Is That My Alter Ego - Chapter 102



Chapter 102 – The Empty Space

Time flows and flows again. Some may wish for time to pass, while others long for it to stand still.

Regardless of their will, ignoring their fervent desires, time marches on with dignity.

Zzzzz-!

The village of Leriah remains bathed in the scorching sun, cicadas buzzing loudly, filling the air with their relentless cries.

Today, the paperwork that needed handling was completed swiftly. Seris, having sat for a long time, resolved her stiff body with a simple stretch.

Crack—

“…Huh.”

Today was a day when she would not take on the weekly mission, leaving her with nothing to do.

Seris wished for just a single day of rest, but the lives of the remaining mercenaries weighed on her, and since they all insisted on her taking a break, she had no choice.

What should she do now? Seris began to ponder deeply.

She had never really had a hobby. It was merely about wielding her sword and training.

And… she didn’t particularly want to eat or sleep. At some point, she had stopped feeling tired without sleep and had no hunger without food.

Yet, to venture out on a mission alone was difficult, for she could not bear the sorrowful expressions of her mercenary comrades. She had given up on that long ago.

“…..”

Then, perhaps a short walk? Lately, she had been so busy that she had spent less time in the village of Leriah, and it had been quite a while since she had looked back.

Seris rose from his seat, casting a brief, sorrowful glance at the chair of the commander before slipping out of the office.

“Ah, Deputy Commander Seris.”

“…Yeah.”

“Are you going for a walk? A wise choice. It was a bit… concerning to see you cooped up in the office all the time.”

“….Yeah.”

With a faint response to the mercenaries who greeted him with bright smiles, Seris stepped outside the stronghold and gazed at the training grounds.

Clang—! Clang—!

“Faster! You can do it—!”

“Ugh—!”

“Ugh…! You’ve sharpened up a bit, haven’t you?”

“Haha. That’s a relief!”

The scorching heat bore down, and not a whisper of wind stirred, yet the mercenaries trained with laughter dancing on their lips, sweat cascading down like a waterfall.

“………”

Seris silently watched their training, their laughter. He beheld the fire of their passion.

How… can you laugh? Have you forgotten… the commander? Have you let him go…?

….How?

I… still feel the pain and torment every day. It hurts so much… I can hardly even smile.

Every night, I deny that the commander has left, and I loathe myself for it…

—Oh? It’s the Deputy Commander!

—Deputy Commander!

—The Deputy Commander is here too…!

“….Ugh!”

Unable to bear the sight any longer, Seris brushed off the mercenaries calling to him and made his way to the village.

He feared that even his own irresponsible and one-sided hatred and anger would turn toward them. For a moment, as he watched their laughter, he felt a wave of resentment wash over him, and he was disgusted with himself.

With a deep sigh, Seris began to stroll slowly through the village.

The village of Leriah, once prosperous, had flourished even more due to the reputation of the Skah Mercenary Company, drawing in many people.

Those who initially came out of mere curiosity about the Skah Mercenary Company, countless as they were, had settled in the beautiful and tidy village of Leriah.

And as such, the square of Leriah was filled with throngs of people. Mercenaries, aspiring mercenaries, townsfolk, merchants, and more.

—…Gasp! It’s Deputy Commander Seris…!

—Wow… it really is Deputy Commander Seris!

—

-…Gulp. Truly an unbelievable force…

-How curious. He usually doesn’t come to the village.

They all watched Seris as he began to stroll through the square, each sending different glances his way.

Some with reverence, some with a fighting spirit, and some with motivation.

Seris still hadn’t adapted to the expectations and goodwill directed at him. Wasn’t he just like an animal trapped in a cage, being watched?

Ignoring the whispers and gazes directed at him, Seris walked on and stopped in front of a place that was all too familiar and memorable.

– King Skewers.-

“Welcome~ Delicious and savory skewers here!”

The familiar sweet and savory smell. That smell could stop passersby in their tracks, but for Seris, it brought back memories sweeter than the sauce.

“…..”

The moment that could be called his first date with the captain. As a child, he had bought just one skewer and licked the part the captain had eaten…

Seris unknowingly smiled. That smell reminded him of the moments he had spent with the captain.

“Welco… Huh! Vice-Captain Seris…?!”

“…Yes. Just one skewer, please.”

“Ye…Yes! Please wait a moment! I’ll make it the most delicious…!”

Sizzle- Sizzle.

The owner, who had received three coins, was sweating profusely from the heat and the even hotter flame magic, but he didn’t lose his smile as he quickly made the skewer.

“Here… Here it is! Please enjoy…!”

“…Thank… you.”

“”!!!!!!!!””

It wasn’t common for the legendary Sky Mercenary Vice-Captain Seris to come to Leria Village, let alone buy skewers from a small stall?!

-…What?! Vice-Captain Seris ate a skewer?!

-Move! I want one too-!

-Three skewers… No, five skewers please!!

-Ju…Just a moment!!

Passersby, eyes wide, began to line up in front of the skewer stall, and the owner, Kug, wore a happy smile.

Nom.

Seris walked away from the place, strolling through a deserted alleyway, and took a bite of the skewer.

The sweet sauce and juicy chicken. The combination was not exactly fantastic… but it was good enough.

“…Delici…ous. Still..”

—

From noble mtl dot com

The chicken skewers still held that taste. So sweet, so delicious.

*

Seris wandered through the village of Leriah once more. The very places she had walked with the captain to fit the mercenary band’s armor.

Before she donned the mithril armor she still wore, all the armor shops the captain had deemed unworthy had closed, replaced by others.

And the workshop of Spin, chosen by the captain’s foresight, was now best described as a thronging sea of humanity.

Surely, the Spin workshop they had visited back then was a crumbling shack, but now it loomed like a grand mansion, polished and immense.

Once a solitary endeavor, Spin’s workshop had transformed into a gathering of artisans and geniuses from across the continent, boasting the highest quality and craftsmanship throughout the empire.

Thanks to the mithril armor and various artifacts we had used, it had gained a reputation, hadn’t it?

“W-wait, so you’re saying there are no reservations available right now?”

“I’m sorry, but the earliest reservation is… in one year and two months. Would you like to book?”

“Y-yes… yes! Please, do it that way…”

In the distance, she spotted a mercenary with a bewildered expression and, after a long time, the sight of Spin.

As she gazed at them, memories surged back. The time spent with the captain at the Spin workshop.

Crack—clack—

‘M-my captain…!’

“Eek—!”

The actions I had taken back then flooded my mind.

A smirk—

Yes. Back then, Spin’s behavior seemed like it was fawning over the captain, and I had unknowingly grown angry.

It was… unpleasant at the time. But now, reflecting on it, even that situation felt tinged with happiness.

And as she stepped away from the Spin workshop, her feet naturally led her toward the Steel Mine.

Yet, no matter how much of a Seris she was, she could not set foot in the mine that supplied goods directly to the empire’s finest workshop.

But that was alright. Entering wasn’t the goal.

Simply gazing at that scene, recalling the memory of battling the mithril golems alongside the captain was enough. Striking their solid bodies with a pickaxe… it was truly exhilarating.

“…Let’s go back.”

Yes. This was enough to lift her spirits. It was time to return to my… our base.

Seris walked slowly toward the base. She seemed to think she felt better, happy at the memories of the captain.

Yet, the days spent with the captain surfaced in her mind, and she struggled to ignore the overwhelming urge to burst into tears.

*

Lost in thoughts of those happy days, Seris found herself standing right in front of the mercenary base.

Before my eyes lies a space both familiar and achingly missed. Just beyond this open entrance, our training ground awaits…

“…Don’t cry, you fool…!”

“Ugh… I can’t help it! No matter how much I want to turn away, no matter how much I want to let go… every day, the Commander’s face haunts me…!”

A pause.

From beyond the small stone wall, the tear-soaked voices of the mercenaries begin to seep through. Seris, who had intended to step in and offer his apologies, found himself frozen in place.

“Is it right… for us… to laugh and chatter like this? I’ve never been at ease, always burdened by that thought…”

“………..”

Birong, unusually emotional, silenced them all with his tear-stained voice.

The fervor and laughter they had shown before leaving their base had vanished without a trace, leaving only sorrow and silence in its wake.

Crack-!

“…Hey, you b*stard—!”

“Ugh… cough—!”

And then, Hans’s voice rang out, followed by the sound of someone being struck and collapsing to the ground.

…Hans had hit Birong, and it was a moment that must be stopped, as the vice-captain.

But my body refused to move.

And in that instant, as Hans’s voice echoed, Seris’s eyes began to tremble violently.

“I can’t… we can’t… forget the Commander…! How could we ever forget—!”

—The one who lifted our insignificant lives, the one who provided us with everything that allows us to live so grandly, the pillar for us all…

And as those words resonated, tears began to flow from the mercenaries’ eyes, who had been desperately holding back their grief.

The proud members of the Empire’s strongest mercenary group, the Skar Mercenaries. They who knew no fear, who recognized no defeat.

Yet, due to the absence of just one person, they still felt pain and anguish. Thus, the vast training ground was filled only with the sound of mournful weeping.

Amidst them, Hans began to speak, his voice trembling.

“…How could we forget? The Commander’s sacrifice, the toil he endured…”

“Ugh… sniff…”

“But…! That’s why…! We must smile—! What would the Commander think if he saw us like this, in such a state!!”

The mercenaries who heard that cry, and Seris, who had been leaning against the wall, weeping, widened their eyes in surprise.

The Commander wouldn’t want us to sit here, wallowing in sorrow. Therefore, while remembering his toil and sacrifice, we must smile and move forward.

“Ugh… ugh…”

Unheard and unseen by anyone, Seris leaned against the wall, sobbing alone.

I thought… they were living on, forgetting the Commander.

That laughter, those jokes always thrown about… I thought they were merely for their own amusement.

But it was not all.

They too, still longed for the Captain, felt the ache within. Even those robust adult men, veterans who had danced on the edge of death, were not they now howling in despair?

Their laughter, their jests were not for themselves, but a means to move forward.

To remember and uphold all that the Captain had left behind. To never forget that last smile and warmth he bestowed upon them.

No matter how sorrowful, how difficult, how weary they felt. They simply laughed and shook it off.

“Ugh… Huh… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

Ceris sank down, offering apologies over and over.

They were no different from him. Unlike himself, who had only left wounds upon the Captain, they had lost a pillar overnight…

He felt an overwhelming resentment towards himself, who had trampled upon their hearts, belittling their emotions for his own sake.

Thus, from the void left by one who had departed.

The mightiest mercenary band of the Empire, the Skar Mercenaries, all cried out.

Some might say it was merely one seat, but that seat was everything to them, a beacon illuminating their path.

A void so vast, and thus so painfully felt, as they recalled the Captain Venice’s last smile and words…

They could only wail like children.

—