Chapter 130 - <3>
The inside of the invited house was very neat and had a calm atmosphere. Though completely different, Anna felt a sensation similar to the orphanage where she grew up. Perhaps it was because the person living in this house was a spirit user, just like her adoptive father.
Led into a dining room-like space right inside the entrance, the three were offered chairs and sat there for a while in a daze. For some reason, words wouldn't come.
She stole a glance at Edward, who seemed to have been lost in thought since sitting down, while Franz wore his usual exhausted expression. She noticed the soft afternoon sunlight was beginning to dye the sky with the deep colors of sunset.
Another day is almost over, Anna thought vaguely.
She was truly glad they had arrived before nightfall. It looked like they would be able to have a normal dinner. She felt a little lonely without the person she could usually talk to about such things, but it couldn't be helped since he had gone to prepare the bath.
Apparently, Karl's pride and joy was the bath here, which was large enough for the whole family to use together. That meant, of course, that a large amount of water was needed. She had heard that one had to make countless trips to the lake with a large bucket to fetch water and fill the fixed tile-and-brick bathtub.
As if that heavy labor wasn't enough, one also had to light a fire in the stove outside the house to heat the bathtub water directly. That required a huge amount of firewood. It seemed Ritz had to carry that as well, and if it wasn't enough, he'd have to chop more.
It was a tough job, but Karl had pushed things along so forcefully that she had completely missed her chance to offer to help.
Thinking that Ritz was probably struggling all by himself right now, Anna felt apologetic and let out a small, deep sigh.
There was more than one reason for her sigh. To be honest, ever since coming to this forest and meeting Karl, so many unexpected things had happened that she was feeling confused.
Ritz had seemed so pained about returning to Ciedena. And yet, this was the cheerful reunion between father and son.
There was such a huge gap between the two that it felt very strange. In Lef's village, Ritz had carried a darkness so deep he couldn't hide it. There was a world of difference between the words he'd said in her arms, "Just don't you get hurt," and this oddly bright development.
She tried to figure out what it all meant, but with her limited experience, Anna had no way of knowing.
"Thank you for waiting."
Before long, Karl, who had prepared tea, and a tall, dark-haired woman came in. Anna gasped at the woman's beauty.
Her lustrous, jet-black hair shone as if wet, so long it nearly reached her waist, and was tied back simply in a single ponytail. Her skin was a beautiful brown, and her strikingly sharp eyes were the same dark brown as Ritz's.
If Karl's atmosphere was an elusive, soft sensation, the woman's impression was one of a cold, sharp, polished hardness. At first glance, her age was completely indiscernible. She could look as young as Ritz, as old as Karl, or even older—a person of indeterminate age.
She had heard before that Ritz's mother was from the Clan of Darkness. But unlike Laria and Raven, who had attacked them in the abandoned village, she had no aggressive feeling at all. Instead, there was a somewhat mysterious air about her.
But this mysterious and beautiful woman's attire was utterly mismatched with her appearance. The deep green long skirt was fine. But an apron with several cute pictures of vegetables dancing on it seemed completely out of place with her atmosphere.
Perhaps noticing Anna's curious gaze, the woman walked over to her.
"Oh, my. Is this her?"
Clasping her hands happily in front of her chest, the woman let out a very pastoral voice that didn't suit her face at all.
"To think the baby from back then has grown so much."
When she smiled, the woman's hard beauty softened in a wondrous way. A gentle, heartwarming atmosphere radiated from her. Ah, so that's the kind of person she is. That's why she's wearing a vegetable apron, she thought, strangely convinced.
"That's right. Time flies, doesn't it?"
"It does. It took Ritz about fifty years to grow this big. When he was thirty... that was when he was still clinging to my skirt, crying 'Mama, Mama.' She's grown up astonishingly fast, hasn't she?"
She had been told many times that her growth was slow, but this was the first time anyone had said it was fast.
"And she seems far more mature than Ritz. When he was about that age, he was so reckless and always getting hurt."
"That's true. He's always been one to go at his own pace."
They said this to each other in a heartwarming way. For some reason, hearing stories about Ritz as a child didn't quite click. She couldn't imagine a small Ritz clinging to a skirt at all. She somehow felt that Ritz had been born just as he was now.
Realizing they had been lost in idle chatter while holding tea in front of their guests, Karl smiled.
"My apologies. My son has never brought friends home before, so we got a bit carried away. I'm sorry for the late introduction, but this is my wife, Ciela, Ritz's mother."
"A pleasure to meet you. Thank you for taking care of my son."
Ciela bowed deeply. Everyone instinctively bowed back at her politeness. At a glance, it was hard to tell that Karl and Ritz were father and son, but Anna thought Ciela was without a doubt Ritz's mother. She couldn't say where, but they looked very similar overall.
In this strange atmosphere, with the father and mother present but Ritz himself absent, how should one speak? Just as Anna was thinking this and looking around, Karl quietly knelt before Edward.
"We welcome you. Ally of our clan, our one and only human friend, the King of Yuresla."
His tone, a complete change from before, became solemn, and the room fell silent.
"I am the one who connects Ciedena and the outside world. I serve as a bridge between humans and our clan."
With that formal tone, Anna finally realized. That tone of voice Ritz used when he was pretending to be a spirit user, she'd thought she'd heard it somewhere before, but he had been imitating Karl. If that was the case, it was only natural that it sounded familiar to Anna.
And at the same time, she realized one of the things that felt off.
That's right, the 'Uncle Karl' Anna knew was a gentle person, with an atmosphere completely opposite to the one he had when he was fooling around with Ritz. That's why at first, she hadn't considered Karl and 'Uncle Karl' to be the same person. The difference was so great that she looked up at Karl, but he didn't notice, his gaze fixed on Edward.
"I am no longer king."
When Edward said this with a wry smile, Karl smiled gently.
"It is now the reign of King Gerald, I see."
"That's right."
"But Your Grace, the Grand Duke. I am grateful to you. It seems my foolish son has caused you a great deal of trouble."
"He caused no trouble. During our time together, it was Ritz who helped me."
"Is that so? I am glad he could be of service."
Strangely, when Ritz wasn't present, Karl and Edward spoke of him so gently. If Ritz were here, their tone would probably become teasing, or they would deflect.
"And welcome to you as well. Son of Saradio's lord, Franz Lucina."
Addressed so suddenly, Franz furrowed his brow.
"You knew?"
"I do. And also that you are Orphe's beloved disciple. We've met once before, but you likely weren't looking, were you?"
With that, Karl stroked his chin with his long, slender, beautifully shaped fingers.
"Your being here means... Orphe has disappeared, perhaps?"
"Eh?"
"Because Orphe, who is incapable of living on his own, would surely not let you go, would he?"
"...Well... that's true."
Franz nodded vaguely. Now it made sense. Despite being the son of a wealthy man, Franz was strangely skilled at things like cooking and cleaning. Perhaps his five-year training period was not for practicing with spirits, but for mastering housework.
Finding this a little amusing, she let out a chuckle, and was immediately glared at by Franz next to her. Oblivious to their exchange, Karl continued.
"He tends to disappear from time to time. After about a hundred years, he'll pop up again. Since I live a long time, I've been able to deepen our friendship on several occasions. Once he shows up, he usually stays in one place for several years."
Come to think of it, when they first met Orphe, he had introduced himself as Karl's friend, and he knew about Ritz. It seemed they really were friends. As Anna came to this realization, Franz, who had been sitting next to her, stood up.
"Do you know where my master went?"
Though his tone was flat, it was unmistakably sincere. Anna also leaned forward, wondering if Karl might know something since he was friends with Orphe. But Karl just shook his head apologetically.
"I don't. Orphe and I have always gotten along without prying into each other's affairs. I vaguely sense that he's not of the spirit folk, and that he's been alive longer than I have, but such things are irrelevant to our friendship."
That was a far more mature way of putting it than Ritz would. As Ciela placed the tea she had brewed with expert hands in front of each person, Karl continued speaking quietly.
"I trust Orphe, and Orphe trusts me. There is no need for me to know things he wishes to keep private."
"Is... that so."
"Yes. Orphe seems to feel the same way, as he has never asked me about various things."
Looking clearly disappointed, Franz sat back down in his seat. Perhaps Franz had not been able to build a relationship of trust with his master, Orphe, to the same extent as Karl. From what she had heard, Franz had remained closed off, not even opening his heart to Orphe.
She had heard him mention at some point that he regretted it after Orphe was gone. For Franz, Orphe should have been as important a person as Anton was to Anna, yet it was strange that he had kept his heart so closed.
Still, why could Karl think it was okay not to know anything about his friend? Anna found that somewhat unsatisfactory. She thought that if they were friends, it would be good to talk and get to know each other. She felt that trusting someone on top of that would lead to a much deeper mutual trust.
Oblivious to Anna's thoughts, the conversation moved on. Anna cut off her thoughts and turned her eyes to Karl.
"It seems there is a reason you have all come here. Would you mind telling me?"
After pouring tea for himself and Ciela and taking a seat, Karl broached the subject. Anna, a poor explainer, looked at the person in the room who seemed most capable of explaining. Franz, next to her, was looking at the same person.
It was, of course, Edward. Both Anna and Franz were decisively unsuited for explaining situations. Receiving their gazes, Edward shrugged his shoulders with a smile that seemed to say, what a bunch of helpless children.
"I think it would be better if we waited until Ritz is here."
As Edward said this, she was about to agree that it was the right thing to do, but Karl negated it.
"My apologies. But I would like you to explain first, without Ritz."
"Why is that?"
"In front of that boy, I am a different person."
She didn't quite understand what he was saying. He certainly seemed very playful, but was he saying that was his usual self?
"Ciela, could you keep an eye on Ritz for me? So we'll know when he comes in."
"I understand."
When Ciela said this and prayed for something, a soft breeze blew through. It was the wind spirit that had been above Ritz's head earlier. She understood that it had left the room. Was this a story he was so determined not to let Ritz hear? Noticing Anna tilting her head in confusion, Karl smiled.
"Ritz has not a single friend in this Ciedena. That boy... well..."
Karl trailed off, falling silent as if in thought, then lifted his face as if he had made up his mind.
"He is despised in this forest."
"Eh...?"
She was speechless at his words. Being isolated or avoided, she could still understand, but to be despised was just too cruel a thing to say. Edward, sitting across from her, must have had some inkling of this, as his brow furrowed deeply and he clenched his hands, which were resting on the table.
But to Anna, it was unthinkable that the cheerful Ritz could be despised. In the dead silence, only Karl's words continued.
"A person cannot live alone in solitude. That boy is surprisingly more fragile than he looks, so I thought it best to act quickly. From a certain point on, I gave up being his father."
"Wouldn't that just make him lonelier?"
"Not at all. You see, I decided to become Ritz's older brother, or his sparring partner, rather than his father. I left all parental duties to Ciela. Since then, I have maintained that attitude towards Ritz. For about a hundred years now."
That attitude must refer to the one she saw when they first met, the one where he delivered a flying kick and played a grand prank. They certainly didn't look like father and son with that extreme skinship, but the Ritz who was interacting with his father showed no sign of darkness.
"Still, what I could do was limited. If Anton had been running his orphanage back then, I think I would have left Ritz there. He would have been far happier growing up as an orphan than in this forest. But unfortunately, when Ritz was a child, Anton hadn't even been born yet."
Anton was currently about the same age as Edward. She had heard that he opened the orphanage just before the Yuresla civil war. The country was in turmoil at the time, and there were many orphans. If Ritz was a child, it would have been over a hundred years ago. It was true that Anton wasn't around back then.
"From a young age, that boy and I wandered through the villages and towns around here. He was a wandering child from his youth, unable to stay in one place. Because of that, he never formed deep relationships with others. People leave, they disappear from his life. That's why Ritz never loved or trusted anyone."
With that, Karl brought the tea to his lips. He took a sip and let out a small breath before looking at Edward.
"That is why I am very grateful to you. You did something that we, as a couple, could not."
"Are you saying that was for the best, even if it meant sending him to the battlefield?"
Edward said quietly in a heavy tone. Karl smiled gently.
"It's true, I was extremely surprised when I learned where he was after the civil war. I was in such a panic that I gathered up all the newspapers that had written about my son. To think he had become the right-hand man of the nation's hero..."
"I am sorry."
"It is fine. Even if it was an extreme situation, it was undoubtedly Your Majesty who taught him that there was someone he could trust."
"...Though I think it could also be said that it deepened his anguish."
Edward replied in a bitter tone.
"Perhaps. But the boy who returned after forty years laughed more than he used to and spoke of you with a wealth of expression. He holds you very dear, you know."
"...Is that so."
"By meeting you, Ritz finally learned that there are people he can trust. And now he seeks an even stronger connection with someone. For a boy who tried not to connect with anyone, that alone is progress. We, as a couple, could never have taught him that."
As Karl said this, he smiled at Ciela, who was sitting next to him. Ciela, narrowing her eyes that closely resembled Ritz's, nodded.
"Seeing his smile makes me truly happy."
At the sight of Ritz's endlessly gentle parents, she could see Edward faintly bite his lip. Perhaps Ritz hadn't told even Edward what was in this forest.
Anna stared down at the cup in her hands. Her own face was reflected in the tea. Was there anything she could do to help Ritz, like Edward could?
Karl's quiet words flowed into the ears of the pensive Anna.
"For that boy, this forest is, in a manner of speaking, a place of nothing but pain. For him to leave this clearing and go to the spirit settlement would be akin to torture. And yet, that boy has returned here with his friends. Surely he didn't come just to show us his friends, did he? We believe that something must be happening, and that Ritz has returned with some kind of resolve."
Karl said this in an ever-so-quiet tone. Staring intently into his eyes, Anna realized. The frighteningly clear eyes that Ritz sometimes showed were very similar to Karl's current expression.
"You will let us hear the story without Ritz, won't you?"
Karl said this in a tone that stubbornly refused to yield. In it, his will to protect his son was apparent.
"If that is the case, then I have no objection at all. I shall tell you."
With that, Edward slowly clasped his hands on the table and began to speak dispassionately, starting from the beginning of their journey.
Even though he was supposed to have joined them from the city of Faldina, for some reason Edward knew things he shouldn't have known well. That Ritz had obtained a mysterious jewel in front of an acquaintance's grave before returning to his hometown, that he had met Anna and they had set off on a journey together, that he had met Franz—all of it.
In front of Anna and Franz, Ritz and Edward were always joking around, but Anna realized that where the younger ones couldn't see, they still had a solid relationship of trust. Until now, Anna had not known under what circumstances Ritz had obtained that jewel.
But Edward even knew the name of that acquaintance. That acquaintance was apparently a mentor-like figure to Ritz during the civil war, and had also been an acquaintance of Edward's.
Ritz told Edward everything, even things he wouldn't tell Anna and the others.
Thinking this, she suddenly felt uneasy.
What about herself? How much of Ritz's trust had she earned? Even though she had complete faith in Ritz.
But Anna was not the one who was most trusted. Of course, Edward had earned far more of Ritz's trust than she had. She had known that from the beginning, but for some reason, an emotion she couldn't understand welled up inside her, and her chest ached.
She was very envious of Edward.
Ritz would smile and gently touch her if she reached out her hand, but in reality, he might be very far away.
"I see. In that case, we have no choice but to go to the settlement."
She was brought back to her senses by Karl's pained voice.
"So you truly do not know?"
"No. Like Ritz, I was not raised in the settlement, you see."
"Is that so?"
It was so unexpected that she couldn't help but interject into their conversation. Karl laughed.
"I was a bit of a strange child, you see. I wandered out of the forest, got lost, and was raised by humans for eighty long years. I came of age outside of Ciedena. I thought about sending Ritz outside as well, but my wife and I couldn't bear to part with him."
Resting his chin on his clasped hands on the table, Karl murmured quietly.
"We were all lonely. So all we could do was keep Ritz by our side and pour all our love into him. In the end, I wonder if that's what cornered him."
His pained sigh clearly expressed his regret.
"Oh, my. He's coming back."
"In that case, I will somehow arrange for you to meet with the Elder. The King of Yuresla is an old ally of our clan, so I believe an audience will be granted. Franz and Anna, as companions of the king, should also be fine."
It seemed it wasn't a major problem. Just as Anna was thinking this with a sense of relief, it was short-lived. Karl's tone quietly conveyed a grave fact.
"However, if you are to bring Ritz, please bring him as your subordinate, a former minister of the kingdom. Otherwise, he will not be granted permission to enter the settlement."
Karl said this, his stern expression unwavering. Feeling uneasy at his tone, she looked at Franz, who had a somewhat perplexed look on his face. Perhaps, like Anna, he couldn't connect Ritz's personality with the tragic circumstances of his hometown.
She turned her eyes to Edward, Ritz's best friend, who was frowning seriously and asked Karl with a scowl.
"What do you mean, not granted permission?"
"Those are the circumstances. If he has not told you, then as his parent, I can say no more."
Karl's attitude was adamant. It was clear they would get nothing more out of him.
"Please see for yourselves the situation he is in."
Just as Karl said this and bowed deeply, Ritz opened the entrance door.
"Damn, fetching water, chopping wood, and starting a fire as soon as I get back. This is ridiculous."
As Ritz grumbled and was about to enter the room, Karl's voice, a complete change from before, rang out brightly.
"Ritz, stop right there."
"What is it, Dad?"
"I'm telling you, dust yourself off. Ciela went to the trouble of cleaning up, do you intend to dirty it?"
"You're one to talk, since you're the one who did this to me."
With that, Ritz opened a door in the corner of the dining room and, leaving the glass door open, stepped out onto the terrace outside. There, he grumbled as he brushed the dirt off his body.
A cloud of dust rose up. He must have been hit pretty hard by the whirlwind. He didn't seem to have noticed, but there were dry leaves tangled in his hair as well.
"Ritz's acting skills are inherited from his parents, aren't they?"
Franz muttered under his breath.
"Yeah."
She nodded slightly as she replied. Meanwhile, Ritz and Karl, who had followed him out to the terrace, were arguing about something. Karl's acting, perhaps due to his familiarity with it, was perfect.
But Anna thought, without saying it out loud, isn't it painful to hone your acting skills for something like this? If Ritz was just putting on a cheerful act, just like Karl, what was she supposed to do? The thought made her a little anxious.
But she wanted to believe that the smile he showed her was not an act. No, she did believe it.
"You worked hard, Ritz."
Switching gears from the depressing feelings she had after hearing Karl's story, Anna stood up cheerfully. Ritz smiled and gave a small wave.
"Yeah."
She went straight out to the terrace and stood beside Ritz. The cool evening breeze, tinged with the coming darkness, caressed her cheek. It felt good. She looked up at Ritz and noticed the fallen leaves tangled in his hair.
"You've got a lot of stuff in your hair."
"Really? Man, this is a pain."
Ritz reached for his hair, but without a mirror, he couldn't get it out properly.
"I'll get it for you."
Without waiting for a reply, she touched his hair. It was fine debris, with a gritty texture. As she struggled with the tall Ritz, he silently sat down in an old rocking chair on the terrace. With Ritz's head right in front of her, she could clearly see the dirt and debris.
"Whoa... this is pretty bad."
"Seriously? My old man takes it too far."
"Do I? You used to think it was fun when you were little, didn't you?"
"I'm not a kid anymore!"
Ignoring their conversation, Anna continued her work. The part where his hair was tied back in a single ponytail was covered in debris, so she untied the cord and let it fall. The dry terrace floor made a rustling sound as sand trickled down.
Now that it was untied, Ritz's hair was long in the back. The parts that were cut haphazardly were quite coarse, but this part was soft and glossy. This texture was very similar to Ciela's hair.
"I got the big pieces out."
When she told him, Ritz shook his head like an animal. Perhaps he had been trying not to laugh because it tickled. Once he had settled down, he turned to Anna with a gentle smile.
"Thanks a lot."
"You're welcome."
After she smiled and straightened Ritz's hair, he stood up. With both of them having cleaned him up, Ritz spread his hands in front of Karl and asked sarcastically with a sulky expression.
"There, is this good enough for you?"
"You're still dirty, though."
When Karl said this with a cool expression, Ritz muttered, "I don't care anymore," and was about to step into the house from the terrace. He threw a parting shot at Karl.
"I'm going to take a bath."
"N-o-pe. Guests go first. We can't possibly have them get into dirty water, can we?"
"..."
"But if you want to fetch water again and reheat it, that's fine by me."
With a look of utter resentment, Ritz glared at Karl and let out a heavy sigh.
"Fine, in order of who's oldest. Ed, you're up. I'll go next…"
"Next is ladies first, so Anna, then Franz. You're last."
"Why?"
"Ritz, you're not a guest, you're a child of this house, aren't you?"
"Please, I'm begging you, stop treating me like a child. It's embarrassing."
Dejectedly, Ritz slumped back into the rocking chair. It swayed back and forth. Seeing his utterly disappointed face, Anna, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but place her hands on his shoulders. Peeking from behind, she pointed to herself and asked.
"Then do you want to get in with me?"
Ritz froze for a moment, then shot up and yelled.
"D-don't be an idiot!"
"...Right."
Come to think of it, those were pretty extreme words. But they had come out unconsciously, so it couldn't be helped. Lately, she felt that her own sense of distance with Ritz was getting too close. There were far too many things where she thought, it's Ritz, so it's probably okay?
Perhaps she was completely relying on the older, dependable Ritz. She knew she shouldn't be like this. Ritz was a companion, not her adoptive father.
"I said something strange, didn't I? Sorry."
She smiled sheepishly and looked up at Ritz, who, for some reason, looked flustered and lightly tapped her on the forehead.
"Save killer lines like that for when you're an adult."
"Killer line? For what?"
As she tilted her head, Ritz, looking even more flustered, strode across the terrace and went outside.
"I'll be around here, so call me when the bath is free."
She didn't quite understand, but she nodded. For some reason, Ritz staggered away into the forest with large strides. Behind the still-puzzled Anna, Edward and Karl burst out laughing for some reason.
"What an idiot he is."
"Really, he's such a transparent boy, isn't he?"
She didn't know what was going on, but they seemed to be having fun.
"Now then, I will show you to your rooms. They're not particularly spacious, but the three men, including Ritz, will have to share the guest room. Anna, you'll have a small room to yourself."
When Karl said this, Ciela nodded with a smile.
"Yes. It's his room, but it's been properly cleaned, so that should be fine, right?"
His room... meaning Ritz's own room.
"Is that okay? Ritz can use his room, and I can be with everyone else."
Feeling somehow that having a room to herself was too much to ask, she said this, but Karl just smiled brightly.
"It's fine. You're our guest. And besides…"
He trailed off and glanced at Edward. Edward, catching his eye, smiled and nodded. After confirming this, Karl's gaze returned to Anna.
"It seems you are a very important person, you see."
"?"
"To this household."
She didn't quite understand.
"Now then, I will show you the way."
Still perplexed, Anna was led by Ciela and went up to the room where she would be staying for a while.