Five siblings (1)
multiple. multiple.
The surrounding scenery slowly flowed along with the leisurely sound of horses hooves.
Grabbing the reins, I raised my head for a moment to gauge the time. At this rate, it seemed that we could arrive around lunchtime.
Although it is a little later than planned, it is still within the margin of error.
The weather seemed to be fine all day, so I thought it wouldn’t be too late.
“Uncle, there you are.”
At that moment, a girl from behind stuck out her face and spoke to me.
Bright blonde hair that is still lacking in nutrients but looks like it will soon regain its luster. The green eyes that matched him shone like jewels.
“Is being a mercenary fun?”
“Sit down. hurt.”
“Then will you answer me?”
“You were the only one who talked to me until now.”
At those words, the girl smiled broadly and went over to the driver’s seat and sat down next to him. Even if it’s dangerous, he’s a kid who won’t listen.
If it were Rize, she would have been calm.
“Aren’t you bored, uncle? I am very bored.”
“The kids behind me don’t say anything, so why is it only me?”
“Unlike the four of us, I don’t hide my face. Especially for the benefactor who saved us.”
The girl smiled and said so.
My name is Clare.
She is 11 years old, one year older than Rize.
As you can see, the character… … He had a lively and sociable personality.
one of five children.
“So it is. Frederick just said that yesterday, so Rowen oppa told me to be quiet, but the atmosphere was quite bloody. I had to tell the old man, but fortunately… … .”
Claire chattered nonstop.
Thanks to that, I had nothing to worry about.
Although it was strange that he was so friendly to me, who had only just met him a few days ago.
I thought that he would keep his distance from me since he had been through such things, but it was only the first day, and after that, he would come and talk about it whenever he had a chance.
It was very unusual because I still haven’t mixed a few words with the other four.
Then, as if he couldn’t stand the noise, another voice interrupted from behind.
“Stop it, Claire. It interferes with your driving.”
“Then will your brother talk to me? Aren’t you bored after not saying anything for days?”
“I decided to follow you, but I can’t afford to feel that way.”
Rowen, who was 12 years old and the eldest of the five, was, so to speak, more of an adult than Rize.
It was all thanks to that child that the bond between the five children was as good as that of siblings despite going through such things. Cool-headed and excellent in leadership, he was extremely picky when dealing with enemies.
There are no kids like that, but… … .
As I turned my head to follow Claire who puffed out her cheeks, yellow eyes that resembled falcons met mine.
Soon I lowered my head and hid my eyes with my dark gray hair, but I dared to talk to Rowen.
“Does Rowen have any questions about you?”
“I don’t have. just… … Please tell me what I must do.”
However, it was also because he had to act as the eldest of the four, so he showed an attitude of building a wall like this.
Right now, if you provoke it prematurely, it could go wrong, so it would be right to take your time.
Eventually I turned my gaze away from Rowen and looked at the other children.
“If you have any, just tell me. I’ll answer you as much as I couldn’t do to Claire.”
“Me! I’ll do it!”
Next to her, Claire raised her hand and made a fuss, but she deliberately ignored it completely.
Since I will be arriving soon, my intention was to mix things up a little more with the other kids. But other than Claire, the other kids didn’t seem interested.
“Coo… … .”
In the meantime, some of them are sleeping.
Delan, who is the same age as Claire, was still nervous on the first day, but fell asleep too soon to be relieved.
Should I say optimistic… … When he was an enemy, his wolf-like appearance with fluttering hair and shining silver eyes still stood out to me, so I couldn’t get used to it until now.
It’s good to live without worries, but I doubted whether I would be able to endure the training that would follow.
“… … .”
Similar to Delan, the silent child was not sleeping.
Just, I covered my face a lot.
As if Nora, a girl a year younger than Rize, was proving her timidity, there were only a handful of times she made eye contact with me.
His eyes, as black as the night sky, were even covered with dark blond hair mixed with brown, so it was even more difficult to see them.
Nora was similar even when she was an enemy, so there’s no sense of incongruity… … It was still creepy when I thought of his abilities.
“How strong is your uncle?”
A short-haired boy with a vengeful spirit.
Nine-year-old Frederick, the same age as Nora, showed his enthusiasm for strength with his blood-red eyes shining.
Obviously, he wasn’t so belligerent, but did revenge affect Frederick’s personality?
“It is within ten fingers in the world. Is it too much to say like this?”
Even thinking about it for themselves, it might not be an unlucky answer, but unexpectedly, the children nodded seriously and understood at once.
Maybe it’s because I’ve seen them fight before?
After thinking for a while, Frederick asked the question again.
“Then we too… … Can I become as strong as you?”
Those eyes contained enthusiasm rather than worry.
Not only Frederick, but all the other kids were giving me that kind of look. I inadvertently remembered the first time I visited Master.
“Are you aware of the fact that each of you got a strange ability because of the bastards of the church?”
An experiment by the Dark Truth Church.
It was a bizarre experiment that made a human body use the power of a monster.
Of course, there was no choice but to go through a lot of trial and error, and the experiment resulted in countless victims.
And these five were the only successful cases, and because of that, these children were able to use abilities that the human body could not do.
“Do you know about our monstrous power?”
Rowen, the eldest, sounded a bit nervous, and I nodded and began to speak in a casual tone.
“There, I read some documents organized about you guys. First of all, Rowen, haven’t your eyes gotten too good?”
Rowen’s yellow eyes, reminiscent of those of a hawk, were beyond description.
It was simple, but having good eyes was a huge strength.
Some can be seen that can accurately spot a hole the size of a coin and shoot an arrow into it from hundreds of meters away.
In addition, even in close proximity, he could accurately capture the opponent’s movements and respond, so he could become stronger as he trained.
“Delren, you can handle the iron in your body freely.”
“… … .”
At my words, Delan looked at his palm with silver eyes, and from there a steel blade slowly rose.
Right now, it was barely enough to make a blade the size of a beast’s claw, but later it made blades, made shields, made armor, and took away the iron that touched its body as its own.
The sight of them flying with blades all over their bodies was dizzy even thinking about it again.
“Claire poisoned… … .”
“Don’t tell me. I hate this.”
At my words, Claire frowned and shook her head.
Like those eyes, Claire was able to spray deadly venom all over her body. I only faced it in the form of poison fog on the battlefield, but I knew that the concentration could be adjusted.
“Frederick had the ability to manipulate blood, right?”
“Not very strong.”
It’s similar to Dellon in terms of practical use, but this one was more terrible.
Because it was Frederick’s ability that the bigger the battlefield, the more brutal it is.
Although the person concerned did not like that ability. It seemed that he preferred a huge ability to overwhelm the enemy.
“Nora… … It was the ability to hide in the shadows.”
Nora stared at me with emotionless black eyes and blinked silently.
Like her quiet personality, Nora, whose presence was rare, was able to overcome that and hide herself in the shadows.
Truly an overwhelming ability that all assassins would covet.
No, not only Nora, but the other children also excelled in that way. So, I also had quite a few times in the past.
“It’s a bit cruel, but whether you like it or not, you’ll have to live with those abilities.”
At my words, the children hardened their faces.
For them, only painful memories would still remain in that ability.
“So now, make that ability your strength. That alone can make you strong enough to keep up with others. Keep it simple. It is your body itself.”
I said that, but I was well aware that it was still difficult to accept. It was also a bit sudden.
So I smiled and added a word.
“And wouldn’t it be very fun if they could strangle themselves with the ability the bastards gave them?”
It was a joke, but unexpectedly, each of the five people kept their mouths shut as if thinking about something.
One way or another, in the end, we would be dealing with the Dark Truth Church with only a small number of people.
To do so, children’s abilities were indispensable.
So, as quickly as possible… … I wanted the children to accept their abilities. That’s because the time it takes to become stronger will be even shorter.
Once they have matured enough, these five people will not be pushed back at all even if they are compared to most powerful people.
In response, I also swung the reins lightly while thinking a little.
* * *
A panoramic view of Findel, which began to look close.
However, instead of heading towards the entrance, I took a side road and crossed a wide field of rice fields.
Since they did not enter the city, the children looked around with puzzled expressions.
And soon a fairly large house at the end of the road came into view.
“Wait a minute here.”
With the carriage parked in front of him, he got off alone and approached the house. It was a house where five or six people could live, but there was hardly any presence.
thump.
“Are you there?”
I knocked loud enough to make a slight noise, and as soon as I spoke, the landlord approached without a sound and opened the door and showed his face.
“Who are you?”
An old, pale face that must have been 70.
The old man looked at me as if he didn’t like the uninvited guest, and I just answered with a soft smile.
“I came to talk for a while.”
“I don’t know where you live, but if you have something to say, do it here.”
To him, who just said something and didn’t hide the sign that he was going to leave, instead of talking, I raised my finger and drew a pattern in the air.
Then, the old man’s expression soon turned ferocious, and he raised his voice like a growl.
“What are you doing?”
“Like I said, I’m here to talk.”
“You bastard, how did you… … .”
He was about to say something, but he looked over my shoulder at the children and then took a step back and opened the door.
“We’ll talk inside.”
“thank you.”
When I went inside, I was able to properly see the old man’s figure hidden behind the door.
He looked like the kind of countryman you see everywhere, but his left sleeve was loose and tied loosely and was just fastened to his body.
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As soon as he entered, he sat down on the chair on the side and raised his voice again.
“Tell me. Surely you’re not their nemesis?”
“no. So why don’t we talk about the weapon you’re holding in your hand?”
“I’m not stupid enough to bring a strange dog into the house and be at ease. And if an old man like this carries a weapon, what threat will it pose to a young man like you?”
“The person called the red shadow is too humble.”
“… … .”
The old man’s expression changed once more at the words I said.
Then, he took out his hidden right hand and opened his mouth again, revealing a sharp dagger.
“You seem to have researched me very well. Having said this, you must not be so rude that you haven’t introduced yourself yet, right?”
“Irvin is living in Findel by working as a mercenary.”
“Yes, what was the business of the mercenary master looking for an old farmer? Are you already planning your retirement?”
“I have a request.”
He nodded his head as if to say something, and I talked about the main topic without hesitation.
“Would you mind taking care of the children outside?”
Legendary ex-assassin Hazel, who was called the Red Shadow in the sense that all shadows were dyed red in the place where he passed, laughed and threw a word.
“Hey, are you crazy?”