My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero’s - Chapter 143~Kurou’s Friend~

「Even though he was a human, he was a weird person, he wanted to know about anything and everything. He too, and you as well, seemed like you’re in a hurry.」

With a faint smile, Kurou said this and narrowed his eyes.

I didn’t really plan on living life in the fast lane though.

TN: both Akira and Kurou are using the same word here (生き急いでいる), which literally means “living quickly/fast” or living life quickly and often times, recklessly. I think that the term “YOLO” (you only live once) quite accurately describes what it means. Anyways, I tried to use two different ways to phrase it so that it can more fully encompass the meaning.

「I know. You don’t have such intentions, right? However, that’s what it seems like to me. He absorbed knowledge that was both necessary and unnecessary, and in the end, he was even referred to as a ‘sage’. Even though we should’ve been looking at the same things, he looked much more deeply into it. Although perhaps it was because he was living in a rush, but it seems that he died a little while ago. To say nothing of my younger sister, I didn’t think that I wasn’t able to observe the death of a friend either.」

From his way of speaking, it seems that Kurou was not there when that man was on the verge of death.

Kurou’s friend, I have a somewhat ominous feeling.

It might be prejudice, but he didn’t like to be around people so I thought that he didn’t have anyone who he could call a friend.

So he had friends.

I prepared my own black tea as I casually asked something that I had been wondering about.

To be told that he was similar to me, I was curious about what kind of person he was.

「What was that man’s name?」

Kurou thought about it a little and answered.

If you can’t remember your friend’s name, then what are you going to do.

「If I remember correctly, …was his name Saran Misray. I hadn’t seen him for a while, so I had completely forgotten.」

The teacup fell out of my hands and rolled under the table.

It falling did not make much noise, but Amelia, who was sleeping in my arms, woke up.

However, right now, my mind became chaotic and could not pay attention to anything else.

「W, what did you just say?」

「Like I said, it’s Saran Misray. Blond hair with an annoyingly well-featured face, and even though he’s always absentminded like an old man, he’s a somewhat astute light magician. …what, you know him?」

When I asked again, thinking that I misheard when he spoke of a name I knew well, the same name spilled from his lips.

Moreover, the characteristics that was listed all applied to the Commander Saran that I knew.

「No, wait a minute? You, how do you know Saran? Where did you meet him?」

I see, so you knew each other, no wonder you’re like him, coming to an understanding, Kurou looked at me, suspicious.

Maa, it would be suspicious for someone who was summoned to this world not too long ago to be acquainted with someone he knew.

「…even if Saran Misray was a ‘sage’ that even the demon king acknowledged, he was also famous for never staying in any one place. That’s why, I thought that it was strange when Akira said that Saran Misray was like a teacher to him. Since I didn’t think that he was someone who would accept disciples. Perhaps it was a person with the same name, and when I said that, Akira seemed strange, so I decided to wait-and-see, but to think that Kurou and him knew each other….」

Did she listen in on our conversation, Amelia said that and looked at Kurou.

Kurou was silent and shrugged his shoulders.

「…the characteristics that Kurou listed matches the Commander Saran that I knew. There’s not that many light magicians, are there? Then they’re the same person.」

However, was he that famous for never staying in one place?

「Why don’t we take a moment to put things in order?」

As if telling me to calm down, Kurou gave me freshly brewed black tea.

I took a small sip.

I don’t really like black tea, but perhaps it also had a calming effect, as although my mind was chaotic, I was ready to continue.

「First of all, Saran never stayed in one place, but a few decades ago, I lost track of his location. Just now, you said ‘Commander’ Saran, didn’t you?」

I nodded.

「Aah. He was the Retice Kingdom’s Commander of the Chivalric Order.」

「That is to say, Zeal-boy’s superior, huh. Maa, I hadn’t gotten in touch with Zeal-boy in a long time, so perhaps it couldn’t be helped. However, he was a knight, huh. …it doesn’t suit him.」

Well, Kurou propped his elbows on the table and looked at me.

「What do you know about that guy?」

「What are you talking about.」

I took another sip of the black tea.

No matter how hard I try, I couldn’t come to like this taste.

「You may not have noticed it, but every time Saran’s name comes up, I can feel bloodlust coming from you. Was there something concerning his death?」

As usual, this man was sharp.

No, perhaps it was because I was easy to understand.

「Rather than saying that there was something, …how should I say this, he died because of me.」

It seems that it’s been a while since I started working together with Kurou, but this was the first time I’ve talked about being summoned here.

Amelia, who had already heard this before in the Continent dungeon, was relaxing as she sat on my legs, listening to our conversation.

I talked about the king and princess of Retice Kingdom, when I met Ria in front of the Continent dungeon, and Commander Saran’s last moments.

Even if I said it was his last moments, I wasn’t there either when he died, so I don’t know if it’s a good thing to call it his final moments.

「I see. So that’s what happened in Retice, huh. …it was the royal family’s personal assassination squad “Night Raven”.」

Perhaps he was thinking of something, as Kurou muttered this and motionlessly sat there.