Chapter 78 - <16>
Two weeks had passed since the chaos at the royal castle and the annihilation of the drug syndicate. The castle had finally regained its calm.
Ritz learned of the aftermath of the drug syndicate annihilation operation from Kenny's report. A search of the homes of the men who had died as monsters in the castle had resulted in the successful seizure of a large volume of documents.
From Duke Walter's residence, the marquis's own diary was found, and while the raw material of the narcotic remained a mystery, the truth was quickly unraveled.
It was revealed that although he could have truly destroyed the country, he had chosen not to.
That was the matter of putting the narcotic in the soup. If he had put it in the well water, all the soldiers would have turned into monsters, and not only the castle but the city of Sears would have been destroyed.
But he did not do so. Marquis Walter, though dominated by his loyalty to Prince Richard, loved this country even more.
It seemed he had intended to pass the throne to the prince's children while causing as little damage to the country as possible. But even that, he was aware, was his own ego, and not what the people desired.
And the prince's children knew nothing of it. They did not even know they carried the prince's blood.
So the investigators never told them of their lineage. And that became a top state secret.
An unfulfilled dream…
That's what Duke Walter had said. What was he feeling as he turned into a monster?
Lef, the victim of the incident, was currently at the Military Police's drug rehabilitation facility, completely clearing the effects of the narcotic from his system.
Once he was successfully purged of the narcotic, Ritz was to take him in and look after him for a while. After all, he greatly respected the Clan of Light.
Now that everything was settled, Ritz and Edward were watching the repair work on the destroyed Royal Guard barracks.
The ones who had suffered the most damage in that incident were the Royal Guards. The shock of having to defeat their own comrades who had turned into monsters, as if in a civil war, still remained as a deep wound within them.
Edward and Ritz had come here now, ostensibly to check on the progress of the repair work, but in reality, it was to see how the Royal Guards were doing.
Immediately after the incident, the scene here had been almost too much to bear. The floor was stained black with blood, and the walls were blackened with blood and soot.
Now, the walls had been repainted and shone white, and new stones had been laid on the scarred floor, making it look as good as new.
More than he had imagined, the Royal Guards were also returning to their daily lives, and the incident was moving towards a complete resolution.
Edward, after confirming with the construction manager that all work would be completed by the end of the day, silently nodded and left the site.
Walking a step behind, Ritz spoke to Edward, who was walking ahead.
"Do you think this is the end of everything?"
Without turning around, Edward nodded.
"It is the end."
"I see…"
Thirty-five years since the civil war. Now that the last resistance force had been eliminated, it was unthinkable that chaos would erupt.
"It was a long time," Edward muttered. Ritz could sense the relief mixed into his tone.
"Yeah."
It had surely been a long time for Edward, who had spent that time here.
Since he had left this country, he couldn't feel that length of time as a reality. But the definite signs of age in Edward's back made Ritz think of the long time that had passed.
Since that incident, Ritz hadn't worn his troublesome disguise. Taking advantage of the fact that he was there when Duke Walter turned into a monster in the throne room, he had been following Edward around under the guise of being the king's Royal Guard captain.
Thanks to that, he was able to skip his paperwork, which was a great relief.
Edward silently walked through the barracks. Ritz followed him silently.
He had said that this was the end of work for the day, so he thought they were returning to the palace, but it seemed that wasn't the case.
Ritz, who didn't know the layout of this place well, had no idea where Edward was heading, so he had no choice but to follow.
Edward unhesitatingly entered a narrow corridor.
"Here we are."
Between the walls he pointed to was a door.
"A shortcut to the palace. Greig and the others apparently used this and got caught up in the fighting."
"Huh, so there's a door here…"
Four days after the battle, Ritz, who was finally able to move, had reunited with Franz and heard everything that had happened here.
During the incident at Laria's mansion, Franz had been so terrified of the attack, but this time, he was calm despite having fought a monster with the [Fire Dragon]. Franz, who had overcome something, seemed to have grown stronger.
As someone traveling with him, there was nothing more pleasing.
Franz had heard from Gerald and knew about the drug syndicate as well. To take an interest in various things and gather information, he had really grown.
But that was likely largely due to Greig. The two didn't seem to get along, but they seemed to have a certain understanding.
It might be different from Edward and Ritz, but he felt that those two could also build a good relationship.
And his other companion, Anna, was somehow more mature than before. She properly carried the fact that she had taken a human life with the Water Dragon for the first time as her own responsibility.
He hadn't seen much of Anna since they had talked on the cliff outside the castle. Anna was now even busier than Ritz and Edward in the castle. Because there were so many injured people, those with healing abilities were in high demand everywhere.
And for some reason, he felt embarrassed and found it hard to face her. He had intended to look after her at the request of her adoptive father.
And yet, before he knew it, she had seen through everything, and in the end, he had ended up being held in her arms and spoiled, which made him feel pathetic.
But thanks to that, he had calmed down. He couldn't thank Anna enough.
As he continued to walk in silence, they came out into a bright place.
"Huh, is this a training ground?"
It was the royal family's training ground, which he had come to once with Gerald.
"Huh, so it connects here."
As he muttered in admiration, Edward took a single sword that was hanging on the wall and paused for a moment before finally turning to look at Ritz.
"Ritz."
Edward threw the sword he was holding to Ritz.
"What's this?"
Ritz caught the sword with one hand. Not understanding Edward's sudden action, he tilted his head, only to see that Edward was also holding a sword.
"How about it, for old times' sake?"
He understood from his cheerful and bright tone. He wanted to cross swords. But he didn't understand the meaning of his action.
"Fine, but why now?"
When he asked, Edward laughed.
"I probably won't be picking up a sword much from now on. In that case, my skills will probably decline."
"…You're right. It's natural for skills to decline if you don't use them."
After all, there were no more enemies. Edward's long battle would probably end today.
To the sagely nodding Ritz, Edward laughed. Wondering what was so funny, Edward pointed to the sword in Ritz's hand.
"Ritz, that sword is yours."
"Huh?"
He looked down at the sword in his hand, and though it had been maintained, it was certainly old. Looking closely, it was undoubtedly the sword he had held when he was still not used to fighting.
He fondly remembered those days.
After leaving the forest and being tricked by a merchant, it was a young Edward and the now-deceased Gerald Morgan who had saved him when he was lying on the road, covered in bruises. Patricia's father.
And after that, Edward had taken Ritz, who was opinionated yet naive, with him as a friend. For Edward, who had no one he could call a friend due to his position, Ritz was also his only friend.
The boy who had followed them, nagging them constantly, Edward's foster brother, Shasta Celosia.
And Patricia, who had scolded both Ritz and Edward and whipped them into shape.
The memories of those days were burned so vividly into his memory that he couldn't forget them even if he tried.
"To think you kept this all this time."
To Ritz, who muttered this sentimentally, Edward replied quietly.
"Of course I'd keep it. It was used by a friend I might never see again."
"…"
"When I remember a friend who doesn't show his face and whose whereabouts are unknown, something like this is better than nothing. He was a heartless person who left nothing else behind, after all."
No words came out.
"You talked with Anna, didn't you? I can tell just by looking at you now."
He knew from his conversation with Anna that Edward had told her various things.
"So, I can finally say it to you. To the calm you now."
Edward smiled gently. That smile, unchanged after so many years, was that of a best friend.
"Just once in a while is fine, so come back here. This is your place."
Those words overlapped with what Anna had said to him.
'If you die, Ritz, Ed-san and the others will be sad, right? Are you okay with inflicting pain on the people you love, as long as you don't suffer yourself? That's cowardly!'
Yes, that was right. He had been a coward. He had run away because he didn't want to feel the difference in time.
Thirty-five years. For thirty-five long years…
But that was equivalent to running away from the feelings of his companions who would die before him. What were the thoughts of his dying companions as they waited for him?
For this cowardly and weak Ritz.
"Ed… I…"
"You're not the only one who needs the memories of those days. This is your place too."
"…Yeah, you're right."
He hadn't noticed… no, he had pretended not to notice. For a long, long time.
To Ritz, who was silently looking at his sword, Edward drew the sword he was holding.
"Before my skills decline, would you do me the honor?"
"…Yeah!"
Ritz readied the sword, which felt too light for him, who was now used to handling a greatsword. The sword fit comfortably in his hand, and the feeling of his younger days came rushing back.
When he looked up, Edward's figure overlapped with that of the young Edward.
"What's wrong?"
"No. It's nothing."
He would remember everything. If Anna would carry half, he felt he could carry all the memories he was feeling now.
"That's right."
Suddenly, Edward thought of something and opened his mouth.
"What is it?"
He looked at Edward while holding his sword ready. Edward looked at him with a half-teasing smile.
"You haven't fallen for her, have you?"
"…? For whom?"
When he looked back at Edward, truly not understanding, Edward smiled cheerfully.
"Don't make a move on her. She'll be a beauty in the future, but she's still too young."
The moment he said it, he understood who he was referring to. Anna.
"You, you idiot! Like I would!"
Ritz, who had just been thinking about Anna, shouted, having been hit where it hurt.
"It's a joke. Don't get so red, people will think you're serious."
"Guh…"
He felt like he had fallen for a leading question. In that case, he had no choice but to get his revenge with his sword. To the still-smiling Edward, Ritz said.
"Here I come, Ed."
"Come at me."
And so, time flows on. Unbroken from those days until now. And as long as Ritz lives, it will continue to connect to the future within him.
Moonlight Cherry Blossom's Temptation