Chapter 51

“Why?” “Because we’ll be fighting together. That makes us equals. It might be hard for you to see us that way, but that just means you have to work hard to catch up.” Argus ruffled Nick’s hair. Nick trained hard for three years after that day. He ran, built his strength, increased his flexibility, ate nutritious food, and sparred with his dagger and barehanded as well, all the while performing various chores for Combat Masters. Nick had dedicated himself to Argus’s teachings. “Build your strength but stay loose while fighting.” “Be conscious of your breathing.” “Your training never ends.” “Work on that until it becomes second nature.” “Don’t strain yourself.” “Stay disciplined.” Nick heard those words so often they had been carved into the back of his mind. Their paths had diverged, and while Nick no longer regretted leaving Argus’s party, he still respected the man as an instructor. “I can’t believe this…,” Karan said with admiration in her eyes. “You’re amazing, Nick!” Reina shouted, surprised. Nick had been training for a while with his mind free of intrusive thoughts. Just like with his time training with Argus, he did his best to put Ada’s words into practice so that the techniques became second nature. The fruits of his efforts were already showing. “I didn’t expect you to make this much progress in half a day. Even I’m impressed,” Ada said with a sigh as she watched Nick standing atop the clothesline. Nick jumped down and landed as softly as a cat. “I’ve still got a ways to go. If I don’t concentrate, the spell breaks, which means I’d have a hard time in a fight,” Nick responded. “You don’t need to use it all the time. That just makes it easier for your opponent to send you flying.” “So I’ll need to constantly activate and deactivate it throughout the fight? That sounds even harder.” “Don’t worry, you’ll get there with practice. Using it in battle becomes easy once you get used to the shifts in your weight.” “That’s what you did?” “Yeah. You can work at this spell as you go about your day. I recommend you do it every time you walk. That’s how I got good at it.” “Sounds like it just takes practice. I’m glad it’s easy.” “It takes a lot of time to get as good as the Steppingman, though it sounds like you have a plan to make up for that… Let’s call it here for today. I’m tired, too.” “Sorry to make you do this as you’re recovering.” Ada muttered her agreement and entered Anemone Alehouse through the back door. She asked a clerk if there were any suspicious customers; it seemed she still intended to act as a bouncer despite her injury. “Nick,” Karan called out before throwing him a wet towel. He let it drape over his head instead of catching it with his hands. The coolness of the towel felt refreshing against his flushed skin. “Thanks,” Nick said. “That was amazing. You looked like the Steppingman.” “No, I’m not that good yet. Using it freely in combat is gonna be really hard. They must be a master.” “But we know they’re not invincible.” “That’s right.” No matter how strong someone is, they can still lose. The Steppingman was just as capable of failure as they were. There were positives to the limitations of humankind. “Do you wanna learn the spell, too, Karan?” “Hmm… She said it’s hard for burly races like dragonians. I’ll stick to my strengths.” Karan had spent time with Reina while Nick trained. He saw her give the girl a ride on her shoulders so she could wave to him when he was on the clothesline, and the two worked together to help prepare food that would be served at the bar. She was surprisingly good with children. “You really like kids,” Nick said. “Is that weird?” Karan responded, blushing. “No, I didn’t say that. It’s a good thing.” Nick laughed and used the towel to wipe off his sweat. It was his first good workout in a while. He enjoyed taking time to free his mind and train. “She’s a good kid,” Karan said. “Yeah. She’s reckless, though. I think she’s too innocent for this place.” “There’s something off about the children around here. It’s kind of scary.” “They’re cunning little buggers. Take your eyes off them for one second and they’ll pickpocket you.” Many of the children in the southeast district of Labyrinth City worked. Some served as apprentices at bars and shops, and others assisted adventurers by carrying bags and running errands. There was only so much money a child could make, though, and so many of them turn to theft. The only way to get better at stealing was with actual practice, and not all children were good at it. Some were morally opposed despite having a knack for it, while others were drawn to it despite having no talent. It was the latter category who had made it easier for the Steppingman to operate without being discovered. The criminal didn’t have to do anything for those children to cross the line and put themselves in danger. Reina had managed to remain pure despite growing up in such an environment, even if she did tend to rush headlong into danger without much thought. She worried about her mother’s behavior, but never doubted her love and ability to protect her. “Zem has it rough if he even freezes up around kids like her,” Nick said. “Yeah… It’s too bad.” “Yep.” Nick hoped Zem would overcome his phobia eventually, but given how much little girls seemed to like him, it wasn’t going to be easy. This likely wouldn’t be the last time this issue caused him trouble. He might have needed his trauma for his own protection. Karan’s bitter smile matched Nick’s; they were probably thinking the same thing. “I’m sorry about Zem,” Reina said. “Oh, you could hear us?” Nick responded. They turned around to find her behind them. “I didn’t know I was causing him so much trouble.” “Ah…” “I want to apologize to him directly, but I think I’d only bother him.” “That’s why you haven’t been around much lately.” Reina nodded. She definitely hadn’t done anything reckless in a while. “I’ll tell him you apologized. He doesn’t blame you, you know. It’s just a mental problem caused by his trauma.” “Okay.” “But don’t go on any more adventures without an adult,” Nick said. Reina hesitated to answer. “Are you worried about your friends?” “Yeah…” “I get your desire to protect them yourself and to not rely on others. And to be honest, you have to be careful of who you trust in this world. Most people around here laughed at the rumors of a dangerous kidnapper. There are many who won’t hesitate to do bad things such as frame a person for a crime as revenge for being rejected, cheat at gambling, or trick a man into supporting them financially.” “There are a lot of bad adults, huh?” “Yeah. Make sure you keep that in mind.” Karan snorted with laughter. “Those examples sound familiar.” “Yeah. They’re all true stories,” Nick replied playfully. Reina responded with a serious nod. “I know I have to leave this to you all. But I hate not being able to do anything…” “You remember what Zem said, don’t you? You can return the favor once you grow up.” “Yeah…” “You can do whatever you want, including becoming an adventurer, once you’re old enough to judge who you can and can’t trust.” “Okay.” Reina looked glum as she listened. It seemed like she understood that she shouldn’t get involved. “Reina, help me out here! The laundry’s getting blown away,” Ada called out. “Y-yes, Mama!” Reina responded cheerfully, running off to help. Nick felt strangely touched as he watched mother and child work together to retrieve the laundry. “That goes for you guys, too! Get off your butts and help!” Ada yelled. “Whoops, sorry,” Nick said. He and Karan joined the other two as they chased after the flying laundry.