Reformation of the Deadbeat Noble - Chapter 238

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Dionysus

Chapter 238: Time to Prove Yourself (5)

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“...”

Lance Patterson stared blankly at the orc seated across from him.

If the orc had introduced himself as an Orc Diviner, Lance would have thrown him out at once. He did not believe in fortune-telling.

Brett had told him what happened in Durkali, but Lance still could not imagine a diviner that skilled wandering the continent.

Yet the title Orc Counselor had stirred something in him.

Perhaps the orc had seen through his thoughts.

The tattooed orc ordered a beer and said, “To be honest, all those self-proclaimed Orc Diviners wandering the human world are quacks. They toss around impressive-sounding things like spirit energy, destiny, and the Five Elements, but there’s nothing to them.”

“Are you any different?”

“Me? I’m no different either. Meaningful counseling is rare to begin with. Hahaha!”

The orc laughed loudly and gulped down his beer.

After emptying the mug in an instant, he ordered another and continued.

“But simply telling someone what’s weighing on your heart can make you feel a little better.”

“...”

“Unlike those diviners, I won’t say anything grand about predicting your future or setting your life on course. But I can be someone to talk to for a moment, someone you’ll probably never see again. That makes it easier to unload your worries without feeling burdened.”

How about it?

The price for listening was just two beers.

Lance Patterson remained silent for quite a while before finally speaking with a quiet breath.

“...It’s about my friends.”

Was it because he was drunk?

Or because, as the orc said, they would never meet again?

Lance found it far easier than expected to speak about what had been on his mind.

Once he got started, even the things he had sworn not to say out of pettiness came pouring out.

‘This wasn’t what I intended...’

A while later, Lance came to his senses and felt embarrassed.

Still, it was not entirely bad. After letting everything out, he felt more relieved than he had expected. It was a little embarrassing, but still.

He looked at the Orc Diviner, no, the Orc Counselor.

What advice would someone who had lived far longer than he had give after hearing his story?

“I don’t see a problem.”

“Pardon?”

“You’re living just fine. I don’t think this is a situation where you need to look so miserable.”

“...”

“Ah, did that sound too dismissive? Sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.”

“...No.”

“No, my foot. I said I’m sorry.”

Despite the orc’s apology, Lance’s expression did not improve.

The orc was right. To Lance, this was serious enough to make him question his entire life. Seeing such a reaction made him regret not throwing the orc out the moment he saw him.

But the Orc Counselor showed no intention of leaving.

He emptied his second mug just as quickly, then spoke with a faint smile.

“I truly mean it when I say it doesn’t seem like a problem. You already know this, don’t you? Your dream isn’t to become the greatest swordsman. You just want to enjoy training with the sword... and if you can conduct yourself in a way you won’t be ashamed of before your family, your Master, and those around you, that’s enough. I’m pretty sure you said that yourself.”

“That’s...”

“I know, I know. You understand it in your head, but you can’t accept it in your heart. That’s why it hurts. Isn’t that what you want to say?”

“...”

“The truth is, most people are the same.”

The orc set down his mug and looked around, pointing at the people nearby.

The busy server taking orders, the tavern owner standing behind the counter with a worried expression, the customers speaking so passionately that spittle flew from their mouths.

“Every one of them envies someone, and every one of them is envied by someone else.”

“...”

“You’re probably the same, and so are the people you envy. Those friends you mentioned are no different. No matter how strong someone is, no matter how skilled they are with a sword, there’s always someone above them. Even if they reach the very top, it’s the same. They still won’t be the best in every other field.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Didn’t I already say it? Everyone is the same. Whether someone is impressive or unimpressive, everyone is bound to have feelings of inferiority. Hmm, let me correct that. I’m not saying it’s nothing. I’m saying everyone learns to live with that kind of pain.”

“That...”

“What matters here is this.”

The orc paused.

Then he looked at Lance with deep eyes.

They held enough force to overwhelm even Lance, who had nearly reached Expert.

Keeping that gaze fixed on him, the orc slowly spoke.

“Despite those difficult days, everyone keeps enduring and moving forward.”

“...”

“Look at who you are now. Then think of yourself five years ago.”

“...”

“Did you remain still during those years? Or did you move forward?”

“...I moved forward.”

He could not say he had remained still.

His younger self had been terrible. His thoughts had been childish, and his swordsmanship had barely been worth looking at. He had even struggled to speak casually to Brett.

“Right, I thought so. Then let me ask again. Didn’t you have difficult times back then too?”

“...I did.”

He could not deny that either.

Thinking about it, those days had been much like now. He cried often and got angry whenever no one else was around.

There were days when he pushed himself to the point of collapse, screaming in frustration at his skills that refused to improve.

And no matter what he did, the gap never closed.

Watching his friends leave him behind and disappear into the distance, he had thought he looked utterly pathetic...

“Even when things were that hard, you endured. And now, you’ve reached a place far beyond where you were in the past.”

“...”

“You were hurt by being worse than others, you despaired, you suffered... Yet you did not stop. You kept moving forward, didn’t you? You’ve done that until now, so why wouldn’t you be able to keep doing it?”

Lance could not answer the Orc Counselor’s question for a long time.

He knew it was true.

But he did not want to admit it so easily.

He wanted to argue that the friends he had seen, the friends moving far ahead of him, were not like him.

That they seemed to live far happier, more fulfilling lives than he did.

...Even though he knew that was not true.

Just as Lance had, they too carried pain and hardship where no one else could see, and kept moving forward.

“...I’ll pay for the two beers.”

“Really? Whew, what a relief. I was worried because you looked so unhappy. I thought I was definitely going to have to pay. To be honest, all the advice I gave you was nonsense anyway.”

“...?”

“Why are you looking at me like that? Everything I said was nonsense. You can forget it.”

“No...”

Lance looked at him in disbelief.

The orc had given him some comfort, in his own way.

It was not as if Lance had gained some great realization, but simply speaking honestly about what had been in his heart had already made him feel somewhat lighter.

And now the orc was making all of that seem completely meaningless?

“I have no eye for judging human appearances, but you’ve got a pretty good air about you. You have a good build, and you’re tall. You probably have plenty of people around you too. If you gathered all the kind words and advice they’ve given you, you could fill several wagons. Isn’t that right?”

“...”

“What they’ve told you has probably helped far more than anything I’ve said. They would have said it while thinking much more deeply about you.”

“Then...”

“There’s something else I really want to say. Want to hear it?”

“...”

Lance glared at the orc.

At the look demanding an answer, the counselor grinned.

He ordered another beer and drained it in an instant before speaking.

“At your age, getting into a relationship is the best way to get out of a slump.”

“...What?”

“Don’t look at me like I’m some strange orc. When you meet a good person, you feel better, and your heart has more room to breathe. You won’t dig yourself into a hole over something like this. No, let me correct that. It’s not nothing. Still, it’s not something you need to despair over so deeply.”

“...”

“Date someone. You really should. Then, when your heart finds some peace later, think about your current worries again. Your perspective will probably change completely. You’ll think, ‘It really was nothing, so why was I taking it so seriously by myself back then?’”

“...What if I’m still struggling?”

“Then talk to the lover beside you at that time. Are you planning to keep clinging to an old orc like me until then?”

Scrape.

The Orc Counselor rose from his seat.

Then he ambled away.

Lance stared blankly at his back before suddenly coming to his senses.

‘That bastard drank three beers, not two!’

That was when it happened.

“Think of the last mug as payment for introducing you to a good person.”

“Pardon? What does that...”

Lance frowned.

Scrape.

Plop.

“...”

“Hello?”

A beautiful woman appeared from nowhere and spoke to him.

She was not a stranger. It was Airen’s younger sister, Kiril Farreira.

Lance looked toward the orc for a moment, then sighed and sat back down.

He had no idea what was going on, but he could not just leave her there.

“Kiril? What are you doing here...?”

“You knew and were just pretending not to notice, right?”

“What?”

“I thought I’d made it pretty obvious, but you never reacted.”

“...”

Lance blinked at Kiril’s words.

What did she mean?

What was she trying to say?

Perhaps he was drunk, or perhaps the situation was too sudden, but his thoughts would not come together.

Kiril did not care.

“Want to go out with me?”

“What?”

“Don’t just say ‘what.’ I like you. Ah! Don’t ask why I like you, because I don’t know either. I’ve always been that way. I dislike people without a reason, and I like people without a reason too. You’re the latter.”

“...”

“I’ll ask you directly. You don’t like me?”

Lance was left speechless.

It was not that he disliked her.

But that did not mean he particularly liked her either.

The truth was, he had not given it much thought. He had been so deeply caught up in his own worries that he had not had time to look around him.

Of course, he could not say that outright.

Lance focused on choosing his words, still looking dazed.

Kiril did not wait for him.

“You don’t know me well, right?”

“...”

“That’s fine. I’m not blaming you.”