By their stride and the sound of their footsteps, they seemed to be adult men. But he could not guess as to whom.
“Thinking about it will not yield an answer. Then I should first… capture them.”
Sebas made a turn on the road and walked deeper and deeper into the darkness. Still, he was being followed.
“…It makes me wonder if they really have any intention of hiding themselves.”
They showed no signs of hiding the sound of their footsteps. Sebas wondered whether it was because they were not skilled enough to do so, or if there was a different reason. Regardless, he could just confirm it for himself. As the presence of passersby grew faint, Sebas was about to make his move when— as if matching his timing— the voice of a man still young flowed from one of the followers.
“—Excuse me.”
Part 3
Lower Fire Month (9th Month), Day 3, 10:27
On his way back to the palace, Climb was lost in thought as he moved his feet.
In his head, he thought of the bout with Gazef and repeatedly imagined how the fight could have gone better. As he was deciding which moves to try if he were to get another chance, a shout rang out. A crowd had gathered. Two soldiers stood next to them and awkwardly looked on.
Rowdy voices could be heard from the center of the crowd. By the sound, it did not bode well.
Climb’s face hardened as he approached the soldiers.
“What are you two doing?”
From the sudden voice coming from behind them, the soldiers turned around and looked at Climb in surprise.
They were equipped with a chain shirt and spear. They wore a surcoat bearing the Kingdom’s coat of arms over their chain shirt. Although they were the standard equipment for a guard, these two did not seem to be very well trained.
For starters, their bodies seemed out of shape. They were not cleanly shaven and their chain shirts were poorly maintained and appeared dirty. As a whole, they gave off the air of a lack of discipline.
“Who the…”
Seeing Climb who was younger than him speak to him out of the blue, the guard spoke in a confused voice with a hint of irritation.
“I’m off duty.”
As Climb spoke firmly, the confusion that was in the guard’s voice spread to his face. This boy who was younger than they were was speaking to them as if he were their superior.
As if they judged that it would be wiser to be humble, the guards straightened their backs.
“We think there’s been some sort of a commotion.”
Climb suppressed the urge to reprimand them that that much was obvious. Unlike the soldiers stationed in the palace, the guards who patrolled the surroundings were drawn from the common folk and did not receive much training. In other words, they were like civilians who learned how to swing a weapon.
He turned his eyes away from the awkward guards and towards the crowd. Rather than relying on these two, it would be faster for him to act.
Although he might be overstepping his authority and interfering with the work of the patrols, if he were to ignore a citizen in need, then he would not be able to show his face to his benevolent master.
“You guys wait here.”
Without waiting for a reply, Climb tried to force his way through the crowd. Although there was some space, he could not pass through. No, if any human could pass through here that in itself would be strange.
While he was trying to force his way in even as he was being pushed back, Climb heard a voice.
“…Get out of my sight.”
“What?”
“I will tell you one more time. Get out of my sight.”
“You bastard!”
This was bad. They were about to strike the old man.
Climb’s face was dyed red as he desperately tried to push his way inside. What entered his vision was the appearance of an old man and the men surrounding him. A ragged boy lay at the feet of the men.
The neatly dressed old man gave off an elegance that made him seem like nobility, or someone who served one. Each of the men surrounding him had a rough appearance and seemed to be drunk. It was obvious which side was in the wrong.
The largest among the men made a fist. When comparing him and the old man, the difference was overwhelming. The girth of their bodies, size of their muscles, the violent temperament that did not hesitate to spill blood; if he were to strike him, the old man would easily be sent flying. The people around them who realized this imagined the tragedy that was about to befall the old man and let out a small scream.
However, Climb who was in the middle of the crowd felt a small sense of danger.
Without a doubt, the side with the men appeared tougher. But instead, he felt as if it was the old man who was giving off the atmosphere of absolute strength.
That moment of absent-mindedness cost Climb the chance to stop the man’s violence. He raised his fist and—
—collapsed.
Voices filled with surprise came from Climb’s surroundings.
The old man had accurately struck the man’s chin. Not only that, he did so with incredible speed. It was so quick that someone like Climb who trained their dynamic vision could only barely catch it.
“Will you continue?”
Composure and skill that you could not tell from his outer appearance. Combined, they had no trouble sobering up the men from their drunken stupor. No, even the onlookers were becoming ensnared by the old man’s energy. The men completely lost their will to fight.
“N-no, it was our fault.”
As they retreated back a few steps while apologizing in unison, the men grabbed their leader and fled. Climb had no intention of chasing after them. As if his heart had been stolen away by the old man with the straight back, Climb could not move.
A posture that was as straight as a sword, it was an appearance that any warrior would long for.
The old man touched the boy’s back as if to check his condition. He then asked a person nearby to treat him and moved on. The crowd parted in a straight line to make way for the old man. No one could tear their eyes away from his back, an appearance that commanded nothing less.
Climb quickly ran to the collapsed boy and took out the potion that he received from Gazef during training.
“Can you drink?”