Chapter 203 - <10>
"I'm getting really tired of this..."
On an afternoon that felt nothing like the heat of summer, Ritz grumbled as he lay in the back of the carriage. Franz agreed, but he was too weary to even speak, so he just nodded from where he was sprawled out. Up on the driver's seat, Edward, visible through the open partition, nodded as well.
"It's really taking a toll on the body."
Usually, Ritz would have a witty comeback for such a statement from Edward, but he said nothing and just lay on his back.
"Ah, I want a lavish meal."
At Ritz's usual complaint of hunger, even Franz, who would normally call him greedy, couldn't help but nod.
"...I kind of understand that feeling."
"See? If you're saying it, it must be bad."
It had been nearly a week since they had forced their way through the city's immigration checkpoint, and every single day had been spent on the run. By day, they were chased and fled from Goblins riding deer-like creatures with large antlers and tireless Giants. By night, they were pursued by wolves.
At first, Franz knew nothing about the Goblins and Giants, but in the past few days, he had learned more than he ever wanted to know.
First, the Goblins. His initial impression was that they were not suited for combat and were more of a support role for the Giants, but that was wrong. The Goblins were perfect archers, using their unique bows and arrows to provide rear support for the Giants.
Ritz and Edward had no way to deal with them, leaving Franz to fight back with his [Flame Arrow]s and [Fireball]s. At first, Franz's heart ached for the Goblins who were engulfed in flames and fell into chaos, but after a while, he was forced to realize that with their sheer numbers, he had no choice but to fight to survive.
Having thrown countless [Flame Arrow]s, Franz could only sigh at his own surprising level of improvement. He learned for the first time that this was what it meant to be pursued.
And the Giants possessed incredible strength and high physical ability. Despite their size, they moved quickly, but their thought process was not as fast, so they would be a moment too slow to react to Ritz's swift sword strikes.
Ritz, never missing that split second, took advantage of it to defeat them. Edward was mostly supporting Ritz in these battles.
But terrifyingly, the Giants' reactions after being cut were slow, and you had to be careful of their final strike. At first, Edward hadn't known this and had been in some dangerous situations, but now he was completely used to it.
Watching the Giants, he was suddenly reminded of the assassination attempt on Edward. The Giants' characteristics were very similar to those monsters created by the drug. The scent had been of Moonlight Cherry Blossom from Suien, so he thought the Giants might be involved somehow. But there was no evidence for that.
It was just that Kuchiba had said that starting wars was also the job of the Clan of Darkness, so the two were linked. After all, the Clan of Darkness had been involved in that incident from the beginning.
And if Edward had been killed, a civil war would have broken out. But he couldn't imagine what benefit the land of darkness would gain from causing a civil war in Yuresla.
He had told Edward and Ritz this idea, and while they both said there might be something to it, they could only scratch their heads about the motive. Franz didn't really understand, but they said that without profit or an inter-state conflict, a war wouldn't happen.
If that incident had been ordered by Kuchiba, it would mean the battle with the Clan of Darkness had started surprisingly early. That was a shock.
Franz, who had been curled up sleeping, stretched his arms wide. His body ached from the wooden planks and the vibrations. He had tried to make it more comfortable by laying down warm clothes or a grass-woven mat, but the vibrations were just unbearable.
He hadn't slept peacefully on the ground once since leaving the city. But even Franz knew it was impossible to ask for a bed, so he didn't say anything.
Moreover, their food supply was becoming quite precarious. At this rate, they would run out of things to eat in a few days. But they couldn't stop in a city.
Lately, he had noticed Ritz looking at the wolves with a particularly intense gaze, and yesterday, Ritz had finally proposed to them, "Can we eat the wolves?" Franz had been taken aback, but Edward had nodded with a straight face, and it was decided that when their food ran out, they would eat the wolves that were trying to eat them. On that occasion, Franz was to roast the wolf to a crisp.
That was how cornered they were.
If it was Orphe who had given this assassination order, he resolved that the next time they met, he wouldn't let him off easy. But they had to get there first for that to even be a conversation.
"It's strangely quiet today."
Ritz, who had been lying sprawled out with his arms and legs spread, muttered this and sat up.
While avoiding populated areas and aiming for the Great Temple on the map, the group had been unable to completely leave civilization behind. After all, the Great Temple was at the center of this country. The closer they got, the narrower the distance between cities became.
So they had no choice but to travel parallel to the highway but a few kilometers away on the mountain side, but even so, they were usually attacked several times a day. Since their destination was known, this was probably unavoidable.
But today, there hadn't been a single attack so far. Thanks to that, Franz had been able to sleep for several hours in the morning for the first time in a while, and Ritz had also been able to take breaks in several-hour shifts, alternating with Edward.
"I hope it stays quiet like this."
Ritz said to Edward, and Edward's reply came back.
"I agree. But the possibility that this is the calm before the storm seems high."
"Why?"
"Because there's a slope ahead, and it becomes a hill."
At Edward's words, Ritz moved to the driver's seat.
"Ah, you're right."
He couldn't understand anything from their conversation.
"Why?"
He slowly sat up and poked his head into the driver's seat. Ritz looked back.
"If they're on top of the hill, we can't see them from here, right?"
"Right."
"In other words, it's a perfect ambush point. And we haven't seen a conveniently placed hill like this before."
He froze at the cheerful words.
"That's... dangerous, isn't it?"
"Yep. Pretty dangerous. Right?"
"Exactly. Now, what to do?"
The two of them were so calm it made his blood run cold. They seemed to be acting with the full knowledge that an ambush party was waiting on that hill.
"Let's run."
He thought he was proposing the obvious, but the two of them frowned and looked back.
"To where?"
"Where...?"
He looked around and was stunned. There were escape routes to the left and right. They just had to avoid going to the hill in front. But to the left was a dense forest that the carriage couldn't enter, and to the right was the highway. And faintly visible in the direction of the highway was a city.
"We could escape into the forest and try to lure them into individual combat, which we mercenaries are good at, but..." Ritz said, and Edward cheerfully continued.
"In the meantime, we'd lose the carriage and our means of transportation."
"N-No way..."
"There's also the option of heading for the city, racing down the highway, and forcing our way through the hill."
This time, Edward said it. Ritz continued cheerfully.
"In that case, we'd be caught in a pincer attack between the reinforcements from the city and the ambush party."
"Then what are we supposed to do?!"
He couldn't help but shout, and Ritz looked back.
"Franz, can you summon the Fire Dragon?"
"...The Fire Dragon...?"
He murmured, and Ritz smiled sadly.
"Yeah. Unfortunately, we don't have a Water Dragon."
"Ah..."
In a situation like this, if Anna were here, she could have the Water Dragon surround the carriage, and they could break through by cutting down only the enemies that got past the dragon from on top of the carriage. In other words, the same applied to Franz. But fire had the risk of burning the carriage, and unlike Anna, Franz couldn't easily summon the Fire Dragon.
"Sorry. I don't know..."
"Right. Then there's only one other option."
"I agree."
The two of them said this and stopped the carriage.
"What's the other option?"
When Franz asked, Ritz jumped down from the carriage on the spot, took the horse's reins, and turned it around. The direction was the way they had just come.
"So you mean we're going back?"
"Exactly. There was no sign of the enemy on the road so far. So we'll go back a little and look for another route."
"I see..."
He nodded, but the thought occurred to him that they should have done that from the beginning. But he immediately realized why they hadn't, so he didn't say it. Ritz probably wanted to get to Anna's side as quickly as possible, so he must have wanted to avoid taking a detour at all costs.
"I'm sorry."
He apologized while looking at the back of Edward's head. Edward turned and smiled.
"Don't worry about it. But you don't have to apologize in front of him. He's trying his best to put on a brave face right now, so please don't crack it."
"Yes, sir."
He nodded, and at the same time, Ritz jumped on from behind.
"Ready when you are. Let's go."
"Let's do it."
Edward cracked the whip again.
He glanced at Ritz, who was heading for the driver's seat, and then casually looked back at the receding hill. He trusted their intuition, but was there really an ambush waiting beyond that hill? If they were mistaken, wouldn't they just be wasting time?
Just as Franz was thinking this, something caught his eye.
"Huh...?"
Something was moving on top of the hill. And it was huge.
"Hm? What's wrong?"
Ritz asked, but he couldn't speak. The something on the hill had revealed itself.
On top of the giant creature was, unbelievably, a Giant.
"Ah, ah..."
"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Ritz, who had come back from the driver's seat with a teasing tone, stared with his mouth agape.
"What is that thing?"
In front of them, the giant things appeared one after another, carrying Giants. The giant creatures, covered in thick brown fur, had four thick legs, a long, drooping nose, large ears, and sharp tusks that curved upwards.
There were probably more than ten of them.
Around them were the usual large-antlered deer with Goblins on their backs, but the deer looked like small fawns in comparison. As he was staring blankly, a sound like a horn, echoing through the air, was blown.
In an instant, Ritz snapped back to reality and rushed to Edward's side.
"We've been spotted, Ed, this is bad! Full speed!"
"What is it? What's coming?"
"I don't know! Something huge is coming!"
As they were having this conversation, Edward suddenly sped up the carriage, and Franz was thrown forward, clinging to the cargo bed. Even as he clung on, he couldn't take his eyes off the Giants riding the unknown creatures.
Soon, the horn sound stopped, and at the same time, the mountain-like creatures began to move. A low rumble faintly echoed.
"...What is that..."
As he stared in a daze, he noticed the roar gradually getting louder. The large creatures had started to run.
This was truly an earth-shaking tremor. Those creatures, of which there were only about ten, were causing the ground to shake. What incredible weight they must have.
"It's coming, the big one is coming!"
He shouted in a high-pitched voice. Ritz came back to his side and stared outside, clicking his tongue.
"...Can that monster run with a Giant on its back?"
"What is that thing?"
"In the southernmost part of Sarnia, there's a similar creature. It's called an elephant."
"So that's an elephant?"
"No way. An elephant is a fraction of that size."
"Then what is it?"
"How should I know!"
With that, Ritz turned his gaze back to the enemy.
"Franz, when the Goblins get close, fight back with your Flame Arrows and Fireballs, as usual."
At Ritz's words, he nodded. This was no time to be dazed. Not only was that monster coming, but as usual, the Goblins would be the first to charge in to shoot their arrows.
To avoid falling out, Franz hooked his feet into the footholds he had made and stared at the rear. His eyes were filled with the sight of the giant monster raising its trunk and running towards them. It was a terrifying sight.
Soon, the Goblins appeared nearby, faster than usual. Before they could get into position to shoot, he sent a huge fireball their way. Engulfed in flames, they fell from their deer with high-pitched cries.
No matter how many times he experienced it, he never got used to it, but he had to do it to survive.
If he was shot with an arrow, Franz, with his slow reflexes, wouldn't be able to dodge it, so he continuously launched Fireballs without a moment's pause, and when there was an opening, he shot a Flame Arrow at the large-antlered deer's feet to make it fall. As he was absorbed in repeating this, the attack suddenly stopped.
"Huh...?"
The Goblins had vanished from before his eyes.
Just as he leaned out to check, something thick wrapped around his torso.
"Huh..."
The next moment, it tried to lift him, squeezing his torso. Since his feet were secured, he was pulled, and he screamed as he was squeezed.
"Aaaahhhhhh!"
He screamed and beat at whatever was wrapped around his torso, but the fur-covered thing wouldn't budge. Just as he was about to panic, he was suddenly released.
At that moment, a tremendous roar erupted from the rear of the carriage, and something rolled with an earth-shaking thud.
"You okay?!"
By the time he realized Ritz had cut it, it was already writhing at the rear of the carriage.
"It really is a type of elephant."
Ritz muttered while looking at something. He followed his gaze and screamed. At Franz's feet was the long trunk of that creature.
"T-t-t-t..."
He pointed, trembling, and Ritz nodded.
"Yeah. That's what was wrapped around you."
He couldn't speak. He breathed heavily, his shoulders heaving, and looked back to see the monster closing in on them.
"This is bad."
Ritz's mutter made him turn pale. When Ritz said it was bad, it was really bad.
Soon, the creature caught up to the rear of the carriage. It was an incredible speed for its massive body, but it was still slower than the horses and couldn't run alongside the carriage.
But the horses were also getting tired. Praying for them to keep going would be useless. They must be feeling the danger to their lives as well, but fatigue was something they couldn't overcome.
Eventually, the horses' speed dropped slightly.
"It's coming."
As he spoke, Ritz took Franz's rapier. A greatsword would be difficult to use inside the carriage.
"I'm borrowing this."
"Okay."
"Cover me."
"Right."
At Ritz's words, he stood up.
In the next instant, with a tremendous sound, one side of the canvas cover was pierced by a Giant's battle-axe.
Through the massive tear, the expressionless, black-eyed gaze of a Giant peered in.
"Whoa!"
As Franz screamed and shrank back, Ritz accurately thrust the rapier into the Giant's forehead. Without changing its expression, the Giant fell from the giant elephant.
"Franz, cover me properly! You'll die!"
"I know!"
He stood up on trembling legs, hooked his feet into the footholds again, and aimed at the forehead of the giant elephant that was right in front of him.
"Go! Flame Arrow!"
Perhaps due to his heightened emotions, the Flame Arrow became huge and exploded violently at the elephant's forehead, causing it to panic and throw off the Giant riding it.
But that didn't mean the pursuers would give up. If one was defeated, the next shooter would appear and swing their battle-axe.
After defeating several, the canvas cover in front of Franz was violently torn, and the dim interior of the carriage was suddenly filled with light.
At the same time, the expressionless eyes of a Giant turned to Franz as if it had found its prey.
He screamed and backed away, and in front of him, the Giant grabbed the canvas cover, tore it off, and threw it away. Incredible strength.
And from that empty space, a Giant poked its head in and laughed.
"Oh, there you are."
It was a slow, drawn-out tone, but with a battle-axe at the ready, it didn't sound calm.
"Sorry, little one. It's an order, so die for me."
As soon as the words were out, the battle-axe swung down. The seat in front of Franz was split wide open. He jumped back and collided with Ritz's back. Ritz was fighting a Giant that had come from the other side.
"Missed."
The Giant said, sounding somewhat amused. Fear welled up, and he felt like screaming, but he couldn't be a burden here.
Taking a small breath, he hurriedly righted himself, created a Fireball in his palm, and threw it at the Giant. The Giant easily dodged it.
"Oh, a little one who's a spirit user like the Guardian. Well, well."
The Giant's battle-axe smashed the floor near Franz.
"I'd be happy if I could defeat you and get some praise."
As the Giant laughed and swung its battle-axe, Franz thought it was over, that he couldn't dodge it. But in that instant, his chest grew hot, and a bright light flashed. The light was so strong that the Giant that had been attacking him let out a cry of fear and backed away.
"That... that light is..."
In the instant the Giant recoiled in fear, Ritz, who had apparently finished with the other side, cut down the Giant in front of Franz.
As if frightened by the light, the Giants and Goblins moved a little away from the carriage and watched from a distance.
In the temporary peace, Ritz re-sheathed the rapier at his waist.
"What is this?"
Ritz, who also had a gem tucked into his chest pocket, muttered, catching his breath. The two glowing gems eventually began to pulsate slowly in unison.
"This has never happened before."
As he muttered, Edward, who had been desperately steering the carriage from the driver's seat, shouted.
"Look at that!"
Called out, he and Ritz hurriedly looked out. In front of them was a place surrounded by trees, and from there, something was emitting a soft light. It was pulsating slowly, just like their gems.
There seemed to be something in the forest.
"Friend or foe..."
At Edward's mutter, Ritz turned to Franz as if he had made up his mind.
"Either way, this is the worst possible situation. We can't hold out against the Giants any longer."
"You're right."
Edward nodded heavily.
"Let's just go. It'll work out somehow."
"But..."
He looked up at Ritz, as if to ask if it was okay, and Ritz shrugged.
"The gem is calling. That means the god is calling. It's useless to run, right?"
"I guess so..."
Either way, there was no other path to take.
With its direction decided, the carriage headed straight for the forest. The glowing light in the forest seemed to have completely drained the Giants of their will to fight, but they couldn't completely ignore their orders, so they followed.
Soon, a single road leading into the forest appeared. Without hesitation, Edward steered the carriage onto that road. In the back of the carriage, half of which had its canvas cover torn off, he and Ritz looked at the surrounding scenery, caressed by the refreshing summer breeze.
The Giants on their huge creatures and the Goblins on their large-antlered deer gradually fell back, and eventually, they stopped and saw the group off.
The carriage, carrying the three of them, proceeded down the well-maintained path, and soon, they passed through the forest and came out into a wide space. There was a single house there, and a large, square wooden building that might have been a stable. Someone was living there.
As they entered the front yard, they were enveloped in a brilliant light.
He recognized this sensation. A barrier.
As the dazzling light subsided, he cautiously opened his eyes to see a single man from the Clan of Darkness, who was approaching old age, standing before him.
Franz braced himself, thinking this was the worst possible outcome, a member of the Clan of Darkness, but the man didn't make any move and just looked at them leisurely. He realized that Ritz and Edward were also staring at the man without a word.
The man wore a white robe and had his jet-black hair tied back in a long ponytail. He also had a long beard. If asked whether he was friend or foe, he could only be an enemy, yet he couldn't understand why this man seemed so calm.
Eventually, the man smiled gently.
"So you've been captured too. I was waiting."
Captured... so he's an enemy? But that thought was fleeting. The man beckoned to them softly.
"Come, come inside. The warriors and guardians cannot easily come here."
With that, the man turned his back on the three of them and started back towards his house.
"You can tie the horse up over there. I haven't bothered to mow the grass recently, so there should be enough for it to eat."
The three of them looked at each other, but in this situation, they had no other choice. If they stayed here, they didn't know when the Goblins or Giants would come after them.
"Do you think it's okay?"
At Ritz's question, Edward sighed softly.
"I don't know. But my gut tells me it's not dangerous. I don't sense any deceit in his face."
"I agree. In for a penny, in for a pound, right?"
If the two of them said so, there was no reason for Franz to refuse. They had far superior judgment of character compared to him.
They unhitched the horse from the battered carriage, tied it to a nearby tree, drew water from a barrel in the back, and gave it to the horse. After confirming that the horse had started to relax without any signs of caution, they left.
The small path leading to the man's cozy house was lined with vegetable gardens on both sides. The gardens, probably growing just enough for the man to eat, were surprisingly lush for this wilderness, but remembering that it was a place protected by a barrier, he understood.
When they reached the entrance, the man was waiting.
"Welcome to my temple."
The man said in a resonant voice and opened the door. Inside the hut, there was indeed a small altar, but it was far from a temple. Cautiously, they entered the hut, and the man who closed the door behind them bustled off somewhere. From that direction, he could hear the clattering of dishes.
"Sit wherever you like. I'll get something for you now."
When he looked around as instructed, he saw a table with a massive pile of paper bundles, leaving only enough space for one person to sit. As he was wondering if it was okay to move them, the man eventually came out with an old, blackened silver tray carrying a mismatched set of cups.
"Sorry, but just move those aside wherever. I've got all the documents in my head, so it's not a problem."
With that, the man placed the tray unceremoniously on top of the documents and returned to what seemed to be the kitchen.
Looking at Ritz and Edward, he saw Ritz give a wry smile and start stacking the documents, while Edward shrugged and followed suit. Franz turned his attention to the tray. On it was a piece of cloth, probably a dish towel, which had likely been washed, but because it hadn't been straightened before drying, it was warped. The cups were dusty. It was just like the first time he had come to Orphe's house, and a sudden wave of nostalgia washed over him. This man was surely lacking in housekeeping skills.
While the man was likely boiling water for tea, Franz deftly wiped the cups with the less-than-ideal dish towel and wiped the dust off the silver tray.
Eventually, the man appeared with a teapot and a kettle.
"What would you like?"
When asked, he saw that in a box, small, individually wrapped portions of black tea and green tea were jumbled together without any organization. Franz silently selected two types of tea from the box, placed them gently in the teapot, and poured hot water from the kettle.
In the meantime, he poured hot water into the empty cups to rinse out the dust and warm them. The things he used to do when he was with Orphe were ingrained in his body, so his body moved on its own. Then he properly poured tea into four mismatched cups.
"Well now. You're quite skilled."
The man murmured in admiration and sat down in the seat that had been cleared.
"Sit wherever you like."
At his invitation, the three of them finally sat down.
Silently, the four of them sipped tea from their cups. The tea he had brewed himself and a room that didn't shake. There was nothing more calming.
Thinking this, he took a breath, and then, upon reflection, he realized it was a strange scene. Confused, he looked at Edward, who smiled and looked at the man.
"We are grateful for your help in a dangerous situation. I am Edward, and these are Ritz and Franz. And you are?"
"I am Taisha. The master of this house."
As he said this, the man... Taisha, smiled. For Franz, who had believed all members of the Clan of Darkness to be cold and cruel, this man's existence was strange. And this strange man was drinking the tea Franz had made as if it were delicious.
"If I had known I'd have guests, I would have made some sweets."
Without asking anything about them, who had burst in in such a battered state, he just muttered such things while enjoying the steam. At that, the exhausted Franz and his companions lost any will to ask questions.
The warm tea drew out a great deal of fatigue and sleepiness from their bodies. As Franz discreetly rubbed his eyes, Taisha noticed and smiled.
"You are all tired. You should rest for today. I will not harm you in any way. I need you."
Taisha's eyes were fixed on the three of them. Franz was convinced that these eyes were not lying. He looked at Ritz and Edward, and they nodded in the same way.
"We'll talk about the details tomorrow. So for today, you should rest well. Well, it's summer, so you probably wouldn't catch a cold even if you collapsed right here, but that wouldn't be good."
With that, the man moved the luggage that had been piled up against the wall. A door appeared there.
"Bring your warm clothes down from the carriage and rest. If I remember correctly, the room behind this door is for guests, so feel free to use it."
The room they were shown into was in a terrible state. To sleep there tonight, they would first have to start by cleaning.
"Well now. It's cleaner than I thought."
Taisha said with a satisfied smile, and after saying they could do as they pleased, he left. Sighing at his slightly skewed sense of hygiene, Ritz laughed and patted Franz's shoulder.
"It's better than wolves and Giants. Come on, let's clean up."
With that, he strode across the dusty and cluttered room and stood in front of the window. He slid open the glass sliding door, which he recognized from Suien, and fresh air poured in. Now he could breathe.
"Alright, let's get to it. It's been a while since the big clean-up at the new house in Sears."
"..."
"Don't make that face."
With Ritz cheerfully starting to beat the dust out, it took the three of them over two hours to clean the room.
He couldn't help but wonder if this was what Taisha had meant by needing them, but at last, the group had secured a place to rest peacefully.