Chapter 79 - <1>
Unlike the previous volume, this seventh volume returns to the usual, relaxed fantasy style (^^;)
What on earth will become of the relationship between Ritz and Anna, which changed ever so slightly at the end of Volume 6?
Will the three of them continue to live in this city? What will they do about their journey?
This volume is one where various such turning points emerge.
Please enjoy it with a relaxed heart.
Looking back, this event was surely the very beginning of it all.
January 25th, 1573 of the Yuresla Kingdom Calendar. Beneath a clear winter sky, in a space filled with crisp air, a low yet resonant voice echoed forth sonorously.
"I apologize that the incident at the castle has disturbed all of your hearts. But as you can see, I am in good health!"
Watching the king’s back from his position on the viewing platform overlooking the vast plaza before the royal castle, Ritz gazed down at the thousands of citizens gathered there.
An attempted assassination of the king, a monster uproar in the castle… there was no way such things wouldn't become rumors among the city’s people, and for the past few weeks, the royal capital had been filled with a sense of unease.
To overcome this situation and bring a sense of security to the people, King Edward had appeared in this place today. Ritz, who held the less-than-welcome title of Minister, was naturally here as well.
Beside him stood Crown Prince Gerald, and next to him was Queen Patricia, and beside her, Prime Minister Shasta. All of them were the most important figures in the country, but from Ritz’s perspective, they were all his squabbling friends and companions.
Just seeing the king and those around him seemed to bring relief to the anxious populace. In that sense, their duty for the day could already be considered mostly complete.
As Edward began his speech to the citizens, Ritz paid it no mind, instead gazing at the distant sky. With the major incident resolved, and having been freed from the sense of impatience he had harbored for his friend for so long, Ritz was in a daze, his focus somehow gone.
Perhaps it was what the world would call being burned out. The only one who noticed Ritz in this state was Edward, with whom he had spent most of his time recently. But Edward was the same; with a long-standing concern having vanished, he too seemed to have lost some of his edge.
In the end, maybe he and Edward were just the restless sort, unable to relax without some incident creating tension.
Just as he let out a quiet sigh so no one would hear, Gerald suddenly tugged on Ritz’s clothes and questioned him in a whisper.
"Is he serious, Father?!"
"Huh? About what?"
His mind elsewhere, Ritz hadn't been listening to Edward's speech at all and simply tilted his head. Gerald was pale. It was only then that Edward's words to the people reached his ears.
"…And the lingering embers of war that have smoldered for so many years have, as of today, been completely extinguished. There are no longer any calamities to pull us back into the past. The era filled with decadence, vanity, and conflict, which we have overcome together with the citizens here now, has already become a distant memory, and it shall be forgotten in the rich and peaceful era that awaits us."
To Ritz, who didn't know what had been said before, it sounded like a simple declaration of peace, but he could guess a little from Gerald’s reaction.
And Edward’s next words proved that both Gerald’s agitation and Ritz’s guess were spot on.
"Therefore, I hereby declare that I shall entrust this new era of peace to a new king."
A great stir arose among the citizens and the soldiers watching from the castle gardens. The people's surprise was that immense, and the announcement that much more sudden.
The murmurs and voices of confusion showed no signs of abating. But even as they murmured, the people’s eyes were glued to the king. In this situation, not even Ritz could tap him on the shoulder from behind and say, 'Hey Ed, this is a bad idea.' The same went for Shasta.
Looking at Shasta, he was unable to grab hold of Edward in front of the people, and his shoulders were trembling minutely. Had this not been in public, he would surely be screaming, 'What are you thinking, Edward-sama!'
The idea of abdication had been brought up before Shasta several times, but Shasta had fundamentally been against it. Edward was not yet of an age to retire, and besides, he seemed to believe that Edward was abnormally energetic compared to others his age.
But with the king himself declaring it here and now, there was no stopping it. This was Edward’s tactical victory. To be honest, even Ritz was surprised he would say it here today. Edward had told Ritz with a straight face that he would abdicate in the spring, that he wanted to go on a journey, so Ritz had thought he would bring it up sooner or later.
But to think it wouldn't be in a council meeting, and moreover, to do it here without the permission of Shasta, Ritz, or the man himself, Gerald.
Patricia, who must have already known, looked cool and composed. The queen had never been one to complain about what Edward did, for the most part. She probably would have only said something along the lines of, 'It's what Edy thought up, so isn't it fine?'
"Ritz, this is… this is true, isn't it?"
Knowing the people couldn't hear him, Gerald turned his eyes to Ritz standing beside him, even as he absorbed the gazes of the crowd.
He was shaken, but he seemed to have enough reason left to know he couldn't cling to his father or Ritz, who likely knew something about the situation. His eyes seemed to say, 'Tell me it's a lie.' But the current situation proved it could be anything but.
To the thoroughly drained Gerald, Ritz, who knew Edward's personality well, could only reply as such.
"Do your best, Gerald."
"That's insane. You'll help me, won't you, Ritz?"
To that, he could only answer this way as well.
"…I'll be cheering for you from afar."
At the unexpected reply, Gerald stared at Ritz’s face, stunned.
"From… afar?"
"Yep. If he's abdicating, I'll be dismissed as minister."
"No…"
"Man… I'll finally be free. I wonder where I'll go."
As Ritz replied dreamily, Gerald turned even paler. He must have realized with a sense of reality that this was no joke.
"Even you, Ritz…"
"Don't worry, Shasta will definitely stay."
Pressing a hand to his forehead with a pathetic look, Gerald weakly shook his head.
"I must be dreaming…"
Unfortunately, it was not a dream. Ritz felt a little sympathy for Gerald. Not for being born into the royal family, but for having a father like Edward.
After all, Ritz also had a father who did outlandish things, so he understood the feeling. But voicing his sympathy was out of the question. He couldn't stand it if he were saddled with some other official position.
"You've still got a few months, so just take it easy and do your best."
"How can I take it easy?!"
And so, while throwing the confused next king, Gerald, into a sea of anguish and plunging everyone but himself and Ritz into a state of chaos, the abdication of the heroic king, Edward, who for thirty-six long years had commanded the respect of the people of Yuresla, was announced.
Though enveloped in surprise, Edward responded to the citizens—who were placing their hopes in a new king and a new era—with a thoroughly refreshing smile before making his exit. He was probably at ease because he no longer had any hesitation in entrusting the country to his son.
But Ritz could not fathom the confusion of Gerald, who had been told nothing and was now faced with an inescapable situation.
Gerald had barely managed a smile in front of the people, but after he left the stage, the sight of him groaning, as if to himself, 'No… too soon… this is too soon…' was painful to see. Patricia, who was superficially comforting him, only looked like she was enjoying herself. This couple was likely a handful as parents.
After seeing off the stumbling Gerald and the cheerful Patricia who was encouraging her son, Shasta, once they were mostly out of public view, did not hesitate to lay into Edward.
"What are you thinking! Do you have any idea what your position is! What you are responsible for is the Yuresla Kingdom, an entire nation! You are not a town shopkeeper or the head of a farm who can just announce their retirement whenever they please!"
Even Ritz thought he had a point. To Shasta's understandably harsh words, Edward replied calmly.
"A town shopkeeper and the head of a farm also have their own responsible positions. Though on a smaller scale than a king, of course."
"Your Majesty! Please do not try to change the subject!"
But even Shasta, his face red with overt anger, knew that in this situation, persuading Edward was impossible. After all, despite the twelve-year age gap, they were foster brothers who knew each other inside and out.
Still, his anger was a way for him to calm his own turmoil; he likely had no real intention of stopping him.
Since they were young, that was how Shasta had always managed his emotions towards Edward. Afterwards, his mind would switch to thinking about how he should carry out the mission given to him.
"When shall we set the date for the coronation, Your Majesty the King?"
Given his personality, it was inevitable that a slight edge would remain in his words for some time after.
"I'm planning for around May. It gets a bit hot in June, you see…"
"…As you wish."
While casting a sympathetic glance at the bowing Shasta, Ritz said nothing.
For Ritz, who planned to pop back in at the end of the year and then pop back out again amidst the chaos of the coronation, there was nothing he could say, nor anything he could help with.
Shasta, who could have no way of knowing this, didn't seem to expect anything from Ritz and didn't ask for his help. After all, the bulk of the work Shasta would be doing from now on was the administrative tasks that Ritz hated.
"Then, Your Majesty, I would like to establish an executive committee for the coronation, if I may? It will be impossible for me to do this alone…"
"Permission granted. Use whomever you like."
"Yes, sir."
Shasta, lifting his head again, stared fixedly at Ritz with resentful eyes.
"Ritz-san, you didn't, by any chance, know about this and fail to stop Edward-sama, did you?"
"Of course not! I didn't know, I swear."
Getting caught in the crossfire was the last thing he wanted. As Ritz hurriedly denied it, Shasta let out a huge sigh.
"Well, if you say so. Honestly, both His Majesty and Ritz-san have been setting me up together since we were children…"
"Hahahaha…"
Only a dry laugh escaped him. It was true, looking back. He had no words to retort. On top of that, he was planning to sneak away, so he couldn't even imagine what would happen if that came to light.
"Well then, please excuse me. Thanks to you, I have a mountain of work to do."
"I'm counting on you, Prime Minister."
"Do your best, Shasta."
As the slightly more haggard-looking Shasta departed, Ritz and Edward saw him off with a carefree wave.
"Looks like Shasta's going to be pulling all-nighters until Gerald's coronation."
As he muttered with a sigh, Edward gave a wry smile.
"I cause him a lot of trouble."
Confirming that they were alone, Ritz opened his mouth.
"You really overdid it, you know."
"You think so?"
Prompted to walk, he fell in step beside him down the corridor. As they were officially king and minister, he complained in a low voice so the royal guards behind them wouldn't hear.
"It was too sudden."
"I thought it was appropriate."
Without even looking at Ritz, Edward answered calmly. What an egocentric man. He knew it was useless to say anything, but he couldn't help but complain on Gerald's behalf.
"What part of it was? You saw Gerald. He's not going to recover from that for a while."
"Well, I didn't think he'd be that shaken."
"Huh?"
"I told him I'd give him a trial to become king, right? Once he's completed the trial, it's only natural he'd become king."
"…Well, I guess, but…"
"I thought he was mentally prepared."
"…You and Gerald are two different people."
With a sigh, Ritz resisted the urge to run a hand through his hair. If he messed up his styled hair, he wouldn't be able to fix it.
The two of them were now walking down the long corridor leading to the king’s office. The royal guards behind them had been faithfully accompanying Edward ever since the incident. Shasta had arranged it.
"Still, it's as if nothing ever happened."
To Edward’s self-directed murmur, Ritz also replied softly.
"Yeah. It's so peaceful."
The long corridor had been quite sullied by that incident, but now it was polished to its original pristine state.
As if nothing had ever happened.
In the two weeks and a bit since that incident, the royal castle had completely returned to its usual calm. The Royal Guard, which had lost a large number of personnel, was set to undergo a complete reorganization of its units.
In fact, this task was also left entirely to Shasta. As for Ritz, ever since that incident, he hadn't even bothered with his minister's disguise, instead walking around the castle with Edward, neglecting his administrative duties and taking it easy.
This minister's attire was something he hadn't worn in a very long time. After all, Ritz hadn't returned home once since the incident. For the first four days, he had been unconscious, and after that, he had been busy with the aftermath.
Since the royal guards had taken a major hit in that incident, and the number of regular guards had also dwindled, Ritz’s actions could be said to be appropriate for protecting the king.
His disguise and formal minister’s attire had been left at home all this time. For Edward’s speech today, he had hastily had Franz, whom he had met by chance yesterday, deliver the things from his house.
And today, the king's abdication.
It's all over, Edward had said. At that moment, Ritz, too, felt that the journey connected to the lingering grudges of the past had ended.
And then he suddenly remembered. The purpose of this trip wasn't this incident…
In the first place, Ritz hadn't planned on coming to the Royal Capital. The reason he had traveled in this direction was for Anna's incredibly simple and clear goal: 'I want to see the sea!'
Come to think of it, Ritz's initial goal had been to wander and figure out what his own identity was. Despite being of the Clan of Light, he couldn't use spirits. He was like a human, but only his lifespan was long. He wasn't particularly well-built, yet he was unusually strong. It was supposed to be a journey of wandering to look at himself.
That was why he had come here with Anna, who by chance had the exact same mysterious sphere and had begun a journey to find her parents to discover her own identity, and with Franz, who wanted to find a meaning in life.
He hadn't been traveling to see his old friends in the capital and help them out.
And yet, before he knew it, he was being drawn towards his past companions, leaving Anna and Franz behind.
…What should I do about this situation?
Besides, he hadn't told the two of them that he would be leaving here in the spring to travel again. They probably thought they would be living here for a while longer.
Should he finally have a proper talk with them?
For the past two or three days, Ritz had been thinking constantly about it.
Edward didn't say anything to the silent Ritz. Edward never interfered when Ritz was thinking about things he needed to figure out for himself.
The two of them walked the rest of the way in silence and passed through the door of the office. Once the royal guards disappeared outside the door and they were alone, Edward turned back to Ritz.
"By the way, Ritz, have you been home?"
"Huh?"
At the sudden question, Ritz let out a dumbfounded sound.
"Haven't been back, no."
Edward shrugged at Ritz's reflexive answer.
"Just as I thought… Why don't you go home once in a while?"
"Why?"
Tilting his head, not understanding the meaning, Ritz looked up at Edward as he sat down in a reception chair.
"What you're thinking about right now isn't the past, is it?"
As expected, Edward understood. Even if he seemed out of it, he was still paying proper attention to what mattered. Ritz also plopped down onto the reception settee. Placing his monocle on the table, he rolled his stiff shoulders.
"Yeah."
"Then the only thing ahead for you is to travel with Anna and Franz."
A sigh escaped him. Edward so easily voiced the things Ritz couldn't bring himself to say to the two of them. It was strange how, despite being apart for thirty-five years, Edward could read his mind so easily.
"…If only those two could read my thoughts as well as you do, things would be easier…"
"How could they? You have a strangely twisted side to you."
"You think so…"
"I do. Just when I think you're being straightforward and honest, you keep the important things to yourself."
"Ugh…"
"You hold onto things until you can't handle them anymore before finally talking."
"Ughh…"
He couldn't argue. In that respect, he hadn't changed from the old days, and Edward knew it too.
"So go home for once. The longer you're away from your current companions, the harder it will be to talk, and it's your current companions you need to talk with."
"I know that."
The coronation will be held in May. He needed to prepare for the journey by then. But in his current state, he had settled down too much, and he needed a goal. If he could find that goal, it would be much easier to get moving, but right now, he didn't know what it was.
It's easy to keep a rolling stone moving forward, but it's surprisingly difficult to get a stone that has firmly taken root to roll again.
As Ritz stretched, leaning back against the backrest, Edward gave him a look as if to say, 'What a troublesome fellow.' No matter how many years passed, Ritz might never have been able to escape his position as Edward's little brother.
Just then, there was a knock on the office door.
"What is it?"
"Your Majesty… a visitor."
The voice that called out was hesitant… or rather, bewildered. From that bewilderment, it seemed the visitor wasn't dangerous. Just that they were causing great confusion.
"Let them in."
At Edward's words, a royal guard slowly opened the door. His movements were slow, as if he were deliberating whether it was truly alright to let them in.
"What's wrong?"
At Edward's suspicious voice, the royal guard peeked in with a puzzled expression.
"They say they wish to greet Your Majesty… but… well…"
"It is fine, let them through."
"As you wish."
Through the open door, a short figure popped their head in and bowed. The servant-like movement was amusing.
Indeed, for a visitor to the king, it was undoubtedly a strange presence. To the royal guard, the visitor was strangely young.
A neatly braided, bright red braid swayed with the movement. For a moment, Ritz’s thoughts froze at the sight of who it was. As it was in front of the king and there were people watching, the person kept their head bowed.
"Pardon the intrusion, Your Majesty. I have come today from the military medical corps to offer my greetings."
After confirming that the door had been closed by the royal guard, the girl popped her head up. With the sheepish face of a child caught in mischief, she looked at Edward and smiled.
"Juuust kidding, hehe. Hello, Ed-san…"
As she spoke, the girl stared intently at the other guest sitting in the room. The moment their eyes met, she somehow became flustered.
"Ah! Ritz!"
Her large, emerald-green eyes widened in surprise. Caught off guard by the unexpected ambush, he was speechless for a moment, but he managed to raise a hand with a smile.
"Hey, Anna."
"It's not 'Hey, Anna'! Goodness! It's been two weeks!"
Despite having come to greet Edward, Anna rushed over to Ritz, who was lolling in his chair.
"You haven't come home at all, I was wondering what happened to you! Do your injuries still hurt? Are you eating properly? Are you get-ting enough sleep?"
"Hey now, I'm not a child, you know?"
Bombarded by a barrage of questions, Ritz retorted, flustered. Unlike Patricia's sarcasm, Anna was saying this out of genuine concern, so he couldn't just counterattack carelessly.
"When you're injured, you're just like a child! You have to eat properly and rest!"
"Alright, alright. I'm fine."
From across the room, Edward burst out laughing at the wryly smiling Ritz.
"At this rate, it's hard to tell who the guardian is."
"You're right about that."
It was as if their roles had been completely reversed, and it was nothing short of pathetic.
After surviving a near-death experience, if Anna hadn't been there when he was feeling down about having cheated death, he couldn't imagine what he would be thinking now.
He might still be thinking of running away from Edward… from his companions' feelings. He might still be carrying a pain so intense it felt like his chest was being torn apart by the regret of not having been able to die.
Certainly, the him who was talking with Edward like this, without putting up any walls, would not have existed.
Thankfully, since that day, he hadn't once harbored the feeling Anna called 'passive suicide.' Whenever he was about to fall into such feelings, Anna’s emerald-glowing eyes would come to mind, and he would be saved by their warmth.
But a strange awkwardness remained.
Ever since their exchange on that cliff, Ritz had been struggling to figure out how to act around Anna, how to maintain the distance between them. It could be said that because of that, he had been avoiding seeing her for the long period of two weeks.
He had thought he could act naturally as before, but the role of 'guardian' that had been imposed on him had become heavy. Yet, since Anna's foster father had asked him to 'take care of my daughter,' he couldn't just cast this position aside either.
Psychologically, Ritz felt there was a part of him that was definitely being protected by Anna. Now that he was aware of it, it was hard to maintain the image of himself looking after a naive child with amusement.
"Anna, you had business with me, didn't you?"
Edward's voice finally reminded her of her original purpose, and Anna, releasing Ritz, turned back to face Edward.
"Ed-san, they said my help at the military medical corps is finished as of today. The chief medical officer said until today would be fine…"
Anna had been going to help at the military medical corps every day since that incident. With so many injured people, they couldn't keep up with just the regular treatments, so she had been called in… or rather, she had pushed her way in.
"Then the medical corps should be back to normal now."
To Edward’s gentle smile, Anna replied with a similar smile.
"Yes. The chief medical officer asked me to convey that to His Majesty."
Officially, Anna was a spirit user in the queen's service. That was likely why the chief medical officer had entrusted her with a message for the king.
"Thank you, Anna. You were a great help."
"I'm happy I could be of use."
Watching the two chat peacefully, Ritz let out a small sigh. He had thought the only people in his entire life he would be indebted to were Edward and Patricia, but before he knew it, another had been added to the list.
Leaning back in his chair again, Ritz stretched. Thanks to the military doctors and Anna, his injuries were completely fine now. He was especially grateful to Anna, who had spent the whole night casting healing magic on him; he could never thank her enough.
He still hadn't figured out how to act around her, but for now, he decided to repay Anna's kindness a little.
Waiting for a lull in their conversation, Ritz called out to Anna.
"Anna, I'm coming home today… I'll buy you something on the way, so tell me if there's anything you want to eat."
He probably should have thanked her in a more proper way, but when it came to showing gratitude to Anna, food was the only thing that came to mind. Anna's eyes blinked in surprise.
"Are you really coming home?"
"Of course."
"Franz said he's eating at home today too, so everyone will be together!"
At Anna's delighted jump, Ritz's lips unknowingly softened into a smile. It was nice to be so喜ばれる just for coming home.
"Should I buy a cake or something? A big one."
At Ritz's suggestion, Anna shook her head vigorously.
"You don't have to! I'm just happy you're coming home, Ritz."
She said such incredibly heartwarming things. Along with a strange, welling joy, the reality of his own carelessness in neglecting the home he possessed sunk in.
"You haven't been home for so long, Ritz. I thought maybe you'd forgotten about us."
"Sorry…"
It wasn't that he had forgotten, but he had been avoiding her a little. Come to think of it, to Anna, Ritz was family. It wasn't right for that family member to be hiding away like this. As Ritz silently reflected, Anna continued her protest, her cheeks puffed out.
"Franz is often away too, being summoned by His Highness the Prince. It's just me and Joe every day. Annie and Evans-san go home after dinner."
It was Edward who put an end to the protest that seemed likely to continue.
"Then, Anna, I will take responsibility for making Ritz finish his work and sending him home early."
A hand was placed on his shoulder. Again, they were making decisions about Ritz without Ritz.
"You really, really promise, Ed-san?"
"I do not break my promises."
"Please do."
Anna bowed energetically. Her single braid swayed lightly like a tail. And with that same light momentum, Anna turned to Ritz and smiled brightly.
"Ritz, I'll make a feast tonight!"
Looking at that untainted smile, all his overthinking felt foolish. At that thought, a smile naturally appeared on his face.
"Alright, I'm looking forward to it."
"Okay! I have to go shopping with Joe!"
Anna started walking towards the door, looking thrilled. Her mind was already filled with what to make for dinner tonight. Edward called out to her retreating back.
"Be careful on your way home."
"Oka~y."
Turning back, Anna answered with a smile, then, after a moment's thought, told Ritz.
"You know, Ritz, if, just if you buy a cake, I'd like strawberry. With lots of cream."
"Got it. I'll buy one on my way home."
"Okay! I'll be looking forward to it."
With her hand on the door, Anna bowed with a smile to the two inside.
"Well then, please excuse the intrusion."
After Anna left with a cheerful greeting, the office suddenly became quiet. Edward stretched wide and turned to Ritz.
"…So, what are your plans for today?"
"I'm planning to head back to my office for the first time in a while and get the post-incident reports from Kenny and Altman."
Ritz stood up. He knew there was warm coffee in the pot that was being kept warm by the fireplace. Even Ritz couldn't ask Edward to make him coffee.
He poured two cups and sat back down at the reception settee. The soft, fragrant steam filled the space. The aroma had faded a bit, but he didn't mind. As he sipped his coffee absently, Edward, who had picked up his cup in the same manner, looked at Ritz with utmost seriousness.
"When that's done, go home. Knowing Anna, I think she's feeling lonelier than she lets on."
"…I know."
He was still Anna's guardian, after all. He could at least sense her feelings. But Edward ignored Ritz's words and muttered.
"She's a good kid, Anna is."
"She is."
Ritz himself wanted to know how one could live so honestly. But Edward’s next words were unexpected.
"She's too good for you."
"Huh?"
"I'd want her as a bride for Greig. They're well-matched, after all."
At Edward’s outlandish statement, Ritz was perplexed.
"…What are you thinking? There's no way Greig is a match for that Anna."
At Ritz's grumble-like response, Edward narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at him, and muttered as if to himself.
"That's true. In terms of being a match, he is inferior to you."
"What are you talking about, Ed?"
Come to think of it, Edward and Anna had apparently talked a lot about Ritz. He started to worry about what on earth Edward had said to Anna, and what Anna had consulted Edward about.
Edward watched Ritz's confusion with amusement for a while, but then, with a serious face again, he looked at Ritz and said.
"In any case, you're forbidden from coming back to the palace tonight. Got it?"
"I got it, I'm going home."
Ritz picked up his monocle and stood. With a practiced hand, he returned it to its original position. Just this one item made him look considerably older, a useful little prop.
"Well then, I'm off to work."
Ritz gave a silent wave, glanced at Edward who was getting to work, and then silently left the office. At the very least, he had to leave the castle while the cake shop was still open.
Before returning to the minister's office, Ritz had a few things left to do. He had to take care of them. Ritz slowly left the king’s office.
But Ritz, who had been neglecting his duties as minister, was caught by various people as he walked, receiving reports and being asked for permission, caught up in troublesome matters.
Arriving just in time for the appointment in front of his office with several documents he had received while walking, he found Inspector Kenny and Altman, the commander of the Military Police's Third Division, First Platoon, were already there.
"Crap, they're already here."
He muttered under his breath and looked at the two men. Both were standing stiffly in front of the door without entering the room, maintaining a rigid posture. If it were just Ritz personally, they would relax, but officially, the minister was their superior, so it couldn't be helped.
From their expressions, they seemed relieved. He must have kept them waiting for quite a while. These two were punctual due to their line of work. Since Ritz himself had no royal guards or attendants, he gave them a casual wave, as there was no one else around.
"Yo, thanks for your hard work."
The two saluted as they would in a public setting. As expected, they couldn't act casually towards a minister of the nation where they didn't know who might be watching.
"Had a few things to take care of. It might be a mess, but come on in. I'll at least get you some tea."
Saying so, Ritz placed his hand on the office door. Come to think of it, it had been two weeks since he'd been in this room. Even if Ritz wasn't here, the chamberlain in charge of this office should have tidied it up and kept it ready for use, so there shouldn't be a problem.
"…!"
The moment he opened the door and laid eyes on his desk, Ritz’s mouth fell open. In his shock, the documents he was holding scattered to the floor.
"Wh-what is this…"
Altman, who was behind Ritz, burst out laughing. Kenny was desperately trying to stifle his laughter by clearing his throat repeatedly.
There, piled up as if to mock him, was a massive mountain of documents. A large piece of paper with the word 'Unapproved' written in bright red was stuck to the pile. From the looks of it, it was Shasta who had written it.
"This is quite a sight, isn't it, Major Fort?"
Stroking his mustache to hold back his laughter, Altman muttered.
"Indeed it is, Lieutenant Altman."
The two murmured so, then pushed the frozen Ritz from behind. Ritz stumbled forward, staggering into his own office. At the same time, Altman closed the door. After a moment of silence, Altman, no longer able to hold it in, burst out laughing.
"My my, Ritz-kun, this is quite impressive!"
"P-please, Lieutenant, that's rude."
Even as he chided him, Kenny was also clearly trying his best to hold back laughter. Finally recovering from his stupor, Ritz peeled off the 'Unapproved' paper stuck to the mountain of documents.
"That bastard Shasta! This is definitely harassment!"
This amount of paperwork was clearly far more than the usual for two weeks. It could only be that Shasta was getting back at Ritz for abandoning his work and wandering off.
"We apologize for the inconvenience, as this is due to you accompanying us on our mission so early in the new year."
Ignoring the badmouthing of Shasta, Kenny apologized. Perhaps there were a lot of documents submitted at the beginning of the new year. Even so, he knew full well that Kenny was not at fault.
Altman was coolly tugging at his prized mustache. He must be finding this incredibly amusing.
"There's some truth to that. If you hadn't joined us on our job, you wouldn't have piled up so many documents. But I think you had plenty of time to clear this up after our work was done. What do you say, Minister Alster?"
"Yeah, yeah. I know, it's my own damn fault."
Ritz plopped down onto the neatly arranged reception sofa. What was he supposed to do with this volume of paperwork? He had no confidence he could finish it in a matter of days… or even tens of days.
Should he just not look at it and process it randomly? But if he did that and overlooked an important document, it would be a disaster.
If he did anything to damage the trust in the monarchy that Edward and Shasta had built up over the years, it would be truly irreparable.
"A~ah, what should I do…"
His strength left him with a sigh, and he slumped limply against the backrest. He absolutely couldn't imagine getting this finished.
Kenny, noticing the tea set placed by the brightly burning fireplace, began preparing tea for the three of them.
Ritz placed his monocle on the table as if tossing it aside and sighed. For now, he decided to shelve the paperwork and finish the task at hand. That was all he could do.
Waiting for Kenny to finish serving the tea, Ritz looked at the two men sitting across from him.
"Alright, let's hear the report first."
"Yes, sir."
Kenny and Altman's report was about the aftermath of the drug cartel. A portion of the drugs was still being bought and sold. The crackdown on this was being continued by the Military Police Third Division, First Platoon.
Now that the main source was gone, its complete annihilation was thought to be a matter of time. And Altman’s report was on the results of the search of the homes of the culprits in the attempted assassination of the king.
From just hearing the report, it seemed these two incidents were completely out of Gerald's and Ritz's hands. Leaving it to them from now on would be fine.
"This looks like it'll be the last report."
As Ritz muttered this after hearing the story, Kenny and Altman looked sad for a moment. It was probably because they knew the three of them would never work together again.
Not only that, but even Kenny and Altman themselves would likely never be on a mission together again. They were members of the Military Police and the Inspectorate Department, which were at odds with each other.
"By the way, what happened to that beastman… Lef?"
As if to dispel the somber atmosphere, Ritz asked cheerfully.
"The effects of the drug are almost gone. As expected of a beastman, I suppose?"
"I see… When should I come to pick him up?"
That's right, Ritz was actually supposed to take Lef in for a while until arrangements could be made for him to return to his homeland. The reason was simply that Ritz was a member of the Clan of Light, whom Lef respected the most. That alone was enough for Lef, apparently.
"Let's see… How about we have him sent over in ten days?"
Altman pondered while tugging at his mustache and asked Ritz. Ritz didn't mind at all when it was, so he had no objections.
"Ten days it is. Got it. I'll have an unused room cleaned up."
Saying so, Ritz stood up. He knew that at the end of this matter, he had to act befitting a minister.
He shed his lighthearted atmosphere and looked at the two men quietly.
"The handling of this case's aftermath will be left to the respective units of the Military Police and the Inspectorate. Future reports may be submitted in written form."
Naturally, Kenny and Altman also stood up.
"Thank you for your hard work."
"Sir!"
Ritz nodded to the two saluting men. With this, the incident was officially closed.
Ritz stood behind the still-standing Altman and Kenny. And he placed his hands on the shoulders of the two men, who were still in a stiff posture.
"…By the way, Kenny, do you have plans tonight?"
"Huh? Not particularly, sir…"
"Then Altman, any plans?"
"Just going home, but…"
The two turned around with puzzled expressions, and Ritz smiled at them.
"You see, I'm going home for the first time in two weeks. My companion said she's making a feast and waiting for me."
"Huh?"
To the two men, who were confused and didn't understand, Ritz continued to speak with a smile, his hands still firmly on their shoulders.
"I promised I'd definitely be home, so I can't work overtime, you see. So I thought about it. What should I do with this massive pile of documents… Well, I could probably do it tomorrow or later, but I'll never finish. There's no way. And so, I arrived at a certain conclusion."
He could visibly see Kenny and Altman's faces change from confusion to gradual wry smiles. They probably had a rough idea. But there was no point in stopping now. Ritz cheerfully informed the two.
"You both said you had no plans today, right? Won't you come to my house? There's delicious food, and you know, to celebrate the end of the job…"
"Ritz-kun, why don't you just say it instead of beating around the bush?"
His wry smile having completely transformed into a grin, Altman patted Ritz's arm.
"Indeed, Your Excellency."
Having been told this, he had no choice but to be honest.
"Please, help me carry these documents to my place. I'll never finish on my own, so I'll have my companions help me do it at home. I'll treat you to dinner."
And so, the massive pile of documents awaiting the minister's approval, after obtaining Shasta's permission, was brought to Ritz's current residence, the Clayton Residence, with the immense cooperation of Kenny and Altman.