It is my Destiny to be the Savior of the Protagonist

It’s already been a week since he barely survived by rummaging through trash cans. His hungry stomach ached like a thorn. So the boy staggered to the mercenary guild.

“I want to work.”

The gatekeeper who was guarding the entrance of the building looked at the beggar-looking boy who came at the same time for several days in a daze.

“I told you to give up.”

“I want to work.”

“No one uses a kid like you.”

“Please give me a chance to prove my skills.”

“If you were only three or four years older, I would have given you a chance. Even if you look at your guts.”

“What does age have to do with skill?”

The gatekeeper annoyedly drew his sword. Axel nimbly blocked the sword that was about to strike.

Geek. 

Through the crossed swords, the gatekeeper coolly looked down at the boy.

“Look, kid.”

The gatekeeper tightened his hand. At once, the boy’s knees buckled. The strength of a disciplined adult male felt like an acid weighing down on a boy who hadn’t even experienced secondary sexual characteristics. The doorkeeper sighed as he patted the trembling boy on his knee.

“It doesn’t mean anything for a little kid like you to argue about your skills.”

“…kw”

“Look at this. Even against the lowest-ranking monsters, you will lose your strength, so no matter how well you use a sword, what use is it?”

He was just gently pressing down with one hand, and the boy’s whole body was shaking.

“No matter how little money you earn. A child like you is just a burden.”

The gatekeeper stared at the boy with a mixture of irritation and a little pity in his eyes.

“Even the big guys who are good at using swords die like mercenaries. Got it? If I take you and see the corpse of a child, it only makes my dream come true.”

Axel gritted his teeth. He hadn’t eaten anything, so he didn’t have any more strength. Still, the boy persisted and raised his eyes.

“Insistent.”

The doorkeeper squeezed his hand, intending to end it by kicking his tongue. At that moment, Axel deftly twisted his sword and shed his sword. It was an instant. The gatekeeper’s sword slipped on Axel’s and lost his balance. As he took a step to regain his balance, Axel’s sword landed in front of the gatekeeper’s uvula. The gatekeeper stopped breathing.

“Don’t be afraid of power. A rushing carriage can be overturned by a single stone beak.” the boy murmured softly. Sweat dripped from the gatekeeper on the rusty blade.

“…I learned that way.”

Axel slowly drew his sword. Only after his old sword returned to its scabbard did the gatekeeper let out a breath he had been holding back. He grabbed his neck and looked away at the boy.

“You… Who taught you that?”

“My deceased father.”

“Well, there is no one who wanders around this city without a story, but…”

The gatekeeper muttered something to himself, shaking off sweat, then scratched the back of his head and sighed.

“Kid, if you are really confident in your skills and want to make a lot of money…”

The gatekeeper pointed to one side of the alley with his chin.

“If you go to the back alley, there will be a linen shop with white and black fabrics hanging side by side at the entrance. Go there and say you want to become a piece.”

“Piece…?”

“Because there are a lot of supporters there. If you are, you will be able to become their piece.”

The gatekeeper shut his mouth as if he had nothing more to say. Axel hesitated for a moment before heading towards his back alley. After the boy was completely gone, the gatekeeper rubbed his neck and spat.

“You unlucky bastard, you are a fool. Roll with this rich man’s plaything and get lost.”

* ♦ ♦ ♦ *

It wasn’t difficult to find the linen shop the gatekeeper had mentioned. It was a run-down shop, but only the cloth hanging at the entrance was oddly new. Axel stepped inside the white and black cloth hung side by side. An old woman sat like a still life between the smelly leather and tough fabric. As Axel approached, the old woman glanced at him. A blunt question arose from the old woman.

“What are you here to buy?”

“…I want to become a piece.”

The old woman was silent for a moment, then he pointed behind me with the staff she was holding.

“Go in.”

Behind the old woman was a wooden door that looked like a warehouse door. It was an old door, as if it would crumble if touched incorrectly. Axel grabbed the doorknob and turned around. The old woman didn’t even look back, as if she wasn’t interested. The boy put his hand on the hilt of his sword and opened the door. The inside of the door was a different world from the outside. As soon as he entered, a sweet scent stung his nose. A magic lantern suspended from a golden chain from the high ceiling cast a soft light. A large lion skin was spread on the floor. The man sitting at the luxurious wooden desk looked at Axel.

He frowned.

“What is this messy thing doing here?”

“I want to become a piece.”

After repeating what he had said to the old woman, the boy tried to take a step into the room, but the man gestured with disgust.

“Stand there. Don’t dirty the floor. What do you want to be?”

“A piece.”

Axel answered and shut his mouth. The frowning man glanced over at the boy.

“Ha, do you know that you can do whatever you want to be? How did you know this place? How far have you heard? “Are you not answering? You…”

The man who had raised his voice suddenly stopped talking. He looked at Axel again with wide eyes.

“You, raise your head straight.”

Axel silently raised his chin and stared at the man. The light scattered from the magic lamp illuminated the red eyes of the boy.

The man’s mouth fell open.

“You bastard, do you have red eyes?”

The boy tightened his hand on his sword and nodded slowly.

Red eyes.

People have called it by various names. Fire eyes, cursed eyes, fire eyes, burning eyes, unlucky eyes. Red-eyed children were very rarely born, and most died prematurely. Their causes of death were almost identical.

A fire often broke out near the red eyes. Even where there were no embers, red eyes would cause a fire. Those fires didn’t even go out well. It was said that it was because the fire spirit liked red eyes and followed them around. However, to be loved by the spirits, the danger from fire was too great. Few people were willing to risk their own house burning down. It was common for red-eyed children to be abandoned as soon as they were born, and in most cases they died before reaching adulthood. Axel guessed that his biological parents probably abandoned him for that reason as well. So he never once asked his adoptive father about his real parents. He didn’t even have any doubts. Until his father died right in front of his eyes.

The man clapped his hands.

“Great, great. Those eyes deserve a weapon.”

Clap, clap.

It was the first time he had ever seen a human who clapped for red eyes. Whether looked at him strangely or not, the man smiled.

“Welcome to the Chess Association, kid.”

Axel was treated starting with the meal. It was a quality dish with freshly baked bread and fresh meat. After the long-starved boy finished his meal in an instant, the bath was ready. 

When he came out of the bath, there was a clean set of clothes. Even a small but decent bedroom was provided. It was a lavish treat. Seeing the red eyes and thinking that they were given, everything was suspicious. But the boy was too tired to be vigilant. It had been a year since he had lay in a proper bed. He fell asleep as soon as he put his head on his pillow.

After that, bed and meals continued without incident.

He said he wanted to train in swordsmanship, so they gave him a training ground as well. The training ground was in the backyard. Axel went outside the building for the first time. The boy then realized that he was in a mansion, one of the few in the city of outlaws. It must have been a mansion connected through the back door of a clothing store.

He hadn’t seen the man he had met for a while. The servant serving the meal just repeated like a parrot saying to wait. Then one day, a man appeared.

“Do you know how to write?”

What he presented was a contract.

– The Master sponsors the piece.

– The piece must respond to the mission presented by the master.

– Sponsorship will be canceled if the piece refuses the mission.

It wasn’t that difficult or complex. The man smiled and explained.

“I am the master, and you are the piece. If you accomplish the mission I suggest, you will continue to receive my support as a piece of equipment. Of course, if you feel like you can’t do it, you can quit at any time.”

He held out his quill.

“Write your name below.”