Armida made a moony face.
“I still don’t get it anyway. You just take care of her, little bro.”
“Why should I take care of her? She’s gotta take care of her own life. And I’ve gotta go now. See you later.”
As I was about to step outside, she stopped me again.
“Oh! When you’re gone, Shura asked this question.”
I turned around and looked at her.
“What question?”
“If everyone insists on their own path, quarrels and conflicts won’t stop. So how can anyone solve this problem?”
I clicked my tongue. Shura’s weakness was the lack of experience in this world.
“What the hell? Why is she worried about something stupid and meaningless? So, what did you tell her?”
“You’re the one who should deal with swordsmanship. So, I didn’t say anything to her.”
“Then go and tell her this. After people fight against each other so horrendously, they all figure out to stay alive together. Otherwise, everyone will be dead in the end.”
Once she heard my response, she tilted her head on the side.
“But eventually they will fight against each other again to the death, won’t they?”
“Well… Yes, they will.”
“Then it’s all meaningless, isn’t it?”
“Why is it meaningless? It still matters.”
“Why does it matter?”
“Hey sis, fighting against each other is completely normal. You think it’s going to be like Heaven once all the people can live in harmony, right? Actually, it’s totally the opposite. Hell gate will be open instead. Why? Humans can’t live together unless their reality is like hell.”
The funny thing was that I had seen something similar to a true symbiosis of humanity in my past life during the Era of Destruction. At that time, humans pulled together with Orcs, one of their arch-enemies. The High Elves built trust and joined forces with their foe, the Dark Elves. The reason was they all wanted to survive in hell where all humanity was being wiped out.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t get it. You just take care of it, little bro.”
As she left while waving her hand, I walked out the door.
Our world was such a weird place. The utopia which all people wanted could be only realized once the hell gate opened. I had no idea what purpose God had when he created our world like this.
Perhaps he wasn’t very serious when he created our world. The Orcs might be good evidence. They’re so ugly as if they were halfheartedly created by him.
* * *
Kara’s streets were crowded just as usual. The difference from the other day was that Kara’s patrol warriors were looking at me with envious eyes.
It’s probably because of the Fraker-hunting a few days ago. Since I wore a white mask, I was too noticeable and indeed a word once out flew everywhere.
Soon after, I arrived near the western gate and saw people crowding in alleys around the area. I went closer and found out that there were hundreds of Orc mercenaries standing around the street vendor with their faces down. They poked the tips of their weapons on the ground as a sign of respect to Zenbe.
‘Uncle Orc must feel tired because of those stalkers.’
Among the Orc mercenaries in Kara, many had crossed the Great Desert after being defeated in power struggles with other Orc tribes. Not surprisingly, they went through many hardships and frustrations. Thus, a prominent figure Zenbe was a ray of hope for them. If they served Zenbe, they would no longer be the expelled losers but the subordinates of a great hero and could return to their homeland, the Northern Orc Meadow.
I walked through those dense alleyways filled with Orc mercenaries and arrived at the front of Zenbe’s street vendor. Everyone with intimidating faces was sitting at chairs.
“From an owner of a street vendor to a leader of a street gang…? I think your class keeps downgrading, uncle.”
He stared at me with sharp eyes.
“Whose fault do you think it is?”
“Obviously, it’s your fault. Why are you trying to blame others?”
“Do you think you have a right to say that?”
“What the hell? You’re the one who used the magic of Titania during the battle before, aren’t you? A Master-level Berserker who uses the magic of Titanita? Who wouldn’t be able to find out that it’s you? Although you’re an Orc, you should think wisely sometimes. Phew~ Tsk, tsk.”
“Ughh.”
He made a sheepish face. He must be thinking he did make some mistakes during the last batter. Without caring about his situation, I just looked at the cooked food displayed on the table. There’s plenty of food ingredients left. It seemed he didn’t have any customers today even though lunch hour had passed already. And it’s no surprise since no one would come to eat at a street vendor filled with a crowd of intimidating Orc mercenaries.
“Whatever. Just give me some food.”
“What do you want to eat?”
“The same stuff that I had last time.”
Zenbe cut the bread in half with a knife and put chopped meat and boiled vegetables inside. But this time, he put a different sauce which looked weird. It must be some new sauce he made.
While cooking, he glanced at me.
“By the way, did you come here just to eat?”
“Partly for eating and partly for other stuff. You didn’t come to my office to receive your payment. So that’s why I came here.”
“Did Adan pay you already? I thought it would take some time.”
“Why?”
“Kara is famous for processing its military administration very slowly.”
“Really? Then it’s probably because these Orc mercenaries gather around you, uncle.”
It seemed there were at least 700 Orc mercenaries gathered around his street vendor. Nearly all the Orc mercenaries in Kara might be here right now. Besides, the Orc mercenaries in other deserts would hear about the news and come as well in several days. Then the total number of the Orc mercenaries would be dangerously high.
With sharp eyes, Zenbe scowled at the Orc mercenaries around his street vendor.
“I have never thought they’re gonna be useful sometimes.”
“I told you. There’s no one useless in the world. There’s only an incompetent leader who can’t properly utilize the skills and talents of his subordinates.”
“These mercenaries here are not my subordinates!”
As Zenbe shouted all of a sudden, the Orc mercenaries standing nearby shrank up their bodies.
“Uncle, I didn’t mean it for real. I just took it for instance.”
“Urghh.”
He avoided my eye contact and shied away from a conversation with me. Then I took a clicking bag of money out of my arms.
“Here you go. It’s 300 riffs of gold.”
He looked at the heavy bag of money with sharp eyes.
“Hey, you human. I hunted five Frakers and you hunted only two. So, why do I get only 300 riffs of gold?”
“Uncle, you’re a part-time employee and I am the boss. If it seems unfair, you should become the boss. You’ve got plenty of mercenaries around you here. Why don’t you start your own agency?”
“No way!”
He snatched the bag of money quickly. He could definitely make a good living with that 300 riffs of gold.
I looked at Zenbe who started cooking again.
“So, that’s gonna be the last dish you cook?”
“I guess so.”
“But it won’t be that easy.”
He stared at me as if he was thinking it’s nonsense.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Money is like a shitfly on your forehead. It disappears in the blink of an eye.”
“300 riffs of gold is a huge sum of money.”
“Every month, I spend that amount of money on my entertainment expenses.”
“Because you’ve got a lavish spending habit.”
I shrugged my shoulders, meaning he’s right because it’s true.
“But I guess you’re not any different than me, are you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t know how valuable money is, right? Those who don’t know the value of money can’t keep money for a long time. I am also one of them. That’s why I know. Hehehe.”
Handing me a cooked bread dish, he scowled at me.
“So, what’s your point?”
I took a bite of bread filled with meat.
“If you don’t wanna go starving later, you should earn your daily bread.”
“I took an oath not to grab a sword ever again. And I have enough money now so I also don’t have to use a kitchen knife anymore.”
“Who told you to grab a sword? You can only earn your bread by using a sword? You’re overreacting, uncle.”
“That’s… Urghhh.”
Zenbe made a sheepish face and didn’t know what to say. I was right. Carrying a load is one of the ways to earn daily bread for someone. Running a trade goods store is also one way of earning daily bread. In fact, there were more jobs which didn’t require using a sword than those which required.
I sucked the sauce on my finger.
“Uncle, you’re too obsessed with a sword. That’s why you feel uncomfortable even if you try not to grab a sword anymore. If you really took an oath not to grab a sword, you should give up a sword in your heart first.”
He gently glanced at me.
“A sword in my heart?”
“Yeah. If you don’t give up a sword in your heart, you can’t keep your oath even though you put away your sword for now. Because you will grab your sword someday after all.”
“How come?”
“This street vendor is another proof. Honestly, you can take other jobs but you’re running a street vendor instead. It’s all because you haven’t given up a sword in your heart.”
He pondered in silence and shortly after nodded his head. Actually, there’s no reason that he had to grab a kitchen knife since he could take other jobs if he wanted.
“Well, I admit that I was not 100% true to my oath.”
“But I understand you, uncle. It’s not that easy for a swordsman to give up his sword. With a sloppy mindset, you can’t even keep your half-hearted oath.”
“Then how can I keep my oath?”
“There’s only one way. For now on, you should wield a sword every day and night until you give up a sword in your heart.”
Zenbe gently stared at me. I was supposed to tell him how to give up a sword and I told him to grab a sword instead. So, he must feel dumbfounded.
“Are you kidding me?”
“I am not kidding. I knew it right away. Your obsession with the sword is probably based on your ugly desire which has become a sword in your heart. That’s why you can’t give up a sword in your hand. The more you put away a sword in your hand, the more a sword in your heart will come closer to you and become sharper. This is the way one’s desire works.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Another example is when you go to the bathroom. Let’s say you really need to go to a bathroom very urgently but you keep insisting not to go. Then you will start thinking about going to a bathroom all the time. And when you finally go to a bathroom later and take a pee, you can go back to your normal life without thinking about a bathroom anymore. This is how matters in our world work. I thought you knew about this, uncle.”
Zenbe cupped his chin in his hand. It sounded kinda dirty but still gained his sympathy.
“Yeah. I think that makes sense.”
“So, you should make your decision. Are you going to give up only a sword in your hand? Or a sword in your heart as well? If you choose to give up only a sword in your hand, your oath would become half-hearted. If you choose to give up a sword in your heart as well, you could add a noble completeness to your oath. Of course, I won’t blame you even if you choose to give up only a sword in your hand. Why? I know how difficult it is to give up a sword in one’s heart. Sometimes, it would be better to keep a half-hearted oath.”
I particularly emphasized his half-hearted oath because I wanted him to keep it. To be honest, it’s not easy to find a part-time employee like him.
Zenbe stared at me in silence.
“You’ve got some other plan in your mind, don’t you?”
“It is advice from my pure heart. Seriously, it’s none of my business whether you grab a sword or not. It seems weird because you are going to a path that doesn’t stick to your oath. So, I am just being curious.”
“Alright then. I will mull it over seriously.”
I made a shady smile. This uncle Orc was really easy to fool. Whenever I glossed over something with a plausible reason, he got persuaded right away. Of course, he might end up giving up a sword in his heart at last. But it wouldn’t be easy at all. There’s no limit in one’s desire.
For instance, no one would go to a bathroom just for once in life. One would go to a bathroom numerous times throughout the whole life until death. And the day one stops going to a bathroom would be the last day in one’s life.