kscans

Chapter 118 - <7>

Thanks to Ritz's act as a spirit user, the week finally passed without them being gaped at like rare animals, as they had been on the first day, though they were constantly under the watchful eye of goodwill.

On the morning after the moon disappeared, seen off by the villagers, Anna, and Edward, Ritz, Franz, and the main character, Lef, arrived at the cave.

They had left the village before the sun had risen, but now it was completely bright. Though they were in a canyon, the days at the beginning of summer were long. He didn't have a clock, but judging from the height of the sun, they had been walking for at least three hours.

It had been a considerable forced march for Franz, who was not a morning person, but he had no choice but to endure it.

Sara's lamp, which had exuded a sense of presence in the dim darkness until just a moment ago, faded significantly in the sunlight. Sara herself was sleeping, perhaps comfortably. Was she conserving her energy? Perhaps even she understood that a situation where her role would be needed was coming.

The three of them stood in the soft light filtering through the trees, which glittered in the dazzling morning sun.

"Well now… this is magnificent."

Ritz, still dressed as a spirit user, stood beside Franz on the shore of the lake, his arms crossed leisurely as he murmured. After giving a small nod in return, Franz once again took a long, hard look at the lake.

The lake was several meters down a sheer cliff of hard, red earth. From Adlif's description, Franz had thought the lake was on normal ground, so this was a bit of a surprise. Peeking over the edge of the cliff, he could see the entire lake.

The lake was, contrary to his imagination, very small. It was more than small; it was no bigger than the pond at his lavish family home.

But what was terrifying was its depth. This lake, surrounded by red earth and trees, was so deep and dark that it swallowed the sunlight reflecting off its surface into its deeply clear, blue-green water. Just by looking, it was impossible to tell if it had a bottom or not.

The small lake's deep, sharp form was like a thorn piercing the earth, made of clear water. What's more, the beautiful emerald of its surface, with the contrast of the red earth, was so beautiful that, even though he wasn't Anna, it was 'beautiful enough to paint a picture of.'

"…I wanted to show this to Anna."

Perhaps thinking the same thing, Ritz muttered under his breath. Franz nodded in agreement to this as well.

When she first heard about the cave exploration, Anna had made a fuss about wanting to go, but since then she had not once said she wanted to come along. Ritz seemed to be grateful for that, but at the same time, he seemed to be sorry.

Then he should just swap Franz and Anna's positions, but he knew that wasn't possible. The role of the spirit user's apprentice had already been assigned to Franz.

Besides, though Franz didn't know the details, apparently Anna had a promise with Ritz to be taken somewhere. He had only heard about it in a dreamlike state, so he didn't know the specifics, but apparently it was fine because they had renewed their promise.

To want to go into a cave even at the risk of danger, Franz, who was somewhat athletically challenged, thought they were both strange.

"If we have time, I can bring her to the lake."

Lef suggested, perhaps out of consideration for the somber Ritz.

"That's a good idea. I'll bring her here again. The contrast between the cliff and the water is magnificent."

Ritz nodded in agreement, but at those words, Lef's face immediately turned apologetic.

"In that case, I'd have to ask you to wait a month…"

"Why's that?"

"The water recedes and the cliff appears only today, when the moon has disappeared from the sky. Tomorrow, the water in this lake will fill up to the top of the cliff, and it will become an ordinary deep lake. The red earth is only exposed when there is no water."

"…I see, so that's why the ceremony can only be held once a month…"

"Yes."

When he was told that and looked again, he saw that not a single blade of grass was growing on the cliff. It was probably because it had been submerged in water until last night.

"So where's the cave?"

When Ritz said that, he had a bad feeling. Ever since coming to this country, Franz's bad feelings had never been wrong. Sure enough, Lef smiled brightly and pointed.

"It's over there, Ritz."

"…Over there, huh."

Naturally, the place he pointed to was at the bottom of the cliff.

"How do we get down?"

When he asked from behind the two who were peering over the edge, they both looked at him with puzzled expressions, as if they didn't understand the reason for the question. So he asked again, slowly.

"How do I get down there?"

"Oh!"

The two of them clapped their hands as if they had just understood.

"That's right. You can't get down."

"I'm sorry, Franz. I forgot."

"Lef and I would have no problem, though."

What a terrible thing to say. Since they had forced him to come along, he wished they would have thought about that much. But he wasn't Anna, and he wasn't stupid enough to be proud of his poor motor skills.

"We do have a rope, though."

As he said that, Lef stood under a particularly large tree. Following Lef's gaze, he looked up at the tree and saw a cloth-wrapped bundle hanging under a wooden rain shelter.

"In the bundle?"

"Yes. I don't need it."

That was a bundle that Lef had secretly gone to this place, avoiding the eyes of the villagers, and hung up last night. Inside it were various things that Ritz and Franz would need for this expedition. Originally, when a beastman entered this cave as part of a ceremony, they had to go in with nothing but the clothes on their back.

In fact, Lef had nothing in his hands, and his clothes were exactly the same as usual.

"Well, I don't need a rope either, but the rest is important."

As he said that, Ritz casually took off his wig and shook his head. There wasn't a single villager who would follow them this far, so it was probably a good time to take it off. Ritz, since it was borrowed, carefully gathered it up and placed it at the base of the tree where the bundle was hanging.

"Alright, I'll go get it."

Ritz muttered as he looked up, already unbuttoning his robe. Lef panicked at the sight of him.

"No, I'll go."

"It's fine."

"But…"

"Believe it or not, I'm good at this sort of thing, you know?"

Before the apologetic Lef could stop him, Ritz, who had carelessly thrown off his robe, began to climb the tree with ease. He had heard from Anna that Ritz was good at climbing trees, but he had never imagined he could climb with such monkey-like speed.

"He's so nimble."

Lef let out a sigh of admiration. To which Ritz nonchalantly replied.

"A skill from my younger days."

Franz was also very impressed, but it was annoying to show it honestly, so he muttered under his breath.

"He's a monkey."

"Franz."

Lef chided him in a small voice, but Ritz didn't seem to have heard him at all. He was already reaching for the bundle and opening it.

"This is it. Man, robes are so hard to move in. I don't get the guys who wear this stuff as everyday clothes."

Grumbling, the first thing he pulled out of the bundle was his own clothes. Unlike the robe, it was an easy-to-move-in jacket-type garment, and he put his arms through it while sitting on a tree branch. Franz, who was watching, was made to feel uneasy, thinking he might fall, but Ritz showed no signs of being in danger.

After changing, he fastened his sword to his waist. This sword was borrowed from Edward. Ritz's greatsword was unsuitable for a cave, and it was too big to hide, so he had left it in the village.

"Alright. Finally feel settled."

He felt dizzy watching Ritz satisfyingly stretch his joints on the unstable tree. If Franz were in that situation, he would never even think of letting go of the tree trunk. But Ritz's acrobatic movements didn't stop there; he disappeared backwards from the branch he had been sitting on.

"!"

But the next moment, he was grabbing onto the branch he had been sitting on, rotating, and with a surprisingly gentle movement, he jumped down from the tree.

He desperately suppressed the scream that had almost come out of his throat and took a few shallow breaths. It was truly bad for his heart.

"Hm, I'm a little rusty."

The series of movements was so smooth that he didn't make a loud noise when he landed. And he was holding a bundle in one hand. That meant he had done all of this with one hand. He had thought Ritz was a monster of stamina, but his motor skills were also extraordinary.

Where in Ritz's nearly two-meter-tall, well-proportioned, muscle-bound body was the element that allowed for such light movements? Normally, only small, agile acrobats did such things.

"Do that sort of thing in front of Anna or His Majesty."

As Franz said that while lightly pressing on his pounding heart, Ritz looked at him with a triumphant smile.

"It wouldn't be as fun with them, would it?"

"…Why?"

"A show is all about making the audience nervous and scared, you know?"

"…"

"In that sense, you're the best audience."

This smug grin… he was being completely played with.

"I'd charge you if I could get money for it, but I'll let you off for free this time."

It was annoying to be teased like this, so Franz quickly ignored Ritz and asked Lef.

"Where's the cave?"

"He ran away."

He deliberately ignored the still teasing Ritz. Lef, seeing that what Franz had said was more important, answered.

"It's over there."

Lef pointed to a spot halfway down the cliff. Even halfway down, he would have to descend more than twice Ritz's height. There, a wide, horizontal cave gaped open, as if a layer of the fault's rock face had peeled off. It looked more like a collapse site than a cave. He didn't want to go.

But he knew that since he had come this far, he had no choice but to go.

After all, tracing all the non-human races was for the sake of finding the truth about his master, Orphe. And if he thought about it, if there were a clue leading to Orphe, it wouldn't be strange if some kind of spirit-related item were placed there.

"It's in a really hard-to-find place, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Who on earth found it?"

It was a cave that only appeared once a month, and looked like nothing more than a crack in a fault line, so Ritz's question was natural. Lef smiled at the question.

"It is said that when the beastman tribe first came to this land, they were guided to this cave."

"…So, that means it was during the time of the Spirit Kings."

"Yes. It is said that the one who showed us this cave was the Earth Spirit King."

"I see."

It was a very old legend. Had the ceremony to decide the chief been held since then? Without voicing such a question, Franz silently let his thoughts wander to that era. For Franz, who had always looked only at the recent past and the near future, living within a small enclosure of time, the flow of time that could be called eternal was too grand to be understood as a reality.

It was the same as not being able to feel the history of one hundred and fifty years from the usual Ritz.

With a single word from the gluttonous Ritz that eating would be a pain once they were inside the cave, they had a meal first. They quickly and lightly finished with meat grilled on a skewer sandwiched in sweet corn flour bread brought from the village.

After a break of only a few tens of minutes, including the meal, the group was finally about to step into the cave. Ritz gathered up the things they had brought food in and anything else that was unnecessary here and once again tied them up on the tree.

By the time Franz, who had been sighing about being tired, looked up, Ritz was already starting to descend the cliff. Naturally, he had no safety rope. And Lef had one end of a rope tied to his waist.

"That was fast."

He muttered under his breath. It would have been fine to rest a little longer. But if he didn't go, he would be left behind. He had to go, but Franz, who had no idea how to get down, just stared blankly at Lef.

"Alright!"

As Ritz shouted from the bottom of the cliff, Lef threw the other end of the rope he had tied to his waist down to where Ritz was.

"Alright, got it."

He couldn't see Ritz, but at the same time as those words, the rope was lightly pulled, and the slack rope became taut.

"Franz, please."

Only when he was cheerfully prompted did he realize that the rope had been lowered for him. These two certainly didn't need a rope.

But what was the deal with one end of this rope being tied to Lef? But normally, it was impossible for a person to support a rope that another person was hanging from. Thinking that, he looked at Lef, and Lef tilted his head.

"Is something wrong?"

"Is it okay to go down?"

When he said it frankly, Lef didn't seem to understand what he meant and just stared back at Franz with his pure brown eyes.

"…I'm not that light."

As he said it in a murmur, Lef's expression finally changed to one of understanding, and he smiled softly.

"It's not a problem at all. You're almost too light, Franz. You need to eat more and grow bigger."

"That's not…"

"No, it is. I'm confident I could carry about four of you, Franz."

"…"

"Ritz is long, so two would be the limit. Edward would be three, and Anna would be six."

It wasn't a matter of whether he could or couldn't, but Franz had no idea what else to say. Besides, Lef's warning was coming from a place of complete goodwill, so he couldn't argue. So he managed to retort with this.

"This is just right for me."

"You think so? Please try to grow to at least Edward's size."

"…I'll keep it in mind."

The voice of Ritz, who had no idea this exchange was happening, came with a bit of irritation.

"Hey! If you're coming down, hurry up and come down!"

"I'm coming now."

Replying, Franz steeled himself. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. It was a truth that had been hammered into him, whether he liked it or not, since he started traveling with Ritz and the others. Franz handed his luggage to Lef. Naturally, he also placed the lamp on the ground. With Franz's motor skills, it would be impossible to descend completely if one of his hands was occupied.

"Lef, take this."

When he said it in a few words, Lef smiled gently.

"Leave it to me."

He could probably trust Lef with it. After all, he had heard he had athletic ability superior to Ritz's.

"Okay? Don't hang from the rope with both hands. Keep your feet on the cliff and shift your weight there as much as possible."

"On my feet?"

"That's right, Franz. If you put all your strength into your arms, your arms will give out before you get all the way down. Your arms are just for support."

"Got it."

Clenching his fists to psych himself up, Franz grabbed the rope and put his foot on the cliff. He put his full weight on the rope for a moment, then put strength into his legs.

The moment he took a step down, the foothold he had been on crumbled from the edge.

"Gah!"

He let out an involuntary cry, and Lef said calmly.

"It's okay. The red earth is brittle, but the part that was submerged in water until yesterday won't crumble easily."

Unable to reply, he gave a small nod and took another step. The fact that the end of the rope he was putting his strength into was Lef, and not a completely immovable tree or rock, was creating a subtle anxiety. But for now, he had no choice but to trust him.

Glancing down at the cliff, he saw the red earth he had dislodged fall with a clatter into the water, which was changing from emerald to deep blue, creating small ripples.

"Ugh."

It was horrifying to think what a big ripple he would make if he fell.

"What's wrong?"

He came back to his senses when he was called out to. It seemed he had unconsciously stopped moving. From the cave far below, Ritz was sticking his head out and looking up at him. Since there was no foothold in front of the cave, Ritz was waiting from inside the cave.

"It's high."

He had unconsciously answered honestly. The height was making him dizzy. He didn't like high places. He even thought people who liked high places were a little strange.

"Don't look down, just look straight ahead."

For now, he would obediently follow the calm advice of Ritz, who was usually more teasing.

He desperately clung to the rope and descended the crumbling red earth cliff. He descended while almost glaring at the wall in front of him. His hands were sweating from the tension. The thought that his hands might slip because of it made him sweat even more.

"Your hips are too far back. Straighten your posture a little more."

Ritz's calm words came flying at him. It was the same when he was practicing riding a horse, but at times like this, Ritz's tone was almost that of a soldier. Did he realize it himself? Perhaps he was suited for training new recruits in the army.

Thinking about things unrelated to his fear made him feel a little more at ease. It was probably also because he had confirmed that his footing wasn't crumbling that much. He pulled his hips, which had been sticking out quite a bit, a little closer to the cliff. Just by doing that, the weight on his hands became much lighter.

As expected, there was a proper logic to what an experienced person said.

With a bit of leeway, the red earth wall in front of him, which he had been looking at but not really seeing, finally came into view at the edge of his vision.

"Ah…"

Only then did he realize that the red earth was covered in a sparkling white powder. As he descended, he saw that it was crystallized in some places. He wondered what kind of crystal it was, but he couldn't imagine letting go of the rope with one hand to get it.

He was curious, but he prioritized descending and continued on. He thought he could just ask about it later if he was really curious, but it probably wasn't that interesting, so he decided to forget about the powder.

As he reached the entrance of the cave and his footing disappeared, he let go with both feet and slid down the rope. When his feet firmly touched the inside of the cave, a sigh of deep relief escaped him.

Though it hadn't really been that long, it felt like he had been descending the cliff for a very long time. This was the first time in his memory that he had been forced to do something so dangerously close to the edge.

As he slumped down on the spot, Ritz called out to Lef above.

"Lef, you're good."

"Yes."

At the same time as the voice, the rope slackened. Ritz skillfully coiled it up and collected it. At the same time as the rope was coiled up, a large shadow suddenly appeared in the cave. The person still connected to the rope was, of course, Lef.

"That's that."

He understood as he watched Ritz, who had coiled up the rope, lightly sling it over his shoulder. They had probably taken the measure of wrapping the rope around Lef, considering the time that would be lost by tying the rope to a tree or rock, and the possibility of losing the rope by mistake.

If you can do it with brute force, then do it.

He had forgotten because he had seen too much of his inept side in the Royal Capital, but he now remembered that Ritz was the kind of person who thought that way. As expected, this was tens of thousands of times more suited for Ritz than a minister's chair and administrative work.

Just as Franz was suited for administrative work and not for this kind of thing.

"Alright, let's go, Franz."

When Franz, who had been catching his breath, looked up, Lef and Ritz were already heading into the depths of the cave.

"You could have waited a little bit."

When he complained, Ritz just laughed and shrugged.

"I think we waited long enough."

"This was my first time doing something like this. You could have been a little more considerate."

His true feelings slipped out. He regretted the childish words, but it was too late. Ritz frowned slightly and slowly crossed his arms.

"I do try to be considerate since you're a companion. After all, I make it a point to prioritize children, women, and the elderly in that order. But you're a man, and you're not a child or an old man. Normally, I'd just tell you to handle it yourself."

He had certainly heard that creed of Ritz's before.

"Among my companions, you're particularly slow. You're even slower than that Anna."

He couldn't argue with that. But he didn't understand why Ritz had suddenly started talking like this.

"I know it's hard, but understand the situation before you speak."

From his tone, it seemed he was in a hurry. Confused, he looked at Lef's back, and Lef turned to look at Ritz.

"We can wait a little bit."

"There's no need to accommodate him. This ceremony is for you, isn't it?"

"Don't worry about it. I'm fine."

"But…"

"If it doesn't work out, there's always a month from now."

While Ritz was concerned about the time, Lef, despite also being concerned, was being considerate of Franz. Franz, who had no idea what they were short on time for, remained silent, and Lef explained.

"I have to retrieve the source of our life from inside this cave. But I haven't been told where it is."

"Yeah."

"Yes. This cave is apparently very large, but there are no hints, so I'd like to hurry if possible…"

"Why?"

He had brought food. If they couldn't find it, they could consider staying overnight, so he didn't think they needed to rush so much. Ritz sighed with his arms crossed.

"Why? You… this cave entrance will be submerged in the lake again by tomorrow morning, you know."

"Ah…"

Come to think of it, that's right. Because he had just experienced something so far removed from his daily life, like descending a cliff, that had completely slipped his mind.

"…I've heard that there's an escape route somewhere that you can exit from. But if we lose sight of the entrance and can't get out that way…"

"We have enough food for three days, but that's it."

When he remembered this situation, Franz was inevitably confronted with his own carefree attitude. If he dallied and the lake's water level rose, the exit would be completely blocked. They would be trapped there until they found the escape route.

"Sorry."

After a small apology, Franz slowly stood up. It wasn't just about the exit. If Franz was trapped here and Lef couldn't accomplish what he needed to do, it wouldn't be Franz who suffered, but Lef.

Though he had been forced to come along, at the end of the day, it was because it was too much trouble to refuse that he had been swept along and come this far. It was Franz's loss for not being able to firmly say he wouldn't go, and instead taking the easy way out.

He silently reached out to Lef and took back Sara's lamp, which had been left with him. Ritz, who had been watching the scene without moving, eventually uncrossed his arms as slowly as he had crossed them and stretched.

"Well then, shall we go?"

Ritz's tone, which had been preachy until now, suddenly changed to his usual lighthearted one. It seemed he was letting all of Franz's complaints, which had been made without considering the situation, slide. Franz, inwardly relieved, re-shouldered his pack. He hurried to keep up with the two who were going ahead.

In the pitch-black cave, only the lamp Franz held was burning bright red. As they went further in from the entrance, the cave gradually became steeper. The entrance had been quite a ways down from the ground, but the center of the cave might be surprisingly close to the surface.

Lef was in the lead. He didn't need light, so he walked through the darkness with ease. Franz and Ritz followed. In narrow places, Ritz always brought up the rear, and Franz, as the light bearer, walked between the two faster men.

Perhaps this formation was not to make Franz walk faster, Franz realized after quite some time had passed.

When he looked back, there was Ritz with the same blank expression as if he were just taking a walk. The entrance to the cave was already completely out of sight. He had thought he was walking straight, but perhaps the cave was not only going up but also turning in some direction, without him noticing.

"What's wrong?"

Ritz asked, but he couldn't find any words to answer, so he just looked forward. In this situation, there was no choice but to keep moving forward.

Other than Lef occasionally saying things like "Watch your step" or "There's a rock here," and the replies to those, the three of them didn't speak and just kept going.

Franz had already lost track of time. How long had they been in here? It felt like he had just stepped into this cave, and it also felt like he had been here for a long time. Perhaps he was being overwhelmed by the darkness and the atmosphere.

Being just the three of them was completely different from when everyone was together.

The biggest difference was probably that Anna wasn't there. That alone made everyone's conversations extremely scarce. Now that he thought about it, Franz had become completely accustomed to the pattern of Anna constantly talking and Ritz replying to her during their journey. Because of that, this situation felt terribly quiet.

"It's quiet, isn't it?"

The silence and the strange echo of his own footsteps were the only sounds on their journey. An indescribable anxiety washed over him, and he found himself muttering that. Since Franz rarely spoke first unless he was asked a question or was expressing anger, Ritz, perhaps finding it unusual, let out a small laugh in the dim light.

"For now."

"For now?"

Not understanding what Ritz meant, he asked again. Lef, who was leading the way, turned around. His eyes glinted red. Though he was getting used to it, it still surprised him when he suddenly turned around.

"There are quite a few living things in this cave."

"…Even though it's so dark?"

"Yes. Bats, and insects."

"Insects…"

For Franz, who was born and raised in the city, insects were nothing but creepy creatures. He instinctively grimaced, and Lef said cheerfully.

"The entrance to this cave is special, right? So big creatures can't live here."

Despite saying that, Lef didn't slow his pace at all. Just by listening, Franz was starting to fall behind.

"There might be some kind of blood-sucking animal, too."

He froze at Ritz's casual comment.

"…Blood-sucking animal?"

"Yep. Lef said earlier that there might be an escape route somewhere, right? That means there might be an animal's nest somewhere in the cave. Bats are a likely candidate."

"Bats eat bugs, right?"

The bats around Saradio lived in the forest and ate bugs. Naturally, Ritz's hometown should be in the same range where the same animals live. Ritz, sensing Franz's inner turmoil, smiled cheerfully.

"In Saradio, yeah. But this is Luciana. And what's more, it's Red Valley. Right, Lef?"

Lef, whom he had expected to deny it, nodded.

"Yes. Red Valley is not a region with a large number of plants and animals. This forest is on the better side, but the ones that nest in the cave find it easier to feed on animal blood than to catch insects."

"Blood…"

In his mind, an image of a bat biting his body and sucking his blood formed. Noticing the completely frozen Franz, Lef hurriedly corrected himself.

"Even if they suck blood, it's just a matter of tearing the skin with their beaks and licking the blood, so it's not that harmful, you know?"

"!"

That was far scarier. The fact that a bat had a beak in the first place was terrifying enough, but for Lef, it seemed to be a part of daily life. Perhaps even if they were called bats in the common language, they were different creatures in different countries.

"Well, let's keep moving."

Lef said and, without noticing the goosebumps that had formed all over Franz's unseen skin, started walking forward again. He staggered after him.

"Well, it's just a bird. Don't be so scared."

Ritz said and patted his shoulder.

"It's a bird, right?"

"Yeah. The only ones who call them bats are the people in this village."

As expected, they were just called bats, but they were different creatures. Compared to bats, they were half as creepy.

"It's a small, palm-sized bird. It has a short, thick beak that looks like it could crush a nut in one bite. Unlike other birds, it has good night vision."

"Oh…"

It was still creepy.

"If they swarm you, just brush them off. Easy, right?"

"Easy, you say?"

"At least, for me."

Ritz's 'easy' meant the same as Franz's 'difficult'.

"So you have no intention of helping me if they swarm me?"

"Yeah. I told you, right? I'm only easy on women, children, and the elderly."

"So there's no room for 'companions' in that?"

When he said it with a sigh, Ritz laughed cheerfully and answered.

"There's no one who doesn't wish for their companion's growth."

That meant he was supposed to grow up enough to handle that sort of thing on his own. He was so grateful he could cry. He couldn't help but sigh and grumble.

"Among my companions, I'm the only one at an age to receive such strict treatment."

When he said it in a way that sounded plenty sarcastic, Ritz just laughed without answering. Since there was no rebuttal, which was unusual, he couldn't help but add on.

"His Majesty fits one category, and Anna fits two."

Ritz finally burst out laughing as if he couldn't hold it in anymore.

"What's so funny?"

"No, no, you're hilarious."

"What is?"

"What are you sulking about? I'll help you if it gets really dangerous, so don't worry."

"I'm not sulking…"

He started to say it, then realized it himself. It seemed that because he was anxious about the cave, he had been taking it out on Ritz, telling him to do something about it. They were very childish words.

"You say all sorts of things like 'don't get involved with me' or 'leave me alone,' but at your core, you end up relying on others, don't you?"

"That's not—!"

"Can't you admit it?"

"…!"

"It can't be helped. You've lived your life in a situation where if you asked for help, someone would always lend you a hand."

At those words, his cheeks burned hot. An anger with nowhere to go flared up, directed at Ritz who had thrown the words at him. But when he stared at Ritz, he just looked back at Franz with calm eyes, unfazed.

"It hasn't been long since you left on your journey, so I don't really mind, but if you've noticed it, you should fix it when you can. If you end up in a worst-case scenario, the best person who can help you is yourself. You should start by changing your way of thinking of relying on others first."

Ritz's words pierced him. When he was descending the cave, and even now, he had first thought that he couldn't possibly do it, and then he had felt that it was only natural for others to help him. But that was just him always seeking the easiest environment he had grown up in, the one he had wanted to cut ties with.

Franz was aware of his own pathetic helplessness and the fact that he completely lost the will to step forward when Ritz or Edward were around, despite saying all sorts of pathetic things. And yet, he had accepted it as his own personality until he was pointed out like this, and had just meekly followed his desire to be coddled. He didn't know what kind of face to make at Ritz, who had known this all along and said nothing until now.

He turned on his heel, almost running, as if to escape Ritz, who was calling after him, unsure of how to reply, unsure of what to do with his own pathetic pride, and walked quickly in the direction Lef had disappeared.

"Hey, Franz."

Not knowing how to answer Ritz's words that were chasing after him, not knowing what to do with his pathetic pride, Franz walked quickly in the direction Lef had disappeared.

'Young Master Franz,' he had been revered wherever he went, and if anything happened, people would flock to help him. It wasn't for Franz's sake, but to get in his father Ville's good graces, but because of that, Franz had become completely accustomed to a situation where a hand was always extended to him.

If he reached out, someone would help him, whether out of goodwill, malice, or calculation. His master, Orphe, was different from them, but as a fun-loving person, he had taken care of his apprentice, Franz. Franz had thought he had grown up and become independent, but in reality, he hadn't changed at all.

Only when he was in a situation where he had to do something himself did he brace himself a little, but when Ritz or Edward were around, Franz was aware that he completely lost the will to step forward.

And yet, until it was pointed out like this, he had accepted it as his own personality and just meekly followed his desire to be coddled. He didn't know what kind of face to make at Ritz, who had known this all along and said nothing until now.

As he was walking, almost running, he suddenly came out into a wide space.

"…Huh?"

Even when he held the lamp high and looked around, Lef was nowhere to be seen.

"Lef?"

He muttered in a small voice, and Lef's sharp voice came from an unexpected direction.

"Franz!"

"Huh?"

To the left and behind him. It seemed Franz had taken the wrong path at a fork in the road.

"What happened?"

When he looked up, he saw Lef running towards him. At the same time, a tremendous sound came from ahead. He had heard this rustling sound before.

…Is this… the sound of wings?

The moment he realized it, he saw a black mass of an incredible number of birds flying towards him all at once.

"Ah… ah…"

He tried to back away with a strangled cry, but the next moment he was enveloped in the middle of the black sound of wings. His face, his hair, his whole body were covered in feathers.

He desperately knocked them down, and the next moment a tremendous pain ran through his whole body.

"Aaaaaaah!"

All he could see before him were countless shining feathers, feathers, feathers.

And illuminated by the lamp, round, expressionless red eyes glaring at him.

The face that was turned towards him let out a grating cry.

"Don't come near me!"

He reflexively knocked a bird down with the lamp.

"Kee, kee!"

Sara was screaming inside. He knew she was telling him to let her out. But he couldn't stop his hands.

"Franz! Throw the lamp away!"

Lef's voice was faintly audible over the flapping of wings, but he couldn't bring himself to let go of the lamp he was swinging wildly.

"No!"

"Franz!"

At the same time as Ritz's panicked voice, several birds were knocked down, but their numbers didn't decrease at all.

If anything, they seemed to be increasing.

"D-damn you all!"

He faintly heard Ritz say this in a panicked voice, mixed in with the sound of wings. It seemed he wasn't the only target.

"They're gathering towards the light! Throw it away!"

"Kee, Fra-kee!"

"The swarm will grow if they aim for the light! Hurry!"

"No!"

The pain was spreading throughout his whole body. No matter how many he brushed off, the number of birds didn't decrease at all.

At this rate, he would be eaten.

That turned into a great fear. It was impossible to be pecked to death by birds while still alive. He would absolutely not have that.

"Franz, calm down!"

"Please, Franz!"

Everyone was saying something. But he couldn't understand anything.

He felt like he was screaming something himself. But he didn't know what.

Confusion led to more confusion, which turned into a great fear. All he could see were the birds and himself. Only Franz and the birds existed in this space.

…And when the birds were gone, he… might not be left.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Swinging his arms wildly, Franz ran with all his might. He didn't know which way he was going. He just wanted to escape from these birds, that was his only thought.

"No, noooooo!"

He desperately swung the lamp, and some birds fell with a sickening thud. But there were very few of them. The birds were now surrounding Franz, pecking at his body relentlessly.

"No, I don't want to die, no!"

Franz ran in a state of confusion, half-screaming. He had no idea where he was going or in which direction.

"Don't come neaaaaar!"

He screamed as he smashed a bird with the lamp. That was the only way to escape.

He was just desperately fighting, so he didn't notice.

"Franz! No!"

By the time Lef's restraining voice reached his ears, his feet were kicking at the air.

"Ah…"

He felt the sensation of being thrown into the air with his whole body.

He could see the birds leaving his body and watching him with expressionless faces. The lamp with Sara in it that he had been holding left his hand and was flying through the air.

The scene felt strangely slow.

It was as slow as a feather gently floating in the air.

There was no sense of reality in what he was touching, or in the feeling of his body. Franz thought calmly, even as he was falling to the bottom of the earth.

"Fraaaanz!"

He could see Lef reaching out his hand from the top of the cliff. He wouldn't reach from that distance, he thought calmly.

What a shame. He had managed to escape from the birds.

"Franz!"

Ritz's shout felt strangely distant.

Was he going to die in a place like this? Just when he had realized his own weakness and thought he had to do something about it. He couldn't die in a place like this yet…

As he fell into the sudden darkness, Franz's consciousness faded.