11-6 Part 2
The Boundary Line Between Hypocrisy
and Self-Righteousness
- The Pursuer Carrying a Shovel on His
Back -
Translator : PolterGlast
The church was
gloomy, and I felt like I was going to suffocate. I had things I wanted to do
anyway, so I slipped out into the town and went around the taverns. And first,
I did some checking. Paying my respects to the soft-hearted Priest Yungwi,
that is.
「Why
were you fired from the military?」
There were
apparently only three taverns in town, so finding them was easy in itself. They
had ordered ale, black bread, and bean soup, and were devouring it looking like
it was delicious.
「Hii...」
「You're
the guy from earlier...?!」
「W-Wait!
Please, just listen to what we have to say...!」
When I intruded on
such a blissful moment, they turned pale at the sight of me. They even looked
like they had prepared themselves for death.
「Why
are you so frightened. I shared my meat with you; you guys are cruel.」
I sat down at the
four-person table as well and leaned my Shovel against the chair. I came
here just to see how things were. If they were going to continue being bandits
from here on out, I should dispose of them before their spearhead turned toward
the local people. If I weigh the lives of guys who have lost their livelihood
against the happiness of the people, I cannot choose lukewarm hypocrisy.
「W...
We can tell...」
「Tell?
What exactly?」
As if seeing through
my decision, they shrank back as if they had aged. The leader, trembling with a
rattle, squeezed out his words with a strained voice.
「Those
eyes... We've seen people like you on the battlefield a few times...」
「Unfortunately,
I am not a soldier. Just a carefree adventurer.」
「No, we
knew when we faced you! That archer named Kachua was incredibly skilled
too, but the one who's even scarier is you...! You came to kill us, didn't
you...」
「Don't
say such scandalous things. Besides, I asked you first, didn't I? Why were you
fired from the military?」
Did their intuition as former soldiers see
through my other face? I was careless. If I had just left them on the highway,
just as Priest Yungwi said, other thieves or perhaps beasts would have
disposed of them.
「How
did you know we were former soldiers...?」
「Ah,
that's because your method was a stupidly honest, head-on intimidation. And the
fact that you didn't resort to a crime until you were so completely starved
that your eyes were stolen by dried meat and you got shot with arrows was
another criterion for my judgment.」
They neither argued
against nor corrected my deduction. Perhaps because their stomachs were full.
Back then they looked like a rough bunch, but now they seem much calmer and
even good-natured.
No, on the contrary,
they were even greatly agitated by the fact that their identity as soldiers was
seen through. Even disgraced soldiers who had lost their livelihood might have
had their last shred of pride. I revised my evaluation of them just a little.
「That's
right, we were originally Imperial soldiers... But before we knew it, we got
dragged into a power struggle... When our superior officer voiced his opinion
to the General, our entire squad was disbanded...」
「That's
unlucky. Don't tell me that General was General Georg?」
「Don't
be stupid! The one we served under was a country General in the frontier in charge of the
eastern side of the Empire! Don't lump him in with Georg-sama!」
They must have been
really furious with that country general. Baring their anger, they ground their
teeth, slammed their mugs on the table, and clenched their fists in
frustration.
This is just
speculation, but it seems the fact that the Emperor's illness is beyond help is
spreading even among the upper echelons of the military. However, surprisingly,
they admire Aniue? Let's revise my evaluation of them a little more.
「Then
I'll change the question. What did that superior officer protest about?」
When I leaned
slightly over the table, the leader pulled his chair closer and brought his
scarred face near.
「It
seems the General intends to collude with the Knight Order...」
「That
again smells subtly suspicious.」
The Knight Order is
a collective of the knight class, and the Imperial Army is the national army
that follows the Emperor. There is no doubt that both are regular armies, but
due to their different positions, there is a deep-rooted conflict from olden
times.
「It's a
matter completely beyond our understanding...」
「Before
we knew it, we were fired... Kicked out of the barracks... Hungry... We're
really sorry... We won't do it again...」
「Yeah...
Once our stomachs were full, we suddenly felt pathetic. Being easily handled as
mere bandits by you youngsters... But, we had no other choice, we're sorry...」
How frustrating. Now
that I hear their circumstances, to think that Priest Yungwi was the one
who was right. But either way, if someone doesn't reach out a hand to them, the
ending will be the same. They will make many people miserable, and in the end,
they will be struck down as bandits who lost their pride.
「Then
how about becoming adventurers? It's not necessarily a bad trade. ...Or rather,
you should stop being bandits
already. You guys aren't suited for it at all. If you're former soldiers, you
should be able to put that bravery to good use.」
Either way, it's a
dangerous job where you wager your life, but it pays better than being a thief.
「But,
those guys hate soldiers...」
「We
didn't want to bow our heads to them either...」
「It's a
lost cause if you end up becoming bandits as a result of being so picky.」
But this is
troubling. This is really troubling. Even though I slipped out of the church to
dispose of them, I can't do it like this. Now that I've talked to them
properly, they aren't bad guys to the core.
「I have
no words...」
「We're
a lost cause, hahaha...」
Besides, they gave
me valuable information. The collusion between a frontier General and the
Knight Order. Is it just my imagination that it looks exactly like they are
proceeding with preparations for rebellion or independence?
If I convey this to Georg-aniue
or Jii, they will probably provide a more accurate analysis. If
so, these guys are witnesses, albeit indirectly. As I turned my eyes to each of
their faces to make my final confirmation, they must have thought they were finally
going to be killed, and they turned stark pale.
This is bad. Have I
dirtied my hands too much and my expression has changed? So I faked a smile
that I wouldn't normally show and made a decision.
「When
your wounds heal, go to Erin. It's a land situated to the west of the Imperial
Capital, recently bestowed upon a Prince named Ashley by His Majesty
the Emperor.」
「Eh...」
The former villains
were surprised in unison.
「If you
say you can only be soldiers, I will give you a soldier's job. If you say you
were introduced by the book-crazy Shinza, a man named Puis will
hire you.」
「A
j-job...?」
「That's right, a job. I'm giving you a job, so wash your hands of being bandits.」
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