Chapter 73 - 11
As he returned to the forest where the horses were tethered, cradling his chest, Kenny, who had finally caught up, called out to stop him. Gasping for breath, Kenny looked up at Ritz.
"Returning to the palace now is dangerous! Your Excellency is injured!"
"A wound like this is nothing."
Without even looking at Kenny, who was trying to stop him, Ritz answered brusquely and began to untie his horse. Kenny didn't back down.
"It's too dangerous! It's like going to your death. Please, reconsider! You are an important person to this country. We cannot afford to lose you!"
He could tell from his desperate words that they came from a place of trust and loyalty to Ritz. He understood, but Ritz had his own convictions.
"Kenny, don't you understand? I am a man this country needs only because Ed, Patty, and Shasta are here. If I were to lose them, I would be nothing more than a common mercenary."
"That's not true! His Highness the Crown Prince is here. You should remain here for His Highness Gerald's sake!"
Having untied his horse and saddled it, Ritz turned to face Kenny for the first time.
"…Are you telling me to abandon Ed?"
At Ritz's flat question, Kenny's face contorted as he nodded.
"…Yes."
"You're telling me to consider a future where only Gerald remains?"
"If you know you won't make it in time, then for the good of the country, you should stay with His Highness the Crown Prince and serve His Highness Gerald, who will become the next king."
Kenny's face was filled with anguish. He probably didn't want to say such things. It seemed he desperately wanted to make Ritz change his mind.
But unfortunately, he had no intention of staying here.
"I was just a collapsed Spirit Tribe member. The same as Lef is now. But I met Ed and became the man I am today. If that hadn't happened, I would never have been needed by this country."
At a loss for words, Kenny fell silent.
"Sorry, but what's important to me isn't the good of the country. It's my feelings. I… choose Ed over the country."
"That's…"
Leaving Kenny behind, Ritz mounted his horse. The slight movement made his ribs creak. Even breathing had become difficult. But there were things he had to say.
"Major Fort, as soon as the unit is ready, send the Military Police to the capital and have them prepare for an enemy attack. The inspectors are to search the basement, question Lef, and tend to the injured."
"Sir…!"
Can I endure this on horseback? As Ritz thought this, he remembered the small bottle that was still in his pocket. He gently took it out.
The bottle of narcotics…
He recalled them saying it had fatigue-relieving and pain-killing effects. Taking three tablets would definitely cause hallucinations… but with two, two-thirds of people wouldn't hallucinate or something…
Without hesitation, Ritz opened the bottle of narcotics and popped two tablets into his mouth. He couldn't fight with this pain. If the hallucinations didn't appear, he'd be fine.
"Your Excellency! What are you doing?!"
Kenny cried out at his sudden action, but Ritz just smiled, closed the bottle, and threw it. Kenny hurriedly caught it.
"It's fine. I'm good at betting, you know."
"That's…"
Ritz stared at the dumbfounded Kenny. As if overwhelmed, Kenny fell silent.
"Take care of Gerald. Make sure you get him back to the palace. I think he'll be fine, but he might still be a target, so don't let your guard down. If anything happens to Ed and Greig, he's all we have left."
"Your Excellency!"
"I'm counting on you, Kenny."
Ritz kicked the horse's flank. Like a gust of wind, the horse galloped towards the capital.
Left behind, Kenny groaned.
"What have you done?!"
Watching Ritz's figure shrink into the distance, Kenny clenched his fists. There was nothing he could do.
Just then, Altman came running up to Kenny. He had all his able-bodied subordinates with him. It seemed that after hearing Ritz's story, he had hurriedly gathered those who could move.
"What is it, Major Fort? What happened? Did Ritz-kun leave?"
"Yes, he has returned to the castle."
Altman seemed confused by Kenny's dejected voice, but he asked in the same tone.
"He's injured, isn't he?"
Kenny's voice trembled with anger at himself and confusion. Why, why couldn't he go with him? Why was the most important thing to follow his orders…?
He could never act as his friend. He was… Ritz was a Minister, and his superior officer.
"…I cannot stop him."
Kenny looked down and bit his lip. To fulfill his duty no matter the situation. He couldn't break the order because he knew that Ritz had entrusted it to him, believing in his ability to do so.
"How reckless… I don't fully understand the situation, but I will return to the royal castle as well."
Kenny grabbed the shoulder of Altman, who was leading his unit and ordering them to gather the horses. Altman flinched at the force.
"What is it, Major?"
"Lieutenant Altman, please… don't let Ritz-san die."
He had to entrust his feelings. He was sure he could entrust them to this man.
"Why are you so invested in that young man?"
He looked back at Altman, who had furrowed his brow, still confused.
"You're wrong. He's not a young man."
"What?"
"That man is essential to this country."
"Major?"
"He's careless with his life, so His Majesty asked me to never let him die, but I couldn't protect him."
"What, I don't understand. Please explain in detail."
Altman's hand gripped his shoulder tightly. Overwhelmed by regret, sorrow, and his own powerlessness, Kenny looked up and stared straight at Altman.
"As far as we know, there is only one person named Ritz in Sears. He is the Minister of this country, Ritz Alster himself."
At those words, Altman's mouth fell open as if he had run out of oxygen, and he asked again in disbelief.
"But he's so young, isn't he?"
"You heard the exchange earlier, didn't you? He is of the Spirit Tribe. He usually wears a disguise to hide his age."
"What in the world…"
At this newfound truth, Altman was at a loss for words. He must have realized anew that there was no way a commoner would casually call the King, the Prime Minister, and the Crown Prince by their first names.
"Please, Lieutenant. Don't let that man die. Protect him."
Kenny gripped Altman's shoulder as if pleading. Altman said nothing and just patted Kenny's shoulder. Then Altman pulled his horse closer and swiftly mounted its back.
"Major, tell my men to return to the castle with all haste as soon as they are ready. I will go on ahead."
"Lieutenant Altman…"
Altman smiled. There was no hesitation there. The mutual resentment they had held until now had all vanished in this moment.
"…I have taken a liking to that person named Ritz. If he is willing to risk his life to protect His Majesty, then I am willing to risk my life for him as well."
"I'm counting on you."
Kenny bowed his head, and Altman laughed.
"Aren't you the superior officer? You could just order me."
"Lieutenant…"
"But just as you want to help him as a friend, I want to grant the wish of my friend. I will protect His Excellency the Minister, even if it costs me my life. You, too, please take care of His Highness the Crown Prince."
Altman's round face held a smile filled with firm conviction as he spurred his horse.
Kenny prayed to Altman's retreating figure. Please, please let the capital be safe.
For now, he had his own duty to perform.
In the cold wind, Kenny turned on his heel.
"Do what you must… is it?"
He still had much to do back at that mansion.
Ritz was riding his horse at full speed. His ribs, which had been aching to the point of making him lose consciousness at first, now felt nothing.
His broken ribs were surely still injuring his body and pressing on his lungs as before, but he could barely feel it. The only indication that his condition was worsening was that his breathing was slightly difficult.
Looking at the scenery flowing past behind him, he could see it perfectly clearly. It seemed the hallucinations hadn't started yet.
Or would they start soon?
Ritz, who had been riding his horse slumped over in pain, slowly straightened his upper body without slowing the horse's pace. It didn't hurt at all. This drug certainly worked terrifyingly well. The men of the sea, whose bodies were their capital, must have found it very useful.
Without knowing that ingesting the raw liquid would turn them into monsters.
…But I knew that and took it. Who's the one who's not right in the head?
Ritz gave a wry smile at the contradiction in his own thinking. Good grief, it seems he might have done something truly reckless.
But Ritz had something he absolutely wanted to protect. It wasn't the people of this country, like Edward, nor was it the peace of this country.
Certainly, a country where one can live in peace is important and very necessary. But, knowing it was selfish, his comrades with whom he had fought were more important to him.
Edward, Shasta, Patricia… He had few old friends left. He didn't want to lose any more. Just a little longer, he wanted them to live just a little longer. For Ritz, their lives were synonymous with his own.
It was selfish, but that was his true feeling. If they were all to die, he would lose his reason to live. He had struggled to become strong for their sake, and failed. And still, he wanted to be with them.
If they knew, they would all be furious. That it wasn't something a high-ranking official of the country should think. Maybe even Anna and Franz would think so.
But now, as he spurred his horse towards the royal castle to rush to his old friends, he felt that was fine. Self-centered, selfish, that was fine.
He had become strong, serving no master but himself, so that he could achieve his own desires. That was why he had lived a wandering life until now.
He should be allowed to decide when his own life ends, at least.
Just as he was reaching this desperate state of mind, the faces of Anna and Franz suddenly came to mind.
His current companions, whom he had brought all this way and gotten involved in this incident. His wards, who trusted him completely and traveled with him.
Ritz shook his head, casting aside his previous thoughts. This was no time to be self-destructive. If he didn't do something about those kids, he would be too irresponsible.
Anyway, he had to focus on making it in time.
If the drug was to be mixed into food, it would have to be lunch. If so, if he could reach the royal castle before lunchtime and prevent it, things might end without incident. Then he could seize the drug, and it would contribute to the future progress of the investigation.
In his mind, he tried to steer his thoughts in a positive direction, but his efforts were in vain, and Ritz's imagination tilted towards the worst.
The blood-stained royal castle and the figure of Edward, torn apart by the Royal Guard who had turned into monsters after ingesting the raw drug, crossed his mind.
At his feet were the dismembered bodies of people, and among them were Patricia and Shasta…
Ritz shivered and shook off the thought.
"Please, please get there quickly. Please let me be in time."
Ritz spurred his horse on, muttering as if in a groan. He felt as if the horse was running faster in response to his emotions.
Just then, a certain question crossed Ritz's mind. Did Anna and Franz go home properly after seeing him off? They weren't still at the castle, were they?
After thinking that, a dark feeling swirled within Ritz. Come to think of it, those two had abnormally bad timing. If Ritz thought they wouldn't be there, they absolutely would be.
If they were there, they wouldn't stand a chance against that monster. And yet, those two would surely challenge it to a fight.
"You've got to be kidding me, hey…"
Ritz still had no way of knowing whether this guess was correct or not.
◇ ◇ ◇
Same day, ten-thirty.
The Royal Guard barracks within the royal castle were bustling.
They, who had their barracks closest to the royal family, were proud of their post.
The fortress that protects the King. That was who they were.
Currently, about one hundred Royal Guards were on duty. Their main job was, of course, to guard the royal family. This unit, which included a cavalry troop, could be said to be the star of the kingdom's army. Among the mostly dark brown uniforms of the kingdom's army, the dark blue uniforms they wore were the pride of the Royal Guards.
Unlike the Royal Household Guard in black uniforms, who were less than half their number, they couldn't follow the royal family all the way inside the palace, but security at the royal castle was their job.
The Royal Guard usually worked in three shifts. The busiest shift, with the most personnel, was the day shift, with about fifty men. Next was the evening to night shift, with about thirty men, and the late night to morning shift, with about twenty men.
Those on the day shift usually had an early lunch at eleven o'clock and would relieve the thirty men who had been on duty at twelve o'clock.
On that day, Whistler, a new Royal Guard recruit who still had a touch of youthfulness, was on the day shift. Upon reporting for duty, he was scheduled to have his meal at eleven o'clock. Shaking his sleep-deprived head, he headed to the Royal Guard's exclusive dining hall.
Today's lunch was a hamburger sandwich on rye bread, a root vegetable salad, and a tomato and vegetable soup. Whistler discovered something he disliked on the menu.
Tomatoes. He couldn't possibly eat something like tomato soup. But all meals were served on a tray as a set. There was no escape from the tomatoes.
Whistler received his tray of food. Around him, Royal Guards were gathering in small groups and starting their lunch. It wasn't uncommon for soldiers to come early and exercise before their shift.
That was why meals were available from ten-thirty to eleven-thirty, so they could eat whenever they liked.
He took an empty seat, and while looking around to see if he could pawn off his tomatoes on someone, a voice called out from behind him.
"Morning, Whistler."
Arden, a fellow recruit, came and sat next to him. He already had a tray of food in his hands.
"Hey, Arden. You like tomatoes?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Then you can have this."
He took the tomato soup from his tray and placed it on Arden's.
"Thanks."
The two started eating while chatting. The main topic was today's duties, but Whistler was feeling a little dissatisfied with his job and was complaining.
"I want to do a job that's more fulfilling, you know."
"What do you mean, fulfilling?"
"Like, a job that makes your blood boil."
He had heard that in the early days of King Edward's reign, the Royal Guard had had a very tough time. It was after the civil war, so there were people plotting assassinations.
But that was a long time ago. Nowadays, it was rare for the Royal Guard to be involved in a major brawl. Perhaps because of that, the Royal Guard, which was said to have had two hundred men at its peak, had now been reduced to half that number.
"Don't say such reckless things. What would you do if it really happened?"
His friend of the same age laughed jokingly.
"I know, Arden. If something like that really happened, what would I do?"
"You'd probably just run around in a panic and that would be the end of it."
"Hey, that's not cool."
Whistler took out his watch.
The time on his watch was eleven-thirty. He had taken too long to eat.
"Whoa, it's already this late. I have to go—"
Whistler couldn't finish his sentence. A scream erupted from the center of the dining hall.
"Wha—"
A man stood up, writhing and screaming. A scream that seemed to be wrung from his entire body, a scream that would freeze the hearts of all who heard it…
"Whistler, that's our squad leader!"
As Arden said, it was the squad leader of the Royal Guard's recruit training platoon.
"Let's go!"
The two, who had already finished their meal, rushed to the squad leader's side.
"Hic!"
Unable to believe what he saw, Whistler's throat tightened.
…It was… a horrifying sight.
The man who had been their squad leader was screaming, his face in his hands, as every muscle in his body swelled up.
The blood vessels crawling over his muscles were writhing like living things all over his body. When Whistler realized why the squad leader was covering his face, he let out a voiceless scream.
It was his eyes. The former squad leader, now dominated by muscles and writhing blood vessels, was holding them in to keep them from popping out.
"Hic… Hiiic…"
No words, no voice came out… When he looked around for help, he heard screams rising from all over the dining hall. The voices were gradually increasing.
"What… What's happening…"
With a tense face, he looked around, and there were people who were suffering from the same abnormal muscle swelling as their squad leader.
Those who were currently eating, and those who were about to eat, could only stand and watch this abnormal situation.
Eventually, the thing that had been the squad leader stopped screaming. It slowly removed its hands from its face. The squad leader's face, turned away from them, was not visible.
"Sq-squad leader, are you all right?"
Whistler asked timidly. But the squad leader didn't answer and slowly turned around. His bulging eyes glared at Whistler.
"U-uwaaaaaah!"
Trying to run away, Whistler instinctively grabbed Arden. Arden hadn't moved an inch for a while now.
"Let's run, Arden. This is bad!"
But the Arden who turned around was trembling. As if enduring something welling up from within his entire body.
"Arden?"
"Run… Whistler."
Someone said in a strangely halting tone. He looked up, and the squad leader was muttering while clutching his head. As if trying to suppress something he could no longer control.
"Squad leader?"
"Run… I'll kill you!"
As soon as those words were finished, the muscular monster that was once the squad leader smashed the table.
"Oooooooohhhhh!"
Simultaneously, a voice that was neither a scream nor a roar burst from the mouth of the monster that was once the squad leader. Even the inexperienced Whistler understood. It was too late.
"Uwaaaaaah, Arden, let's run!"
But the person he tried to pull was no longer Arden. Its muscles had swollen, making it a size larger, and it was dominated by writhing blood vessels. It was the same monster as the squad leader…
"No way… This can't be real!"
As Whistler panicked, someone pulled him from behind.
"You fool! Run!"
Battalion Commander Boyd of the Royal Guard was standing there. Dragging Whistler, whose legs had given out, Boyd retreated to a corner of the dining hall. A few unharmed men were gathered there.
"But, Arden!"
"It's no use anymore. The food must have been poisoned. I and everyone who hasn't eaten are unharmed."
Whistler yelled at the elderly Battalion Commander Boyd, who was calmly analyzing the situation.
"That's a lie! I ate with him, with Arden!"
Boyd stared at Whistler. He didn't understand that something important was hidden there.
"You and Arden started eating at the same time, right?"
"Yes!"
"Then there must be something you didn't eat. Remember it. We can't have any more victims."
He didn't need to be told. Something Arden ate that he didn't… It was…
"The tomato soup."
Tension ran through the silent group.
"Did anyone eat the tomato soup?"
When Boyd called out to the unharmed men, a few hands went up. They were pale. Only a few had not eaten anything.
They… would become monsters in a little while. Whistler trembled.
He looked and saw that the people who had completely turned into monsters were destroying everything in the dining hall. There were nearly thirty of them… If you included the Royal Guards on the day shift who hadn't turned into monsters yet, it was close to forty.
"I'm going."
A Royal Guard who had eaten the tomato soup drew his sword.
"But it's dangerous."
"I don't care. If I'm going to become like that too, then I have to stop them now, while I still can."
At those words, everyone who had eaten the soup agreed and drew their swords.
The Royal Guard was a unit with unwavering loyalty and the pride of being the shield of the royal family, unafraid of death. They were not allowed to be afraid and run away… it was written on their faces.
They were going to show that.
…Something that the recruit Whistler couldn't do.
"This is the royal castle. We will not let them out of this dining hall!"
The battle between the Royal Guard and the former Royal Guards who had become monsters began… No, it would be more correct to say that it ended the moment it began.
Whistler's squad leader, who had turned into a monster, jumped. With a nimbleness that was not human, he pounced on the Royal Guard who was standing at the front. The monster thrust its right arm into the Royal Guard.
Whistler saw something unbelievable. An arm… an arm was sticking out of the Royal Guard's back!
That strength… was no longer human.
"Oooooooooooohhhhh!"
The monster pulled out its blood-soaked right arm and roared.
"Run, recruit! Go get help!"
Whistler stumbled out of the dining hall. Behind him, the death cries of the Royal Guard and the screams of the monsters echoed.
The curtain had just been raised on a true chaos, enveloped in terror and fear.