Chapter 14: The Weight of a Comrade’s Death

Ban was dead.

Though he could be a bit bothersome, he had taught me a great deal.

We could even be considered close.

And now, that very Ban was gone.

What was more, he hadn’t died before my eyes, nor had his body ever been seen.

At the gruff man’s simple declaration of “He’s dead,” not a single soul questioned it; everyone simply accepted the situation.

The stated cause of death was a bandit raid.

This was not an incident involving monsters, but rather a matter for the local nobility, those responsible for maintaining public order, to lead an extermination squad against.

Having honed my perception through my work as an adventurer, I could plainly see how events would unfold.

Recruitment notices for an extermination squad would soon be posted everywhere.

The nobles, eager to claim merit, would lead their private armies to the front lines, and the bounty offered would likely be substantial.

It seemed everyone, rather than mourning Ban’s death, was instead excited by the impending events.

If this was what it meant to be an adventurer, then I, too, would simply have to grow accustomed to it.

“Mister.”

Slowly, gathering my courage after finishing my report, I approached the gruff man who was resting in a corner.

“It’s Jack.”

“Yes, Mister Jack. Could you perhaps tell me about Ban’s final moments?”

It might have been rude.

The very act of asking about a comrade’s death could easily dredge up unpleasant memories.

However, as I was also Ban’s comrade and friend, I felt it was my right to ask.

Jack took a mouthful of beer, holding it in his mouth as he looked down at me.

Even without seeing his eyes, I could feel his gaze.

“…Right, you’re the one who used to hang around with that guy.”

“Yes.”

“It was laughable, a rookie trying to act as someone’s master, so everyone at the guild pointed fingers, saying you two were just playing make-believe.”

“They did?”

‘I hadn’t sensed anything of the sort.’

‘If even I, who considered myself quite perceptive, hadn’t noticed, it seemed those conversations must have only taken place when I wasn’t around.’

“It wasn’t anything special. Bandits have been rampant everywhere lately, so he just got unlucky and caught up in it.”

“Lately…?”

“Are you from another world or something? Even a passing dog knows about this.”

Jack eyed me with a puzzled expression, yet still drained the remaining beer from his mug.

“You asked about Ban’s end, didn’t you? He went out rather heroically, for him. I thought he’d just been swarmed by bandits from all sides, but he broke through the weakest point in their formation and died right there. Thanks to that, Cheshire and I were able to escape through that opening.”

“You were able to escape?”

“Yes, after breaking through the encirclement, Cheshire was killed by a poisoned arrow shot from behind, and I, too, was hit in the arm and had to cut it off.”

As I remained silent, stunned by the more brutal battle than I had imagined, Jack quietly tapped the table with his empty beer mug, calling for my attention.

“My arm is like this now, so I’m retiring as an adventurer. If you value your life, you’d do well to quit being an adventurer too.”

“……You say similar things.”

“Like Ban, that guy?”

“Yes.”

“It’s not that Ban and I are strange; it’s a common sentiment among losers who haven’t even earned a silver rank after all this time, so it’s nothing special.”

Clutching his severed arm, Jack rose from his seat and, swaying drunkenly, staggered out of the guild.

As I watched Jack’s retreating back, I heard disapproving clicks of tongues from nearby.

“He won’t last long either, will he?”

“Can’t be helped. Jack, that guy, he’s made enemies everywhere. Even if it was for quests, quests aren’t absolution.”

“True, among the folks here, no one except that kid hasn’t made enemies.”

“Usually, the easy, high-paying quests are like that. Everyone tries them once when they’re desperate. Hey, are you listening?”

‘Ah, so they were talking to me.’

When I nodded, indicating I had heard them, the men slyly continued.

“Well, since one’s dead and the other’s as good as dead, it’s fine to talk about it. Ban, he was hired as a shill for gambling and ended up falling into it himself. And Jack, he took on a contract killing disguised as an escort mission.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“It’s nothing much. Even if it makes you uncomfortable, you seem like a diligent kid lately, so I’m just telling you. Never take on jobs that are easy and pay a lot.”

“Thank you for the advice.”

“If you’re thankful, how about buying us a round of beers? They’re cheap, after all, just cheap swill.”

‘Right, that was their true objective.’

“Sigh, fine.”

The “beer” they served was a dreadful concoction of actual beer mixed with water, costing only one copper coin per glass.

Having completed quests without rest, I had earned enough financial freedom to easily afford three glasses of beer.

“By the way, do you know where to apply for the extermination squad being formed?”

“You’re going to join the extermination squad? Well, even just as a logistics supplier in the rear, you’d get a few silver coins, so it’s probably a good idea. The recruitment notice for the squad will be posted on the quest board. Just go to the reception desk and sign up then.”

“Thank you.”

‘It was time to gradually leave this city.’

‘While there was no pressing reason to head to another city, this one was so dilapidated and small that it simply didn’t deal in the kind of information I sought.’

‘To find information about the Saint, I would have to go to a place with a temple.’

‘Cities with temples were typically more bustling than places like this.’

‘Since the temples bore the cost of both construction and operation, there were no temples in places where money didn’t circulate.’

‘Before I left, I needed to make one last big earning.’

Even within the extermination squad, I wouldn’t be fighting on the front lines.

I planned to be assigned to the supply unit, assisting others.

Even as I made my plans, the fact of Ban’s death continued to gnaw at a corner of my mind.

Though his kindness wasn’t as unconditional as my grandfather’s, he had undoubtedly treated me exceptionally well.

The news of such a person’s death was enough to deeply disturb my spirit.

I left the guild.

I was in no mood to work today.

I would soothe my heart with the sword.

If I joined the extermination squad and contributed to the mission, it would, in its own way, be a form of vengeance for Ban.

I would take solace in that.

While being an adventurer was supposedly a job where one risked their life, it had never truly resonated with me before.

Today, I had learned a definitive lesson.

Being an adventurer was a profession where people who had laughed and chatted with you just a short while ago could wither away into nothingness so utterly in vain.

Even if one tried to package such a reality with a beautiful word like “romance,” it would only ever feel merciless.

Arriving at the inn, I finished a simple meal, then slipped out the back door and drew my sword.

As I swung my sword, too many distracting thoughts crowded my mind, making the blade feel far duller than usual.

My stomach churned more than usual today.

‘Why did everyone who treated me well always end up like this?’

‘Honestly, I felt resentful.’

‘Not at anyone in particular, but at everything.’

“Hmph…”

Grandfather Leon had treated me with unconditional kindness.

He claimed it was because I reminded him of his granddaughter, yet his eyes held such wisdom that he was neither weak nor foolish enough to truly see me as a mere substitute.

I cherished his warm actions and words, even entertaining the thought that perhaps living this way wouldn’t be so bad after all.

But as if to mock my hopes and dreams, a sudden choice appeared: ‘Attack.’

Though I hadn’t wanted to, I gripped my sword and attacked my grandfather.

If I hadn’t cried out, something far worse would have happened.

Even after that day, my grandfather continued to treat me well, but a clear wariness had begun to settle within him.

Yet, he couldn’t simply abandon me, knowing full well I wouldn’t last a week on the streets before dying.

Thus, he taught me with even greater rigor.

Once I had received enough training to avoid dying a lonely death on the streets,

I left my grandfather’s side.

And so began my life as an adventurer in this new place.

If Ban hadn’t helped me, I would still be naively stuck doing strange odd jobs.

I would have been lonely, without anyone to talk to.

Since I inherently exuded an unpleasant aura, most people wouldn’t approach me first.

And if they did approach, it was usually with the intent to pick a fight.

But Ban hadn’t been like that.

Whatever his underlying motives, he had treated me so remarkably well—it was the first time anyone had done so since my grandfather, and I had opened my heart to him.

Although he had abruptly turned on me after looking into my eyes, choking me and throwing me to the ground, I hadn’t held it against him, considering it more of an unforeseen accident.

But now, he had suddenly died.

“Why do people who treat me well always distance themselves?”

While I didn’t believe Ban’s death was sad enough to warrant wailing, tears welled up, blurring my vision.

I roughly wiped my eyes with my sleeve, but nothing changed.

I didn’t make a sound.

It was too embarrassing for a grown man to cry out loud.

“Hngh….”

More than sadness, I felt injustice.

The unfairness of it all made me feel like I could go mad.

I felt as though I had done nothing wrong, yet why did these things keep happening only to me?

I didn’t understand why I had to endure such hardship in the first place.

Suddenly, the aches throughout my body felt even more agonizing.

What was the point of swinging a sword I’d never held in my life, and why had I been thrown into this damned world?

I had lived a short, ordinary life.

While I hadn’t lived a life worthy of praise, neither had I lived so badly as to deserve such a fate.

I set down my sword.

And I sank to the ground.

I wanted to cry just today, and do nothing but rest just today.

That one day of rest stretched into two.

With swollen eyes, I returned to my routine.

Emerging from the inn after two days, various news reached my ears.

There was news of Jack being found in an alley, his head severed, and also news that the extermination squad was recruiting members.

Upon hearing the news, I immediately headed to the reception desk and applied to join the extermination squad.

Not for the rear supply unit, but for the front lines.