act11mini

I bet on you, you know!

...Really? Why would you do that?

Because the odds were good. Why else?

Oh... Makes sense...

But just so you know, you shouldn't bet on Infected knights next time. They won't let us win.

I gave it my all, but still failed. I doubt the people behind the scenes are very happy with me, after my last showing.

Woah, that sounds awful.

If only I had the Blood Knight's skills...

He still lost to the Radiant Knight though. Er, sorry, shouldn't have brought that up.

By the way, what do YOU do?

Are you some sort of knight too?

Nothing of the sort. I'm just a hunter from the sticks who occasionally stops by the big city. I usually hunt fowlbeasts, and can sometimes even turn a profit if they manage to fetch a good price.

But it's been rough these days, so I've been thinking about how to make it big in the city.

Like becoming a competition knight? You can make a lot of quick cash if you manage to win.

Nah, forget it. I don't have what it takes to be a knight anyway.

I'm no good at fighting.

You've got a good head on your shoulders then. The knight competitions may be glamorous, but only a small handful of us make any real money. Not the kind of thing you want to be worrying about.

Heck, I wouldn't be doing this either, if I had a choice.

Life has a way of messing with us all, brother.

You said it. Back then, all I ever thought about was how much better life would be in the big city.

If I could go back in time, I'd tell myself from a few years back to just forget about Kawalerielki. Should've stayed home and worked an honest job.

I'd rather spend my entire life farming than... doing whatever I'm doing now.

Agreed, only a tiny minority are able to make good money.

But even then, what the best paid competition knight earns is nothing compared to the real profit that the companies behind them are making... *hic*.

You've had too much to drink, my man.

Naww, I'm totally sober!

Whaddya think... If I get infected, you think I'll get the day off tomorrow?

Maybe. But forget tomorrow, you'll never have to go to work again.

Just pretend I didn't say anything... *hic*. Damn, maybe I am drunk after all.

Sorry, my head's starting... to spin...

Fine. Seems like you really are out of it, so I'll restrain myself and not beat the shit out of you.

Just don't ever crack a joke like that again... 'Cause if you do, you're taking a trip to the hospital to get stitches for your nose.

Eep... It won't happen again.

To be honest, I always wanted to be a knight, ever since I was a little kid.

Not a competition knight, mind you. Something much older... The kind my grandpa's generation really looked up to.

You mean like those campaign knights that entered the city not too long ago?

Yeah, I know I don't have the skills for that... *sigh*.

Look at it this way, their way of fighting is totally outdated. What can you accomplish these days with brute strength alone?

Sure, nobody's arguing with that. But... We've got to fight, like it or not.

Phew... Boss, pour me another one!

If you ask me, everyone wants a better life. And the best way to do that is to get into business.

You want to get into the business world?

Uh, yeah, I guess? Preferably a large corporation. The nine-to-five, cubicle sort. But y'know, being a salesman doesn't sound half-bad either. I think I'd be pretty good at it.

I heard big companies give bonuses to outstanding employees too. What could be better than earning a stable salary?

Haha, when you put it like that...

You're too naive!

Huh?

Working in a corporation isn't as easy as you think.

Hmm... Well, it's just a pipe dream anyway. Everyone knows it's tough getting into a good company.

True, it's tough, but that's still the easy part. Getting in is just the beginning.

The problem is, once you're in, you can't get out. That's the hard part.

Today, I... actually ditched work. I didn't show up.

I originally wanted to take some time off, but I'm out of vacation days for the year, so I didn't even bother applying.

You were gone the whole day and nobody even bothered to call you?

My phone's dead. Forgot to charge it last night.

Good man.

Are you sure that's not going to be a problem?

It's a problem all right. A big problem.

...Scratch what I said earlier. Maybe you're a little TOO gutsy.

Hah... Haha... Is this what you'd call having guts?

My tongue's completely numb, my stomach's empty, and my brain's faring about as well.

Err, no, I just drank a whole bunch, so there's alcohol in my stomach and water in my head.

What the hell are you on about?

Quite the unique saying you came up with there. I like it.

That said, I feel pretty good now that I can't hear my ringtone... At least I can fool myself into thinking everything's fine.

With all due respect, that feeling won't last forever.

As soon as you charge your phone... Sheesh, I don't even want to think about it.

...Then let's not. I'm starting to get the chills again.

Even I'm starting to feel sick to my stomach.

Whatever, I've made my peace with it. There's no shortage of grunts like me. You've got the more experienced old hands, and the more gung-ho young guns. No point delaying the inevitable.

I'm just worn out, man... I just wanna take a day off where I don't have to worry about anything.

If I'm really gonna get fired over this, then so be it. At least that spares me from all the agonizing over not being able to make up my mind.

You really do have nerves of steel. You're not afraid at all?

...Can't you tell I'm joking? Of course I'm afraid. I still haven't paid off my mortgage.

So I'm gonna head home and pull an all-nighter writing a report for the head of the department about how I was in a coma all day from a serious illness, and accidentally broke my phone.

That... might be a bit of a stretch.

Just a bit.

Who cares if it's true or not? All that matters is having an excuse to step down.

Alright, that's enough for today. No more drinking.

Boss, give me the tab... Tch, you two sure know how to take advantage of a guy's hospitality. Picking all the expensive drinks, eh?

I do appreciate it. Ahh, what a rare treat, to enjoy a friend's hospitality on one of my few trips to the city.

To show my thanks, can I offer you a suggestion?

What, me?

Why don't you spend the night here at the bar? I took a look and it's going to be open all night, with plenty of customers.

And tomorrow morning, find another place with lots of people. Try to keep your head down in the crowd.

Huh? What's that supposed to mean?

That's all I have to say. I'll be off now.

He's gone just like that, huh? Didn't even care to elaborate.

Well, I'd better get going too. What about you? Are you going to listen to him and drink all night?

I...

Later, the old man told me that he's a Darksteel, and that I might be cut out to become a Lazurite.

He may have been as cold and shady as his rank, but I don't think there's anything particularly blue about me. Oh, not that I'm trying to argue with you, boss. Lazurite suits me just fine.

When the old man picked me up—well, I won't say that, since I was doing perfectly fine by myself and didn't need to be 'picked up.'

Basically, I had just hunted two fowlbeasts at the time. Scalded off the plumage, bled them out, and had them ready for eating after some time over the fire pit.

They came out pretty good, and the old man ate a fowlbeast and a half all by himself. Left me with two heads, a pair of claws, and one leg.

After he finished, he started talking like one of those high-and-mighty folks out of the storybooks:

Even without a teacher or any tools, you're still able to hunt these slippery fowlbeasts. They can be difficult even for experienced hunters your age. You've got a natural talent.

How about it, child? Want to live the good life?

—Of course. How could I not?

I must've been drunk as hell too. Ended up wasting all that time because I somehow believed what he said.