Chapter 97 - 4
Dragged out of bed by Anna and Lef to be treated to a full view of Edward's recommended sunset, Franz sat sullenly on the bench-like chair installed inside the cabin.
Next to him was Anna, still brimming with excitement, and across from him sat Lef, his eyes shining just like Anna's.
"It was beautiful, wasn't it, Lef!"
"I saw something truly wonderful. I'll boast about it when I get home."
"I'll boast about it too! The sea is so beautiful."
The happy conversation between the two subtly grated on Franz's nerves.
If they wanted to see the sunset that badly, he couldn't help but think they could have just gone by themselves.
It was true that, as Edward had said, the sunset sinking over the unobstructed horizon was beautiful enough to be otherworldly.
It was beautiful, but it was also painful. It was just incredibly painful.
He hadn't slept properly in days; he thought his physical strength was more of a problem than the sunset, but it seemed such common sense didn't apply to Anna.
Ritz, who had also been trying to rest just like Franz but had been forcibly dragged to the deck, was now just sitting silently with his eyes closed.
He seemed to be deep in thought, but Franz didn't know what it was about.
Edward was leisurely participating in Anna and Lef's conversation.
"The horizon on land and at sea are completely different, aren't they?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. The horizon at sea reflects the sunset, so it's completely different."
"A sunset over the land horizon, huh... I've only ever seen the sun set behind mountains. With mountains, the sunrise is more moving than the sunset. It's just for a moment, but the mountains, you know, they turn gold."
"Is that so? But the sunrise from the sea is also a magnificent sight."
"Wow... I want to see that."
It was a peaceful and idyllic scene. It was idyllic, which was fine, but he just wanted to be allowed to sleep. As if mocking Franz's wish, Anna took out a large basket.
"Hey, it's dinnertime. Let's eat."
Inside was packed with Annie's special sandwiches and hot sandwiches, but Franz wanted sleep more than food.
But he couldn't tell Anna not to eat.
Anna's hand, excitedly about to open the basket, was surprisingly stopped by Edward. It was a rare occurrence, so Anna looked up at Edward with a blank expression.
"Before that, there is something I must discuss..."
Just as he said that, there was a knock on the cabin door. For some reason, Ritz reacted strongly and opened his eyes.
"You're too late to bring it up, Ed. It's because you were talking about the sunset."
Ritz, who said that in a low, sullen voice, sighed and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, opening the front of his jacket.
Then he suddenly bent down to the floor and pushed his weapon, a greatsword, under the bed to hide it.
Instead, he took a knife from his luggage and put it in his jacket pocket. Franz, Anna, and Lef tilted their heads, not understanding his actions.
"This was unexpected. I thought it would be a little later."
When Edward muttered in a low voice, Ritz replied with a sigh.
"I thought so too. Thanks to you, I missed dinner."
They were having another conversation that only the two of them understood. It seemed they were plotting something.
"Excuse me, I'd like to see your tickets."
Since no one had answered after the knock, someone from outside the door said in a loud, slightly irritated voice.
To that voice, Edward replied in the tone of a good-natured old man.
"I do apologize, could you wait just a moment?"
"Understood. I will come back in a bit."
The voice from outside the door announced, and the sound of footsteps faded away. Ritz stood up and put his ear to the door.
"...They're starting with the room next door. They'll be here soon."
Ritz told Edward sullenly. Although this ship was a cargo-passenger ship, it was a cargo-main ship with only four cabins and sixteen passengers.
Even if they checked the tickets for all the rooms, it would be over soon. Ritz, who sat back down in his original chair with annoyance, let out a big sigh.
"What a disaster."
In contrast to Ritz, was it just his imagination that Edward seemed somewhat amused?
"Well, it's fine, isn't it?"
"How is it fine? Ed, I'm going to miss two meals. Maybe even three."
Ritz stared at Edward with heavy, gloomy eyes. Edward crossed his arms with a wry smile.
"For dinner tomorrow, I will treat you to whatever you like."
"Alright. Don't forget those words."
Before anyone could join their conversation, some sort of agreement seemed to have been made between them.
"What? What's going on?"
Anna asked Ritz. Ritz, who usually responded cheerfully to Anna, just shrugged his shoulders and replied in a low voice with a sigh.
"...There's no time to explain in detail. Ask Ed for the details later. Anyway, don't say a word while the crewman is here."
"What do you mean?"
When he asked with a frown, Ritz turned to him.
"Ask Ed later. Franz, Lef, and especially you, Anna, pretend you don't know me. I am just a stranger you met on this ship today. Got it?"
But at these words, Anna stood up discontentedly and complained.
"Why? Isn't it wrong to lie?"
Faced with her direct gaze, Ritz scratched his head with a sigh and replied.
"It's not a lie. This is my last mission. It's not a lie, it's a strategy."
"A strategy?"
"That's right. Listen, Anna, I taught you that lies told for the sake of others are good lies, right? It's the same thing; lying as part of a strategy isn't a bad thing, it's the right thing to do."
Ritz earnestly explained his usual selfish logic to Anna. But Anna tilted her head, looking as if she understood and yet didn't.
"Got it?"
When Ritz asked for confirmation, Anna nodded once.
"So, lying as part of a strategy is for the sake of others, right?"
Anna, who seemed to have understood by feeling rather than logic, said that. It was doubtful whether she truly understood.
"That's right."
Ritz smiled and patted Anna's head. For Ritz, that level of understanding from Anna was probably a passing grade.
Even so, Franz found it incredibly strange.
For some reason, Anna always believed Ritz's explanations completely. From Franz's perspective, the explanations were full of holes, so it was a mystery why she could understand them.
"So what should I do?"
"Just keep quiet. I'm most worried about you."
It was true that making Anna lie was the most difficult thing of all. So keeping quiet was probably the most important job.
Immediately after their exchange, the door was knocked on again.
"I'll be checking your tickets."
As if resolved, Ritz took a deep breath and turned to Edward.
"Well then, Ed, I'll leave the rest to you."
"Yeah, leave it to me."
"Hello, passengers!"
A crewman raised his voice irritably. At the same time, Ritz sat down shallowly on the chair and leaned his body against the backrest. He crossed his long legs in an utterly sloppy manner.
Because he had unbuttoned his shirt earlier, he looked several degrees sloppier than usual.
"Yes, yes, I'm opening it now."
Edward opened the door, pretending to be a good-natured old man.
"I'll be checking your tickets."
The crewman said with a slightly irritated face.
"Yes, yes. Thank you for your trouble."
He saw Edward smiling as he took out four tickets and handed them to the crewman.
...Four tickets? But there were five people here.
The crewman noticed before Franz did.
"...Four people, correct?"
The crewman, his suspicion showing, asked that, and Edward smiled.
"Yes, yes, my companions are these three here."
Edward pointed only to Anna, Franz, and Lef. Ritz was not included in the count.
"Then what about this person?"
Pointed at by the crewman, Ritz, who had been sitting sloppily, raised his head. He looked up at the crewman.
"Me?"
"Yes."
At that moment, a petty villain's smile appeared on Ritz's face.
"Hey, this old man's got two kids with him, right? Count 'em as one person. That'll save one fare, won't it?"
"What are you saying, young man?"
Edward protected Anna with a flustered look. What was this act? Franz was so dumbfounded he was speechless.
"How about we use that saved fare for me? Come on, that's a good deal, isn't it, you there?"
Ritz leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and looked up at the crewman with a smile on his lips. He looked every bit the respectable villain.
Franz was always surprised and amazed by Ritz's transformation and acting skills.
Come to think of it, during some incident, Ritz had proudly declared, "It's the art world's greatest loss that I didn't become an actor."
"Old man, is this person not with you?"
"He is not. I just met him on the deck for the first time, but he followed me all the way in here..."
At the man who had been filled with kingly dignity until recently acting so subserviently frightened, Franz could only be amazed.
It was true that Ritz and Edward were best friends. They could even be respectable partners in such schemes.
"Hey, you there. Show me your ticket."
To the now intimidating crewman, Ritz clicked his tongue and turned his face away.
"I said show me your ticket!"
The crewman stood in front of Ritz and shook his shoulder.
Franz glanced at Anna. Seeing Anna, who was even more agitated and nervous than he was, made Franz anxious that she might say something.
A strange tension filled the cabin. The only one who seemed calm was Ritz. And that Ritz let out a vulgar laugh.
"What's so funny!"
To the crewman who yelled that, Ritz declared flatly.
"Don't have one."
"What!"
"I said I don't have one. The ship's already left, right? You can't turn back, so just give up and give me one of these kids' fares."
The tip of Ritz's finger was thrust at Franz's nose. He instinctively recoiled.
For a moment, he saw Ritz give a wry smile. But that moment was truly short, and he quickly returned to being a petty villain.
"You, you're a stowaway, aren't you?"
"So what if I am!"
At Ritz's provocative words, another crewman who had been waiting outside the door came in. Both crewmen were sailors; they had sturdy bodies.
Franz, who had no idea how this act would end, became anxious. Surely he wouldn't be thrown overboard, would he?
"What, you gonna throw me out? Like I'd let you throw me out that easily!"
Yelling that, Ritz stood up and took out the knife he had put in his jacket pocket earlier.
The crewman, who had momentarily recoiled at his unexpectedly tall stature, seemed to be reassured by Ritz's ridiculously amateurish and wide-open stance, and began to close the distance again, inch by inch.
Sensing an impending brawl, Edward looked at Franz silently and gestured for him to step back. He nodded silently and took a step back.
"Don't come any closer! The kids will get hurt!"
Ritz brandished the knife with a thoroughly villainous tone. Was he actually enjoying this situation?
Even so, for Ritz, who prided himself on being the strongest swordsman in the kingdom, to show such an amateurish stance was so unfamiliar it was comical.
To be able to do that knowingly, Ritz was quite something. It was true that his acting skills might be good enough for the art world.
But the crewman, wary of the knife, only closed the distance and didn't attack.
Perhaps noticing that, Ritz deliberately feigned a restless air and let his gaze wander.
The next moment Ritz turned his gaze backward, he was easily punched and restrained by the two crewmen.
"Dammit!"
The knife he deliberately dropped rolled to the corner of the room. He probably did that on purpose because if he had the knife, he would have ended up injuring his opponents.
To make that judgment in this situation, it really was frightening to have Ritz as an enemy.
While Franz was thinking about that, the crewmen ganged up on the dangerous stowaway and beat him up.
"Stop it, that hurts!"
Ritz desperately pretended to resist.
The sight of that Ritz Alster being easily restrained by commoners was probably a sight that would never be seen again, unless it was an act.
Looking at Edward, who was thought to be an accomplice, he was holding Anna with both hands, the corner of his mouth trembling with suppressed laughter.
Edward had probably instinctively raised his voice to help Ritz and had reflexively covered Anna's mouth.
"Dammit! Let go of me!"
Held by the crewmen on both sides, Ritz thrashed about.
To think that he could easily take down both of them, the scene was somehow so comical it was unbearable.
"Thank you for your cooperation, sir. We apologize for the inconvenience. Have a pleasant journey."
The crewman said to Edward while restraining Ritz.
"Thank you. We appreciate your help."
Edward, still holding Anna, bowed his head politely. On his face, mixed with the feigned relief, a true emotion could be seen.
It was... suppressed laughter. This man, Edward, was truly a terrible person when it came to Ritz.
All the remaining members stared at Ritz as he was dragged away, cursing the crewmen foully.
Perhaps noticing their gazes, just before the door closed, Ritz turned to them and gave a light wink, unnoticed by the crewmen.
It seemed to mean, 'Don't worry.'
After the door closed and Ritz's noisy voice faded away, Edward gently released Anna.
"Ed-san! What's going to happen to Ritz?"
Anna pressed Edward, flustered.
"Anna, let's calm down."
"I can't calm down! Why didn't Ritz resist? Why did he let himself be taken away? Why did he act like a bad person?"
"Anna."
"He won't be thrown into the sea, right? If he's thrown into the sea, a big fish will eat him! And then he'll be caught by a fisherman and eaten..."
"How did you get to that?"
Dumbfounded by Anna's strange imagination, which was a result of her great confusion, he couldn't help but make a small retort.
"Ed-san!"
To Anna, who was pressing him, Edward offered a sandwich at the perfect moment.
At the perfect timing, Anna instinctively took the sandwich.
"..."
Anna, who had been demanding an explanation, fell silent before the sandwich.
Anna, who cherished food, couldn't possibly throw it away in anger or crush it in her hand.
Of course, Edward knew that and had thrust the sandwich at Anna. As expected, Anna was at a loss, holding the sandwich.
"Anyway, please listen to my explanation."
The silent Anna looked up at Edward with a resentful expression. She seemed frustrated at being silenced by a sandwich.
Perhaps she was disappointed in herself for choosing a sandwich over her companion?
"First of all, do you know how much the fare for this ship is?"
Edward began.
That was when Franz and the others first learned that it was not Ritz but Edward who had arranged for the ship, and that the fare was free with conditions.
And they were surprised that the condition was to search for the drugs in the hold overnight. The quickest way to get into the hold was to cause some trouble and be thrown in.
So Ritz had caused a commotion as a stowaway and infiltrated the hold, it seemed.
"If that was the case, you should have just told me."
Lef said with a sigh.
"The right person for the job is here. I am confident in my stamina, my sense of smell is considerably better than that of the Clan of Light, and I don't feel the cold much. You didn't have to send Ritz to such a dark and narrow place. I am not at ease knowing my benefactor is locked up."
For Lef, Ritz was a respected Spirit Tribe member and a benefactor; that was only natural.
But Edward seemed to have a slightly different idea. In a formal tone, Edward looked up at the taller-than-Ritz Lef.
"I do not wish for you, a member of the beastman tribe, to suffer any more in my country. You, who were locked underground and had hatred for humans instilled in you, should just enjoy your journey without doing anything more."
At the words filled with dignity and kindness, Lef slumped his shoulders in a troubled manner.
"But, Your Majesty."
"I am no longer king. And I am not the king of Lef's country. You don't need to call me 'Your Majesty'; 'Edward' is fine."
At those words, Lef's eyes widened.
"But then..."
"It's fine."
"...Yes, Edward."
Lef said that obediently. Franz would also have to change how he addressed Edward from 'Your Majesty' to 'Edward-san' soon. He didn't know who might be listening where.
While this exchange was happening, Anna, who had been silent, muttered.
"...I wonder if Ritz is okay."
To her worried tone, Edward replied with a smile.
"He's fine. He's a tough guy."
"But, but, he'll get hungry. It's so sad he'll have to skip three meals. It was hard for me to skip just two."
Come to think of it, Anna had been captured by the underground treasury robbers a few months ago and had missed several meals. But...
Franz dared to ask.
"Is it a food problem?"
"Because... I know Ritz is strong. I worry what would happen if he were thrown into the sea, but if not, the biggest problem is getting hungry, right?"
"Is... that so?"
Skipping one or two meals was not a big deal for Franz, but it seemed to be different for Anna. The things she took seriously were too different from Franz's.
Unaware of Franz's thoughts, Anna let out a big sigh.
"I wonder if it's okay for just us to eat. It feels kind of wrong..."
At those words, everyone's gaze simultaneously focused on Anna. Anna was staring intently at the sandwich she had been given by Edward with a troubled expression.
It seemed she was hungry and wanted to eat.
Edward, noticing this, couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"It should be fine. Come now, let's have something to eat first."
Franz also sighed at those words and agreed. It was Ritz's doing; there was no problem. Even if something happened, he would manage it himself. That was the kind of man he was.
For now, there was nothing for them to do, so it was best to eat and go to sleep.
Franz reached for his favorite, a fried salmon sandwich with tartar sauce.