A Berserker Mob, I’m Going to Participate in the Main Story - CH 53

53 – Starting Out

“Al-sama. Thank you for all your help.”

“You don’t have to be so afraid, and it’s not like this is goodbye or anything.”

“But it’s still….”

Greetings at the guild. Saji’s beginning.

He is being hired (Live in) by Tim, a furniture maker from Craftsman Street. Tim accepts Saji as his apprentice and family member.

“Master Tim. I ask you to take care of Saji.”

“Nah! please stop! Please stop it!”

Al bows his head to Tim and his wife. This is not an aristocratic manner. As a courtesy exchanged between commoners in the royal city.

“Tim-dono. Al-sama is a member of the nobility, but at the same time he is also Saji’s guardian. This is in consideration of his future. Please accept this as a thank you from a countryman from the frontier. No one here would be foolish enough to condemn it.”

Colin gently calms Tim and his wife, who are freaked. He then hands his confused wife the Sazi’s provisional money. If it is a case of changing the source of the undertaking, it is essentially the other way round. The next person to be taken into custody is the one Tim pays to Al.

“What ……? No, no, no, no, I can’t accept this…”

“Ma’am, this is another provincial practice. This money was originally intended for Saji. We are only entrusting it to you and your husband. Please use this for Saji.”

Tim and his wife, as well as Saji, are surprised.

“A, Master Al,? Oh, I didn’t do anything… but I’m rather useless in the guild.”

“I see. Then, you should do something worthy of that money. Live a proper life under Master Tim. Keep fighting. And sometimes you should just be honest and accept the people around you. Falconer respects those who fight. But we have no use for mere bravery. Remember the obvious decision to pull back when you should.”

Although his nutritional condition has improved, Saji is still small compared to his age group. Al bends down a little and makes eye contact with him. He then lightly puts his fist on his chest. He tells him to fight and live.

“A, Master Al …… Oh, I’ll ..Hic… fight. And …… defend the Falconer’s way..Hic!”

“Haha. Well, in moderation. I know I sound like a big jerk, but I used to hate the Falconer way. I thought it was the nonsense of crazy people. but before, i realized myself it’s ingrained in me, too. ……Haha!”

Suddenly a distant look. A dry laugh escapes Al. Don’t come back.

When Al is recalling something like that, Cyrus comes down the stairs.

“…Al-sama. After all, Vera-san is nowhere to be seen.”

“Hm? .It’s okay. Come here and. I know she misses you too.”

Everyone is gathering to send Saji off, but there is one person missing. Vera.

She is missing for some reason, whether it was hard to say goodbye or for some other reason. Even Erald, who is back in good health, is here.

“Master Albert. We will make Saji a man.. so that he can live his life upright, in the sunshine, proudly.!”

“Yes. Thank you. If you have any problems, please let me know. I will help you. Also, I’m not worried about anything, but excuse me for allowing Cyrus and the others to go and check on Saji time-to-time. They are the very people who have lived and experienced life and death with Saji..”

“Yes. Of course. I accept Saji as one of my own and I don’t want to coddle him too much, but I swear I will not do anything to mistreat him.”

Saji leaves the guild with Tim and his wife. But, of course, this is not the end of the story, and as a guild, we will continue to interact with Master Tim and Saji.

Saji was left with the feeling that he did not get to say goodbye to Vera, but he quickly looked forward to the next time. It’s the beginning of a new battle for him.

***

We walk out onto the main street and watch Saji and the others until they disappear.

Cyrus and others who have spent time with him in the backstreets look somewhat proudly and somewhat enviously at Saji’s shrinking figure behind him. Some look pained. Each seems to have his or her own feelings.

However, what they all have in common is that they do not feel the same sense of ‘I found a job’ that they often hear from their friends in the backstreets, the one-or-two-shoes kind of danger. It is a blessing not to have to worry about the worst.

And if Master Tim were to do something insolent to Saji, now they have the power, to deny such a reality, and they have Falconer’s skills, although they are inexperienced. It’s enough to save Saji and run.

“…Saji. he looked happy.”

“Yes, he was. Master Tim seems like a really nice guy, and Saji seems to have accepted him too. Ah.. Cyrus is the type of person who holds things in place, so I’m going to go ahead and say… I’m not on a mission to find you all a place to settle you in. So there’s no need for you to get too worked up about it either. Even if you don’t find anyone, that’s fine. No matter where you go or what you do, you are already family. Falconer’s will not betray his people, his friends. Remember that.”

Cyrus is cautious. From Al’s point of view, that is an admirable quality.

He is diligent and honest. He takes good care of everyone and is attentive to what Al and his friends say and do. And he still keeps his guard up. He is looking for multiple ways in case they lose Al’s protection at any moment. Not just for himself. It’s also for others.

“Cyrus. Perhaps if you were alone you would have escaped you previous life long ago. Your prudence is a wonderful quality. But more than that prudence, you never abandoned your comrades, even in the most life-threatening moments. You never went ahead alone.. I respect that way of life. You are already more than a man, Cyrus. A man of strength who deserves respect.”

“Ah no, no. I’m just a coward who was afraid of ..being alone.”

“What’s wrong with cowardice? It’s that prudence I mentioned earlier. You’ve won the battle of living. Only temporarily. Still, you’ve brought your people this far. There is still a long way to go, and I don’t know what the future holds for Cyrus himself or Saji. But this result is one of the fruits of your fight. Using me, Vera and Colin, you fought and won. Be proud of that. but the fight of our lives will continue.”

Cyrus looks stunned. Al lightly pats him on the back and walks away. He glanced at Colin and left the rest to him.

–I’m not sure what to do. Vera also is seems to be in pain. Well, now, what’s going on ……?

Al goes to recover Vera.

***

“Vera. You don’t have to sneak around, do you?”

She’s easy to spot. An alleyway a short distance from the guild. From the shadows, she quietly watches as Saji and the others walk off onto the artisan street.

Her expression is happy, but also bitter. It’ s hard to describe. It was somewhat similar to Cyrus and the others who were seeing Saji off.

“I don’t know myself well. I don’t understand. Saji is going to a new place. I am happy about that in itself. However, I also feel as if Saji was taken away from me somewhere,  and I feel jealous of Saji … and I hate myself like that. I am now. I can’t honestly celebrate Saji’s departure…”

Vera’s thoughts.

The child I was looking after is going to a new place of custody. I feel like there is a hole in my heart because of that.

And at the same time. Small Vera in her heart, cries out. ‘Why only Saji! ‘Why didn’t I have someone like Master Tim!’…

“…I see. I don’t know about Vera’s feelings, about the emotions that are rising in you. I can’t say I understand. First of all, you can do what you want. However, you can do it much later, when you have made up your mind. You should see Saji at some point. He’s missed you a bit.”

“However, I’m scared. if I hurt Saji as once I was before disrespectful to Al-sama like ‘that time, I can’t redeem myself even with death…”

Vera is dramatically more stable than before. For better or worse. However, she still feels insecure about herself. She is afraid of what will happen to her when she can no longer come to terms with her emotions.

“…Being able to look at your own weaknesses like that is a hard-earned quality for a warrior. It also leads to prudence. I feel like when I talk to Vera, it’s kind of like a set of talks with Cyrus, It was the same then.”

“? …… Talk with Cyrus?”

Al thought and recalls his conversation with Cyrus.

In fact, although he does not intend on stopping his support for Cyrus and his group, Al is considering physically separating himself from the guild.

He foresees that if he moves in the shadows of a full-scale conflict, it will surely lead to a retaliation battle somewhere. The possibility of Cyrus and his group getting involved. He discusses this with Vera.

“Cyrus is a gem. He is somewhat like Colin. He’s cautious, but he’s also bold when the time comes. I’m thinking of ‘letting him take charge’ in the future. and Vera. I’m sorry you’re struggling, but there’s not much time left. I have a lot of battles ahead of me. Of course, if you want to leave, I won’t stop you. I’d be grateful if you could protect the guild with Cyrus and the others.”

Al forces Vera to make a choice, knowing it is cruel and cowardly. About the future. He knows how she will respond. He also feels a sense of self-loathing and shame at such treatment.

“Al-sama. I am weak. Even so, I am still your squire. It is only natural that I follow the path of my Lord. If you say yi will fight, I will be your spear and your shield. Of course, if you ask me to stay behind and protect your back, I will defend myself to the death with my life as a wall. I am sorry … I almost lost sight of my own role.”

But from Vera’s point of view, Al is as level-headed and light-headed as always. He only took it as a statement of his assumptions about the future.

Above all, she knows that there is a sense of chivalry in him. Her Lord. Al has the true spirit of nobility in him.

Fighting for him.

It is either for self-defense or to help the powerless.

He is harsh and merciless. But he does not exercise his power for his own desires, as other aristocracy do. Vera is proud of him.

–I’m getting used to being in a warm place. I am all about myself …… pathetic. I’m not a little Vera anymore. I am not. I’m Albert Falconer’s squire…….!

After sorting her thoughts, her expression changes to that of a Proud Squire of Berserker. I protect. I fight. For the my Lord. And it is transmitted to Al.

“I’m sorry. I’m always so spoiled by Vera. And yet I can’t even give you time to think about it. I think, it would be best for your body and mind if you stayed away from the …fight, but…”

Despite being a follower, to Al, Vera is just like Cyrus and the others. They have the power to fight, but their nature is powerless. He sees her as the one who needs support and protection.

At her core, she is not suited to fighting. She also thought that as she could continue to spend her days peacefully with Cyrus and the others…..

–I would like to let Vera eventually live peacefully in a place where she won’t have to worry about fighting. Even if I take her back to Falconer, she won’t be able to run away from the battle. Ha… What can I say, I am using her strength to fight? In the end, I’m just like those gods.

“I am not as prepared or as strong as Master Al, but I am still a mage. …… I am a fighter!”

Even Vera had a dim sense of how Al viewed her. However, it is a shame for her to just be protected. Even if her true nature is not suited to it, Vera also has the spirit of a fighter. She also has righteous indignation against the corruption of the aristocracy. And above all, she wants to be useful to Al.

“…I see. Then I’ll let you go with me on my way for a while. From here, we will jump into the fray in earnest. I’ll be actively hunting those who are behind the war, who are probably deceiving the open war faction warriors. I can see the black mana better now than I could before.”

“Yes. I am Vera. I will accompany you on the path of Al-sama’s conquest.”

Young child who mourns her parents and weeps against the unreasonableness of the world. Protector of Cyrus and his friends. The follower of a berserker.

All of these are in Vera’s nature, but what is required of her in the coming battle is to be a warrior. She changed herself.

–We will thin out the capital’s aristocracy amid strife. Then we’ll rub it in the faces of those who are pretending to be open war faction warriors. If goes well, we can also draw out the Guardians and the Church.

–Oh, and if they’re still hanging around in the capital, I’ll ask Vince and the others to pay them back, too. Maybe, if I can hook up with the protectors who used to support them. They have more spirit to help the powerless than the aristocrats.

In Al’s mind, the corrupt aristocracy is now off the hook.

Tl Notes~

Vera is totally Branwashed to Falconer’s way of thinking.. lol

I’ll color the inner thoughts from now on with Dark blue.

Red, If to headline notable charecters, Such as names or Events.

Also, I’m re-editing earler chapters. I look back now (Even though, It’s only been few months, I laugh at my own transation) So that’s case you want to Re-read,  I’ll do 2-3 chapters a day.