Vermillion

Chapter 29 – One Night

“So we’ve finally arrived.” Kei muttered as he dismounted Sasuke.

They were currently at an inn-town at Urvan’s outer edge.

Kei took in the view of the stronghold city white patting the head of the neighing Sasuke. Wheat fields rustling in the wind, stone houses crowding a small hill, and a thick wall surrounding all that.

The way how the structure gradually widened starting from the lord’s castle, down the first wall, finally reaching the second wall made the entire city look like it was one big rocky mountain.

“…Finally, huh?” Aileen likewise got off Suzuka and quietly got close to Kei.

Roughly half a day had passed since Kei’s duel against Alexei.

As their caravan had reached Urvan’s urban area, they decided to stay at the inn-town just outside of the wall and take care of the necessary arrangements to enter the city.

“Take that cargo to the first carriage. All fragile freight should go to the second one. Make sure to properly record everything on a list. Oh, and be very careful of how you fold the fur. We’ve obtained one in such a good condition after all!”

At the warehouse of the Cornwell Company located in one corner of the inn-town, the merchants and their apprentices were working tirelessly, moving the cargo to different carriages in accordance to Holland’s instructions.

Apparently all for the sake of lowering the taxes as much as possible. If they had entered the city with the caravan’s carriages just like that, they would have been forced to pay ridiculous taxes, so they were going to shuttle the goods into the city using their own carriages to reduce the costs.

“Once more we’ve arrived without a hitch…”

“Without a hitch…like how? A friggin’ Grande Urs showed up.”

“I mean, yeah. But it had nothing to do with us…”

“Right, everything ended before I even realized it.”

The escorts, who now had finished their job, chatted carefreely as they watched the merchants bustling around with sidelong glances. Given that their last task was to receive their pay inside the city, they had plenty of time to chatter around in a relaxed atmosphere.

As for Kei and Aileen, they had taken some distance from the other escorts, dwelling in their own little world.

While silently listening to the wind, they did nothing but merely gazed at the city towering in the distance. They had complex expressions on their faces, speaking of the various emotions they felt: the sense of safety by reaching their destination, the loneliness that the journey they had started to get used to had come to an end, and a tinge of anxiety due to the new environment awaiting them.

“…But still, you’re telling me that’s Urvan?” Kei spoke up so as to drive away the gloomy atmosphere. “It’s completely different from back in the game, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Aileen answered with a chuckle. “In the game it was a village…and compared to this, it wouldn’t even qualify as a dog house.”

“No kidding.”

Kei reflexively smiled at Aileen’s phrase he recalled having heard somewhere else before. Inside the game, Urvan was a player-made, fortified village — a modestly-built defense base on top of a rocky mountain, and possibly even smaller in scale than the inn-town they were currently at.

“It’s rude to even compare the two, seriously…”

Aileen and Kei quietly shifted their eyes back to the unfamiliar city as they laughed away the depressing atmosphere, though a faint pang of nostalgia had still revived in their hearts. As if naturally drawn to each other, their hands joined together.

“……”

They spoke no further words — but in their hearts, they were convinced that they were feeling the same emotions while confirming their warmth by holding hands.

But alas.

“Heey, Kei! Aileen!”

Due to the husky voice calling out to them from behind, they hurriedly released their hands and whirled around.

Looking in the direction of the voice, they spotted Alexei walking towards them with heavy step as he waved his hand.

He was fully armed just like during the duel. Or perhaps it was better to say that he was carrying his entire equipment. He shouldered his greatsword, adorned by his helmet being flung over its hilt, and in addition to the buckler Kei had punctured, he also wore his armor, shin guards and gauntlets. All of this was rounded up by the knapsack on his back which was almost bursting thanks to all the traveling equipment stuffed into it.

Kei felt disappointed that he had ruined the good mood they had going, while Aileen hissed in displeasure, but Alexei didn’t seem to care about either, and approached up until right in front of them.

“…You can move already?” Kei’s question sounded a little sarcastic, but there was no helping it.

Despite not even half a day having passed since Alexei got trashed by Kei in the duel, Alexei seemed to already be up and about again. The cut on his lip had mostly healed and the bruise on his lower jaw was already fading. As for his left arm that got pierced by Dragon Stinger, it was still covered by bandages, but he was acting like it did not hurt at all.

“Well yeah, I’m a fast healer.”

Alexei moved his left arm around and then pumped his muscles with a grunt.

But in the next moment, his bandages started to dye red.

“Whoops, looks like the wound hasn’t healed up yet.” Alexei muttered as if it was someone else’s problem.

Aileen took a step back, looking clearly put off. Kei’s sarcastic smile also twitched a bit.

No matter how tolerant to pain he was, this was still a little too abnormal. It was as if he actually did not feel any pain at all…

“『Pain Reduction』huh?”

Alexei suddenly lifted his head in response to Kei’s mumbling. With his eyes slightly widened, he looked as though he was forcibly suppressing his shock.

“It’s a Crest, right? Or did I get it wrong?” Kei added while tilting his head.

He had been suspecting it since their duel but Alexei’s reaction just now confirmed it.

Although not to the extent of 『Lighter Body Weight』 which Aileen used,『Pain Reduction』was also one of the minor Crests that hardly anyone used.

The requirements to acquire it were relatively easy, and it had the effect of “reducing the pain and decreasing the chance of knockbacks and fainting.” However, even a simple injury could lead to death in the game, and since the player did not feel any pain in the first place, there was barely any value in getting Crests to reduce pain which were based on the assumption of injuries. It was at most used by some mages to decrease the likelihood of their chants getting interrupted through bombardment. If not for meeting Alexei, Kei would have even forgotten about its existence.

『Pain Reduction』 was useless inside the game, but he could not help to admit that it was conversely quite useful in real life. Ever since coming to this world, Kei had experienced making wrong judgments and being unable to move in battle as he wanted to due to pain. It had the downside of delaying your realization of an injury, but it was a useful skill, if you wanted to specialize on offense. If a warrior who already had dauntless courage furthermore obtained immunity to pain, no one would be able to tell what kind of result it would bring about.

Incidentally, taking Alexei’s fast recovery into account, Kei judged that he probably also had 『Enhanced Body』 or maybe a minor 『Enhanced Natural Healing』 Crest.

“…You seem knowledgeable. I mean, you’re right… But where did you learn that?”

A faint smile was visible on his lips, but Alexei’s eyes did not laugh at all. Kei wondered if he had stepped on a landmine, and answered with a small shake of his head.

“You aren’t the only warrior of the Snowland people I know.”

“Oh really? Give me a name.”

“『Andrei』”

Aileen, who had been listening to their conversation in silence, twitched and glanced at Kei from the side.

“Andrei… Andrei… I don’t think I know anyone like that.”

“Well, it’s been a long time since then. That aside, did you need something?”

Kei casually changed the topic as Alexei was pondering about something.

“Ah right. It had to do with you, Kei.”

Alexei clapped his hands and, contrary to his words, looked affectionately at Aileen while lowering his knapsack to the ground with a thud.

“Now then.”

Following that, he tossed his greatsword and buckler at Kei’s feet, and kept removing his equipment, such as his shin guards and gauntlets one after the other. Starting with his knapsack, he piled up all the items in front of Kei.

“Wait, what are you-”

Ignoring Kei and Aileen’s confusion, Alexei removed his armor, and got naked down to his underwear and sandals with the same frightening undressing speed that he displayed at the lake. And then, at the end, he put the purse in his right hand on top of the pile.

“This is all I own!”

Declaring that somewhat loudly, Alexei fixedly stared at Kei.

Folding his arms and standing with a daunting pose while practically naked was already enough to gather attention as is, but he even yelled on top of that, so it would have been unreasonable to expect that it would draw no looks by the people around them. The escorts that were chatting on the side, the passing residents, and even the busy merchants all stopped what they were doing and stared at him.

“…What’s this all about?”

“Accept it!” Alexei declared with a frustrated expression. “For you… are the winner of our duel!”

In response to his words, Kei and Aileen reflexively looked at each other. Aileen just shook her head expressionlessly.

“Don’t need it.” Understanding what she was telling him, Kei answered clearly and concisely.

This caused Alexei’s pose to fall apart.

“Why!”

“I’m not sure what to tell you. Your things simply don’t interest me.” Kei scratched his cheek, looking troubled.

He had certainly won the duel against Alexei, but he had done so in order to protect his honor and Aileen. Kei got slightly injured himself as well, but he had beaten up Alexei hard enough to make up for that. For him, the duel had already ended — and he did not feel like bringing it up any longer.

At most, Alexei’s armor — the greaves and gauntlets made out of an alloy that managed to repel the arrows of Dragon Stinger, even if just the white-feathered ones, looked somewhat attractive to Kei given his current armor. However, that would only apply if they were brand new, certainly not for Alexei’s hand-me-downs.

He did consider grabbing the money as a fee for all the troubles, but even that sounded to him quite petty. It would be one thing if Kei was alone, but Aileen was with him right now. He had no will to act greedy in front of her.

“But yeah, I’ll just accept your feelings.”

“B-But… That’s troublesome for me!”

Alexei looked downcast and flustered due to Kei’s blunt reply. He completely lacked his usual cocksure attitude.

While feeling amused that Alexei seemed to have not expected this flat refusal at all, Kei asked him in return, “Why would it? Doesn’t this work in your favor?”

“It concerns the honor of my family. It is customary for the challenger to offer all their belongings to the victor if they lose the duel. I’ve lost in a duel of love that I started myself, and if I were to get…p-pitied on top of that…!”

Alexei’s cheeks reddened as he explained. He practically squeezed those last words out. It was probably extremely humiliating for him to explain all this as the loser.

“So… This is to set things right. Please take it.”

“…I see.”

Hearing the desperate plea in Alexei’s voice, Kei gave up with a troubled expression.

“So, you’re telling me you’d be shamed for life if I don’t accept this?”

“Exactly.”

“I see… Well then…”

With a sigh, Kei brushed up his bangs and switched to a serious expression.

“Got it. I’ll accept your request.”

“Huh, you will?”

Aileen blinked in complete surprise.

“Ohh, you will?”

On the other hand, Alexei’s expression brightened up. But at the same time, he narrowed his eyes in a lonely way as he looked down at the pile of luggage — and Kei did not miss this.

“Yeah. By the way…I’m free to do what I want with the items I received, right?”

“… Yeah, of course. Sell them or use them, do as you wish.” He paused a little. But even so, he answered resolutely.

“I see,” getting his acknowledgement, Kei nodded seriously, and continued, “In that case, as the winner of our duel, I give this equipment to you.”

“…Huh?”

Everyone around them looked dumbstruck, taken aback by Kei’s words.

“S-Stop screwing with me! Then it’s basically the same as not having accepted it in the first place!” Alexei drew his flushed face close to Kei with a momentum as if he was going to snap at him, but Kei was not perturbed.

“No, I have certainly accepted everything. Both your resolve and price.”

Alexei was dumbfounded by Kei’s earnest words, and flapped his mouth open and closed like a fish on dry land.

Kei was a foreigner.

Of course he was not familiar with the Snowland people’s customs. If Alexei wanted to, he could have easily deceived him after the duel.

But instead, he willingly came and offered his property to Kei. It was perfect proof that he lived by his pride. Even if it was incompatible with Kei and hard to understand for him, he could at least appreciate the honesty.

This world did not guarantee one’s life, let alone the necessary things to lead a humble but normal life. It was hard to imagine what kind of determination one would need to throw down and hand over all of their belongings to someone else when they were in a foreign country surrounded by almost nothing but strangers.

Kei thought that it was such a brave and sportsmanlike behavior that it actually felt refreshing to him.

“I was impressed. I can’t help but admire your spirit. Thus, as a display of respect, I wish to bestow you with these arms.” As he spoke clearly and eloquently, Kei’s jet black eyes were fully fixed on Alexei’s wavering ones. “Accept it. Proud Snowland warrior — Alexei.”

Kei’s silent, yet overbearing words made Alexei hang his head in silence. Kei could not see his expression as it was hidden behind his right hand.

“…If we abide by the customs…”

Do you think we can act like it didn’t happen?

A small voice reached Kei’s ears. It was a faltering voice that felt afraid and trembled.

“……Haaahhh.”

Finally, accompanied by a long sigh, Alexei looked up to the sky with a lethargic expression. After glaring for some time, his lips tightly pursed, he roughly scratched his head and answered.

“…Got it. I will gratefully accept it.”

Alexei quickly nodded as if he had realized something, and then pulled out his clothes from the pile of luggage, silently putting them back on.

It was as if the earlier undressing was played backwards. He put on his pants, shirt, plated leather armor, greaves and gauntlets. He roughly crammed his purse into his pocket, then picked up his sword and shield and put the knapsack on his back.

And with that, Alexei had returned to what he looked like a few minutes ago.

“…”

He awkwardly averted his eyes, scratching the tip of his nose, just to roughly put on his helmet. He was about to pull down his vizor — but stopped and gave a small sigh.

Then, he pulled the hand off the vizor and extended it to Kei.

“—Thank you.”

Kei accepted Alexei’s firm gaze and returned the handshake.

Alexei’s handshake was…strong.

“There is nothing to be thanked for. I simply did as I pleased.”

“…I see.”

With a bitter smile, Alexei shouldered his greatsword once again and turned his back on Kei and Aileen.

“…It was my loss.”

This was the last line he uttered before pulling down his vizor and walking away at a slow, calm pace.

As he continued north, amidst the refreshing early summer wind, his back gradually grew smaller.

And thus, the young man went on a solitary journey, never again turning around.

“…Now then.”

After Kei saw him off, he grabbed Sasuke’s reins and corrected his helmet.

“We should go as well.”

“Yeah.”

Aileen curtly agreed, and jumped on Suzuka. They heard voices from Holland’s group calling for them, seemingly having finished their preparations for departure.

What a farce.

Despite those cynical thoughts, Kei did not feel bad about it for some odd reason.

While sitting atop Sasuke, he glanced back one last time, looking northwards. Then he pulled Sasuke’s head over, heading in the direction of the caravan members.

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