In the end, that was it for him and Charlo. Charlo never suddenly remembered and came to visit him, and neither did Lowe go to visit him. That was all friendship was, ultimately. Ever since then, Lowe had never made friends, throwing himself into work alone.
Having gone on many years like that, one day when he turned fifteen, Lowe said to the guildmaster of the Dark Guild quite nonchalantly, “Hey, gramps. Can I leave the guild?”
“Go ahead.”
Lowe got permission so easily, he automatically spurted out the booze he’d been drinking.
Guildmaster Zepha, across from him, scowled in sincere distaste. “How dirty…please don’t.”
“Huh, really? I never thought you’d let me.”
“Do you think the Dark Guild is like some kind of organized crime profession?”
“Isn’t it?”
“So long as you don’t break the pact, I won’t do a thing. There are in fact a number of others who have had their memories erased and returned to society without a problem. Following the rules is the same for both the public sphere and the underworld.”
With a sigh, Zepha muttered, “Lowe…I remember that cruel thing I did to you, long ago.”
“…”
That cruel thing. Lowe knew immediately what Zepha meant. It was about Charlo. Having such a nostalgic memory brought up now made Lowe dimly think back on the past.
“…There’s nothing really for you to feel bad about.” Lowe shrugged with a casual smile. “That was my fault to begin with, for showing off forbidden techniques. I brought it on myself—”
“Hmm? I don’t feel particularly bad at all. That was all your fault.”
“… You rotten old fart…” Lowe knew that, but having it said to him with a nonchalant attitude and a stuck-out tongue pissed him off. Lips twitching, Lowe restrained the urge to sock him one and let out a hard sigh.
Seeing him like that, Zepha cackled gleefully. “While I don’t feel bad, ever since that incident, I’ve had the feeling like it was just a little early for you to join the Dark Guild.”
“What? You’re telling me that now? I’ve been with the Dark Guild over ten years, though.”
“You’ve managed to earn enough money to live, haven’t you?”
“…”
It was true that his initial goal was money to live. And then, just like he’d been aiming for, the Dark Guild had helped Lowe make money. They had given him the way to make money. In that sense, Lowe had fulfilled his goal in joining the Dark Guild.
“Lowe, you have something that we didn’t have. If you’ve fulfilled your goal, then there’s no need for you to be in the Dark Guild any longer.”
“You mean a Sigurth skill? Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard enough of those nasty comments—”
“Not that.” Zepha’s eyes pierced Lowe. “A heart capable of having hope in people.”
“…What?”
Seeing Lowe furrow his brow skeptically, Zepha cracked a smile. “People are hopelessly foolish creatures—that’s all that we think of them. You’re different. If you ever come to despair of people, then come back to the Dark Guild.”
“…I’m gonna erase my memories of forbidden techniques, however, so I won’t be useful even if I do come back, though.”
Once Lowe erased his memories of forbidden techniques, he wouldn’t be much different from any other black mage. And his Sigurth skill was difficult to control with regular spells, so it would become useless. Leaving the Dark Guild basically meant letting go of most of the combat techniques that he had cultivated thus far. Lowe was prepared for that.
“Oh yes, about that.” Suddenly Zepha’s tone brightened, and he stuck a finger up. “Lowe, why don’t we set one condition for a bargain? If you accept my condition, then I’ll exempt you from the memory erasure when leaving the Dark Guild. Since frankly, it’d be regrettable to lose your strength.”
“A condition?”
Always the crafty old man, Lowe thought, but he listened to what he had to say.
“How about in exchange for exempting you from the memory erasure of forbidden techniques, even after you’ve left, you help with our work? Specifically speaking, dealing with pact-breakers…since they have forbidden techniques and are tough to deal with. It has to be someone capable, or they’ll get killed instead.”
“It’s totally obvious your ulterior motive is to work me like a dog.”
“And you can keep your skill from being useless. It’s not a bad deal. You’re going to become an adventurer anyway, right?”
“…”
While he felt miffed at how Zepha was talking like he saw through everything, he was on the mark, so Lowe pouted. “It’s not like I’m that attached to forbidden techniques or my skill, though—”
“—Once we’re adventurers, let’s make a party!”
Lowe suddenly remembered that remark from long ago.
Had Charlo become an adventurer? Had he become a strong frontline attacker and found a party around now, and was setting out to dungeons? Maybe he might meet him again, as an adventurer.
…Well, if I’m going to be an adventurer, then it’d be advantageous to have some strong cards to play…
He couldn’t use Flama in front of other people, but there was no harm in having it as a means to protect himself if the time came. He didn’t like being made to help Zepha, but if he didn’t like it, then he could just get his memory erased and cut ties with the Dark Guild completely.
“Fine. I accept your condition.”
“Oh-ho. You’re being unusually obedient.”
“I don’t see a problem with that.”
“By the way, the boy Charlo who you used to play with long ago hasn’t become an adventurer.”
“…”
“Now he’s started a family and is living peacefully as a guild employee.”
Lowe sighed. “You really are a nasty old man. You’re gonna tell me that? You instantly shattered that dream I had.”
“I’d rather you say that I eliminated the time you’d waste chasing a pointless fantasy.” Cackling, Zepha suddenly lowered his voice. “Nothing you’re hoping for will happen. Are you all right with that?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
Even hearing that Charlo wasn’t an adventurer weirdly made sense to him. Charlo had been cheerful with lots of friends, and he could easily manage in society without bothering to throw himself into a dangerous job like adventurer. And plus, finding out that he wasn’t working a dangerous job was actually a relief.
“Then we have an agreement. I’ll get out of this depressing place right away.”
“Take care.”
And so when he left the Dark Guild and tried out being an adventurer, before he knew it, he had wound up with Silver Sword. He had planned to take it casually, and once he was satisfied, casually retire.
But—when the trouble that was the dark gods came around, it had made it difficult to leave. No, even more trouble than that was the presence of Jade and Lululee.
If Lowe used his forbidden technique in front of them, then of course Lowe would become a pact-breaker. Not only that, instantly the Dark Guild would come to the two of them and erase their memories. Lowe’s presence would be erased from their memories, and the details of that would be deleted.
“—…Who are you?”
The words Charlo had said had always ached, deep in his heart.
He had never thought that being forgotten would be this painful.
He just really didn’t want that.
Jade and Lululee were the only people he just didn’t want forgetting him. That’s why he hadn’t used forbidden techniques, no matter what the situation.
He did think he was stupid. Clinging to that, lying instead, deceiving his friends, and watching from a distance even when they were in terrible trouble—