Part 10: Orc Subjugation (2)
“Wow!”

That one exclamation was enough.

Kevin’s mouth hung open as he stared at the lake.

He already knew the northern lake was big.

On nice days, his family often came here for picnics, and above all, this place held memories with his father.

Here.

Kevin had played skipping stones with his father until not long ago.

‘The day your stone skips more times than mine, that’s when you’ll become an adult.’

His father’s gentle voice echoed in his ears.

His eyes grew hot and the bridge of his nose tingled as he missed him.

But he held it in.

How could a crybaby protect his mom and sister?

Slap.

He lightly tapped both cheeks with his palms.

Then he started running, swinging his arms back and forth.

The scenery drew closer slowly.

The mountain breeze brushed against his face. The sun wasn’t too harsh since the sky was overcast.

The cicadas were relentless.

Their endless screeching rang through his eardrums.

Even though he tried to pace himself, he ran out of stamina after just one lap.

Sweat covered his entire body.

He gulped for air through his open mouth.

His legs began to tremble.

He didn’t think he could handle the remaining nine laps.

As he forced himself to jog at a snail’s pace, he suddenly thought of Aiden.

The savior who had protected him and his sister from those rotten soldiers.

Kevin could recall the moment Aiden defeated the soldiers as vividly as if it had just happened.

It was a scene that would never leave his heart for the rest of his life.

Of course, Aiden had been so fast that Kevin hadn’t seen every detail. But he filled the gaps with his imagination.

‘I want to become strong like him.’

He clenched his teeth and kept running.

The longer he ran, the more it hurt.

Now it wasn’t just his breathing.

His lower back hurt.

His thighs hurt.

His calves hurt.

The soles of his feet hurt.

Pain came at him like a gift set.

Why did you make me take this test?

Do you hate me?

Kevin kept asking Aiden in his mind.

No answer came back.

Still, he couldn’t bring himself to resent Aiden completely.

He was the one who’d made the unreasonable request and pestered him.

As he folded down three fingers on his right hand, dark thoughts crept in like storm clouds.

Why am I doing this?

I should just quit.

The soldiers from Count Kai’s House will leave soon anyway.

Then the town will be peaceful again and no one will bother my family.

Kevin finally stopped running.

He plopped down right where he stood.

His frail body couldn’t take it anymore.

Giving up felt easy.

He lay flat on the ground and looked up at the sky.

The white clouds covered much of it but the sky was as blue as the lake.

He wanted to skip a stone into it.

Kevin.

Whenever things get tough, think about skipping stones with me.

When you throw yourself with all your might, you’ll realize something.

You can go farther than you think.

His father’s voice reached out a hand to him. Grasping that hand, Kevin forced himself back to his feet.

Thump thump thump.

He started running again.

Aiden said he only had to run ten laps.

There was no time limit.

As long as he finished, no matter how long it took, that was enough.

Kevin clenched his teeth and endured.

Now the soles of his feet hurt the most.

The blisters that had formed so quickly burst, and the raw skin stung.

Was this what it felt like to walk on a blade?

Thud.

Kevin collapsed again.

But this time, there was a smile on his lips.

He had completed all ten laps he’d promised.

Once again, his father had been right.

Kevin wasn’t that strong, but he was at least stronger than he’d thought.

Coincidentally, the most skips Kevin had ever managed on the water was nine.

And now he had run around the lake ten times.

He had broken his own record as a human skipping stone.

As his consciousness faded, he saw it.

A raven perched on a tree branch, looking down at him.

* * *

“That kid really doesn’t know how to give up.”

Aiden nodded.

It was midnight. He was in his room, receiving Mugin’s report on Kevin.

“I’ll give him credit for his grit. Although that’s probably all he’s got.”

Mugin nodded in agreement.

“So are you really going to take him as a disciple?”

“I made a promise, so I’ll keep it.”

“Aren’t you taking on too many hassles since you retired?”

“It’s not hassle. It’s just normal work.”

Aiden corrected the word.

In truth, he had planned to accept Kevin as a disciple even if he failed the test.

The reason he gave the test was…

Because the way he’d teach would differ depending on whether Kevin passed or not.

If the other side was serious, then so should he.

Aiden sat in silence for a moment.

The goal of protecting someone precious was indeed powerful.

Powerful enough to drive a kid to run ten laps around a lake.

Which made him wonder.

If he had trained to protect someone, would he have become even stronger than he was now?

There was no right answer and no wrong one.

Maybe life existed somewhere between the two.

He liked that sudden thought.

He jotted it down in his journal.

“I’m off then.”

“Practice your swordsmanship well.”

“I’m not practicing swordsmanship. I’m resting.”

Mugin answered bluntly, flapped his wings, and flew out the window.

Snap.

Aiden flicked his fingers.

The window shut with a click.

At the same time, a Silence spell filled the room.

Carl was on night duty today.

The night was long.

Aiden sat on the bed and picked up his lute.

Twing~

Every time his fingers plucked the strings, they quivered.

The vibration became resonance.

The resonance became vibration.

A soft melody spread throughout the room.

The piece he was playing was Father’s Old Clock.

His technique was flawless.

Even so, Aiden still felt thirsty for something.

He couldn’t reproduce that rich nuance Victor had when he played it.

When he thought about it, it was strange.

He had mastered the Five Great Treasures of the Rogue Master the instant he saw them.

Yet he couldn’t fully master something as simple as playing the lute.

How much time had passed?

There was a knock at the door.

The Silence spell was advanced magic, so he could hear outside sounds while the inside was sealed.

When he told them to come in, Victor entered.

“Still practicing hard? How’s it going? Any progress?”

“It’s the same as before.”

“Heh. The road to becoming a great musician is always a rough one.”

Victor stood across from Aiden.

Aiden plucked the lute again.

When the piece ended, Victor clapped.

“You’re really good. Who would’ve thought someone could reach this level in just a few days?”

“It’s still not good enough for me.”

“Ambitious, aren’t you. Should I teach you my secret technique?”

“No. I’ll figure it out myself. Life exists between right and wrong answers.”

“Wow. What’s with the quotes? You studying philosophy now?”

Victor burst into hearty laughter.

“Then let me add one. Let’s see… If life exists between right and wrong answers, then how about this. Life is about the responses in between.”

“That’s good too.”

Aiden suddenly handed him the lute.

Understanding the gesture, Victor began to play.

Aiden focused on the melody and watched his hands closely.

Even after seeing them hundreds of times, there was no special trick in his fingering.

So where was the difference coming from?

Why did the sound differ even though the movements were the same?

Victor finished and handed the lute back to him.

“Want a hint? You’re missing something important. Once you see it, you’ll be able to play like me.”

“I’ll see it soon. I always get what I want.”

Even if that meant someone’s life.

He kept that last part to himself.

“You sound just like Kevin. Speaking of which, I haven’t seen him since the afternoon.”

“He had something going on.”

Aiden told Victor what had happened with Kevin.

Victor shook his head, saying Aiden had been ruthless.

“If he’s a bother, I can take care of Kevin. I’m skilled enough to handle twenty students, you know.”

“I want to do it. I made a promise. How’s your prosthetic?”

“Honestly?”

“Yes.”

Instead of answering, Victor raised his right thumb. No more needed to be said.

“I’ll be grateful to you for the rest of my life. You saved me.”

“You can stop thanking me. You say it so much it’s starting to invade my dreams.”

“You’ve gotten cheeky. Speaking of which, how about your debut performance tonight?”

“My debut performance…?”

“Come downstairs. Show off your lute skills.”

Aiden hesitated for a moment.

He had learned the lute quickly, but he was still a beginner. The only song he knew was Father’s Old Clock.

He was about to refuse, but Victor dragged him downstairs anyway.

The tavern was quiet.

There were about three groups of customers, their voices rustling softly.

Carl was chatting with Lyra at the bar.

Aiden moved to the performance spot by the window.

“And now, a lute performance by Centum’s most handsome man, Aiden. Everyone, give him a hand!”

Victor hyped up the crowd and they laughed good-naturedly.

Clap clap clap clap.

They welcomed Aiden with applause.

The melody that had been confined by the Silence spell finally escaped into the world.

Ziiiiing.

The gentle, warm tones slipped through their ears and into their hearts.

Each listener recalled something they had lost or forgotten.

Sometimes it was a person.

Sometimes an object.

Sometimes a season.

Sometimes themselves.

Aiden’s music took them back and let them retrieve those things.

Their shoulders and heads began to sway gently side to side.

They all vibrated together with the waves of the melody.

“That’s it for today.”

“That was amazing, Aiden!”

“Don’t you have any other songs? I want to hear more.”

“Victor could retire after this.”

The audience erupted in applause.

Aiden looked awkward at the first cheers he’d ever received.

When he’d lived as an orphan,

people treated him like a stray cat.

When he’d been an assassin in the Thieves Guild,

they treated him like the Grim Reaper.

No one liked the Grim Reaper, of course.

Yet now, people liked Aiden.

All he had done was play one lute song.

The strangest part was…

He felt more overwhelmed now than when he’d assassinated anyone.

His heart, which had only known black and white,

was now being flooded with colors he had never experienced.

“Thank you. I’ll take my leave.”

Aiden nodded lightly and returned to his room.

There was a lot to write in his journal that night.

* * *

The next morning.

Kevin came to the tavern early, dragging his feet and occasionally yelping in pain.

“Aiden, I kept my promise. I ran all ten laps. I’m not lying, it’s true.”

“Alright. From today, I’ll teach you the self-defense you wanted.”

“Yes! This is awes… owww!”

Kevin jumped around in joy, then grimaced at the sharp pain from his blistered feet.

Aiden pulled a potion from the inner pocket of his top, which was connected to subspace.

“Drink this. You’ll feel better right away.”

“Yes, Aiden.”

Kevin gulped down the potion.

His eyes widened like an owl’s.

“Wow. What is this? The pain’s completely gone.”

“You don’t need to know. Starting today, training begins. First, run five laps around the lake this morning. Regular lessons start in the afternoon.”

“Run around the lake again?”

Aiden just nodded.

Kevin narrowed his eyes.

“Aiden, you don’t like me very much, do you?”
 

To be continued