Ch-56: Mars (2)

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"I thought it might happen."

On the hill.

Looking down at the view from above, Mars muttered in a gloomy tone.

"Isabella's treatment towards me these days has been strangely distant."

"Distant, mh?"

"She's not completely withdrawn, but compared to the past, she is not as amiable. Before, if I couldn't find time when I got busy, she would come to visit me directly. Even after hyung sent me money and I started to focus on practicing swordsmanship."

Mars had a bitter expression on his face.

"But the number of visits started to decrease bit by bit, and at some point she totally stopped."

"She totally stopped, hm… I only want to ask you one thing, you also visited her from time to time, didn't you?"

"…"

Mars bit his lips tightly.

"Goodness, you really became a punk with no conscience? You want someone to keep visiting you while you just stay put?"

"I know! I know I did something stupid! But at that time, I was really not in my right mind. Thanks to hyung, I got to learn proper swordsmanship for the first time, and as I practiced, I felt like I was growing, so addicted that I couldn't even let go of my sword in sleep!"

No matter how much he had practiced before, his was a half penny worth swordsmanship that he taught himself. Mars knew it as well. Therefore, when he first met Cloud, he was easily lured by his provocations.

But that changed ever since he met Cloud.

After Cloud taught him, Mars' insubstantial swordsmanship changed systematically.

With the money Cloud sent from time to time, he learned skills at the Swordsmanship Guild. When he returned home, he would immediately practice the skills he learnt.

He didn't have to do chores to earn a living like before, so he was able to focus wholly on practicing swordsmanship.

The more he dug into the realm of swordsmanship, the more mysterious it became.

Captivated by the mystery, Mars fell into a trance facing the sorcery of swordsmanship, and once he grabbed the sword, there were times he only stopped when the day had almost came to an end.

"Every time my swordsmanship improved, it felt like I was becoming a man more suitable for Isabella. It told me that one day I would become a great knight, and that gave me the confidence that I would become capable of keeping Isabella happy, which made me work even harder."

"…"

"I was so crazy about swordsmanship that I only realized later how much I had neglected Isabella. I went straight to Isabella and apologized for neglecting her. But Isabella did not accept my apology."

After hearing Mars' sincere apology, Isabella scoffed at him, saying that he came too late, and walked away.

"She's justifiably angry, because she's right. So, I tried many ways to show my sincerity, and how much I wanted her to forgive me. I visit her every day to apologize, buy stuff Isabella might like from the city and give it to her as a gift. I thought it was strange because nothing was changing no matter how hard I tried…but…b-but…"

In the end, Mars could no longer bear it and burst into tears.

A cry full of sorrow.

Like the sob of a child who lost his parents, it sounded so similar.

Because to him, Isabella was his everything.

Cloud patted on Mars' back, wiping away his tears and runny nose with his sleeve, while comforting him.

It should not be as he said.

'That pink woman's love is not so light to cool off just because he neglected her a bit for sometime.'

At the end of 'The Tale of a Knight's Affair', she eventually changes, but before the mid-to-late part, she consistently shows her love for Mars through her actions.

At the beginning of the plot, she is just so sweet that it even produces unrealistic fantasies in one's heart.

That pink woman's present love will not be quenched just because Mars somewhat neglected her because he was immersed in swordsmanship…

'She's like a hanging bone.'

Most probably, when the hanging bone Isabella was struggling with Mars' changes, she must have been given advice by a "self-proclaimed dating expert" appearing out of nowhere.

Otherwise there's no way that pink woman would have changed so much.

She must be doing what the self-proclaimed dating expert said her to do, to keep her man under her control… to put a leash on Mars.

What will happen if Mars is caught by a leash and the original plot continues?

Cloud, imagining it for a moment, frowned and shook his head.

It will be horribly awful.

Such a thing shouldn't happen.

Cloud decided to cut off Mars's relationship with her somehow.

"Hyung, how can I bring Isabella back?"

Mars, who suddenly stopped crying, asked Cloud. It was as if he thought that there might be a way out of what looked like darkness filled with light expectations.

Cloud placed the hand that had been patting his back on Mars' shoulder.

"Mars, let's face the reality. Your pink woman… and that man with her, you saw him too. Tall and good-looking."

"…yes."

"Do you know who he is?"

"…the baron's son."

"Alright. Now let's recap what we know. Isabella is dating a guy without your knowledge. The man is tall, handsome and even a noble. He's literally the idol of all common women. Hash, do you have any advantage where you think you exceed than that guy?"

Mars didn't answer right away.

Mars wasn't ugly. He could be considered quite handsome. However, he doesn't fit within the circle of real handsome men.

Mars isn't rich either. He is an orphan who had been doing village chores for a living until he met Cloud. On the other hand, the baron's son is wealthy. He would be atleast rather well-off, even if he is not as rich as other nobles.

Knowledge and house management skills?

It is ridiculous to compare an orphan with a noble in such matters.

After pondering for a long time, biting his lips, Mars gave a weak answer.

"Being her shield…"

"Shield? What is that? Maybe you want to say that you can get stronger and keep Isabella safe. Well, isn't that what you're implying?"

Mars lowered his head sullenly. Cloud sighed.

"Look here, Mars. No matter how small a baron family of any kingdom is, it's way more lavish than a commoner's. Not only trained soldiers, but they also have a few trained knights. Are you confident about defeating those knights?

"…but hyung can beat those knights, right?"

"…uh? Me? Um…yeah. If it's me… I can beat any knight, I guess..?"

"Then I can also win. It may seem unreasonable right now, but if I keep trying…"

"If you keep trying? But until when? When will you be capable of keeping Isabella better protected than a noble household? Can you say for sure when?"

"…."

"Look at you. You can't answer. Can, or should Isabella wait for something that even you don't know when it's going to happen? While leaving the idol-like man right in front of her?"

Mars bit his lips.

He was so mad at himself that he couldn't even refute those words.

"Then..? What are you telling me, hyung? Are you saying that I should give up on Isabella?!"

"Yeah. Give up."

Cloud's calm voice made Mars even more outraged.

"How can you say it so easily!? You don't know how much I love Isabella. You don't even know what Isabella means to me! So how…"

"Do you really think I don't know how you feel?"

Cloud's frigid tone made him flinch, and he stiffened.

Then he slowly shook his head.

"No…"

Cloud once told Mars of his past with his childhood sweetheart. And how it was infinite times more tragic than Mars' current experience.

If there was someone who could understand Mars' feelings, there was no way Cloud wasn't on that damn list.

– Swiip! Swiip!

The cold breeze blew and the grass rustled in its wake.

"Then… Then what should I do now? I've been holding my sword with the intention of making Isabella happy… If I give up on Isabella, what should I hold the sword for?"

Mars murmured in a frustrated tone.

Cloud replied to him as if it was natural.

"Yourself."

"Huh..?"

Mars eyes lingering on the dirt on the floor rose up with his face. Cloud was looking straight at him with a nonchalant expression on his face.

"Raise your sword for yourself, you brat. What are you staring at me for with such a stupid expression?"

"Ha, but the precept I saw read that swords are meant to be raised for others…"

"That's what a guy who can find his own self does. You can't even stabilize your mind right now, what can you care about others? You'd be considered lucky if you didn't stab them in case of protecting them."

Cloud smiled, and immediately made an unusually serious expression.

"Go on a journey, Mars. The continent is far bigger than you think. To be honest, with the skills you possess right now, it would be difficult to even take care of yourself. Still, try to get around somehow. And then, meet people like this, meet people like that, and live like that."

He will meet all kinds of people.

From a nerdy guy with only a single sword to his name clamoring to become a knight, to a wizard with a runny nose.

He will also face many dangers and strange situations.

"If you go through so many different people, emotions, and situations, at some point of time, you will find some precious people by your side."

Real, invaluable people.

"Your worries should be about then. Of course, the level of your concerns will be different. Not muddling in trivial concerns such as who should you raise your sword for, but with serious considerations such as how to protect the people and things you cherish."

So, until that time comes, raise your sword for yourself.

At Cloud's serious advice, Mars' eyes fluttered.

"…can I? I'm not a great person like you, hyung. If I fall down mid-way…"

"Ah, you boring punk."

Cloud grabbed Mars' head and messed it up.

"If you fall down, you have to stand up. If it is difficult to stand up, grab your teammates' outstretched hands and stand up. And if your teammate falls down, you have to reach out and lift them back up.Then, even if everything is in shambles, it will not collapse but regrow."

"…is that so?"

"It's like that."

"I see…"

With a small smile, Mars had a slightly better expression than before.

He exhaustingly laid down on the dirt floor and looked up at the sky.

The brightly shining stars of Milky Way looked unnaturally beautiful.

"I'm now looking forward to it after hearing all this from you, but that doesn't change that I'm upset. My heart is still pounding and it hurts."

"You just broke up, so of course. On the contrary, it's weird if you are in a normal mood right now. In that case, I'll assume you to be a playboy by nature."

"Is it?"

"Yeah. Besides, the genuine childhood sweethearts don't go well together. It is an immutable law that I came across while traveling the continent."

"I wish there were no such laws."

After chuckling together for a while, Mars looked at Cloud with a respectful gaze.

"Hyung is really great. It's hard for me to even see them merrily chatting with each other… but, hyung…"

Mars couldn't keep up with the conversation. Cloud tsked at the sight.

"Why do you always stop in between sentences? Just say it out loud. Your hyung's amazing, his childhood sweetheart is sucking another guy's cock but he accepted the fact straightforwardly."

"No… ha… hah goodness. I don't think I'll ever come to understand you, no matter how many years passes."

"Of course. Do I look like an easy fellow to be understood by just anyone? Stop thinking about unnecessary things and plan your trip."

"Ah, that's it. I think I better say my goodbye to Isabella before leaving for the trip, what do you say?"

"…what? What bullshit is that?"

Mars' words made Cloud totally flabbergasted.

If Mars says his goodbye to Isabella, telling her that he was leaving for a journey, it was sure—Isabella would stop him.

If things advanced in that route, misunderstandings will be resolved, he will apologize for pushing Isabella away, and Mars will fall in love with pink woman Isabella again…

In the end, back to the pink woman route…

'F**k, that's not okay!'

How did this twisted destiny reattach itself so darn perfectly!

No matter what, a return to the pink woman route has to be prevented!

"Hey, why are you wasting your time on meaningless things? She wouldn't be interested anyway."

"Even so, she is an old friend. She would be perplexed if I suddenly disappeared, and the villagers would think I got missing…"

"Hoh, is everyone so interested in you? If you disappear, the villagers will look for you everywhere with concern? It's all your imagination."

"No, what do you mean by that, hyung!? I know a lot of people in the village, alright?!"

"They really don't care, though."

"Aghhh! Really, they do!"

Cloud and Mars quarreled for a while, arguing with each other. After a long time, they were able to compromise their opinions by opening a mid-path.

* * *

While Cloud and Mars quarreled, Neria sat idly behind a tree a little far away from them.

She came here with quality wine she brought from the innkeeper.

She wanted to be friends with Cloud again, and Neria wanted herself to share this bottle of wine with him.

So she came up to the hill to find him…

She somehow ended up hearing the whole conversation.

– Besides, the genuine childhood sweethearts don't go well together. It is an immutable law that I came across while traveling the continent.

– Just say it out loud. Your hyung's amazing, his childhood sweetheart is sucking another guy's cock but he accepted the fact straightforwardly.

Hah.

You can read fully translated chapters, including the last chapter, for $20.

p(a)treon.com/Daoist02