Chapter 134 - 7
By the time they reached Ritz’s house, taking the shortest route on horseback, it was already dusk. Franz, wanting to think about nothing at all, immediately crawled into bed. He was exhausted, body and soul.
He wanted to forget Saradio. In fact, while he was in Sears, he had completely forgotten it. Saradio had seemed like a distant, sealed-off world with no sense of reality.
And yet, the fact that he was the son of Saradio’s lord had chased him all the way to this unique environment called Ciedena Forest. While he wished from the bottom of his heart to be left alone, the fleeting image of Constanze’s tears pierced his chest like a small thorn.
He didn’t know what to do, or what he should do. If he ignored this, he would be no different from his old self—there would be no growth. But when asked if he could face Constanze head-on, he felt he still needed more time.
He stayed buried under his blankets, skipping dinner, but not even Anna came to check on him. Someone had probably told her to leave him alone.
Long after dinner, Ritz and Edward returned to the room. Still unable to sleep, Franz remained covered by his blanket, and neither of them said a word to him. In his current confused state, he was grateful for their consideration.
This man Ritz was the complete opposite of Anna; he never actively pried into other people’s hearts. If you wanted to talk, talk. If you wanted him to listen, he would listen. That seemed to be his stance when dealing with others. It went without saying that Ritz almost never volunteered stories about his own life.
Thanks to that, Franz and Anna still had no idea what position he held in his mercenary unit or what kind of fighter he was. The thought that knowing might change something made them reluctant to actively seek out the information.
Franz had been brooding over such things, but at some point, he had fallen asleep. It seems that no matter what happens, a person can sleep if they’re exhausted enough.
The next morning, he was woken up by Anna at an unusually early hour. Peeking out from under the blanket with just his eyes, he saw that it was still dim outside.
“Wake up, everyone! Something’s happened!”
Anna cheerfully shook Franz awake. Though they had fought yesterday, and she was the one who had been on the receiving end of his one-sided emotional distress, Anna treated him just the same as always. Since Franz’s own feelings tended to linger, he was a little envious.
While vaguely thinking such thoughts, he couldn’t manage to get up. He poked his head out and looked around to see Edward, a notoriously early riser, groggily sitting up in the next bed. For Edward to not be awake yet meant it was incredibly early.
His sleepy eyes drifted to the old, uncomfortable-looking bed on the floor, where he saw Anna practically lying on top of a half-asleep Ritz, trying to wake him.
“I said something’s happened! Wake up!”
“Ngh… I’m getting up… what time is it?”
While making a futile effort to reclaim the blanket Anna had pulled away, Ritz attempted to resist.
“It’s five o’clock.”
“F-five…”
The three men fell silent, each in their own way. It was considerably earlier than usual. Franz promptly pulled the blanket completely over his head again. He should be able to sleep for another two hours. Ritz must have thought the same, as he wrapped the blanket Anna had yanked off tightly around himself so it wouldn’t be taken again.
“Please, Anna, just a little more sleep…”
“No way.”
As Anna tried to wake him with more persistence than usual, Ritz, his face still buried in his pillow, grumbled a complaint.
“…If you keep this up, I’m gonna have to pounce on you.”
Taking advantage of the confusion, Ritz said something outrageous. But Anna, who had no idea what his words meant, was not about to be intimidated by something like that.
“Jeez! The lake is right outside the window, you know? I’ll be the one doing the pouncing!”
In other words, if he didn’t get up soon, she’d let the Water Dragon run wild.
“Alright… I’m up.”
Ritz finally gave in. He must have understood just how serious Anna was about waking them at this early hour. At this rate, she really might summon the Water Dragon. Franz, too, steeled himself and sat up in bed.
Leaving the stragglers Ritz and Franz behind, Edward, who had already finished dressing, sat on his bed and looked at Anna.
“So, Anna, what is this ‘something’ that has happened?”
Remembering the first thing Anna had said upon entering, Edward posed the question. Anna quickly hopped onto Edward’s bed and pulled a hair tie and brush from her pocket. As always, she began speaking while braiding Edward’s hair with practiced hands.
“A message came in the middle of the night.”
“…A message about what?”
“From the Elder of Ciedena.”
Her casual words jolted him awake. That’s right, before they went to Merite, they had been waiting for a reply from the Elder. The commotion with Constanze had made Franz completely forget.
“He said we’re leaving after breakfast with packed lunches. It sounds like we’ll be back by the end of the day, though.”
Anna said this while holding the tie in her mouth. She had already braided more than half of Edward’s hair. Finishing the braid and tying it off securely, Anna smiled in satisfaction, looked at Franz, and then turned to Ritz.
“It’s so far, Ritz, even though it’s in the same forest.”
Ritz didn’t reply. When Franz looked over, Ritz’s expression had completely changed from his sleepy one before. He was staring into space with a severe look on his face.
“Ritz?”
Called again by Anna, Ritz turned around. His stern expression softened, but something was still off about him.
“Sorry. Did you say something?”
“Yeah. I said it’s so far, even though it’s in the same forest…”
“Oh. It’d probably be close if we went in a straight line, but you can’t reach the center of Ciedena unless you follow a specific route.”
Ritz spoke matter-of-factly, with a strange atmosphere about him. A smile played on his lips, but it lacked any life. If Franz could notice it, there was no way Anna and Edward hadn’t.
When he glanced at Edward, he saw that his gaze upon Ritz had turned serious. Anna seemed unable to look away from the odd-acting Ritz; while making small talk, she moved from Edward’s side and sat on Ritz’s bed again.
“Is it like a maze?”
“Yeah. It’s a closed-off world, after all. But I guarantee you’ll be surprised when you see it. It’s less a village and more a city.”
Ritz was probably trying to sound cheerful, as usual. But it was clear even to Franz that he wasn’t succeeding. Ritz himself seemed to realize it too, and he shut his mouth awkwardly.
“If this is too painful for you, you can stay behind, you know?”
Edward asked with concern. He wasn’t his usual self, either. His teasing tone was gone, replaced by a question so full of compassion it was hard to imagine from their interactions up to now. But Ritz just shrugged it off.
“I’m going. If I don’t, there’d be no point in coming here.”
“Ritz?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve already made up my mind.”
With that, Ritz gave the three of them a somewhat sad smile, then quickly stood, turned his back, and began to get ready. His back seemed to radiate a rejection, as if to say, don’t ask any more questions.
If Franz could understand that, then surely Anna could too. And yet, Anna stared at Ritz’s back, looking like she wanted to say something. But Ritz didn’t turn around. After a moment, as if having made a decision, Anna gently wrapped her arms around Ritz’s back and hugged him.
“It’s okay, you have me.”
The words Anna spoke to Ritz were filled with a cherishing gentleness. Franz stared, stunned by the out-of-context words and action. But Anna clearly had a firm reason for doing what she did.
“I mean it.”
Anna told Ritz, as if explaining to a child. Ritz, who had paused mid-preparation, nodded without turning around and gave his reply.
“…Yeah.”
It seemed the two of them clearly understood the meaning of this exchange.
Franz, who had joined Ritz and Anna’s journey partway through, still couldn’t quite grasp the bond between them. Ritz was supposed to be the guardian and Anna the ward, but on rare occasions, Ritz seemed younger than her.
In any case, there was no way Franz, the youngest and least experienced in human relationships, could understand such complex matters.
He looked at Edward beside him, who was watching Ritz and Anna with an expression slightly different from usual. It was a rather somber look, devoid of any teasing or amusement.
Franz understood the reason for that expression. Ritz was, in a sense, about to head into enemy territory. After all, he was going to a settlement of people who “despised” him. Edward wasn’t the type of person who could watch that happen without worry.
Eventually, Anna slowly pulled away from Ritz’s back, moved around to face him, and looked up at him with her usual, cloudless smile.
“I’m going to get breakfast ready, so come quick!”
“Count on it.”
When Ritz said that and patted Anna’s head, she glanced over his shoulder at Franz.
“You hurry up too, Franz!”
“Okay.”
“If we don’t leave soon, we’ll be getting back really late.”
“Right…”
Did that mean they’d be walking all day? The thought was exhausting. But he had to go. To learn his master’s true identity. With that resolve, Franz got up.
Though they hurried to get ready after that, Ciela insisted on giving them all sorts of things for their long, full-day journey, and Karl started worrying that they didn’t have enough for lunch, so it was about an hour later that they finally left the house.
Even though it was summer, it was a time when the sun would have just risen. The forest was still dim.
Using horses to get to the spirit settlement was apparently forbidden, so everyone would be traveling on foot. According to Karl, he wasn’t sure about the return trip, but the journey there would take five or six hours even if they walked at a leisurely pace. He probably meant the return would take even longer since they’d be tired.
Does that mean we’ll spend most of the day walking? Franz, who lacked stamina, was honestly feeling very gloomy.
They walked endlessly through what seemed to be the same deep, unchanging forest. Franz somehow managed to keep up with everyone, listening to the voices of the tree spirits, wind spirits, and earth spirits that occasionally spoke to him.
Anna, while verbally expressing that she was a little more nervous than usual, seemed completely relaxed to Franz, chatting with the spirits and Karl. Edward occasionally joined their conversation.
If they weren’t heading to the Ciedena settlement, it would be a rather pleasant hike.
Only Ritz hardly spoke, but there was no sense of tension from him. He was just expressionless, which struck Franz as somewhat strange. If he were to point that out to Ritz, he’d probably be told, “I don’t want to hear that from you,” so he kept quiet.
However, as they advanced deeper into the forest, the conversation gradually dwindled, and by the time they finished lunch, everyone had fallen completely silent. Part of it was fatigue, but everyone was likely feeling heavy-hearted.
After all, the people they were about to meet supposedly despised their companion, Ritz. It was hard to imagine they would receive a warm welcome. Not only that, but it wasn't even certain if they would show them the orb and listen to their story.
Amidst the increasingly quiet group, only Karl, who was leading them, spoke cheerfully. His stories were mostly about Merite Village; he never mentioned the Ciedena settlement. Since Karl hadn’t been born and raised in Ciedena, it was easy to guess he had no particular attachment to the settlement.
Eventually, Karl stopped in front of a massive tree, similar to the one where Ritz had paused when they first came to Ciedena. Is this another barrier? he wondered, peering past the tree, but all he could see was more of the same forest.
Anna must have had the same idea, as she was on her tiptoes, peeking, though it was unlikely to make a difference. Karl, who had been watching their actions with amusement, finally and slowly touched the great tree.
“It is Karl Alster. I have brought guests.”
As he calmly announced this with his hand on the wood, a large door appeared there, just as before.
“This is the final barrier.”
Karl said, turning to them with a smile.
The massive door, likely more than twice Ritz’s height, began to open inward slowly and without a sound. What kind of clan were these spirits, who lived only behind such a formidable gate?
His chest pounded more with anxiety than with anticipation.
When the door finally opened completely, Franz saw an unexpected sight beyond it.
“Incredible…”
Next to Franz, who was muttering in a daze, Anna’s large eyes went wide.
“I’ve never seen a city like this…”
Beyond the door, a path made of old cobblestones stretched straight ahead. Along that path, large trees were lined up. It wasn’t that they were artificially planted; they grew naturally, irregularly, yet with a certain rhythm.
They were probably all there naturally to begin with. The forest was overflowing with a naturalness that gave that impression.
All of the trees lining the path were enormous, their widely spread branches covering the sky. But the sky wasn't completely blocked; dappled sunlight, like soft light spilling from a skylight, fell onto the cobblestones, glittering. It was as divine as light raining down from the heavens.
Every single one of those great trees had a spiral staircase made of wood, and following it up led to a massive white structure that stood as if enveloping the tree’s branches.
Built to cover the giant trees, they appeared to be houses.
They were clearly different from the treehouses humans build for amusement; these houses had the weight of history, a sign they had been built over many long years. Despite being in the trees, some were two stories, three stories, or even taller.
Each tree was, in essence, a large building itself.
The shape of these houses was distinctly different from the ones Franz and the others knew. The houses they knew were sturdy, heavy things made of brick, mortar, and plaster, but these seemed to be made entirely of wood. The walls had few straight lines, curving naturally to match the shape of the trees.
An surprising number of windows of various shapes were cut into the white walls, and they seemed to have glass, as they shimmered in the sunlight.
Looking around the city, he quickly noticed that there were no houses on the ground. Instead, there were occasionally huge buildings built across several trees. They were not ordinary houses, but likely public structures used for some purpose.
And the treetop houses were all connected by what looked like terraces, allowing the people living in the trees to go about their lives without descending to the ground. In other words, in this settlement, people didn’t live beneath the trees, but conducted their entire lives above.
As Franz gazed up at the treetop city in admiration, Karl’s words brought him back to his senses.
“Ritz, are you ready?”
It was a serious question. But in response, Ritz simply gave a quiet nod, his face betraying no emotion.
“I’m ready.”
“Then let’s go.”
Urged on by Karl, the party stepped into the settlement of the Clan of Light, the spirit race, a people who reflected the image of the Goddess.
Shortly after they began walking through the city, Edward, who was walking at the front with Karl, looked up. Wondering what was there, Franz looked up as well.
He saw several figures there. The figures were looking down at them intently.
They were people with long, golden hair, clad in robes of deep green and ecru. Franz’s poor eyesight prevented him from observing them in detail, but they probably had large ears like fluttering butterflies and green eyes.
Yes, these were the spirits who lived in this forest.
“The Clan of Light…”
Edward murmured, then quickly returned his gaze forward. It was hard to tell if he was interested or not. But there was likely some reason for even that behavior from Edward. After all, there was no way Edward, who wanted to see the world for himself, wouldn’t be interested in such a unique situation.
“Huh? Where are they?”
Anna, finally noticing, looked up. She was driven purely by curiosity. As Anna’s gaze darted around above, Ritz, his own eyes fixed forward, gave a wry smile and a small warning.
“Don’t stare too much. They don’t much like being looked at.”
“Really?”
“Yup. They’re not used to being seen. Besides, we’ve got the former king and his companions with us. It’d look pretty pathetic if we were gawking around like sightseers.”
“Oh, right. That wouldn’t look very cool.”
“Exactly.”
Hearing that, Franz, who considered it important to protect Edward’s position, hesitated to stare at the people. He glanced up a few times, then quickly looked forward, feigning disinterest.
“Besides, you won’t have to look for them. Plenty more will show up soon enough.”
Ritz’s words became reality a short while later. Although they didn’t come down from the trees, the spirits began to emerge in droves onto the terrace-like walkways. They looked down at them, whispering amongst themselves.
It felt vaguely unpleasant. Even Franz, who was dense about interpersonal relationships, could tell they weren’t being welcomed. While there was no direct malice, a certain sense of disgust was raining down upon them. If that rain were visible, they would likely all be drenched by now.
As the number of people grew, it became clear that their whispers contained a certain phrase. It was irritating, so he had been blocking out the sound and words without considering their meaning, but eventually Anna, who was walking beside him, turned back with a pained expression and grabbed the hem of Ritz’s cloak, who was bringing up the rear.
With Anna refusing to move, Ritz quietly stopped.
“Ritz…”
“Hm?”
Ritz smiled, as if nothing was wrong.
“…Are they talking about you, Ritz?”
“…”
“Are you ‘The Tainted One’?”
At Anna’s words, Franz couldn’t help but stop and look up. A spirit he made eye contact with contorted his face and looked away.
“Are you… ‘The Child of Sin’?”
For a moment, Franz felt as if time had stopped.
The next instant, the voices he had only perceived as a murmur suddenly took on a clear meaning, rushing into his ears like a muddy torrent.
Malice, murmurs, disgust, murmurs.
Franz felt the pressure of their gazes. It was nothing like the envy he received from the people of Saradio. Their stares were telling them to get out as quickly as possible.
“Yeah… I guess so.”
Ritz said, scratching his head.
“That’s horrible!”
Ritz gently patted the head of an emotional, teary-eyed Anna, urging her to walk. Then he looked at Franz with a troubled, yet calm expression.
“Franz, plug your ears.”
“…”
“Just until we leave the village. Block out the useless information.”
Ritz said, gently pushing Franz’s back from behind. When Franz looked up at him, Ritz gestured forward with his chin. Following his gaze, he saw Karl and Edward, who had stopped and were looking back at them.
Beckoned over, Franz moved to stand beside Edward. As Franz was about to look down, overcome with indignation and a helpless sense of humiliation, Edward gave him a perfectly natural smile. That smile was filled with the dignity of a king who would not bow to anything.
“Don’t be discouraged, Franz. Hold your head high.”
As he spoke, Edward clapped Franz firmly on the back. The pain felt like it jolted him awake in an instant.
“Your Majesty…”
When he looked up, Edward was smiling with profound gentleness.
“Do not yield to their pressure. We have nothing to be ashamed of. And neither does Ritz, of course. Am I wrong?”
“No, sir.”
“If you bow to words and malice, those who hold that malice will think you have acknowledged it. But if we stand tall with pride, they cannot make us kneel.”
Witnessing the strength in that expression, Franz remembered Ritz’s words. He had been drawn to Edward’s eyes, trusting in their strength. He had not yet been betrayed. So this is what he meant, he understood deeply.
Once he understood, he calmed down. He had brushed off the criticism directed at him in Saradio with ease. He could do it here, too. When he happened to glance at Ritz, Ritz, who must have been watching him, gave a nod. Anna, her arm around Ritz’s shoulders, had red eyes but had stopped crying.
“Let’s hurry. It should be a little better once we get to the Elder’s place.”
Urged on by Karl, they hurried along the cobblestone path.
As they walked along the seemingly endless cobblestones, exposed to the stares, they reached a staircase. A staircase so tall they couldn’t see the top.
Prompted, they silently climbed the stairs, and at the top stood a tree so large it was impossible to guess how many years it had lived.
“It’s huge…”
Anna murmured, sniffling. It was a great tree, larger than any she had seen before, overwhelming both visually and spiritually. Atop the great tree was a building, also large, and visibly magnificent and ancient.
Leading to it was not a spiral ladder-like staircase like the other trees, but a grand staircase that stretched straight to the building, wide enough for several people to walk side-by-side.
At both ends stood men of the spirit clan. Their eyes were filled with a cold light that repelled others. They were tall and slender, but by no means looked frail. To describe them, they were like supple young trees.
“We’re coming in.”
When Karl said this with a slight raise of his hand, the men nodded with expressions full of anguish. Their gazes were clearly directed at Ritz, but Ritz himself was completely expressionless. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Inside, the building was simple, devoid of anything unnecessary. And surprisingly, despite its size, there was not a single person to guide them. Whether this was normal or not, Karl, without waiting for any guidance, opened a door. There was no one there either.
“Let’s wait here. Someone will be here to guide us soon.”
With that, Karl sat down in a chair. Urged by Karl, Edward also took a seat in a tall chair.
Was it a waiting room? The well-polished wooden floor was a deep brown, yet the ivory walls gave it a calm atmosphere. At the tall table, several equally tall chairs were placed, and the village street could be seen from the window.
Still, the biggest difference from an ordinary house was that since it was in a tree, branches protruded here and there throughout the room.
“There’s a tree… growing out of the floor.”
Anna exclaimed in admiration, touching a tree branch that pierced diagonally from the floor to the ceiling.
“That’s right. They cherish the trees, so when they build houses, they never cut off branches unnecessarily.”
“…Isn’t it in the way?”
Thinking it wasn’t very efficient, Franz asked, and Karl replied with a wry smile.
“For the spirit clan, you see, living with nature is an ironclad rule. Living uniformly with an emphasis on efficiency doesn’t align with their beliefs. That’s why they build their houses to enclose the branches, as a way of showing they live with the trees.”
When he nodded in understanding, Karl smiled with a sad expression.
“That’s precisely why they can’t forgive anything unnatural, though.”
“Huh?”
“Well, you’ll understand when you meet the Elder.”
With that, Karl also sat down and rested his chin on his hand, looking absent-minded. He was completely in waiting mode. It was only then that he remembered hearing that the spirit clan took a long time for everything. He didn't think they would be kept waiting in this place for several days, but if that 'what if' happened, it would be a huge problem.
Sighing, Franz shook his head. They had come to the heart of the spirit settlement; now, they had no choice but to meet the Elder. Once his mind was made up, he finally calmed down and looked around at his current location.
He had never imagined what the home of a spirit looked like. So he was surprised to find it had more of a lived-in feel than its exterior suggested, and was cozy and warm. If he had come here without being met with near-hostility from the start, Franz would have undoubtedly found it to be a pleasant house.
“It’s surprisingly normal, isn’t it?”
Anna’s impression, as she looked around with nothing to do, was the same as Franz’s.
“Of course. Even if they’re called the spirit clan, they’re still people. They eat and they sleep.”
Ritz said matter-of-factly, sitting in a chair. For some reason, his words strangely resonated with Franz. Even if they were a fairy clan, the Clan of Light, the clan bearing the likeness of the goddess, they still lived their lives.
“You’re right.”
Anna nodded, her voice filled with the same admiration as Franz’s.
“Well, the spirits only eat once every few days, and only one meal at that.”
That sounds convenient, Franz thought, but Anna’s eyes widened.
“I’d get so hungry!”
“In exchange, they sleep a lot.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. Lost in thought, listening to the voices of the trees… it’s pretty much the same as sleeping, right, Dad?”
“Yes. Now that you mention it, I suppose so.”
Karl nodded too. It was a newly discovered fact. Noticing Franz’s envious look, Karl turned to him with a smile.
“But it’s not like they’re doing nothing. The spirits have skills that other races don’t. Mainly textiles and thread, but unlike humans, the time they spend on them is on a whole different level, so they create some truly astonishing things. Their productivity is extremely low, though.”
As he spoke, Karl glanced at a tapestry-like frame hanging on the wall. A piece of cloth was housed there. The cloth was adorned with an unfamiliar pattern in incredibly detailed embroidery, making it a work of art at first glance.
This was the thread spun by the spirit clan. And a beautiful cloth woven with a unique pattern.
“Even though they make such beautiful embroidery…”
Anna murmured in front of the tapestry on the wall. Franz understood what she wanted to say. Why would people who create such beautiful things treat Ritz that way? That must be her question. Anna had absolutely no hidden side to her. So she probably didn't even know that human malice could be hidden behind beauty.
Seeing Anna, who didn't know betrayal, felt both enviable and pitiful, a strange feeling. Franz, if anything, could be said to be used to being betrayed. First his father, then his mother, and then the maids who looked after him. None of them had ever given him their trust, nor had he ever trusted them.
As he was thinking about such things, the air suddenly changed. Looking up, he saw a wind spirit. Anna, who had been looking down dejectedly, also noticed and raised her head. The spirit flew around the not-so-large room several times before landing by its intended person, Karl.
Smiling gently, Karl let the spirit out the window and then turned around.
“The Elder is waiting.”
In that moment, tension filled the air. It wasn't just Franz; Anna and Edward seemed to feel it too.
“Come, this way.”
Karl took the lead and stepped out into the hallway. Edward, Anna, and Franz followed behind him. At the very end, Ritz followed with unusually slow steps. Since they had spoken a little earlier, he had maintained a simple silence.
He had almost never seen a silent Ritz before, so Franz’s anxiety grew, but he strengthened his resolve that he couldn’t run away now that he had come this far.
Eventually, Karl opened a large wooden door and ushered them into a hall-like space. Franz hesitated for a moment, but a tap on the shoulder from Ritz behind him prompted him to take a small, deep breath before entering.
When the door slowly closed, he noticed that Karl was gone. He had remained on the other side.
Sighing, Franz turned his eyes to the interior of the room.
There, a pure space stretched out before him, with dappled sunlight pouring down from the ceiling and softly illuminated by light from the upper parts of the walls.
Its breathtaking beauty was a fusion, truly one with nature.
In the near center of that space, where several chairs were lined up, an old man sat, bathed in the dappled sunlight.
His soft-looking robe, made of the natural colors of deep green and ecru, had the same color scheme as the spirits he had seen earlier, but its hem seemed to be made much longer.
A silvery-white beard with a gentle wave, as if to cover his naturally colored clothes, was grown so long it reached the floor. His silvery-white hair, as beautiful as a cascading waterfall, was like seeing the clear flow of a river in winter.
And his sharp, almond-shaped eyes, the color of a deep forest, were clear yet stern.
“You have come, my dear brethren, King of Yuresla.”
The Elder of the spirit clan, who spoke in a deep, resonant voice, slowly stood up. His silver hair softly shone, reflecting the dappled sunlight. Franz felt his body stiffen with tension. From Ritz’s attitude and the information he had gathered so far, he had been under the impression that the Spirit Elder was an incredibly mean, narrow-minded old man.
But he was wrong. Completely wrong.
What stood there was the king of the Clan of Light, a man with an extraordinary presence. Unlike Franz, who stood frozen, unsure of what to do, the designated Edward walked up to the Elder without any fear.
“King of the spirit clan, my kingdom’s brethren. I am the former king, Edward Baldia. I am grateful that you have accepted my personal selfish request.”
At his low but resonant, confident tone, Franz came back to his senses. That’s right, this was no time to be shrinking away.
“It matters not. My time is long. The presence of guests is a rarity, not seen even once in a thousand years, and thus precious. If that guest is a king, then I have no reason to refuse.”
With that, the Elder looked straight at Edward.
“My name is Verdigris. I am the one who rules the Clan of Light.”
After his declaration, Verdigris turned his gaze directly to a certain person.
“You are… Karl’s child.”
With piercing eyes, Verdigris stared at Ritz. When Franz glanced at Ritz, who stood between him and Anna, Ritz simply gave a blank nod.
“I did not grant you permission to enter this settlement. Why are you here?”
Quietly knitting his brows, Verdigris questioned him without raising his voice. Ritz uttered a single, small phrase.
“My apologies.”
A chill ran down his spine. He had never heard Ritz’s voice sound so hollow.
“I am asking for a reason. Answer me.”
“I… that is, I…”
Ritz seemed to be struggling for words. It would be easy to say he was just an escort, but that wasn’t all. Ritz truly hadn’t wanted to come here, but he had chosen to stand in this place as a foothold to learn the truth.
“You should know. You are The Tainted One, forbidden from entering this settlement.”
At those dismissive words, Franz’s vision went dark. The words that had been whispered from above just moments ago were now being thrust at Ritz even more clearly.
“Born between light and darkness, born without the power of the spirits bestowed by the Goddess, you are the unblessed, tainted, nameless Child of Sin.”
“Yes.”
“I cannot allow you to set foot on this land. You understand, do you not? This is the sacred ground of our Clan of Light, protected by the light. It would be best for you to leave immediately.”
There was no hatred or disgust in his voice, only a calmness that suggested he was merely stating facts as facts. He was clearly of a different quality than the people outside who had showered them with malicious whispers; one could even feel a sense of pity.
That must be why Ritz didn't even try to resist. If Franz were in the same situation, he would probably have no choice but to bite his lip and endure it.
“Nameless?”
Edward muttered softly. Verdigris answered the faint voice with quiet composure.
“This one was not given a name.”
“What?”
“We all hear the voices of the spirits from birth. That is the power of our clan, given by the Goddess. To the Child of Sin, born between our clan and the Clan of Darkness, born without the Goddess’s blessing, our clan did not give a name.”
Franz forgot to even breathe. What level of discrimination was this? Imagining himself in the same position made his skin crawl. To give a name is to acknowledge existence. In other words, Ritz’s existence was not acknowledged by his clan.
“The name he uses was given by his father, Karl. In other words, that man is not recognized as a member of the clan. Thus, he is not of our clan, a being whose very existence is not permitted. He is a sinner who betrayed the light, one who bears the sin of defiling this land from birth.”
“A child of sin?”
Edward asked matter-of-factly, as if suppressing his emotions, and Verdigris quietly turned his deep green eyes to him.
“Originally, light and darkness are two sides of the same coin, never meant to be compatible. Furthermore, our clan is one blessed by the protection of the Light Spirit King. A half-breed with a clan protected by the Darkness Spirit King, who betrayed the Goddess and the Spirit King, is utterly outrageous. Naturally, he, who possessed the blood of both light and darkness, was a tainted one who could not receive the blessing of the spirits.”
“But, King of the Spirits, that is not his fault.”
“Indeed, the blame may not lie with him. The blame lies with his parent, Karl. When Karl learned that his child was a cursed one, he should have taken the child’s life himself and eliminated the seed of calamity.”
Imagining Karl laying a hand on an infant, Franz swallowed a small gulp of saliva. What a terrifying scene. And the baby at the center of that scene was Ritz, standing right next to him.
His breath caught in his throat. There is no life that deserves to be killed the moment it is born. But Verdigris spoke of it as if it were a matter of course. When he glanced at Ritz, who was quietly looking down with an unreadable expression, his breathing became even more difficult.
Ritz and Edward had met forty years ago. That meant Ritz had lived for over a hundred years among people who loathed his existence and wished for his death.
“But Karl refused, and protected both the child and his wife, who had received the protection of darkness. Karl shares the blame. But Karl is a member of our clan, one blessed by the Goddess and the Spirit King. He will not be condemned. However, as punishment, he is not permitted to live in the city of our Clan of Light.”
In the dead silence, just as Edward took a step forward to speak, the one who raised her voice first was Anna.
“That’s… horrible!”
But the next moment, she was stopped by Ritz himself.
“It’s fine, Anna.”
“But it’s horrible! To say you have no right to live… that your father should have killed you…”
“It’s fine. I’m used to it.”
“It’s not fine!”
“Anna.”
Without raising his voice, Ritz cut off Anna’s words with a strong will. His tone had a dark resonance he had never heard before. And there was a strangely resigned quality to it.
Ritz, who had been hurt by words like these more times than he could count during the long time he lived here, seemed to have already given up on everything.
Anna, trembling slightly with indignation, stared at Ritz’s face, but eventually clenched her fists and fell silent. Her frustration was palpable. The usual Ritz would never allow such a situation, but for some reason, he seemed to have no intention of refuting Verdigris.
As silence fell once more, Edward calmly approached Verdigris.
“Ritz Alster is my trusted subordinate. He served as a minister of this country. I would like you to recognize his presence here with me.”
Edward deliberately emphasized Ritz’s name. Though phrased as a request, it was clear from his tone that it was an expression of Edward’s will not to back down on that point.
“Does the King of Yuresla intend to break our laws?”
Verdigris asked, narrowing his eyes. If that sharp gaze had been directed at Franz, he would have shrunk back and been unable to move. But Edward met that gaze unflinchingly.
“If you say that my bringing my trusted subordinate to this meeting with you is itself a sin, then I shall admit to that sin. After all, we humans are a race that lives with constant warfare. If the King of the Spirits calls this Ritz Alster a tainted one, then we humans are a tainted race to begin with.”
In Edward’s calm but uncompromising words, Verdigris fell silent, staring back intently into Edward’s eyes.
“If we, the tainted children of men, are permitted an audience with the King of the Spirits, then I am merely stating that I cannot accept that my subordinate is not permitted the same. Is that not so?”
Edward was likely staring back into Verdigris’s eyes without flinching. The King of Men and the King of Spirits faced each other for a while, until at last, Verdigris spoke.
“King, is that not sophistry?”
“Sophistry, you say? No. It is not, King of the Spirits. For us, the people of Yuresla, it matters not what his birth may be. That he is a spirit who saved the kingdom alongside me, that alone is what is important.”
Franz held his breath at Edward’s majestic demeanor as he declared this. This was Edward’s strength. Everything he saw and felt became his own power. It was an unwavering conviction.
“The people call me the Hero King. And they named him my right-hand man and the hero who saved the nation. Even if he is not recognized by the Clan of Light as a nameless, tainted one, we, the people of Yuresla, recognize his name and his existence. He is a citizen of our Yuresla Kingdom, Ritz Alster.”
After Edward finished speaking, Verdigris’s expression softened slightly.
“Are you threatening me, King of Men… that if I refuse here, all the children of men will hate our clan?”
“No.”
Edward’s voice in that reply contained a small amount of laughter. Verdigris and Edward both likely understood that he had masterfully twisted the single point of requesting Ritz’s presence into a much larger issue.
“I understand well. For this time only, I shall permit him to be here as your trusted subordinate and as a citizen of Yuresla. However…”
Once again, Verdigris’s eyes captured Ritz. With a nearly expressionless face, Ritz met that gaze.
“The law is the law. There will not be a next time.”
“…Thank you.”
Ritz, who had been silent, muttered quietly and bowed his head. Looking over, he saw Anna, perhaps out of frustration, tightly gripping Ritz’s hand. Or rather, pinching it. It was the first time he had seen Anna hold back her emotions so intently.
“You said you had something to discuss… Please, sit.”
Verdigris, as if Ritz’s presence was already out of his sight, invited Edward to sit and took his own seat in the chair he had been in before.
“You all may sit as well.”
Prompted, Franz looked at the offered chair. It was a delicate, fragile-looking chair. He couldn’t help but check it with his hand to see if it was safe. The chair, made from natural tree branches, was beautifully curved and seemed much sturdier than it looked. When he cautiously sat down, it was extremely comfortable.
“Let me hear the reason for your visit.”
Urged by calm but sharp eyes, Edward began to speak. In this case, it seemed most convenient for Edward to do the talking, so Franz remained silent. Anna was desperately trying to suppress her anger and didn't seem to be in a state to do anything else.
The person in question, Ritz, was stroking Anna’s hair with an apologetic look on his face. It’s not your fault, so why are you making that face? he wanted to say, but he decided to save it for later.
Edward was talking about the sacred orb bestowed upon them by a certain individual at the time of the nation’s founding. It wasn’t much different from what he had said in the beastman village.
After he finished explaining that Anna, Franz, and Ritz all possessed the same object and were using it as a clue to find a certain person, Verdigris let out a heavy sigh.
“This is a difficult story to believe.”
“Why is that?”
“That another clan would possess our sacred orb… No, that is not all. That even a tainted Child of Sin would possess one.”
For the first time, an expression could be read on Verdigris’s face, which had been unreadable until now. It was the emotion of bewilderment.
“Ritz.”
“What?”
“You’re not a Child of Sin, you’re Ritz.”
Suddenly, Anna snapped at Verdigris. He was well aware that she disliked the nickname, but this wasn’t the time for that. Franz thought so, but since he was feeling just as uncomfortable, he didn’t stop her.
“Anna.”
As expected, only Ritz tried to stop her. But Anna glared at Ritz with angry, tear-filled eyes and then turned to face Verdigris directly.
“People are born under the fate determined by the Goddess. No one knows what kind of fate that is. So to say the Goddess didn’t give her blessing just because he can’t use the power of the spirits is absolutely wrong!”
At the unorthodox yet righteous argument from Anna, a child of a priest raised in a church, Ritz’s expression froze. In the hushed atmosphere, Anna spun around to face Ritz. Her eyes, different from usual, were hard.
She’s completely snapped… Franz thought.
“Take out your orb.”
“What are you talking about…”
Unable to keep up with the sudden change of topic, Ritz asked back in his usual exasperated tone. It was the most Ritz-like voice he had heard since coming to this city.
“Take it out!”
“W-wait! Anna!”
Ignoring a flustered Ritz, Anna forcibly reached into his clothes and pulled out the orb. Then she took out a small pouch hanging around her own neck and produced the same orb from within.
“Here!”
She thrust the two orbs in her palm at Franz, so he timidly placed his own orb in her hand as well.
“The Goddess is the one who governs the sun, so she loves everything equally. She wouldn’t take away Ritz’s spirit power for no reason. This is here, and we are here. This is the fate the Goddess has given! Those who don’t accept that are the ones who truly can’t receive the Goddess’s blessing!”
The hall fell dead silent.
“Life, you know, is cherished and loved by the Goddess from the moment it’s born. There’s no discrimination there. The rich and the poor, the strong and the weak, men and women, everyone is allowed by the Goddess to live and be there!”
Franz, who was usually exasperated by Anna, could sympathize with her righteous declaration. It was a sound argument for a church girl, but it was surely the truth. No one is born to die. Not Ritz, not Franz, and not Constanze. It wasn’t a matter of birth, but surely a matter of how one lives.
He raised his head and glanced at Anna; she stood straight before Verdigris, her eyes fixed on him without wavering.
“The Goddess is a great being who gives her blessing equally even to people who discriminate. If she weren’t, the spirit clan wouldn’t be able to receive any blessings, right? I mean, you’re all ganging up on one person. That’s absolutely wrong!”
Is it okay to say such things? What on earth will happen? he thought, his palms sweating with tension. This was the heart of the spirit city, and if something happened, they would undoubtedly be isolated.
In the tense atmosphere, someone eventually burst out laughing. Franz instinctively shot a glance at the person who had chuckled.
“You, you’re really…”
It was Ritz. His shoulders were shaking with laughter.
“You’re the best, Anna. You really are… you’re really a great woman.”
“Ritz, are you making fun of me?”
“Not at all. I seriously, truly think you’re a great woman.”
“Jeez, you’re teasing me! I’m being serious!”
After laughing for a while, Franz saw Ritz wipe away tears that had gathered in the corners of his eyes. There were a few too many tears for it to be just from laughing too hard. Is he crying? he wondered, startled.
“…Thanks.”
With that, Ritz patted Anna’s head and turned to face Verdigris, who was in front of him.
“My apologies, Elder.”
Ritz bowed his head seriously, but after laughing so much, it lacked sincerity. However, Verdigris seemed to be contemplating something, and he gave Ritz a disinterested nod before turning back to Anna.
“You… your name is Anna?”
“Yes.”
“I have already lived for some nine hundred years. But I have never thought of the Goddess’s blessing in such a way. That is solely because we have no interaction with the outside world. Daughter, do you truly believe that in your heart?”
“I do.”
Anna answered Verdigris with utmost seriousness. Nodding slightly, Verdigris once again looked at Anna with his deep, all-seeing eyes and asked.
“To you, what kind of existence is the Goddess?”
It was the most important and heavy question for all who were involved with spirits and faith in this country. But Anna answered without hesitation.
“She is a motherly being who loves all equally and bestows her grace upon them.”
At her unwavering words, Verdigris’s eyes softened for the first time.
“Beliefs may differ between races. But there is no hesitation in your eyes, and I hope there will be happiness in your faith.”
With that, Verdigris closed his eyes.
“We are a race that contemplates and seeks the truth. Our faith in the Goddess and the Spirit King is deep, and it is our duty to explore the divine realm. I thank you for giving us, who are at a dead end in our racial cul-de-sac, a new way of thinking. I promise to put the matter of whether to bestow upon you the lore of the sacred orb before the Elder Council.”
Slowly and silently, Verdigris stood up and began to walk towards a room in the back of the hall.
“Um…”
Anna, left behind and confused, called out to his back, and Verdigris spoke to them without turning around.
“You may wait for the results of the Elder Council at Karl’s place. The audience is over. I must now reconsider the Goddess’s blessing from a new direction, with the element of fate, separate from punishment and sin.”
Verdigris disappeared beyond the door at the back of the hall, and silence returned. Karl came to the four of them, who were unable to move.
“Come, let’s go home. Let’s try to make it back for dinner.”
Karl’s words, spoken as if nothing had happened, felt so indescribably gentle that Franz let out a heavy sigh.