Chapter 28 _ The Survival Strategy of the Weak, or the Conditions of a Sword Saint
I might still be unprepared.
But as Frey had told me,
there was only one way I knew how to move forward—
by getting my hands dirty.
With that in mind,
I went to see Wilfred again today.
“…Morning.”
“………………”
He seemed to be asleep.
I decided to wait until he woke up.
About two hours passed before he finally reacted.
“…Hey.
How long are you planning to stand there like that?”
“Morning.”
Wilfred sat up and scratched his head.
“I can’t sleep like this.
You’re getting on my nerves.
If it were anyone else, they’d be dead by now.”
“That’s how important this is to me.”
His eyes sharpened, as if he were about to kill me.
“Make this the last time.
If you come again, I won’t hold back.”
I didn’t flinch.
“…I’ll come as many times as it takes.
Either way, the only path left to me
is to make you our companion.”
Wilfred sighed deeply and shrugged—
hands spread, head tilted, a clear give me a break gesture.
“…Tch.
That part of you is exactly like him.”
“You mean Roger Brown?”
He snapped his gaze back at me.
“…How do you know that name?”
“I met Hans the other day.
He told me a lot.
That he was your partner, too.”
Wilfred covered his forehead with his hand.
“…Hans.
He talks too much.”
“And that Roger died,” I continued.
“And that after his death,
you quit being a treasure hunter.”
“…Is that the reason?”
Wilfred finally gave up.
“…Fine.
You’re too persistent. I’ll tell you—
but this is the last time. Understood?”
“…Yes.”
“Roger was the son of a noble.
He grew up wanting for nothing.”
“He was naive, ignorant of the world, clumsy—
but his dreams were bigger than anyone’s.”
“Just like you,” Wilfred added flatly.
“One day he heard rumors about me
and came asking to join forces to find the world’s hidden treasures.”
“I warned him. Over and over.
‘You’ll die.’
I refused him.”
“Same as I did with you.”
“He had book knowledge, sure,
but zero adventuring skills.”
“Everyone thought it was suicide.”
“But Roger clenched his teeth and followed anyway.
With a crossbow in hand,
he trained himself as a ranger.”
“…A ranger.
Same as me.”
Wilfred closed his eyes slowly,
his face twisting in pain.
“He grew stronger.
So strong it made you wonder
how far effort alone could take a man.”
“Before long,
he was praised as the greatest ranger in the Guild.”
“I acknowledged him.
No—everyone in this country did.”
“…And that was the trap.”
“When people gain confidence, arrogance follows.”
“One day, Roger left a note—
said there was a hidden treasure in a low-level dungeon—
and went alone.”
“We chased after him desperately.”
“But when we found him…”
Wilfred’s voice dropped.
“…He was already gone.”
I finally understood.
“Wilfred…
you took Roger’s name
so you’d never forget him?”
“It’s a reminder,” Wilfred said.
“A reminder?”
He stared at his clenched fist,
so tightly closed that it trembled.
“I couldn’t protect him.
The one who killed Roger… was me.”
“Even now, I can’t stop thinking—
‘If only I’d done this.’
‘I knew arrogance would come—why didn’t I stop him?’”
Listening to him,
I saw my former self reflected.
When I lost in APEX,
I always blamed others.
Cover was late.
My teammates were weak.
When in truth,
I was the one who’d overextended.
The one who’d been weak.
Tears welled up.
A truly strong man, I realized,
was someone who blamed himself
even for this.
“You understand now, don’t you?” Wilfred said.
“Go home.
And never show your face here again.”
“…I won’t die.”
“…Huh?”
“Roger died.
But I won’t.”
“You think you’re different?” he snapped.
“I am,” I said quietly.
“Because I know how weak I am.”
“And so does Iris.”
“That’s why we’ll never leave your side.”
“You’ll protect us.
I believe that.”
Silence.
Then Wilfred threw his head back and laughed.
“…Ha… hahaha…!”
“You got me there.”
“I’ve been asked to join countless parties,” he said, wiping tears of laughter.
“Always with self-praise.
‘I have this skill.’
‘I can use this magic.’”
“But you?” he looked at me.
“You said you’re weak.”
“You’re the first one to say that.”
“So… will you join us?”
“There’s a condition.”
“A condition?”
“I’ve heard about Iris.
The ogre extermination.”
Wilfred’s expression hardened.
“Defeat an ogre.
Just the two of you.”
“If you succeed, I’ll join.”
“What!?
That’s impossible!”
He shook his head.
“Don’t tell me you can’t.”
“If you can’t handle an ogre with two people,
you’ll die eventually anyway.”
“And Iris must face that wall someday.”
I thought for a long moment,
then looked up.
“…Alright.
We’ll do it.”
Wilfred raised an eyebrow, impressed.
“When the time comes, call me.
I’ll witness it.”
The condition he set
was a trial far beyond our current strength.
“…This is bad,” I muttered.
For now, all I could do
was return to the inn
and consult with Frey and Iris.
