Chapter 96 - 3
A soft, refreshing spring breeze, carrying the damp scent of the tide, rustled his hair. It was a pleasant sea wind.
Standing here on the quiet ship's rail, with only the sound of the waves, the clamor and bustle of the festival-like atmosphere he had just been in faded into a memory, as if it had been a scene from another world.
The days he had spent as a minister, a life he had tasted again after so long, flowed away behind him just like the scenery. Being on a journey was normal for him; the time until now felt like a dream.
It had been a while since he was in the Royal Capital, but once again, he couldn't stay long. It seemed he had no connection to the capital. It wasn't that he disliked the city.
With such thoughts, Ritz absentmindedly gazed at the shrinking port of the Royal Capital Sears.
The day after the coronation of the new King of Yuresla, Gerald, the party, as promised from the start, set sail from Sears aboard the cargo-passenger ship Viola.
According to Anna, who had gone to ask a crewman, the ship was named after the captain's wife, but to Ritz, that didn't matter.
He had asked Edward to make the arrangements and hadn't even checked until the day of, so he had no grounds for complaint now, and as long as he could set out on his journey, any environment would do.
The Viola, though called a cargo-passenger ship, was actually closer to a cargo ship. There were few cabins, and there were probably not even twenty passengers in total.
The ship's interior was a three-tiered structure: the lowest level was the cargo hold, the middle level held the passenger and crew cabins, and the top level was the deck and captain's room. Two masts held large sails, and those sails were now billowing, full of wind.
What was particularly noteworthy was that there was a wind spirit user on this ship. They were a powerful presence during departures when there was no wind or when navigating dangerous waters, and they were extremely valuable to sailors.
But there were only a few ships in any given port that could afford to hire a spirit user. In small port towns, a ship with a spirit user was practically the stuff of legend.
To begin with, the number of spirit users was not that large, and being a spirit user was advantageous in various situations like employment and academics, so there were few eccentric individuals who would choose to become a sailor.
Therefore, hiring a spirit user required a considerable amount of money.
In other words, the owner of this ship, who could afford to hire a spirit user, was earning enough to make a profit even after paying the spirit user's salary.
Ritz, who had been endlessly pondering such worldly matters, shook his head to clear his thoughts.
Once he was on the ship, such things didn't matter. As long as he arrived at his destination safely, that was all that mattered.
He casually glanced to the side and saw Anna and Lef, their eyes shining like children, eagerly asking questions all over the place.
It was the first time for both of them on a ship, so their excitement was amplified by the novelty of it all.
"Look, Lef, look at that!"
He casually followed Anna's pointing finger and saw the shrinking royal castle. He had been cooped up there until yesterday, but now that he was moving away, it already felt like a distant event from the past.
But contrary to the sentimental Ritz, Anna and Lef were simply cheerful.
"It's amazing, isn't it? So fast..."
"It is fast! Ships are amazing!"
"They really are. It's floating, even though it's so big, on top of the sea!"
Lef replied excitedly. If he had a tail, it would probably be wagging at its maximum speed.
It's a ship, what's it supposed to do if it doesn't float, he muttered under his breath, but the excited pair didn't seem to hear him at all.
"It's fast! I wonder which is faster, a horse or this?"
"Which one could it be?"
These two had gotten very close recently. There was a commonality between the small Anna and Lef, who was bigger than him, that you would never guess just by looking at them.
It was their mental age.
Lef looked to be about the same age as Ritz, but he was actually only fifteen. He was three years younger than Franz, a beastman just on the cusp of adulthood.
And Anna, though thirty-one in actual years, which was quite an age, looked young, in her mid-teens. Correspondingly, her mental age was also young.
In short, both of them were children.
Ritz also knew from painful experience that Anna had a mature side appropriate for her age. But for the past few months, he had decided not to think about it and to focus on Anna's childlike side.
He had realized that was the best way for him to remain sane when interacting with Anna.
When he saw the mature Anna, he couldn't stay normal and inevitably became fidgety.
When she turned to him with that mature smile, his body would want to hug her on its own. But to keep Anna from knowing, he desperately restrained himself to a light pat on the head or a touch on the shoulder.
He was scared of himself for harboring such feelings for the still-young Anna, and just touching her made his actions strangely suspicious afterward.
In other words, Ritz's feelings for Anna had grown and grown, his affection was at its peak, and thinking about it made him depressed.
After realizing his feelings for Anna were romantic, Ritz was considerably confused.
To begin with, Anna was too different from his usual type of woman.
Ritz, who had spent his life wandering from town to town, had maintained relationships with women that were just enough to fill his loneliness without being a hassle.
But they were usually professionals like prostitutes, or worldly tavern wenches, or dancers; their type was set, and from their style to their age and personality, they were the complete opposite of Anna.
On top of that, they were all relationships with no strings attached, and he no longer even remembered the faces of the women he had been with. Ritz had spent thirty-five years that way.
If Anna knew about that... she would probably avoid him like the plague.
No, if she just avoided him, that would still be fine, but if she came to loathe him, he wouldn't be able to recover. Though it would be his own fault.
Because of that, considering the norms of his past relationships, his feelings for Anna were already a crime.
Frankly, it was an impossible reality. So he couldn't help but ask himself.
Why Anna, of all people?
The circumstances of their meeting were what they were, so perhaps it couldn't be helped, but the mismatch between Anna and himself was so great it was laughable.
Impossible... it was far too impossible.
He let out a secret sigh and averted his eyes from Anna and Lef. Next to them was Franz, leaning against the ship's rail, looking so exhausted he might fall asleep at any moment.
Because he had been forced to do Ritz's work, he hadn't had a decent rest recently.
Even though he was freed from the murderous schedule of the past few days, it was only yesterday, and he hadn't had a proper break.
He had rushed Franz, who was probably on the verge of collapsing, to prepare for the journey, but it seemed his energy had run out the moment he got on the ship.
As for Ritz himself, his work was finally done, and he was inwardly relieved that he could finally sleep soundly starting today.
Unfamiliar paperwork and an unbelievable number of visitors. He was truly tired.
"It's amazing! The sea is so beautiful!"
Anna said in a cheerful voice, turning to face him. Lef turned to face him with a similar expression. The two of them looked so much alike they could have been siblings.
At the heartwarming sight, he shrugged and replied.
"Yeah, it is."
"It is, Ritz! I wanted to see the sea, so I'm thrilled!"
He remembered that the reason they had come to the Royal Capital Sears in the first place was because of Anna's single phrase, "I want to see the sea!"
"I see. You did say you wanted to see the sea."
"I did!"
If Anna hadn't said that... where would they be now?
He felt a little resentful, thinking that he wouldn't have had such complicated feelings for Anna.
But if Edward had been assassinated in the capital without his knowledge, he wouldn't have been able to bear it, so perhaps this was the right choice after all.
"It's so blue... I've never seen such a deep blue before."
Anna's eyes sparkled as she turned them to the sea surface again. As if drawn along, Lef also gazed at the sea.
Ritz looked at the sea surface as well. A white wave created by the ship continued straight across the deep blue surface.
"You think so? It's just like a lake."
The view from a ship crossing a giant lake felt no different, so he gave a listless reply, and Lef turned to him with a dissatisfied look.
"That's not true. The life force you can feel is completely different from a lake."
"...Life force?"
As expected of a beastman, he saw things differently. It even felt like he could probably see the creatures in the sea.
"Lef, can you see any fish?"
Perhaps thinking the same thing as Ritz, Anna asked innocently.
"I can. The big ones."
Lef replied just as innocently.
"Wow, amazing!"
"...You can actually see them?"
He was rendered speechless. As expected of a beastman. No matter how much Ritz strained his eyes, he couldn't see a single fish.
Anna seemed to be the same, and she stared at the water's surface for a while.
"I want to see them too!"
As Anna and Lef were getting excited, another person who had been silently listening to their exchange spoke up.
"The sunset over the sea is a beautiful thing. It is truly magnificent, so you should definitely see it."
"Really? Wow, I can't wait!"
Anna's face lit up at those words. But Ritz was not quite convinced. He couldn't accept hearing that voice here.
Ritz leaned his elbow on the ship's rail and muttered.
"...Before the sunset, there's something I'd like to ask."
Unfazed by Ritz's sullen voice, the owner of the voice smiled fearlessly.
"Ask me anything you like, Ritz."
"Why the hell are you here too, Ed?"
Edward IV, the former King of Yuresla, also known as the Hero King Edward, real name Edward Baldia, snorted at Ritz with a mocking expression.
"I am no longer king. I can go wherever I please."
At the overly selfish excuse, Ritz retorted sullenly.
"...What grand duke abandons his country and goes on a trip the day after his son's coronation?"
But there was no way Edward would lose a verbal battle to Ritz. Edward leisurely crossed his arms with the elegant movements he had acquired as king.
"The grand duke of the Yuresla Kingdom is abandoning his country and going on a trip. Is there a problem?"
"A huge problem!"
"I wouldn't expect to hear that from a man who abandoned his post as minister to leave the country."
"That's..."
He faltered for a moment, having been hit where it hurt. But it was clear he had given an opening for a counterattack.
Edward was not so soft as to miss that opening. Especially not with Ritz.
"The grand duke is effectively retired. A minister is an active post. Which position is more problematic to abandon?"
"Kuh..."
As he clenched his fist, about to say something back, he caught sight of Franz, who he thought had been sleeping, shifting out of the corner of his eye.
"Ritz."
Called by Franz in an emotionless voice, he turned around sullenly, and Franz's blue eyes looked at him coldly.
"What?"
"You lose, Ritz. His Majesty is right."
"See? Your own companion says so."
At Edward's triumphant words, Ritz held his head in his hands. His head really hurt.
He himself had finally been relieved of his ministerial duties and was free, which was fine, but why was a grand duke casually leaving the country? Shasta was probably furious by now.
At Ritz's sigh, Edward smiled with a composed face.
"I told you, didn't I? Spring is a good season for a journey."
He had certainly been told that. He'd been told, but he hadn't thought he would actually come along. He had thought it was a joke.
Besides, he had assumed that when he said he was going on a journey, it would be the kind of carefree stroll through the kingdom that Edward had done before, but he had been naive.
It was so unexpected that he couldn't stop it, which was an unbearable regret.
Edward's behavior had been suspicious from the start.
Edward, who had come along with Joe and Evans to see off the ship departing in the afternoon, had left Joe and Evans, who were seeing them off from below, and coolly walked up the ship's gangway.
When he asked if it was all right to come up to the ship, Edward had said with a straight face, "It should be fine. There's no problem as long as I get off before we depart."
Ritz had been naive to assume that he probably wanted to see a ship for the first time in a while.
Even as the departure time neared, Edward showed no signs of getting off.
Ignoring the panicked Ritz, Edward leisurely waved to Joe and Evans, and explained the ins and outs of sea travel to the excited Anna and Lef.
Not just Ritz, but Franz also realized the time and they both panicked and started trying to persuade Edward to get off, but by then the ship's anchor had been raised and the ship had slowly begun to leave the port.
"Well, well, it seems we'll be away from the capital for a while," Edward had muttered, and at his feet was a neatly placed piece of luggage... and that was that.
Just remembering it made him sick of his own carelessness.
"Wasn't Patty angry?"
When he asked in a low voice, Edward let out a wry smile.
"It seems she expected that I would go on a journey with you and the others. When I realized, a packed bag was sitting on my bed."
"Heh..."
Stop him, Patty, he muttered in his heart.
Edward was quite old. Wasn't she worried?
It was true that for Ritz, who was currently saddled with two dependents, the presence of Edward, who could use a sword and had a wealth of knowledge and experience, was a blessing.
A blessing, but he couldn't take responsibility for the life of a grand duke. Even if he was told he wasn't as important as the king, the new King Gerald needed Edward's help.
Perhaps understanding the meaning of Ritz's sigh, Edward suddenly looked at Ritz with a serious face and muttered in a low voice that only Ritz could hear over the waves.
"You don't need to worry about it. If anything happens to me, it won't be your fault or your companions' fault."
"But..."
"It's my own responsibility. Don't you dare take responsibility for me. I'll take responsibility for myself. You just need to fulfill your own responsibilities."
When put like that, he had no words to reply.
As he was lost in thought, someone poked his crossed arms.
Looking at the person who had poked him, it was Anna, who had come to stand next to him at some point. She was looking straight up at Ritz. He stopped himself from taking a step back and held his ground with a casual expression.
"What is it?"
"Just now, were you talking about whether the Queen knew Ed-san was going on a trip?"
"Yeah."
"The Queen knew a long time ago. And you know, I was wondering when I should tell you."
As Anna said that, she went to her luggage and brought back a long object wrapped in cloth. When he first saw it, he wondered what it was, but he hadn't asked.
"You see, look at this."
The moment she unwrapped the cloth and revealed its contents, Ritz and Edward cried out at the same time. It was a very familiar item.
"That's... Patty's..."
It was the Silver Staff that Patricia had received from her father, Gerald Morgan, when she had finished her training as a spirit user. He remembered that she had cherished it since the first time they met.
"Yes. I received it from the Queen. She asked me to protect her dear people in her place."
Did that mean she no longer needed it? She, who had been strong-willed and rough back then, was now quite old.
As he was feeling the weight of thirty-five years and looking at the staff with deep emotion, Anna continued in a relaxed tone.
"At first, she just said to protect you, Ritz."
"Me?"
At the unexpected words, he couldn't help but let out a surprised voice.
"Yes, that's right."
Anna nodded readily. She answered in such a light tone that he didn't know what to say.
"Why me?"
"Well, she said you're a fool, so I should watch you so you don't die."
"...'A fool,' she says."
It was unbearable to be dismissed as a fool without any explanation, but it was something Patricia would say.
Even so, Ritz's feelings were complicated. Why, of all people, would Patricia entrust that to Anna? And by entrusting that staff, she was telling her to protect Ritz.
Patricia and Anna were both women for whom Ritz had complicated feelings.
But there was no way Anna would know of Ritz's inner turmoil.
"She said 'people,' so I was wondering who she meant, but it must have been because Ed-san was coming along."
"...I see."
Edward, who had been listening to Anna's story with his arms crossed, muttered that and placed a hand on Ritz's shoulder.
"Good for you, Ritz. Let her take care of you."
He was definitely enjoying this. It seemed Edward had noticed the subtle shift in the protective roles between Ritz and Anna.
"That's a bad joke."
He muttered in a low voice. He wished he wouldn't confuse the situation any further.
His face must have unknowingly become sullen, because Anna was looking at him with a troubled expression.
"...That's right. I'm so weak."
It seemed that the words he muttered, thinking they wouldn't be heard, had been heard after all.
"No, it's not about you."
When he hastily denied it, Anna tilted her head.
"Is that so?"
"It is. I'm complaining to Patty."
"Oh, I see. I thought you were saying I was useless."
With that, Anna showed her usual bright smile, as if relieved. He let out a sigh of relief in his heart. He shouldn't say careless things.
Anna, unaware of Ritz's feelings, continued cheerfully.
"The Queen's overestimating me, isn't she? Ritz is much stronger than me, and Ed-san is much smarter."
"Yeah, you're absolutely right. So you don't need to worry so much about it."
He said lightly and placed a hand on her head, and Anna nodded enthusiastically before returning to Lef's side. The two of them started talking again while looking at the sea.
Ritz secretly sighed. It was true that Edward would be more useful than Anna in many situations, and in terms of strength and combat ability, Ritz was far superior to Anna.
But he could also understand why Patricia had asked Anna to look after Ritz and Edward.
Edward aside, mentally, Anna was far stronger than Ritz. For Ritz, who unconsciously made light of his own life, a weight like Anna might be just right.
"...Ritz. I'm going to the cabin first."
Franz, who had been dozing off silently until now, said that and staggered to his feet. It seemed he had truly reached his limit.
"Okay, okay! I want to see the cabin too!"
Anna cheerfully agreed with Franz's words. Franz, who wanted to sleep quietly, made a thoroughly displeased face, but since the cabin was a four-person room, there was no escape.
"You're coming too, right, Lef?"
Lef, asked by Anna, nodded enthusiastically.
"Okay, we're going then!"
By the time Anna said that, Franz was already on his feet and walking away.
"Wait up, Franz!"
Anna followed after the unsteadily walking Franz, talking to him about something.
"I'll carry the luggage, Ritz, Your Majesty."
Lef, after confirming the two figures were gone, smiled gently as he effortlessly lifted everyone's luggage.
"Yeah, thanks."
He raised a hand lightly, and Lef bowed slightly before descending to the cabin.
"What are you going to do?"
After the three figures were out of sight, Ritz leaned his elbow on the ship's rail and asked. Next to Ritz, Edward leaned his back against the rail.
"How much do you think the fare for this ship is?"
Asked something completely unrelated, he was at a loss for words for a moment. But he knew full well that this man wouldn't answer if asked directly.
"Who knows. One night, two days, breakfast only once. The ship is on the smaller side, and the cabin is a four-person room with bunk beds. About... five thousand belcet per person. Two giltz for four people? You're the one who arranged it, so how would I know?"
When he stated the price for a typical small cargo-passenger ship, Edward smiled fearlessly.
"In terms of the market rate, you're right. The official price for this ship is indeed very close to that amount."
"And?"
"But what would you think if I told you the fare was free?"
He instinctively looked at Edward's face and saw a cheerful expression that couldn't be hidden even when he tried to look serious.
There was definitely something behind this.
"Did a crew member ask you for a favor, so you got on for free?"
When he asked that while looking at Edward's face, Edward didn't answer and prompted him with his hand to suggest another idea. It was frustrating, but Ritz had no other way to find out the truth.
"You got a free ticket for this ship."
"Wrong."
"You used the king's name to force them to make it free."
"Impossible."
"You found out the captain's weakness and did something akin to blackmail."
"..."
"You held a sword to him and forced him with brute strength."
"...Ritz, I was a king, you know."
Perhaps annoyed by Ritz's words, which were gradually becoming criminal, Edward complained. But for Ritz, this was the only way he could defy Edward.
"Then what is it? The state isn't going to pay for it, is it? It's a personal trip."
When he said that dismissively, Edward patted Ritz's shoulder.
"Correct. The fare for this ship journey is being paid for by the Kingdom Army."
"By the Kingdom Army?"
At the unexpected answer, he lowered his voice, and Edward also lowered his.
"That's right. There is another military person on this ship. That person is a member of the Military Police's Third Division, First Platoon, but specializes in undercover investigations, so you don't know him, and I don't know his face either."
The Military Police's Third Division, First Platoon... Altman's platoon. That means...
"Is it related to the drug?"
"Yes, the main source of the drug is gone, but there was a large amount of the drug left over. Since the Military Police's crackdown has become stricter, it seems they plan to take the rest out of the country... but we have no idea which cargo it is."
He said something unexpected. They should just seize it and confiscate the cargo. Perhaps seeing that thought on his face, Edward gave a wry smile.
"Don't look so displeased. The Military Police plans to wait at the port of the neighboring country and take care of the recipient and dealer of the Yuresla Kingdom's drugs all at once. That's why they're intentionally letting them run."
"What does that mean?"
It was getting too roundabout for his liking, so he couldn't help but raise his voice.
"...You're impatient."
Ritz stared at Edward, who shrugged.
"You're being too roundabout."
"Then I shall explain briefly."
"Go on."
He nodded, and Edward began his explanation.
"The undercover agent has determined that the drug is in this ship's cargo, but it seems he doesn't know which one it is. He's figured out that it's in one of the wooden boxes in the hold, but he couldn't find a chance to get into the hold before the ship set sail."
"I see..."
"It seems the undercover agent is inexperienced. Altman was complaining that they lost three people in the last incident, so this is a stopgap measure."
Come to think of it, in that building that was thought to be the drug headquarters, Altman's three undercover agents had turned into monsters. The scene flashed through his mind for a moment.
As he remained silent, Edward also fell silent next to him. It seemed there was a crucial part coming up, but it was a bit difficult to say.
"And?"
When he prompted him, Edward let out a small sigh and continued.
"Ritz, did you know? It's a given that the place to lock people up on a ship is usually the hold."
"Huh?"
Confused by the sudden change of topic, Edward ignored Ritz and continued.
"The undercover agent confirmed it, but it seems there's no other place to keep criminals on this ship."
"Wait, what does that have to do with..."
He realized as he was about to speak. Criminals are put in the hold... If there was a criminal, albeit a petty one, here.
"You... you're a stowaway, aren't you?"
"That's right. So there is one criminal here. And a criminal is..."
Edward cut off his words meaningfully. By this point, he had a good idea of what was going on. In place of the silent Edward, he continued.
"Thrown into the hold. And there... the drug is hidden. If I get thrown into the hold tonight, I'll have until the ship docks tomorrow afternoon to search for the drug as much as I want... is that it?"
"Exactly."
In other words, Edward, who had somehow learned of this drug smuggling information, had turned this information to his advantage and made the ship fare free by getting himself involved.
"You... you're reckless..."
Ritz muttered with a sigh. He was amazed at the idea of spending a night in the hold at over sixty. But Edward suddenly coughed softly.
"Ritz, surely you wouldn't tell a frail old man with not long to live to get thrown in the brig, would you?"
"! ...No way..."
The moment he muttered that, he understood Edward's true intentions. That's right, no matter how young Edward looked, he had no intention of going that far.
...Especially not if he had a sturdy, young friend with him.
"So... the stowaway is... me?"
When he confirmed it fearfully, Edward admonished Ritz with a very dramatic expression.
"That's right, Ritz. You shouldn't do that, stowing away is wrong."
"Don't mess with me, you damn old geezer!"
Edward, who usually snapped back at that line, smiled with satisfaction.
"That's right. I'm old now. If I were as young as you, I could still be reckless. Well, well, getting old is no fun. Cough, cough."
Edward, who had been standing straight until now, bent over and coughed deliberately.
"Dammit, I was framed..."
As he gnashed his teeth, Edward patted Ritz's shoulder.
"Well, see it through to the end. For Altman and Kenny too."
"Altman and... Kenny?"
Come to think of it, he hadn't seen them in the capital...
"They've already gone ahead to infiltrate the ship's destination."
In other words, it was all set up.
"What the hell, deciding everything on your own."
When he complained, Edward laughed cheerfully.
"If I had consulted you in the proper order, do you think you would have agreed with a smile?"
"..."
If he had been consulted, Ritz would have probably insisted, "I don't want to do it." It was highly likely he would have said they should just put one of the young Military Police officers on board.
In other words, Edward had read that far ahead and had set up a path to frame Ritz.
"Damn it, I don't care what happens anymore."
When he said that dismissively, Edward told Ritz with a laugh that seemed to be holding back his amusement.
"There's no such thing as an obedient stowaway. Do your best to become a fine criminal so you get thrown in the hold."
"Yeah, I get it, I'll be a fine stowaway. Just you watch."
"I'm looking forward to it."
Edward, who was heading leisurely to the cabin, suddenly stopped and turned around.
"Ritz."
"What is it?"
When he replied with his displeasure showing, Edward made an unexpected expression. He laughed as cheerfully as he had before the civil war began.
He gasped at the innocence of it.
"Ed?"
"I can finally travel with you, can't I?"
Ritz was at a loss for words.
"I thought it was a dream that would never come true, but to think such a fate existed, life isn't so bad after all."
"Ed..."
"If you don't give up, there is a path to reach your dreams."
Before the civil war, Edward had told Ritz his true dream only once.
Edward's dream was not to take the throne, but to travel the world.
To the speechless Ritz, Edward showed a mischievous smile.
"To start with, I'll thoroughly enjoy watching how you play the villain."
"Kuh...!"
Edward was still Edward, after all.
After resentfully seeing off Edward's retreating figure as he descended the stairs to the cabin, Ritz turned to face the capital, which was already a distant haze, and let out a big sigh.
"Someone... do something about that delinquent grand duke..."