New chapter of Single Old Man is out! (1/2 chapters)

 

 

At That Time, the Scarlet Camellia (Verde’s Ordeal)

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

“Haa…” (Rosso)

“…Haa.” (Ao)

“Fuuu…” (Blanche)

When Rosso, Ao, and Blanche sighed deeply in unison, Verde, who stood behind them, clapped her hands sharply.

When the three turned to her, Verde placed her hands on her hips and spoke in a mildly reproachful tone.

“You three are far too spiritless. Honestly, is that acceptable for the renowned ‘Scarlet Camellia’?” (Verde)

At present, Rosso and her companions had traveled about two days’ distance from the royal capital. They had come to annihilate a wild orc settlement, or rather, they had already destroyed it and were now inspecting the remains. An S-rank monster known as the General Orc had formed the settlement, commanding nearby orcs and inflicting damage upon surrounding villages and towns. That was why Rosso and the others were dispatched. However, all three seemed curiously unmotivated.

The battle itself had concluded successfully, yet Verde was dissatisfied.

“Rosso, you are injured.” (Verde)

“Eh? Ah, you are right.” (Rosso)

A small cut marked Rosso’s arm.

“Blanche, did you not notice?” (Verde)

“Ah, yes… I am sorry.” (Blanche)

Only now realizing it, Blanche used healing to treat Rosso’s wound.

“Ao, you forgot to find this.” (Verde)

“…Ah, sorry.” (Ao)

In Verde’s hand was a necklace that the orcs had stolen from a nearby village.  ormally, Ao would have located such an item immediately.

Verde gathered the three of them at the center of the orc village and made them sit on a fallen log.

“Honestly, you three are far too complacent!” (Verde)

“…” (Rosso/Ao/Blanche)

“I am here now, so nothing went wrong, but if something happens when I am not around, it could end in disaster. I worry about you all!” (Verde)

“…We are sorry.” (Rosso/Ao/Blanche)

The three drooped their heads. Verde felt a twinge of guilt, but stopping here would make her scolding meaningless. She decided to clarify the cause right there.

“So, are you really that displeased that Gentoku has become friendly with Valen and the others?” (Verde)

The three of them flinched slightly at her words. Verde continued.

“Rosso, do you like Gentoku?” (Verde)

“Of course I do. He is my drinking buddy, fun to be around, surprisingly fit, kind, and he makes all sorts of interesting magical tools for us.” (Rosso)

“But Gentoku is not kind only to you, is he? I have not known him for long, but he seems to treat everyone with the same kindness he shows you.” (Verde)

“…That is true.” (Rosso)

“Then, you cannot blame Valen for getting along with him. Gentoku has no reason to dislike Valen as you do.” (Verde)

“…” (Rosso)

Valencia Orange, the third son of Baron Orange.

Rosso’s home village lay within Baron Orange’s domain, a poor rural settlement where even maintaining the main road was a struggle. When plague and famine struck, no aid came quickly. The village chief once petitioned the baron to repair the road, only to be rejected outright.

That was not all. During a plague outbreak, the baron neither sent physicians nor dispatched supplies. He abandoned them.

Rosso’s parents died from that plague.

By chance, Rosso survived, as immense mana flowed within her. Yet her village remained impoverished, and its people lived in hardship. Rosso became an adventurer, spending most of her earnings to rebuild roads and support his village.

“I still hate Valen.” (Rosso)

“Honestly, Rosso, still holding onto that?” (Verde)

“You would not understand, Verde.” (Rosso)

To Rosso, the baron who had abandoned his people and his third son, Valen, were objects of hatred and contempt.

When Valen later became an adventurer and met Rosso, he had said, smiling, “Ah, that village… Sorry, but I am just a commoner who happens to be born to a baron’s family”. Even when Rosso spoke of the time her village had nearly been destroyed, Valen had smiled that same smile.

Once, when her hometown was mocked, Rosso had nearly fought Verde to the death. But this time, when the hatred swelled beyond control, she was shocked to find that she had grown calm instead. From this, Rosso learned that overwhelming killing intent could, paradoxically, cool the mind.

“…I still hate seeing that guy getting along with Ossan.” (Rosso)

“Then, you should tell Gentoku. He will not hate you for it, but I doubt he is the type to chase after someone just because they are upset.” (Verde)

“…I understand.” (Rosso)

Hearing that, Rosso tightened her lips in reluctant acceptance.

 

—

 

“Ao, you as well.” (Verde)

“I know, but… it is Ung.” (Ao)

“So, it is about him too.” (Verde)

Ung and Ao came from the same orphanage and shared the same mentor.

Only Rosso, Blanche, and Verde knew that both were raised in one of the underworld guilds, the Assassin Guild, an organization that trained assassins and spies.

Ao had been recognized for her exceptional talents in both magic and assassination techniques and earned the highest title within the Assassin Guild, that of Master Assassin.

Ung, also a Master Assassin, had once been her partner.

“What does Ung think of you, Ao?” (Verde)

“…He hates me.” (Ao)

The Assassin Guild in the Edelstein Kingdom had been annihilated by Ao herself. There, she had killed her own mentor, a nun who had raised her, served as head of the orphanage, and was known as the strongest assassin in the kingdom.

Ung had witnessed the act. He called her “parent-killer”. But Ao had no other choice.

“…Even so, I do not believe what I did was wrong.” (Ao)

“Eh?” (Verde)

The Assassin Guild’s existence had been exposed to the royal family.

To eliminate the evidence, their superior ordered Ao and Ung to dispose of all the children under their care. Thus, Ao killed her mentor instead. She then turned over the guild’s records and evidence to the Edelstein Kingdom, leading to a royal purge that wiped out the guild entirely.

Ao was granted amnesty and released. Ung, who had taken no action, was also freed because Ao claimed him as her ally. When they parted ways, Ung had called her a betrayer who killed her parent.

“Ao, do you like Gentoku?” (Verde)

“…Yes.” (Ao)

“You dislike seeing him get along with Ung, do you not?” (Verde)

“…Yes.” (Ao)

“Then, you should say it clearly to him.” (Verde)

“…I have done something bad to him.” (Ao)

Ao lowered her head and went completely still.

 

—

 

“Blanche, it is unusual for you as well.” (Verde)

“I know it is childish.” (Blanche)

“It is about Lind, isn’t it?” (Verde)

“…” (Blanche)

Blanche was from an orphanage unconnected to the Assassin Guild, unlike Ao.

However, it was an orphanage devoted to the worship of the main deity of the Edelstein Kingdom, the goddess Castellenos. Daily prayers, three times a day, were routine for Blanche.

When she turned 10, her extraordinary mana led her to be hailed as the reincarnation of the goddess, and she was summoned to the Grand Temple of Castellenos to serve as a Saint.

“…Lind.” (Verde)

“You cannot forgive her?” (Verde)

“Yes.” (Blanche)

Suddenly, Blanche was stripped of her title as Saint. She could not understand why. A new girl from another orphanage, Lind, was chosen in her place. The reason was astonishing.

“Because of her great strength and resemblance to the goddess’s portrait.” (Blanche)

“What does that mean?” (Verde)

Lind bore an uncanny resemblance to the depiction of the goddess Castellenos in the temple’s sacred paintings. Moreover, as the legends said the goddess possessed immense physical strength, Lind’s unnatural strength only reinforced their belief.

Unlike Blanche, who had concealed her own strength in pursuit of a refined image befitting a saint, Lind flaunted hers, even enjoying it.

“She was not suited to be a Saint. Well, it no longer matters now.” (Blanche)

It no longer mattered that the title of Saint had been taken from her.

Yet everything about Lind’s behavior was unworthy of that role. She ate gluttonously, neglected her three daily prayers, and squandered donations on leisure. What disillusioned Blanche most was that none of the adults rebuked her.

Blanche grew disenchanted with the goddess herself and left the church to become an adventurer. But she still could not bring herself to like Lind.

“This is the third time, but that has nothing to do with Gentoku, does it?” (Verde)

“That is true.” (Blanche)

“Then, tell Gentoku how you feel properly.” (Verde)

“…” (Blanche)

Verde thought to herself that the three of them disliked seeing Gentoku get along with Valen, and the others far more than she had imagined.

Then, she murmured softly.

“Perhaps I should speak with Gentoku once.” (Verde)

Verde realized then that without an enemy bound by fate, one could only end up playing the role of a mediator.

 

—

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