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Chapter 48 Part 9 – A memory from the previous「108 times」. For the sake of the people we love. And for our friends.

The Kingdom of Orhidea is a major trading power. For Seraphy, who wished to revive the Orange Privateers, it was a crucial partner no matter what. He was unable to inherit the trading license due to the sudden death of his father.

The pockmarked gatekeeper at the Orhidea embassy was famous for his low-life ways.

He was envious of the rich merchants and implicitly demanded bribes from them in order to get through to his superiors. He loved to torment the weak and when he saw the merchants bowing down to him, he would feel superior and that would relieve his daily frustrations.

For him, Seraphy, who succeeded as the head of the Orange Privateers at a young age, was a coveted prey.

Seraphy’s father, the former head of the Orange Privateers, was an outstanding man and did not take small-minded people like this gatekeeper seriously. He shouted at the gatekeeper and brushed off his request for a bribe. The gatekeeper was so shocked that he was unable to stand up and crawled away from the place. The gatekeeper had not forgotten his grudge and was eagerly waiting for an opportunity to take revenge on his son, Seraphy.

「You dare wish to enter our noble embassy in such a filthy state? I’ll clean you up. Here you go!!」

Seraphy, who was dressed in formal attire, was suddenly confronted by a man that poured dirty water from a cleaning bucket over his head.
The season was still cold.
He demanded an exorbitant commission to the stunned and drenched Seraphy. It was more than ten times the amount he was getting from other merchants. There was no way Seraphy was carrying such a large amount of money.

When Seraphy fell silent in his confusion, the gatekeeper shouted at him for being a hick and kicked him with his short legs with all his strength.
Seraphy’s little body was blown away like a ball and he tumbled down the stairs of the entrance door.
He quickly put his arms around the back of his head to protect his head, but the hard stone corners gave him a few severe bruises.
He was suffocated. He had been through a lot in his life and was used to being cursed at and giving bribes, but this was the first time he had met a maniac that was not even in the business, but was just following his emotions and was happy to abuse a child.

Still, Seraphy could not back down.
If he did not obtain a trading license, everyone in the Orange Privateers who believed in him and remained with him would be out on the street. A normal child, when exposed to an adult’s violence, can only cry out loud or freeze in fear. However, Seraphy did not allow himself to do either. He endured the pain and staggered up the stairs.

「…… I’ll pay for the shortage at a later date, so please take care of it.」

Seraphy bowed his head, but the gatekeeper kicked him again without mercy.
The tip of his toe entered his stomach and the intense pain burned throughout his body.
Seraphy, who never gets seasick even in rough seas, broke down and vomited.

By this time, passersby had noticed something unusual, but the Kingdom of Orhidea is a much more powerful kingdom than Hydrangea. Moreover, the embassy was extraterritorial and so they could not lay a hand on it. Everyone had no choice but to keep their eyes down and pretend not to see anything as they walked by.

The gatekeeper stomped on Seraphy’s head as he was in agony and could not stand up.
He utilized his weight and pressed Seraphy’s cheek against the cold stone pavement.
He ordered Seraphy to apologize for the mess he had made at the entrance, then lick the spot with his tongue to clean it. It was not what any sane person would do.
Still, Seraphy complied with the request, trembling with humiliation.
For Seraphy, the future of everyone in the Orange Privateers was more important than his own pride.
However, his courageous resolve was not shared by the gatekeeper.
Seeing the scar on Seraphy’s forehead peeking out from his disheveled bangs, the gatekeeper sneered at him.

「You’re like a dog licking your own vomit. Come to think of it, I heard that your father was bitten to death by a dog.」

He had heard from hearsays about the manner of death of the former head of the Orange Privateers and Seraphy’s wounds.
With a cruel, twisted smile, he ordered Seraphy.

「…… Look!! Tell them that your father was a fool who couldn’t protect his wife, left ugly scars on his child, and was then bitten to death by a dog!! Then I’ll let you through!!」

Even though Seraphy had been enduring the unreasonable treatment until now, he froze.
The reason why his body began to tremble was not only because he had become like a drenched rat, deprived of body heat. If it was only about the wound on his forehead, he could still bear it. However, he could not forgive the gatekeeper for looking down and scorning his father, whom he respected. It was impossible for him to speak ill of his father with his own mouth.

He absolutely did not want to follow his words.
But if he did not follow it, there is no future for the Orange Privateers.
The gatekeeper sensed Seraphy’s distress with his unique intuition as an oppressor and took the opportunity to threaten Seraphy with a smirk.

「…… It’s easy, isn’t it? All you have to do is say a few words and you’ll get the permit you’ve always wanted. What are you hesitating for?」

Vile human beings are most pleased when they could stain the proud humans. They are bizarrely obsessed with the idea of throwing feces in a clean place. This gatekeeper was no exception.

Seraphy clenched his fists and bit his lip so hard it bled.
He had a duty to protect his living companions.
He must not lose sight of that, caught up in his feelings for his dead relatives.
Tears welled up for the first time in the blue eyes of the stout-hearted Seraphy as he made the painful decision.

‘…… Father, mother …… I’m sorry ……!!’

Seraphi opened his mouth, crying and apologizing in his heart.

「…… My father is ……」

It was at this very moment when Seraphy was about to follow the gatekeeper’s coercion with a heartrending grief.
The scene in front of him suddenly became dark.
It was not until much later that he learned that it was the shadow of a huge owl passing overhead.
The triumphant gatekeeper was stunned till he was unable to stand up.
Because he knew what the shadow meant.

An arrow flew through the wind, grazed the gatekeeper’s cheek, and pierced the thick wooden door behind him.
The arrow was strangely short. It was like a child’s toy. And yet it was more powerful than a crossbow shot in close-range.
In fact, Seraphy at first thought it was a crossbow with a short arrow.
However, the shooter was nowhere to be seen.
The range of the crossbow is short. Besides, this arrow has a fletching.

Seraphy was so confused that he forgot about the pain, forgot about getting up, and just watched the strange phenomenon in amazement.

「…… You don’t have to follow the words of that lowlife. Hey, you little scoundrel. I, Arnold, have seen through the eyes of the owl and witnessed your misdeeds.」

With a sound of iron wheels and a clatter of hoof beats, a two-horse, uncovered carriage with an aristocratic crest came to a screeching halt just in front of the embassy.
A child of the nobility stood with one foot on the folded hood, bow and arrow at the ready.
The child had piercing golden eyes, dark skin that gave the impression of strength even at a young age, and hair that swept back from the wind. His hair was fluttering in the back in a wavy pattern, reminding one of a wolf in the wilderness. The wild appearance of the boy was burned into Seraphy’s memory.
His torso did not shake with the vibration of the carriage or the recoil of a sudden stop, and his bow remained perfectly poised.
He had an old-fashioned manner of speaking that strangely suited him, a child who did not look like a noble at all.

That was the first encounter between Seraphy and Arnold.