episode_0005

My memory was hazy, but according to the old man who took me in, I had been ill in bed for exactly four days.

He said that even though he heard people nearby saying he should throw me out immediately because I was ominous, he ignored them.

A lifesaver.

There was no other way to express it.

The old man had a strong impression, and whenever he looked down at me, compassion always shone through.

“Don’t I make you feel unpleasant?”

When I asked that, he just shook his head without saying anything.

If you have received a favor, it is a law to repay it.

When my health got somewhat better, I started helping out at the old man’s antique shop.

To repay more than I had received, I had to work hard.

Not only the light tasks the old man ordered immediately, but I also carefully wiped down the antiques that seemed neglected, covered in dust, one by one.

Besides that, I paid attention to various hygienically unfavorable areas and cleaned them.

For example, things like the restroom.

The old man was startled and tried to stop me, but I had to do everything I could.

That way, after about 3 months passed while helping out at the old man’s antique shop.

Before I knew it, we had become comfortable with each other.

“Grandpa, uh… please organize things a bit.”

“Just a few months ago, you had a cute side. Now you just nag…”

Isn’t it too greedy to expect a cute side from an adult man?

When I put my hands on my waist and looked at him boldly, the old man lightly clicked his tongue and began to tidy up the things he had spread out.

I also went closer and helped with the organizing, and the old man stared at me intently, then reached out his hand, placed it on my head, and gently patted it.

While living for 3 months, I gained various knowledge.

For instance, my gloomy aura only properly activates its effect when I make direct eye contact.

I found this out because the old man tried to discover the source of my aura.

So when customers came, I lowered my gaze to the floor to prevent unnecessary trouble.

If I only did that, even if the customer felt unpleasant towards me, that feeling didn’t escalate to disgust.

And, the most basic question of where I was now could also be resolved.

The city-kingdom of Dirhan.

The residential area of its outer castle.

Outside the outer castle was a slum, within the outer castle was the residential district, and within the inner castle resided the upper class and the king.

“You said you used to work in the inner castle, right?”

“…That’s right.”

The old man was sparing with words.

Turning my gaze, the medals hanging on the shelf were not things the old man had bought separately.

They were the old man’s past, and they indicated that the old man had been awarded those medals for some past deed.

Furthermore, among the many medals, the medal engraved with a shield pattern meant that the old man had participated in a past defensive battle and achieved merit.

By learning various knowledge through sidelong glances while by the old man’s side, I was able to recognize this much.

However, for some reason, it didn’t seem like a memory the old man particularly wanted to recall, and although I also knew that fact through intuition, there was a reason I had to bring up this topic.

“By any chance, could you train me?”

“…Out of the blue?”

“How should I say it… The world is not easy, so I feel like I need to at least protect myself.”

This world was barbaric.

And I had no strength to protect myself.

Moreover, this was ultimately a game.

Thus, there will surely come a time when the world becomes chaotic.

Because if it’s not chaotic, the game won’t progress.

Before such a time arrives, I wanted to gain the power to protect myself.

“…True.”

The old man also seemed convinced and nodded, continuing his words.

“You look so much like a child that most people won’t give it much thought, but your appearance is certainly outstanding enough to attract perverts with peculiar tastes.”

I smiled awkwardly and scratched my cheek.

I was being praised for my appearance, but since this wasn’t my real self, I just felt uncomfortable.

“Since you won’t stay here forever, it’s right to help you if you consider the future.”

“…Will it be okay?”

“You asked for help, so what do you mean by ‘will it be okay’?”

“You don’t really talk about things like the past, so I thought you might dislike bringing up that time.”

“Honestly, it’s not a good memory to recall.”

The old man spoke calmly while looking up at the ceiling.

“No matter how just the cause, wasn’t it ultimately an act of killing people? I think it was unavoidable, but I just don’t think it was something to receive a medal for.”

“Is that so…?”

“It’s not that my words are right. It’s just that I am weak.”

As the old man reminisced about the past, he brought his hand to his lost eye.

Just by his action, I understood how he had lost one of his eyes.

“Thank you.”

“If you’re grateful, then stop nagging.”

“But dirty is dirty, isn’t it?”

“…I shouldn’t have picked you up.”

“If you picked me up, you have to take responsibility to the end.”

When I replied boldly, the old man sighed, then disappeared towards the storage room for a moment before coming out with a sword.

“This is one I used to use. Just lift it, don’t draw it.”

“Okay.”

I accepted the sword and lifted it high, sheath and all.

It had quite a bit of weight.

Carrying it around wasn’t a big problem, but swinging it seemed quite difficult.

“…Roughly, does it weigh about 4kg?”

“3.1kg excluding the sheath. It might certainly be a bit heavy for you to hold.”

The old man thought for a moment, then went into the storage room again and handed me a sword slightly shorter and thinner than the one he had just brought.

When I lifted that one as well, it was still heavy, but it was definitely lighter than the previous sword at least.

Approximately, about 1kg.

“Swinging this might also be a bit difficult, but it doesn’t seem impossible like the previous one.”

“The one I just gave you was two-handed, and this one is one-handed, so there’s bound to be a weight difference. Since you’re so small, you’ll probably have to use a one-handed sword with two hands though.”

As if he had found a sword suitable for me, the old man stroked his chin and fell into thought for a moment.

“Good.”

“Are we training in swordsmanship now?”

“What swordsmanship training when you’re so weak? Nothing is more dangerous than giving a sharp object to someone whose body isn’t trained.”

It felt like he was right, but I couldn’t help but feel deflated.

When I made a dissatisfied face, the old man flicked my forehead as if finding it absurd.

“Because people find you unpleasant, we can’t do it during the times people are around, so wake up early in the morning.”

“Okay….”

From that day on, I began training my physical strength under the old man’s supervision from early dawn.

That way, after 2 months passed, I was finally able to hold a sword.

Then, when another month had passed.

I realized something.

“……How should I put my talent.”

“It’s subtle, isn’t it?”

The old man nodded while applying medicine to my blistered palms.

I was feeling it too.

It was strange that something like this could happen.

I had a hunch what the cause was.

Soundless Steps.

[Soundless Steps C]

You are a dirty orphan from the slums, and no one is pleased when you reveal your presence and walk around boldly. To avoid being hated and suffering from the gazes of such people, you have learned how to walk without making a sound.

Under the old man’s guidance, there was no sound when I took stance and performed footwork.

Since there was no sound, it was difficult to sense my presence.

Even when right before one’s eyes.

However, saying that I had great talent based on this would be inaccurate; I had no talent in swordsmanship.

Not only did I lack talent in swordsmanship, but I had no talent in all kinds of weapon techniques.

While not terribly dull, my learning speed was slow.

“It’s subtle, isn’t it?”

“If I keep trying, I’ll get better.”

“That’s right, if you keep doing anything, you’ll get better.”

The old man seemed to think I was trying hard to comfort him, but it wasn’t just groundless faith.

My status window was proving that fact.

Traits: Autonomy B, Soundless Steps C, Gloomy Aura D

Skills: Military Swordsmanship F

[Military Swordsmanship F]

Your small physique and constitution, which makes it difficult to build muscle, are not suitable for wielding swordsmanship, and your talent is also shallower than others’, making you lag behind in all aspects.

Military Swordsmanship, newly added to the Skills section.

It was a harsh critique, but if this world was a game, there would eventually be a way to raise the rank somehow.

Therefore, it was too early to despair just because I lacked talent.

I clenched my hand, looked at the old man, and smiled brightly.

“What would you like to eat today? I’ll make it for you.”

“In that case, try frying some chicken.”

“Okay, I’ll make it delicious for you.”

The old man’s food was tasty, but the variety wasn’t much, so lately I had been making it for him.

The old man also seemed reasonably satisfied with my cooking, entrusting matters concerning food to me.

It was quite peaceful.

I thought so.

“Anyway, Rie. After eating, you’ll have to run a short errand. There’s a sword I left at the blacksmith for restoration work, and it’s probably finished as of yesterday, so you just need to go pick it up.”

It was a simple request.

A simple task like that, where there would be no particular problem if I moved while keeping my gaze lowered to the floor.

But for some reason, I couldn’t open my mouth.

Time stopped.

Options were listed.

1. Talk.

2. Accept.

3. Refuse.

4. Attack.

–

4. Attack. <