Kays Translations

Chapter 38: The Hero Does Not Flinch

The swordsman told Ren to remain outside the leather tent.

From where he stood, Ren could see only the silhouette of the person within. Although it was still daytime, the tent’s interior was dim, perhaps because of its angle to the sun. The figure appeared to be sitting in a chair. Judging from his outline, he was a boy about Ren’s age and much smaller than the men standing outside.

“Your name is Ren Ashton, correct?”

The voice was unmistakably that of a boy.

Yet it sounded unnaturally rough, as though a magic tool had altered it. Perhaps because of that distortion, Ren felt he had heard the voice before but could not remember where.

“Yes. I am Ren Ashton.”

“You needn’t be so formal. Relax.”

“How informal should I be…?”

“Speak to me as you would to a friend your own age.”

“…”

“What is it? Why have you gone quiet?”

“Forgive me. Now that I think about it, I don’t have any friends my own age.”

This time, the boy inside the tent fell silent.

Until then, his silhouette had been holding what looked like a book in one hand. He set it down on the table beside him with a soft thump and turned toward Ren.

“Ha ha ha! So you don’t know how to speak to a friend because you don’t have one? No wonder!”

“…I would appreciate it if you didn’t laugh.”

“My apologies. In any case, you needn’t worry about my position. I am merely an executive of the Arnevelde Trading Company. Speak as you please.”

“Are you certain?”

“I am. I only want to ask a few questions. There is no reason for you to be nervous.”

After being reassured so insistently, continuing to refuse would have been rude.

Ren hesitated until the end, but decided to respect the other boy’s request.

“All right. Why did you call me over?”

His tone became noticeably more casual.

The Arnevelde swordsmen standing nearby reacted with surprise. A few of them even stiffened, though Ren remained unaware of it as he waited for an answer.

“I heard something interesting. You accepted a request from our company, didn’t you?”

“Yes. There’s no reason for me to lie about it.”

“One more question. Did you send us any information?”

“I did, on the first day I accepted the request.”

The silhouette inside the tent twitched.

The men around Ren raised their brows and exchanged glances.

“Why do you ask?”

“I remembered receiving a remarkably perceptive report. I hoped to meet the person who sent it if an opportunity arose. Now you understand why I arranged this conversation.”

“I see. That explains why the guild declared the request complete so soon afterward. I assumed your investigation had gone well.”

The boy crossed his legs and brought a hand to his mouth, apparently deep in thought.

“You seem unusually interested in this incident.”

Ren could not honestly deny it.

Whenever he saw the first spark of a fire, he wanted to rush forward with a bucket before the flames could spread.

“We believe the culprits are bandits,” the boy said. “They are dangerous.”

“I know. I only intend to learn what I can without taking unreasonable risks.”

“You say that, but do you truly feel no fear? They crushed the legs of a merchant’s guard with earth magic.”

“I won’t say I’m fearless. But I’m more afraid of doing nothing and allowing the situation to become worse.”

The boy went silent again.

After a moment, he spoke.

“I’ll explain why we are here. Several hours ago, we discovered what appear to be traces left by the bandits.”

The Arnevelde party had not used the previously attacked merchants as bait or abandoned them to their fate. As soon as the information reached them, they hurried to the area, contacted the local knights, and took measures to prevent further casualties.

An Arnevelde swordsman had also rushed to assist when another merchant group was attacked.

“Only my men and I know the full details, but the surrounding area has already been secured as much as possible. All that remains is to locate the bandits’ hideout quickly and eliminate the threat.”

“That’s reassuring. I’m glad no one else should be hurt.”

“Which is why you should stay out of it. There is nothing more you need to do.”

“…”

The boy continued. Arnevelde’s investigation suggested that the bandits were in a hurry. Until now, they had acted with extraordinary caution, but their recent movements were becoming increasingly reckless.

Ren still gave no sign that he intended to return to Elendil.

“I doubt the bandits planned these thefts for themselves,” the boy said. “Someone is probably directing them. Otherwise, they would not have ignored money and stolen only those documents.”

“Then they failed to obtain something their employer wanted, and now the person behind them is angry.”

“That is my conclusion as well. But how did you reach it so quickly?”

“They were careful enough to disappear without leaving a trace. There aren’t many reasons people like that would suddenly rush. The simplest explanation is that their employer is pressuring them.”

The boy’s shoulders shook with an amused laugh.

“Their impatience was unnecessary from our perspective, but it has accelerated the investigation.”

“As expected of the Arnevelde Trading Company. Thank you for the useful information. Now I have a better chance of locating their hideout.”

“Wait—wait a moment! Why are you so stubborn?”

“Sorry. I don’t intend to be reckless, but this is simply how I am. My experiences have taught me that it is better to do what I can myself than to stand by and regret it later.”

Ren did not seek danger for its own sake.

He had merely learned, through painful experience, the value of acting before it was too late.

He turned away from the tent with a faint smile and mounted Io. When he stroked her mane, the mare gave a pleased little neigh.

“Besides, from the way you describe them, the bandits themselves may be in a desperate situation. They could be forced to continue attacking innocent people until they finish the job.”

“Exactly. That is why I’m advising you to return to the city.”

“I see it differently. If the danger is that serious, I can’t simply leave it alone.”

For an instant, the boy inside wanted to rush from the tent and see Ren’s expression for himself.

What kind of face did he wear while saying such things? How did he intend to search for the criminals?

The boy restrained himself and sighed.

“I’ll say it once more: don’t do it. Searching blindly will never lead you to their hideout.”

“Then what will you do if I find it?”

“I could add to the reward listed in the request, but that is not the point. Listen carefully: you cannot do this. Even if you somehow locate the hideout, it will be packed with bandits.”

“There are more than a dozen?”

“Yes. There is no reason for you to throw your life away. You are intelligent enough to understand how foolish that would be—”

Ren smiled.

The strength in that smile made both the boy in the tent and the swordsmen outside widen their eyes.

“I’m acting to protect everything I can. That is far from foolish.”

His answer was unwavering.

Io’s hoof knocked a pebble aside as Ren prepared to leave.

“I’ve never met anyone so stubborn,” the boy said. “Very well—do as you please. If you find the hideout before the knights, I will call it a remarkable achievement. If you capture the bandits as well, I will double your reward.”

“A moment ago, you sounded ready to give up on persuading me. Now you seem rather enthusiastic.”

“You are the one who provoked me. Do as you like. Let us see what you can accomplish with the fragments of information available: the place of the attacks, the surrounding terrain, and the use of earth magic.”

Those words confirmed everything Ren needed.

The bandits had concealed their hideout so completely that even the knights had struggled to find it.

Could Ren locate them?

He arranged the information in his mind and found that it pointed to only one place.

“There,” he murmured with certainty.

“So my last words really did light a fire under you.”

Ren tightened Io’s reins and rode away from the plain.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Shortly after Ren departed, the boy inside the tent summoned one of the men outside.

The leather tent itself was a magic tool. It prevented conversations within from leaking outside and could distort the voices of its occupants.

Once its effect was lowered, the boy’s true voice could be heard clearly.

“Your Highness, Prince Radius.”

The man who entered bowed.

“Why did he say those things? Surely we and the other knights can handle the matter.”

“We probably can. Still, I was curious. I wanted to test Ren Ashton here, and I felt I would regret it if I let the opportunity pass.”

“…That boy certainly possesses an unusual strength.”

“I will not allow him to be injured. Order several members of the Royal Guard to follow him and assist before he places himself in real danger.”

Radius had helped kindle Ren’s determination, but that was not the only reason for the order.

His purpose in coming here was to prevent the bandits from causing further harm, and Ren was now among the people he needed to protect.

“Understood. If he somehow finds the hideout, we will stop him before he enters.”

“Do so. He is clever, but cleverness alone cannot overcome more than a dozen armed bandits.”

“As Your Highness commands.”

The supposed Arnevelde swordsman—actually a knight of the Royal Guard—left the tent.

He quietly assigned several men to pursue Ren while retaining more than enough guards to protect Radius.

“Who exactly is Ren Ashton?” Radius wondered aloud. “Surely he won’t truly find their hideout.”

Radius intended to locate it before evening.

With the latest information and the personnel he had spread throughout the region, discovery was only a matter of time.

It was an excellent operation, one that even Ulysses would have approved.

But Radius did not know Ren’s history.

He did not understand the experiences supporting Ren’s judgment, the source of his strength, or the depth of his stubborn devotion.

Within a few hours, Radius would be astonished.

The courage of the boy who defeated the red dragon Asval was not reckless bravado.

It was the pure crystallization of courage and devotion—the conduct of a true hero.

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