Chapter 776

Chapter Thirty-Four Boy, Man

I knew I wasn’t very good at saying these things.

From Barry’s reaction, I could feel that his strong sense of unwillingness hadn’t been alleviated by my words; instead, it seemed to have stirred up something deep within him, some emotion and resolve that was unclear whether it was good or bad.

Forget it.

Given his current state and understanding, I didn’t expect him to immediately grasp what I was trying to convey. Not understanding was normal. Having intense negative emotions wasn’t necessarily a bad thing; it was better than sinking into depression and despair.

A little boy must grow up eventually.

To become a hero revered by all, one must first endure pain that ordinary people cannot bear. Many obstacles can only be overcome through independent effort; relying on others will never lead to success.

~Lilith will arrange for you to leave.”

I turned away from him, poured myself a glass of warm water, and offered him comfort: “The person she chose is someone I believe in completely. He can protect your life and teach you more useful things. Following him would be much safer than staying with me, and you won’t end up on the wrong path.”

“I don’t want to—”

“This isn’t about what you want.”

Hearing his stubbornness, I frowned, drank some water, and slammed the cup down on the bedside table with a loud thud: “Barry, if you don’t like being treated like a child, then stop talking like one. Do you know the risks Lilith took and the efforts she made to help you escape? She’s a woman but acts more mature and steady than you. You—”

I stopped abruptly, forcing back the harsh criticism, and sighed deeply: “Forget it. I don’t want to criticize you right after meeting again or get into another argument. It’s pointless. Last time you didn’t listen to me, and if you still don’t this time, think about Lilith and the efforts she made for you. This is something you can’t afford to neglect. You’re a man now and can’t just focus on your own desires. Stop wallowing in your emotions and make those around you worry less.”

“No, I’m not,”

Barry tried to defend himself but found no reason to argue, so his voice trailed off: “It’s not like that.”

I walked back to him.

Seeing his tense body and rigid posture, I thought for a moment and then lightly tapped his forehead. The sound was clear and sharp.

He covered his forehead and looked up. “Alright.”

I forced a smile and said, “Don’t dwell on past events. I know it’s hard, but can you act like a man and pull yourself together?”

Look, things can’t get any worse, can they? If you think like that, then everything that follows will be better than now.”

I hope this smile doesn’t look too unnatural. If only it were more natural.

“As for the remaining issues, I’ll find a way to solve them after you leave. At least, I won’t let more people chase you for the bounty. If possible, we can also remove your identity as a third knight’s sinner. Of course, whether or not this succeeds means you won’t be a church knight anymore. You need to take a new path, one that none of us expected.”

I patted his head: “Remember, this is the last time I’ll help you. In the future, if you encounter new troubles, you need to learn to solve them on your own rather than feeling helpless and crying. Getting angry at those closest to you is not manly, let alone heroic. I heard you raised your sword against Lilith, didn’t you, Barry?”

“…”

The boy fell silent for a moment, lowering his head and avoiding my eyes: “Yes.”

“Such things shouldn’t happen again, alright?”

Some things don’t need to be said repeatedly, nor do they require excessive blame. Sometimes, stopping at the point is the best approach. Barry is old enough to distinguish right from wrong.

“Don’t do things that hurt girls, especially those who love you unconditionally. Lilith is excellent and good for you. I hope before you think about keeping up with me, you consider giving back to her efforts, thinking about how you can help her, and then work hard at it.”

“I don’t ask you to one day hold a sword to your enemy’s neck, nor do I expect you to always stand with me. First, try to be a support for the woman who loves you, and for your grandmother far in the North. Do what you can for them instead of making them worry every day. A ‘hero’ doesn’t have to be everyone’s hero; they can be a hero to a few. If you can truly do this, you will be considered a man standing tall.”

Well, that’s enough said.

As for how much Barry truly understood in his current state, I couldn’t tell, but I believed he would someday understand these principles, recall them when necessary, and use them to drive himself forward. In the near future, he could become an even better person.

This is the best outcome.

I hope what I said today will play a significant role in his future choices. But regardless, let’s leave it here for today.

I no longer had anything else to say to him, leaving him time to think on his own. Thus, there followed a long period of silence.

Neither of us rushed out of the room, nor did we have anything urgent to do, but the awkward atmosphere remained despite our lack of conversation.

But no one cared about this at the moment.

I sat on the floor, sorting through the contents of my pack. I wiped the cloak and mask with water from the canteen, at least cleaning the blood stains. During this process, Barry sat on the bed nearby, lost in thought.

By noon, sensing his weakness and poor spirit, I half-forced him to lie down. Barry reluctantly agreed, believing he had already recovered, but his slightly pale face betrayed him. He needed to regain his strength to handle any sudden situations and wait for the right opportunity to escape the city.

After some persuasion, I finally got him to lie down, but he refused to close his eyes properly, constantly glancing in my direction as if seeking security, afraid that when he opened his eyes again, I would be gone.

“Go to sleep.”

“Don’t keep looking at me.”

“I won’t go anywhere—at least not until you safely leave Alethein City.”

“If you don’t sleep, I really will leave.”

“You seem quite energetic now, so you don’t need me to take care of you anymore.”

In the end, using various comforting phrases, Barry feared I might really leave if he didn’t comply. He finally closed his eyes to rest and gradually fell asleep quietly while I wasn’t looking.

He slept until the afternoon.

During this time, the maid came again. This time, she didn’t knock but stood quietly at the door for a long time, seemingly eavesdropping on the room’s sounds.

The woman clearly suspected me, whatever it was she doubted.

I didn’t think she had a chance of knowing Barry’s identity, but she might guess someone was hiding in the room, leading her to suspect other things.

The maid obviously had her own plans since the moment I entered the tavern. I didn’t know what she intended to do to me and wasn’t interested. Before things actually happened, I could ignore her, but with Barry involved, continuing like this could lead to unnecessary trouble.

Let’s wait and see.

When Lilith comes tonight, I’ll mention changing locations to her.

Although I haven’t decided where to go yet, it must be somewhere she can find.