Black Summoner – Chapter 637

As the commotion subsided and the onlookers grew tired of observing the embarrassing spectacle of the seven barrels and Paul, they began to disperse. Around that time, the Explaining Old Gentleman emerged from the shop, as if his Coffee Time was over. Dressed impeccably in a White Tie and a Silk Hat, with a Cane in hand, he struck a stylish gentlemanly pose, though it remained a mystery who he was trying to impress.

“Whew, what a good Morning. This is truly the best way to wake up in the morning, a true Gentleman’s Hobby. And, hmm. It seems the onlookers have conveniently dispersed at just the right time. I must be Unlucky today. It’s such a bother to push through crowds to get home,”

The old gentleman began to walk with a seemingly good-natured expression, passing by Paul and the barrels. Just as he was about to move past them, he lightly tapped the bottom of the lined barrels with his Cane. *Tap, tap*, the sound was barely audible.

“In contrast, you are quite Unlucky. To provoke an S-Rank adventurer while in such a state of shame, what is the meaning of this? Were you perhaps instigated by Boss Shin?”

“…Shut up, don’t speak ill of the Boss. I did this of my own accord.”

Then, a voice came from within Paul and the barrels. Paul, the owner of the voice, broke through the sides of the barrels and escaped. Simultaneously, his companions, who had been impaled by the other barrels, began to move and successively escaped their confinement.

“Ow, ow! My head is pounding with blood…”

“Think of it as Training. Such a minor discomfort. However, indeed, the shame of being seen in such a state was… I felt like my face was on fire.”

“Just one hour, that’s enough to reflect on it— Now get lost, you gawkers! Scatter!”

“Eek!?”

Paul bellowed and threatened the few remaining onlookers. The intimidated people fled in droves, leaving only Paul’s group and the old gentleman at the scene.

“Now, now, threatening civilians is not commendable. Where did the diligent young man who was reflecting just moments ago go?”

“I told you to shut up! The fact that I was a spectacle was a voluntary personal penalty! Once the penalty is over, I have no intention of being a spectacle anymore! And Walter, what do you mean you couldn’t keep up with our speed! You were an A-Rank Adventurer before you retired, weren’t you! You saw it clearly with those unnecessarily clear eyes of yours!”

“Oh, perhaps I offended you? I thought I was subtly supporting you, trying to clear your names, even a little?”

“You… old… man…!”

Paul gritted his teeth, his anger escalating. In contrast, the old gentleman, who introduced himself as Walter, elegantly took out a pocket watch and began to polish it with a handkerchief.

“Paul, stop arguing with Mr. Walter. You’ll never win against him.”

“Tch, I know. Old man, if you’re done satisfying yourself, go home already. Shoo!”

“Now, now, don’t say such sad things. An old gentleman has plenty of free time.”

“As if I care about that!”

Paul made a gesture as if to shoo Walter away with his hand, then stood before his companions and thrust out a clenched fist.

“Alright, you guys! We’ve directly experienced the strength of an S-Rank in that fight! We’ll make sure to make use of this valuable experience!”

“Heh, rather than a fight, it was more like being completely trampled.”

“Shut up, you too! Then turn that frustration into strength, you bastards!”

“Yosh! I’ll get strong, earn money, and support cute slaves too!”

“That’s right, keep it up!”

“Good heavens, those are hardly gentlemanly remarks. Even though their words are positive.”

“You old man are so annoying! Are you seriously going to stay here, you fake gentleman pretender…!”

The old gentleman naturally positioned himself beside Paul’s companions, as if they were all the same. He seemed to pay no heed to Paul’s words. Seeing this scene, the burly man who had been urging Paul to calm down whispered to him again.

“Paul, I’ve told you many times—”

“—I know! Just ignore that old man, ignore him!”

“Hey, hey, isn’t your Paul-kun a bit cold? Has something unpleasant happened recently? Did his girlfriend break up with him?”

“W-well, what do you think…”

“I told you to ignore him!”

As soon as Paul ignored him, Walter shifted his attention to the party members and began to converse with them. His speed was comparable to Paul and the others during combat, suggesting that even after retiring as an adventurer, his skills had not diminished at all.

“Paul, try your best to ignore him. As long as Paul endures, the damage won’t spread that far. Nine times out of ten, Mr. Walter is just playing with you.”

“Grrr…! You guys, we’ll continue this conversation inside the shop. Follow me. Also, we’ve completed the self-imposed penalty, but our debt to the shop for the damage is not yet settled. Each of you will eat and drink more than the value of the barrels you broke. …And make it delicious!”

“Yessir!”

The group quickly entered the shop. Meanwhile, the old gentleman Walter, surprisingly, did not follow. He simply watched the scene unfold in silence.

“Hmm, this is troublesome. I just came out of the shop after finishing my business, and re-entering would be slightly embarrassing. From a gentleman’s perspective, that would be unacceptable.”

By some mysterious standard, Walter deemed the act of re-entering the shop as “not gentlemanly.”

“Still, eating and drinking more than what was broken, huh. Truly, they are clumsy to the core. If they were like Kelvin and simply paid the shop, it would be a more elegant solution. An old bad habit of not being able to apologize honestly. I can foresee a future where they overindulge and end up unable to move.”

As Walter mused with a faraway look, a commotion from inside the shop could already be heard.

“Yo, we’re coming in!”

“P-P-Paul!? You finally…! N-no, customers, please refrain from being so loud, it disturbs other patrons…”

“Oh? Then I shall reserve this entire shop for us, shopkeeper.”

“No, no, no, there are other customers here!”

“Don’t worry, we’ll quietly eat and drink until the current customers are finished. But in the meantime, I’ll order more than necessary. You should worry about your stock from now on. Prepare yourselves…!”

“Eek—!?”

Even without straining their ears, the commotion was clearly audible on the main street.

“Wow, I’m surprised at how clumsy they are, even more than I imagined. Gentleman shock! Sigh, this goes against my aesthetic, but I suppose I should stop them. Hmm, those kids are fundamentally good, though… truly, only fundamentally…”

Walter remembered when he had the opportunity to mentor Paul and his group as a rookie adventurer. He clearly recalled that they were a group of ruffians, haphazardly gathered by the Boss from unknown origins. Even then, they were clumsy, and he could somehow sense the reasons behind their hardened attitudes. However, every single one of them possessed genuine talent and motivation, and they were exceptional individuals who diligently learned and absorbed the teachings of Walter, who was active as an A-Rank adventurer at the time.

“But then again, that was only up to the point where I could teach them. Naturally, I don’t know how to reach the next class, the S-Rank. For them, for example, ‘Grim Reaper’ Kelvin, I wonder what kind of life he has lived. To reach the same level as Boss Shin at such a young age, he must certainly have a screw loose somewhere.”

The old gentleman started walking towards the source of the commotion. His steps were heavy— no, in reality, they were remarkably light. This gentleman was fully intending to play with Paul under the guise of concern.