Chapter 75 - <13>
In his office in the royal castle, Edward was organizing documents. Having been away from the castle for over a month at the end of the year, a mountain of unsigned papers had piled up on his desk.
Surprisingly, there was a rush of documents needing approval at year's end. No one wanted to carry their work over into the new year.
It seemed Shasta had taken care of a certain amount, but he hadn't touched any of the documents awaiting the king's approval unless they were urgent, leaving only the troublesome ones behind.
Was this some kind of retaliation? It was only in a situation like this that he could finally sympathize with Ritz's complaint: 'I hate paperwork. I'm getting out of here.'
But this was the path he had chosen, so he couldn't complain. Compared to the kings of neighboring countries, he, who could wander off for a month, was still better off.
Sighing, he looked out the window. It was a clear day. The warm air in the room had slightly fogged the window. It was probably cold outside.
What are Gerald and Ritz doing right now? The thought made him restless.
He had told Shasta, 'Even if that guy dies, I can still be king for a while,' but there was no father who could remain calm when his own child's life was on the line.
His son certainly lacked ambition, but after talking with Ritz about something, he had gone off to battle with his eyes fixed straight ahead. Edward was inwardly satisfied with this change of heart he had never seen before.
He would surely learn things on this mission that his father, Edward, and his guardian, Shasta, couldn't teach him. He was sure of that. But that had no connection whatsoever to him returning safely.
And Ritz, he was worried about Ritz too. Since coming to the Royal Capital and starting to work at the castle, Ritz had changed a little.
When they reunited in Faldina, he thought the somewhat brooding part of his old self had completely vanished, and he had become a cheerful man. But recently, the same kind of shadow from the past often fell over him.
He knew the reason, of course. It was reuniting with him, Shasta, and Patricia. No matter how much time passed, as long as they were far apart, he wouldn't feel the difference in the flow of time so keenly. But once they met, he would be forced to realize that the flow of his time was completely different from that of his old companions.
That was unknowingly tormenting Ritz. As he thought, that cheerful and bright attitude was just an act. Ritz hadn't changed from the past; he was still suffering from his own lifespan.
Ritz, who had returned after a long separation, didn't speak of such things like he used to. Even if he questioned him seriously, he would probably just be brushed off. He had likely gotten used to putting on a front during his long time as a mercenary.
For Edward, who was both his friend and like an older brother, that was a lonely thing, but he also thought it was good if it had made him stronger.
But reality seemed to be different after all.
Edward couldn't help but be bothered by Ritz's nonchalant words about his own life.
'If Gerald looks like he's going to die… I'll die in his place.'
Remembering this, he took a deep breath. If Gerald were to die, he would grieve deeply. That was natural for a parent. There was no parent who didn't love their only son.
Putting himself aside, Patricia, Gerald's mother, would grieve even more and might even come to hate Edward. That's what mothers were like.
Especially if the cause was the execution of an operation he had ordered. Knowing that it might become irreversible, Edward could still only test whether his son was fit to be king.
Even if it meant involving his friend.
To be honest, he wanted to keep both Gerald and Ritz safely by his side. But that was something he couldn't do for his son, the next king, and his partner.
If Ritz were to die, he would feel a sorrow equal to losing Gerald. Ritz wasn't a subordinate. For Edward, who had lived through a turbulent era to become king, he was an irreplaceable, dear friend in whom he could confide, and someone he worried about like a younger brother.
He wanted him to live, so why was Ritz in such a hurry to die? Edward was always troubled by this.
Was the reason their own aging? Was the problem of the flow of time, which he had forgotten while with his young wards, weighing heavily on him…?
"Good grief, at this rate, I won't be able to die…"
He had told both Kenny and Ritz to be careful, but he didn't think for a moment that Kenny could protect him completely. It was just for peace of mind, better than nothing.
If he kept worrying like this, he felt like he would throw his papers aside and go somewhere again. This time, it was an order he had given to Gerald. What would be the point of him showing up unannounced?
He had no choice but to wait. That was all…
Edward casually glanced at the large grandfather clock by the wall.
It was eleven-fifty.
Then he remembered. That's right, Ritz's current wards, Anna and Franz, were at the palace today. He had promised to have lunch with them, including Greig.
"I'd better get going soon, or I'll be late."
As he muttered and quickly gathered his documents, there was a hurried knock on the door.
"Your Majesty, it's me!"
Shasta's tense voice. It had been a while since he'd heard such an urgent tone. This was no ordinary matter.
"It's open."
He answered curtly, and Shasta came tumbling into the room. Several people besides the Royal Guards posted outside the door also burst into the office with Shasta.
"What is it?"
He asked sharply, and Shasta, pale and trembling with excitement, shouted.
"Monsters!"
A strange atmosphere filled the office for a moment. When he looked at Shasta in confusion, he saw that Shasta's eyes were bloodshot.
"Shasta… calm down."
"They're really monsters, Your Majesty!"
Shasta pushed forward one of the youngest men who had come in with him. The dark blue uniform was that of the Royal Guard. Why was a Royal Guardsman here alone? As he looked at the young man suspiciously, Shasta explained.
"Whistler, a new recruit in the Royal Guard's Castle Garrison Battalion, Training Platoon. According to him, at a little past eleven this morning, the lunch for forty guards in the mess hall appears to have been poisoned."
"Poisoned! What happened to the Royal Guards? Don't tell me…"
Shasta cut off Edward, who was about to say 'were they wiped out?'.
"They're alive. But they are no longer human."
At those words, Edward fell silent. Poisoned, and no longer human?
"I don't understand the situation. Whistler."
When he called out, the young guardsman knelt on the spot.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Explain it to me in order."
"Yes, sir."
Whistler, who had raised his head, reported in detail the tragedy that had occurred in the Royal Guard barracks mess hall. He must have reported it to Shasta in the same way just before, as it was relatively well-organized and easy to understand.
"Abnormal muscle expansion and aggression, huh…"
Edward felt a strange sense of unease. Perhaps because he had been thinking about Gerald and Ritz just moments before, the effects of the drug and this situation seemed to overlap.
Didn't the narcotic also have effects of aggression and muscle enhancement? Why were things with similar effects popping up here and there? And why did it happen today?
On this day, when Gerald and Ritz were not here.
Questions swirled in his mind, but what came out of his mouth were words to confirm the situation.
"What is the status of those monsters now?"
"Sir, they are currently engaged with the regular army. However, the castle is cramped, and we had not anticipated such a situation, so it is proving difficult."
Shasta answered accurately. Edward inwardly clicked his tongue. So soldiers who were only used to training outdoors were useless for defending this castle. In that case, it was a job for the Military Police, who were used to indoor combat.
"What about the Military Police?"
"The Inspector General of the Military Police is nowhere to be found, so the order to eliminate the monsters has not been communicated to all units, but I have ordered the Third Division to deal with them. They are in charge of special cases."
The Third Division was also involved in the current drug investigation. A man named Altman was the platoon leader.
Still, why was the Inspector General of the Military Police not here? It was hard to understand why he wasn't at work, knowing that today was the day of the operation to sweep the drug syndicate.
But there was no time to think.
"Shasta, return to the palace and protect Greig, Patricia, and also Anna and Franz with the Royal Guard and the morning watch of the Royal Guard. I want to keep the enemy away from there as much as possible, but in case of an emergency, I'm counting on you."
Taking his sword, Edward headed for the door.
"Please wait, Your Majesty! Where are you going?!"
Shasta hurriedly tried to stop him, but Edward smiled and held him back with a hand.
"I can't act without understanding the situation. I will see the situation for myself, give orders, and then return to the palace."
He had always stood on the front lines. That pride made Edward say so. He couldn't just lock himself away in the palace, abandoning the soldiers fighting an unknown enemy without even understanding the situation.
"But Your Majesty!"
"Shasta, I'm counting on you with Greig. With Gerald also gone, if something were to happen to Greig too, it would be unbearable."
He stared at Shasta, who nodded with a reluctant face. His tone left no room for argument, so nodding was probably his only choice.
Besides, Shasta knew Greig's personality best. If he learned of the monster uproar, he would surely be the first to grab a sword and rush in.
Without knowing that his skill was merely martial arts, far from real combat…
Only Shasta and Patricia could stop him.
"Royal Guard, follow me."
Edward left the silent Shasta and exited the office. If everything Whistler said was true, the castle must be in great chaos right now.
Edward went up to the wide balcony overlooking the courtyard, where he had stood during the New Year's celebrations. The castle courtyard faced the Royal Guard barracks, so he thought it would be easy to see the situation.
The sight in the courtyard made Edward gasp and frown.
"What is this?"
There were several monsters and the regular troops of the Kingdom Army. The monsters' muscles were stretched to their limits, and the blood vessels running over them writhed like snakes.
Monsters… indeed, there was no other way to describe them.
"Whistler, were those really Royal Guardsmen?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. There is no mistake."
"What a cruel thing to do…"
It was a nauseating sight just looking down from above. As countless arrows from the soldiers rained down, the monsters showed no sign of flinching.
They didn't try to dodge, and even with arrows sticking out of their bodies, the monsters wore twisted smiles and remained unfazed. On the contrary, they charged into the wavering, panicked soldiers, tearing through their stomachs with their bare hands and strangling them.
"Gaaaaaaah!"
A monster's roar erupted. Was it getting even more excited by satisfying its destructive impulses?
Some, perhaps annoyed, pulled out the arrows stuck in them, and a tremendous amount of black liquid flowed from the wounds. It was the monsters' blood.
But even with such pain, their eyes, which had bulged out from the pressure of their muscles, did not move.
"They have no sense of pain… This is tough."
To stop the monsters' movements, they would have to either cut off both legs or their heads. Cutting off both legs would take two steps, while the neck would only take one. Then they had no choice but to aim for the neck.
"My soldiers, listen!"
Edward called out in a loud, clear voice to the confused soldiers. The soldiers in the rear who were nocking arrows noticed Edward's voice and looked up. A light of hope flickered in their faces.
"The monsters have no sense of pain! Stop their movements by severing their legs or cutting off their heads!"
Encouraged by the powerful voice of Edward, who was known as the Warrior King, the soldiers began to back away from the monsters and reform their ranks. Seeing that the soldiers had calmed down, Edward issued further instructions from above.
"The enemy is fast, archers, aim for the legs. Infantry, do not approach the monsters until they are down. When they fall, cut off their heads! Armored soldiers will only be hindered, fall back!"
At his definitive voice, the soldiers who had been nocking arrows all adjusted their aim downwards. The voice of the archery unit commander echoed.
"First volley, fire!"
The arrows were all fired at the monsters at once. Then the second and third volleys were fired. With the monsters stopped and brought to the ground, the regular army with swords drawn charged forward.
It seemed the army was finally functioning properly. Against about forty monsters, they would probably be subdued in less than an hour.
Edward took a breath, then urged the Royal Guard and left the balcony. He let out a faint sigh and rubbed his shoulders.
Good grief, is this what happens when there's been no real battle for nearly forty years… It can't be helped, I suppose…
After all, most of the current commanders had no battlefield experience. The country had prospered in peace because of it, but at this rate, it seemed they wouldn't be able to stand up to an attack from an external enemy.
Perhaps the time had come to review their training.
"What will you do, Your Majesty? Will you return to the palace?"
The leader of the five Royal Guards accompanying Edward asked.
"No, I can't go back yet. Let's go to the throne for now. It wouldn't do for me to be wandering around like this when other units might need my orders."
The throne room was in the center of the castle. The main doors were left open from morning until Edward left, so it would be a perfect place for situation reports. The office was too small to hear reports from many people.
"Whistler, go with one of the Royal Guards and check on the situation of the Royal Guard."
Edward, seated on the throne, ordered Whistler. Whistler, who had been looking down, raised his face. He regretted having run away. This order would be perfect for him.
Besides, he was concerned about the Royal Guard barracks, the source of the commotion. They would have to confiscate the tomato soup that was suspected of being poisoned.
"Do not touch anything suspected of being poisoned. I will send the Military Police's drug investigation team, so leave it as it is."
"As you wish."
Whistler knelt before Edward, gave the deepest bow he had forgotten in his daze, and left the throne room with a member of the Royal Guard.
Leaning back on the throne, Edward took a deep breath. In a situation like this, the one person who would be the strongest was not by his side. This was a bit tiring.
Just as he sighed deeply, wishing Ritz were here, Edward realized something.
"Don't tell me…"
Could the enemy have intentionally targeted a day when the active warrior Ritz Alster was absent? If Ritz had been here, with Edward, this situation would surely have been a little better.
After all, everyone in this castle right now had no combat experience.
The presence or absence of a battle-hardened man with rich combat experience, who had commanded troops and was still an active mercenary on the battlefield, made a world of difference.
Besides, wasn't he the one in the most danger?
Edward quietly clicked his tongue to himself. The drug case and the would-be assassins of the king were connected. In that case, it was possible that the day of the drug syndicate annihilation operation and the day of the king's assassination would coincide.
If Ritz had been here, assassinating him would have been nearly impossible. But with only the inexperienced Royal Guard, anything was possible. He didn't want to think about it, but the top-secret information about the drug syndicate annihilation operation must have been leaked.
The informant was in a position to know top-secret information. Within the Military Police or the Inspectorate Department.
What had become of the drug syndicate annihilation operation by now? Had monsters run rampant there too, leading to a state of annihilation? After all, it was a small unit of thirty-two men in total. Perfect for being picked off one by one.
The only saving grace was that both the inspectors and the Military Police were a gathering of the few combat veterans in the kingdom's army, but against monsters, he felt uneasy.
Edward bit his lip.
We've been had… The moment the information leaked, we lost.
Edward frowned in silence. His fingers unconsciously rubbed his brow tightly. It was a habit he had when he was tired.
He couldn't afford a total defeat.
Now, his concern was for Gerald and Ritz. Were they safe?
Even if something happened to him, if Gerald and Ritz returned alive and helped each other with Shasta and Greig, the country could maintain its stability. If both of them were dead, and he also lost his life, the royal palace would not escape unscathed.
In Edward's view, a familiar man appeared. A stout man wiping sweat with a handkerchief despite the cold… the Inspector General of the Military Police.
"Engels, what have you been doing?"
Edward looked up at Engels. He slowly put away the handkerchief he was holding.
"My apologies, Your Majesty. On such a terrible day, this humble servant overslept…"
Engels, without even giving the king the deepest bow, casually uttered something outrageous while still wearing his winter cloak.
There was no sign of remorse or regret. He was different from the usual, somewhat leisurely man. Edward understood everything.
"Overslept, you say. Were you perhaps too excited to sleep last night?"
Engels listened silently as Edward's tone, having noticed the change, turned cold. An unusually chilling air flowed through the room.
"Inspector General, what are you thinking…"
The moment a member of the Royal Guard tried to tap the Inspector General on the shoulder, the guardsman collapsed.
"What!"
As the other Royal Guards tried to help their comrade, they noticed the dagger clutched in Engels' hand.
"Get back, he's an enemy."
At Edward's sharp voice, the Royal Guard slowly backed away. Seeing this, Engels began to laugh. He threw off his winter gear as he laughed.
The fat body was no longer there.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty! I couldn't sleep! The thought of ending your life with my own hands filled me with such joy! You are a hero. The shining hero of Yuresla. If I can take your life, there is no greater honor. I will be forever hated by the people as the man who killed a hero. And I, too, will become a part of the legend of the hero King Edward."
With a crazed joy on his face, Engels threw away the blood-stained dagger and took out a small bottle from his pocket.
"It was quite a struggle, you know, playing the part of a fat man. The large amount of cotton was so hot, I couldn't part with my handkerchief!
But when I thought of this, I could endure any hardship!"
The bottle Engels held contained a thick liquid. He uncorked the bottle and drank it down in one gulp.
"What did you drink!"
To Edward, who stood up and shouted, Engels replied with a low laugh.
"It's called '[Grace of Fire]'… Your Majesty, it is a further concentrated version of the raw narcotic."
"What did you say…?"
"It seems to have originally come from the Zeum Divine Kingdom. Rumor has it that the blood of the Giant Clan is the raw material."
"…The Clan of Darkness…"
Raven and Laria, who were at Stewart's mansion. The two of them weren't just looking after Stewart. They were there to spread this narcotic in Yuresla and cause chaos.
Perhaps they died satisfied because they could see this outcome.
"It's a shame, isn't it, Your Majesty? The Crown Prince and your dear friend the Minister are surely no longer of this world by now. That mansion is filled with monsters and drug-addicted beastmen, you see."
The blood drained from his face in an instant. It was all a trap. The enemy knew about Stewart's affair, and they knew Ritz's true identity. That's why they were able to devise a plan to kill the Crown Prince and the King separately.
The top-secret meeting had been leaked by the Inspector General of the Military Police, who was in charge of the investigation. There was no way to prevent it.
"You have lost, Your Majesty."
That was true. If Gerald and Ritz were really dead, and he died here, it would be a complete defeat.
"Gerald and Ritz will not die."
"Heh heh… such bravado."
"We shall see. It seems you are unaware of Ritz's luck."
Edward drew his sword. If he could defeat him before he turned into a monster, was there a chance of victory?
"Your Majesty… the time for parting has come. Please be at peace…"
Before he finished speaking, Engels' body began to expand at a tremendous rate. The time it took to become a monster was shorter than what he had heard from Whistler. He had said he drank a concentrated version of the raw liquid, so that must be why.
Engels' muscles swelled abnormally. The change was more intense than the monsters he had seen earlier, and Edward grimaced.
"Woooooooooo!"
Engels raised both arms with a roar. Blood vessels pulsed and writhed all over his body. His fully expanded body was dark like stone, and his eyes bulged out, dyed bright red.
He was different from the monsters so far.
The Royal Guard, frozen in fear, mustered their courage, drew their swords, and charged the enemy. But their swords were easily deflected. Even though their opponent was bare-handed, they were no match at all.
His skin was harder than expected, and unlike the monsters outside, he wasn't wounded and didn't bleed black blood.
"Guooooooooo!"
The monster let out an especially loud roar. The next moment, with unexpected speed, it charged at one of the Royal Guards in front of it. The guardsman, unable to dodge in time, had the monster's blood-stained hand burst through his stomach.
"Gyaaaaaah!"
The man's scream of pain and terror echoed off the high ceiling of the throne room. But the next moment, his voice was abruptly cut off.
The monster had torn off the guard's head with its arm. It threw the twisted-off head at the remaining guards.
"Hic!"
The monster did not miss the opening created by the guardsmen who cried out in shock. The creature that was once Engels targeted one man and leaped.
Powerless against the monster that suddenly appeared before him, the man's heart was pierced, and he stopped moving.
But the Royal Guard, though trembling with fear, did not back down. With their comrade still hanging from the monster's arm, the remaining two attacked together. The sword that barely pierced the monster's side was now stuck.
"Gagagagaga…"
The monster, drooling from its twisted, unclosable mouth, laughed. There was no trace of Engels left.
Effortlessly pulling the sword that the Royal Guard couldn't remove from its own stomach, it threw the sword at Edward. With a heavy thwump, the sword stuck into the wall right beside Edward. Incredible strength.
Black blood flowed endlessly from the monster's stomach. He had been human until just a short while ago, but for this narcotic to have such an effect in such a short time, what in the world was it?
It was likely something only the Clan of Darkness knew, but even so, it was abnormal.
But the large hole in its side had no effect on stopping the monster's movements. The guardsman who had lost his sword took the sword of his fallen comrade and challenged the monster to battle again.
Even with two of them, they couldn't deliver the final blow. They aimed for its legs as Edward had instructed the regular troops earlier, but they were being toyed with by the fast-moving monster's physical abilities.
Edward, holding his drawn sword, descended from the throne. With three of them, could they somehow stop its legs…?
But the guardsmen were not used to fighting, and he had no idea how they would move, so Edward hesitated to make a move. If he wasn't careful, he might end up cutting down a guard. The monster's movements were that fast.
If Ritz were here, they could read each other's movements and step in…
Even as Edward's impatience grew, the enemy did not wait. The next moment, the monster had blown off the arm of one of the guardsmen.
Losing his center of gravity, the guard collapsed. But the guardsman, even as he fell, mustered his last strength and clung to the monster's leg.
"The neck!"
At the guard's cry, Edward and the last remaining guardsman aimed for the neck.
But the guardsman who had lost an arm was easily crushed by the other foot. Groaning in pain, the guardsman died.
But this guardsman, even in death, did not let go of the monster. His body was deeply embedded in its leg, not allowing the monster to shake him off.
Ahead of Edward, the last guardsman, as if to avenge all his comrades, slashed at the monster. But the monster dodged sideways with a quick movement, and the sword didn't reach its neck. It managed to slash the carotid artery at the last moment, but even as black blood spurted out, the monster continued to laugh.
At this rate, the monster would die with time. He understood that.
But, would they last until then…
The last guardsman was decapitated and sent flying. The monster kicked away the corpse of the guardsman entangled in its leg and became free.
Its movements still hadn't stopped. Had he not completely severed the carotid artery…?
Edward slowly backed away.
In this vast throne room, just the two of them with the monster…
It was wounded, but its movements and speed were completely unchanged.
…This is the end.
Edward calmed his heart. He intended to fight to the very end, but he knew. He no longer had the speed and strength to fight that monster.
But perhaps he could take it with him. If he could just defeat this monster that was once Engels, the regular army could handle the rest.
Stepping over the corpse of the guardsman, Edward stood before the monster.
"I, the king of a nation, will die with you."
As he raised his sword, the monster, its grotesque face colored with its own blood and the bright red blood of the guards, twisted the corner of its mouth into a sneer and roared.
"…Come on, you monster!"
The moment Edward provoked the monster, something flew and hit its head.
"What?"
Without taking his eyes off the monster, he glanced at the object that had rolled onto the floor. It was a stone about ten centimeters in diameter. The monster turned toward the direction the stone had come from and let out a roar of anger.
But the person who threw the stone did not flinch at its voice and stared straight at the monster.
The light pouring in from the large windows on either side of the throne room was bright, making it hard to see the face in the backlight, but Edward could tell who it was from the silhouette.
From the entrance of the throne room, the man who had been catching a stone in one hand and tossing it into the air slowly approached.
A tattered military uniform, disheveled hair, blood flowing from wounds here and there…
"You…"
Before answering Edward's words, the man threw the stone he was holding with all his might, aiming for the monster's eye. One of the monster's bulging red eyes burst.
It seemed that only the protruding eyes had not increased in strength. Paying no mind to the groaning monster clutching its eye, the man flashed a defiant smile.
Edward's cheeks relaxed.
"…You're alive."
"Like I'd die that easily."
With his greatsword hanging from one hand, Ritz was there, lightly tossing the last remaining stone up and down.
Ritz threw the last stone at the writhing monster as well. The monster was now completely blind. Immediately, it began to grope desperately, reaching out its hands to find them. It was completely off the mark.
So that was its weak point.
"The eyes are sealed. I'll aim for the legs, so don't mess up."
Ritz said this, then erased his presence, stood before the monster, and crouched down. Edward followed suit, moving behind the monster.
Ritz swiftly cut through both of the monster's legs with his greatsword as it flailed its arms in search of an enemy. Without missing that moment, just before it fell, Edward slammed his sword into the monster's neck.
The impact was incredibly heavy, but he put all his strength into swinging the sword through.
The monster's head was slammed onto the floor with the momentum. With an unpleasant sound, the crushed head rolled away, and all signs of life drained from the monster's face.
It was over.
…Somehow, he was saved.
"That was close. I thought I wasn't going to make it."
Looking closely, Ritz was laughing cheerfully, with a strangely exhilarated look on his face that didn't fit the situation.
"Something's strange about you…"
Come to think of it, no matter how strong Ritz was, the power with which he had severed the legs that the Royal Guard's blades couldn't even dent in one blow was not normal.
Noticing that Edward had realized, Ritz looked down, looking guilty. Come to think of it, the force of the pebbles that had crushed the monster's eyes was also extraordinary.
"Well, you know…"
From Ritz's hesitant expression, it was clear he was hiding something outrageous. He walked closer and grabbed Ritz's shoulder.
"It's not just 'you know,' what happened to you?"
To Edward's stern questioning, Ritz shrugged his shoulders. Realizing he couldn't talk his way out of it, he seemed to have decided to speak.
"…I have a broken rib."
"Huh?"
But he didn't seem to be in any pain. And if his rib was broken, how did he get back? Looking at the operation schedule, to get back at this time, he would have had to ride his horse at a considerable speed.
"And it was hard to move and breathe, so I just… a little…"
Ritz muttered in a small voice.
"What was that? I can't hear you."
As if resigned, Ritz looked up. He wore a subtle expression like a sheepish grin, looking small like a child being scolded.
"Speak clearly!"
At Edward's reprimand, Ritz sighed before answering.
"…I took about two pills of the narcotic…"
For a moment, he didn't understand the meaning of what was said, but after repeating the words in his head, he understood.
"Are you an idiot! You went to crack down on that stuff! Don't you know it has hallucinatory effects!"
Come to think of it, he had heard at the meeting that the narcotic had pain-relieving and muscle-enhancing effects. Ritz must have remembered that too.
To the yelling Edward, Ritz retorted with an annoyed look.
"The probability of getting hallucinations is thirty percent!"
"It's not a matter of percentages!"
"What does it matter! Thanks to that, I made it in time. We even took down the monster easily. There's a saying, 'fight fire with fire,' right?"
Edward held his head in his hands. Why was this guy in such a hurry to die? Suppressing an explosion of emotion, he yelled at Ritz in a strained voice.
"What were you planning to do if something had happened!"
"If it happened, it happened! It's fine, I won the bet, didn't I?"
He was so dumbfounded he was speechless. What was he thinking, making a bet with his own life on the line…
But this time, he had been saved by Ritz's bet.
"Don't do anything so reckless again. You only have one life. You'll regret it."
To Edward's sigh-filled words, Ritz replied quietly.
"I know. I won't do it again."
There was no remorse in his voice. He would probably do the same thing again in the same situation. That was the kind of man Ritz was.
Edward quietly closed his eyes, calmed himself, and then slowly looked up.
He patted the shoulder of Ritz, who was silently staring at the monster's corpse. In the eyes of the turning Ritz, there was only a look of great relief.
Ritz had been desperate. At the risk of the lives of the people he might lose.
He had used the narcotic for that reason. Not for himself. It wouldn't do to stay angry forever.
"…You saved me. Thank you."
"Yeah."
Ritz took a deep breath and nodded.
"Now, let's clean this up."