The next morning, some time after the chickens had crowed and the sky had brightened, Kyle came up to the stable with a small sack.
　The boy gave Val, who greeted him outside, a worried indigo look as he spoke up.

'Old man, are you hungry?　You okay?　My dad allowed me to take the leftovers if it's okay with me, so I brought the leftovers from yesterday.

Oh, thank you.

　Val accepts the boy's kindness without reservation.
　It was vegetable scraps and hardened pieces of bread, leftovers from the farmhouse, but he was glad of the kindness.

I'm sorry for all the trouble I've been in with you. I wish I could thank you in some way.

'You don't have that kind of kaisho for an old man, do you?　Don't worry about it.

　Kyle laughs with a sly look on his face.
　Val laughs at being called unworthy by a child more than 20 years older than him.

'That doesn't make me feel any better, though, does it?

　He decided that if he was dealing with an adult, but if he was dealing with a child, he could bite back a little, and said.

'Hmm, well, then, Uncle, do you know any knights in the Imperial City?'

Yeah, why?

　Bal rolls his eyes.
　The leader of the nine knights held by the empire, the generals who lead the various knights would see each other from time to time and eat together.

I'm the third son, I don't have a field to work with, so I have to find other work. I'm thinking of becoming a knight or an adventurer.

I see. ......

　He understands what Kyle is saying.

(That sounds familiar.)

　It doesn't matter if the family he was born into was a wealthy farmer, there were no jobs available for the third and fourth sons in an ordinary family.
　He had to find his own and make it on his own.
　Even if he had been kind to Val, expecting that slight clue, it was a natural way of dealing with the world.
　Though it doesn't look like the boy in front of him is capable of such calculations.

'Well, may I see you handling a weapon for a moment?

　Kyle cringes at Val's question.

'Okay, but old man, do you understand?'

　It's no wonder the boy wondered if a mere old man could understand the skillful handling of weapons.

You can't introduce them to someone you know if they don't know your specialty weapon either. If you know, I think I can at least tell you to take a look at it.

'Hmm?　Is that how it works?

　Kyle is convinced and runs to get a wooden stick.

'Then take a look at it for a minute,'

　He occasionally wielded a stick or showed the occasional movement that seemed to be an imitation of someone else.

(Poor guy, he doesn't seem to have any talent.)

　Val decides that he is not nearly as talented as a swordsman at least.

'Do you have any idea what happens when you don't become a knight?'

　When he asked, the boy stopped his hand and gave a small nod.

'I'm supposed to be an adventurer, right?'

　Val was unsure of what to say.

'You'd better think about what happens if that doesn't work either.

Is that how it works?

　The boy can't seem to imagine the development of not being an adventurer, and his brow wrinkles up between his eyebrows.

'Look, there's a chance you'll end up with a life that won't last forever, just like your uncle.

　When Val pointed out the possibility of bad self-deprecation, Kyle was a little more convinced.

'I see. ...... You could get hurt or something.

　The boy's reaction was somewhat different, but it wasn't a bad thing to start looking for something other than adventurers.

'For example, ask Inver-san to write a letter of introduction to Rita-san,'

'Yes, for Uncle Inver or ......'

　Kyle looks like he's going to say, "That's not going to happen.
　Apparently, Inver is quite a difficult person to deal with.

'I'm talking about an example. Are there any other people from the village who live in the big city or the imperial capital?

Some of you are. ...... So that's what it is.

　Kyle realizes that he can ask the villagers to provide him with a letter of introduction.

'Thanks, that was helpful,'

Glad I could help. Well, I'd better get going.

　Val said and then parted ways with the Kyle boy.