Chapter 146

Translator: Willia

In the long epic narrative called history, war might be a single tragic paragraph, and a battle might amount to no more than one sentence.

Therefore, judging the outcome of a war by a single battle was a hasty thing to do.

However, there were always exceptional cases. There were often times when a single sentence went beyond a paragraph and permanently changed the very course of the epic itself.

The Battle of Valencia, where Sultan Yusuf was killed in action, not only led to the collapse of the army but also became the catalyst for the Salaman people to fragment within the lands of Sinatria.

If one could keenly see through such changes in the same era and stand atop the waves of that change, then even the unification of Sinatria might not have been merely a dreamlike notion.

However, that was not something Ricardt was meant to do. Was it the limitation of being an outsider, or was it the act of keeping to the proper measure as an outsider.

If he had set his mind to it, he could have cultivated a third force with Valencia as his base. Yet Ricardt restrained himself.

Valencia was, after all, the domain of King Santonio, and Ricardt had only borrowed troops from him to occupy it temporarily, and his own objective was to strategically pressure Vilter.

Since most war supplies and food flowed into Karagosa through Valencia as a base, seizing control of this place was tantamount to choking the Order of the Flame Knights under Vilter.

Regardless of political or historical upheavals, Ricardt never once forgot his family, his wife, or his friends. He did not forget the overall context of the epic called the life that had been given to him.

As the commander of the occupying forces, Ricardt did not act arrogantly, treated even those of low status without reserve, and did not mistreat Ahmad, who had once been an amir but had converted and was now a count.

Though it was not intentional, such conduct was perceived by people as the virtue of humility.

By not flaunting himself, not privately coveting wealth, and responsibly protecting Valencia, Ricardt instead elevated his own standing even further.

Thus, the people of Sinatria presented Ricardt with the most honorable treasure of all.

It was none other than a true martial epic, a ballad.

How could the first songs have been composed as written texts. They were not created by men of letters but were ballads with rhythm, passed from mouth to mouth among the people.

Although it began first in Adeloron, in Sinatria they composed a new song in their own way. Songs, by their very nature, could not help but reflect regional characteristics and such things.

It was a tale about how, filled with faith, he heard the words of God in the holy land, wagered with a prince of the Mayub Sultanate and gained the title of the Red Comet, and after being chosen by the emperor of the ancient empire crossed over to Sinatria, and so on and so forth.

As with any such story, it was a mixture of things that were not true at all, such as his being filled with faith or arbitrarily giving a name to the horse Ricardt rode.

In any case, through this, Ricardt had entered the ranks of legend and myth.

There was the first murder, and it occurred between brothers……

It was the rainy season. In Valencia, rain fell day after day.

From the deep gray sky, rumbling thunder continued to resound. However, the fact that it did not vent its fury all at once made it seem as though it was greatly restraining its anger.

Or was it because it was sad. Was it the sound of sobbing.

The rainwater streaming down from the eaves, and the sound of rain beating against the windows, were truly pleasant to hear. It was the kind of sound that seemed to calm the heart and make one content with what one had.

Even the sword propped against the wall seemed to have subdued its killing intent and to be listening to the rain. However, it did not reach Ricardt’s heart at this moment.

Because it was raining, the interior was dark even though it was daytime. Ricardt did not light a separate lamp and sat by the window, quietly lost in thought.

His long eyelashes were half lowered, and his half-open eyes seemed to be directed somewhere in the past beyond the present. Was it the recent past, or the distant past.

Some memories remained vivid no matter how much time passed, while other memories became hazy even though not much time had gone by.

Even an unparalleled hero praised by all could not transcend the category of an ordinary human, and so he suffered from painful memories and felt sorrow at regretful ones.

And yet, among them were memories so beautiful that the present felt despairing and sorrowful.

The last expression of Sultan Yusuf resembled Vilter when he left home, and it unsettled Ricardt’s heart. Even the cozy sound of rain made it difficult to steady his mind.

The language of God was silence, and quietly reflecting on what had passed might be listening to His words, but since the answer had to be found by oneself, Ricardt could not grasp a clear direction.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

“El Cid.”

A knight of the Order of the Flame Knights slightly opened the door and spoke.

“There is someone suspected of being a spy, and we wish to interrogate him under torture. May we have your permission?”

“A spy?”

“Yes. He has been loitering around this area for days, so we detained him. He refuses to state his name, and his behavior is suspicious.”

It was a world where torture was rampant, but it was not something that could be done carelessly.

It was a matter that required the lord’s permission, and since Ricardt was currently leading the army, he was the one with the authority to approve it.

However, Ricardt held a critical view of torture, so he thought he should first see the detainee with his own eyes.

“Where is he now? Can you bring him here?”

“I will present him at once.”

The knight headed somewhere immediately, and not long after brought the detainee. Ricardt was startled when he saw him, because the detainee was none other than Hashim.

The turban he had been wearing was gone, and his already thin body had been completely soaked by the rain, making his appearance utterly miserable. Perhaps he had been struck once, as his left cheekbone was bluish with a bruise.

Even so, he was tightly holding a glass bottle containing crystal flowers in his arms.

“What are you doing here?”

“Well……”

“Do you know him?”

“This man is my friend. He is not a detainee.”

The knight tilted his head and alternated glances between Hashim and Ricardt. Their races were different, and the age gap looked quite large, so friends.

It looked strange, but since Ricardt himself said he was his friend, there was nothing to say.

“Why did you not say so earlier?”

The knight, seemingly feeling somewhat apologetic, brushed off Hashim’s body a bit. His whole body was completely soaked, so there would not have been any dust to speak of.

“That is enough, bring a towel and some new clothes.”

Ricardt did not scold him by saying how dare you do this to my friend, and simply gave the instruction like that.

The knight brought a towel and new clothes into the room and then closed the door again. In the dim room, there were only Ricardt and Hashim. Aside from the sound of rain outside, the two were silent for a moment.

Ricardt felt bewildered, and Hashim, perhaps feeling ashamed, had his head deeply lowered.

“Why put yourself through unnecessary hardship? You could have come to see me at any time.”

Ricardt said this as he lit the candle on the plate. Whether he lit the candle or not did not make a great difference, but it was a cozy light, much like the sound of rain. It was better than nothing.

“Dry yourself and warm up by the fire. Even if it is summer, at your age, getting caught in the rain the wrong way might give you a cold.”

Ricardt also lit the fireplace. Hashim spoke with his head lowered.

“I am sorry……”

Ricardt shook his head with a faint smile.

“There is nothing to be sorry about. You do not need to feel embarrassed. If you ever have trouble, you can come to me at any time. In any case, hurry and dry yourself and change into the new clothes.”

Hashim was a fearsome wizard and a wise man, but there was something a bit slow about him. Ricardt, who had traveled through the Lunadan region together with him, knew this well.

Both of them had easygoing temperaments when it came to hardship, and in that regard they matched well, but unlike Ricardt, Hashim tended to live by simply going with the flow.

With sluggish movements, Hashim wiped his hair and body with the towel. Then he changed into the new clothes and sat by the fire.

For lodging where an unparalleled hero stayed, it was truly modest, but there was nothing lacking, and it was simply cozy.

Hashim watched Ricardt cautiously with his large, deeply set eyes, then spoke.

“To be honest, I was thinking of wandering aimlessly here and there as I have lived until now, but when I thought about it, was that not all a journey to recover my memories. However, I have already found the answer. Here, the crystal flower. So I did not know where to go and ended up wandering around near you. Please forgive me.”

“If you have nowhere to go, you may stay by my side as long as you like. I do not abandon my friends. Of course, I do not bind them either.”

“With you, that would be the case.”

“But you have not yet recovered your memories?”

“Well...... Have you never felt that way? Something you desperately wanted, but when it actually comes before your eyes, you feel hesitant.”

“I cannot recall anything specific, but I know what that feeling is like.”

“What if, when I recover my memories, I become something other than myself. My perspective on you, on the world and on people, might change. Who knows? My past self might have been a tremendous villain.”

“I have some experience with that matter, and it could work out well. Because among the newly accumulated memories, there will be many good ones.”

Since Ricardt was living a life that was reversed compared to his horrific previous life, he thought that even if Hashim had been a villain in the past, his present personality would not change dramatically.

“Hearing it that way, you are right.”

“Have you made up your mind?”

“Not yet.”

At the word not yet, Ricardt let go of his gloomy mood and smiled faintly.

“I will not intervene. It is entirely your share. But if you need help, I will assist you at any time. Just remember that.”

“I understand. By the way, what about you? Have you made up your mind?”

“......”

The smile gradually faded from Ricardt’s face. The gloomy feeling seemed to return, but being with a friend who had suffered alongside him made it somewhat better.

“I do not know. The initiative is already in my hands, and even if I lead the army and clash with him, I am confident I can win. However, if Billy resists to the very end, I do not know what I am supposed to do.”

“It is a difficult matter...... But is there not something beyond that? Your wife and friends waiting in Adeloron. For their sake alone, you cannot afford to lose, can you?”

“I worry that trying to catch two rabbits at once might leave me with neither. Perhaps it would be right to give everything up and leave.”

Ricardt poured out all the words he had kept bottled up inside in front of Hashim. Whether it was his true feelings or merely words spoken aloud, his stifled heart felt somewhat relieved and refreshed.

“That too is a choice. But it is different from the Ricky I know. Perhaps what you need to steel yourself for is accepting what must be accepted. Are you afraid of pain?”

“No. That is not it. I am not afraid of pain. What I fear is betraying past memories. A betrayal of myself, how should I put it...... I do not know. I just wish Billy would come to his senses......”

“You seem to be in a complicated state of mind. Perhaps your brother may have made that choice unintentionally.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Could it be that the wishes of the knights, tightly bound together by vengeance and hatred, have gathered upon him. If he resembles you, then he would not be able to abandon them.”

Hearing Hashim’s words, Ricardt had a sudden realization.

Ricardt felt a sense of shared suffering toward all soldiers and troops. That did not mean he overlooked their wrongdoing, but even so, perhaps Vilter also could not bring himself to abandon his brothers of the knight order. Even if they were extremists.

However, even if such a possibility existed, reality dictated that he had no choice but to fight all the more. How could he simply allow them to kill innocent people just because they were heretics.

They had to be stopped because they committed cruel acts, but the most tragic part was that they threw themselves into the flames of vengeance and hatred. They could not conceive of a life beyond that.

“......”

Faced with the heavy reality, Ricardt lowered his head. A deep shadow covered his face.

Hashim looked at Ricardt with a troubled expression and spoke.

“Get some sleep. This is not a problem where answers come from worrying yourself sick, is it.”

“......But did you not say that last time too? To get some sleep. Is there not some kind of recovery magic that clears the mind?”

“You treat magic with prejudice now and then. That sleep is the best medicine has been a consensus among scholars since long ago. There is no magic beyond that.”

“Which scholar said that?”

“Well, for starters, there is me.”

“That is quite an impressive magic.”

Ricardt laughed again at the absurdity of it. It seemed as though the shadow that had covered his face lifted once more.

Hashim also smiled faintly, even though his cheekbone was bruised.

“Just as you always welcome me gladly, I too always support you.”

“Thank you.”

Ricardt nodded. Perhaps the fight with Vilter was something he needed to face with a calm heart rather than a fiery resolve.

In any case, though it was nothing more than a trivial conversation, having someone he could speak openly with made Ricardt feel more at ease.

Only then did the sound of rain outside begin to quietly seep into Ricardt’s heart.

Tap. Thud. Tap tap. Thud......

****

For more chapters, you can check out my Patreon here –> https://patreon.com/warriorsballad