Ryuugoroshi no Sugosuhibi Chapter 18

Chapter 18: “The secret story in a faraway place”

Alice teleported twice and appeared in the ancient clan’s capital, Vesamika, with the “Italmiks” Kousuke gave her. Compared to Aterio, the air felt a lot colder here. Vesamika resided in a cold region that’s usually covered in snow for 2/3 of the year.

The kinds of people that made this their country were those trying to stop or slow down the process of aging through various means using this ideal location. It’s possible to just use magic to produce similar results, but by using the synergistic effect of the environment and magic, it made it a lot easier to produce the same results.

There were three dukes that settled near this capital as their center and eventually sent out other n.o.bilities like marquises, earls, viscounts and barons to expand their country’s borders and produced more towns.

The ancient clan never expanded. The reason was because their population was small so one country would suffice.

The world’s population is 4 billion and the ancient clan’s country is 100 million out of that. As a country, it could be called large, but its small when compared to other nationalities.【TL: 2.5% of the world’s population, is that small or large? Uhhh…..】

Around half of the population have the blood of the ancient clan coursing through them, but only about 10,000 of them were pure-blooded enough to be able to become a part of the true clansmen through a ritual.

Furthermore, there’s only one person where both of that person’s parents are pure-blooded.

That person is this country’s current king, the person Alice was about to meet.

 

The paperwork to see the king took two days to process, but Alice was finally able to enter the royal palace. She knew that it would take several days to process when she came back, but compared to the time when she came with Horun, it was processed faster. Even with an invitation, the two had to wait five days.

This was one of the ancient clan’s characteristics, they take forever with these paperwork. If the extraneous processes were removed it would save a lot of time, but she neither had the intent nor a way to change something this clan views as normal. Even if she tried, the majority would reject it immediately.

 

「Witch Alicia-dono, enter」(???)

 

Five seconds after the guard in front of the audience room bellowed, Alice entered the room, right foot first, wearing clothes fit for someone who wields magic. She proceeded until she was five meters away from the throne and knelt. Alice made sure not to look at the king’s face the entire time.

The five second wait and the right foot first was a formality expected of all who seek an audience with the king. In addition, one must wait ten seconds after the king states your name before you’re allowed to look at his face.【TL: The h.e.l.l kind of rules are these!? I would fail right at the start because I would wan-pan the h.e.l.l out of the king for this kind of BS】

These strict procedures and paperwork exist for a specific reason and is not pointless. 【TL: OH NOW YOU TELL ME】

To state it simply, it’s to tell if the person is an undead or not. The ancient clan shows that they are not undead with these bothersome rules.  A long time ago, most people weren’t able to determine the difference between the undead and the ancient clansmen.  With them being constantly mistaken as undeads, the ancient clan came up with these rules to say “See, an undead can’t do anything like this”, thus these precise, arduous rules were born. They continued to practice these rules and are still around.【TL: Are you guys like 5 years old? Whatever…. WAN-PANNNNNNNNN】

They originally did this out of frustration, but it eventually became the norm.

 

「Raise thy head」(???)

「Ha」(Alice) 【TL: “Ha” here is like “Understood” in a very.. VERY formal way】

 

Alice waited for ten seconds before raising her head. Their speech was not normal, but something fitting for this place.

Alice stared down the remaining five meters between her and the throne. The person sitting on the throne was a girl that looked around 12 or 13 with white hair and red eyes.  This young lady is the one who stands over the 100 million ancient clansmen, Anastasia Rodea Vesamika Hunsing. 【TL: h.e.l.luva name】

Her appearance is immature but Alice knew that this person was over a hundred years old. 【TL: Loli-baba!】

As if to prove this point, her face seems cute and adorable, but the aura she emitted was not something a child would have. Unlike her innocent smile, the depths of her eyes showed confidence and something else that was unreadable.

Her voice is very pleasant and at the same time held a tone of aged wisdom that was tempered throughout the years.

Besides her were two ministers with high positions and the other officials were lined up from the door all the way to the throne on the edges of the velvet carpet.

 

「We are grateful for thou for accepting and safely completing our request. Will you hand over the medical herbs in question」(Anastasia)

「Please accept these」(Alice)

 

Alice took out the three “Italmiks” from her clothes. The minister to the right accepted them and brought them before Anastasia.

Anastasia grasped the herbs and began to thoroughly examine them.

 

「So this is the “Italmik”. Appearance matches the doc.u.ments. Indeed, I have received it. On another day thy reward, thee shall receive」(Anastasia)

「I thank you for your generosity」(Alice)

 

Alice bowed while staying on one knee.

 

「The one who retrieved these was thine disciple, was it not?」(Anastasia)

「Yes」(Alice)

 

Alice raised her head and looked straight at Anastasia before nodding.

 

「I wish to convey my grat.i.tude personally」(Anastasia)

「Those words alone are more than enough for him. Once he receives the reward he will definitely be overjoyed」(Alice)

「To enter a domain and safely return after completing the task. My interest is piqued by such a person」(Anastasia)

 

Kousuke easily completed the task, but that was because his abilities made it too easy for him. In fact, most people would have fail and been thrown out of the domains. To be able to ensure a high chance of success, five top cla.s.s adventurers are normally necessary. Unfortunately, among these top cla.s.s adventurers, only a few have a t.i.tle related to a G.o.d.

 

「To be interested in someone like him is understandable. His travel companion increased by one, but still it was only a two-man team. He was able to complete the task with such a small group. You’re aiming to draw such a person to your side, aren’t you your highness?」(Alice)

 

Alice left out the part that the “companion” was a child. It’ll end up raising Anastasia’s valuation of Kousuke to a whole new level.

 

「Hiding it seems pointless. Yes, thou is correct. Having many capable individuals around is never an issue」(Anastasia)

「That person is not willing to enter the spotlight. It’s best to give up on pulling him in」(Alice)

「Only if that is his will」(Anastasia)

 

Anastasia can see through Alice’s attempt to protect Kousuke. Not because of any unshakeable proof, but through her intuition.  She had faith that her intuition was correct.【TL: Women’s intuition = Polygraph test on crack apparently. I’m terrified ;-;】

If Kousuke wanted to promote himself then Alice wouldn’t be trying to protect him. But from her interactions with Kousuke, it was obvious he had no such intent. Therefore, Alice must act this way.

 

「Of course it is his will. If he was looking to gain power and authority then wouldn’t he have come here to have an audience with your highness?」(Alice)

「Hmm, this is true. If his purpose was as such, he would have aggressively rose and his name would be famous. Unfortunately, I have yet to hear any such rumor of someone successfully completing a domain’s trial and returning unharmed」(Anastasia)

「I hope that you believe me now」(Alice)

「Mm」(Anastasia)

 

Though she nodded, Alice noticed a glint of doubt in Anastasia’s eyes.

 

「If possible, relay to him that I wish to meet him」(Anastasia)

「I have received your command」(Alice)

 

And in reverse, Anastasia saw rejection reflecting in Alice’s eyes. Anastasia nodded, keeping silent. She knew that Alice is covering for Kousuke so it’s likely that message will not be given.

The two besides Anastasia also felt the sense of rejection from Alice. They won’t scream out that it was rude since her highness agreed and nodded already. They could only accept and obey. If a plot was necessary, the two would receive notice of it soon.

 

「Next is about Horun’s case」(Anastasia)

「As long as your highness adheres to our previous agreement I have nothing more to say about it」(Alice)

「”Don’t involve us in your problems next time”, correct?」(Anastasia)

「Yes」(Alice)

 

The request Horun accepted was to treat a Dukedom’s family head. The head was not bedridden due to a.s.sa.s.sination attempts, but his sudden collapse enabled the other n.o.bilities to secretly plot.

Those n.o.bles would view Horun as a problem and may direct a.s.sa.s.sins to kill her. Having a precious friend dragged into such a situation was something Alice would not tolerate. Thinking about what may happen, she wanted to make sure Horun was protected.

Those who despise being dragged into other’s problems could just avoid the place. Unfortunately, Alice didn’t have such luxury to choose that. Horun told Alice that she was going to stay here and it was possible that this place was going to become Horun’s second home.

Due of this, Alice was no longer able to avoid the problems that may arise. Therefore, as one of the reward, Alice wanted her highness to show commitment towards keeping Horun safe from harm.

 

「This is something I wish to confer. Unfortunately, not everything is under my control」(Anastasia)

 

There are no kings or queens capable of controlling all of their n.o.bles. Even Alice understood this.

 

「…..I understand… But she’s an important friend to me and I cannot stand around just praying for her safety」(Alice)

「I promise to protect her as much as I can. Duke Hughes’s family shall do their utmost to protect her as well. To myself, Horun-dono’s abilities and her charisma are truly attractive」(Anastasia)

「I hope your highness will not drag her into any more problems」(Alice)

「I understand. In exchange, do a small favor from myself, that should not be a problem for thee, correct? I wish for a message to be relayed to another country. The words of Horun-dono would surely be more effective since she helped many in the past. It’s not an internal affair so the n.o.bles here will be less tempted to try anything」(Anastasia)

「I’ll believe your highness for now」(Alice)

「Our business is concluded. Thou may withdraw」(Anastasia)

「Ha」(Alice)

 

Alice stood up, bowed once and left the audience room.

 

「Minister of the Left」(Anastasia)

 

Without turning her head, Anastasia began speaking with one of the ministers.

 

「Ha」(Left Minister)

「Increase the security around Horun-dono」(Anastasia)

「I have received your command」(Left Minister)

 

The minister headed out of the audience room to begin his work.

 

「Minister of the Right」(Anastasia)

「Ha」(Right Minister)

「What are the chances of successfully gaining information on Alicia-dono’s disciple?」(Anastasia)

「…..It will be difficult. That person has been gone from the scene for quite some time」(Right Minister)

「This is true. Still, stopping because it’s difficult would be a waste. His intelligence cannot be ascertained yet, but his combat capabilities and judgments are like a diamond in the rough」(Anastasia) 【TL: The diamond part, she actually said “Origami-tsuki”. Since you can fold origami into various shapes, it’s a saying indicating that anything can be built with the proper instructions】

「If you wish, I will do as much as possible gather the information」(Right Minister)

「Good. Perhaps this disciple of hers is in fact someone outrageous. Thou has noticed it too, did you not? Alicia-dono had two distinct scents coming from her」(Anastasia)

 

The scents caught by Anastasia was not body odor.  To smell the inherent strength of another being is an ability the most pure-blooded ancient clansmen has.

This is one of this clan’s biggest secret. Even Alice doesn’t know about it. If she knew, she would have spent a day or two somewhere to get rid of Kousuke’s scent.

 

「Yes, one scent belonged to someone who emits a distortion, the other scent.. I have no idea how to describe it」(Right Minister)

「That scent belongs to a dragon. It’s the same scent of a dragon I encountered many years ago」(Anastasia)

「A dragon is it?」(Right Minister)

「It’s possible that a Dragonslayer was born」(Anastasia)

 

The others nearby the two conversing started to become unsettled.

 

「Isn’t that simply outlandish」(Right Minister)

「The dragon near Kalhode perished and a person powerful enough to enter and exit the domain freely appeared. It’s possible the two are not related. Regardless of their relation, every country would scramble to draw in a Dragonslayer and the other person」(Anastasia)

「If a Dragonslayer exists then its fine, but even if it turns out to be false the existence of a powerful individual is equally good, am I correct to a.s.sume this?」(Right Minister)

 

The Minister of the Right asked to confirm. To that, Anastasia nodded.

 

「Carry out this mission with the utmost secrecy! Alicia-dono must not find out」(Anastasia)

 

The Minister of the Right bowed once and immediately left the audience room.

Anastasia put the Dragonslayer case into the corner of her mind and began thinking about the next visitors for the day. She decided to wait until the report arrives before speculating more.

 

 

Alice, who left the audience room, was heading towards the room Horun was staying in.

She knocked on the door and waited until she was told to come in before entering.

 

「Ah, welcome back Alice」(Horun)

 

She was most likely reading a book since she was holding a bookmarked book. The t.i.tle of the book was “The Ancient Clan’s Culture”.

 

「I’m back」(Alice)

「Were you able to get the herbs?」(Horun)

「I just gave it to the queen. It’ll be pa.s.sed over to you eventually」(Alice)

「With those I should be able to treat Balkius-sama」(Horun)

 

Being able to treat her patient soon, Horun was full of enthusiasm.

 

「By the way, where’s Vants? I thought he would be with you today」(Alice)

「Vants-san had something urgent come out and left」(Horun)

「That’s good then. His personality drives me crazy」(Alice)

「I think that he’s pretty fun to have around though」(Horun)

「Just how in the world are you two compatible… Let alone the two of you being in love」(Alice)

 

When Vants was brought up, Horun’s cheeks were beginning to dye red. 『They must have gotten closer while I was gone』Alice thought seeing Horun’s reaction.

So, Horun is in love with Vants. And Vants feels the same as well.【TL: OH LOOK, it’s what everyone did NOT expect to see!! 】

The occasion was when Horun met with Vants during their travel to Hunsing to give him thanks for a.s.sisting in solving the incident back at her home.  Horun had a favorable impression of Vants’s distinct personality.

Since then, the two would constantly converse with one another, deepening their relationship. During the journey, Vants protected Horun from a monster’s attack and that pushed their relationship to the highest level.

When they arrived at Vesamika, Alice asked Horun “Why Vants” once. Alice felt that Kousuke and Horun would be together, in fact, she felt that Horun had some feelings for Kousuke.

Horun definitely does like Kousuke, but is not in love with him. During the time Horun and Kousuke stayed at Alice’s home together, Horun’s affection towards Kousuke became more like an older sister guiding the younger brother by the hand.

Horun and Kousuke becoming together would have likely happened if the two were constantly together for about a year longer and if she never met Vants. That one year would have been enough time for Kousuke to become reliable and cause Horun’s view of him to change. But this was only a “What if” situation. In the end, Horun met Vants, the man overflowing with confidence and reliability.

 

「Is Alice against me being with Vants?」(Horun)

「I’m not against it. I just don’t understand what’s so good about him. Simply put, I just don’t understand, but I won’t reject it」(Alice)

 

Alice did not want to destroy her best friend’s happiness.

 

「That’s a relief」(Horun)

 

On Horun’s face floated a very happy smile.

 

「Be happy alright? I asked to make sure to keep you away from the clan’s troubles, but just in case take care of yourself too」(Alice)

「Yes, I will」(Horun)

 

Horun herself understood how others viewed her and was prepared to get mixed up with the clan’s troubles if she had to.

Horun was truly grateful for Alice who did this for her.

 

「Oh yeah. The queen and her people might come here asking about Kousuke. When that happens, try not to give too much information」(Alice)

「I know」(Horun)

 

Even if Alice was successful at silencing the information, Anastasia would not drop her interest in Kousuke.

Since Alice knew Anastasia wouldn’t give up, she already planned out how to use the 30 flash-coins for the completion of the request. Alice is not using them for herself, but for Kousuke’s sake instead.

She planned on using the reward to create a hideout. She wanted to make sure there was a place where he could hide and rest in peace in case Kousuke’s ident.i.ty becomes revealed and is chased by others.

Using 25 of the flash-coins plus a few of the dragon scales it was possible to set up a great hideout for Kousuke.

She also planned to change her home to that place as well. Since Horun would no longer be in Ricardo, Alice’s current home was quite pointless to keep. Quite a few people knew that she resided there as well so the constant visitors she was getting were becoming bothersome. The relocation of her home would be a windfall for her.

 

Alice stayed for seven days before heading to Rezotik.u.mog.

During those seven days she confirmed Horun’s safety by applying magic to her room, got invited to b.a.l.l.s by the queen, gave lectures about magic, and finished various bits and pieces of errands.

She headed back to Ricardo for one of the errands to make some preparations to set up the hideout, but she soon realized she should have immediately met up with Kousuke due to the incident he encountered. 【TL: Again….?】

 

 

 

 

Before Anastasia found out about the whereabouts of the Dragonslayer, in another place was a group of people discussing about a Dragonslayer.

Those people were Kohhawk and the other G.o.ds.

When Kohhawk left the domain, he was immediately welcomed back by the “Dragonslayer Watchers”.

 

「I met with the Dragonslayer」(Kohhawk)

「Were you able to investigate?」(???)

 

The gentle-looking, blonde haired asked and Kohhawk nodded. This G.o.d governs learning and academics.

 

「I figured out why his ability turned out that way. It was exactly as Mitalamu stated before」(Kohhawk)

 

To his reply, the five men and women around him nodded thinking “I guess these things happen too”. It was not because they didn’t believe in Mitalamu’s words, but they were praying that it would be wrong.

The one with the long, dark purple haired showed no reaction, this G.o.ddess was Mitalamu, the G.o.ddess who saw a glimpse of Kousuke’s future. There was no reason for her to be surprised by Kohhawk’s report.

Kohhawk didn’t completely lie to Kousuke about killing some time, but his other purpose for meeting him was to investigate him.

And it was not because Kousuke’s a Dragonslayer. He was investigated because of the incredible Gift he had. It was possible that Kohhawk could have destroyed Kousuke there depending on the results.

 

「The gift of “All Attributes Up”.. This is the first time I’ve ever seen it」(???)

 

The G.o.ddess with a guitar in her hand and long sky blue hair said in amazement. This G.o.ddess is the one who thanked Kousuke for his songs, Seminruuz.

 

「Seriously…」(???)

 

The bald G.o.d with a stout build nodded. This was Doriz, who governs blacksmithing.

If it was just the abilities indicated on Kousuke’s identification card then it wouldn’t have been an issue. Among the Gifts, most people would usually have one that would raise a particular attribute. But a Gift that would allow someone to raise all of their attributes.. This was unheard of and they were troubled by this. The fact that it doesn’t appear on the card was truly troubling for them. Furthermore, his abilities completely pa.s.sed the thresholds of a normal human being. Depending on how much he grows, it was possible he would gain the power to slay a G.o.d. Even now his power was growing.

Currently, there’s no change in his card despite his overwhelming strength. If the card were to have a detailed parameter of his abilities then everyone would instantly notice he’s beyond human abilities. His ability to learn being a few times better than most would only be considered a cheat by everyone else.

Even though he’s someone that can become a G.o.dslayer, Kousuke’s interest in the G.o.ds was lessened by Kohhawk and co’s plan. Against a potential G.o.dslayer, rather than feeling endangered, there were G.o.ds among them that wanted to see how things would play out for entertainment. The first that was interested was the G.o.d of War. Kohhawk was actually against forcefully speeding up Kousuke’s growth. It was partly because he didn’t want to die, but it was mostly because he didn’t want to see the world the World’s G.o.d gave them endangered, or worse, destroyed.

The G.o.ddess who saw a glimpse of the future, Mitalamu, was also against Kousuke’s forceful growth.

 

The only difference about her was that she didn’t want anyone to a.s.sist or hinder Kousuke. As for him becoming a G.o.dslayer, it didn’t interest her at all. As long as the World’s G.o.d and the four highest G.o.ds are around, G.o.ds like her could be replaced without any problem.

Mitalamu just enjoyed watching people live their lives freely. Those who live freely would occasionally have a different fate from what she saw in the future. Seeing them in unexpected situations or producing different results, this was something she truly enjoyed watching in this world. To better enjoy those people’s course of actions, Mitalamu tried her best to not peek into their future.

This is why Mitalamu wanted everyone else to not lay their hands on Kousuke. It might seem unusual for her to be around the G.o.ds that wanted to investigate Kousuke thoroughly, but it was better than the other G.o.ds since Kohhawk and co. decided to keep their contact with Kousuke minimal.

 

Kohhawk was just investigating Kousuke’s personality and why such a gift manifested in him.

He checked Kousuke’s personality to be able to better ascertain his future actions. If his personality was too adventurous or warmongering, then his growth would have been fast, quickly becoming similar to a G.o.d.

These G.o.ds were thankful that Kousuke’s personality was more timid so for now they’re just cautious.

 

The reason for such an outrageous gift manifesting in Kousuke was related to his birth world.

The difference between the people here and his world wasn’t big. Anatomically they’re the same and both have souls residing in them. There were two major differences though. Being born in a world with or without magic and how they evolved into humans.

The presence or absence of mana was not the cause. The reason for their difference lied in the fact that in Kousuke’s world, people evolved into humans differently.

The humans of Earth evolved without any interferences from the G.o.ds, relying solely on their own adaptability, environments, and an enormous amount of time. The humans in this world also evolved into human beings, but their evolution was mostly a strengthening of their body and resilience toward diseases, not their mind.

Earth’s human beings evolutionary adaptability was incredibly complex and different from this world’s. That evolutionary adaptability affected the abilities given to Kousuke when he killed the dragon.

If Kousuke was simply transported to this world then there would have been no problems. It was because he became strong and evolved unbelievable abilities. 【TL: Yes yes.. problem problem problem.. just how many times do you have to write that ;-;】

 

「In a way, I pity that child」(???)

 

The one pitying Kousuke was the calm, long silver-haired G.o.ddess. She’s the G.o.ddess of medicine, Reilile.

 

「That’s true. He came to this world by accident and coincidently became strong, making us monitor him」(Kohhawk)

「He’s Horun’s savior so I don’t want to see him treated roughly」(Reilile)

 

Reilile felt an obligation to help Kousuke for Horun’s sake.

The G.o.ds of this world were not allowed to interfere with this world’s management outside of what they governed. With respect to Horun becoming a sacrifice, this too, Reilile could not interfere with.

This time, Kohhawk’s contact with Kousuke was an emergency measure. The high G.o.ds even gave their permission.

 

「It’s necessary to prevent the possibility that he destroys this world with his hands」(Kohhawk)

 

At Kohhawk’s words, Reilile nodded.

 

「We should pay attention to the humans’ actions now too. I hope none of them provokes the Dragonslayer too much」(Kohhawk)

 

Currently, there’s only one place that knows about the Dragonslayer’s existence. That place, through the “Clairvoyance” Gift, already foretold about it. They didn’t know the exact time nor who would become a Dragonslayer though. They were only able to scry for a rough timing and that the person will be a human male.

The descendants of those prophets dispatched people who can use magic to sense dragons and are currently searching for Kousuke.

These descendants wanted to encourage the Dragonslayer’s growth, but from the G.o.ds’ perspective, these descendants obviously did not know that he could enter the realm of G.o.ds. It becomes known just how much they misread this when they see the growth rate of the Dragonslayer.

 

「That place has a screwed up legend floating around」(Doriz)

「That tribe did almost perish before」(Kohhawk)

「Are there any other place we should be wary about?」(Reilile)

「Three」(Mitalamu)

 

Mitalamu stated concisely.

 

「First would the guild. That place a.s.sumes that the Dragonslayer is just an above average adventurer. The next one is the n.o.ble that received a report from a spy. The report stated that someone interesting as arrived. He brought the idea of “Ride Hero” out into the open so it’s expected」(Mitalamu)

「Then what’s the last one?」(Kohhawk)

 

The last information was something the others G.o.ds didn’t know, all of their gazes gathered on Mitalamu.

 

「The queen of the ancient clan will hypothesize the possible existence of a Dragonslayer」(Mitalamu)

 

Mitalamu disclosed the future she foresaw without the slightest change in her tone for the most part. Her tone became slightly happy when she said the word “Dragonslayer”.

Her having an indifferent tone was normal so the others didn’t mind much. The only time Mitalamu shows her emotions is when she’s watching the people who are truly free.

 

「The ancient clan huh…… Should we put in a light interference just in case?」(Kohhawk)

「Wouldn’t that violate the commandment?」(Reilile)

「……That’s probably true」(Kohhawk)

 

They discussed, but decided to leave the clan alone.

 

「Are there any other problems?」(Doriz)

「It’s not a problem, but something that’s been giving me worries. The fact that he’s been storing more and more power unconsciously. I fiddled with the spirit to drain some of that power for its growth though」(Kohhawk)

「Since he’s not using any power, him storing it instead makes sense. If he does release a lot of his power, it would probably be during a fight. There shouldn’t be an issue if that happens」(Doriz)

 

These G.o.ds wanted Kousuke to use up the power stored inside him. If it becomes too large, the consequences might be dire.

They’re hoping for a situation where Kousuke would unleash a lot of that stored power.

 

「As long as he stays in calm places there shouldn’t be any issue」(Kohhawk)

 

At Kohhawk’s statement, the rest nodded.

Currently, Kousuke has yet to learn the harshness of this world. Even though he almost lost his life coming to this world. The true cruelty of the world, is in fact, that people can die for unfair reasons. Most of the people he’s met so far have been kindhearted, but he has yet to meet the truly devious, cunning and evil individuals of this world.

For someone who came to an unknown place alone, he has been blessed with exceptional luck so far.

 

The G.o.ds were unable to come up with a solid plan with their current discussion. In the end, the G.o.ds decided to continue what they were doing and monitor Kousuke. It would double as a time killer for them, but their true feelings about this was that they wished they could have just observed him purely for entertainment.

Of course, Mitalamu was enjoying watching him though.