know. I’m just trying to find out what I can without being reckless.”

“You say you won't do anything reckless, but it’s a big deal. Have you no fear? The other party had smashed the legs of the merchant escort to pieces with earth magic."

“I wouldn't say I'm not afraid of them, but I guess I'm more afraid of the situation getting worse before I do anything about it."

The boy was silent when he heard Ren's reply.

Again, he seemed to be thinking about something.

“I'll tell you why we are here. The reason we are here is that just a few hours ago we found what we thought were the traces of the bandits.”

They didn’t use those who had already been attacked as bait, nor did they abandon them.

As soon as he received the information, he rushed to the area and did everything he could to avoid casualties in the area, contacting the regular knights if necessary.

He also said that when the merchants were attacked, they were assisted by a swordsman from the Arne Verde Trading Comapny, who had rushed to the scene.

"No one but me and my men should know about this, but I have already taken care of it so that there will be no casualties in the surrounding terrain. All that remains is to find the bandits' hideout as quickly as possible and destroy them."

"That's great. I'm relieved to hear that no one else is going to get hurt.”

“So you stay out of this. There's no need for you to do anything.”

“......"

The boy then mentioned that the Arne Verde Trading Company’s research had shown that the bandits were in a hurry. He mentioned that the bandits, who had been cautious until today, were slowly beginning to get their tails between their legs.

Ren still didn’t say he was going back to the town, further explaining the danger of the other side.

"I don't think the bandits planned this theft on their own. Someone is probably behind this and is making them do the job. Otherwise, they would have stolen nothing but meaningless items.”

“I see. So there was something missing from the previous theft, and the boss got angry.”

“Yes, that's right. I'm thinking the same thing---- But then again, how could you know?”

“There's no other reason to be in a hurry. But when I hear that the people who have been so careful and prepared are in a hurry, I'm more comfortable with the idea that the boss is angry.”

The boy shook his shoulders in a good mood and continued.

“I know we could have gotten the information without that rush, but it has made our investigation a lot faster.”

“Oh ...... as expected of the Arne Verde Trading Company. Thanks for the valuable information. Thanks to that, I'll be able to check out the hideout of the bandits.”

“Wait! Wait! Wait!...... Why are you so stubborn?”

“I'm sorry. I won’t say I push myself too hard, but it's in my nature. I've learned time and again that it's better to do what you can yourself.”

These words express his desire to do more than just stand by and watch.

It is not that he takes pleasure in willingly getting involved in danger. It is because he has learned from his past experiences what it means to take action on his own.

Ren smiles and turns his back to the leather tent.

He jumps on Io, pulled on the reins, and strokes Io's mane. Io neighs shortly and comfortably.

“And the way you put it, it's almost as if you're saying the bandits are in a more dangerous situation. They could be forced to do their job while attacking innocent people."

“I'm glad you understand. That's why I said I'd advise you to go straight back to town.”

“I disagree. If it's so dangerous, I don't want to just let it happen.”

At that moment, the boy wanted to run out of the leather tent and look at Ren's face.

He wondered what kind of expression this man had on his face as he spoke these words and how he was going to go about searching for the bandits.

But he stopped and let out a sigh.

“Once again, don't do it. There is no way you could find it if you searched at random.”

“Then what would you do if I found it?"

“I can add it to the reward that was in the request form, but that's not the point. Let's be clear on this. You can't do it. Even if you could find their hideout, don't you think the place will be overrun with them?"

"Oh, the bandits, there's more than a dozen of them?"

“Yes. Therefore, there’s no need for you to die in vain. You are smart enough to know better than to do such a foolish thing ----"

Ren smiled.

The boy in the leather tent and the men around him all widened their eyes at the pressure of the strength in his smile.

“I'm trying to protect as much as I can. It's far from foolish.”

He said firmly and turned his back on the leather tent.

Io's hooves kicked a pebble.

“I've never seen a man as stubborn as you. Do as you please. If you found the hideout of the bandits before the knights do, it would be a marvel. And if you capture any more of the bandits, I'm willing to double your reward.”

“You sounded as if you've given up trying to find the bandits. But now you seem fired up.”

“You're the one who made me do it. I'm going to say it once again, do what you want. Let's see how far you can go with the information you've got from the people who haven't been able to find any traces of them, this terrain, and the earth magic.”

That's all the information Ren could reconfirm.

"These are the people who have been keeping us in the dark about their hideout for some time. Can I find them?"

Ren, who had been thinking about where he would start looking for them, sorted through the information in his mind. There was only one possible outcome.

Ren muttered in a confident tone of voice, "Over there.”

“I guess those last words were kind of like setting me on fire after all."

Finally, Ren pulled hard on Io's reins and left the plain.

Shortly after Ren left, the boy in the leather tent called one of the men outside.

The leather tent was actually a magical device that made it difficult for those inside to be heard outside. It was designed to prevent the voices of those inside from leaking out when discussing plans and other such matters.

Now, the strength of the tents has been lowered, and the voices have been adjusted to the point where they sound muffled.

In other words, once inside, the boy's true voice could be heard.

"---- Your Highness Radius."

The boy was called so by the man who had entered.

“Why did he say those words? Can't we and the other knights handle it?”

“I suppose so. But I was curious and I felt I had to be sure. I thought I would regret it if I didn't check the strength of that Ren Ashton guy here.”

“......That boy certainly had a strange strength about him.”

“I will not let him get hurt. Therefore, I order you Kingsguard, some of you will go after the boy and lend a hand before he gets hurt.”

This is not to say that it is the fault of the one who kindled the fire, of a sort.

But this is what I consider to be natural behavior. Radius was working to prevent the bandits from spreading more damage, and Ren was in that category as well.

“I understand. If the boy ever finds the hideout, we will stop him immediately.”

“Please do so. He’s a smart guy, but I don't care how smart he is. But as expected, he can't handle a dozen or so bandits by himself.”

“I will do as His Highness Radius wills.”

Thus, the swordsman of the Arne Verde Trading Company, a knight of the Kingsguard, left the leather tent.

He consulted with his companions outside and decided to pursue Ren in secret, allocating his manpower to the task. Even so, he was left with enough strength to say that Radius's escort wouldn’t be a problem.

“And who is this Ren Ashton guy anyway? I hope he’s not really going to find the hideout.”

Radius planned to find the hideout of the bandits by the end of the evening.

In addition to the new information, the forces that Radius had unleashed in the neighborhood would definitely lead to the discovery, because that was what he had planned for.

It was a brilliant formation, even one that Ulysses would approve.

But Radius didn’t know.

He had never heard of Ren's life, so he couldn’t fully understand the basis of Ren's thinking and core strength, as well as his stubbornness.

Radius would be surprised in less than a few hours.

What the boy who defeated the red dragon, Asval, accomplished was not barbaric bravery. It’s the crystallization of pure courage and devotion, and is truly valiant courage.

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