Rogers, having listened to Satin’s opinion, showed a rather lukewarm reaction.
“Is that really necessary?”
“Why?”
“Everyone doesn’t even know what they’re doing, and they don’t even know if they’re in Cloverland in the first place. They might be doing something dangerous.”
Rogers’ words made sense. Among the children who had returned to the streets, Rogers and Jack were among the lucky ones.
An unlucky child might have already died, or even if they hadn’t, they might be doing something bad. For example, being involved in crime.
As Satin looked dejected, Rogers put down the book he was holding and approached.
“Why do you suddenly want to find those kids?”
“Just… I was wondering if I could help. Even if they don’t need help, it’s good to have someone you know, right? Isn’t it?”
It’s said that a joy shared is doubled, and a sorrow shared is halved. Whether it’s true or not, he didn’t know. There’s no way to measure the quantity of emotion. The important part of this saying is the sharing.
After reuniting with Rogers, Satin’s daily life became much more enjoyable. Having a friend to talk to was truly a wonderful thing.
“It’s not bad.”
Rogers nodded and added,
“But wouldn’t those kids have made new friends too?”
“Would they?”
“They’re not little kids anymore…”
In Satin’s opinion, seventeen or eighteen was still quite young, but Rogers didn’t seem to think so.
“And even if you meet them again, it’ll be hard to get along like before. I know you were good to the kids, but it’ll probably be like that.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Back then, they lacked nothing. Everyone had their own bed, ate regularly, and could live without working. But it’s not like that now.”
This too made sense.
How common are stories of swindlers who rip off friends they meet after a long time? It would be a relief if they only took money. If they got dragged into crime by mistake, it would be a difficult situation.
“They might have bad intentions knowing you’re doing well.”
“Like scamming?”
“They could even kill you.”
It was an extreme statement, but Satin couldn’t just dismiss it as unlikely. As Satin remained silent, Rogers placed a hand on his shoulder and advised,
“Satin, things are different now than they were then. You need to realize that you’re more naive than you think.”
***
Cain frowned as soon as he returned home.
“What happened?”
“No, why?”
“You don’t look good.”
Looking as if he didn’t understand, Satin touched his face. He seemed to want to pretend nothing had happened, but Cain had already noticed. Something had clearly happened.
“What is it?”
“It’s really nothing…”
Satin, who had been evasive even when asked again, finally confessed during the meal.
“I went to see Rogers during the day.”
“Yeah.”
Cain knew, but he simply nodded. Satin was probably telling him assuming Cain already knew.
“I said I wanted to look for the other kids, but he said it would be better not to.”
“The other kids?”
“The kids who were at the school. Heather, Karen, Robin. Robin’s dead, right.”
Listening to the names of the children Satin recited, Cain clicked his tongue inwardly. It was something he had been secretly worried about when he met Rogers. Whether Satin would try to find and help the other children.
Four years ago, most of the children at the school were twelve or thirteen years old. Now they would be seventeen or eighteen. To Satin, they were still children.
“Rogers thought I was naive. That I might get into trouble if I met those kids.”
“He has a point.”
“Do you think so too?”
“To be honest, I do. Rogers really turned out well. He can live without resorting to robbery.”
“Is that how bad it is…”
A shadow fell over Satin’s face. Even the hand holding his eating utensil stopped. Deliberately, Cain clinked his spoon against his dish. Only then did Satin resume eating.
Seeing him so dejected didn’t sit well with Cain. Helplessly, Cain offered a word of encouragement.
“Still, since they learned something, they might be doing okay.”
“Right?”
“Then you don’t need to help them.”
“Ah, that’s true too.”
“Just assume they’re doing fine. There’s no need to worry unnecessarily.”
There was no way for Cain to prevent Satin from bumping into them by chance, like with Rogers. However, if Satin tried to actively seek out the other children, Cain wouldn’t stand by and watch.
It wasn’t a flaw that Satin was kind to strangers. Cain understood his kindness towards unfamiliar elderly people or children he had only a brief connection with. Cain had survived because of Satin’s nature.
That’s why he had many thoughts. Cain didn’t want Satin to be interested in anyone else, but could he really say that such a Satin was the same person Cain knew?
Cain made a decision after finishing the dishes. He abruptly proposed to Satin, who was opening a book in the living room.
“I’ll do it.”
“Do what?”
It was a topic that had already passed, so Satin didn’t immediately understand what Cain was talking about. Cain didn’t explain in a complicated way.
“What you want to do, but I don’t want you to.”
“Huh?”
“I’m good at that kind of thing, you know.”
Satin blinked with a bewildered expression before grasping the meaning. He awkwardly laughed and waved his hand.
“I didn’t mean for you to do that for me.”
“I know.”
Like Rogers said, Satin was surprisingly naive.
Environment changes people. That’s why the weak don’t remain weak, and the good don’t remain good.
“Those kids aren’t as innocent as you think.”
“Well, I know that…”
“I’d be more helpful than you anyway.”
Satin didn’t express any particular disagreement. He seemed to agree with Cain’s words. Nevertheless, he seemed sorry and hesitated.
Cain chuckled and reached out his hand.
“I just want to do it for you.”
He took the book from Satin’s hands. Pushing aside the book about growing root vegetables, he leaned in, and Satin closed his eyes. Their faces drew closer.
—A spouse is a good source of labor, indeed! Seeing your spouse awaiting the Hero’s command fills my heart with pride!
The Sacred Relic placed in his boot ruined the moment.
“I thought it was unusually quiet today.”
Satin shook his head and stood up. Cain, left alone on the sofa, ground his teeth.
‘First, I need to lock that bastard up somewhere.’
***
Around lunchtime, the work was finished. Satin had said he would be home when the old man’s subordinate came to report. Perhaps he didn’t feel like going out since it had been raining on and off since morning.
Cain intended to go straight home but changed his mind.
He turned off the main street where the Adventurers’ Union was located and entered an alleyway. Small shops lined the street.
‘A blacksmith should be somewhere around here.’
Several places that dealt with everyday items rather than swords or armor for adventurers were gathered here. He had never bought anything, but he had seen them while passing by.
Cain pictured a small box in his mind.
The iron box was only about the size of a fist. It was a suitable size for storing valuables, but Cain had no intention of putting jewels or anything like that in it.
‘No matter how loud it is inside, it won’t be heard outside.’
If Satin knew Cain’s plan, he would have definitely advised him to order rubber packing to seal the gaps. Or perhaps he would have scolded him for being too harsh with imprisonment.
Once the box was made and proved useful, Satin wouldn’t say much. Cain was confident he could persuade Satin.
‘Is it that way?’
The sound of something being hammered loudly came from inside the alley. It seemed he had come to the right place.
Soon, large and small blacksmiths lined the street. However, Cain couldn’t be pleased. There were too many people.
Despite the cool weather, shirtless men bustled through the alleyways. Several carts stood on the narrow road. Observing the goods piled on the carts, Cain grasped the situation.
‘Is it because of the bridge construction?’
In the past few days, while following the public officials, he had heard talk of construction on several old bridges on the outskirts. He hadn’t paid much attention since it was in another neighborhood, but now it seemed they were procuring the necessary materials from here.
If that was the case, it would have been like this no matter when he came. Thinking that, he felt more at ease.
Cain moved a few steps, looking for a relatively less crowded spot. Just then, he heard a desperate shout.
“Thief, thief!”
The sound didn’t carry far. The surroundings were too noisy. Cain wouldn’t have heard it either if he hadn’t been nearby.
Someone darted out from the crowd. He couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman, but they weren’t very big. They tried to squeeze through the burly workers but quickly stumbled.
“Ugh!”
They had slipped on a puddle, splashing water around. Cain quickly stepped back, but he couldn’t avoid the muddy water that splattered on his trouser hem.
Clicking his tongue softly, another person ran over.
“You thief!”
A large man grabbed the thief by the scruff of the neck. His arm strength was so great that he lifted the thief up as easily as pulling out a radish. The thief, held by the scruff of the neck, pleaded.
“N-no, it’s not like that!”
“Then why did you run!”
“It’s really not, really!”
Now that he looked closer, the thief’s voice was delicate. They were skinny and had short hair, so he hadn’t recognized at first, but it was a woman. Cain watched the thief and the man’s scuffle from a few steps away.
“It was set apart, so I thought it was abandoned. I didn’t steal it, really.”
The voice of the person making excuses grew fainter. Suddenly, Cain realized that the voice was familiar.
‘What was her name?’
He couldn’t remember. Anyway, it was a child who got along quite well with Satin.
Cain recalled the promise he had made to Satin last night.
‘I didn’t expect to find her so quickly.’
It was a coincidental coincidence, like something out of a novel.
For now, Cain stepped forward.
