Akatsuki Translations

Early in the morning, despite thinking he had woken up earlier than anyone else, Shuou couldn’t find any trace of the mercenaries who should have been in the tents.

The scene inside remained unchanged from yesterday, with barrels rolling on the ground and half-eaten meals scattered about, not a single thing out of place.

—They didn’t return?

Shuou turned on his heel and went to look for Old Man Jin, who should have been in the barracks for the squires.

The rooms provided for the common squires were simple spaces without partitions, where five to six people would sleep together on the floor. In contrast to the aged mercenaries, the young men, not much different in age from Shuou, were curled up sleeping with a forlorn air.

Old Man Jin was sleeping spread-eagled in the corner of the room at the very back of the barracks, using his luggage as a pillow, looking quite accustomed to it.

When Shuou shook his bony shoulders to wake him, bleary eyes with dark circles looked up at him.

“…What is it?”

The stench of stale alcohol wafted from his smacking lips.

“Were you drinking?”

“What’s wrong with drinking with my own money—”

Old Man Jin sat up, glanced out the window, and grumbled irritably.

“—It’s still pitch black out. Why’d you wake me?”

“I haven’t seen any of the squad members since yesterday. Do you have any idea where they might be?”

“There’s only one place those guys would go, the tavern.”

“But it doesn’t seem like they’ve returned at all since yesterday.”

Old Man Jin looked up at the ceiling and let out a big yawn.

“For them, that place is like their home. Don’t worry, when there’s work, they’ll come back on their own to earn money, even if you tell them not to.”

He tried to go back to sleep, but Shuou stopped him.

“I want to go to that tavern.”

At Shuou’s words, Old Man Jin’s drooping eyes widened.

“What for?”

“To bring them back.”

At the corner of the town, reached by walking through the darkness, hung a sign that read “The Dregs” at the entrance of a small tavern. The self-deprecating name made one want to tilt their head, but upon closer inspection, fragments of a previously written name remained on the sign, faintly preserving its former visage.

“They should be inside. I ain’t going in, it stinks.”

Declaring so, Old Man Jin stopped at the entrance, and Shuou pushed open the double doors of the tavern alone.

Indeed, the inside was filled with a strong odor of alcohol and the stench of an animal pen. But for someone who had spent his childhood in a place like a cesspool, it was a trivial matter.

Several round tables were placed inside the tavern, and despite the hour, men were gathered around the center table, noisily engaged in a card game.

Shuou called out to their backs.

“Is anyone from the 55th squad here?”

The clamor stopped, and the men’s gazes turned toward him. One of them growled threateningly.

“Huh?”

That familiar face belonged to the mercenary who had deemed Shuou a dud when introduced by Old Man Jin.

Meeting his gaze, Shuou spoke in a calm voice.

“I want you to return to the barracks.”

In the suddenly quiet tavern, the man’s heavy voice responded.

“Return for what?”

“To train.”

After a moment’s pause, the men burst into laughter.

“Funny, but not funny enough. Normally I’d give you a good punch, but I’m in a good mood today from my winning streak. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that, so get out.”

With that, the mercenary turned his attention back to the table. He jingled the money he had presumably won from gambling and started bantering with the others.

The other men looked at Shuou with the eyes of parents watching a misbehaving child, mocking him.

There was no way he could back down here. Just as he was about to say his next words—

“Oh? Hey, you! Aren’t you Shuou?”

A slender man who had been dozing off at a table in the corner stood up and walked over, slapping Shuou’s shoulders.

“Hario…?”

Staggering up behind Hario, another familiar face, Saburi, hiccupped and grinned.

“You’ve put us through a lot of trouble because of you!”

“Yeah, yeah, and yet you’re the only one getting promoted.”

Hario chimed in, both of them bleary-eyed and unsteadily swaying, on the verge of being completely drunk.

Hario insisted that if it weren’t for them helping Shuou, who knows what would have happened to him by now, and persistently pestered him to join them for a drink.

Saburi tried to drag Shuou to another tavern, and Hario also grabbed Shuou’s arm, saying it was his treat.

Caught off guard by the unexpected encounter with acquaintances, Shuou found himself at a loss and unable to properly refuse, allowing himself to be pulled outside by them. The men who had been laughing at him just moments ago now gave him cold looks, losing interest, and most of them didn’t even spare him a glance.

“Wait, hold on!”

Once outside, Shuou finally regained his composure and shook off the two drunken senior squires clinging to his arms.

“What is it?”

Shuou faced Hario, who was glaring at him with a flushed face.

“I still have things I need to do, so let’s talk another time.”

“Ah, hey!”

Shuou left the two behind and ran back to the tavern he had been in earlier. He could hear them grumbling complaints behind him, but he didn’t have time to pay attention.

Quickly returning to “The Dregs,” he found Old Man Jin sitting alone on a tattered bench in front of the tavern.

“What, you came back… Still determined to do this?”

“I will! I’ll definitely bring them back.”

Old Man Jin let out a long sigh.

“Listen, I don’t know what your relationship is with those two from earlier, but that’s no good. Rough guys like them won’t listen to someone who’s all meek to their subordinates. You speak to me quite politely too, but no matter the age difference, in the military, rank is everything. If you want to stand above them and make them obey you, being polite like a young master won’t get you anywhere. With what happened earlier, your standing among them is already set. Just give up and go home.”

Despite the admonishment, Shuou paid no heed. Far from giving up, he felt like he had found a breakthrough.

Taking a deep breath, he straightened his back and puffed out his chest.

“You’re right… That’s true.”

In Shuou’s mind, the roaring voice of Sergeant Hinokaji, who ran the Winter Fortress, echoed and reverberated. The eyes of the squires working there held both affection and awe for that old soldier. He had witnessed some seemingly overbearing behavior several times, but now he thought there might have been meaning behind those actions.

“Hey!”

Ignoring the voice trying to stop him, Shuou charged back into the tavern and shouted from the depths of his stomach.

“Members of the 55th squad, return to the barracks immediately! This is an order!”

The tavern fell silent in an instant, and the man from earlier turned around with an irritated expression, glaring at him. The two eyes glinting in his scarred face silently pressured Shuou to leave immediately.

Walking up to the round table in the center, Shuou looked down at the seated man. Without averting his gaze for even a moment, he faced head-on all the emotions directed at him.

The man remained silent, similarly refusing to look away. Gradually, the muscles in his face began to twitch and spasm, but he didn’t lose himself to anger and still hadn’t tried to raise a hand. Shuou thought there was still room for dialogue.

“I won’t say it again. Get up from that chair and return to the barracks.”

The man bared his teeth like a ferocious carnivore and shouted loudly.

“’I won’t say it again’, huh? That’s my line! This is our only place to rest. A shitty brat who just showed up yesterday is trying to play squad leader without knowing our ways? Don’t screw with me. If you want to play around with what you call training, do it on your own, idiot.”

With years of experience on the battlefield, the man’s threatening attitude carried a certain force. A newly appointed young squire might have trembled in fear, but to Shuou, who was in a sense outside that framework, the man’s threats sounded no more than a puppy’s distant barking.

“You’re the one playing around. I won’t be scolded by someone who’s hired only to spend all his time in a tavern.”

The man scoffed at Shuou.

“Hired, you say? I see, so you can do such foolish things because you don’t know any better.”

The man abruptly drew a short sword from his waist. Shuou braced himself in caution, but the unsheathed sword was thrust straight into the wooden round table. The embedded sword had an unfamiliar, strange shape with jagged edges along the blade.

“Unlike you people who get paid just for being the military’s pets, we eat by exchanging the wrists of the enemies we kill. This sword, these clothes, these shoes, the money for drinking, we receive them in exchange for risking our lives to kill someone. So, the money to play around in that shithole isn’t even factored in to begin with.”

Shuou couldn’t immediately find the right words to counter this argument. Somewhere in his heart, he agreed with it. People who are hired by others and live off that receive sustenance in exchange for their labor. However, that obvious structure may not fully apply to them as mercenaries.

“I got it… So if you receive enough money for that, you’ll obediently participate in training.”

When he spoke with a slightly cooled voice, the mercenary and his entourage looked at him as if wondering what he was going to say next.

Shuou took out the coin purse hanging from his waist and dumped its entire contents onto the round table.

The brand-new silver coins he had brought from Adulelia scattered across the table with a resounding clatter. Having completely emptied the contents of the purse, he addressed the silent men.

“I’m hiring you. You have no complaints with that, right?”

Silence.

The men were so still, it felt as if even the flow of air had stopped, their gazes fixed on the silver coins on the table.

Suddenly, the sound of the tavern door opening came from behind. At that moment, the men let out a shout and simultaneously pounced on the silver coins.

Cursing at each other, they fought over the coins, punching and kicking in a grand brawl. In the end, the one who emerged victorious, scooping up all the coins, was the man who had been facing off against Shuou.

The man gathered the scattered silver coins, cradling them in both hands. With a bruised face and blood dripping from his nose, he looked at Shuou and grinned.

“You’re quite something. If you had money, you should’ve said so from the start. But well, I’ll take you up on the offer. I’ll let you hire me starting now.”

Dumbfounded by the sudden change in attitude, Shuou warned him.

“That wasn’t meant for just one person.”

“I know, I’m in charge of these guys. I’ll properly decide their shares and distribute it, so don’t worry.”

Still holding the silver coins, the man jerked his chin toward the men who had fainted on the floor.

Indeed, from what Shuou had observed, no one had tried to step forward ahead of this man so far. There was likely no falsehood in his claim of being in charge of them.

“Got it. Wake everyone up by noon and return to the barracks. As soon as preparations are complete, we’ll start training together today.”

The man awkwardly lowered his head.

“Sure thing, Captain. I’m Sanji. Bit late for introductions, but I’d at least like to know my employer’s name.”

As he was leaving, Shuou answered with his back turned.

“Shuou.”

Accompanied by Old Man Jin, who had been peering in from the tavern entrance, Shuou leisurely walked back to the barracks.

“You did well, didn’t you? Not backing down an inch in front of those notorious men. But what he said made sense. If you had money, you should’ve said so from the start.”

Old Man Jin slapped Shuou’s back and praised him cheerfully.

“You’re right. But if possible, I wanted them to listen to me through my own power alone.”

Shuou wasn’t entirely satisfied with having used money to make Sanji submit.

“Money is a fine power too, you know. Even those high and mighty nobles are nothing more than people with colored stones without it—so, how did you get your hands on that much money? If there’s a good story, let me in on it.”

Old Man Jin made a circle with his fingers, his eyes sparkling.

“It’s nothing… just… a reward for a little job.”

The circumstances that led to him obtaining that money were not exactly a pleasant event. The bitter feelings from that time when he watched over a person in the snowy mountains resurfaced, pricking his chest.

Shuou clenched his back teeth while evading the old man’s persistent prying with a dismissive attitude. Regardless of the process, he could finally begin his work as a squad leader.

At one o’clock in the afternoon, when his stomach started to feel a little empty, Shuou took off his thick squire uniform, put on a thin short robe, and headed to the training ground with a wooden sword slung over his shoulder.

He had already given instructions to Old Man Jin, telling Sanji and his mercenaries, who had returned to the barracks in a staggering state, to head to the training ground.

The training ground was not an extravagant place, just a simple enclosure with two or three practice dummies made of logs wrapped in rags. However, within the cramped barracks grounds cluttered with dirty tents, it was a valuable space in the sense that one could move their body freely without worrying about others.

Upon arriving at the destination, the sound of some dangerous exchange reached his ears. Looking over, he saw a group of unkempt men crowding at the entrance, cursing at each other with filthy language. The ones shouting from the outside were the members of the 55th squad that he led.

“What’s going on?”

When asked, Sanji, who had been barking like a mad dog, spat on the ground.

“These guys are spouting nonsense about this being their turf and won’t let us in.”

With bloodshot eyes, Sanji glared at the men closing the gate, clearly unsuitable as a negotiator. Shuou patted him on the shoulder and took over, calmly questioning the other party.

“I’m in charge of this squad. If possible, we’d like to use this place.”

The men on the other side, like Sanji and the others, were clearly not squires but hired as mercenaries. However, upon questioning, Shuou realized that they surprisingly maintained their composure. Rather, they even seemed to be cowering in fear of something.

The man blocking the entrance responded to Shuou with a troubled look.

“Sorry, but we can’t let you through here.”

“Is there some sort of agreement regarding the use of this place?”

“No… it’s just that our squad leader also told us to guard this place with our lives. Please understand.”

“Guard with your lives—”

Just as Shuou was about to probe further, a well-projected, gruff voice was heard from behind.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

The moment that voice was heard, the men guarding the entrance shrugged their shoulders and lowered their heads. Some even let out small screams.

“B-Boss… sorry, these guys insisted on getting in.”

The man who suddenly appeared listened to the situation from his subordinates and let out a growl filled with anger. As the man approached, shrugging his shoulders in anger, the moment their eyes met, the anger-distorted face suddenly softened.

“You… Shuou?”

Upon being called by name, Shuou also recognized the familiar face in front of him and exclaimed.

“Borge?”

Borge, the man Shuou had carried on his own back during the Abyssal Navigation Exam, a former mercenary who later became a squire of Murakumo, laughed loudly and placed both hands on Shuou’s shoulders, expressing his joy.

“I wanted to see you, but I never thought I’d see your face in a place like this.”

Seeing his carefree face, Shuou also smiled.

“You look well.”

“Yeah, as you can see. Thanks to you, I was able to get a wife too. I wanted to report that to you. I tried to find out where you went on my own, but I couldn’t figure it out at all. I thought for sure you had quit the military and gone on a journey or something.”

Borge, reporting his marriage, was scratching his head in embarrassment.

“Congratulations. But is it okay for you to be in a place like this…?”

“Yeah, I volunteered to come here. My wife says she wants to have her own shop, but I wanted to save the money I got from the Abyssal Exam for when we have kids. So, I’m here to make some money on the side. Not many people want to work here because it’s dangerous, so even a regular squire can make a decent amount—by the way, what are you doing in a place like this?”

When asked, Shuou explained the situation in brief. Upon hearing it, Borge’s expression changed, and he kicked the men holding the gate with all his might.

“You bastards! How dare you shut out my benefactor!”

One of the men who had rolled onto the ground on their backs let out a protest.

“But you said not to let anyone through—”

Borge cut him off and shouted.

“Shut up! There are exceptions to everything!”

“That’s not how it works…”

Borge kicked the men lying at the entrance out of the way and beckoned Shuou.

“Come on, use it as much as you like.”

Encouraging Old Man Jin and Sanji, who were still confused by the situation, Shuou stepped onto the soil of the training ground. Confirming this, Borge tried to leave with his subordinates in tow, but Shuou stopped him.

“What’s the matter?”

“It would be more convenient for you to have more space to use. I’ll find another suitable place, so don’t worry about it and use this one.”

“There’s plenty of space for everyone to use. We can use it together.”

“…Is that so? Then I’ll take you up on the joint training. But still, being put in charge of a squad already, as expected of you.”

“You’re the same, aren’t you?”

“I was only hired for my experience. I’m used to looking after scum. But you know, new recruits run away on the first day, so I can’t exactly say I’m proudly serving as a squad leader.”

Borge smiled wryly while glancing at the men standing awkwardly behind Shuou.

“Is this all the members of your squad?”

After sizing up the men of the 55th squad, Borge stood in front of Sanji.

“W-What is it?”

Sanji, who had been shouting at Borge just moments ago, became as meek as a frog stared down by a snake when faced with Borge’s strong features and superior physique. Judging by how Sanji wouldn’t even try to meet Borge’s eyes, it seemed that their respective standings had been settled without Shuou even noticing.

“You’re the boss, huh? I can tell just by looking at the eyes of the other guys.”

Borge gripped Sanji’s shoulder, gradually increasing the strength of his grip.

“I’m a former mercenary too. I know very well what you guys are thinking, and I’ve been through similar hardships. But don’t get carried away. Your squad leader may be young, but he’s no ordinary man. And above all, he’s my lifesaver. If you disrespect him, you won’t get away with it, so remember that well.”

Borge’s voice, loud enough to cause the ground to rumble, had enough power to strike fear into those who heard it.

Sanji expressed his understanding in a small voice, hunching his back and putting on an ingratiating smile.

While impressed by this new side of Borge, who had the rough men completely under his thumb, Shuou observed his methods as a model to follow. At the same time, he also realized the difficulty of standing above others. He was still unable to skillfully utilize his position as a superior officer.