Chapter 131 - <4>
Four days had passed since their arrival in Ciedena Forest. Three days had already gone by since Karl had relayed the message to the clan elder that "the former king of Yuresla has come seeking an audience," but there was still no word.
Ritz had said they probably wouldn't have to wait a whole month, but apparently, since the spirit folk had long lifespans and were cautious about everything, their replies were often slow.
Stuck here for that reason, Franz was now able to spend his time idly by the lakeshore, healing his fatigue. The forced march through Luciana had left him considerably exhausted, and he still didn't feel like moving.
He glanced to his side, where Ritz was stretched out, napping. It was extremely rare for Ritz and Franz to be idly relaxing together like this. Usually, when traveling, Ritz wouldn't sit still and would be off exploring. But since this was his hometown, there was likely no need for that.
Unlike them, Edward, who turned any new place into a subject of investigation, and Anna, a bundle of energy and curiosity, had happily taken Karl up on his offer to be their guide and were enjoying a walk within the bounds of the area that didn't enter the spirit folk settlement.
They really are energetic, Franz thought with a sigh. Those two had only rested for the very first day. Even Edward and Anna probably needed some rest. But by the next day, they were completely revitalized.
Leaving Anna aside, Franz, who was more than forty years younger, was thoroughly impressed that Edward could maintain such physical strength at his age.
Compared to those two, what about his own lack of stamina? Having felt quite miserable about his lack of physical strength in Lef's village, he wanted to do something about it, but he had no idea what.
He thought that even if he was tired, he should at least move his body every day, so he tried slowly walking around the lake, but that was no more than a light stroll.
So then, he considered asking Ritz for some sword practice after so long, but since arriving here, Ritz had seemed somewhat listless, and he couldn't find an opportunity to ask. But that was just an excuse; the truth was, he wasn't energetic enough to swing a sword himself, so perhaps the problem was that he didn't actively try to ask.
And so, Franz had been napping until now, and had just woken up because he had overslept. He had finished most of the books he bought in Valerie, and since they hadn't stopped in any large cities, he hadn't been able to get any new ones.
Healing one's fatigue was all well and good, but simply waiting was also tiring. If there was something to do, killing this much time would be no problem at all. With this much free time, he felt that the insanely busy days when he was Ritz's secretary in the Royal Capital were still better.
Franz was so bored that he thought that unbelievable situation was better. Being bored despite not having the energy to move was a hopeless case.
He hugged his knees and rested his elbows on them, gazing idly at Ritz. Ritz's demeanor seemed different from usual, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was different. The only thing he could tell was that Ritz was tired, which was unlike him.
"Ritz."
Wondering if he could get some distraction, he called out to Ritz in a low voice. Thinking he probably wouldn't answer if he was asleep, he spoke without much expectation, but surprisingly, Ritz opened his eyes and sat up.
"What is it?"
"You were awake?"
"Slept too much, can't sleep anymore."
"I see."
It seemed he wasn't the only one who had overslept.
"What's up?"
Ritz asked without looking at Franz, stretching languidly.
"Nothing... it's just..."
He hadn't really called out to him for any particular reason, so when he answered like that, Ritz turned to him with a suspicious look.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, I was just thinking it's boring…"
"Well, it is boring, that's for sure."
With that, Ritz turned to face the lake and fell silent. Since he didn't have any particular business, the conversation wouldn't continue unless Ritz brought something up. Franz was not good at starting and expanding on topics of conversation.
But Ritz didn't bring up some silly topic like he usually did. It seemed Franz's boredom would not be relieved. As Franz hugged his knees again with a sigh, Ritz asked quietly, still facing forward.
"Did my old man tell you guys anything?"
"...Eh…"
Karl had told them to keep it a secret from Ritz, so he didn't know how to answer and was momentarily speechless. Ritz shrugged his shoulders.
"So he did say something."
He hadn't intended to change his expression at all, but Ritz saw through him with a mysterious clarity. Lately, even Anna and Edward had been seeing through him. Was he that easy to read? No, he had as good as admitted it the moment he was struck silent.
As he remained silent, thinking such things, Ritz gave a small, bitter smile and sighed, still facing forward.
"You and Anna are so easy to read. You're both being way too considerate of me."
He couldn't say anything in reply and looked down. It was true that he and Anna were being very considerate of Ritz. Though their ways of being considerate were complete opposites.
Ever since hearing from Karl that "Ritz is despised in this forest," Anna had been by Ritz's side at all times, except when she was out for a walk or helping Ciela. From an outsider's perspective, her attitude of wanting to help Ritz and her sense of responsibility entrusted to her by the queen had gone too far, and it seemed that even Ritz, who doted on Anna, was at a loss.
Conversely, Franz intended to act as he always did, but in this situation with time on his hands, he found himself wanting to ask Ritz, in a nosy sort of way, what had happened in this forest. In order to forbid himself from harboring such curiosity, he had been keeping his distance from Ritz.
Only Edward was acting as usual, but no matter how well Edward pretended, it was a futile effort when the two younger ones were seeing through everything.
"I haven't done anything to deserve being treated like I'm made of glass. Think about it. I've lived for a much longer time than you guys. I'm not the one who needs to be worried about, am I?"
"Well, yeah."
"So don't hold back. If there's something you want to ask, just ask. I'll answer what I can."
"...You knew, didn't you?"
"Of course. I'm your companion, after all."
Ritz said this grumpily, sitting with one leg crossed and his elbow on his knee.
"You don't show it in your expression or your words, but I can tell from your attitude. It's just that simple."
It seemed he had been seen through after all.
"Just think of me as I am now. I haven't changed that much between then and now."
Ritz said this as if spitting the words out. He then fell silent, staring at the waves on the lake. The unique, cool green breeze of the highlands rustled Ritz's and Franz's hair.
Come to think of it, Ritz had once let slip to Franz words that could be taken to mean he didn't want his true nature to be seen.
It was at Laria's ruins. Ritz had hated the idea of Franz and Anna seeing his past self. He knew he might have to kill people in front of them, and he had said to Franz in a single phrase, "Don't hold it against me."
Back then, neither Franz nor Anna understood what it meant to fight to protect. They had just wanted Ritz not to hurt people.
But after the assassination attempt on the king, Franz had changed. At least, he thought he had changed. He was no longer just afraid of hurting people like he was back then. He now knew from painful experience that one must not hesitate when it comes to protecting truly important things and people.
So, if Ritz were to cut down people in a situation like the one at Laria's mansion, he wouldn't be afraid. If there were people to protect, Franz would probably do the same. That was not imagination, but a certainty.
Ritz probably knew that Franz's state of mind had changed. But Franz still couldn't see the whole situation and had a great tendency to rely on others instead of his own strength. So he was well aware that he wasn't trusted by Ritz in the same way Edward was.
Having gone through various experiences, Franz was still amazed by Ritz's carelessness and his swindler-like acting skills, but though he didn't say it out loud, he had come to trust him. It wasn't the complete trust that Anna had, but for Franz, it was a rare thing.
After all, Franz had lived his life constantly suspecting people until now.
After a period of silence, Franz gathered his resolve and spoke.
"I heard you were despised here."
"...Is that so."
"That you didn't know what it was like to have someone to trust until you met His Majesty…"
"My old man told you that much, huh?"
Ritz groaned bitterly, his brow furrowed. Seeing that pained expression, he suddenly wanted to ask.
"How were you able to trust His Majesty, Ritz?"
"Why do you want to know that?"
At Franz's sudden question, Ritz turned around, not angry, but with a wry smile.
"I was envied by the people all over Saradio. Because I was Ville Lucina's son."
For a moment, Ritz's eyes widened. But he quickly composed his expression and silently urged Franz to continue. With a small nod, Franz searched for his words and spoke.
"I was praised, but I could feel their envy and disgust so painfully. But I was used to being envied since I was a child. I was convinced that the world was only filled with such people."
The fake smiles of the people, their envious gazes, the blatant disgust directed at the son of a powerful man. And at home, money-grubbers swarmed the place. All Franz could do after sensing all of this was to seal off his own emotions and become numb to everything.
"That's why, even though I was with my master for five years, I couldn't completely trust him."
By saying it out loud, he finally understood what he had really wanted to ask Ritz. It wasn't about Ritz's past. He wanted to know how Ritz, who hadn't trusted people, had become able to trust them as he did now. In terms of not trusting people, the past Ritz and the recent Franz were no different.
To begin with, Franz didn't even know Orphe's real name. No, he hadn't tried to know. Looking back, Orphe had probably been just another person to him.
"I didn't think, 'Master would understand,' or 'It'll be alright with Master.' I might have even thought that my inability to use spirit magic was my master's fault for how he taught me."
He had lived with suspicion because Orphe was an extension of the other people in Saradio. He feared that one day, his master might betray him as well. He was afraid of being told in that calm voice, 'It doesn't matter if you can't use spirit magic. You're Ville Lucina's son, so your future is secure, isn't it?' So he had drawn a defensive line of not opening his heart from the beginning.
"Where does trusting people come from? I feel like I never even tried to find the trigger while living with my master. Is it because I live my life suspecting people? Or is there something wrong with me?"
To suspect a person in whom he had placed his trust and relied on.
He was terrified to imagine Orphe turning on him, the corners of his mouth twisting into a nasty smile like the people of Saradio.
For Franz, the people of Saradio were all despicable beings who envied him and laughed at him behind his back. And yet, Franz had a tendency to think that they had an obligation to save him. Yes, even Orphe.
Why did they envy Franz?
Why did they laugh at Franz?
Why didn't they try to understand him?
Turning all of this into cold anger and contempt, Franz had always lived his life suspecting everyone around him. Even though Orphe could not have been such a person, somewhere in his heart, he had equated him with them.
But strangely, he had felt a mysterious sense of trust towards Ritz and Anna from the very beginning. Thinking back now, they had shown him expressions he had never seen before. It was expectation and joy, pure to the point of naivety. There was not a single shred of contempt for Franz in it.
To begin with, Ritz and the others didn't know him, and he didn't know them at all. So there was no reason for animosity to arise, but even that, he hadn't understood at the time. He had simply been taken aback by the existence of such people.
Before he knew it, he had been speaking his thoughts out loud, bit by bit. Once he started talking, the words flowed out endlessly. The reason he had never been able to talk to anyone before was probably because he thought no one would understand his misfortune.
But after hearing Karl's story, he thought that maybe Ritz would understand. Franz had thought of Ritz as a person whose body and spirit were as strong as steel, but he had finally come to realize recently that that didn't seem to be the case.
Ritz listened in silence, looking at the lake. Franz's words were still somewhat disjointed, as his thoughts weren't organized, but Ritz said nothing other than to grunt in acknowledgment.
Eventually, Ritz opened his mouth.
"What do you think of me, Anna, and Ed now?"
He faltered at the sudden words. Ritz pressed on, continuing his words as if to corner Franz.
"Are we just a group you're staying with, or do you think of us as companions?"
"Companions."
That was an undeniable fact.
"Then there's no problem. There's nothing wrong with you."
With that, Ritz smiled, not with irony, but in a very natural way.
"There's no point in thinking about whether to trust people or not."
"Is... that so?"
"Yeah. What you feel for yourself right now is everything. Nothing more, nothing less."
It was simple, but he felt that his current emotions were in there. As Franz silently hugged his knees, he could see Ritz shrug his shoulders out of the corner of his eye.
"To define it, being able to trust means knowing your opponent. First, intuition. Next, their attitude towards you and their attitude towards others. Up to this point, it's the same whether it's companions, the army, or a mercenary unit. If it's just about deciding how far to trust and how far to doubt when acting with someone, then that's enough. If you're in a position of leadership, it's just about deciding how far you can trust them, in what situations you can use them, how they might make a mistake and turn on you. That's also a form of trust, I suppose."
With that, Ritz looked at him head-on. Franz, too, had somehow found himself sitting face-to-face with Ritz. Ritz spoke dispassionately.
"The trust you're talking about isn't like that, is it?"
"...No."
"In that case, you should consider whether the emotions that person directs towards others are within a range you can understand. There's no way you can understand all of anyone's emotions, right? But I don't think you can trust someone whose values don't overlap with yours at all. It's the same as you hating your father for his 'profit-first' mindset. Profit-first people might not be able to trust each other, but they can probably understand each other."
Put that way, he could understand it somewhat. For example, no matter how fun Ritz and Anna were as strangers from outside the city, he wouldn't have thought of traveling with them if they were people who prioritized money above all else or thought nothing of hurting others. In a word, they would be 'untrustworthy.'
"So your values overlapped with His Majesty's?"
When he asked, Ritz laughed.
"Nah, in my case, I was just captivated by his eyes. It was the first time I'd seen eyes with that much power. I trusted him on intuition alone, and I haven't been betrayed for about forty years."
Ritz murmured, his gaze distant.
"The country was already beginning to fall into chaos back then. In a dark social climate where everyone had half given up, he was trying to fight against a huge power, even if he was alone. For me, who was just wandering without any purpose, his existence was dazzling, and so... I took his hand."
"What did His Majesty say?"
"Just one thing. 'Come, Ritz Alster.'"
"I see…"
Somehow, the scene appeared before his eyes. A young Edward, with eyes holding a strong will, extending his hand straight out, and a lonely spirit boy, Ritz, taking that hand, albeit with some confusion. It became a powerful impression in Franz's imagination.
"He was already a king, even before he became one."
With that, Ritz's face suddenly shifted from a nostalgic, faraway look to a grim, serious one.
"Don't tell Ed. It'll go to his head."
"Go to his head…"
"It makes it sound like I was kneeling before him from the start, doesn't it? That's not fun. Just so you know, I've never once bowed before him."
Ritz said this, clinging to a strange sense of pride. The impression he had heard sounded exactly like he had been outclassed from the very beginning, but it was better not to say so.
Then why couldn't Franz trust Orphe? In terms of values, they were certainly different, but he hadn't been a person he couldn't understand at all. As he muttered this vaguely, Ritz looked at Franz with a smile that only touched the corners of his mouth.
"It's simple. Trusting and being trusted both begin with taking an interest. You were indifferent to everything except the bare necessities. The reason we gained your trust in such a short time is simply because we were the first true strangers who appeared when you were hoping for a change."
"I see…"
It was true that at that time, Franz had been troubled by his inability to handle the Fire Spirits. He had wanted someone to give him a hint to escape that situation.
It was then that he had met Ritz and Anna.
For the two of them, that meeting might have been a mere coincidence, but for Franz, it was a turning point that changed his life. From that time on, Franz's emotions had always been greatly shaken by Ritz and Anna, two people who were, in a way, unconventional.
Surprise, exasperation, anger, fear, resolve... and at times, even a smile had appeared on his face.
Franz let out a heavy sigh. He had learned for the first time that talking about his own feelings was quite tiring. He had thought he wanted to ask about Ritz, but it seemed what he really wanted was for someone to listen to him. As the tension left his shoulders, he unconsciously asked Ritz.
"Am I a trustworthy person?"
After saying it, he realized he had asked something quite embarrassing. To ask that, just after having disgraced himself in Lef's cave, he was amazed at himself.
"No, forget I said that."
When he hastily denied it, Ritz scratched his head with a wry smile. Then he laughed as usual.
"Let's see. If we were thrown into a place surrounded by enemies, I'd trust you with my back for a few minutes. Not for several tens of minutes, though."
Should he take that as being trusted?
"With Ed, I could hold out until we annihilated the enemy. In Anna's case... with her current fighting strength, I'd have no choice but to grab her and run. If Lef were here, I'd completely entrust my back to him."
Put that way, it was entirely a matter of fighting strength. He didn't know how to take it. As he nodded vaguely, Ritz spoke again with a serious face.
"You should understand your weakness not with your head, but with your whole body. If you try to overcome that, then regardless of your fighting strength, I can entrust my back to you. I'm probably not the only one who thinks so."
It was immediately clear who, other than Ritz, thought so. It was Edward. Edward was the one who had once directly told Franz, "If the king is incompetent, then the chancellor and ministers must support him." Even though it was completely unthinkable that Franz would become a high-ranking official of the country in the future.
"Look around you more. The path before you is surprisingly open, you know?"
"You think so?"
"I do. Unlike me, you shouldn't have any dead ends."
Franz froze at Ritz's cheerful words. The flip side of that statement meant that Ritz's future was already a dead end. He instinctively stared at Ritz's face, and Ritz looked bitterly at his own words.
"My bad. 'Having more to lose than to gain' is an old person's cliché. Forget it."
As he said this, Ritz gave a wry smile. It was less a wry smile and more a self-deprecating one. That statement was probably a slip of the tongue. Why did he smile like that? Perhaps by returning to this forest, and by learning about Ritz's past, there was something he would lose.
Just as he was about to ask, a sudden gust of wind blew through. Looking up at the wind, he saw a wind spirit there. Its transparent body was in constant motion, its form closely resembling the Aerial he had met before.
'Ritz, get back here immediately.'
It was Ciela's voice. Unlike usual, it was tense. When Franz looked at Ritz, it was clear that Ritz had already sensed something was wrong from Ciela's tone and was on his feet.
"What happened, Mom?"
Even as he said this, his feet were already heading towards home. Franz hastily stood up as well.
'There's a disturbance in Merite. It looks like it might be too much for Karl to handle alone.'
"Too much for Dad?"
'Yes. The ones causing the disturbance in Merite are... some kind of mercenaries, it seems.'
"...Mercenaries?"
At those words, Ritz's eyebrows shot up. Franz also felt his face tighten. What business would mercenaries have around here? This country hadn't been at war for some time.
'There seem to be nearly ten of them. I'm sorry to drag you into a rough situation, but will you go with Karl?'
"It's fine. That's about all I'm good for."
As Ritz strode back towards the house while talking, Franz followed him at a near run. He had a premonition that something ominous was about to happen.