Volume 3 Chapter 61 Negotiation And Contract
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”So, you know me, Sarah? That’s an interesting thing to say. What kind of person do you think I am? Am I really the kind, honest one you mentioned before?”
As they walked along the main street of Châtillon at dusk, Kian turned to Sarah beside him.
Sarah brushed her hair back from her shoulder, which was draped in a black leather jacket, and replied.
”It’s not just that. You were hardworking, unafraid of failure, and strong even in loneliness. You did things with ease that I could never manage.”
”True, unlike Sarah, I can clean up and eat my vegetables too.”
”Well, I don’t have picky tastes anymore. Cleaning up… I still struggle with that. I just can’t throw things away. Even when I know I don’t need them, I end up keeping them.”
”So, you can eat your vegetables now? I always wondered why you could eat bugs during survival training but not onions.”
”I only ate them because I had to. It’s a different matter from likes and dislikes. You felt the same way, didn’t you?”
”No doubt about it.”
”But I’m glad. You feel different from yesterday, and I thought you might be a different person. Sharing these memories means you are definitely Kian.”
”What a coincidence. I was just thinking you might be a different person too.”
”Huh?”
Sarah held her smile, tilting her head in curiosity.
Beyond the merchant area, the tavern street came into view.
Smoke rose from the chimneys of each shop, and the delicious smell of roasting meat and pies filled the air.
The lively town of Châtillon was just getting started for the night.
Kian continued walking, not stopping or looking at Sarah as he spoke.
”The impression I had of you as a child is very different from how I see you now. You’ve grown, not just in body but in spirit. Talking to you now, your voice and gestures are definitely Sarah, but the things you say make me feel like I’m speaking to someone else.”
”Specifically, how different is the impression now?”
”In my memory, Sarah was kind, always put me first, and never betrayed me──like a true partner. But now, you’re mostly working for Nakash. I doubt you care about me at all.”
”That’s just because I look older. My roots haven’t changed. I only follow the rules given to me. I do my duty quietly for the house. Even now… I act with Kian’s words in mind to revive Nakash.”
”Is it okay to admit that? To you, am I just someone you use? It’s more efficient to pretend you like me and manipulate me freely. Like that gatekeeper Zack we saw earlier.”
”Maybe Kian has really changed a bit after all.”
Sarah gave a lonely, bitter smile.
Perhaps it was her sad, beautiful face.
The slight wrinkle under her eyes looked charming.
Kian didn’t react to Sarah’s lonely smile.
Instead,
”Want to eat outside today and then go back?”
He pointed to the back of the tavern area, crowded with adventurers after work.
He found the signboard of the tavern, which Guy had told him about. (Guy had tried to enter with Fhana, but had been turned down because the commoner’s tavern was too rowdy.)
It serves pasta and crab clam chowder.
Apparently, they also have pizza.
It’s a favorite shop of the acting lord’s deputy.
Sarah answered immediately.
”Of course. I’d happily accept a date invitation.”
”It’s not a date.”
”Huh?”
”If we go back to the base and eat there, you’ll have to face Natra and Rufna. They don’t trust you, and you’re wary of them too. Sharing a meal in such tension doesn’t benefit anyone.”
”So they don’t trust me after all.”
”They’re not the two you knew anymore. They can’t read your mind, so their reactions are natural.”
”And what about Kian?”
”Me?”
Kian climbed the step into the tavern, opening the door and inviting Sarah inside while he thought for a moment.
”I am on your side. I promised to help you, didn’t I?”
”But I am trying to use you, aren’t I?”
”Yes. I will keep my promise. Besides, it’s a promise to you, so I must keep it.”
”……Yes, that’s true.”
”Ah. But I won’t just blindly take you in. Just as you have a purpose, I have one too. So, we need to clearly define the line where we can use each other and bind it with a contract. I’m sorry, but I’m not a passionate man who moves a party just because of love for you.”
”……”
Sarah had a polite smile on her face.
But when she heard Kian’s words, her eyes widened.
She stood still beside Kian, who was holding the door, staring at him as if she were seeing her fiancé for the first time.
She moved her lips without looking away.
”By the way, I never really asked why you helped me… Why?”
”Because I once loved you.”
”That’s a lie. You left Azrael, and when you came to your senses, you realized I was a cold woman, like a doll, didn’t you? I’m a terrible woman. I told you the truth when we broke up. In the end, I discarded you.”
(That’s a lie. The effort to convince herself she discarded me is why she feels this way now. Even in the memory world, she never truly discarded anything.)
Kian immediately pointed this out in his mind but kept it to himself and continued.
”Still, you saved me. Thanks to you, I could live in Azrael. Even if your love for me was for the Nakash family, that fact doesn’t change. ──So, I have always loved you. Madly, deeply.”
That was Kian’s true feeling at that moment.
He was not drowning in love for her, but he helped her for love──his fight in the memory world was to repay her kindness.
Sarah looked into Kian’s eyes and seemed to understand the truth, her face filled with deep guilt.
”Kian, I…”
”Your feelings right now are unrelated. Can’t help what’s already done, so let’s focus on what’s next. I’ve said it, haven’t I? If you’re joining the party, you’ll have to pull your weight. Your martial prowess, your eloquence, your knowledge of politics and economy are needed. To freely borrow your strength, we must clearly state our desires and set unyielding boundaries. This, I believe, is the new relationship we should build. Any objections?”
”No, I’d trust you over a man who just spews empty words of love any day. ──Yeah, fifteen years. You were always sharp, but you’ve truly become wise. Uh… sorry, that sounded condescending.”
”It’s a strange feeling to be called out by someone younger, but I suppose our experiences differ. I’ve been the lowest of the low, a garbage scavenger, while you’ve been quietly working in the fields of politics and economy.”
Kian saw a man, who appeared to be a customer, standing behind Sarah and took her hand.
”Let’s continue over food.”
* * *
The tavern was bustling with adventurers and sailors, and the din of those playing card games while waiting for their meals made it quite noisy.
But this noise was a blessing, for it meant there was no worry of eavesdroppers, and both Kian and Sarah preferred to dine in such a lively environment.
They sat across from each other at a narrow table in the back of the tavern.
After ordering their meal, they promptly resumed their conversation.
”First, let me reveal a bit of what I hold. Sarah, do you have any doubts about what I’ve said?”
”Plenty, but mainly about your strength. Before contact with Natra was lost, I heard you used a magic sword to vanquish Almeisa?”
”Yes. That sword will soon be returned from repair. You’ll see it again, even if I don’t use it in battle.”
”And was it the magic sword’s power that allowed you to defeat Oswald?”
”That’s right, it was because of the magic sword’s power.”
Windsong Blade broke halfway, and the last strike came from a cursed sword that the “glasses” provided.
Still, it was not wrong to say he defeated Oswald with the power of a magic sword.
”How did you gather magic power for the magic sword? You said you invented a power like Necromancy that controls wraiths, but to use a big magic that can wipe out a whole windbreak forest, you would need the magic power of ten top magicians, right? I don’t know how many wraiths you can control, but I believe just sucking power from them won’t be enough.”
Christy was about 3 or 4 people, but saying her name might not be wise.
He waved his right hand, which had been resting on the table.
”I obtained a technique to steal magic power from others. I was storing up magic power using that method. This equipment can be considered one of those ways.”
”You don’t seem to be lying. Do you really want to talk to me openly?”
”I’ve been saying that from the start.”
He said it casually while gulping down the water from his cup.
Sarah frowned and pressed her lips together.
She seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then she mustered her courage and lifted her face with a serious look.
”I’ll be direct. Before my mission, I suspected that you had been switched with someone else. Unlike the current Natra or Rufna──I thought it was truly someone else impersonating you.”
”Hmm?”
”Please don’t get angry, but even if you managed to defeat Almeisa with that magic sword, I didn’t believe you could defeat Natra in the same way afterward. Actually, knowing you, I thought you would have been killed by Val and Nia.”
Sarah licked her lips and continued.
”It’s strange how you suddenly rose to power. Someone who had been so quiet suddenly solo-takes down a Griffin? The types of quests you take changed from easy ones like gathering herbs or picking up trash to clearly dangerous ones. It seemed like your very essence changed overnight.”
”────”
”I… I did terrible things to Kian when I was a child. Kian is truly a good kid, serious and kind… The kind who gets used or pulled into evil plots and ends up suffering. Now, is the Kian Vahid I see before me real? If Death Sword User has taken his place and is pretending to be him, I swear I will never forgive you.”
”Fortunately, I am who I am. When we talk like this, don’t you feel it in your gut that I am definitely real? That’s why you dared to open your heart and tell me what you think.”
When Kian said that, Sarah exhaled softly.
”Yes… That’s right. You are, without a doubt, Kian. Even when I kept saying you don’t seem like yourself, shaking it off, there wasn’t a trace of doubt in you. The only thing that’s different is that your magic power, size, and wealth are way higher than they should be. More than anything.”
Sarah’s face distorted into a crooked smile.
With a look close to tears and laughter, she begins to speak.
”The words you speak are filled with a crazy, deep love for me──something no fake could ever say. To take your place, they’d need to look at your background clearly, but if a hundred people saw me, all would call me a worthless woman. There’s a strange feeling about this, but I believe you are Kian, my betrothed.”
”So all along, the reason you held back was because of these doubts, huh?”
”Yes. If you’re a fake, I can use and crush you without hesitation. If you’re a magic sword wielder and have Natra on your side, then if I ambush Oswald at night after disarming him, I could likely defeat him. After that, if I defeat you two exhausted and bring Oswald’s head home, I might not be able to rebuild my house, but maybe I can secure a small land and gather everyone to live peacefully. That’s what I’ve been thinking.”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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