CH. 5

As morning came, the Squadron of the Light Wing Knights, starts their day with a full breakfast. The meat hall was filled with guys in uniforms eating warm soft bread and tasty soup with fruits and vegetable salads on the side. 

Cynthia Locks McGuiness knows how to take care of her crew, as such, she doesn't waste any coin in providing nutritious meals to her men.

Was  what she thought as she accompanied by Litea Nichols Argenteuil, on the deck. It seems that a crewman reported Vain sleeping on the deck with just a clothe. 

The crewman said "It was my turn to clean but I saw him sleeping alone in that place. Last night was quite cold so I thought he got sick but when I got near he growled at me"

That's right, Vain growled. He wasn't even a dog yet he growled at a crewman that was just doing his job.

As such, Cynthia Locks McGuiness and Litea Nichols Argenteuil visited the deck. There, they saw Vain chewing on some dried meat with canteen on his other hand.

He was living the life of a mercenary. A poor one at that.

"I already sent a telegram to the local authorities of Sylvester city, so they shouldn't bother him once he goes back.... But, this is the first time I've seen a mercenary sleep on a deck of an airship without even getting sick. Is that good or bad?"

Litea Nichols Argenteuil recovered from last night's shock and was now functioning as usual. Upon Cynthia Locks McGuiness's orders they sent a telegram to the Local authority office of the Sylvester City to avoid Vain getting arrested once he return.

She did back because she was ordered and it's not like she felt pity on the guy but watching Vain from a distance, she saw a young kid not older than 16 years old eating like a veteran mercenary.

Moreover, he slept outside in the cold with only a blanket. Normally mercenaries takes advantage of their employers and sleeps on the airships but, Vain slept on the deck like it was normal.

"I guess it's good that we don't need to accommodate him.... but I think we should at least lend him a room in the airship"

No ordinary person sleeps on a freezing night like last night. It was below 25° already and even Cynthia Locks McGuiness had a heater built inside her room.

"Lady Cynthia, you said you were kicked by him but didn't got hurt. What happened about that?"

Litea Nichols Argenteuil asked Cynthia Locks McGuiness such thing about yesterday's incident. It was true that Litea Nichols Argenteuil overreacted when she heard that Cynthia Locks McGuiness got kicked by a commoner, she regretted her actions now after last night, so she wants to know why Cynthia Locks McGuiness was kicked by Vain in the first place.

"I think it was because I tried to touch him?"

"Just because of that?"

"Well, he did saw 'Get away from me' before kicking me like drunk thug"

"My lady, your wording please"

Even Cynthia Locks McGuiness didn't know what ticked off Vain. All she did was tried to touch him, at least tried to annoy him a bit, but she got kick like a sack of potatoes. Even unreasonableness has its limits.

"You're picky about those things. I don't know why I agree letting you my vice commander Litea"

"It is because I am the one that trained you back then Lady Cynthia"

It was Litea Nichols Argenteuil that trained Cynthia Locks McGuiness to be a swordsman in the past. She got close to that cheeky little girl and ended up following her as the vice commander of her own squadron of knights.

Their time as mentor and mentee was over but their relationship grew to be more like sisters as they grew up together.

Right now, the two were watching Vain do some muscle training.

"Hmm.... he has good muscles"

"I didn't think you were a fan of muscle bound men Litea"

"I was talking about the growth of his muscles. Look, he has that kind of body and he can face ten magic armors alone. I got intrigued after what happened last night"

Litea Nichols Argenteuil explains but the slight blush on her cheeks just does away the reasoning she just said. Cynthia Locks McGuiness was making a mischievous smile but decided not to say anything since she knows that if she tease Litea Nichols Argenteuil, she would just get hurt.

Vain was now swinging his large sword.

"As expected his sword is really big"

"......."

"W-Why are you looking at me like that!? Isn't his sword really that big? Look! It's more than half his size!"

Cynthia Locks McGuiness was taken aback when she heard the words "Sword" and "Really big" from the lips of Litea Nichols Argenteuil. Although the vice commander was a woman in her mid twenties, she has yet to have a lover of her own let alone a husband.

Litea Nichols Argenteuil got flustered when she received a weird look on Cynthia Locks McGuiness's face. It seems that she got misunderstood about her wordings. Then with a cough, she fixed her self. But when the two returned their gaze to where Vain was, he was gone.

"I didn't know Female Knights are natural perverts"

!!?"

"S-Sir. Vain!!?"

Vain was standing three feet away from the two blossoming girls. They got so surprised by Vain that they both fell on their butts. Vain looked down on them and when Cynthia Locks McGuiness saw her legs spread open, she immediately closed it as she was wearing her usual skirt. Her white plump tight wrapped in a black thigh-high sock stuck together instantly with a *plop* sound.

"Why are you two watching me?"

"W-We were just..uh...."

"We want to invite you to breakfast!! That's right!!"

"Ahahahahah!!" The two ladies laughed their embarrassment off as they received Vain's cold gaze.

"No thanks. Just take me where that abyss gate is and I'll do my job"

Vain muttered so then leaned on the wall with his arms crossed on his chest. Thankfully, he got dressed in time and preserved the dignity of the two ladies who had just had an eyeful of Vain's well trained body.

"B-But a swarm..... it's got a size of an Army you know? There's no way you can fight against that"

"Fighting against large numbers of monsters is normal for me. There's no need for your people's help"

As though he got no more business with the two, Vain leaves then heads to the other side of the ship.

Watching his back shrinks as Vain left, Litea Nichols Argenteuil and Cynthia Locks McGuiness stayed silent as they stood there wondering if leaving Vain alone would be alright.....

———

It would take three days for the airship to reach the Abyss gate that was located around an empty lot of floating islands. It was a left alone place since it was farther from cities or towns and it was thanks to that the Empire wouldn't worry about any civilian casualties.

Swarms only appear when something that could threaten the existence of the Abyss gate appears.

Vain was on the deck as usual, but this time, he was around the cargo hold where only unimportant crates were kept. 

Things like garbage and other used objects were kept there but thanks to it being outside, there wasn't much smell at all.

Vain was leaning against one create, watching the clouds drift by.

"This is the farthest I've been to away from home....."

Looking around, the floating rivers that flows around the floating islands have lessened. There were only small and medium size islands and hardly any monsters were around as well.

Compared to Silvester Isle, which had many monster problems, this place was peaceful. For a mercenary that services through hunting monsters, this wasn't a good place to live.

Moreover, he hadn't even travelled this far even when he was just starting as a mercenary. As expected, Vain's own mental state was bothered since he wasn't sure if he could go back home.

"No, it's best I don't remind myself of that place...."

Vain shakes his head, driving away the depressing thoughts that reminds him of that small corner under that bridge. 

He had been living in Silvestre Isle for as long as he could remember. Though he didn't have many friends, he has acquaintances that could only count by the number of fingers he has on one hand.

Being this far from home, it disturbed him slightly.

"It's just work.... I'm going back eventually"

Vain convinced himself so as he closed his eyes....

"!?"

But the horrible memories he had four years ago in that facility flashed back. The hand of that man that would strangle him until he passed out then strapped him to a mechanism that sucks away his magic power, flashed in his mind. 

His heartbeat raced and cold sweat slide down his cheeks. 

While he had got away from that place, that horrible four years still lingered in his mind. It couldn't be helped. Aside being strangled to sleep, he was fed sloppy food, he was beaten if he cries and he would be force to get strapped in that machine that sucks away his magic power.

And that process alone was like having his blood sucked away from him like vacuum. 

"Ugh....!?"

His chest ached, his breath ragged and his skin turned pale. His body was shaking from the memories engraved on his body.

Enough....

Get away....

Get away from me....

Get—

"Away from me!!!"

Vain yelled as he pushed his right hand towards the sky and shot a large black ball to the sky.....

"......."

Seeing that there was no one there, Vain calmed his breathing and lowered his hand.

"Shit....." Vain mutters in disdain.

"Fucking Knights..... I hate their kind"

Vain pulled down his hood as he tried to forget about the bad memories that just came and go.

One more, he settled down his trembling body and closed his eyes to sleep....

———

Emann Wells was a private class knight. Though that said, he was treated more lie a secretary than a soldier.

"Away from me!!!"

He heard Vain's angered voice behind a crate while wondering around the deck to smoke. But he ended up stumbling on the place where Vain was sleeping.

But....

"Shit...."

Vain was there, curled up like ball.....

"Fucking Knights..... I hate their kind"

The young man that gave a grown man like Emann Wells a fright on their first meeting, was shaking inside his robe.

He could feel Vain's anger and hatred from his voice. But somehow, watching that kid sit on a corner like a frightened child, made Emann Wells pity Vain.

I guess he hates Knights for a reason huh.....— Emann Wells sighed while leaning against a crate while puffing smoke from his cigarette.

That day, Vain felt more like a child than a man to Emann Wells as he watched over Vain until the young man fell asleep.