New chapter of Nameless Hero is out! (2/3 chapters)

 

 

The Performance Troupe

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

After that, I visited the Adventurer Guild in Barwitch and was guided to a preliminary orientation. It was a joint session with about seven or eight participants, held in a small church located in Barwitch. There was a thin, bearded man who looked like he belonged in a church or the music world, a seasoned elderly female musician, and a neat-looking young man who seemed to have experience in a choir. Sitting among them, I felt completely out of place.

Among such people, I was worried whether someone suspicious looking like me would actually get accepted. I could read music, but I had no experience playing the viola. I had played the mandolin and lute before, but I had no clue how to play a string instrument with a bow. Still, a female priest from the Melpeque Church who was present at the orientation said, “If you know string instruments, you’re welcome”, and with that single sentence, I was accepted without issue. In this way, I joined the practice sessions as a performer for the Aldridge ceremony without any problems.

They must really be short on people.

 

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Later, it was the day of the initial meeting for the performance troupe.

Recruitment for the performers had closed, and it seemed we were finally beginning full-scale rehearsals. There were five songs to be performed. They would apparently be rotated depending on the mood at the time.

After dropping off Rinalee at the magic academy, I went to the meeting place, the Melpeque Church. It was a small church situated at the very edge of the town of Barwitch. In the cleared field stood two or three apple trees beside it.

I opened the church doors and stepped inside. The musicians I had seen at the earlier orientation were tuning their personal instruments. Since I did not own a viola, I could not even do that until the church lent me one.

For now, I sat quietly on a bench. Several others arrived afterward, bringing the total to around ten people. Once everyone had more or less gathered, someone emerged from the room in the back.

“Yes, yes, hello everyone who has gathered.” (Unknown Woman)

With those words, a woman stepped onto the platform from the back of the church, speaking in a cheerful tone. Her slender figure and long blonde hair looked familiar. And that beautiful voice… I had heard it before.

“I am Grace Grayson, and I will be serving as the leader of this performance troupe.” (Grace)

Ah… As I thought. It is Grace-san, the former leader of the Light’s Droplet Orchestra.

A chill ran down my spine. She was the one who tried to kill me. Together with Medna-san.

“Pleased to work with you all. Now, I would also like to introduce one more person, who will serve as our sub-leader, instructor, and conductor.” (Grace)

With a beckoning gesture, someone else came out from the back room. She had large curled horns on her head and short, wavy pale purple hair. She looked to be about the same age as me. There was no mistaking it. It was not just Grace-san being here.

“I am Alisa Hailwood, serving as the sub-leader. Nice to meet you…” (Alisa)

Of course it turned out this way.

Grace-san was exactly the same as the Grace-san in my memory. If anything, she looked a little more worn down. In contrast, Alisa had changed a lot. She had been so small, but now she had grown quite a bit. She was only slightly shorter than me and had become rather large overall.
Not just her height, but also her chest and hips had developed glamorously. But those two had taken part in trying to kill me, together with Medna-san.

“Please try to accept those people with a generous heart.” (Medna)

Medna-san… Even if you say that, I cannot help the anger that wells up inside me. Why is that? I have already come to terms with Medna-san in my heart, and yet I still feel irritation toward those two.

Those two should have shared the same ideals as Medna-san. Their thoughts should have been the same. In trying to leave a brighter future for the children, they caused the kidnapping incident. If so, then I should be able to forgive them. Yet I still feel I cannot forgive them.

Perhaps it is because I never exchanged heartfelt thoughts with them like I did with Medna-san. If we could just talk properly, maybe then…

While I stood there in a daze, the introductions and schedule explanations proceeded calmly.
Since everyone gathered here was already a musician, the explanations skipped over some parts. There were some technical terms unique to professionals that I did not quite understand.

After the round of explanations ended, Grace-san’s eyes met mine as my mouth hung open silently.

“Oh? You are…” (Grace)

Grace-san’s blue eyes caught me with a puzzled expression. However, that only lasted a moment. She relaxed her gaze and gave a suspicious smile.

“You there, the one with the tattoo. You are to come to the room in the back of the church after this.” (Grace)

“Eh…” (Jack)

What, are they trying to trap and kill me again? No, that seems unlikely. I don’t even know what those two are doing with their lives now. Could they possibly have some hidden motive for acting in this Aldridge ceremony as well? It’s convenient, so I’ll try to get some information out of them.

Resentment can only be resolved when people speak honestly with each other. It’s not like I hate those two so much that I want to kill them. I just feel a bit irritated. Kidnapping children is inexcusable. And yet, seeing them live their lives with such composed expressions is something I just can’t tolerate.

 

—

 

I knocked and then opened the door. The old wooden door creaked loudly as it swung open.

“Excuse me…” (Jack)

This was exactly what it means to be wary. After all, I had no idea how they might react. There could have been trap magic set up in this back room, and I might end up being treated horribly.

“You don’t need to be so cautious.” (Grace)

“…!” (Jack)

The back of the church seemed to be the priest’s quarters, a modest room with a single bed placed inside. Grace-san was sitting on that bed with her legs crossed. Next to her, I also spotted Alisa Hailwood quietly standing. It seemed to be a normal room. There was nothing particularly suspicious. There didn’t appear to be any traps set up either. Even so, both of them had a gloomy atmosphere. As for Alisa, it looked as if she was glaring at me.

“Do you remember me?” (Jack)

“There’s no way I could forget, Jack-kun.” (Grace)

Did she mean that in the sense of holding a grudge and being unable to forget?

“After all, it’s because of you that we’re like this now.” (Grace)

Is it because of me? The way she said it did sound like she bore a grudge.

Grace-san recrossed her legs. Her long legs shifted positions, and the sound of fabric brushing against itself reached my ears. Even in a situation like this, that movement came across as seductive. Lately, the male part of me had been surfacing more and more, getting in the way.

“There are many things I want to ask you, but before that…” (Grace)

I held my breath. I was tense. If she meant to fight again, I would take her on, but her power was beyond measurement. My intuition told me she was an even greater threat than Anfan Schwarzschild. Without thinking, I prepared myself and envisioned a combat strategy so that I could replicate my sword at any time. But contrary to my alert stance, Grace-san rose without any defense and approached me. Then, she slowly extended her right hand.

“Let’s make peace.” (Grace)

“Ha…” (Jack)

That right hand was clearly asking for a handshake. Her unexpected action left me bewildered.

“Not ‘ha,’ I said let’s make peace. There’s no point in holding a grudge forever. Men who cling to the past aren’t popular.” (Grace)

“Don’t mess with me!” (Jack)

Overcome by anger, I slapped her right hand away with a smack.

Forget the past, she said? She showed no sign of remorse. Even though she did something so terrible.

“Oh my, is something bothering you?” (Grace)

“You people committed a massive kidnapping, and now you’re living carefree like this! Before you talk about making peace, you should atone for your crimes first!” (Jack)

Overwhelmed with irritation, I ended up shouting for the first time in a while. In response to my outburst, both Grace-san and Alisa lowered their eyes, wearing indescribable expressions. They didn’t exactly look remorseful. It felt more like they were remembering something painful.

“Carefree… We haven’t been able to live like that.” (Grace)

“…?” (Jack)

“This bed, these clean clothes, they were all given to us out of charity by clinging to the Melpeque Church.” (Grace)

She spread her arms to show her appearance. Grace-san let out a long sigh, and then in a withered voice, as if deeply exhausted, she spoke.

“These past five years were miserable. Our names and faces were known, so we had no choice but to live in hiding. We barely survived on the food we managed to obtain through hunting. That includes Alisa too.” (Grace)

Alisa, who lowered her face, also looked sorrowful. And judging by the slightly sunken cheeks of Grace-san, I could tell that what she was saying wasn’t a lie. She was indeed thin.

“I think I’ve already atoned enough for my sins with such a hard life. Even so, are you still asking for atonement?” (Grace)

“That is…” (Jack)

“And what about you? Why are you here?” (Grace)

That was a word of caution. If I were on the opposing side, Grace-san would likely try to eliminate me. So, it was understandable that she asked about my reasons for coming here. I felt fear from her piercing blue eyes, which seemed to see right through me, and decided to open up. While her eyes were the opposite color of Medna-san’s, they held the same intensity.

“…I’m here as a bodyguard for a young lady, and I want to enter the Aldridge mansion.” (Jack)

“I see. You’re still helping people, huh? It’s impressive that you haven’t given up even at your age.” (Grace)

The real reason is a secret between me and Shia Randall. The fact that I am the son of Aldridge, and my wish to meet my parents as well, are all part of it. So, I’ll just tell her the surface reason.

“I admire the way you’re living, Jack-kun. And compared to that, we’ve really reflected on what we did in the past… What we did back then couldn’t be forgiven. That’s why, now, I’m trying to live honestly as a musician, doing whatever I can to bring a little happiness to others…” (Grace)

So, is this why they want to perform at this ceremony? She thinks that by making the celebration lively, they’ll bring happiness to the people. It’s at least somewhat logical. However, can I really believe that’s all there is to it? Perhaps there’s a hidden agenda as well. No, maybe it’s not good to jump to such conclusions.

Medna-san also said, “Accept them with a generous heart”. Shouldn’t I, too, grow up and follow that advice? At any rate, I’ve decided to apologize for slapping her hand earlier and for carelessly saying “living carefree”.

“I’m sorry for not knowing about your circumstances…” (Jack)

“Mm. Well then, let’s make peace again.” (Grace)

I took her extended hand and shook it. Her hand was so thin and cold, it almost seemed unhealthy. She was probably lacking proper nutrition.

If she stays in this condition, she would surely collapse eventually.

After I looked at her right hand in surprise, I returned my gaze to Grace-san. She brought her other hand to her lips and raised her finger. It seemed like she was telling me to be silent. Then, she whispered softly into my ear, “Promise me you won’t say anything that might worry Alisa”.

Then, Grace-san moved her face away and, as if resetting, spoke to me again.

“Welcome to my orchestra! The promising newcomer, Jack-kun, we can finally make music together!” (Grace)

Even with her sickly appearance, she smiled brightly. Seeing that, I felt all the hatred I had for Grace-san earlier vanish completely. Her appearance, as a leader trying not to worry the younger ones, seemed admirable and shining. I even wondered why I had felt negative emotions toward her in the first place. At this point, I might be able to trust Grace-san and go along with her.

“You will unexpectedly reunite with many people. Please try to accept those people with a generous heart.”  (Medna)

Medna-san’s words kept looping in my mind.

If I accept them, in return, they will accept me. Having lived in a world full of conflict, it’s become my bad habit to judge people as either enemies or allies. There is no clear “evil” in this world. If it does exist, it’s only misfortune born from misunderstandings. I will accept them. Grace-san and Alisa.

 

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(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)