As I approached Rogue's room, the timing was perfect—he was just stepping out.
"Rogue."
"Ah, Master…"
He responded to my voice, but his tone was darker than usual. It was clear he was deeply down.
"Going somewhere?"
"No, not really. I was thinking of getting some night air."
"I see. In that case—could you keep me company for a bit?"
"Yes… That's fine."
I took Rogue and left the mansion.
◇
"Here we are."
The place I'd brought him to was a famous restaurant in the city.
It was a high-class establishment targeting the wealthy, with multiple branches both domestically and abroad.
"This place…? It looks really expensive…"
Rogue seemed intimidated by the atmosphere, but when I stepped inside, he followed behind me.
A staff member greeted us at the entrance and led us to the private room I'd reserved in advance.
I'd planned to bring Rogue here today regardless of whether trouble arose—adult or not, today was his birthday.
"Um… Master…"
"Rogue, today's on me. Order whatever you want. Don't worry about the cost."
Once we were seated, I spoke to the still-uneasy Rogue.
"Ah, thank you… —Wait, that's not the point…! Why just me…?"
"Today's September 1st, right?"
"Huh? Y-Yes, that's right."
Rogue seemed puzzled by my sudden topic shift but nodded.
"September is your birth month. That means today you turn fifteen—you're an adult now. Becoming an adult doesn't change much for us explorers; at best, you can drink alcohol. But it does mean you've joined the ranks of grown-ups. I wanted to celebrate, even if just modestly."
"…"
"I heard from Luna what happened between you and Carol today. You might not be in the mood, but could you indulge me a little?"
"September… Right. I'm an adult now too."
"It doesn't feel real, does it? I was the same way. Want to try some alcohol? Might help it sink in a bit."
"I… I'd like to try drinking."
"All right. Let's start with something easy to drink."
We ordered drinks and food, chatting casually while enjoying the meal.
◇
"Master… I was just ordinary."
Some time had passed. Perhaps thanks to the alcohol—or maybe not—Rogue began opening up about himself.
"It's embarrassing to admit, but until recently I thought I was a genius. But I wasn't. Among Twilight Moonbow, I'm clearly the one with the least talent."
"…Why do you think that?"
"You must already know, Master. Lu-nee doesn't belong in our party at all, and both Carol and Sophia are growing at an incredible pace. Compared to them, I'm not progressing at all."
There were many things I wanted to say, but for now I stayed silent and listened.
I wanted to hear what Rogue was truly feeling right now.
"Lately… I've started thinking of myself as a shadow more and more."
"…A shadow?"
"Yes. Even when I was little, I sometimes felt that way. I can't really explain why, but I'm a shadow. The two of them keep shining brighter, and as they do, my shadow just gets deeper and deeper."
That was an unusual way to put it.
Certainly, Carol and Sophia's recent growth had been remarkable.
Rogue was undoubtedly growing too, but compared to them, the pace was visibly different.
He seemed to see the two of them as light and himself as the shadow in contrast.
Was this just a simple metaphor?
Could Rogue be— No, that wasn't something to think about right now.
"I understand what you're saying. But isn't it too soon to decide that?"
"…Huh?"
"When someone's just become an explorer, to put it bluntly, they're just desperately handling whatever's right in front of them. But once you gain a little breathing room—like you have now—your perspective widens. That's when you first realize how vast the world is, compare yourself to others, and think 'I have no talent.' It's a path everyone walks."
"Even you, Master?"
"Of course. Right before I switched to enchanter, it was awful. I felt my limits, yet I couldn't give up and kept struggling."
"You… felt your limits…?"
Rogue looked unconvinced by my words.
Looking at the current me, it was probably hard to imagine.
"Let me ask you, Rogue. Do you think I have talent?"
"Of course! You reached the unprecedented 94th floor alone, and now you're called Tsutorail's strongest explorer. There's no way someone like you lacks talent."
"Thanks. I figured you'd say that. But I don't think I have talent. I'm not saying zero, but reaching the 94th floor wasn't my power alone, and winning the martial arts tournament was the result of my own hard work."
"But! Effort only bears fruit because of talent. Without talent, no matter how hard you try, it only goes so far…!"
"It's true there are people in this world who can be called 'geniuses.' Society says those overflowing with talent are geniuses. —But I don't think so. To me, a genius is someone whose potential and aptitude perfectly align with their field of activity."
For example—suppose there was someone with physical ability so exceptional that everyone thought they'd succeed as an explorer or soldier without question. But if that person was so kind-hearted they couldn't bear hurting others, let alone magic beasts—would society call them a genius?
If every aspect of that person—their latent ability, personality, nature—aligned perfectly, success in that path would be almost certain.
But such perfect alignment is rare. That's why those few are called geniuses, in my opinion.
"Whether someone has talent or not is just a label others slap on after seeing the results. After getting kicked out of the hero party, some people said I 'had no talent.' But the moment I won the martial arts tournament, suddenly I'm 'the talented ace of Silver Moon Rabbit of the Night Sky.' Talent is that vague."
"…I've never thought of it that way. It does make sense that talent is something tacked on after the fact."
"No one can irresponsibly say 'effort always leads to success.' But if you have at least the right aptitude and put in proper effort, results will follow naturally. You've only just become an explorer. It's far too early to give up on your future as one."
"But I haven't produced results. Carol and Sophia are doing way better in labyrinth investigation…"
"Results compared to others aren't everything. You and others are completely different people—you can't measure yourselves on the same scale. Half a year ago, when I became your master—could you have faced two Cerberuses head-on back then?"
I desperately chose words that would reach Rogue's heart.
By my definition of genius, Rogue was one.
That belief hadn't changed since the day we first met.
If Rogue ultimately decided to quit being an explorer, I'd respect that.
But stopping here would be too great a waste.
"Half a year ago… I probably would've been badly injured. I might've even died."
"But today, you got through it safely. You fulfilled your role properly. —Everything you've worked on these past six months has definitely led to your growth. That growth is a result too, isn't it? Don't decide you have no talent just because you haven't noticed it. You're working hard. And you're producing results."
My words must have reached him—tears spilled from Rogue's eyes.
(So this is how Grandpa felt back then.)
The current Rogue overlapped with the me of the past in some ways.
Back then, Grandpa had accepted me and said exactly the words I'd wanted to hear.
I felt I'd said everything I could to him now.
But if it were Grandpa, he probably could've said something even better—words that would truly resonate in Rogue's heart.
I realized again how far I still had to go as someone in the position of teaching others.
"Come on—the food's getting cold. Eat up. Eat a lot, and let's do our best again starting tomorrow."
"Yes… Thank you…!"