Chapter 145 - <2>
Yuresla Kingdom Calendar, early September, 1573.
Two weeks had already passed since their departure from the Ciedena Special Autonomous Region of the Yuresla Kingdom. The party had now reached the special autonomous region of Roshozu, located within the agricultural nation of Fornu, which neighbored the Yuresla Kingdom.
The scenery of the vast basin surrounded by mountains was a strange and wondrous world, unlike anything they had ever seen before.
He had imagined it would feel oppressive, being enclosed by high mountains, but the low-grass pastureland was unexpectedly vast and refreshing.
The rocks peeking out here and there were all uniformly black—rugged, craggy volcanic stones.
The basin's altitude decreased the closer one got to the center, where there was a lake of unknowable depth. The beautifully clear lake, which changed color from yellow to blue as one moved from the shore to the center, displayed a color gradation that seemed anything but natural, making it look like a work of art.
In short, the special autonomous region of Roshozu was a giant, mortar-shaped grassland area centered around a lake, protected by the natural cliffs of a volcano's crater.
He heard that this land was formed by a volcanic eruption in the distant age of myth. Ritz himself had been to Fornu many times, but this was his first visit to Roshozu.
Fornu, like the Yuresla Kingdom, was a monarchy, but unlike Yuresla, which granted autonomy to its regions, it was a country that enforced a system of absolute royal authority, dispatching governors to all its districts.
Half of its land was covered in forests and volcanoes, and its economy was centered on the metal industry, based on gems and iron ore excavated from the volcanoes.
Unlike the peaceful agricultural nation of Yuresla, it was a country where conflicts often arose between the governors and the citizens, and not everything was settled peacefully.
That was why Ritz, as a mercenary, would occasionally visit this country to earn some pocket money.
Even within such a country, the Roshozu special autonomous region was granted free autonomy, just like Ciedena.
This was only natural, as the lands inhabited by demi-human races on the Eneonea Continent all enjoyed special autonomy to varying degrees, but even among them, they held a unique status.
They were the clan that could most influence the fate of the nation among all the demi-human races living in special autonomous regions.
The royal family of Fornu was loyal to them, the Fire Clan. This was because if they incurred their displeasure, they would lose access to their most important trade goods.
Those goods were Ougin, a metal close to gold, said to be stronger than silver and boast invincible strength when used for weapons and armor, and Diamond, the hardest and most beautifully shining of all gemstones.
Many past royals had apparently tried to conquer Roshozu, thinking it would be simpler to just take it by force, but all their efforts ended in vain, and the kings who launched the attacks were said to have met miserable ends.
One of the reasons the national army was so miserably defeated was Roshozu's geographical conditions.
Roshozu, the land inhabited by the Fire Clan, was in a region surrounded by high mountain ranges, and there was only a single narrow road sandwiched between cliffs to get there.
And on that road stood a fortress built by the Fire Clan of Roshozu, carved out of natural rock. It was equipped with every means of defense and blocked intruders like a giant wall.
Naturally, intruders needed to break through this fortress, but it was a sturdy structure that had never once fallen in the past.
In other words, they lived on land that held resources capable of swaying the national economy and was impregnable against external attacks.
Another source of their strength came from the valiant warriors of the Fire Clan. The warriors of the Fire Clan were called the Flame Warriors, honorable people who valued honor more than life.
They wore thin, light, yet highly durable armor made of Ougin, produced in their own land, directly on their skin. The sight of them fighting enemies with weapons also made of Ougin was truly that of brave warriors born to fight.
To be honest, Ritz was terrible at fighting those brave warriors.
The Flame Warriors, with their red hair, bronze skin, and shining amber eyes, were all women with voluptuous figures. And every last one of them was pure and beautiful.
If a beautiful woman's armor were to be knocked off, revealing a bountiful breast... for Ritz, it was a situation that was hard to tell from heaven or hell.
That's why this land was a major personal obstacle for Ritz when he came as a mercenary, a place he had avoided even getting close to until now.
Incidentally, all the men of this land were engaged in work at the mines within Roshozu. Unlike the beautiful women, they were short and stocky, their bodies as hard and strong as steel.
Moreover, like the women, their beautiful amber eyes were special, allowing them to see well even in darkness.
Because it was such a special place, entering Roshozu was a struggle.
That was a story from a week ago.
Before they could find a solution for how to enter Roshozu, they had arrived in Motiana, the largest city closest to it.
The driver of the Saradio Guard Corps' carriage was originally a driver for Saradio merchants, and thanks to that, he was familiar with the route this far.
Thanks to him, the journey centered around the carriage and horses was faster than expected, and they reached their destination of Motiana sooner than initially anticipated. But from there, things dragged on.
They simply weren't granted permission to enter Roshozu.
Motiana, whose market centered on the Ougin and Diamonds from Roshozu, was surprisingly crowded with people, including many buyers from other countries. The entertainment district was also on a much larger scale than any of the towns they had passed through on their way here.
Under the pretext of relieving the pent-up frustrations from their journey so far and remaining a safe guardian for Anna, Ritz was only able to play around in the glittering entertainment district full of women for a single day. The rest of the time, he was forced to run around searching for a way into Roshozu.
He wanted to complain, Why me?, but when he looked back at the members of his party, he was aghast to realize there was no one else suitable.
At first, he had Edward search for a route through official channels, but the governors here in Motiana were completely inflexible.
After all, this city was under the direct jurisdiction of the Fornu royal family. It seemed the official route couldn't be obtained without going all the way to the royal capital of Fornu, and there were no loopholes.
This country's capital was also located near the sea, and for Ritz and the others who had come from the mountains, it was far away. It was a route that took a week even by ship from the Yuresla Royal Capital of Sears.
Just imagining how much time a round trip to the capital of Fornu would take was enough to make him sigh. Besides, even if they went to the capital, they wouldn't get permission to enter Roshozu without a legitimate reason.
Even if Edward went to obtain permission as the former king of Yuresla, the king of Fornu was likely not so naive as to casually show a militarily important base like Roshozu to the former king of another country.
That meant there was no other way than to find some method through back channels. In that case, it was no longer Edward's turn, and Ritz would have to step up to the plate.
Edward was competent in a negotiating position, but it was a different story when it came to back channels. As for Franz, with that personality of his, it was impossible for him to engage in negotiations where both sides were constantly trying to read hidden meanings and find a compromise.
He didn't seem to be aware of it, but Franz had a strong sense of justice and couldn't tolerate injustice; in that respect, he was similar to Anna and Shasta.
And then there was Anna. He'd rather run his feet ragged finding a back route himself than have her try to find one.
Anna wasn't aware of her own cuteness. It would be too dangerous to let her get involved in anything shady. He was done with putting her in danger. He'd had more than enough of it.
Besides, finding a way into Roshozu by following the routes of shady characters would require a certain amount of bluffing and bargaining. The only one capable of that was Ritz, who had made his way through the world on bluff alone.
Exploring back channels came with its own set of dangers. That was why it was impossible to take Franz or Anna along when going to negotiate.
For that reason, he sent Anna, Franz, and Constanze to a traveling amusement park and circus performance with Edward as their guardian. That would be safe.
And so, for the purpose of building up his reputation in the back channels, Ritz took Smith with him and made the rounds of various taverns and brothels. In this city with its large entertainment district, obtaining shady information was not a difficult task.
But none of it was promising.
Despite gathering enough information to start his own shady business in Fornu, there wasn't a single way to infiltrate Roshozu.
The city of Roshozu was protected by a defense so solid it could be called an iron wall, built by the state and the people living there. Back channels were simply nonexistent.
Just as he was at a loss, a path opened from a most unexpected place. The one who had found a way into Roshozu was Edward, who had been forced to retreat from the official route and was now in charge of babysitting the three children.
The first words from Edward, who had discovered the method, were, "Ritz, do you have any talents?"
"Talents?"
Ritz, who had been collapsed on the inn bed, pushed his exhausted body upright at Edward's unexpected words as soon as he opened the door.
"That's right. I have sword dancing, Anna has water arts, and Franz has mathematics. Do you have any special skills?"
"A special skill..."
For Ritz, who had made a living with a single sword and a lot of bluff, there was no way he had something like that. If there was anything...
"Strength...?"
"Well, I suppose that's about it."
With a knowing smile, Edward closed the door. Once they were alone in the room, all his previous dignity vanished. He strode over to the bed opposite where Ritz was collapsed, sat down, crossed his legs, and asked in a rough tone.
"How'd it go on your end? Find any routes into Roshozu?"
"Nah, impossible. It's impregnable, that place."
"Impregnable?"
"Yup. Feels like not even a mouse could slip through. The gate's too sturdy, can't even make a dent."
Perhaps thinking Ritz's words were utterly pathetic, Edward's eyes narrowed slightly. Though a smile played on his lips, this was the expression he made when he was about to tease someone a little meanly.
As expected, Edward let out a small laugh before muttering.
"Hoh. Pathetic words for the man who handled my dark side."
"Shut up, I never handled anything. Gil was in charge of that."
"But you were his top disciple, were you not?"
"Hmph..."
Having such a nostalgic figure brought up, Ritz lay back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.
Gil was a mercenary captain named Gilbert Douglas, a man in whom General Gerald Morgan, who commanded a large army under Edward at the time, had placed his trust and with whom he had cultivated a friendship from a young age.
He was a large man who, despite having lost an eye under certain circumstances, possessed incredible strength and could wield a greatsword weighing over ten kilograms with one hand as if it were nothing. He was a豪快 man.
His personality was no different from his appearance—豪快 and bold, a lover of women and alcohol, cheerful and bright. For Ritz, who at the time was still a rookie whose mouth was his only real asset, he was the most respected adult in the army.
On top of that, the man's talents weren't limited to his combat abilities; he also possessed the fearless intellect and courage to move the underworld.
In his younger days, Ritz had been dragged along to such negotiations many times, and he no longer even remembered how many times he had broken out in a cold sweat in situations so tense it felt like the very air had frozen.
When the war ended and he left Edward's side, Ritz was with this man and the mercenary company he commanded. He spent several years with them, but eventually, Ritz began to wander on his own.
Even after that, Ritz worked with the mercenary captain's unit many times. Whenever he tried to earn money in a combat zone, their unit was usually already there, and even after a while had passed, they would readily welcome Ritz back as one of their own.
In other words, it could be said that he had learned his bluffing and half-hearted bargaining from him. Moreover, the greatsword he currently used was a weapon that the captain had given him as a farewell gift when he retired from being a mercenary, which Ritz had then reforged and modified.
The mercenary captain had died quite a long time ago. Naturally, Ritz, who had been entrusted with the greatsword, ended up in a position of taking over the mercenary unit, most of whose members had been replaced since that time.
But of course, Ritz, with his wandering habits, had no intention of leading the unit forever. He thoroughly trained a few promising individuals and made them his successors.
But he had yet to find another man to whom he could entrust the greatsword and all of Gilbert's spirit.
Though he had served as a mercenary captain several times out of necessity, Ritz was fundamentally a wanderer. After staying in one place for a few years, he would get an unbearable urge to go somewhere else.
Even Ritz himself didn't know whether that wandering would last for a few months or a few years.
He knew that if he went to the currently war-torn north and showed his face to the several mercenary units he had entrusted to his successors, he would be treated as their captain again. It had only been a year since he had left the mercenary units, so the units he had led would still be intact.
But now that he had a partner in Anna, he knew that aside from talking to them to completely sever his past and future, he could never go back.
Perhaps it was this man who had given the wandering Ritz the impetus to start his current journey.
Ritz had visited the grave of the man who had taught him combat and bargaining many times while traveling.
Last spring, as Ritz was about to leave the mercenary unit and embark on a journey of wandering, he visited the man's grave with sake and tobacco in hand, as was his custom.
There, he picked up a mysterious orb that seemed to speak to him, saying, Find your answer.
That was the beginning of everything.
"Did you fall asleep, Ritz?"
As he was lost in thought about the past for a while, Edward raised an eyebrow and asked in a suspicious tone.
"I'm awake. You just said something so incredibly nostalgic that it brought back memories."
"To be nostalgic about the past, Ritz Alster has certainly gotten old."
"Shut up."
Just as he said that sulkily, he remembered what had started this conversation in the first place.
"So, what's this about a 'talent'?"
"A talent is a talent."
"And that has something to do with getting into Roshozu?"
"Everything to do with it. Ritz, want to join a circus troupe?"
"...Huh?"
At the completely unexpected words, Ritz sat up. He was indeed looking for a job, but why on earth would he be in a circus troupe?
Letting out a weary sigh, he turned his body to face away from Edward, but the next words made him jump up.
"They have a performance in Roshozu, apparently. We've been allowed to accompany them."
"Seriously?!"
A ray of light finally shone on the path to Roshozu, which had seemed completely dark. It hadn't worked through official or unofficial channels, so this was a stroke of luck.
But Edward, with a mysterious smile, spread his hand and held it out in front of Ritz.
"Yes. For now, the arrangement is for five people."
"Five people...?"
He tilted his head as he counted on his fingers. Their party was supposed to be four people. But he quickly figured out who the other person was.
Edward had been chaperoning three children to the circus. Franz and Anna would probably be angry if they were treated like children, but the remaining one was definitely a child.
"...You're taking Constanze too, aren't you?"
"Yes. After all, it was Constanze and Anna who got this information."
"Constanze and Anna?!"
That was unexpected. He had thought it was information that Edward had obtained through some means.
"We went to see the circus, didn't we? At that time, Constanze insisted that she absolutely had to see what was behind the tent."
Edward began to speak with a wry smile. Apparently, Constanze had insisted that she wanted to see the wild animals behind the tent.
If her purpose was simply 'I want to see the animals,' that would be cute, but it wasn't. It was, 'This circus troupe puts on a wonderful performance, so I'm thinking of inviting them to Saradio, but I want to know how the wild animals are managed,' which was quite impressive.
As usual, it was Anna who agreed with the adamant Constanze. Brushing off a reluctant Franz and a wryly smiling Edward, the two of them quickly headed into the tent.
Left with no choice, Edward, as their guardian, took the lead and was about to ask to see the wild animals while pretending to be his usual good-natured old man, when he overheard the circus members arguing.
"Their star female acrobat ran away with a stagehand, apparently."
"...Haha. Sounds about right."
"It does. But this female acrobat was the one and only spirit user in the troupe, and a beautiful singer to boot, so they couldn't find a replacement."
"A spirit user..."
He had a bad feeling about this.
"They're supposed to enter Roshozu tomorrow night for the performance. They'll start setting up the morning after and begin the show the following night, so they have a two-day grace period. When Anna heard that..."
Here it comes, Ritz thought, letting out a small sigh. He could already guess what was coming, so he was at a loss for words. Edward, watching Ritz with amusement, laughed cheerfully.
"Guess what she said."
Knowing he was being teased, Ritz couldn't help but clasp his hands together in front of his chest, just as Anna often did.
"'I'm a spirit user! I'll help!' ...right?"
"Exactly. The spirit user who left was a water spirit user like Anna, but it seems her power was considerably weaker than Anna's."
"So we were hired as Anna's escort?"
"Yes and no."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
When he furrowed his brow, wondering if there was more, Edward's cheeks relaxed into a cheerful grin.
"Did you know? That lord of Saradio is, like you, quite the playboy."
"I know, but don't lump me in with that toad."
From what Franz complained about, Ville Lucina was apparently cheap with women. Ritz, on the other hand, had never been cheap with women... he thought.
He said so in a grumpy tone, but Edward brushed it off as if he hadn't heard and continued.
"Then what about the fact that he has a personal harem?"
"The dream of every man."
"Go tell Franz that. He'll burn you to a crisp."
"I'm not gonna. I value my life."
After he said that and fell silent, Edward gave a faint smile.
"I'll continue. In Ville Lucina's harem are his current legal wife and candidates for future legal wives he has taken a fancy to. Most of the legal wife candidates are said to be dancers or singers he found in taverns and on stages. Naturally, that includes the mothers of Franz and Constanze."
"Dancers or singers?"
"That's right. Franz's mother was a famous dancer, and Constanze's mother was a famous singer. Constanze was raised on her mother's songs from birth until her mother left her side. In other words..."
"Is Constanze a good singer?"
"Exceptionally so."
Edward cut off his words meaningfully, and Ritz understood what he was implying.
The female acrobat who ran off with a man was a spirit user and a singer. Anna was a spirit user, but the only songs she sang were lullabies, village festival songs, and songs about being hungry. The only adult who would be happy with Anna's lullabies was Ritz.
And Constanze was a singer. In other words, the two of them had volunteered to be the replacement for the woman who had run away.
"I get Anna, but why Constanze too?"
"Constanze knew we were struggling to get into Roshozu. She probably wants to show her beloved big brother what she can do, even if it's just a little."
"I see."
"I decided to go along as their guardian. And I squeezed you and Franz in there."
"Squeezed in?"
"That's right. The job of the other man who ran away, the stagehand, will be covered by you and Franz."
"I see."
How lucky. Since starting this journey, he'd had an incredible string of good fortune. Ritz secretly thought it was thanks to Anna being there. Her getting involved had opened up a path for them.
Well, it might come back to bite him someday, but for now, he would gratefully accept this good luck.
"So? Think it'll work?"
"Hmm, it's our only shot, isn't it?"
"I suppose so. Then we'll decide on that?"
"Yeah."
For that reason, leaving behind the Saradio Guard Corps that had come this far with them, the five of them and Sara the Salamander, as limited-time members of the Marguerite Circus Troupe led by a female ringmaster for their Roshozu performance, finally set foot in the land of Roshozu.
As for what Ritz was doing in this long-awaited land of Roshozu, it was pure manual labor. In place of the man who disappeared, he was busy with tasks like setting up the tent and inflating the children's air balloon.
Manual labor was his specialty, so it wasn't difficult at all.
"Hot..."
The only thing that was tough was the heat. Even in mid-September, the lingering summer sun beat down relentlessly, its embers still burning fiercely.
That was why, in this heat, what Ritz had slung over his back was not a greatsword... but a large, long-handled hammer. His attire was also a short-sleeved shirt and a pair of overalls with excessively roomy legs.
"A job like this actually exists, huh..."
During a break in the work, Ritz looked up at the sky and muttered. Under the scorching sun, clouds with a texture unique to summer were billowing in the clear sky.
By "a job like this," he naturally meant the kind of job he realized he had to look for when he slept with Anna in his arms on the road.
A job where physical labor was useful and could entertain people. And on top of that, it involved wandering around various countries.
The one and only thing it absolutely lacked was the ability to help people in the way Anna wished. It was probably impossible to have it all.
"Hey, brother, I need you over here!"
An older man, tanned dark by the sun, called out to Ritz in a resonant voice. There was no time to rest. Ritz put on his leather gloves, lifted the hammer with ease, and answered in a loud voice.
"Coming!"
Ritz roughly wiped the sweat with his fist and returned to work. It looked like the hot days would continue for a while yet.