The Second Son of The Marquis Runs Away from Home ~ Lacking Talent, He Abandons Everything and Becomes an Adventurer ~ - 92

Chapter 92: Reunion

“Big brother!? Are you really okay now?”

“Yeah, I’m fine now.”

Seeing his big brother entering the tent, he couldn’t help but speak up. However, looking at his big brother’s expression, he somehow sensed his current position.

“Captain, I’m sorry, but is it okay for the two of us to talk alone?”

“No problem.”

Confirming the nod from the captain, he left the tent. Heading outside the defense wall, his big brother started the conversation.

“It’s been a while… Should I call you Berg now?”

“Serk is fine. Either way, it’s still me. If you, my big brother who looked after me, want to call me that, it’s okay.”

“…Thank you.”

They remained silent for a moment. Both had a lot they wanted to say and convey, but unsure where to start, they gathered their courage to speak.

“Big brother… I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

“For not saying anything, for shouldering everything alone, for pushing everything onto you and running away… I’m really sorry.”

The first words spoken were an apology. Once said, the words flowed naturally.

“…I should be the one apologizing. I believed, without any basis, that Serk would be fine. I couldn’t realize that Serk was suffering, even though I should have noticed by looking at Father and the surroundings.”

“That’s part of it. Living in this country for fifteen years felt suffocating, and my heart broke that day… but it’s not just that.”

Since that day, from the moment he ran away, he had been carrying something, something he now spilled out.

“I didn’t want to be abandoned. I thought if I stayed in the kingdom, unable to do anything, you would also be disappointed in me and stop looking at me. I thought if no one would look at me, it would be better to throw everything away.”

“I would never abandon Serk like that…”

“Yeah, now I know that you wouldn’t, but at that time, I was irrationally scared of it.”

Just being there would become a nuisance, and he feared that his big brother, too, would eventually feel that way about him.

“I wanted to rely on you, yet I convinced myself that everyone around me was an enemy and didn’t try to seek help from anyone. Even though I thought you wanted to be relied upon, I couldn’t believe anyone would rely on someone like me…”

Saying it made him feel pathetic. In the end, at the very last moment, he couldn’t believe in his big brother.

“Serk…”

His big brother spoke, and this time, he turned towards him, expecting disappointment…

“I’m sorry…”

His big brother lowered his head to him.

“I’m the same… I wanted to be a cool older brother in front of Serk. I wanted to be someone worth boasting about… Blinded by that pride, I didn’t trust Serk and didn’t try to become a reliable brother. I have my faults too.”

“Big brother…”

“That’s why I want to say it, even if it’s too late, even if it’s being dependent or needy… Something I couldn’t say for a long time.”

His big brother lifted his face and looked directly at him.

“I want you to help me. Can you lend your strength to this unreliable brother?”

…To those words, he thrust out his fist. His big brother seemed to understand his intent, and he, too, extended his fist to meet his.

“If it’s okay with such a unreliable younger brother, leave it to me.”

To those words, they both laughed, sharing a momentary time of genuine laughter, like they did when they were children.