Chapter 199 - <6>
Several hours had already passed since Ritz and Anna left—enough time that, were Anna here, the kids would be clamoring for snack time. Edward, who had remained at the inn with Franz, was gazing out the window.
The inn itself was unremarkable, aside from being slightly larger than a typical residence. But since their room was on the third and top floor, nestled in the gabled roof, the view was rather decent.
Of course, he couldn't see the entire city, but their location on the outskirts offered a clear view of the supplies and travelers coming in along the highway.
As he observed, he realized that most of the travelers coming to this city were from the Giant Clan and the Goblin Clan. He saw no human travelers, but it was also clear that most of the people hauling luggage and transporting goods were human.
It was only speculation, but it seemed possible that the laborers in this country were exclusively human, and that the Giants and Goblins only handled jobs related to immigration inspection or the temple. According to Ritz, there were Giants and Goblins on the battlefield as well, with commanders often being from the Clan of Darkness. He’d also heard that there were more humans than any other race, but he’d never seen a human officer.
Indeed, the owner of this inn was human, and when they were checking in, he had shown almost no interest in Ritz, who was disguised as a member of the Clan of Darkness. The Clan of Darkness was likely permitted to travel freely, just like the Giants and Goblins.
Conversely, it was the three humans who had drawn curious stares, which left an impression on him. This likely meant that in this country called Zeum, humans did not have the right to travel freely.
If that was the case, they would need to be more careful when choosing their lodging in the next city. The ideal arrangement would be for only Ritz to stay at an inn, with meals and bedding brought out to the carriage for the rest of them. That way, they wouldn't attract the attention of the inn staff, and Ritz could pass as an ordinary traveler.
Sensing a presence, he turned to see Franz sitting up on his bedding, rubbing his eyes.
"...Good morning."
"Did you get some sleep?"
"Yes. For the first time in a while."
As he spoke, Franz began to fold the bedding he had slept on. There were no beds here.
This inn was constructed differently from those in the cities they had visited so far. First, the floor was not made of wooden planks, but of slightly soft mats woven from grass. They were of a uniform size, laid out neatly in rows and columns to cover the entire room.
There were no beds in the room; instead, you were meant to lay your bedding directly on the floor to sleep. They would lend you futons according to the number of guests. It was a design that considered the vastly different body sizes of the races that used the inn, like the Giants and Goblins.
Last night, they had borrowed four futons for this room and slept side-by-side. But leaving them spread out would be a nuisance, so whoever woke up first would fold their own and stack it in the corner. Apparently, they were responsible for managing their own bedding until they left the inn.
Since they had brought very little luggage inside, the room was reasonably spacious once the bedding was put away. Most of their belongings had been left in the carriage. They hadn't parked the carriage at the inn, either. In case something happened and they needed to escape quickly, Ritz had consulted with him, dropped them off at the inn, and then gone to park it in a barn he'd rented from a farmer on the outskirts of town.
This was the land of the Clan of Darkness, Kuchiba's country, which did not welcome their visit to the holy land. It was better to be cautious.
"If you're feeling rested, shall we go to a bookstore?"
He spoke to Franz, who was sitting dazedly after stacking his bedding. Franz turned to him with an expression of blatant annoyance. For someone as high-strung as Franz, mental fatigue placed a greater burden on him than physical exhaustion. A single night's rest probably wasn't enough for him to recover.
"...Not today."
As expected, Franz's answer was the usual, predictable one.
"I see."
Without pushing the matter further, Edward gazed out the window again. He, too, sat directly on the floor, his legs crossed.
"Are you going out?"
Franz asked, his expression still vacant. Edward shook his head slightly and smiled.
"I see."
Franz nodded, crawled over to his luggage, took out a book, and then flopped onto the floor. If you're going to lie down anyway, you might as well lay out your futon, he thought, amused. Franz was likely drawing a line between sleeping and resting.
With a small sigh, Edward looked out the window. From over the triangular roof of the building across the way, he could see a sky filled with a fair number of clouds. Back in Yuresla, it should be the height of a sweltering summer, with massive clouds billowing up.
If asked whether this journey had been easy for him, Edward would honestly say it had not. There were times when he felt unexpected aches in parts of his body that should have been more agile, which occasionally left him bewildered.
When he'd told Ritz and Anna he was 'a little tired and would rest,' it was only half a joke; he'd been serious. The old wounds he'd sustained during the civil war in his youth often ached on this long journey, and more than anything, the long travel was quite harsh for a man of his age.
But this journey, which would likely be his last, was so full of fascinating things that it made him forget the various pains and hardships. Above all, the life of a seeker, which he had yearned for before aspiring to be king, was here, and it brought him a deep sense of satisfaction.
He had no regrets about ending his life as king in Sears. But deep in his heart, in a place he wasn't even conscious of, he felt that the younger version of himself, who had dreamed of becoming a seeker traveling the continent, had been crouched there all along.
To unleash that self and travel like this was an unexpected joy. He would have to thank Ritz, who, despite all his complaints, had relied on him and Shasta and sent them a letter.
No matter what the outcome, even if it cost him his life.
As he idly contemplated these things while gazing outside, he noticed a concerning sight.
From outside the city, from the direction of the gate where they had gone through immigration, several members of the Giant Clan were approaching at a brisk pace. At their feet were a few members of the Goblin Clan, small figures with reddish skin and curly red hair. They were all looking around as if searching for something.
He couldn't make out what they were saying, but it was certain that the two races were mingling and talking amongst themselves. When he gently opened the window, a mix of leisurely drawls and high-pitched, rapid-fire speech, both at high volume, rushed in.
They were likely speaking a common tongue, but the atmosphere was so peculiar that he couldn't grasp the meaning.
Then, a single man approached them. His actual age was impossible to tell, but he looked quite young. He wore a long-hemmed robe. It was the first time he had seen a male from the Clan of Darkness since entering this country.
Instantly, both the Giants and Goblins fell silent. A stillness returned in a flash. Though he couldn't understand what was being said in the low voice, he could tell that the situation had become tense. Eventually, the man handed a bottle containing some kind of liquid to the Giants and a piece of paper to the Goblins.
And finally, after reciting the same mysterious words that Ritz had exchanged with the Giants at the immigration check, as if it were a password, the Giants and Goblins scattered into the city.
A bad feeling crept over him.
"Franz, pack your things."
"Huh?"
"Ritz's and Anna's, too."
"What?"
Franz looked back at him, his face a mask of confusion at the sudden order. A quick glance out the window showed the Giants and Goblins hurrying towards the city center.
"I'd be happy to be wrong, but it seems our presence has been discovered."
At his words, Franz gasped, his expression hardening.
"How...?"
"I don't know. But so far, Kuchiba has anticipated our every move. Is it so strange that he might have some means of knowing we've come to this city?"
"...No."
With a small nod, Franz stuffed the book he'd taken out back into his bag and grabbed Ritz's and Anna's luggage. Edward picked up the rest of the bags, careful not to hinder Franz's movements. They had both taken the bare essentials with them, and the rest was in the carriage, so there wasn't much to carry.
"And there's one other possibility."
As he stood up with the luggage, the anxious-looking Franz stood as well and looked at him.
"...I think I have an idea what that possibility might be."
"I thought so. If that's the case, the sooner we escape, the better."
"Yes."
The other possibility. It was that Anna had inadvertently let something slip. Or that Ritz had been forced to engage an enemy to protect Anna. If that happened, there was no doubt that all of them, as his companions, would be pursued.
They quietly descended the stairs. The innkeeper was standing at the entrance, looking out anxiously. When Edward spoke to him, the man flinched before letting out a long sigh. But his face was etched with worry.
"Are you heading out?"
"Yes. We're going into town."
"I see..."
He received a look that seemed to want to say something more, but he simply smiled without answering. The innkeeper then began to speak timidly.
"You're not from Zeum, are you, sirs?"
"...And why would you think that?"
Answering without confirming or denying, the innkeeper lowered his head slightly, staring at his hands as he murmured.
"Because you seemed free."
"Free?"
When he repeated the word, the innkeeper looked up and smiled faintly.
"We want for nothing in our lives. We are peaceful and happy, and we have no complaints. But if any sort of trouble arises between us and the Guardians or the warriors, we humans are severely punished. So we always live with the Guardians in mind. But I didn't sense that kind of tension from Master Shiou or the rest of you."
The innkeeper, who had spoken in a rush of whispers, glanced up at him before lowering his gaze again and bowing deeply.
"Therefore, I do not care for trouble. I was about to call for a warrior. You are lucky."
"You're going to report us?"
Even when asked calmly, the innkeeper did not raise his head. He just kept bowing. This wasn't a very large city, and being on the frontier, there probably weren't many travelers. So there couldn't be many inns.
There was no way people from outside Zeum would be sheltered in a private residence, so if Kuchiba had ordered a search for them, the Giants and Goblins would undoubtedly check this inn.
"I am an innkeeper. I do not wish to sell out my guests. Therefore, please take your leave while I am gone to fetch the warrior."
Edward asked the still-bowing innkeeper gently.
"Knowing we weren't from Zeum, why did you let us stay?"
The innkeeper remained silent for a moment before raising his head.
"I have a son who ran away from home seeking freedom. If he is alive, he is surely living outside Zeum, being helped by kind people. So if I see a tired young person about my son's age, I wanted to let them stay, as if they were my own son."
As the innkeeper spoke with a lonely expression, the drawn-out, loud voice of a Giant drifted in. One must be passing by the front of the shop.
"The back entrance is that way. Be safe."
With those brief words and a bow, the innkeeper hurried off towards the main entrance of the inn. As Franz stared blankly at the man's retreating back, Edward urged him on, and they burst out the indicated back door. At the same moment, the innkeeper's loud voice rang out.
"Warrior, warrior! Over here, please. There are suspicious folk staying here!"
"Suspicious folk, ya say? Let us in."
Hearing the exchange behind them, they hurried down the main street and ducked into an alley. They hid there for a moment, catching their breath. He seemed to have noticed.
"...Do you think he'll be okay?" Franz murmured.
"He'll be fine. He'll probably explain that he was trying to detain the suspicious individuals while he reported them."
"I see."
He peeked cautiously toward the main street and saw a crowd had formed. Residents and Goblins had gathered, drawn by the commotion. This would make it possible to follow the opposite side of the road to reach the barn where the carriage was hidden.
"In any case, let's get to the carriage."
He said curtly. Franz looked toward the main street with an anxious expression.
"Will they be okay?"
"It's better than just sitting here, isn't it?"
"That's not what I mean..."
He understood from Franz's expression. Franz was looking straight at him. He was worried about his comrades, not himself. He must be thinking that if they left the inn, it would be difficult to reunite.
Accepting his anxiety, Edward spoke quietly.
"It's true that pursuers are likely looking for them in the city as well."
"Yes."
"They're probably having a hard time of it over there, too."
"You're right."
Franz nodded, his expression sinking.
"In that case, he won't come back here."
"What?"
Franz's mouth fell open, his face bewildered as if he'd been tricked by a fox.
"If I were Ritz, the first thing I would consider when something happens is the best course of action. In other words, the means of survival."
"Means of survival?"
"That's right. The most important thing in Zeum is moving from city to city. If every city is in an isolated environment like this one, surrounded by wild beasts, then without a carriage, not only is travel impossible, but so is staying alive."
Perhaps recalling their experience of being chased by a pack of wolves just before entering the country, Franz shivered slightly and nodded. He was likely imagining the harshness of the journey ahead without a carriage.
"If the Giants and Goblins in the city are searching for us, then leaving this city becomes the top priority. In that case, he would think to return to the carriage first and escape the city. If we know that, we can go to the carriage ahead of them and avoid wasting time."
"But he might not know how we'll act."
"...Even Ritz would think of that. Is it possible that I wouldn't think of it too?"
"Ah..."
"Exactly. Ritz will act on the assumption that I will think the same way. After all, though neither of us likes to admit it, Ritz and I are in a similar position."
He said it jokingly, and Franz let out a long sigh. For all his complaining, Franz understood that Ritz and Edward were fundamentally similar in their thinking.
"I understand."
Franz nodded deeply and looked around.
"Let's get away before we're found."
"Right."
Smiling, Edward nodded and patted the tense Franz's shoulder lightly before taking the lead. This was several times safer than having the clumsy Franz in front. They walked, avoiding the main street and weaving through several alleys, keeping an eye on what was ahead and behind. It had been a while since he'd had to search like this, under cover.
While hurrying on, occasionally glancing back to check on the slow-footed Franz, he let out a small sigh that Franz wouldn't notice. He had answered Franz's worried words about Ritz and Anna in that way just now, but in truth, there was one exception to his words.
Ritz's thinking was limited by the word 'fundamentally,' but there was one scenario in which he would not return to the carriage.
That would be if the path back to the carriage was dangerous for Anna.
If Ritz were alone, he would risk a certain amount of danger, confident that Edward and Franz would go there, and somehow cut a path back to the carriage where his comrades were. The options available to Edward, who was with the inexperienced Franz, were clear-cut.
But if he couldn't return to the carriage while protecting Anna, Ritz would undoubtedly think of a completely different plan. It was typical of Ritz to sometimes prioritize a single person important to him over principles or even his other companions.
In that case, Edward couldn't predict what measures Ritz would take. The only certainty was that he would try to escape the city, so he would attempt some means to do so. And among the exits they knew of, there was only one: the place they had entered. If by chance he discovered another exit, Ritz might use that one.
Possible methods included stealing a wagon used by the townspeople, or stealing a horse. But if they left this town separately and were pursued individually, the chances of reuniting were extremely low.
Silently, they passed through several labyrinthine alleys from the bustling main street, and the two finally emerged onto a deserted street near the city's exit.
"Well, I hope the carriage is safe."
He said it jokingly, and Franz grimaced.