Chapter 56

Chapter 56: Chapter 56

Siegfringer was a region in the north-central part of the Empire, ruled by the ducal House of Siegfringer.

The region contained one large city and several smaller and medium-sized cities. Rickart and Boribori had mainly operated alongside the Nameless Man in four of those cities, including Runenberg.

Throughout the previous winter, they had avenged the Nameless Man there, eliminating several thieves’ guilds and criminal organizations in the process.

As a result, Rickart and Boribori had already become fairly famous throughout Siegfringer even before their recent battle at the Kites Highlands.

Here, they were commonly called the Heroes of Siegfringer or the Siegfringer Trio:

Ricky the Red Cloak, Boribori the Dismemberer, and X the Nameless Man.

As Rickart followed Sandy past a small city, the surroundings felt familiar.

They reminded him of the previous winter he had spent with the Nameless Man.

But it was not an entirely beautiful memory. It was closer to something wistful.

After all, the Nameless Man was no longer with them.

Winter had passed before he knew it, and even spring was approaching its end.

He could almost see the man walking this very road with them.

Despite the freezing winter weather, Boribori had smiled unusually often back then.

Now even the weather itself was warm.

Rickart did not feel hollow or melancholy.

He believed white mourning clothes suited the Nameless Man’s death better than black ones.

The man had found salvation.

There was no need to remain sorrowful.

That was what Rickart believed, and Boribori felt the same way.

Now they were passing through a place filled with memories of the previous winter, accompanied by a new season and new people.

That did not mean they were covering up or erasing the past.

They were merely placing new memories atop the old ones, layer by layer.

Of course, they had no way of knowing whether the events ahead would become cherished memories or recollections too painful to revisit.

"Ricky."

Marie’s voice drew Rickart out of his thoughts.

When he turned toward her, she shyly held something out.

Several bright-red wild raspberries rested in her palm.

"Thank you."

Rickart picked one up and ate it.

The raspberry’s bumpy little drupelets burst inside his mouth, spreading a sweet-and-tart flavor.

Then he sensed something strange and looked behind him.

Volka, Delphy, and Boribori were staring intently at him and Marie.

They put her up to this.

"Haah... Seriously, you people."

"We were only watching."

"I’m sure you were."

Volka spoke as though it were nothing, but anyone could tell they were immensely interested in what was happening between Rickart and Marie.

Sandy, who had been walking nearby and watching the entire exchange, spoke as though she found them pathetic.

"That isn’t how you win a man’s heart. Somehow, it feels like you two have gotten things backward."

"Then how do you win it?"

Delphy asked.

"You seduce him. Ricky is still too young to understand these things. Time will take care of it. Don’t be too impatient, or you might only drive his heart further away. Seduce him once he’s properly grown hair down there. He’ll give in soon enough."

Whether she was shameless or simply did not care who heard her, Sandy spoke casually in front of the person concerned.

"Umm..."

A groan escaped Rickart.

Unexpectedly, however, Marie seemed to be listening carefully.

Once he’s properly grown hair down there...

For now, she simply held out the wild raspberries again, urging him to eat more.

Rickart was thoroughly embarrassed, but he did not refuse the berries.

The situation was awkward, but he did not want to trample upon the girl’s innocent feelings.

Nor was he coldhearted enough to sever their relationship decisively.

Contrary to Sandy’s opinion, he could only hope Marie’s feelings would naturally settle with time.

"By the way, Ricky."

Sandy called to him.

"Hmm?"

"A woman’s courage disappears once her first love has passed. So treat her feelings with care. I can’t tell you what to feel, though."

Despite being only six or seven years older than him, Sandy offered advice like a much older adult.

"I understand, but shouldn’t you avoid saying that in front of the person herself?"

"Why shouldn’t I? Any of us could die at any time."

"...Fair enough."

Rickart remembered the first time he had met Sandy’s clan two years ago.

His first impression of adventurers had been that they were insular yet, at the same time, open and honest.

That contradictory nature arose from the constant possibility that they might die at any moment.

They had no choice but to remain guarded because they needed to be wary of others.

Yet they were also open and honest because if they did not say something now, there might never be another chance.

Had Marie confessed for the same reason?

Perhaps it had partly been due to her fear and anxiety that it might be her final chance.

Even so, she had neither fabricated feelings that did not exist nor revealed something false.

Marie’s feelings were pure.

Rickart knew that better than anyone.

Even if he could not accept her feelings, he could not trample upon them either.

"I won’t apologize. Thank you."

"...Okay. But you know..."

"Yeah?"

"You aren’t going to change your mind about that, are you?"

"About what?"

"What you said about not believing in love. That means you aren’t allowed to fall in love with another woman either, right?"

Rickart suddenly felt that something had gone terribly wrong.

A cold sensation traveled down his spine.

Even so, Marie’s eyes looked completely innocent.

That made her even more frightening.

"R-Right..."

"I’ll believe you."

Had the words "I believe you" always been so terrifying?

Rickart could not shake the feeling that he had gotten himself into serious trouble.

Whether it was religion or love, belief always contained an element of madness.

The sweet fragrance of raspberries still lingered in his mouth, but he could no longer simply enjoy it.

Whether they understood Rickart’s thoughts or not, his friends watched them with pleased expressions.

They all seemed insane.

Perhaps it was the nature of the age, or perhaps only Rickart’s friends were like this, but they seemed to believe that as long as two people could be bound together—even if they had to be stitched together with a needle—everything would work out.

Rickart finally closed his eyes.

Just as he could not accept Marie’s feelings, he could not order her to stop liking him.

I’ll simply have to endure it. What else can I do?

In any case, they followed Sandy into a forest outside the city.

After walking through the forest for about an hour, they heard the gentle murmur of running water somewhere nearby.

Around that time, they reached a cabin.

Several adventurers were scattered around it.

Rickart did not know some of their names, but their faces were familiar. He had seen them frequently while coming and going from the guild building at the foot of the hill.

Some acknowledged him by lightly touching their hats or raising a hand.

Rickart returned their greetings with his eyes.

Sandy approached a woman with short black hair who was squatting beside the cabin and spoke to her.

Rickart and his friends remained at a distance and watched for the moment.

The squatting woman stood.

She wore black clothing that was not skin-tight but still revealed the general lines of her body. A scarf covered the lower half of her face.

After briefly listening to Sandy, the woman walked toward Rickart.

She pointed at Volka and Rickart.

"You and you. Follow me."

The woman in black led Volka and Rickart elsewhere.

Apparently, the Guild Master was not inside the cabin.

As they followed her, the murmuring sound of water gradually grew louder.

Eventually, they reached a clear stream flowing through the forest.

Three people were near the stream.

Two were standing, while one sat in a folding chair.

They appeared to have lit a fire and cooked something, as an appetizing aroma drifted all the way to Rickart.

The woman beckoned them closer.

When Rickart and Volka approached, the seated man turned his head and looked at them.

To Rickart’s astonishment, it was Dunkel.

"Huh? What the—Dunkel?"

"Hahaha. That’s right. I wasn’t trying to deceive you. It’s just that our work bears a certain resemblance to that of a thieves’ guild, wouldn’t you agree?"

Dunkel spoke with a smile.

The Guild Master of the Beringen Guild was none other than Dunkel.

"I’m a little surprised, but now that I think about it, it isn’t all that surprising."

Rickart accepted the revelation with unexpected composure.

Volka, on the other hand, stared wide-eyed. He had known Dunkel even before Rickart had, yet he had never imagined this possibility.

"Eat some of this first. It’s a delicacy."

Dunkel used a ladle to serve the bubbling red soup from the pot onto two trays.

Strangely enough, it contained freshwater crayfish, corn, and various fruits. Dunkel sliced a lemon in half with his dagger and squeezed its juice over both trays.

"Here, watch. This is how you peel them."

Dunkel demonstrated by peeling a crayfish himself.

He twisted its body away from the head, removed the first section of shell, then pressed the end of its tail and slipped the meat out.

Rickart and Volka were somewhat bewildered, but they sat on the gravel and began peeling the crayfish.

Their hands were soon covered in sauce.

Rickart took a bite of the crayfish meat.

It was incredible.

The dish had been prepared with expensive spices used without restraint, and it was the first proper cuisine he had ever tasted.

There were flavors like this in the world?

Across both his lives, he had spent nearly every day eating dried provisions, excessively salty cured meat, jerky, or watery gruel.

The taste shocked him so much that his eyes widened.

Dunkel watched Rickart and Volka peel and eat a couple of crayfish with a pleased smile.

Then he washed his hands with water poured from another person’s pitcher, dried them on a towel, and spoke.

"I knew things would go well if you joined the war, Ricky."

Rickart had been devouring the food, but he paused to think before answering.

"Still, I feel like I was used."

"You weren’t used. I never ordered Volka, your clan leader, to do anything. All I did was casually mention that the Academy students might be mobilized."

"Hmm... That sounds an awful lot like a demon’s whisper."

"Hahaha. I’ll take that as a compliment."

"So why did you want to see us?"

"Fine. I’ll get straight to the point. Is there something you want?"

Dunkel asked from his folding chair, resting his elbows on his knees.

Judging from his gaze, he already seemed to know what they wanted.

Rickart looked toward Volka since he was the clan leader.

"We want to manage a branch. Preferably one with farmland, but it doesn’t necessarily have to possess any. We would at least like some land that can be cleared and cultivated."

"Of course. You should start preparing for retirement while you’re young. Once you’re old, it’s already too late."

"Will you let us run a branch?"

Rickart asked.

"Do I have any real right to refuse?"

"You’re the Guild Master."

"I know you’re a noble, and I know the old man is backing you. So no, I don’t have the right to refuse."

"A-A noble? What are you talking about?"

Volka’s eyes widened again as he turned toward Rickart.

Like Dunkel, Rickart had also been hiding his true identity.

Rickart smiled awkwardly.

"There’s nothing special about being a noble. I had to leave my family anyway. My real name is Rickart. Rickart von Kaldevern."

"Good grief... It sounds like a foreign language."

"Everyone says that. That it sounds foreign."

"Who else knows besides me?"

"Sandy and Bori."

"Did you really have to keep it a secret?"

"Would we ever have become friends otherwise?"

"Hmm... Fair point. If I’d known you were a noble, I probably wouldn’t have picked a fight with you in the first place."

"You insolent wretch. How dare you speak to me that way?"

"...?"

"I’m joking."

Rickart and Volka looked at each other and grinned.

When he thought about it, the way Rickart had met Volka was rather amusing.

At first, he had simply beaten Volka senseless. Even Rickart had never expected them to become friends.

But he had been drawn to how deeply Volka cared for the other students.

After going through one thing after another together, they became even closer.

In the end, they formed a clan—another name for a family.

"Anyway, does this mean we’re now in charge of a branch?"

Rickart asked Dunkel.

"That’s right. But nothing in this world can be obtained for free. Whether it’s friends, family, or money, it only truly becomes yours if you possess the strength to protect it—and actually do so."

Rickart quietly considered what Dunkel meant.

Since he was naturally quick-witted, he soon understood.

"You’re planning to give us a branch in an area destabilized by the war."

"Correct. If you defend that place, it becomes yours. What I do is nothing special. I merely align the adventurers’ desires and their clans’ dreams with our own objectives."

"And what if they can’t be aligned?"

Dunkel merely answered with an inscrutable smile.

Then he’ll either eliminate them or drive them away.

That was what Rickart assumed.

Rickart might have possessed greater combat skills and fighting ability, but Dunkel appeared far more capable of managing an organization and governing people.

Rickart had no choice but to acknowledge that.

"Is Ice doing well?"

Volka asked.

By now, his tray was piled high with crayfish shells and stripped corncobs.

Dunkel took the tray, dumped the remains directly onto the ground, and served him another helping.

"You would be better off not getting too close to him. Someday, his path will diverge from both the guild’s and yours."

"What do you mean?"

"Since I’ve already revealed my identity, I may as well tell you. Ice comes from the Order of Judgment. He isn’t merely a believer. He holds a position within the Order. He entered the Academy with an objective of his own. I’ve left him alone because he was useful, but ultimately, he will choose the Order."

Volka appeared to be experiencing one surprise after another today.

His eyes widened yet again.

This time, however, even Rickart was considerably surprised.

He had known Ice was a follower of a somewhat cult-like pagan religion, but he had never imagined Ice was such a fervent devotee.

If his ties to the Order ran that deep, he could genuinely face an inquisition.

"Didn’t you know? You’re such amateurs. It was obvious. That bastard is obsessed with becoming a Sword Master for the sake of the Order. That’s why he wants to reach Special Rank. But that isn’t for me to judge. The elders will decide."

"Who are these elders? Are there more besides the one I know?"

At Rickart’s question, Dunkel merely smiled again.

Apparently, whenever he did not intend to answer, he responded with silent amusement.

"I’ve said everything I needed to say. You may run into Ice from time to time. I’m not the type to order people around. Handle it however you see fit."

Dunkel brushed himself off and rose.

He appeared ready to leave, but before departing, he spoke to Rickart one last time.

"Ricky, being one of the Nine Swords of the Empire is like winning a jousting tournament. There will always be another challenger, and there’s no guarantee the champion will win the next tournament. If a lance knocks you from your horse, even a champion can be seriously injured or killed. Just as you killed Steiner."

"Oh, that reminds me. I heard the Ernberg Five were backed by the Emperor. Is that true?"

Dunkel seemed to think that Rickart still never listened to what anyone said. At the same time, he let out an incredulous laugh.

"They were like whores who didn’t discriminate between customers. They were skilled at walking the line, so while the people above were still fingering their swords and debating whether to kill them, you took care of it yourself. You did make life easier for quite a few people. I’m leaving. We’ll meet again. Take care of yourself. Sally will tell you about the branch."

Dunkel and his companions walked away across the gravel.

Only the woman named Sally, who had guided Rickart there, remained behind and approached the two of them.

"Are you going to eat all of that?"

Sally pointed toward the pot.

"What?"

"Even you can’t save me. Just let me die..."

"I asked if you were going to eat all of it."

"No. I’ve had enough. What about you, Ricky?"

"Me too."

The woman named Sally sat beside the pot and used the ladle to serve herself a trayful.

She must have desperately wanted to try it.

Admittedly, it did smell incredible.

The crayfish dish had certainly been delicious, but after hearing all those revelations, Rickart was left with a somewhat unpleasant aftertaste.

It felt as though he had been manipulated like a puppet without even realizing it.

Still, he had gotten what he wanted, so perhaps it was fine.

He was not sure.

More importantly, thinking about Ice left him with complicated feelings.

The Order of Judgment...

Words Ice had once spoken in Griffinswald echoed in his ears.

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