Chapter 136 - 9
Waking up first as always, Anna quietly slipped out of bed. The bed was larger and more rugged than usual, clearly made by someone who wasn’t a craftsman, but it was very comfortable. The original owner of this bed must be struggling in a narrow one now, she thought fleetingly.
The room Anna had been staying in since coming to Ciedena was Ritz’s own room. What surprised her when she first entered was that there was absolutely nothing in it. It was bare, and there was no way to tell what kind of person the room’s master was or what he thought.
Perhaps Ciela had cleaned it up forty years ago when Ritz left, but for some reason, Anna had a feeling that the room had always been this empty.
Anna’s room in Vishnu had, to some extent, things that reflected her hobbies. Yarn for gloves and scarves she made for the new children at the orphanage was stored in a basket Anna had woven from vines. Her sewing kit was in a well-used wooden box decorated with her favorite flowers, a birthday present from her adoptive father.
The bookshelf held her favorite books and a cherished old picture book donated by a villager, and even the curtains were made by herself, from a fabric she had chosen from the donations kindly given by the villagers.
Anna’s room could be said to represent her personality itself. But this room was different.
It was large and spacious yet lonely, and it revealed nothing about its master. That was the impression of this room, and also the new image of Ritz that Anna had formed. A lonely, distant, large back that she couldn’t reach even if she tried.
“…I’ll go, after all.”
She voiced her renewed determination.
So as not to be found by anyone, she held her breath, quickly got ready, and left the room, tiptoeing.
The room was on the second floor, and across the hall, Edward, Ritz, and Franz should be sleeping, so she walked down the hallway on her tiptoes to make as little noise as possible, and descended the stairs with particular slowness.
Karl and Ciela were on the first floor, so she walked with even more care than on the second. She knew her companions, except for Edward, were not early risers, so that was fine, but she didn’t know about Karl and the others, so it was better to be cautious.
Quietly pulling the door leading outside, Anna stepped out. After slowly closing the door without a sound, she pressed her ear against it to check for any activity inside. But there was no sound. It seemed she had managed to leave without waking them. Still cautious, Anna moved away from the house, careful not to make any noise.
Once she was a little distance away, she finally let out a big sigh and relaxed. This far, she was safe. She wouldn’t wake them, nor would she be found by them.
“That was tense~”
She couldn’t help but mutter before taking a deep breath. The newborn forest air filled her lungs, which had been tight from holding her breath. The cold, clear air, smelling of green, felt like it would cleanse her from the inside out, and she loved it.
She continued walking and stood on the shore of the lake. In the still-dim light of the just-risen sun, the terrifyingly clear lake was not emerald now, but a deep azure. The first time she saw it, she thought it was as beautiful as a painting, but seeing it in the early morning without a soul in sight, it had an unapproachable atmosphere that was mysterious and almost divine.
She breathed in that divinity and freshness with the morning air. It felt as if the forest was giving her strength, and her spirit filled up. After a deep breath, her resolve was truly set. Let’s go, she thought, clenching her fists in front of her chest so tightly it hurt, her face determined.
Anna was planning to go to Merite alone.
Yesterday had been a shocking day for Anna. She had learned that Ritz, who was different from the spirits in appearance and couldn’t use or see spirits, had lived a lonely life here in Ciedena, not even given a name and not allowed to interact with the other members of his race.
She was frustrated. She was sad. And she was lonely. She was indignant at how cruel they were, but when she was about to lash out at Verdigris in frustration, Ritz had simply stopped her. As if Ritz himself accepted it.
Anna couldn’t accept Ritz staying silent even when treated so cruelly. That wasn’t like Ritz.
So she couldn’t hold back and protested to Verdigris. As a result, it brought about some change in Ritz, but Anna had no idea what it was.
Ritz didn’t deign to talk about his past. She had learned that during their journey together. But recently, Anna had been very close to Ritz. She thought they trusted each other as much as Anna and her adoptive father. So she believed that Ritz would tell her about his truly painful experiences.
Until yesterday.
But she was wrong. That feeling was all Anna’s own assumption. She had approached Ritz with that assumption, believing she was being of some help.
Did he not talk about the spirit clan because he intended to deal with it himself? Or did he think it was pointless to talk to Anna? Her head was starting to get confused.
On the way back home, Ritz seemed somewhat happy. Some change had occurred, and his heart had somehow lightened. But Ritz wouldn’t even tell her the reason, nor would he even say where or how he had settled it.
Even though his companions Anna, Franz, and Edward were feeling so pained and were all unsure how to act towards Ritz, he was being far too selfish.
Why wouldn't he tell his companions?
Why wouldn't he rely on his companions?
Why did he try to handle everything by himself?
If he was going to worry about everything and solve everything all alone, then he didn't need companions.
Much less Anna, who was younger and, apart from being able to use spirits, was a rather worldly-ignorant and reckless child, of no value to Ritz.
After that, Edward and Ritz went off somewhere to talk, but only Edward returned, and in the end, Ritz didn’t come back while Anna was still awake. Since Anna had felt sad towards Ritz, his best friend Edward must have been even more pained, Anna thought. Ritz and Edward were supposed to be best friends, yet for him to stay silent was strange.
After that, Anna tossed and turned in her bed, continuing to think about what she should do, what she wanted to do.
When they were leaving Lef’s village, Anna had resolved to protect Ritz. That was on the premise that Ritz was relying on her, but now that she knew that wasn’t the case, should she stop trying to get closer to Ritz’s heart and just go back to being a simple ward?
Or should she step further into Ritz’s heart and strive to become someone he could truly trust? She agonized over it. Would he even approve of Anna stepping into his heart? Anna, who was younger and had known him for less than a year.
She pulled the blanket completely over her head and, in the thin air of the darkness, Anna continued to think intently.
Maybe Ritz yesterday was being reckless. Reckless, in other words, meant giving up. Ritz had halfway given up on his companions understanding the environment he was in. This is how I’m treated, so what kind of attitude will you take towards me?
In other words… were they being tested by Ritz? To see if they were worthy of his trust.
When she reached that conclusion, Anna suddenly had an idea.
Anna didn’t know Ritz’s past. She had been waiting all this time, thinking he would probably tell her eventually. Whatever that past was, Anna was confident she could affirm Ritz.
She knew that Ritz was on the battlefield during the civil war, and that the profession of a mercenary was not a world of just pretty things. Still, if it was a path that a person like Ritz had walked, there must be a logic there that Anna could understand.
But just waiting wasn’t enough. She had to try to know.
If Ritz wouldn't tell her, she could have heard about him from people who knew. Karl, Edward, Shasta, Patricia… there should have been opportunities anytime, yet Anna hadn't even asked about Ritz.
Anna was probably lacking a lot of information to understand Ritz. That's why she must not be able to understand what Ritz was thinking, why he didn't tell her about the spirit settlement.
That had to be it.
When she thought that far, she decided to learn more about Ritz. But the only person she could ask directly right now was Edward. There was no one else, but for some reason, she hesitated to ask Edward. She knew there was a wall between the older group of Edward and Ritz that Anna and Franz couldn't understand.
Besides, he didn't seem like the kind of person who would easily tell her various things. She had a feeling it would end with him smiling and saying, “Ask Ritz.”
So what should she do?
As she pondered, she remembered Franz’s sister, Constanze, and her guard, Jin. Jin was a man who had been Ritz’s subordinate. He didn’t seem like a very nice person, but since he had been Ritz’s subordinate, he might be able to tell her something.
But to talk to Jin, she needed to find a time when Ritz and Edward weren’t around. If Ritz were there, he would probably manipulate what she could hear at his discretion, and the same could be said for Edward.
In that case, she would go to Merite ahead of them and ask Jin to talk.
In her bed, Anna was satisfied with her idea.
Just you watch, Ritz. I won’t just fail the test you set for me. I’m not going to give up so easily on earning the trust of Ritz, the most important person to me after my foster father!
She threw off the blanket, stood on the bed, and thrust both hands upwards in a sign of her resolve. Then, deciding to act early the next morning, she quickly fell asleep and slipped out of Ritz’s family home without being noticed.
And now Anna was… at a loss at the edge of the forest.
“Which way was the exit of the forest again?”
Ritz and Karl knew exactly which path between the trees led where, but Anna, who had only passed through once, had no way of knowing where the path to Merite was. This would ruin her plan.
As she stood there confused, staring at the forest blocking her way, a hand suddenly landed on her shoulder.
“Eek!”
She gasped. She thought it would be Ritz or Edward, who would have sensed her presence at this hour. Just when she thought her plan was ruined, the person behind her asked.
“Where are you going so early?”
A very grumpy voice, with no emotional ups or downs. It was the voice of the most unexpected person.
“Franz… you were awake?”
When she turned and asked, Franz answered with a flat tone.
“…I haven’t slept.”
Looking closely, she saw that Franz’s blue eyes were bloodshot and almost purple. And the dark circles under his eyes were deep and black.
“Is it because of Ritz, after all?”
“…Yeah.”
“What about?”
Franz was also the type who didn’t like to talk about himself much, but when she broached the subject like this, he sometimes opened up. This seemed to be one of those “sometimes,” as Franz opened his mouth while rubbing his eyes with his fingers.
“What I was receiving in the city of Saradio was envy. It was infuriating to be envied throughout the city because of a man I hated enough to want to kill. So I looked down on them all as fools and worthless people.”
“Yeah.”
It was an abrupt start to the story, but Anna nodded. Anna knew how much Franz hated his father. That’s why Franz had tried to burn his father to death when his emotions ran wild.
“But I had things. Name, position, I had them all. And yet I felt like I was the most unfortunate person. That’s why… to the cheerful, laid-back, go-with-the-flow Ritz, I thought, ‘There’s no way Ritz would understand how I feel.’”
With that, Franz took a deep breath.
“I was completely self-contained in my own world, knowing nothing. And yet I was content to gaze at the pitiful me in my closed world. While saying I couldn’t trust, that I couldn’t believe in people, in reality, I wasn’t looking at anything.”
Franz said, his expression strangely twisted. She wondered what was wrong, but in the next moment, she understood that expression. He was holding back tears. And they were tears of frustration towards himself. Come to think of it, Franz had just turned nineteen. And it had been less than a year since he had broken out of his shell.
“I was ignorant and stupid. I understand now. I said something horrible to Constanze.”
For some reason, the conversation shifted. But if she interrupted Franz’s story midway, the conversation would often end there, so Anna listened silently.
“When Anna told me I should listen to Constanze’s story, I was indignant. Because Constanze of the Lucina family was a nuisance to me.”
With that, Franz hesitated for a moment, then, as if resolved, continued.
“I’m just like the spirit clan. I don’t know Constanze. I looked after her until she was three, but after that, I don’t even know how she grew up or what kind of child she is. Even though I’m her brother, I didn’t try to find out. The fact that Constanze was born into the Lucina family, that she was born as my sister, is not a sin, yet that alone was enough to make her a nuisance to me.”
What Anna had felt when she looked at Ritz and what Franz had felt were completely different. But it seemed that by looking at them, Franz had come to know himself. That was a happy thing for Anna. If things stayed as they were, Constanze, who had rushed here out of admiration for her brother, would be too pitiful.
“If you understand, then you’ll talk to Constanze, right?”
“That’s my intention.”
“I’m so glad~ You’re real siblings, so you have to talk properly.”
“Yeah.”
Franz looked up and, while being blown by the wind, fell silent for a while. He was probably drying the tears that were about to fall. Franz was proud, so it was unwilling for his tears to be seen by Anna. In this respect, he was no different from the boys at the orphanage, she thought.
Eventually, Franz muttered quietly.
“The world is big, isn’t it, Anna?”
“Yeah. It’s big.”
“My world was too small, so it’s so big it makes me dizzy.”
“But you want to see the world, don’t you, Franz?”
“I thought so.”
“Then I think it’s fine. Because the world will get bigger and bigger from now on. Both you and I have only seen a really narrow world, so we can see more and more things!”
To Anna, who spread her arms wide to appeal to the vastness of the world, Franz seemed to smile faintly. Of course, it was hidden immediately after.
Right after that, Franz showed a bewildered expression to Anna, as if he had thought of something.
“By the way, Anna…”
“What is it?”
“What kind of face should I make when I see Ritz? I’ve been calling him carefree and saying he doesn’t seem to have any worries. Even though he was carrying such a heavy burden and living so cheerfully.”
Franz sighed. I wonder if he’s serious, she thought for a moment, but Anna looked at Franz with a smile and answered.
“I think normal is fine.”
“Normal?”
“So… well, you can’t smile, can you, Franz?”
“I can’t.”
“Yeah. So I think as usual is fine. With your usual expressionless face.”
“Ah…”
Franz seemed taken aback and fell silent for a moment. It seemed he had finally realized that he didn’t change his expression much.
“You’re right. It’s not worth thinking about.”
“Right?”
Franz, looking convinced, sighed and crossed his arms. His usual style.
Once he calmed down, he finally seemed to notice the unnaturalness of Anna being there, and he looked at her intently.
“Why are you here?”
“And you, Franz?”
“I was thinking of going to see Constanze…”
“You’re going to Merite too, Franz?”
“Yes. But I didn’t know the way.”
“Oh. We’re the same, then.”
“You too, Anna? Why?”
“Yeah, well…”
Anna told Franz everything she had been thinking, without holding anything back. Franz, who had been listening with bewilderment, eventually let out a big sigh.
“And so, to Merite?”
“Yeah. I’m definitely going to make Ritz trust me!”
“…You’re positive. Though I feel like something’s off.”
“? What is?”
“Yeah, well, a lot of things.”
“You think so? But if you try to act first, you’ll figure it out!”
“But… how?”
She knew even without Franz telling her. She had no idea how to get to Merite.
“What should I do… maybe I should just go in randomly…”
“Into the Spirit’s Lost Forest?”
“You’re right~”
Shall I take you?
Suddenly, someone joined their conversation. Surprised, they jumped and looked around, but no one was there.
I don’t think you two can make it to Merite. I’ll take you, so don’t go in yet.
A few minutes after that voice, a black-haired woman appeared from behind a tree a little ahead. Her sharp, beautiful dark brown eyes had a gentle light in them.
“Good morning, Anna, Franz.”
When she came closer, they could finally hear her voice spoken from her mouth. It was Ritz’s mother, Ciela.
“You’re up quite early. But I heard everything you were talking about. I’m sorry.”
Smiling gently, Ciela gracefully turned one hand in a circle. A wind spirit clung to it. A Sylph, a wind spirit. It had the form of a beautiful woman, but it looked very much like Ciela. The spirit, which originally had no physical form, was probably reflecting Ciela’s appearance.
“The inside of the forest, you see, is my spirit’s range of activity. It informs me immediately if there’s any disturbance. For example, if someone is trying to enter.”
In other words, no matter how secretly Anna had come out, she had been seen through.
“Um, so you’re not going to stop us?”
When she asked timidly, Ciela tilted her head.
“Why would I?”
“Because, without telling Ritz…”
“It has to be a secret, doesn’t it?”
“…Yes.”
“And Franz, you don’t want everyone to know either, do you?”
“No.”
“Then, I’ll take you.”
Ciela said with a cheerful smile.
“Besides, if that child finds out the reason Anna left, he won’t be able to get angry.”
Ciela said with a grin. It seems she had really heard everything using the wind spirit.
“Oh yes, I forgot to ask something important. Anna, do you like Ritz?”
“Yes.”
Anna nodded without hesitation. It was true that Anna loved Ritz, second only to her adoptive father.
“Franz, do you like Ritz too?”
“…I trust him.”
Franz frowned as he said that. He looked as if he couldn’t understand being asked about likes and dislikes. But Ciela nodded in satisfaction.
“Then it’s fine. You see, I like everyone who likes my son. I like Edward too. He’s my dear only son’s friend, after all. So I’ll take you.”
With that, Ciela entered the forest without any hesitation.
“Stay close so you don’t get lost.”
She said, and continued deeper and deeper into the forest. She was an incredibly laid-back person. Anna and Franz exchanged a look, then hurriedly followed after Ciela.
It was still not fully daylight, so it was quite dark in the forest. Still, as their eyes adjusted, their pace gradually picked up. When they were finally able to walk alongside Ciela, Anna felt like she wanted to ask various things.
If she wanted to know about Ritz, his own mother, Ciela, was the most suitable person.
“Um, ma’am.”
“What is it?”
“I’d like to ask about Ritz…”
“Of course. Ask me anything.”
Being so casually told to ask anything, she found herself at a loss for what to ask. As she was pondering, Ciela began to speak calmly.
“That child, in a word, is a bundle of complexes.”
“Huh?”
“You see, until he met Edward, he couldn’t use money or read or write.”
“…”
Ciela’s casual remark was enough to confuse both Anna and Franz.
“He wasn’t interested, you see. After all, he thought he could be neither of the Clan of Light nor human. Since he was a child, he might have interpreted the fact that he was a child who was not acknowledged by anyone in that way. Even though there’s no harm in knowing things.”
The current Ritz could do anything. Carpentry, cooking, of course, and he wrote with a beautiful hand that didn't match his personality, and naturally, he was also skilled at financial negotiations.
“Oh my. You look surprised.”
“…Because Ritz can do anything…”
“Yes. It’s unimaginable from his childhood.”
Ciela laughed happily. She must be happy as a mother about Ritz’s growth. Anna, who had watched children grow up in the orphanage, could somehow understand that feeling. Anna decided to take the plunge and ask.
“What kind of child was Ritz?”
When they went to the spirit settlement, Ritz was scorned and detested by many of the spirits. She wanted to know about his childhood. She wanted to know and then help Ritz.
“Let’s see. There’s not much to tell, but…”
Muttering so, what Ciela told was more than she could have imagined.
When Ritz was just born, they had apparently taken refuge in Merite, wary of being killed by a member of the clan. But on the condition that they wouldn’t kill Ritz, Karl had taken on the role of negotiator between the clan and humans. Until then, most of those who entered the lost forest and got lost had met a tragic end, but after Karl became the negotiator, that number had drastically decreased.
Of course, it was also Karl’s job to drive away those who entered the forest with malicious intent. And as soon as Karl returned to the forest, Ritz and Ciela had started living in the house by the lake.
“You see, every single day, spirits would come, one after another. I heard from Karl, but apparently there was a faction that insisted on killing Ritz, and they were watching him. But since the Elder had forbidden it, Ritz was able to survive.”
Though Ciela continued to speak casually with a smile, Anna couldn’t even interject. Perhaps taking that as a cue, Ciela continued to speak.
But even if they were forbidden from killing him, they weren't told not to use violence. The young Ritz, not even imagining that the adults wanted to kill him, would approach them and sometimes suffer severe injuries.
And they weren’t doing it for fun. They were punishing Ritz with their own sense of justice. It was difficult to stop violence cloaked in justice. Eventually, Ritz also came to realize the meaning of that violence. That hurt Ritz’s heart even more.
“So Karl, after much suffering, started taking Ritz and me with him to all his negotiations with humans.”
But their base of operations was, due to their role, this house. So the family had no choice but to return to that house.
Eventually, the faction that wanted to kill Ritz stopped coming to the cabin by the lake. They were probably relieved that no great misfortune had befallen the clan even with Ritz alive.
But in their place came the young people and children. They despised Ritz, who had become sensitive to people’s malice, and used violence on him. Each time, Karl would rush over and drive them away, but it didn’t take long for Ritz to start fighting back, using his natural athletic ability.
And little by little, Ritz began to close his heart. He would often crouch by the lake, motionless, or stare blankly from the top of a tree in the forest. It was around this time that Karl stopped being a father and became Ritz’s older brother and friend.
Thanks to Karl making a big fuss and teasing Ritz, the often-silent Ritz had his only emotional outlet. After all, to win against Karl, he couldn’t be silent. Thanks to that, his emotions didn’t die, and he didn’t become less talkative, Ciela laughed.
Ritz’s childhood seemed to have been even more painful than she had imagined. Anna found herself biting her lip without realizing it. Franz was looking downcast.
“Ritz was shutting himself in his shell like that, so Karl picked a fight with him, thinking he just had to get him outside. And he did it in a way that would make Ritz think, ‘I can’t stand being with a parent who does such stupid things.’ It was a masterpiece. Karl and Ritz got into a fight over who would eat the last slice of apple pie, and as a result, Ritz ended up running away from home.”
Ciela giggled.
“Well, he himself thought it was pointless to stay in the forest anymore and was looking for a chance to leave, so the apple pie was probably just a convenient excuse.”
And so Ritz set out on a journey, met Edward, and that led to the Ritz of today.
It was certainly strange that the reason for running away from home was apple pie, but Anna couldn’t laugh. Franz, too, didn’t show a single smile. In contrast to the two silent ones, Ciela narrowed her eyes nostalgically.
“But I was surprised. When he came back after forty years, he could write a firm hand and do monetary calculations. I’m grateful to Edward.”
Not minding that Anna and Franz weren’t replying, Ciela continued.
“He was a child who had nothing, yet he gained something. So I think he became afraid of losing things this time. When he came back, his hair was long in the back, and I thought it was some kind of trend and asked him, ‘What’s with that?’ And he said, ‘I want to see spirits, so I grew it out like you, Mom.’ That was a manifestation of his complex about being a half-measure as a member of the clan.”
With that, Ciela stopped for the first time.
“That child, you see, is always wandering, searching for his place. He’s looking for someone who will live with him. And yet, with that personality of his, you know? If he were just a little more honest, someone would surely reach out to him.”
Turning back, Ciela looked at Franz and Anna with gentle eyes.
“Hey, do you think he’ll find it?”
“…I don’t know.”
Franz answered frankly.
“That’s right. I don’t know. Not even I, his mother, know this one.”
Passing over the two of them, Ciela continued to speak as if muttering, her gaze fixed on some distant point.
“I am of the Clan of Darkness. I had no place there. It was painful and lonely. But you know, I found Karl here. And then I found the village of Merite, which welcomed me warmly. And I also gained a son named Ritz. There’s nothing happier than this.”
“…Yes.”
“People, you know, if they have an absolute presence that supports them, they don’t despair. I wish he could find one too.”
Ciela muttered towards her son, who was likely at home, with all the feelings of a mother. For some reason, as she listened to those loving words, a strange feeling sprouted within Anna. But it was a vague, formless thing, a feeling that Anna herself didn't understand well.
The only thing she understood was her resolve to become someone he could rely on with peace of mind, since she had promised to live with Ritz.
After that, Ciela wanted to hear from Anna and Franz about Ritz’s journey from when he left Ciedena until he returned a year later. As requested, the two of them spoke falteringly. Of course, they didn’t talk about the things that were secret between them and Ritz, but for some reason, Ciela seemed to have noticed.
Ciela listened to their story, sometimes looking happy, sometimes anxious. If I had a real mother, would it be like this? Anna wondered for a moment. That would be lovely.
Ritz was a bundle of complexes and lonely, but there was one thing he had more of than Anna. His parents. And they were wonderful parents.
As they talked earnestly, they passed through the forest without getting tired. It was completely light now, so Merite was clearly visible on the plateau before them. On the outskirts of the village, they could also see a tent that was out of place in Merite. That was their destination.
“Well then, be careful.”
Ciela waved casually.
“Are you going back already?”
“Yes. If I’m not back by breakfast, Karl will worry. When you’re done, come back, okay?”
Ciela’s smiling expression as she answered was very similar to Ritz’s when he gave Anna a gentle smile.
“Okay.”
“Well then, see you later.”
After seeing Ciela’s figure disappear into the forest, the two of them headed for the tent outside Merite. They somehow fell silent.
Somehow, the more she learned, the less she understood Ritz. Ritz with Karl was cheerful and funny. With Edward, he was grumpy. Ritz acting as a minister was somehow unapproachable, and Ritz pretending to be a mercenary was a little scary. But the Ritz Ciela talked about was incredibly delicate and fragile. And the Ritz Anna knew was sharp-tongued but very kind.
“Oh, man.”
“What?”
“I wonder which is the real Ritz.”
“What are you talking about?”
Because she had said such a thing so suddenly, Franz gave her a quizzical look. But she decided not to mind it.
“Talking to myself.”
“…Hm.”
While they were doing that, they had gotten close to the tent near Merite. Suddenly, Anna became anxious. If she went to the tent and asked Jin to be called because she wanted to hear about Ritz, would he come?
Looking at Franz beside her, he seemed even more lost than Anna. It seemed he still hadn’t found the right words to say. As Anna stopped, wondering what to do, Franz stopped as well.
“…What should we do?”
At Anna’s murmur, Franz turned his usual expressionless eyes on her.
“What should we do?”
Both Anna and Franz were too inexperienced in life and had very few options for what to do in such situations. Wondering what Ritz would do, Anna was startled.
She had come to ask about Ritz, but she thought that relying on him was not the right approach. First, she had to think and solve it herself.
As she stood there, she was suddenly tapped on the back. Surprised, she jumped.
“Morning. You’re early.”
There stood the very person Anna had been thinking of meeting, Jin. Jin had the same somewhat untrustworthy smile as when they had met before. Something inside Anna momentarily warned her of danger, but the part of her heart that believed ‘there are no truly bad people in this world’ won out.
“Good morning, Jin-san.”
When she bowed her head, Jin gave a somewhat twisted smile. If she thought this was just how his face was, it wasn't particularly scary. So she decided to get straight to the point.
“I’d like to ask you about Ritz, Jin-san.”
“…The captain’s?”
“Yes. I want to know what Ritz was like when he was a mercenary.”
After thinking for a while, Jin put on that same probing smile.
“That’s fine. But I’ve got my pride, you see. It’s hard to talk here.”
With that, Jin gestured towards the tent with his thumb.
“See, the captain was my superior, and he’s the one who beat me to a pulp in Saradio, right?”
“Yes… that’s right.”
Just as she was about to say she would come back later, Jin laughed.
“So why don’t we talk a little away from the tent?”
For some reason, she sensed something dangerous in those words. She instinctively looked at Franz, and he silently took a step forward.
“I’m going too.”
“Young Master Franz as well?”
“…Is there a problem?”
“No, not at all…”
Jin’s eyes as he looked at Franz seemed terrifyingly serious, but it must have been a trick of the light, as it disappeared in an instant. Instead, Jin smiled.
“Well then, shall we go? I know a good place.”
“Okay.”
With a vague sense of unease and the hope of learning even a little about Ritz’s past in her heart, Anna followed Jin into the village of Merite.