Chapter 22 - 2
The time was late October of the 1572nd year of the Yuresla Kingdom Calendar.
Ignoring the deepening autumn chill, the three of them were proceeding at an utterly leisurely and relaxed pace.
Six days had passed since they left Tushil Village. Ritz's party had crossed the border between the Saradio and Faldina autonomous regions and were now a day or two away from their next destination, Faldina.
A town that shares its name with its autonomous region is the central city of that region. The town of Faldina was, therefore, the most prosperous town in the Faldina Autonomous Region.
"Let's see, the famous products of Faldina are… flowers? Hey Ritz, apparently they eat flowers!"
Anna, holding a Yuresla Kingdom Tourist Guidebook she had bought on a whim amidst the chaos in Tushil Village, looked up at Ritz's face far above her with a joyful expression.
"Yeah, that's right. Though they don't exactly fill you up."
More than that, I want to eat my fill of meat dishes, Ritz thought, but didn't say it out loud.
They hadn't lacked for food in Tushil, but on the road, meals were scarce. They still had the ingredients they had received, but they were mainly vegetables.
Anna was delighted, but Ritz was left wanting. Moreover, a journey with two beginners was excruciatingly long. A distance Ritz could cover in a single day took them two and a half days.
He let out a quiet sigh, but Anna, oblivious to his state, continued to talk happily.
"You know, I thought flowers were just for looking at. You thought so too, right, Franz?"
Having received no interest from Ritz, Anna seemed to have changed her target to Franz Lucina, from whom she might get a response.
"…That's right."
However, Franz, who had been addressed, had no energy to reply. Even though he was getting used to it, for Franz, continuing to walk and camp out was an extreme hardship. His blue eyes had already lost their focus.
Feeling it was a bit cruel to sacrifice Franz like this, Ritz answered Anna in his stead.
"Well, we have a bit of money to spare, so let's try some when we get to town."
After saying it, he tilted his head, trying to remember.
"But it's the wrong season. They might not have any."
Flowers should bloom in spring and summer. But now it was the height of autumn.
"It'd be nice if they did, right?"
Ritz couldn't help but smile at Anna's persistence.
"If they do."
"Yay! I'm so happy!"
Anna's red braids swayed as she skipped lightly down the road. Did the word "tired" not exist in Anna's dictionary? Or was she just incredibly tough?
"She's really full of energy. Unlike someone else I know."
Franz sharply retorted to Ritz's murmur.
"…My apologies."
In his hand, even in broad daylight, was a lamp with a burning flame. The flame inside was no ordinary flame. It was a juvenile Salamander that they had happened to pick up in the previous village. Its name, given by Anna, was 'Sara-chan'.
It had been several weeks since these three… and one animal… had met by chance and set out on their journey.
At first, Ritz had been greatly perplexed by the journey with two youngsters, something he had never experienced before, but he had grown quite used to it. For Ritz, a journey had always meant a life of wandering to escape reality, and companions had always meant having a goal or purpose, always striving forward.
But to travel so leisurely without a purpose, and to watch his companions learn and grow before his eyes, was also enjoyable. Traveling so leisurely made the tense pressure he had been under until now feel like a lie, and life felt a little easier.
Since he had decided to enjoy it, Ritz intended to do so for as long as he was with them. Naturally, while fulfilling his duties as their guardian.
He had a long life ahead of him, so he had more than enough time to accompany them.
Walking leisurely behind Anna, who walked with a light step, and Franz, who stumbled behind her, Ritz looked up at the sky.
They had taken several breaks since morning, so it would be evening soon. This seemed like a good place.
"Alright, let's call it a day and rest here."
It was a bit early, but Ritz suggested it to the other two. Rest early, depart early. This was the iron rule of travel. And for a journey with beginners, it was an essential condition.
"Okay then, I'm making stew today!"
Since leaving the last village, Tushil, the three of them had basically been on a cooking rota. On the journey from Saradio to Tushil, there had been no rota because they had almost no food. There had been no need to cook.
But this time was completely different.
The three of them, having made a bit of money from the recent incident, had a considerable financial cushion and were carrying a large amount of food. Not only that, they also had plenty of food in the form of the villagers' goodwill.
They had a substantial, though compactly packed, amount of medicinal herbs as payment for the last job, which included herbs and herbal tea.
So now, they were living a life so rich that they could even have tea time after meals.
This meant that Ritz, the strongest of the three, had a significantly heavier load and burden, but a heavy load was far better than an empty stomach.
Today was Anna's turn, who spent the longest time making the most elaborate dishes. Ritz, anticipating this, had suggested an early break.
By the way, last night's dinner had been made by Franz, a dish that was a bold showcase of its ingredients. To put it simply, it was just boiled potatoes served on a plate.
It was impossible to mess up, but of course, there was nothing else.
"Let's see, dried meat, dried tomatoes, potatoes, and… oh, I'll use the onions too!"
Anna cheerfully took out food and a pot from the large hemp sack Ritz had set on the ground and began deftly preparing the ingredients with a knife.
Her hands were skilled, and her prep work was fast. Yet, for some reason, Anna always took a long time.
Watching closely, it seemed she wasn't good at organizing her steps, like boiling water while doing prep work, or letting the flour rest while sautéing something else.
Perhaps she was too used to cooking with a large group at the orphanage and was not good at cooking alone. With many people, everyone would have their own station, and no one would have to do everything by themselves.
Even understanding this, it felt wrong to interfere when Anna was so enthusiastic.
In the meantime, Ritz and Franz were in charge of building a hearth and starting a fire. Since there was no water source without entering the forest, Ritz was also carrying the water to ensure the safety of the two travel beginners.
Franz and Anna didn't know it, but the luggage Ritz carried so easily was no small weight. Including the cold-weather gear for the recent chilly nights, the two of them probably wouldn't be able to move it an inch.
But it wasn't in Ritz's nature to complain here. To say he was stubborn or trying to act cool might be a kind way to put it, but the truth was different. Quips and complaints came naturally to him as part of his persona. He had established the personality he should maintain, and he had no intention of faking it.
But he couldn't speak his true feelings to anyone but those he trusted, and for now, he didn't feel like he could open up to these charges of his. Besides, if he showed his true self, he probably couldn't stay with these two.
Especially Anna. Anna, who would never forgive killing, but Ritz had cut down countless people as a mercenary and in the kingdom's wars. He couldn't imagine the look on her face if she found out.
So Ritz had no choice but to keep it completely hidden.
After building the hearth, he took Sara out of the lamp and tossed her inside. The flames immediately roared to life. A living fire starter.
"Happ-kee-kee-kee!"
Frolicking and crying out inside the hearth, Sara ate the roaring flames and was the first to enjoy a pleasant break.
"It's 'happy,' you know. Not 'happ-kee'."
Ritz sighed as Anna began to fuss over Sara-chan, even though her cooking already took a long time, and made way for her.
The first day she had cooked, he had been exasperated by the sheer length of time it took. But now that he knew her cooking took a while, it didn't bother him. He just had to find other things to do to kill time.
Anna's cooking began with simmering dried meat in a generous amount of water. She was probably trying to rehydrate the meat while making a stock. From Ritz's perspective, this would probably take at least an hour.
Next, she put dried tomatoes in the pot and simmered them with the meat. This would probably take another hour for her, though Ritz could do it in 30 minutes. In the meantime, she kneaded flour and baked something like bread in an iron pot. Letting it rest would take even more time.
He thought that if she chopped all the ingredients first, made the bread while simmering the meat, and did the other preparations, she could finish in less than half the time, but she had her own way of doing things. It was best to leave her to it.
In the end, Ritz and Franz, not content with just setting up their sleeping spot at the edge of the forest, ended up making stone chairs for everyone out of sheer boredom.
And still, the potatoes and onions hadn't even gone into the pot.
So, the only thing to do to pass the time was Ritz's swordsmanship class.
Once every three days, on Anna's cooking day, the two decided to practice with the sword. If they didn't do at least that much, it would be extremely boring, and it was much better than just staring blankly at the fire.
Today was the second time.
It wasn't because of some change of heart that Franz, a master of Fire Spirits, began practicing with the sword.
It was simply the result of racking their brains for some useful way for the two of them to kill the considerable amount of time until Anna's cooking was ready.
Self-defense was essential for traveling. Yuresla was currently the most peaceful country on the Eneonea Continent, and it was said that there were very few robbers and thugs. But few did not mean none.
That's why Ritz always carried a sword for self-defense, even when just popping out into town. When that was too much, he always carried a knife. As long as he was in a combat profession, danger was always close by.
And then there were wild animals. This highway was well-maintained, and wild animals rarely appeared, but there was the incident with the poisonous snake.
One might think they should just train Franz's flames, but Franz had poor motor skills and, despite being a spirit user, his proficiency with Fire Spirits was quite low. He knew Franz was practicing hard, but his progress was slow.
But Ritz wasn't an expert in that field, so he couldn't give any advice.
So, his aim was to at least teach him some basic self-defense.
However, Franz didn't have a weapon. Ritz could lend him one, but his greatsword was so heavy that Franz could barely lift it, let alone swing it around, so it was pointless.
That's why they decided to use branches that could be easily found in the forest.
The rules of their training were simple: Franz had to hit Ritz's body anywhere with the wooden branch he was holding. That was it.
Ritz had said he would buy a weapon once Franz got more used to it, but Franz wouldn't nod his head.
Franz seemed to feel that it was a waste for him to have a sword, given his incompetence at even swinging a wooden branch.
Franz was in charge of the finances, and he was also frugal. Unless Franz was convinced, the purse strings would not be loosened.
"Alright, come at me from anywhere!"
Ritz playfully raised a wooden branch towards Franz.
Since Franz had a wooden branch, Ritz couldn't use his greatsword. Instantly, Franz's eyes took on a serious look. He had recently discovered that Franz was quite a sore loser. He was probably the type with a pretty high pride to begin with.
That's why he, who had never once managed to land the tip of his branch on Ritz, was quite serious, even if it was just to kill time until dinner.
But Ritz didn't go out of his way to teach Franz the sword. He knew all too well that you couldn't grasp the feel of these things unless you learned them yourself first. He thought it would be enough if Franz got a little more used to it, realized his own weaknesses, and then asked about them.
But of course, Franz didn't seem to think so. It seemed he thought he was being played with. In reality, Ritz was half-playing around, so he had no intention of correcting him.
"Oh, you're getting serious, huh?"
When the poised Ritz showed a confident smile, his blue eyes narrowed sharply. The fighting spirit of a sore loser flared up.
"…Today, I'll hit you!"
Franz decisively stepped in and aimed the twig at Ritz's torso.
"Too slow!"
Ritz easily deflected Franz's twig. The twig bent lightly and fell to the ground. He had timed it so he didn't put enough force into it to break the twig.
"I can see your moves too clearly, Franz. I can feel your killing intent, though."
Even in the middle of practice, Ritz would laugh and give Franz advice. It was always a repetition of this. And yet, he never gave Franz an opening.
That seemed to irk Franz even more.
"…Damn it, why can't I hit you?"
Perhaps because he was getting impatient, Franz gradually lost his composure and began to swing the twig around frantically. Despite his expressionless face, his emotions were quite intense.
"You know, you follow where you're going to aim next with your eyes. That's not good."
Ritz advised as he nonchalantly dodged the twig, but when Franz was focused, he had a habit of not hearing anything.
"Ritz, Franz, it's ready!"
As they were doing this, a considerable amount of time must have passed, because Anna, whose cooking was finally done, called to them from near the pot.
"Hey, Franz, she says dinner's ready."
Ritz spoke to Franz as he dodged his still frantic attacks, but he seemed to be completely absorbed.
"I said, dinner's ready."
At this rate, he had no choice but to give him a good whack.
"…Can't be helped."
Taking care not to injure him, Ritz took a step back from Franz and raised the twig with one hand. This was what the twig was for.
"Alright, here I go."
Muttering leisurely, Ritz put strength into his leading foot as he prepared to step in. Just as he turned his gaze to Franz, the bushes behind him suddenly rustled. It was clearly the sound of a living creature.
"…?"
Remembering the poisonous snake incident on the way to Tushil Village, Ritz instinctively threw down the twig, turned around, and drew his greatsword.
Even for the travel-hardened Ritz, there was no telling what might emerge from the darkness of the night. These were the moments that were the most tense.
In this tense moment, Ritz had forgotten one important thing. That Franz, completely oblivious to the situation, was behind him.
But even he was sometimes careless. What's more, there was a companion behind him. He hadn't thought for a moment that he would be attacked in this situation.
"Who's there?"
The moment he called out towards the bushes, Franz, who had been waiting for an opening, unleashed a full-force blow to Ritz's back. The thin twig bent and made a sharp crack. The whip-like twig was incredibly painful.
"Ow-ow-ow-owww!"
While writhing from the sudden blow from behind, which he had been completely unprepared for, Ritz did not neglect his watch on what was in front of him.
"Ritz, I got one!"
Franz said to Ritz, out of breath, but it was only then that he noticed the movement in the bushes Ritz was facing.
"Ah… sorry…"
Without looking at the apologetic Franz, he gave a small nod in return.
"What, what's wrong?"
"Anna, stay by the fire!"
Stopping Anna from running over, Ritz slowly closed the distance to the bushes, sword in hand.
"I'll back you up."
Franz said curtly and raised a hand to call forth a spirit. The bushes rustled with an even louder sound.
"O, Spirit of Flame, lend me your power!"
Franz's incantation and Ritz's lunge happened almost simultaneously. But the situation took an unexpected turn.
"I'm human, please don't kill me!"
A filthy man came tumbling out at the feet of Ritz, who had been about to enter the bushes. The cloak he wore for warmth was wrapped around him like a bagworm's cocoon.
"I'm not suspicious! I'm just lost!"
The terrified man prostrated himself at Ritz's feet, trembling all over. Ritz grabbed the man and pulled him to his feet.
"You know, getting lost in a forest is suicide."
Anna, having determined there was no danger, ran over and brushed the grass and dirt off the man's clothes.
"Are you alright?"
"Thank you, young lady."
Ritz let out a big sigh. A little later, and he might have cut him down with his greatsword.
"I'm sorry."
The man, who had finally raised his face, couldn't seem to stop trembling, even though he had calmed down. Moreover, his feet were unsteady, and it was unclear if it was from trembling or dizziness.
"What's wrong? Are you cold?"
The man shook his head vigorously at Ritz's question. Just that movement made him look like he was about to fall over.
"…It's embarrassing to say, but I'm starving… I feel like I'm going to die. Please, give me something to eat."
Ritz couldn't help but look at Anna and Franz's faces. He didn't think it was possible, but had he been drawn here by the smell of Anna's cooking?
"What good timing…"
Franz, who seemed to have thought the same thing, tilted his head with his usual expressionless face, but Anna smiled brightly. It was impossible not to be happy when someone said her cooking smelled delicious.
"I made a dried meat and tomato stew. Please, have some."
Anna was a daughter of the church, raised to believe that giving to others was a virtue. For her, giving to a hungry person was a matter of course.
"If Anna says so, it's fine. Go ahead and eat. We'll hear your story after that… By the way, Anna."
Ritz suddenly called to Anna with a serious face.
"What is it?"
"Could you take a look at my back?"
Ritz rubbed the spot on his back where Franz had hit him earlier. Of course, it didn't hurt that much, but it was a way of teasing Franz. Whether Franz knew it or not, he hung his head slightly.
"…Sorry."
"What's wrong? Should I take a look?"
As Anna, who was starting to take him seriously, tried to peel off his shirt, Ritz put on his usual smile.
"It's nothing serious. Right, Franz?"
"Yeah."
"Dinner's ready, right? Let's eat."
Ritz called out to Franz and the staggering man before taking a seat on the ground. He realized that the sun had completely set.
"Are you sure it's alright?"
The man was hesitant, but his eyes sparkled and he drooled at the sight of the stew placed before him.
"Of course. Please, eat as much as you like!"
"Yes!"
From then on, it was quite a sight.
The man began to wolf down Anna's stew, gulping it down as if it were a drink. The stew in the large pot disappeared in the blink of an eye.
From the looks of it, he hadn't had a proper meal in a very long time.
"Um… there's more, you know?"
The man, his mouth full, nodded vigorously at Anna's hesitant offer. He seemed more than ready for seconds.
Except for the portions the three of them had secured for themselves, the contents of the pot steadily disappeared into the man's stomach. Even at this incredible pace, Anna just smiled.
"He really eats a lot. Just watching him makes me full."
Muttering, Ritz had been paying attention to the dirty crest on the man's chest. Looking closely, he could make out the design of the crest.
"You're right."
Franz, who had replied in a low voice to Ritz's murmur, seemed to have lost his appetite watching the man eat, and his hand, which had been scooping up the stew, had stopped.
After devouring the stew and then the bread, the man finally let out a deep breath as if he had come back to life. By then, the three of them had long since finished their meal and were starting to clean up.
Anna's cooking, which she always made in large quantities, usually resulted in leftovers being carried in the pot, but today, it was completely empty.
Anna, who was always scolded by the other two for making too much, was delighted with the empty pot and was smiling as she wiped it clean.
"Was it good?"
"Yes! It was delicious!"
The man emphasized, then made a troubled face.
"Um… it's a bit late to say this after eating so much on my own, but… I have nothing to offer in return…"
"Don't worry about it. We don't mind."
Besides, if he demanded something in return, Anna, the daughter of the church who valued charity, would surely get angry. The man smiled, perhaps relieved by Ritz's casual wave of his hand.
It was only when he smiled that Ritz realized he was still quite young. Though covered in mud and dirt, and having been found rolling on the ground, he didn't seem to be twenty yet. He was probably around the same age as Franz.
"So why was a member of the Yuresla Kingdom Army's Royal Capital Defense Corps wandering around like that?"
When Ritz pointed it out, the man shot to his feet in a panic, stumbled over a stone, and fell.
"Part of the garrison unit, I take it? It's dirty, so I can't quite make it out."
"How did you know?"
Ritz was taken aback by his overly dramatic reaction, but the man must have been truly surprised.
Ritz urged the man, who was repeating suspicious movements as he stood up, to sit down, suppressing a laugh.
Anna and the others were also staring at Ritz with wide eyes.
"That's right, Ritz, how did you know?!"
"How could you tell?"
Being praised by even Franz and Anna made him feel a little embarrassed. Once the trick was revealed, it was very simple, and not something to be praised for.
"You're a new recruit, aren't you? Your uniform doesn't quite fit you yet… You should at least know where your affiliation is written."
"Ah, ahh, you're right."
"What, what?"
Ritz pointed to the embroidery on the man's chest for Anna and the others to see.
"Do you know this country's crest?"
"I don't!"
Anna declared firmly. It wasn't something to be proud of, but…
"It's a unicorn. Here, look at this."
Ritz pulled at the crest on the man's collar. There, though stained with mud, was a crest. The shield-shaped crest had a background with diagonal lines of blue at the top, a thin red line in the middle, and green at the bottom. On top of that was a depiction of a rearing unicorn.
"Wow, really?"
It seemed she really had no idea. Well, it was unlikely that Anna would know anything unrelated to raising children and farming. And Franz wasn't the type to remember things that didn't concern him. It was natural that these two didn't know.
After all, in this peaceful era, they probably never even saw the military flag.
But for Ritz, the crest of Yuresla was something he was all too familiar with.
"You should at least learn the crest of your own country's royal family."
After scratching his head with a sigh, Ritz continued.
"And in front of the unicorn on this crest, there's a picture of a shield, right? This means to protect the unicorn. The unicorn is the king, and the shield that protects it… that's the Royal Capital Defense Corps. Besides the shield, there's also a sword, a spirit staff, a ship, a flag, and so on. Each of those represents a different branch. Got it?"
"…So that's what it was."
"Woooow, you know so much, Ritz."
Franz and Anna nodded deeply, impressed. Being praised for something like this didn't make him happy at all.
There was a reason Ritz was so familiar with this crest. It was because he had something with this crest on it in his pocket. But on that crest, there was no mark in front of the unicorn.
"Guess you haven't lived for 150 years for nothing!"
Ritz was relieved by Anna's words. If they delved any further into the crest, it would become a hassle.
"Am I some kind of walking grandpa's encyclopedia?"
Being treated like an old man was annoying, but it couldn't be helped. He was much older than Anna and Franz. Ritz cleared his throat to bring the conversation, which had strayed far off course, back to the topic at hand.
"So, why is a member of the Royal Capital Defense Corps wandering around a place like this all alone?"
"That's right, please listen!"
The tearful man looked at Ritz.
"As you pointed out, I, no, this officer, is from the garrison unit in the next town, Faldina. I'm a rookie who's only been in Faldina for a month."
Anna tugged at Ritz's clothes at the man's words.
"Ritz, what's a garrison unit? Why aren't they in the royal capital if they're the Royal Capital Defense Corps?"
Ritz let out a big sigh and began to explain again.
"You know, the road we're walking on is the Traveler's Highway, right? I told you that the Traveler's Highway connects to the neighboring country, right?"
"Yeah."
"If a war breaks out and the enemy comes here, the units dispatched to the towns along the highway become the first line of defense to prevent them from entering the royal capital. Got it?"
"…Hmm? I don't really get it…"
It was asking the impossible for Anna, who couldn't tell the difference between a soldier and a mercenary and lumped them all together as 'Mr. Soldier,' to understand strategy. He gently patted Anna's head.
"I'll teach you what you don't understand later, so for now, let's just listen to this…"
"I, no, this officer's name is Heath Adonis."
"Let's listen to Heath's story first, okay?"
"Okay!"
Anna replied cheerfully and settled into a listening posture. It seemed the conversation could finally move forward.
"So, I… um, I am…"
"'I' is fine. You're not used to it, are you?"
Heath let out a big sigh, as if relieved by Ritz's words. He seemed to be trying to get used to military speech, but it wasn't working out yet.
"I'm with the Faldina garrison unit, a rookie doing odd jobs. This country isn't at war right now, right? It's been peaceful ever since the civil war ended thirty-five years ago. So our main job is to guard the town. In other words, I'm helping with everything from cleaning the town to whatever else!"
This was probably what a bored army was like.
"And then, a little commotion broke out in the town of Faldina, and before we knew it, it just kept getting bigger and bigger."
"A commotion?"
Heath nodded and lowered his voice. Who was he wary of, when there was no one around to hear? He was a mysterious man.
"It… it all started with a single rumor."
The story Heath told was a strange one.
It was only about two months ago that a rumor had spread through the town of Faldina.
"They say there's some incredible treasure buried in a cave on a privately owned mountain."
That one rumor sent the town into an uproar. With the death of the mountain's owner, the nature of the treasure became completely unknown. But the existence of that man was a mystery in the town of Faldina.
According to Heath, no one in the town knew where the man came from or what he did. And yet, the unemployed man had been able to make a living. He had even supported a wife and child.
"But, that alone wouldn't cause a commotion, right?"
Ritz looked back at Heath, agreeing with Anna's tilted head.
"That's right, it would have been fine if that was all. But the problem was the man's wife, who became the new owner of the mountain."
"A problem? It's natural for the wife to inherit the mountain when her husband dies, right? What's the problem?"
As Ritz tilted his head at the increasingly strange story, the man continued in a preachy tone.
"That wife, she's greedy. She hired an expert to seal the entrance to the cave, making it impossible to get in. So then, everyone started to think the rumor was really true, right?"
"Well, I guess so. Where there's smoke, there's fire."
"Right?"
Heath nodded several times and confessed that he had been one of the believers. So, it seemed the rumor had spread even within the garrison unit.
"And then, a rich man in town who heard the rumor started asking the woman to sell him the treasure, even though he didn't know what it was, and things started to get out of hand."
That was when the real trouble began. The townspeople, who had only been whispering rumors until then, all turned their attention to the rich man's actions.
And when that happened, the town's landowner, who had never gotten along with the rich man, couldn't stay silent. Perhaps out of a sense of rivalry, the landowner offered more money and pressured the woman to sell the treasure to him.
Of course, the rich man, hearing this, did not just stand by and watch. Fueled by an even greater sense of rivalry, he immediately visited the woman and offered to pay even more than the landowner.
But the woman just laughed and rejected both their offers, throwing them out of her house. She declared that she would only give the treasure to someone worthy of it.
So, the landowner got the townspeople on his side and said they should get the treasure for the good of the town. Of course, the rich man opposed this. He began to bribe the townspeople, telling them to side with him and he would share the treasure.
Of course, neither of them knew what the treasure was. They had only heard a rumor that it was something amazing.
At first, the townspeople paid them no mind, but gradually they began to pay attention to the rich man and the landowner, and started to calculate which side would be more profitable to join.
What had started as a single rumor had now become a major commotion involving the entire town.
"Now everyone in town is in an uproar over which side is more profitable. If this keeps up, it could lead to chaos and a riot. But when we, the Faldina garrison unit, tried to do something and went to the woman's house, we were turned away at the door."
It was true that if the chaos escalated, it could lead to violence among the town's residents, and in the worst case, something like a riot.
That was a serious problem, but it was perhaps more likely that the woman would be lynched, killed in the confusion, and the treasure stolen.
"For now, it's just verbal arguments, but it wouldn't be surprising if a riot broke out at any moment."
After letting out a big sigh and lamenting his own incompetence for a while, Heath finally fell silent.
"I see. So, why did you leave the town?"
Ritz asked after hearing the whole story. He understood the story, but he didn't understand why Heath was wandering around here.
"My mission is to report this to the Royal Capital Defense Corps headquarters and bring back a Kingdom Army Inspector."
"An Inspector? Not a military policeman?"
"Yes. I mean, what if the treasure is a national-level treasure? The military police couldn't handle that! A national treasure would be at the Inspector level, right?"
Heath's eyes sparkled.
The Kingdom Army Inspectorate Department. A special organization whose only superiors were the King, the ministers, and the Prime Minister. Ritz now understood how the residents of Faldina must have let their imaginations run wild.
"Is that even possible? It's just some private individual's possession, right?"
"But there's no doubt it's an incredible treasure! That's why I was heading to the royal capital."
"To the royal capital, huh…"
Ritz tilted his head even more. The Royal Capital Sears should be in the complete opposite direction from Faldina.
"Heath, do you know where you are?"
"The Traveler's Highway, right?"
"That's right, but this is about two days in the complete opposite direction from Faldina to the royal capital, you know?"
Heath's face was momentarily confused, as if he couldn't understand Ritz's words. But he soon came to his senses.
"Whaaaaaat? You're joking, right? You're joking, right?"
No one could tell the man, who was staring at them pleadingly, that it was a joke. They were scheduled to arrive in Faldina tomorrow or the day after, so there was no way this was the royal capital side of the town.
"So… it's for real? I… what should I do…"
Faced with an undeniable fact, Heath's face turned pale.
"How many days ago did you leave Faldina?"
"Three days ago, on horseback…"
But being from a common family, he couldn't ride a horse well, and after a day of travel, the horse had bolted and thrown him off somewhere in the forest.
Since then, he had wandered through the forest and along the highway, and finally, having spotted a light, he had arrived where the three of them were.
"A fast horse from Faldina to the royal capital would take a skilled soldier about a day and a half. Even for someone like you, who's barely more than an amateur, it wouldn't take three days one way."
Ritz muttered after a rough calculation. He had traveled the road from Faldina to Sears back and forth several times in the past. Hearing this, Heath's face looked as if he was about to cry, perhaps understanding the conclusion.
"In that case, by my calculations, you should already be in the royal capital."
If he had used a multi-horse coach directly to the royal capital, it might have been manageable, but judging by his appearance, he didn't seem to have that kind of money.
"What should I do, what should I do!"
Ritz sighed at Heath, who was pacing around in confusion. This wasn't going to improve the situation.
"Well, sit down. If you calm down and think, you might come up with something, right?"
Normally, Ritz wasn't one to be kind to men, but with the lives of the townspeople and the woman at stake, he had no choice but to act. Whatever about other countries, Ritz had reasons why he couldn't just stand by and let a situation that could develop into a riot in Yuresla unfold.
However, that was when all other options were exhausted.
But here, they had Anna, a person who was kind to everyone. It seemed the three of them would have to act, whether Ritz wanted to or not…
"That's right, Ritz will figure something out. Because Ritz is strong, despite how he looks!"
Franz, who had been silent, weakly interjected at Anna's words, which she emphasized with sparkling eyes.
"Anna, I don't think being strong is relevant here."
He was right.
"But, but, let's help him, Ritz. It sounds like the people in the town are in trouble, right? If we don't help people in need, we won't be able to receive the Goddess's protection."
Anna's eyes were filled with a sparkling light that would not tolerate injustice. This was what put unspoken pressure on Ritz to do something.
Ritz was very weak to a sincere, straightforward gaze. Especially to eyes filled with conviction. This had been the case ever since he met his one and only best friend long ago.
"Ritz-san! Please!"
Following Anna's lead, Heath also made his eyes sparkle.
"What's with you! Stop with the sparkling eyes! It's creepy!"
Two people, their hands clasped in front of their chests, their eyes sparkling in a pleading pose. They slowly inched closer to Ritz, their eyes welling up with tears.
The three of them were in a silent standoff for a while, but it was clear that neither side would back down.
How much time had passed? Someone patted Ritz's shoulder with a sigh. Needless to say, it was Franz, who had once been on the receiving end of this sparkling attack from Anna and Ritz.
"Ritz, why don't you just make up your mind and act? I don't want to stay up like this until dawn. I'm tired and I want to rest."
"Franz, you too!"
With even his last hope, Franz, saying such things, Ritz grimaced for a moment, glaring at the pleading pair and Franz, who had nonchalantly begun to calculate their remaining budget.
After a while, he gave up resisting, let out a small sigh, scratched his head, and gave a wry smile.
"Alright, alright, just stop making that face."
"Really?"
"That's great, Heath!"
Behind the two rejoicing figures, Franz sighed in exasperation and looked away, while Ritz, the one at the center of it all, let out an even bigger sigh.
"You'll make it in time with a multi-horse coach."
The Traveler's Highway that Ritz and his party were walking on was an official road that led to the royal capital from various parts of the Yuresla Kingdom, extending towards the capital from many directions.
Not all travelers, of course, were on foot. The wealthy would hire private carriages to go to the royal capital or for shopping, while those in a hurry would ride horses or use shared coaches.
Ritz and his party, given their financial situation, would almost never ride one, so they had only watched them pass by, but normally, several shared coaches passed along this highway each day.
As for what time they arrived where, that was something they had no knowledge of.
"A carriage! I want to ride in a carriage!"
Behind Anna, who was enviously gazing at the coach with sparkling eyes, Franz, who was still deep in thought, asked Ritz.
"Do you know what time it passes through here?"
"I don't. We weren't planning on riding one."
As the three of them sighed for different reasons, Heath, who had been silently watching with sparkling eyes, raised his hand.
"I know the coach times!"
Heath, who was guarding Faldina, was well-versed in the times and number of coaches. If his job was to guard along the highway, it was natural that he would know.
"There's no other way, is there…"
Heath also nodded as Ritz crossed his arms and muttered. He certainly couldn't think of anything else.
The fastest way would be by horse, but there were none here, and besides, Heath had fallen off his horse and lost his way. They couldn't let him make the same mistake twice.
So, they concluded that the coach was the only way for Heath to reach the royal capital the fastest and report the incident.
The problem was money.
Heath, who had been reduced to a near-vagrant state, of course had almost no money. Ritz and his party did have the money they had taken from the merchants in Tushil Village, but if they gave it away here, their travel funds would become scarce.
Even if they lent it to him, there was no guarantee it would ever be returned.
It was highly unlikely that Franz would willingly loosen the purse strings for something so uncertain.
"What should we do…"
As Ritz muttered, Franz, who had been calculating something on the side, handed him a larger-than-usual sum of travel money. When the confused Ritz looked at him quizzically, Franz answered without looking at him, while putting the rest of the money away.
"I can't agree to lending such a large sum of money to someone I've just met."
"Then why are you giving it to me?"
Franz replied to Ritz's question with a cool expression.
"You can decide, Ritz. I don't trust him, so I don't want to lend it from my side."
In other words, if Ritz thought the money would really be returned, he could lend it. If there was no guarantee it would be returned, it would be Ritz's responsibility.
But Ritz realized something.
Perhaps Franz, too, wanted to prevent a situation that could lead to a riot. Judging from his reasons for disliking his father in Saradio and for retrieving the medicinal herbs, Franz was actually a man full of a sense of justice.
Though it didn't show on his face.
"So, what if it's not returned?"
"Then you can earn it back and cover the loss, Ritz."
At Franz's overly harsh words, Ritz could only groan.
"Ughhh…"
Seeing the pensive Ritz, Heath sighed.
"I guess it's no use…"
"Ritz…"
Anna also looked at Ritz pleadingly.
If Heath didn't succeed in this mission, he couldn't return to Faldina. Which meant the money might not be returned either.
"But even if I get to the royal capital… can someone like me even meet with an Inspector?"
Heath muttered with a pessimistic expression. The clueless Anna tilted her head.
"Why not?"
"Because the Inspectors are a unit directly under the King, the ministers, and the Prime Minister, you know? Their main role is within the military, and while they do investigate crimes in the provinces, do you think they'd meet with a mere defense unit member?"
"…It's that serious…"
"It is serious. I've already wasted three days, I don't know when I'll arrive, and if it takes time to get a meeting, what will happen to this town…"
Heath's words brought to mind the face of a friend he hadn't seen in thirty-five years, a memory he usually intentionally avoided.
The peace in Yuresla that he had wished for had been maintained for thirty-five years. If a riot broke out and many people died, he knew it would break his friend's heart.
Thinking that made his own heart stir. Something inside him whispered that if he could do something, he should.
Ritz crossed his arms and thought. He had a way to grant Heath's wish. He could put him on the coach with the money Franz had given him, and then use his trump card, and the Inspectors would come right away. But that would mean letting his friend know that Ritz was now in this country.
He wasn't mentally prepared to meet his friend yet. He wanted to see him desperately, but he didn't have the courage. So he didn't want to reveal his presence.
Ritz was in agony, but then he had a thought. That's right. Unlike in the past, in his current position, there was no way Ritz's friend could come here. So maybe it was okay to use his trump card.
Once he decided that, the rest was simple. He could probably get the money back too.
"Franz, do you have any paper? The most impressive-looking paper you have."
"…? I do, but…"
Without quite understanding, Franz took out a bundle of thick paper tied with a string from his bag. As an afterthought, he also handed over a pen and ink.
"Alright, I'll use my trump card with this."
Taking the paper and pen, Ritz spread the paper out and thought. It wouldn't do to write something too grandiose, nor would it do to write too casually.
"What are you writing?"
"If you look, the blessing will be lost."
Subtly threatening the peeking Anna, Ritz dipped the pen nib into the ink bottle and let the pen fly across the paper. He wrote that he was currently in Faldina, that a riot was about to break out over a certain treasure there, and that he would be in the town until the Inspectors arrived.
Then, he looked for the most important thing.
"I think it's around here…"
Ritz reached into his breast pocket and took out a small, cylindrical object wrapped in cloth that he had carried with him for thirty-five years.
The object, about the thickness of Ritz's thumb, was the royal army's seal. The seal was engraved with a stylized version of the royal army's crest and was quite valuable.
There was only one of this crest in the entire kingdom. And it was now in Ritz's possession.
Then, he carefully folded the paper and made a simple envelope out of another sheet, placing the letter inside. To finish, he took the object from the cloth and held it to the still-burning flames of the hearth.
It was wax for using the seal as a seal. He dripped the melted wax onto the flap of the envelope and pressed the seal vertically into it.
"That should do it!"
Confirming that the wax had hardened, Ritz handed it to Heath with a wry smile. He didn't really want to do this, but it couldn't be helped.
"Listen, this is a pretty effective charm. When you get to the royal castle, go straight to the military affairs department and say, 'I request an urgent audience with His Excellency, the Prime Minister.' You should be able to see him faster than going through the troublesome political affairs department."
"The Prime Minister? I can't meet with someone that important!"
"It's fine, if you show them that seal, it'll work out. For now, take the coach to the royal capital tomorrow. I'll lend you the money. Make sure you pay it back. We'll try to do something about the town until the Inspectors arrive."
Ritz coaxed him and stretched broadly.
"Ahh, my shoulders are stiff."
"Hey, hey, what did you write? What's that seal?"
Anna asked with great curiosity, but Ritz just smiled vaguely and evaded the question. If she saw that seal, Ritz's secret would be out in a flash. Ritz pulled another sheet from the bundle of paper and handed it to Heath.
"Write me a letter of introduction to the commander of the Faldina garrison unit. It'll be easier to move around that way."
"Yes, but how should I write it?"
As a low-ranking soldier, he had never written a letter of introduction to his commander in his life. It was natural that he wouldn't know. But Ritz answered quite casually.
"Let's see… A kind traveling mercenary and some spirit users lent me money to go to the royal capital when I was lost. They learned about the town's situation and seem to be willing to help… write something like that."
Heath, with a tragic expression, looked up at Ritz resentfully.
"Are you going to write about my failure too? I don't want to."
Heath really didn't want to report that he had gotten lost to his commander. It seemed his commander was a scary person to him.
"Can't be helped, you really were lost. If you don't write that, it won't make sense why you had to borrow money, right?"
While still looking resentful, Ritz peered over Heath's shoulder as he was diligently writing something and said with a sigh.
"Also, make sure you write that you promised to pay us back. If you run off with it, Franz might kill me."
Ritz was trying to get the money he had lent back from the commander if possible. Franz glared at Ritz with a sullen expression, but he didn't seem to have any objections. As the son of a merchant, he believed it was important to have a proper record of a loan.
With a sad sigh, lamenting that he might get scolded, Heath finally finished writing, and the group decided to rest.
From past experience, all three of them knew well that getting involved in an incident would definitely lead to a lot of trouble and busyness. It was better to sleep while they could.
"Don't be late for the coach tomorrow. It's really not a joke."
At Ritz's words, the four of them prepared for bed around the hearth. Everyone followed suit.
They didn't need a lookout for their rest. They always all went to sleep at the same time. Because they had a reliable lookout with them.
The all-night watch was handled by Sara the Salamander in the bonfire alone. Besides, Ritz would immediately notice even the slightest anomaly, so a lookout was unnecessary.
Every night, Franz would firmly instruct his forgetful spirit.
"Sara, if anything comes, you tell us, okay?"
"Kee!"
"You wake us up immediately, you understand?"
"Kee, under-kee!"
He (or she?) would never let the fire go out, since he was on fire himself. And he hardly ever slept.
And so, the night deepened for the four of them (and one on watch).
The next morning, just as the four of them had finished their preparations, the first coach of the day luckily arrived. It was a rather large coach, typical of those that ran through the night, drawn by four horses, with a roof, walls, and even windows. The passenger area and the driver's seat were separated by a cloth, and it was possible to go back and forth.
"Alright, Heath, go for it."
"Thank you."
Someone pulled on the back of Ritz's clothes as he was vaguely watching Heath hurry to board the coach. The culprit was Anna.
"Ritz, I want to ride the coach, let's ride it!"
It seemed she had become envious of Heath, who was getting to ride the coach she had been longing for.
"No way, Franz will get angry, right?"
He turned to look at Franz, who was in the middle of taking some money out of his wallet. When their eyes met, Franz looked away and muttered.
"It seems like it will be busy when we get to town, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to take the coach so we're not tired."
It seemed he was also eager to ride the coach. It was certain that the coach was much more comfortable than walking, and it was also true that Franz had accumulated a considerable amount of fatigue.
But he probably didn't want to ask Ritz for it. It seemed he was leaving the final decision to Ritz.
"See! Franz says so too! Let's ride!"
If he chose not to ride in this situation, Anna and Franz would surely keep grumbling until they reached Faldina. That would be quite annoying.
"Hey mister, are you getting on or not?"
The middle-aged driver was rushing them to get the coach moving. At this point, it couldn't be helped.
"Three tickets to the town of Faldina."
"That'll be 4,500 Giltz."
By the way, he had given Heath 10 Giltz. At this price, he should have change left over after a round trip.
Ritz boarded the coach with a sense of desperation. Franz boarded without a word and handed the money to the driver. Anna boarded excitedly and was looking around the inside with curiosity.
Perhaps because it was early in the morning, the shared coach was surprisingly empty. Inside, where about ten people could fit, there were only about seven people, including the four of them. One of them was a driver for this coach, apparently a replacement for the previous man, but he was sound asleep on a blanket laid out in the partitioned area.
There were not many coaches that went to the royal capital without stopping in sequence. They could be said to be quite lucky to have caught this coach.
"Alright, let's get going."
With a flick of the driver's whip, the coach began to move with a clatter. Anna was still standing and wandering around.
"It's dangerous, so sit down, Anna."
Ignoring Ritz's warning, Anna lifted the cloth and spoke to the driver.
"This is my first time riding in a coach!"
The driver, also swayed by Anna's appearance and demeanor, was smiling and responding.
"Is that so? Well, I'm glad. I'm happy to have a cute girl like you on board too."
Ritz muttered to himself that Anna wasn't that much younger than him, but it was pointless, so he didn't say it out loud.
"I want to see the scenery, so can I sit next to you?"
"Of course! Come on over, just don't fall off."
While Anna was making friends with the driver and had firmly planted herself in the driver's seat, Franz, who was grumpy from waking up earlier than usual, quickly began to doze off.
Ritz and Heath simply surrendered themselves to the rattling motion of the coach.
"Have you been to the royal capital recently?"
"Of course. I took the recruitment exam in the royal capital and just came here recently. I'm originally from the southeast."
"Around the Landia Autonomous Region?"
"Yes. A remote village in Landia."
The royal capital that Heath spoke of didn't seem to have changed much from when Ritz knew it.
Only that Ritz's one and only friend seemed to have gotten older.
Ritz's friend… was the king of the Yuresla Kingdom.
But that was thirty-five years ago. For that long, Ritz had been wandering without even seeing his friend. His friend was probably angry. Or had he been forgotten by now?
There were even rumors that the king might soon abdicate the throne to his son. But in Ritz's mind, his friend was still in his late twenties, and Ritz alone chewed on the weight of the time that had passed.
He wanted to see him. But he didn't want to see him. If he did, he would be reminded that he was living an eternal life. He would be forced to realize that he could not live in the same era as his precious friend.
Ritz silently closed his eyes. He didn't want to think about anything right now.
And so, they arrived in the town of Faldina before noon. The coach stopped in a fairly large area in the center of town.
"Bye-bye, mister! Let me ride again!"
"You take care now, young lady!"
The coach dropped off the three of them, picked up the next passengers, and started off again towards the royal capital.
"Thank you, I'll be back as soon as possible!"
After bidding farewell to Heath, who was waving from the coach window, they stepped out into the town's central plaza.
Ritz, whose body was stiff from sitting for a long time, and Franz, whose joints ached from sleeping in an unnatural position, stretched broadly.
"…The coach is definitely more comfortable."
Anna nodded with a smile at Franz's quiet murmur.
"It's fast, the rattling is fun, the mister was nice, and the horses were beautiful! Let's ride it again!"
"If we get the chance."
Ritz replied with a wry smile to the excited Anna. It wasn't supposed to be a journey with that much leisure, but that thought seemed to have been left somewhere behind.
Lost in his own sentimentality, Ritz brought his consciousness back to his two charges. If he remained his old self, he wouldn't be able to be the self he had decided to show them.
The coach had already disappeared from their sight. If it continued on, it should arrive at the royal capital safely. The rest was up to Heath, and they could do what they had to do. But for now, it was noon.
"Alright, first, let's get a proper meal for the first time in a while."
"Yay! Food, food!"