Since Abel didn’t own any formal clothing, it was decided that Walter’s old clothes would be altered for him.
His parents were happily discussing what kind of design to go with.
Abel became conscious of his own height and physique.
Perhaps because he trained every day, or maybe it was just his bloodline, his growth had been remarkable.
He no longer looked like a little child. He was fully a young boy now.
The muscles in his arms and legs had become noticeably more developed.
Since it would be difficult for Ayla to do all the tailoring alone, they decided to ask the most skilled tailor in the Tenana village for help.
That day, as Abel walked through the village like usual, the villagers he passed started talking to him.
“I heard the Count invited you to become a squire! As expected of you, Abel!”
Almost everyone said something along those lines.
They say you can’t stop people from talking, but… it was honestly a bit much.
Maybe the villagers were starved for topics to gossip about? After all, it was the countryside.
When Abel returned home from training in the usual secluded forest, he found Rick waiting for him.
He had a desperate look in his eyes, almost like he was glaring.
“What’s up, Rick?”
Rick was twelve and two years older than Abel. But Abel never felt like speaking formally to him, so he usually used casual speech.
“I-I want to be a squire too! I want to become a knight!”
“…Wait, seriously?”
“Yeah, I’m serious!”
“I heard from my dad that it might involve war, you know. The Kingdom of the True King is at war with the Empire. You could die out there.”
“I won’t die. Not me. Never.”
Rick’s eyes were bloodshot.
Abel could tell that reasoning wouldn’t work. Rick was too fired up. So he decided the only way to make him understand was through action.
He handed Rick a wooden sword.
“Alright, let’s do this.”
Without warning, Abel lightly thrust his wooden sword forward.
The tip sank into Rick’s stomach.
Caught completely off guard, Rick crumpled to his knees.
“Th-That was dirty… hitting me out of nowhere.”
“Would you say the same thing on the battlefield?”
Rick gritted his teeth, regained his focus, and took up a stance with the wooden sword.
Though he couldn’t use magic, he had trained his body. He wasn’t completely weak. Abel faced him seriously.
Rick who was fired up swung his wooden sword down at Abel.
But his movements were full of unnecessary motion. He was easy to read.
Abel dodged the downward slash with ease.
In return, he gave Rick a hard push in the chest, and Rick lost his balance and fell flat on his back.
It was a move Abel had learned from Ayla. Shaking the opponent’s upper body to throw them off balance and make them fall.
Simple, but effective.
They kept going like that until lunchtime.
Rick refused to give up. If nothing else, his persistence was impressive.
Even though Abel held back, Rick ended up with a nosebleed and was completely worn out.
When Abel hit him a little harder with the wooden sword, that alone was enough to make Rick collapse.
Abel used healing magic to treat him.
Rick was crying. He was frustrated and in pain.
“…Hey. Why do you even want to become a knight? I don’t think it’s all that great, honestly.”
“I-I just… I don’t want to spend my whole life working the fields. Covered in mud, getting frostbite in the winter, drenched in sweat in the summer. And if the weather’s bad, the harvest suffers. No matter how hard I work, there’s no guarantee life will get better. I hate that. Please, Abel! I don’t care if it’s just as your squire…take me with you!”
“Wait, but I’m the squire. I’ve never heard of a squire having a squire. Wouldn’t that just make you a slave?”
Rick looked utterly crushed.
His squashed-potato face twisted in despair, and somehow, that expression had a strange charm to it. It made Abel feel like he had to help him.
“…Let’s ask my father about it for now.”
During lunch, when Walter had a moment of calm, Abel approached him.
Rick stood silently behind him.
“Father, can I talk to you? It’s about Rick…”
After explaining the situation, Walter, unusually, looked slightly angry.
His eyes were scary.
“So? What are you planning to do with Rick? Make him your squire?”
“No, that’s what I wanted to ask you about…”
“Abel. Are you already thinking of getting a baggage boy? Don’t get cocky and start acting like you’re someone important. Do you think a squire’s pay can cover food for someone else too? Wanting a sidekick already. Looks like you’re still just a kid.”
Abel scratched his head.
It seemed Walter had misunderstood his intentions a bit.
“Father, that’s not it. Please just hear me out. I think… Rick needs a push. A reason to move forward.”
Walter crossed his arms and pursed his lips into a tight line.
“There’s a phrase I really dislike. It’s something trainers say to someone who’s about to lose a match. ‘If you give up, the game is over.’
The meaning is simple. Don’t give up easily. There’s really no need to read into it too deeply, but… I still dislike it.
Why? Because there are far more people who never even get the chance to compete. No matter how hard they try, some people walk away with nothing at all. For them, those words are cruel. Sometimes, the outcome is decided before they even get a chance to fight. And that, I think, is just unfair.”
—The ones who never got even a scrap of anything… that’s me, isn’t it…
Abel added silently in his heart.
Rick, who had been waiting behind him, stepped forward and dropped to his knees before Walter.
“Sir Walter! I’m the one asking too much, I know that! But if I don’t go with Abel, I’ll be stuck in this village for the rest of my life!”
This time, it was Walter’s turn to scratch his head.
Then, standing up, he headed straight for the village chief’s house.
He was a man of quick action.
***
After discussions between both families, the matter of Rick was settled. For now, he would accompany Abel.
It was decided partly because traveling alone, even within the territory, would be dangerous, and also because Rick needed to decide on a career soon, whether that meant working away from home or farming. In that sense, this was also a chance for him to learn about the world.
But to Abel, the decisive factor had been Walter’s strong recommendation. Walter, whose trust and judgment were held in the highest regard.
Walter and Ayla couldn’t accompany them to Porto, the stronghold of Count Highwand, because patients came to them constantly. Also, they hadn’t been summoned.
The only order given was for Abel to be taken in as a squire.
That evening, with everything finally settled, Abel relaxed in the bath.
Rick’s desperate wish had been granted, and it felt like he had completed the first step of a long journey.
It felt like something an old man might say, but this was the best moment of the day.
He almost felt like breaking into a song…
Just then, someone approached.
It was Shale.
“A-Abel…”
For some reason, Shale’s face was flushed bright red.
It wasn’t because of the sunset.
“What’s wrong, Shale…? Do you want to take a bath?”
Abel would sometimes prepare a bath for Shale.
But since he couldn’t do it for everyone in the village, he did it in secret.
The baths in the village were mainly steam baths. After warming up, people would wash themselves with well water. But preparing even that was a hassle, so most people simply splashed themselves with cold water.
That was fine enough in summer, but in other seasons, the cold water could be painful.
“M-Mhmm. That’s right. I want to take a bath…”
“Oh. Well, I’m about to get out, so go wait over there, okay?”
“U-Um… um… Let’s get in together…”
“Huh?”
Without waiting for Abel’s response, Shale began taking off her clothes.
Her face was filled with embarrassment.
“If you’re that embarrassed, maybe you shouldn’t—”
“I’m not embarrassed!”
Shale stripped completely.
She still had a child’s body, but there was definitely a hint of femininity to her.
She was beautiful.
Abel thought to himself:
Something’s not right here.
“Shale… What’s going on?”
“Um… well… My mom…”
“Dorothea?”
“She said that since you’re going to be a knight like Master Walter someday, I should tie the knot with you now…”
—That idiot mother!!
Abel felt like holding his head in his hands.
Panicking, he jumped out of the bath, dried himself off quickly with a hot-air spell, and got dressed.
He drained the tub, sealed the hole, and refilled it with water.
“Shale. That kind of thing is something you do when you’re much older. Let’s talk about it… in maybe five years.”
“Abel.”
Shale looked delighted, but in truth, Abel was in full-blown panic.
Talk about it in five years…? Talk about what, exactly?
He didn’t even know what his future held.
***
It took eight days to prepare ceremonial clothes, travel gear, and tools.
Thankfully, many of the items once used by Ayla and Walter during their adventuring days were passed down to Abel, which sped up the process significantly.
Abel also received travel funds from Walter.
It was fifty silver coins and one gold coin.
Gold coins were truly valuable items. Something rarely owned by farmers in the first place.
It was the first time Abel had ever seen one. It was called an Imperial Gold Coin and was about the size of a thumbnail.
Since there were no shops in Tenana, it was hard to get a clear sense of prices, but it seemed that one silver coin was enough for an adult to live comfortably for about two days.
Thinking in terms of his previous life, Abel roughly estimated that one silver coin might be worth around 10,000 yen.
Before he set off on his journey, Walter and Ayla temporarily closed the clinic and gave him serious training in swordsmanship and magic.
Up until then, the lessons had been simple, child-level basics, taught only in their spare time.
But with his departure approaching, they began teaching him more practical techniques. Ones that went beyond self-defense and bordered on lethal combat skills.
Walter, in particular, finally taught him fire magic…something he had never been willing to teach before.
Once you go beyond the beginner level, fire magic has enough destructive power to kill.
Especially explosion spells, which could scatter fragments and potentially harm the caster or innocent bystanders. It was extremely dangerous magic.
Walter said:
“Listen. Magic is a great power. There are spells that can kill hundreds at once. But don’t ever get used to killing. If you get used to it, you’ll start doing it without thinking. People like that, even if they’re skilled mages, are easily led astray.
When I was an adventurer, I once joined a mission to take down a bandit group in the Non-Human lands. Their leader was a powerful mage. He had over a hundred followers and killed people whenever he felt like it. Eventually, a large-scale subjugation order was issued, and about three hundred adventurers and wandering warriors were gathered. My party was part of that force.
After a fierce battle, the bandit leader was betrayed by his own men. And then… he killed even his allies and kept fighting alone in the end. Of course, he was vastly outnumbered. He was torn apart and killed. I found out later that he had once been a promising young mage.”
Abel nodded. Half-baked talent leads to self-destruction…. that’s what it meant.
The final days of training continued.
Ayla compressed the strengths and weaknesses of the Offensive Sword Style into a few days of intense instruction.
“I started learning this style when I was fifteen. There was a Sixth-Rank practitioner in Walter’s party. It took me three years to reach their level. Abel, I think you’re probably around the Fourth Rank right now. That’s rare for someone who’s only ten.
As your body grows and your physical enhancement improves, you’ll become even stronger. But don’t get overconfident. There are monsters out there who are far beyond you.
I once sparred with someone from the Swift Defense Style who was Eighth Rank. I didn’t stand a chance. In real combat, I would’ve been killed for sure.”
In the end, Abel wasn’t able to land a single win against either Ayla or Walter.
Preparations were complete, and at last, the day of departure had arrived.
It was a bit dramatic, but this was truly a turning point in his life.
Early in the morning, Abel changed into his travel gear.
He wore clothing made of hemp fabric and a leather jacket over it.
Then he put on a cloak that could withstand rain.
His footwear was the standard leather sandals used in the region.
At his waist hung a sword that Ayla had kept in storage.
It was a bit too long for a child, but there was no alternative, so it couldn’t be helped.
Apparently, it was a famous sword. Its name was White Snow.
True to its name, it had a clean, shining luster.
It too was valuable enough to fetch a gold coin if sold, so he would have to take good care of it.
After thinking it over, he decided to tie the Heartbind Dagger to his left arm and hide it under his clothes.
This way, he could draw it quickly in an emergency while keeping it concealed during normal times.
The gold coin he had received was extremely valuable, so he had sewn it into his underwear to make sure it couldn’t be found.
This was his final backup in case his travel money was stolen.
Abel reviewed the route to the city of Porto as explained by his father.
From Tenana to Porto, it would take an adult man about six days on foot.
He would have to walk with consideration for the weather and time, making good use of the post towns along the way.
He had never been there before, but it was just walking, so he figured he’d manage somehow.
“Father, Mother, I’m off now.”
“Alright. Come back anytime.”
“You’ll do just fine anywhere, Abel. I’m not worried.”
Walter and Ayla smiled brightly.
Abel wanted to say something, but the words just wouldn’t come out.
He said nothing special and began to walk.
He didn’t look back.
He felt their gaze on his back as he walked away.
A strange feeling…
When he passed by Shale’s house, Dorothea, Angus, and Shale were all lined up together as a family.
“Abel!”
Shale came running.
Her soft, warm body clung to him.
“Come back soon, okay…?”
Shale looked at him with serious eyes.
Her feelings were so strong that his resolve to set off was almost shaken.
“Yeah. You hang in there too, Shale. Do your best with your training as an apothecary and nurse.”
He patted Shale on the head.
But she didn’t want to say goodbye yet and insisted on seeing him off to the edge of the village, so she kept following him.
Just before parting, Dorothea leaned in and whispered in his ear,
“Shale wants to marry you, so she’s waiting.”
Her eyes were completely serious…
A mother’s obsession was spilling out.
Abel thought this was a bit much and gave an awkward smile to brush it off.
Of course, he couldn’t make any promises about marriage.
In front of the village chief’s house, Rick was waiting.
His father and the chief of Tenana Village Gordon Hazaf was there too.
Rick’s two older brothers were also present. It was his eldest and second eldest. The rest of the brothers seemed to be away working elsewhere.
Rick’s greeting was just as reserved.
He gave a bow to his parents and then ran up to Abel. That was it.
He was energetic. Almost enviably so.
Despite having no real plan, he didn’t seem anxious at all.
Abel gave a brief greeting to the village chief as well.
“My son is really more suited for farming or carpentry. Being an attendant isn’t something you can do without skill in martial arts or magic. He’s not cut out for it. Abel, when Rick’s dream fades, try to convince him to come back.”
Village Chief Gordon said this openly in front of his own son.
Given Rick’s personality, it seemed more likely to make him stubborn…
In fact, Rick looked away and stayed silent, clearly displeased.
It felt like this parent-child dynamic had driven Rick to escape the village.
The three of them walked together to the edge of the village, without much conversation.
This was the final goodbye with Shale.
Her emerald eyes wavered with sadness.
Abel held back everything he wanted to say and simply said, “See you,” before walking off.
The man at Abel’s core felt a sharp pang in his chest.
It was the first time he had felt this way about parting with someone.
For example, when he quit the exploitative company he worked at in his previous life, he had felt nothing but relief.
There hadn’t been a single person he wanted to see again.
—Maybe I’ve changed a little too…
On a day like this, the plain blue sky looked farther, wider, and strangely more beautiful than usual.
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