Chapter 283 – First Meeting
A squid bigger than a ship. That’s truly a monster.
It was understandable that it was considered dangerous and had a bounty on its head.
The only problem was that the monster was dead.
And it wasn’t just dead.
As the ship approached it, the situation …
“Uh, ugh…”
“Wow… it’s all, sploshy sploshy, Big brother.”
Espie said it in a cute way, but it was a reaction unique to Espie, who has experience in war, and it actually was quite gory.
The head of what appeared to be a giant squid… was crushed as if it had been struck by something huge, and its many limbs have been carved and smashed.
It had clearly been “brutally slaughtered by someone”.
“Oh, wa, wh, what’s going on!”
“I, I can’t believe it…”
“This is, who would do this…”
So, who did this?
And I could see the figure of the guy who probably knew the answer.
“Hey, there’s someone over there!”
“Oh, really, in a small boat… Hmm?”
“Wait, wh, what’s that?”
The sailors also noticed his presence, and at the same time cried out in surprise.
That’s only natural…
“Huh? Wh…. eh? A child?”
I was the same.
“Big brother! There’s someone… a small boy!”
Yes, the one on the small boat was small in stature… or rather, a kid that was not much different from Espie.
“…… Hmm?”
Then the kid on the small boat turned around and looked back at us.
I couldn’t help but shudder.
Just like when I first met the child Espie, as if there was no sign of life or hope in his eyes… huh?
『…… Hmm?』
「…… Hey, Tre’ainar…」
『…… unh…』
「Hey…」
However, the face of the kid… or rather, he looked very familiar…
“………………………”
“””””………………………”””””
“………………………”
“””””………………………”””””
“………………………”
“””””………………………”””””
Silence. The kid turned to us and remained speechless, and we were speechless too, and the atmosphere was heavy.
Then, he noticed us, and even though we were in his field of vision, he just looked at us as if he didn’t show any interest or concern.
“…… Hmph.”
Eventually, the kid decided we didn’t matter and turned to face forward.
“”What? Won’t you say anything!?'”
At that moment, all the crew members of the ship made a retort at the same time.
Then the kid turned around again…
“So noisy… your breath stinks… don’t just show up and scream in droves… are you trying to rile me up?”
Wow…… very touchy, isn’t he?
But, none of the grownups have said anything “cheeky” or “annoying” to the kid.
He was a mysterious and creepy kid who stood next to the carcass of a large monster that seemed to be The Lord of the Inland Seas.
No wonder we were swallowed up by the strangeness of it all…
“Aaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!”
And then, Espie shouted out loud.
And while pointing at the monster’s carcass and trembling…
“Th, that’s… is that the squid with the prize…?”
“……?”
“Hey… is that bounty!?”
“…… well, yes, but… is there something wrong?”
The kid answered Espie’s question in a flat voice, but Espie gritted her teeth in frustration at his words.
“Ugh~…… that…… I was supposed to blow it away…”
“Huh?”
“I, if I beat it up… Big brother would hug me… uh~~, I was supposed to blow it away!!”
Is that right!?
That’s what everyone would have thought.
For Espie, it seemed that the feeling of having her prey stolen was greater than the fact that the kid had defeated such a huge monster, and she slumped down on the deck with a pout.
Then the kid sighed at Espie’s words.
“You? Hmm~…… good grief. What a noisy, brainless girl.”
“Huh? …… just now…… what did you say? About me… huh?”
“So you’re not only dumb, you’re deaf too.”
“Mm, mmmmmmm!!!!”
Oh, Espie’s cheeks are puffed out and she’s furious.
“Hey hey, stop it.”
“But, Big brother!”
“Yes, yes, okay okay.”
And this time, I thought.
I see, their first meeting and first impression were the worst…
“Hey, hey, sonny! That looks like the Great Sea King Squid, but, um, did you really do this?”
“Can’t you tell just by looking? You’re an adult, but you’re not very smart.”
“Ah, oh, eh, oh…”
“Can you please get out of my way already? I must now cut off the necessary parts to prove the completion of the subjugation.”
“Ah, w, wait! Hey, wh, who are you!?”
And at the question of the sailor, the kid let out a small sigh…
“I’m ‘Slayer’, I’m a Hunter.”
“”””Eeeh!!??””””
I knew it. Tre’ainar and I smiled wryly when we heard the name.
“Slayer, that rumored boy genius!?”
“The so-called Ironheart, or child prodigy… that Slayer!?”
At the same time, there were astonished voices from the surroundings.
It seemed that he was famous even in this era.
“Ha, haha… h, hey, Slayer! If you want, I can strap it to this ship and carry it for you. If you caught such a huge giant squid, I’d like to show it to the people in the harbor!”
“…… Hmm? What? Do you want to sell me a favor and get a piece of my earnings? You’re a lowly adult.”
“Um, no, that’s not what I meant…”
“Well, but… then… I won’t have to cut this and get all sorts of splatters that make my body smell… I guess I’ll ask you to do that. How much money do you want?”
“Oh, ooh, I don’t need any money! It’s just, I’d rather show everyone at the harbor…”
“I don’t take favors from others, I won’t owe anything. That’s it.”
“Ah, oh, oh…”
Well, that’s the kind of attitude he has toward everyone.
He also responded coldly to the grownup sailor’s question.
Even if the other party is an adult, he will throw harsh words straight at them. There was no honorific or respect for the elderly.
I mean, the wording from just a while ago was not that of a child…
『…… you do not have enough respect either…』
「Yes yes, I revere my master… but still…」
Well, leaving aside the inner exchange, in any case, it doesn’t change the fact that he was a cocky kid.
But at the same time, I know he was an amazing guy.
「So that’s the shopkeeper…」
『Mm-hmm…』
In the future, I asked Tre’ainar to tell me about his background, but actually seeing it like this was still different.
In the first place, how did he defeat such a big monster with such a small body…
“Phew… yotto…”
Then, Slayer jumped onto the ship after the conversation.
Standing in the same space like this, I could see that he gave off an even more unique aura.
“Uh~, ugh~……”
“What?”
“Hmm.”
And Espie growled at Slayer while clinging to my legs.
“Good grief, you’re like a child pampered by your family… so quick to get angry and selfish … you’re a shameful child.”
No, both you and Espie are children…
“Unyu!? I’m not shameful! I get along with Big brother, so it’s okay!”
“Nonsense… don’t stare at me if you don’t need anything. It’s annoying.”
“Th, thi, thiiiiiiiiiis!”
Oh~~, enough!
“Stop!”
“Ggu, b, big brother!”
Espie was about to snap and jump at any moment, but before that, I grabbed her and stopped her.
Even while I held her, Espie tried to rampage with her legs flailing, I was also getting a headache.
“Geez… so, calm down… and you too, okay?”
“Hmm? Are you talking about me?”
“Yeah. That’s too much… don’t be cold to girls, okay? For girls… treat with tender care”
At that time, I thought I would casually say something, but I was feeling a little sensitive about a lot of things lately… Sadiz, the princess and so on…
『Right, boomerang!』
Tre’ainar was in the mood to poke it in.
But then, to me…
“…… What did you just say…”
Slayer snickered.
“I’m not interested in other people. I don’t care about anyone else. I fight alone, I live alone… I don’t want to be lectured by family members who pamper and spoil each other.”
“…… you… where did you learn that kind of language?”
“Hmph.”
Saying that, Slayer turned on her heel with cold eyes and walked away.
In the future, he was so interested in me, and he would be crazy about Curry… people change…
Yes, speaking of change…
“Uh~~, whaaat is, that boy! Hmph, such a potty mouth! And gloomy! I….. hate boys like that! Bleh! Weirdo.”
Incidentally, these two later became lovers and were about to get married more than a decade later… I want to make a retort, but since only me and Tre’ainar know about it, I decided to keep it to myself.
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