Chapter 21: Well, Let's Do Well With The Same Protagonist (4)

It was around the evening time when the sun was setting in the background, when Mars finally struck down the wolf with a wooden sword. He took a deep breath and wiped his sweaty face with his arms.

As his breathing calmed down a bit, he flopped down on the floor.

He was dead tired—he had been moving his body all day long.

Cloud went and sat down next to him.

“How’s it? How do you feel about killing a wolf for the first time?”

What the, that’s what you ask from someone who is finally getting his piece of rest after being worked to death?

‘Don’t now people usually say that you have worked hard?’

Mars looked at Cloud with a fed-up expression, then sighed and released his expressions.

Come to think of it, he was always like that, rather, being normal would be his abnormality.

“Honestly speaking, I was scared sh!t at first. I was so nervous that I couldn’t even move ambly.”

It felt like his heart had stopped moving when the wolf growled and showed it’s razor sharp fangs.

“However, I managed to hit it once, and that once became twice, and the twice became thrice, and at some point, I was just no longer afraid.”

Instead of fear, rapacious fighting spirit filled his heart as if to outflow to his mind. A wolf’s wild predatory gaze and sharp molars frighten him no longer.

“Is that so? Good job.”

Cloud smiled and patted Mars on the back. When Cloud, who was stingy with his praises, praised him, Mars smiled brightly as well.

“Right bro. It’s something I’ve been wondering about before. Why do you hate Isabelle so much?”

Some may not like someone else in their first encounter, havit a bad first impression. However, Cloud’s attitude toward Isabelle was too extreme.

Mars couldn’t help but wonder why.

Cloud spoke, looking straight into Mars’s eyes.

“You like her, don’t you?”

“W, What?!”

Mars was taken aback by the sudden query. What followed was a combination of crude excuses that were embarrassing to even utter. Only after a while, was Mars finally able to calm himself down.

He slowly nodded his head in affirmation.

“…Yes, that’s correct. I do like Isabelle.”

“Then isn’t it good for you that I hate her? To be honest, I was a bit sassy indeed. But, if I had been interested in her, it would have been the end for you, buddy. You won’t even stand a chance, ha.”

Cloud rubbed his palm against his neck.

Just then he thought—no, Mars will have his confidence shambled, but, he had nothing to console with, because everything he said was too true.

Compared to Mars, who has a moderately decent appearance, Cloud had a face that made him look like a high nobleman.

Frankly speaking, Mars was indeed a little relieved from inside that Cloud was hostile to Isabelle.

As Mars was feeling the bitterness of reality, Cloud opened his mouth while savouring the last glow of sunset.

“…I also had a childhood friend like Isabelle.”

Mars realized that those words were the real answer to his question. He listened to Cloud with a serious expression.

“I was an orphan. I lost my parents when I was young, so I can’t even remember their faces.”

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Mars widened his eyes.

Perhaps it was because he couldn’t fathom that Cloud was an orphan like him.

“And, you know what? Children are pure and innocent, but sometimes cruel too. I was bullied by the village children because I had no parents.”

“…”

“At that time, the only friend who reached out to me was Neria. She was the village chief’s granddaughter, and she always took care of me and, helped me.”

She was the village chief’s granddaughter, so, the village bullies did not dare say anything reckless about Cloud anymore. Saying that, Cloud chuckled with a nostalgic expression on his face.

“I liked her as a kid. How can I not? She was the one and only person who took care of me when the world ignored me. Can’t help but falling in love with her, eh?”

Mars smiled and nodded his head as if he knew that feeling too. That’s what Isabella was to him too.

“And, you know what? Neria’s dream was the same, just like your’s—to become a knight. It was a dream too big for a small village chief’s granddaughter.”

“…”

“But she did not give up on. She ardently practiced her swordsmanship skills, and even saved her pocket money to buy herself a sword. I knew, she was just meant for it. So I decided to follow her. I wanted to like what she liked too.”

Mars continued to listen quietly.

“After a lot of hard work, I finally got the right to stand by her side. We went on many adventures. Caught monsters and meet many new people. Then, we met a man.”

Mars noticed.

When Cloud mentioned ‘a man’, his face contorted for a moment.

However, he soon returned to his normal laid back expression and continued the conversation.

“That man had some pretty great skills. He was honestly much stronger than me. He wanted to accompany us and we gladly accepted it.”

That was a mistake. Cloud murmured under his breath while sneakily glancing at Mars.

“Our adventures continued, and then from a certain moment, the distance between the two of them began to grow closer. In case of a critical situation, Neria relied more on him than on me. It lobbed my pride, but what could I do?It was true that I was weak, too weak.”

Cloud had a deep sense of defeat on his face.

Mars had no choice but to swallow his saliva. Cloud so much stronger than him, but even someone like him couldn’t do anything…

Once again, he felt that the continent was wide.

“I thought it was fine though. Unlike him, I thought that Neria and I were bound by a strong bond. Have you ever felt the same way with that lass named Isabelle?”

“Yeah, I do feel that way.”

When he gets married later, his wife could only be Isabelle.

—Mars had that conviction.

“But, it was all an illusion.”

“…huh?”

It felt like suddenly a hammer hit his head.

Before Mars could back come back to his senses, Cloud continued.

“It was that one night. It was a particularly sleepless night. I wanted to go for a night walk, at that time, I noticed that she wasn’t in the bed next to me. I was trying to find out where she had gone when I heard some strange noises from the room next door. The voices from the room next door was Neria’s. An ominous imagination gripped my mind. But, I opened my door, believing it was nothing like that.”

Mars swallowed his saliva.

“But, my damned ominous imaginations had have always been right. What I saw through the gap in the door… was Neria, who was biting that man’s cock.”

There were many emotions on Cloud’s face, which he struggling to hold up to this point.

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Sadness. Anger. Betrayal. Disappointment, etc.

It was mixed, with all the negative emotions that a human could imagine was mashed up in a hodgepodge.

Seeing that expression, Mars couldn’t almost breathe for a moment.

“That, big bro…”

“Ah… I’m sorry, I must have been too empathetic. It’s been a while, but even now, when I think of it, it’s comes up like this, mh.”

Cloud had an awkward expression as he shook the back of his head.

“Anyway, that’s why that lass named Isabelle didn’t look so nice to me. Because… she was just as beautiful and just as youthful as Neria back then.”

“…..”

“Haha, loosen your face, you baby chick. This is just my story anyway. Your’s would be different, right?”

“…Yes, definitely.”

“Ha, look at heavy atmosphere I caused. I was just talking. Thanks to you, I now have to say goodbye in this heavy atmosphere.”

Mars, who had a grim expression on his face, widened his eyes.

“Goodbye?”

“Yeah, I’m no mama bird, boy. I can’t stay here forever.”

“Yeah, b-but… can’t you just stay a little longer?”

“Nope. To be honest, I’m already running a little late.”

Having said that with a grin, Cloud took out a money bag from his arms and threw it at Mars. Mars, who received the heavy money bag, tilted his head.

“This..?”

“About 2000 gold. With this, go to a Swordsmanship Guild in a nearby town and learn some cool sword skills.”

“2000 gold?!”

Mars looked at the money bag in his hand, startled like a little lamb.

He never held 100 gold in his whole life, let alone 2000 gold.

Mars’s hand holding the money bag trembled.

He resolutely shook his head and handed the money bag back to Cloud.

“No, I don’t think this is right. I cannot pay you back.”

“Duh, what should I do of a guy who wants to become a brave knight but is scared of some measly 2000 gold?”

“Still…”

“Succeed in your ventures and pay me back, you idiot. Don’t worry, it’s interest free!”

The grim expression on Cloud’s face was long gone. He patted Mars’s back with a bright smile as usual.

To that, Mars also laughed helplessly.

“Yes, I will pay it back after I make it big.”

“Do pay it back. Don’t die before you do, you stubborn punk.”

After giving him a few more tips, he turned his back and left. Mars waved his hand to see him off.

Eventually, when he disappeared from sight, Mars’ expression darkened.

Because of the recount Cloud had told him earlier.

‘Cloud bro is handsome.’

Not just handsome, but very handsome.

He is also slightly taller than average and has a good physique. He is a skilled adventurer and not poor.

His personality is little questionable, but still charismatic in it’s own right.

He was the one who took care of Mars like no other, he was a kind man too.

‘…Yet brother’s love did not come true.’

He devoted himself to the woman he liked, but his love was not reciprocated.

Cloud had no shortages.

Cloud was like that too, but, what about him?

He is uglier than Cloud, has no skills to speak of, was dirt poor, with a less interesting personality.

He was how he was.

“Mars! Did that big brother go? Can I come up now?”

Just then, his unrequited love, Isabelle showed up.

She was as lovely as ever.

However, Mars’s gaze on her was quite complicated.

* * *

I didn’t stop by this village to take Mars with me.

Of course, if I take Mars with me and train him, he will grow quickly, but…

‘It could be a poison pill instead.’

What is a protagonist?

Isn’t it referring to someone who overcomes the hard trials that befall on him in the name of fate and carves out a path of his own way ahead?

But what if I take Mars with me and change his ways?

‘That’s no longer the main character.’

It’s just an extra or a slightly important supporting role.

That’s why I didn’t take Mars with me.

Because that guy has to carve his own path as the main character.

All I can do for him is to give him some advice and to steer him on his path while being away from tragedy.

‘My lie must have created a stir in Mars’ heart.’

Hopefully the next time we meet, the stir will be bigger and ready to become waves that leads him to joy.

* * *

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