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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Chapter 1 The Start of the Journey (3)
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"I'm not one to enjoy a fight, but I don't shy away from one that comes my way either."
"Braggart!"
*Whoosh!*
Becker, convinced Jeron was just showing off with that taunting smile, promptly threw a punch at him.
"…!"
But his swiftly thrown fist narrowly missed Jeron's face, striking only air.
Becker flinched, then quickly spun around and lunged another punch at Jeron.
*Thwack!*
"…!"
This time, however, Becker's punch was effortlessly caught in Jeron's hand.
Becker's face flushed red, and he tried to pull his fist back in a hurry, but his hand wouldn't budge.
Jeron spoke to Becker in a low, almost whispering tone.
"I told you it wouldn't be fun."
*Crunch!*
"Ugh... Aaaargh!"
At that moment, Becker, whose hand was still gripped by Jeron, let out a loud scream and collapsed to the floor.
The hand Jeron had held was completely shattered.
"…!"
The mercenaries watching nearby quickly stiffened their expressions at the sight of Becker. Jeron, who had seemed so gentle, possessed far greater strength than they had imagined.
*Shing!*
The mercenaries simultaneously drew their swords, their expressions serious now, unlike before, as they stared at Jeron.
"Sh-shouldn't we help him?"
Tina, who had been watching from the side, quickly spoke to Sei-an. She feared Jeron might be killed by their swords.
"Why should I?"
"Huh?"
Despite Tina's urgent tone, Sei-an still responded with a nonchalant question of his own.
His expression clearly conveyed that he truly had no idea why he should help that man.
"I believe I mentioned he's not with us."
"B-but..."
Still, if they had shared a meal at the same table, wasn't that a kind of connection? It felt wrong, inhuman, to simply stand by and watch someone in such danger.
"And besides,"
"Yes?"
"Do I look strong enough to take on all of them?"
"..."
"..."
However, at Sei-an's next words, Tina was momentarily speechless and could only stare at him. The two of them remained silent for a moment, looking at each other.
"...I'm sorry."
Then, Tina bowed her head and offered an apology to Sei-an.
In her panic, she had sought help from Sei-an, the only person inside the establishment. But looking at his delicate, almost feminine appearance, as if he'd never been in a fight in his life, it seemed clear that if he intervened, he would only become another casualty.
"..."
Sei-an subtly furrowed his brow at Tina's reaction. Though it was his own question, Tina's quick acceptance and agreement left him with a strange, uncomfortable feeling.
And he once again inwardly reaffirmed his resolve not to touch or look at a mirror for a while.
"And you don't need to worry."
"Huh?"
Sei-an then continued, addressing Tina, who was still staring at Jeron with a stiff expression.
"Rest assured, no one here today will meet their end."
"…?"
Tina looked at him with a puzzled gaze, bewildered by Sei-an's confident assertion that no one would die.
But Sei-an had his reasons.
*Because I don't see any Grim Reapers.*
The Grim Reapers, who gathered around people before their deaths to escort their souls, were nowhere to be seen.
That was why Sei-an was certain that no one here would die.
However, Tina, unaware of this fact, simply continued to look at him with an expression full of doubt.
"Ugh... Aaaargh!"
"…!"
Meanwhile, another mercenary screamed and fell to the floor.
But this mercenary's appearance was vastly different from a moment ago. His left hand, which had been perfectly fine, now looked disturbingly empty.
Near where he collapsed, screaming, a severed object that appeared to be his left hand lay on the ground.
"Tsk! Be grateful it wasn't your right hand."
Jeron lightly clicked his tongue at the mercenary sprawled on the floor, his face ashen, and spoke, a smile still playing on his lips.
In his hand was a new object: a weapon they had never seen before, consisting of a thin, long metal chain with small daggers attached to both ends.
"That's..."
"C-could it be!"
The mercenaries, whose expressions had been grim as they looked at Becker on the floor and their comrade screaming in pain with his hand severed, turned utterly pale the moment they saw Jeron's weapon.
"The Black Mercenary Group's..."
"Jeron?"
Jeron of the Black Mercenary Group. A legendary figure who had risen to S-rank mercenary status with two small daggers connected by a chain.
Despite his friendly smile and approachable appearance, he was known for being more brutal than anyone else in combat.
"..."
"..."
Only then, realizing his true identity, did the mercenaries look at him with fear-filled eyes and involuntarily take a step back.
"Hey, if you know who I am, you must have heard the rumors too."
"…!"
The mercenaries, who had been trying to retreat as if backing away, flinched at Jeron's voice, which suddenly rang out again, forcing them to stop.
"That I'm the type who always finishes a fight once it's begun."
"…!"
"…!"
At his next words, the mercenaries began to tremble with fear. An S-rank mercenary. To them, fellow mercenaries, such a person was a being more distant than the heavens.
Fighting him was like carrying straw and leaping into a fire.
*Damn it!*
Jackter, a mercenary who was cursing inwardly, thinking they had picked a terrible fight, inadvertently turned his head and suddenly thought of a solution.
Then, as soon as the thought struck him, he quickly moved, rushing towards Sei-an, who was standing quietly to one side.
"…!"
"Gah!"
At Jackter's move, Jeron's relaxed expression quickly hardened, and Tina, standing next to Sei-an, let out a small scream at the sight of him rushing towards them with a sword.
"Don't move!"
Under their gazes, Jackter quickly seized Sei-an, held the sword he was carrying to his throat, and yelled at Jeron.
In response, Jeron clicked his tongue again, glaring coldly at Jackter, then lowered his gaze to Sei-an.
"I'll tell you this now: not all mercenaries are trash like these guys. I hope you don't misunderstand."
Jeron then pointed at Jackter and the surrounding mercenaries, offering what seemed like an excuse for mercenaries in general.
"..."
But Sei-an said nothing in response to Jeron's words, merely staring at the sword held to his throat.
Then he slowly turned his head to look at Tina, who was trembling with fear.
"Excuse me, but may I ask you a question?"
"What did you say?"
Then, Sei-an posed a question to Jackter, who was holding a sword to his throat, in an utterly calm voice.
Jackter flinched for a moment, then stared at Sei-an with an expression as if he was looking at a strange object.
*Does this guy have no fear of death?*
It was astonishing how Sei-an, without trembling or showing any fear, calmly posed a question to him.
"I have something I'm curious about."
"..."
Regardless, Sei-an continued speaking. He seemed genuinely curious, posing his question with a rather serious expression.
"Did I look easier to deal with than that woman?"
"What?"
"Usually, if you're going to take a hostage, you take a woman. Why did you take me, a man? Did I look easier to handle than that woman?"
He couldn't understand why Jackter had bypassed Tina, who was standing right next to him, to take *him* hostage.
Wasn't it standard practice in such situations to take a woman hostage?
The thought that he might have appeared more vulnerable than Tina only deepened Sei-an's already uncomfortable mood.
"..."
"..."
Meanwhile, everyone around looked at Sei-an with dumbfounded expressions.
They all found it truly astonishing that Sei-an could display such composure, asking such a question in this very situation.
"Whatever the reason, this situation isn't particularly enjoyable."
"Shut your mouth!"
"I, too, have a request..."
"Stop spouting nonsense!"
"The thing I hate most in the world is someone touching my body."
"What are you babbling—"
Jackter's face twisted in a snarl as he roared loudly at Sei-an, who kept spouting nonsense.
*Thump!*
"…! Guh... Ack...!"
But the next moment, Jackter, who was holding Sei-an, began to scream from the immense pain in his arm.
Sei-an had merely lightly tapped his arm, yet Jackter felt an intense pain, as if all the blood in his body was rushing to that one spot.
"There are surprisingly many vital points on a person's body where even a small impact can be fatal."
*Thump!*
"Aaaargh!"
"This, for example, is one such place."
Towards Jackter, who had recoiled a step from the pain, Sei-an instead took a step closer, lightly touching a spot on his shoulder.
Jackter screamed, seemingly feeling an even stronger pain than before, and collapsed to the floor.
"Next time, choose your hostages more carefully."
And after offering that final piece of advice, Sei-an returned to his seat as if nothing had happened.
"..."
"..."
Once again, everyone inside the establishment had to stare at Sei-an with astonished eyes.
They simply couldn't believe their eyes, seeing such a delicately beautiful young man, like a woman, subdue a mercenary twice his size in an instant.
"Planning to do more?"
*Shake, shake!*
"Then how about you all just scram?"
"Yes, sir!"
A moment later, seeing their presumed leaders, Becker and Jackter, fallen, the mercenaries vigorously shook their heads at Jeron's smiling question.
Then, when Jeron told them to scram, they quickly dragged the two fallen men out of the inn as if fleeing.
"Th-thank you so much."
Once all the mercenaries were gone and the commotion had settled, Tina approached Jeron and offered her heartfelt thanks.
"Thank you?"
"Yes? Yes, thank you very much."
"Then, in that case..."
"Yes, anything you need."
"Could you let me finally have a meal? I haven't eaten anything since morning."
"Oh! Yes! I'll prepare it right away. Please wait a moment."
Tina nodded hastily at Jeron's request for food, as he clutched his stomach, truly appearing hungry.
Then she quickly approached her father, who had somehow regained consciousness and was weakly sitting in his seat.
"Dad, are you okay?"
"Yes... *Haa*... Don't worry."
Tina's father forced a smile in response to her question, said he was fine, and then laboriously pushed himself up from his seat.
Tina supported him and headed for their room. Her priority was to let her father rest.
A moment later, Tina emerged from the room and immediately went into the kitchen to start preparing food for Jeron and Sei-an.
