SSR Bradley (The Manner of a Good Man) “Rejecting Even Luck's Hold” (North Concerto)

Content Warning

Mention of endangering hazardous game (Russian roulette)

Rejecting Even Luck’s Hold

CHAPTER I

Mitile: Wow, Master Sage! This is a really good pull!

Akira: Are you sure? I’m relieved!

It was a quiet, breezeless early afternoon. Mitile and I were having fun with the cards we had laid out on the edge of the fountain.

Bradley: The hell you guys are up to?

Akira: Hello Bradley, I was having Mitile look at my fortune for the day.

Mitile: Mister Snow and Mister White taught me all about card reading. Do you want me to read yours too, Mister Bradley?

Bradley: Think ya’ can be as good as the old farts, hm?

Mitile: Nghh... But everyone seems to really like it. I’ll be sure to do it well, so keep your eyes open!

Mitile laid out the cards on the edge of the fountain, just as he had done for me. Bradley sat down next to him, seemingly in the mood for it.

Mitile: Please, pick three cards you like best. Those will determine your fortune for today.

Bradley: Well, well, don’tcha have it down cold already. Here.

Mitile: ...Let’s see, the first card is “The Road”. The fork in this card implies a separation.

The second one is... “The Raid”. This card means that you will face unexpected disasters.

Bradley: Disasters and splits, huh... If yer right, I should be six feet under today.

Mitile: You don't know that yet! The third pull is the most important of all.

...! This is...

Akira: Weird, it’s all blank. Mitile, what does this mean...

Mitile: It’s the “White” card... This means that something terrible and unpredictable will happen...

Mitile & Akira: …

Bradley: Y’all seeing ghosts? Yer more bothered than I am.

Mitile: I mean, you did pull all these bad cards, what if they really come true...

Bradley: Hah! No way in hell a buncha scraps of paper could change my future...

ACHOO!!

Mitile & Akira: …!

Akira: Wait, there’s no wind, no pepper around… It can’t be...

Mitile: M-Master Sage, it can only be the fortune-telling’s effect...

Akira: And the first card read as...

Mitile & Akira: ...Separation...

(a few hours later)

Mitile: Mister Bradley hasn’t returned yet. He must have been sent pretty far away… 

Akira: That, I don’t know... But I hope he’ll be back soon.

Mitile: I hope so too...

We couldn’t help but wonder about his whereabouts, especially after that ominous fortune telling. Mitile hardly finished his dinner.

Mitile: Thank you for the meal. If you’ll excuse me, Master Sage.

Akira: (...Hm? I wonder what’s wrong. He just left with some leftover bread...)

CHAPTER II

Following his footsteps, Mitile suddenly paused in the main hall. I called out to him, wondering if he was waiting for something.

Akira: Are you waiting for Bradley?

Mitile: Master Sage! ...I am, I can’t help but worry for him.

It was my reading that got Bradley flying off. 

It’s already way past dinner time, I figured he must be hungry by now… So I decided to come waiting here with some bread for him.

Akira: (Mitile…)

...I’m sure Bradley is doing just fine. Let’s just trust him and wait together!

(a few moments later)

Mitile & Akira: …

Fists clenched in prayers, we continued to wait for Bradley. Mitile and I both hoped for a safe come back…

Bradley: What’s with ya two again. Still at it with the fortune tellin’?

Akira: Bradley!

Mitile: Mister Bradley!

Akira: Thank god, you’re safe. We’ve been waiting for you, and… 

Bradley, do you have any idea how dirty your clothes look?

Bradley: Oh, that? Just some blood stain. Sneezed my way in a monsters’ lair and had to beat the shit out of ‘em.

Mitile: A monster lair...!

Akira: (The second card was “The Raid” after all...)

Mitile: ...I’m sorry. You’ve been under a lot of troubles because of my reading...

Bradley: Haah? Why would it be yer fault, it’s all ‘cause of that goddamn injury.

Mitile: But what happened to you was exactly just as predicted...

Bradley: Ain’t got nothin’ to do with that. Don’t give me that shit.

Mitile: But...

Bradley: ...Damn, you’re one noisy brat. If ya like yer fortune tellin’ so much, I’ll just hafta show ya’.

Ain’t no reading gonna change this lucky bastard!

With that, Bradley pulled out a gun. It was not his usual long rifle, but rather a shorter one. It looked similar to those carried out by police officers back in my world.

Bradley: This thing only has one bullet in. I’ll just hafta pull the trigger and try ma luck, see if it blows a hole in. Whaddya think, fun, aight?

Akira: He can’t… It’s too dangerous!

Mitile: They’re right, remember the third card…

The blank card, terrible and unpredictable, came to mind. Yet, Bradley’s expression didn’t falter, brushing the barrel of his gun with a confident smile.

Bradley: Toldja, I’m a helluva lucky guy.

Better keep yer eyes wide open.

With a swift move, he placed the muzzle to his temple, and before we knew it, Bradley had pulled the trigger.

CHAPTER III

Bradley: Better keep yer eyes wide open.

Mitile: Mister Bradley!

Watching Bradley’s fingers move drained all blood from my body.

However, what echoed throughout the hall wasn’t the sound of gunshot, but the empty click of the magazine rolling.

Akira: ...Empty...

Bradley: How’s that, d’ya get it now?

 Mitile: ...Ngh…

Why, why are you a dumb-dumb head, Bradley!

Bradley: Hah? Yer pickin’ a bone now?

Mitile: Of course I am, I was worried! If the bullet had really hit, I...

Bradley: …

Akira: Ever since you went missing, Mitile had been nervous about your whereabouts.

He even saved some of his own bread to share with you for dinner, knowing that you would be hungry when coming back...

Bradley: That’s what ya were up ta’. Damn right I’m fuckin’ starving, I’ll take ya’ up on that offer

Damn, I needed that.

Mitile: ...Ehehe, glad to hear it. Nero’s bread is always good, after all!

Bradley: Nah, it ain’t about that.

Mitile: What?

Bradley: It’s ‘cause ya’ kept some fer me, you brat.

Bradley looked as happy as he sounded, messily ruffling an embarrassed Mitile’s hair.

(moments later)

Akira: You really scared me out there, though.

What were you going to do if the bullet really went off? No matter how strong you are, if you were seriously injured...

Bradley: Hell, ya’ don’t believe in me either?

Akira: That’s not what I meant, it was more out of worry rather than not trusting you...

Bradley: ...Hmph. Can’t believe the Southern munchkin and ya’ get tricked by shitty bluffs like that.

Akira: Excuse me? Buff? Did you just say “bluff”?

(Don’t tell me that it wasn’t loaded from the very beginning…)

Bradley: Dun’ mind the details, that bread sure wasn’t enough, I’m starvin’ to death.

Akira: But, that was...

Bradley: I don’t give a damn. Yer gonna join me for dinner, so hurry up or I’ll leave ya’ behind, Sage.

.................................................................................................................................................................

 

EPISODE STORY

Going Anyway

Bradley: Man, nothing beats a fat meal after bein’ whooped away!

Akira: The issue with your injury is that you can't choose where you end up, right?

Are there any places you’ve been sent to that were especially dangerous recently?

Bradley: Well, I guess there’s that time. Got sent to some shithole back in the South.

Akira: In South Country? They’re pretty friendly with wizards, I doubt you would get into any trouble...

Bradley: There was this old hag that got scared shitless when I spawned.

‘Said she couldn’t move, so I had to take her to the doc’, and of course things got even shittier after that.

It had been a while since they had wizards around apparently, and they got too goody about it. They wanted me to fix this and that and kept askin’ for help with a buncha stuff.

Akira: Well, wizards do tend to help humans in the South. You didn't ignore them, did you?

Bradley: I had no business bein’ their errand boy, I was just tryna get out of there.

But she said I saved her life or somethin’, and since she couldn’t move I kept her company for a while. I’d just be an asshole if I ignored her.

Akira: (So he did listen to them after all...)

Bradley: Anyway, I don’t wanna go there again. If I’m movin’, I’d rather go somewhere where I can beat asses like at a monsters’ lair or somethin’.