Chapter 12 - <4>
The next day, long after the sun had climbed high into the sky, Ritz shot out of bed in a panic and rushed into the adjacent room where Anna and Franz were. It seemed he had overslept.
Franz was already gone from his bed, which was neatly made. Anna was sleeping with a peaceful look on her face. Beside her pillow sat a cup of faintly warm medicinal tea. It looked like Philia had given it to her.
He felt indebted to them for every little thing.
Anna was still asleep, but it seemed she was out of danger. All that was left was to wait for her to wake up.
He let out a sigh of relief, then realized the sorry state he was in and dashed back to his own room.
With his hair a mess from sleep, he threw on the clothes he’d tossed on the floor and went downstairs, where he caught sight of Franz seated at a table, elegantly attempting to eat what appeared to be lunch.
Dark circles of exhaustion were still etched under his eyes, which were bloodshot and somewhat unfocused. The legs he had crossed seemed to be locked in place by muscle pain, refusing to easily return to their original position. The sight of him struggling to uncross them was oddly amusing.
Despite his obvious strain, he still wouldn't admit it to Ritz or Anna. That strange pride, his attempt to act like an adult, just made him seem more childish. But if Ritz laughed, he'd probably get incinerated, so he decided against it.
He might be durable, but Ritz had no desire to be burned by a spirit.
"Good morning, Ritz."
It was just comical for him to pretend he wasn't tired with that look on his face, and Ritz wished he would just stop. But for now, the best course of action was to play along and pretend not to notice.
"Morning. Man, I really slept in."
As Ritz sat down, scratching his head and yawning, Franz's gaze pierced him. He clearly had a lot of questions, and he paused, his hands stilling as he tore at his bread, to glare at Ritz. To others, it might have looked like a glare, but perhaps Franz was just looking.
In any case, his expression was foul today. Naturally, he wanted to ask about Anna. It couldn't be helped, since he was convinced she had been injured because of him.
"How is Anna?"
He asked Ritz, his voice deliberately calm.
"Well, luckily we got some antidote herbs, and she seems to be resting easy now. She'll be fine."
"I see…"
Though he nodded, Franz wore a look of lingering doubt. Ritz ignored him, settled heavily into his seat, and ran a hand through his own hopelessly messy hair.
"So, what about you?"
"There's only one inn here."
"That makes sense."
Of course he'd come here. With that many injured people, no one would pass up lodging.
"Is Anna really all right?"
He looked back at Franz, who had repeated the question with the same flat tone. It was only then that Ritz noticed that while his face was expressionless, his eyes were strangely emotional.
I see. It's easy to read Franz if you look at his eyes. Franz felt responsible for Anna's injury and was worried about her.
"She's fine. A lot better off than you are, that's for sure."
"…Right."
Franz let out a faint sigh of relief and went back to tearing his bread. Perhaps he was a more transparent person than Ritz had thought. To put him at ease, Ritz offered a smile and shrugged.
"Look, it was my carelessness. Don't worry about it so much."
Pretending to fix his bedhead, Ritz concluded the matter. Franz said nothing in response, simply putting a piece of bread in his mouth.
Just looking at his eyes, it was clear he was relieved, yet he seemed incapable of letting it show on his face. What a difficult person, Ritz thought, watching as the slightly flustered Franz silently tore at his bread.
As if on cue, the conversation ended and the clatter of dishes sounded from behind him. It seemed his meal had arrived at the perfect time.
"Good morning, Ritz-kun. Looks like you slept well."
Morris appeared, carrying warm milk and perfectly toasted bread. Because of what happened with those men yesterday, he was trying to act cheerful, but Ritz could see he was still frightened.
Philia followed behind Morris, carrying what looked like a fried egg.
"Good morning. Sorry for all the trouble we've caused."
He greeted them with a natural smile, trying to ease their tension. Morris’s expression softened slightly in a smile of his own. It was a look that also seemed to hold a hint of hope, as if he expected Ritz, who could stand up to those men, to help them.
The two of them set down the food, then sat at the table with Ritz and Franz.
From their behavior, it was clear they'd been discussing whether or not to ask Ritz for help. Ritz noticed the couple's searching for an opening to speak.
Franz, however, was naturally clueless as to why the innkeepers were sitting there and looked perplexed.
He remained silent, glancing back and forth between the quiet couple and Ritz as if they were some strange curiosity.
Having been completely focused on just getting here last night, Franz hadn't had the energy to look around the village and seemed unaware that something was amiss.
"If you don't mind, could I ask you a few things?"
On behalf of the hesitant couple, Ritz broke the silence cheerfully.
"Why are all the herb shops in this village closed? If I remember correctly, this season should be bustling with merchants coming to buy stock, making the village feel like a boomtown."
At Ritz's words, Franz's eyes widened. He really hadn't noticed a thing. Morris let out a tired sigh and, with a somber expression, began to speak in a hushed voice.
"The truth is… a certain special herb, essential for making this village's remedies… it's all been stolen."
"Stolen?"
"All of it?"
At their surprised cries, the couple nodded gravely, as if making a momentous confession.
"The herb is called Arlie, a leaf also known by the name 'Goddess's Palm.' It was all taken, root and all, on the morning of the harvest."
Morris began to recount the incident dispassionately.
The villagers of Tushil worked together to cultivate Arlie in a massive communal farm. The couple who ran this inn was no exception. In fact, the inn existed for the merchants who came to buy Arlie; it was merely their side business.
He said that overnight, all the new leaves had been ripped from the plants, as if a great gust of wind had blown through. That would have been bad enough, but in the worst-hit areas, the soil itself had been churned up.
Silently, Ritz wondered if a wind spirit user was involved. To accomplish such a feat overnight, a wind spirit user would be the most likely culprit. Ritz knew one himself, so he could vaguely picture it.
The couple fell silent again, so Ritz threw them another lifeline.
"So the herbs you shared with us yesterday were safe?"
When Ritz asked, the couple looked down sadly.
"That was from last year's harvest."
"…I see."
That explained why there was so little of it. Arlie could only be harvested once a year.
"What about the other vegetable and herb fields?"
"They were untouched. Only the Arlie was targeted."
"…I see."
Among the many herbs, Arlie was the one special herb that could only be found in this village. In other words, it was the most valuable.
Franz, who knew none of this, looked at Morris.
"With medicinal herbs, you can make all sorts of things, can't you?"
Franz's question was toneless and his face blank. Morris flinched slightly but answered him politely.
"We can make remedies without Arlie, but their effect is halved. This village's herbs are special because they are compounded with Arlie to double their potency. Without it, they become little more than cheap placebos."
Then, as a preface, Morris lowered his voice. He said it as if it were a thought he shouldn't be having, a self-mutter, as he spoke of Arlie's other use.
"That Arlie… if one intended to misuse it, it has limitless applications. It enhances the effects of all herbs… which means it would also work on poisonous plants, for example."
"Are you saying someone is planning to do that?"
When Ritz asked with a frown, Morris hastily shook his head.
"No, no, I don't know that. But it's the greatest fear in this village. Arlie doesn't grow properly outside this village, and it's been confirmed that Arlie grown elsewhere has almost none of those effects. I suspect it's because the soil here is blessed by two rivers."
Franz didn't seem to fully grasp it, but Ritz accepted that such things were possible.
Indeed, this village was situated just past a fork in a river. The two rivers—one flowing from Ciedena Forest and the other originating from the Goddess's mountain—likely converged here, depositing sediment. These two rivers had long been said to enrich the soil.
"Arlie won't show its effects without special processing. The only ones who know that method are the chosen artisans from among us. So I don't think stealing it would be of any use…"
Having said that much, Morris fell silent again. Ritz understood what he was trying to say. If the thief knew the processing method, it could lead to a dangerous situation.
"Was the Arlie carried away…?"
Franz, who had been quiet, muttered. Hearing this, Morris shook his head.
"No, it's still somewhere around the village. It's impossible to transport that much Arlie without being seen. Even the merchants, with their excellent information networks, haven't heard any rumors of Arlie being moved."
Ritz and Franz nodded with grave expressions.
It was true. Transporting a year's worth of Arlie without the merchants who controlled the highways knowing would be difficult. Their information networks were spread all along the roads.
"Besides, Arlie rots if it's not dried immediately after picking. If it were moved without being dried, it wouldn't last two days."
"Two days…"
"If you were to steal Arlie, you'd have to dry it. But if you spread out that much Arlie to dry, someone would definitely notice. Yet no one has seen anything of the sort."
"I see…"
So, the herbs were somewhere nearby, and they hadn't been dried using the villagers' methods.
Ritz crossed his arms and fell into thought. The memory of Anna's body growing cold on his back flashed through his mind.
There was no telling when something like that might happen again. Being perfectly prepared was what mattered most.
Either way, if they didn't get their hands on medicinal herbs in this village, it would leave a major point of anxiety for the rest of their journey. If possible, he wanted to get some good herbs here at a cheap, wholesale price.
Besides, Anna was still asleep. In any case, it didn't seem like they could leave the village right now. This couple had helped them out, sharing their precious herbs; he couldn't just up and leave.
As he thought it over, he suddenly realized that the merchant from yesterday hadn't been mentioned in this conversation at all. Merchants had their own code, and stealing goods was supposed to be taboo. Anyone who broke that rule would have their commercial rights revoked and be exiled from that town.
On top of that, word would be sent to the merchant organizations in every town, and they could risk being banned from doing business in the country for the rest of their lives. But the merchant yesterday was undoubtedly from Saradio.
No matter how much of a petty villain Lord Ville Lucina of Saradio was, he wouldn't allow a breach of the code. Besides, doing something like that and halting the flow of herbs would reduce his profits, and for that greedy man, there was nothing more unforgivable.
If that was the case, then why were those merchants threatening them and trying to take all their herbs…?
"Ritz?"
Franz's voice pulled Ritz from his thoughts. It seemed he had been silent for quite a while.
"Sorry. Just thinking."
It was best to clear up any questions quickly. Turning back to Morris, Ritz opened his mouth.
"Why did those Saradio merchants target you two yesterday?"
At Ritz's words, Franz gasped. But explaining it all was too much trouble. He could just tell him everything later.
"The ones threatening us are the official merchants."
With Morris still silent, Philia spoke up with a sigh.
"They seem desperate to get their hands on the herbs. They say they can't go back empty-handed, so they've taken every last herb from the apothecaries and regular farmers. Everything, even last year's stock… They just threw money down in its place. But for us, that's no different from being robbed."
As Ritz nodded, Franz lowered his head. As the son of a Saradio merchant, it must have been unbearable for him to just listen.
Ignoring him, Philia continued speaking, as if venting all her pent-up frustration.
"That's why everyone is trying to hide just enough for their own use, like I did in the flour pot. If they find it, they'll come back and take it, you see? And of course, given our location, most of them are Saradio merchants."
At Philia's sigh, Franz's cheeks flushed with anger. He seemed genuinely furious at the merchants' conduct. Franz, too, was a merchant's son, and the rules of commerce had likely been drilled into him. He must have understood all too well just how outrageous their actions were.
Noticing Franz clenching his fists, Ritz gestured with his hand to calm him down. At this rate, he might go back to Saradio and set fire to his own house again with his Fire Dragon.
"They took this inn's entire stock of herbs for our guests. We only have enough for two people left. And yet, those Saradio merchants last night saw that we had guests and came demanding that we must still have a hidden stash."
"And that's where I came in, I take it…"
At his limit, Franz, his face still flushed, shot a glare at Ritz and stood up.
"What's this about Saradio merchants?"
"Calm down, Franz."
"Tell me what happened!"
A chair clattered loudly to the floor. At the same time, the muscle pain in his legs must have returned, as Franz grimaced slightly. But that didn't seem to matter to him. His hatred for Saradio merchants had reached the level of a chronic illness.
"Look, calm down. I'll tell you."
Reluctantly, Ritz explained what had happened the previous night. Of course, he left out the part about having an acquaintance in Saradio. If he confessed to that, he might really get burned.
"If I had been there…"
Franz bit his lip in frustration after hearing the story. It was true, if Franz had been there, they would have fled in a panic. After all, their commercial rights in Saradio would have been at risk.
But unfortunately, at that time, Franz had been fast asleep in bed.
"At such a crucial time, I…"
His fists were trembling with anger. His emotions often ran high when it came to Saradio merchants, especially their leader, Ville Lucina. Well, it hadn't been long since that incident, so it couldn't be helped.
All Ritz could do was try to placate him.
"Well, I chased them off, so let's just leave it at that."
"But…"
"It can't be helped. What's done is done."
The couple, who had been watching the two of them curiously, suddenly looked up as if they'd realized something. Damn it, Ritz thought, trying to stop them, but it was too late.
"Could it be, what you said about knowing someone in the Lucina family…"
"Wah-wah-wah!!"
Ritz yelled nonsensically at the top of his lungs, trying to cover it up, but it seemed the clever Franz had caught on. The color drained from Franz's face. This was bad. Very bad.
In the silence, Franz alone began to tremble slightly. It seemed he'd made him angry. This was a bad move after all.
"An acquaintance in the Lucina family?"
With both hands on the table, Franz muttered in a low voice. He hated being counted as a member of the Lucina family more than death. And he hated that name being used even more.
Ritz slowly stood up and backed away. He couldn't afford to be burned alive if Franz suddenly flew into a rage and unleashed his Fire Dragon like before. There was nothing more troublesome than a spirit user who lost control of their emotions.
"…Explain that to me in detail."
"Wait! Those aren't the eyes of someone who wants to talk!"
Glaring at the genuinely retreating Ritz, Franz ordered him to sit in the chair.
"Ritz, why don't you sit down?"
His tone was polite, but it held a menace.
"It's just a white lie, right? Huh?"
"It's not a 'huh,' is it?"
Still glaring at the inching Ritz, Franz pointed to the chair. His eyes had turned almost sanpaku, and it was obvious he was genuinely angry.
"In times like that, it's important not to make a scene, right?"
"I believe I said, sit down?"
As his emotions failed to show on his face, Franz's eyes burned with a fierce light. Not wanting to cause trouble for the Roubaix couple by having the inn burned down, Ritz reluctantly sat back down.
So be it. To avoid leaving any lingering resentment with his ward, it was probably best to just take the scolding here.
"So?"
"They were Saradio merchants, so I told them I'd tell my acquaintance in the Lucina family and have them put out of business."
To think that he, a mercenary captain feared on the battlefield, was being scolded by his young ward was utterly pathetic.
Still, it was better than being burned to death. On the battlefield, one learns to appreciate the terror of a spirit user.
"I don't like being used."
"Sorry!"
"'Sorry' isn't good enough! I've abandoned Saradio and the Lucina family!"
The couple jumped at his ferocity. My apologies, Ritz thought, mentally apologizing to them. As sorry as he felt for the genuinely angry Franz, Ritz's mind was already on other things.
Namely, what to do next. Even if they were to search, he had no idea what or how to look. The merchants hadn't seen anything, so the culprits couldn't have used the highway. But if they were hiding, he had no clue where that might be.
After all, the Traveler's Highway around here was flanked by wide forests. There were springs in the forest, and a river not far off. As long as you brought food, there were endless places to hide.
"Are you listening?"
Ritz was pulled back to reality by Franz's irritated voice. Right, he was in the middle of getting an earful from Franz.
"Ah, uh…"
Just as he was about to try and bluff his way through it, a hesitant knock sounded at the door of the Goddess's Palm Inn.
"Franz, we have a customer. See?"
"So?"
"I'll get it, so please, take your time."
With a strained smile, Morris stood up from his seat. Philia, left behind at the table, just fidgeted nervously. Even the furious Franz had to fall silent at this.
If it was a guest at the inn, they would surely be frightened off by someone shouting inside and leave. That would be bad for business. He was probably thinking something along those lines.
Out of his line of sight, Ritz quietly smirked. He hates being a merchant's son, but he still thinks like one. And the funny thing is, he doesn't even realize it himself.
Seeing the now quiet Franz, Ritz placed both hands on the table and bowed his head deeply.
"My bad. But I didn't want it to turn violent."
After saying that, Ritz slowly raised his head and whispered to Franz, in a voice too low for Philia to hear.
"We're indebted to them. We can't cause trouble with a brawl, right?"
With a deep sigh, Franz fell silent. It seemed that despite his anger, he had logically considered the situation and come to an understanding.
If Ritz had caused a commotion, merchants would have swarmed the inn, demanding he be handed over, and there would have been no doubt a major incident.
Not only would that have troubled Morris and his wife, but it would have been a problem for Franz as well.
Franz looked away from Ritz with a dissatisfied expression.
For now, to settle things without escalating the situation, when dealing with Saradio merchants within the Saradio autonomous district, the Lucina family name carried absolute power. It was the quickest way to peacefully resolve the matter. Franz must have known that as well as anyone.
But, even understanding it, he must have been furious.
Leaning his elbows on the table, Franz looked toward the door, silent and looking as if he'd bitten into a bitter bug. Ritz felt a sense of relief.
Watching Franz, an idea that seemed furthest from violence came to mind. But with Franz still simmering with anger over the Lucina family name, he couldn't bring it up just yet. It would probably cause a huge scene.
But if he did it, they might get a chance to solve the incident without anyone getting hurt or frightening the villagers.
Until now, Ritz had specialized in rough-and-tumble solutions, but now that he'd resolved to travel with two young wards, he had to think of the best solution for them, too.
With that thought, Ritz also turned his eyes to the door. The knock hadn't been rough, so it was probably a villager.
"Wh-what is it?"
Morris's sudden shout made Ritz and Franz jolt to their feet. It seemed it wasn't a villager after all.
"Today, we're not here for you. Where's the big guy from yesterday?"
The man from last night barged in, throwing the door open. He'd brought five or six companions with him. Was this revenge for last night?
Ritz subconsciously reached for the greatsword on his back, but his hand met only air. He gave a wry smile. Of course he wasn't carrying his greatsword when he'd just woken up.
"Franz, you got a weapon?"
He asked in a low voice, but he already had a good idea of what the answer would be.
"No."
Franz's reply was short and clear.
"Figured."
No one would bring a weapon with them just to have a meal. Reluctantly, he slowly stood up and grabbed a broom that was in the corner of the room. Even if one of them was skilled, this should be enough to manage for now.
After all, they were just merchants.
However, the actions of the men who had barged in were completely unexpected. They came over to Ritz and bowed their heads.
"Huh?"
This just made Ritz, holding a broom, look like an idiot. Franz turned his face away so he couldn't be seen. It was probably useless, but before Ritz could warn him, the man's words left him speechless.
"We have a request for you. You're one of the Lucina family's private soldiers, aren't you?"
"What?"
It was a huge misunderstanding. But all the men here seemed to believe it was true.
"Hold on, how did you come to that conclusion?"
"You have an acquaintance in the Lucina family, and you're pretty strong… Isn't that enough? They say strong guys get drafted into their private mercenary force without any questions asked."
Indeed, Ritz himself had been scouted just six days ago, but he had politely ignored the offer. So this was the kind of misunderstanding that came from saying you knew someone in the Lucina family.
"Please, we can't collect any more herbs. Tell the lord that for us."
It seemed they wanted to return to Saradio without being punished, but they couldn't go back empty-handed. They were asking him to mediate.
Even if they asked, there was nothing Ritz could do. Or rather, he couldn't make a move in the current situation. Even if Ritz and the others beat them up, they probably wouldn't stop trying to get the herbs, and they would just get in the way of his search.
"Hmm…"
Ritz, still holding the broom, crossed his arms and fell into thought.
He had a plan. He had one, but he found his gaze drifting toward Franz, who would likely hate it the most.
Feeling the gaze on his back, Franz swatted at Ritz's line of sight with his hand without turning around. But there was no way the men would miss their exchange.
"That's Young Master Franz over there, isn't it?"
The man called out to him, his voice particularly pleading. Franz shook his head as if to say no, but that only served to confirm it.
"We were camped outside the village, and someone who looked like Young Master Franz passed by. I thought I was mistaken, but there's no doubt, that was Young Master Franz."
It seemed Franz had been spotted on his way to the village. That alone could have been passed off as a case of mistaken identity, but Ritz's words about having an acquaintance in the Lucina family had sealed the deal. There was no hiding it now.
"…I won't say anything to my father."
As Franz reluctantly turned around, the men looked ready to kneel. After all, Ville's doting on Franz was famous. It was well known that getting on his bad side could jeopardize one's commercial rights in the city.
The men fell silent, looking at Franz with pleading eyes.
"…He's useful…"
Ritz muttered, his voice so low only Franz could hear. The idea he'd had earlier was indeed a good one. He suppressed the smile that threatened to form by pretending to clear his throat.
"What?"
Franz asked back just as quietly, suspicious. Winking at him, Ritz stood before the men.
"Let me consult with Young Master Franz. We'll decide what to do with you after that."
"Ritz, what are you…"
To keep him from saying anything unnecessary, Ritz shot Franz a sharp look. It was faster than telling him to shut up. As expected, Franz flinched slightly and fell silent.
"This is an important discussion. Come back this evening."
The men nodded silently. It seemed they thought this 'important discussion' had something to do with them.
"Understood. We're counting on you."
Like criminals awaiting judgment, they nodded obediently and filed out of the inn one by one. A sigh of relief escaped into the room. Everyone, to a person, took a breath.
"Man, I was wondering what was going to happen."
It was Morris who spoke first.
"Still, to think he was the son of the Lord of Saradio…"
Morris looked at Franz with a complicated expression. Despite having been helped, Franz scowled back at Morris. Philia hastily pinched her husband.
"Stop it. Franz-kun doesn't like it."
"I abandoned Saradio."
Franz muttered under his breath and looked down. Ritz scratched his head. For Franz, the shackles of the Lucina family were clearly a heavy burden.
In the middle of the heavy atmosphere, Philia spoke softly.
"Let's make some warm herbal tea, shall we? It'll help you relax."
"…Yes…"
Franz relaxed his shoulders and nodded, his face expressionless. It seemed even he was no match for the straightforward Philia.
Watching Franz, Ritz noticed that he tended to start by being suspicious of anyone he met. But most people held no ill will toward him.
This wasn't Saradio; not everyone knew who he was.
He could stand to relax a little, but it seemed Franz wasn't capable of that either. Thinking about it, for someone whose every extended hand had a label called 'ulterior motive' attached, interpersonal relationships were probably still something he couldn't comprehend.
To boil water for the tea, Morris was sent by Philia to draw water from the well, and Philia went to get the tea ingredients.
"Ritz, what was that all about?"
Waiting for the two to leave, Franz fixed his gaze on Ritz, his tone and eyes full of thorns. Shrugging slightly, Ritz cleared his throat and began to speak as if reasoning with Franz.
"Franz, we need money for our journey, right? And of course, we need to buy herbs here, don't we?"
"That's right."
Franz replied, his stern expression unchanged.
"And on top of that, we're greatly indebted to the 'Goddess's Palm Inn.' We have to repay them somehow. You understand that too, right?"
"Yeah, I get it."
After all, they had lent a bed to a filthy, near-collapsed Franz without a word of complaint. Moreover, the clothes that should have been in tatters were now clean and mended. Philia must have fixed them.
"So we, who are indebted to them, need to do something to thank them. And that's when I came up with a very good method. Will you hear me out?"
He tried to propose it as cheerfully as possible, but Franz, sensing a catch in Ritz's proposal, nodded silently, an unwilling expression in his eyes.
"I actually have a travel permit approved by the Yuresla Kingdom. As a mercenary, no less."
"So what?"
"So, my original plan was to convince the merchants in this town that I came here in the king's name to catch the herb thief, capture the culprit, and on top of that, receive a reward from the merchants… that's what I was thinking."
With that abrupt statement, Franz's jaw dropped.
By surprising his opponent first, he threw them off balance, making the subsequent conversation easier. This, too, was one of Ritz's tricks.
"Are you serious?"
"I'm serious."
When he nodded with utmost gravity, Franz let out a small sigh.
"Impersonating the king… that's lèse-majesté."
To the gravely muttering Franz, Ritz scratched his head.
In truth, Ritz had a past he kept secret from the two of them. But now was not the time to reveal it.
"It's fine. He's surprisingly understanding."
"…You know the king?"
Franz lowered his voice. But for Ritz, the king wasn't a distant figure. He was more of a nostalgic one.
Being stared at so intently, Ritz averted his gaze. If he spoke in too much detail, his past would come spilling out. So he laughed it off with a playful tone.
"The king, you know, he was quite the prodigal son back in the day."
"Come to think of it, the current king came to power during the civil war, didn't he?"
Franz muttered. Ritz braced himself, wondering if he was surprisingly knowledgeable about history.
Ritz's secret was right there. But he waited, and Franz said no more. Having closed off his heart and focused solely on his spirit user training, Franz probably didn't know the details of history.
"Ritz… just who are you…?"
At Franz's mutter, Ritz gave a wry smile. He couldn't tell him the details. He didn't want to. So making a joke of it was the easiest way.
"I told you in return for revealing that you're from the Lucina family, so you'd better keep quiet."
Saying so lightly, Franz shrugged. He probably couldn't tell how much was a joke and how much was serious.
"Anyway, since I've revealed my number one secret, you're going to go along with this plan, got it?"
"'Number one'? You have more?"
"That's a secret."
In truth, there was still a lot more. But he didn't want to reveal it. As long as he was Franz and Anna's guardian, those secrets were unnecessary.
As Franz sighed, Ritz smiled at him.
"Well, putting that aside, I'll explain the plan."
"…Go on."
"It seems those guys have misunderstood me for a Lucina family mercenary. So, let's just go ahead and use the Lucina name, which is more believable than the king's."
"What!?"
There was no time to spare making excuses to the speechless Franz. If he didn't press on now, Franz would surely bolt.
"I'll pretend that I, along with you, Franz, have come to investigate the cause of the herb distribution delay and, what's more, to solve it. In the meantime, we'll make the merchants promise not to cause any trouble for the villagers. Of course, in your name, Franz… I know it's a bit much to ask, but I think that will be the most effective."
"…"
Too stunned to speak, Franz opened and closed his mouth without a sound. If he kept pushing, victory would be his.
"Then, the money for the investigation and resolution will be the responsibility of the merchants who failed to bring back the goods, so they'll pay. With this, we kill two birds with one stone. How about it?"
Franz, looking at the utterly cheerful Ritz, slumped onto the table in defeat.
"This is practically a scam."
"It's not a scam. Call it helping people. Besides, your old man is capable of this much, isn't he?"
"…Well… I suppose so."
Reluctantly, Franz seemed to acknowledge the plan's effectiveness. But he covered his face with one hand and groaned.
"I… to be honest, I hate it. But I also know it's for the best. It's true that if I, the son of Saradio's lord, make a declaration in my name, the merchants will probably behave."
Ritz understood Franz's complex feelings. But Ritz chose the safety of the Roubaix couple, his benefactors, and all the villagers frightened by the merchants over the anguish of one Franz. For the Roubaix couple, this would be the greatest repayment of their kindness.
"Could you give me some time to think? I need time to think, too."
With those parting words, Franz, nursing his creaking muscles, slowly stood up and went upstairs.