LEGEND

Chapter 113

「Ahh……I screwed up.」

Rei unconsciously murmured as he walked through the city. Next to him was the figure of Set, as usual.

After sending Elena off, he was interrogated by Daska, the lord of Gilm, in various ways. However, Rei managed to escape from the residence somehow after obtaining the document of request completion and was now walking around the city with Set.

Normally, he would go to the guild to hand over the document for a reward, but it was only just past 9am in the morning. Even if he went to the guild now, it would be a hard to collect his reward if he was caught in the crowd of adventurers who were picking up requests in the guild. He decided it would be easier to kill some time and head into the guild after the congestion had died down……and was wondering how to spend his time now.

「Well, what should we do?　I don’t have enough time to strip materials or to rest at the inn.」

「Gururu~」

Set eyed Rei and gave a cry of agreement as they walked through the city when they saw the shadows of several appeared.

If it had been just a few people, he would have just passed them by. However, there were four boys around the age of 15, about Rei’s age, surrounding a kid about 10 years old. Rei unintentionally stopped to take a look.

In the city of Gilm, there were many rough adventurers. The number of people who would use their strength to bully others were not few. And as children were brought up seeing the behavior of the adults, it was natural that they would be affected by those actions. Those boys were one of those children, but their greatest misfortune was that Rei had time to spare. Normally, if he had seen a child being brought into a back ally, he would have ignored it, but for Rei who currently wanted to kill some time, it was a suitable reason.

「Set, shall we take a look?」

「Guru~」

Maybe Set was also feeling leisurely, he gave a cry as he deftly ate the meat off a Big Boar skewer that had been cooked by Rei.

「Now then, well, its following the usual pattern……that child would really be a secret child of a noble or an important merchant, or such kinds of development……I guess.」

He looked at the four boys and the young kid. Their clothing was like those of the ordinary citizens around the area and they didn’t look like they were here for any reason in particular.

No, there may have been various reasons, but it all seemed like child’s play to Rei, who had just experienced much larger things, like the betrayal of Viscount Sails to the Bestir Empire. ……Although, it should be said that Rei himself appeared to be around the same age as the boys he was looking at.

Rei went forward while making sure they couldn’t see him. Even at the current distance, it wasn’t difficult for Rei to overhear their conversation with his sharpened senses.

「Fis, have you brought the thing?」

「……」

「Hey, answer when we ask you.」

「……No.」

「What?」

「I told you I didn’t bring it!　Who would listen to what you guys say!」

「Guh!」

The kid that was surrounded by the four boys smacked the belly of the boy who had been talking to him earlier with a 20cm long iron bar. Quickly pulling the iron bar back, he swung it towards the side of the boy who was next to him……

「Whoops, that’s dangerous.」

Before the iron bar could make contact, the kid’s hand was held down and his movements stopped.

The first attack had been so sudden that it had succeeded. However, as long as his arms were held down, it wasn’t difficult to restrain a 10 year old boy.

(Even so, he’s strangely skilled.)

Rei murmured as he thought over the current events.

Of course, he wasn’t as skilled as an adventurer. However, his build as clearly different from those who had grown up in ordinary households, he seemed to have some experience.

(Well, maybe he had received some training from a family member or an adventurer he knows.)

「Gururu~?」

Should we leave them as they are? Set seemed to asked as he tilted his head.

Giving a small nod, he took the skewers that Set had eaten earlier.

「Sheet, acting dirty and making a surprise attack!　I will put you in your place!」

The boy who had been struck in the belly stood up and tried to kick the face of the kid who was now being held down……

Zing~!

That moment, the skewer that Rei threw grazed the boy’s cheek before piercing deeply into the brick wall of a house behind him.

「……Eh?」

The boy gently touched his cheeks, not realising what had happened. His cheek had a scratch several cm long and blood stuck to his palm.

「W-Who is it!」

The boy who cried out wasn’t the one who was trying to kick the kid, nor was it the one holding the kid down. It was one of the remaining two boys.

「Hm?　Ah, it was me……is it a problem?」

Saying that, Rei appeared behind them. However, Set couldn’t be seen. He decided that if Griffon appeared here, it would cause a big stir. Set himself was waiting quietly in the shade a short distance away.

「O-Of course it is. Suddenly doing such a thing!」

The person who had appeared was about the same age as them. Or so the boy, who was taller, thought as he aggressively shouted back. However, the last boy was stunned when he saw the skewer that had pierced into the bricks.

Normally, it would be impossible for an ordinary wood skewer to pierce into bricks. Because he knew that, he couldn’t understand how it had happened.

(……It went well.)

Rei thought in his mind. He had thrown the skewer with magic power. Normally, if it wasn’t a special metal that could hold magic power, even if you poured magic power into an item, it would soon dissipate. But because it had been thrown after Rei had pushed his massive amount of magic power into, the result was that it pierced into the brick wall, an unexpected result.

「Hm, what did they say at such times. Ah, yes, that’s it. Seeing injustice and not acting shows a lack of courage, or something.」

「Haa? Don’t tell me you don’t understand the situation. What, you trying to pick a fight us?」

「No, I’m just killing time.」

To not act after seeing injustice shows a lack of courage. In other words, although a person knows what is right, if they have no courage, they wouldn’t try to do it……but though he said that plainly.

The boy thought that Rei was making fun of him. The boy who had been holding the kid released him and stepped forward.

「You know, as you can see, we are busy. I’m sorry but you’re in the way, could you please disappear?　You wouldn’t want to get hurt would you?」

「Hmm……20 points I guess.」

「Haa? What are you talking about……」

The boy tried to say something, but by the time he noticed, Rei’s fist was already in front of his face. To that boy, it was just a moment. No, the moment the fist appeared before his face, that moment seemed to last forever.

「If you’re skilled, you now know the difference in strength between us. Do you still want to fight?」

「!?」

The boy took a breath as he clenched his fist while hesitating to try to hit Rei. He understood that the boy with the robe in front of him wasn’t bluffing and was stronger than the four of them.

……Even so, because Rei had made the difference in strength clear.

「……What will you do?」

「! Let’s go!」

「H-Hey!　What’s with you. He can’t do anything to us just by himself!」

「Who cares, just go!」

As the boy spat that out, the boy who had been scratched by the skewer and the boy who had seen the skewer pierce into the brick wall followed after him. Maybe the last boy thought he wouldn’t stand a chance if he was by himself, he spat on the ground before following the others.

「Well, this was expected. ……Hey, are you okay?」

Seeing the four people leave, Rei turned his eyes to the kid on the ground.

「……」

However, the kid stood up quietly without saying anything and brushed the dust off his clothes before looking at Rei.

「Onii-chan, you’re strong.」

「Hm?　Ahh, I guess so. I’m an adventurer right now, so I’m strong enough that I won’t lose to people like them. ……In addition.」

Rei glanced behind him. The kid turned to follow the direction Rei was looking at and gasped when he saw the Griffon appear unexpectedly.

「Is that a……Griffon?」

「Ah. Haven’t you heard about it?　He’s quiet popular around the city of Gilm.」

「No, I only recently came to this city. ……Will it bite me?」

「It will be fine as long as you don’t try to do anything funny to him.」

「……Can I stroke him?」

He had just met Set for the first time, Rei looked at the kid as he suddenly thought of something.

There were many people who had asked if they could stroke Set after learning that he had a calm temper, but no one had ever asked on their first meeting.

「Gurururu~」

Set was the same as always and sat down as he looked at the kid, giving a happy cry as if saying he could stroke him.

「……」

Slowly but surely, he reached his hand out towards Set’s head……

「Uwa~, it’s soft.」

Finally, he stroked Set’s head. The kid stroked Set’s head for a while before Rei spoke up.

「So, what will you do?　And why were you involved with those guys?」

「……No. This is something I have to do myself.」

「I see. Well, I’m just here to kill some time so I won’t ask any more if you don’t want to say anything.」

「Mm, that is……though it’s a bit late. Thank you for your help.」

「Don’t worry about it. As I said, I was just killing some time.」

Smiling at the kid who had bowed his head, he took out another freshly cooked grilled skewer from the Misty Ring and gave it to the kid.

「Here, eat this for now.」

「Ah, yes. Thank you.」

Taking out some skewers for himself and Set, the two of them sat on an empty box nearby while Set lay down on the ground to eat the skewers.

「Wafu~, wafu~……It’s delicious……but, isn’t this freshly cooked?　Where did you get them from?」

「Hm, I have a magic item that can hold these things.」

Rei answered the kid as he savoured the skewers before he unexpectedly eyed an object on the stone pavement.

It was the thing that the kid had used to hit one of the boys earlier.

Rather than a bladeless knife, it was simply a long iron bar. It was something that could be called a short club. Although it wasn’t very long, only 20cm, from Rei’s knowledge, it was similar to a police baton.

Interested, Rei picked it up from the ground to look at it.

「Ah……」

The kid, who had been focusing on eating his skewer, noticed it. He reached out his hands in a panic.

「G-Give it back!」

At those words, Rei, who hadn’t planned on taking the short club away in the first place, handed it to the kid without hesistation.

「Hm?　Ah, here. Still, it’s quite unusual. Was it made for you?」

「Ah, yes. My father made it for me just in case, as the city can be dangerous.」

「Your father made it?　What, is your father a blacksmith or something?」

「That’s right. He only just came to this city recently but already has a reputation for his good skill. Have you heard of Pamidor?」

Although the kid looked at Rei with expectation in his eyes, Rei shook his head.

「Sorry, I only came back to here yesterday. After that, I was tired so I slept at the inn.」

「I see……」

「If I have the opportunity, I will come by. By the way, where is the shop?」

「Umm, there was a library nearby!」

Listen to a more detailed description, Rei confirmed that it was about 10 minutes walk from the library. Because was that close, it was within the area that Rei was familiar with.

(Even so, my weapon, the Death Scythe, was made with the Magic Beast Art. If it were an ordinary magic item, I would still need to sharpen the blade……ah, no. But considering my throwing spears and the dagger I use for stripping materials……)

「I see, I will come by the next time I have a chance.」

「Yes. Because you won’t get beaten by those guys, you should come for sure.」

He could mostly predict why he had been tangled up with the boys earlier at those words. Perhaps the boys were threatening him to bring weapons made by his father or something. If he was a blacksmith’s son, he would be less likely to be found out if he had taken some, and as a child, it was difficult for him to fight back against the older kids.

(As expected, I’m not mistaken.)

Finishing eating his last skewer, Rei stood up from the empty box.

「Now then, I was able to kill some time, so I will get going soon……what about you?　Will you get tangled up with those guys again if you stay here?」

「I see. I will also go home.」

「It would be better to do that.」

Giving a small nod, Rei started to leave the back alley with Set, who had finished eating several skewers, when……

「Onii-chan, tell me your name!」

When he called out from behind.

「Rei. The Griffon is Set.」

「Rei onii-chan, Set, thanks for your help!　I’m Kumito!」

Waving his hand lightly, Rei and Set went out the back alley.