Chapter 6 : Missing
Chapter 6: Missing
What came out of the rustling forest was a rabbit.
A cute brown-furred rabbit hopped out and began nibbling on the grass.
Robin and Jeremy, who had been on edge, exhaled in relief at the same time.
“What, it’s just a rabbit.”
“I was worried it might be a monster. That’s a relief, Jeremy.”
“Wait a second.”
Jeremy approached the rabbit.
Whether it was stupid or simply unafraid, the rabbit continued eating without a care.
When Jeremy picked it up, it quietly nestled into his arms.
“This little one’s so cute. Look at how fluffy its fur is.”
“I want to touch it too.”
When Robin stroked it, the rabbit closed its eyes as if pleased.
Warmth radiated from the small bundle of fur, softening his heart.
“I wish I could take it home and raise it.”
“Mr. Burt wouldn’t allow that. And I don’t think the rabbit would like it either.”
“But it’s so cute.”
“Jeremy, listen carefully. You shouldn’t touch wild animals you meet in the forest so easily. This rabbit might have a family.”
Jeremy hadn’t thought that far, and with a look of regret, he gently petted the rabbit.
When they set it down, the rabbit hopped away once more and disappeared.
“We may want to keep it because it’s pretty, but the rabbit would be stressed if it were locked up even for a day.”
“You’re right.”
When Jeremy looked crestfallen, Robin wondered if he had said too much.
Contrary to his worry, Jeremy soon brightened again.
“Robin, let’s go out into the world once we’re older. We’ll set off on an adventure to unexplored lands and see animals even stronger and prettier than rabbits.”
“You told me to become a knight. Can I be both a knight and an adventurer?”
Knights appointed by the Empire swore loyalty to it.
They pledged, during their investiture, to devote themselves to the protection of humanity.
The conditions for being recognized were strict, and as a result, the power of a knight was beyond comparison to that of ordinary people.
In contrast, an adventurer only needed to register with a guild.
Their qualifications were far more lenient.
Robin wondered whether it was even possible to be both a knight and an adventurer, and if one had the skill to become a knight, there was no need to be an adventurer at all.
Robin preferred to be a knight rather than an adventurer.
“There are precedents. Some adventurers used to be knights.”
“What an odd person. Still, I like knights better. They specialize in swordsmanship.”
Jeremy’s lips jutted out sulkily.
“Adventurers aren’t weaker than knights! There are so many great ones!”
It was the first time Robin had heard that, but he just let Jeremy talk.
“Alright, listen. Twenty years ago, there was…”
From Jeremy’s mouth flowed tales of adventurer heroes.
Stories that sparked the imagination of children—discovering ancient ruins spoken of only in legend, exploring unknown lands no one had ever set foot in.
Jeremy wanted to become such an adventurer.
It was the first time Robin had heard Jeremy speak so concretely about his dream.
Robin thought that, as Jeremy said, becoming a knight and then setting out on adventures didn’t sound so bad.
“Then let’s do this. I’ll become the greatest knight! And you’ll become the greatest adventurer who’s seen every corner of the world! Let’s both become the best.”
“Hmph! A knight could never beat the greatest adventurer.”
Robin went along with Jeremy’s words, keeping the excitement alive.
As he imagined a future where their names would resound across the continent, Jeremy continued his adventurer tales.
After finishing work at the general store, Robin swung wooden swords with Jeremy.
They named Jeremy’s favorite hill “Hope’s Peak.”
When they returned in the evening, they each wrote on paper in their cramped room to summarize the day.
Seeing Robin do this, Jeremy started writing too—he called it a diary.
“What do you write in a diary?”
“It’s no different from what you’re writing now. I write about what happened that day and record what I felt and thought. Later, when I look back, I can relive those memories.”
“Can I see what you wrote?”
“No. Even if we’re close, I can’t show you. It’s embarrassing.”
When Robin tried to peek, Jeremy quickly covered it with his hand.
Robin felt a bit disappointed, but he understood.
He, too, had thoughts he couldn’t tell anyone.
For instance, imagining himself defeating enemies with dazzling swordsmanship—or building a happy family.
‘I need to practice swordsmanship harder.’
Before going to sleep, he imagined himself as a master swordsman.
It was a small joy for Robin.
The next morning, as usual, Robin woke up earlier than Jeremy and stretched as he stepped out of the room.
“You’re up early.”
“Good morning, Mr. Burt.”
“Here’s breakfast. Eat with Jeremy. I’ll be out this morning, so don’t open the store—just rest.”
“Where are you going?”
“To the market. Turn away any customers.”
“Got it. Take care, Mr. Burt.”
As the general store door opened, a cool breeze swept in.
When Burt limped away, Robin began cleaning.
Now, even without Jeremy, he could handle not just cleaning but also organizing inventory.
While he was leisurely arranging the shelves, Jeremy woke up.
“Yaaawn. Good morning, Robin.”
“You’re up? Let’s eat.”
Leading the sleepy-eyed Jeremy, who was still rubbing his eyes, Robin sat him at the counter.
Breakfast, prepared by Burt, consisted of lukewarm soup, bread, and steamed potatoes.
Robin ate gratefully.
Perhaps from all the wooden sword practice, his appetite had grown recently.
“Robin, you’ve gotten taller.”
“Huh? Me?”
“You’re a bit taller than me now.”
Jeremy stood and compared their backs, measuring whose head was higher. Indeed, Robin was slightly taller.
Their once-poor diet must have improved, and it seemed their growth had come all at once.
“I’ll catch up soon, so wait for me.”
“Ha ha, sure. Let’s both grow fast.”
After finishing the meal, Robin restocked the missing items on the shelves.
Thanks to the two of them working smoothly without needing words, the chores finished quickly.
During spare time, Robin learned arithmetic from Jeremy and gradually became more comfortable with numbers.
‘I wish I could read books.’
The more he learned about numbers, the clearer the once-blurry world seemed.
He began to understand how far Stonegoss was from the capital and how large Burt’s General Store really was.
Jeremy said reading books would open him to far broader knowledge.
There were some books in the store, but not many, and Burt hadn’t given permission to read them.
Books turned out to be surprisingly expensive.
‘I should ask when Mr. Burt’s in a good mood.’
After turning away a few customers, noon arrived, and Burt returned.
His expression was dark as he set down a basket of bread and fruit on a small table near the entrance and called for Robin and Jeremy.
“Let’s eat.”
Sensing his mood, the boys quietly tore at their bread.
As silence thickened, Jeremy couldn’t hold back any longer and spoke up.
“Sir, did something happen? You look upset.”
“A deal fell through. Jacob said he needed a cart, so I contacted the merchant group for him—but the fool never came to pay.”
Jacob was the fruit vendor they had once saved from Marcus’s gang.
Although it had been Jeremy who helped him, Robin still felt gratitude toward the man.
“Maybe something came up? He was always so diligent…”
“Could be.”
“Should Robin and I go check on him? We know where Mr. Jacob lives.”
Burt glanced around the clean store, satisfied with its order, and nodded.
Pleased with how well Robin and Jeremy handled things, he gave them the afternoon off.
As soon as lunch was over, the two boys left the general store.
“The kids sure are enthusiastic.”
“Mr. Jacob’s house is on the outskirts.”
“But how do you know where he lives?”
“He’s soft when it comes to kids. One time, I was just watching the apples because I wanted one, and he called me over and gave me a whole basket. I remembered his house then.”
Robin was once again surprised by Jeremy’s sociability.
He knew Jeremy was on good terms with the market merchants, but he hadn’t realized he’d been to one of their homes.
It probably had a lot to do with Jacob’s kindness toward children, but Jeremy had a way of winning people’s goodwill.
“Here it is.”
It was a two-story house facing the road that led out of the city.
When they knocked, they heard movement inside.
A middle-aged woman opened the door.
“What is it?”
“Hello. I’m Jeremy, and I work at Burt’s General Store.”
“I’m Robin.”
“Mr. Jacob didn’t show up for his appointment, so we came to check.”
“Oh dear, so my husband broke his promise. Would you like to come in and talk?”
They followed the woman’s lead into the house.
Inside, a child who looked about four hid behind the dining table and peeked at Robin and Jeremy.
Robin waved, but the child didn’t lower their guard.
The woman brought out some fruit.
They were well-ripened apples.
“Eat as much as you like. And please tell Mr. Burt we’re sorry. Our daughter didn’t come home yesterday. My husband went up the hill to look for her.”
“Oh… I see. What does your daughter look like? Maybe we’ve seen her.”
“Her name is Lina. She’s nine years old. Like me, she has brown hair, braided into two pigtails. She’s about your height and very playful. She was wearing a yellow dress, and…”
The atmosphere instantly grew heavy.
A nine-year-old girl hadn’t come home.
Jacob had gone into the hills to search, since she loved playing outside the city.
As the woman described her missing daughter’s appearance, her voice began to tremble.
When she finally finished, her face was clouded with worry.
“I see. Mr. Burt will understand once he knows.”
“Yes… thank goodness…”
“We’ll help look too. Sometimes kids our age get so caught up in playing that they end up sleeping outside. Please don’t worry too much.”
The woman forced a faint smile at Robin’s reassurance.
When they left, she handed them a bag filled with apples and grapes.
She asked them to deliver it to Burt as an apology.
As she saw them off, the child who had been hiding behind the table peeked out and waved.
Robin waved back, and the child quickly hid again.
“That girl Lina… do you think she’s alright?”
“If they don’t find her by tonight, she’s probably dead.”
At Jeremy’s cold remark, Robin turned around.
Holding the bag of fruit, Jeremy looked calm, as though calculating how much stock they had left.
Robin frowned slightly.
“Jeremy, don’t you think that’s too pessimistic?”
“That’s reality. If a child disappears outside without any preparation, the odds of survival are low.”
Odds.
It was a concept in math Jeremy had taught him.
It meant expressing the likelihood of an event as a number.
Robin didn’t like it.
“Let’s go look for her too.”
“I don’t know. The world outside the city isn’t exactly a playground.”
“Jeremy, you said you wanted to be an adventurer.”
“Of course I’ll explore uncharted lands someday. But not now. Have you already forgotten what happened the other day?”
When Robin reminded him of how scared he’d been of the rabbit at Hope’s Peak, even he couldn’t find the courage to argue further.
Thinking objectively, Robin had to admit Jeremy wasn’t wrong.
They were ten years old. Robin, especially small for his age, didn’t have much strength.
‘If only I had a real sword, I could fight off even a monster.’
As he swung his wooden sword, Robin longed to wield a real blade.
He thought of the black sword hidden in their room.
Torn between Jeremy’s judgment and his own desire to help find Lina, Robin arrived back at the general store.
“Mr. Burt, Mr. Jacob’s daughter went missing. He couldn’t make it to the meeting because he’s out looking for her. His wife sent these fruits as an apology.”
Burt took the fruit bag and relaxed his expression, as if he understood.
Just as Robin was about to suggest borrowing some gear to help look for Lina, Burt’s grim words fell.
“Jacob’ll be holding a funeral soon. He’s one of the few honest fruit sellers. Shame it had to be him.”
“She might still be alive.”
Robin spoke sharply, pouting at Burt’s words.
‘So he’s more mature than other kids, but still a child after all.’
“Robin, have you ever been outside the city?”
“Yes. I go out every day lately.”
Robin knew the surrounding area well enough to stash his begging money in a hidden cave—but he kept that to himself.
Recently, he’d only been going back and forth to Hope’s Peak, so it wasn’t exactly a lie.
‘Robin, why would you say that!’
Jeremy’s eyes went wide as he stared at him.
He thought if they got into danger while wandering around recklessly, they’d only cause trouble for Burt.
Burt wasn’t the affectionate type with children.
And he believed it would be disrespectful if the boys, who barely earned their keep, ended up getting themselves killed by monsters.
“Hm.”
But Burt didn’t seem to mind.
He respected people who lived with initiative.
“How far have you gone?”
Robin hesitated, but since Burt waited patiently, he finally answered.
“I’ve been to the hill about fifteen minutes’ walk from here.”
“That hardly counts as outside the city. That’s just a playground.”
Robin had been somewhat proud of himself, but Burt’s words made his shoulders droop.
“No, maybe it’s actually better to search a place like that if the girl’s missing.”
“Then we’ll go look for her!”
“If you’re set on dying, I won’t stop you.”
“Is it really that dangerous?”
“Stonegoss has been peaceful lately. No monsters showing up—that’s probably why the girl was wandering outside. But in my experience, when things are that quiet, something big is bound to happen.”
Just then, a customer came in, and Burt stood up to attend to them.
He waved his hand, telling Robin and Jeremy to do as they wished.
They’d already been given the afternoon off, so Robin’s mind was made up.
“Jeremy, you’re coming, right?”
“You sure are stubborn.”
Jeremy reluctantly agreed.
The two boys packed their things in the room and set out toward Hope’s Peak.