Chapter 117

Chapter 117

***

The mountain stronghold was nothing more than a wooden palisade, watchtowers, a storage building, and a small quarter where veteran soldiers stayed. Regular soldiers just lived in dugouts inside the stronghold like wandering beggars.

Though their living place was like that, the soldiers' appearance wasn't that bad. It was because there was plenty of drinking water from a nearby valley stream, and they washed frequently.

A proper army was more hygienic than expected to prevent diseases from spreading.

Anyway, Rickart's group was treated while simply sitting on the ground, but because it wasn't inside a building, about a dozen soldiers gathered around to stare.

So it felt as though they had become a spectacle.

"I don't know the mountain's name, but if you go over that pass and follow the edge of the forest, there's a rocky mountain. We fought there. But actually, it wasn't a fight between them and us, but a fight with the Rubens Clan, and the Lector Mercenaries were hired by them."

Bremen said while drinking lukewarm ale. For being lukewarm, it was more refreshing than expected. Since ancient times, Adelorn had been famous for its clear water, perhaps that was why.

Anyway, as if defeating the Lector Mercenaries was such a novel and surprising thing, everyone focused and listened to the story.

"Then it wasn't just the three of you who fought?"

"These three here did almost everything. I didn't swing a sword once, and this child's father was sacrificed."

Bremen said, gently gripping Roy's shoulder.

Perhaps because people dying was a daily occurrence, his old friend and the soldiers didn't particularly express condolences.

"The Lector Mercenaries should have quite a number...... Their equipment is good too......"

"That's why we took a position on the mountain and fought. The path up was narrow and rugged. This friend here made all the judgments and commanded. It was this young lady here who protected us, and that friend over there who blocked the chokepoint."

Bremen said, pointing to Rickart, Marie, and Bori respectively. The three were still saying nothing.

"He made such judgments? You? Just like Prince Kaldebert."

"Pardon?"

Suddenly hearing the name of an old friend, Rickart was a little surprised. Bori frowned and tilted his head, thinking he had heard it somewhere.

But whether Rickart was surprised or not, Bremen's old friend, the man named Herbert, stared intently at Rickart. Almost to the level of glaring.

It wasn't picking a fight, but what to say, it was closer to observing his appearance carefully.

If it had been picking a fight, he would have glared back, but since it wasn't, Rickart felt completely burdened by that gaze. Do I look like someone?

"Oh right, have you heard of the Black Sword? He's quite famous among swordsmen. That friend over there is that Black Sword Bori."

"I've heard of him."

"Me too."

When Bremen spoke, some soldiers surrounding them and watching said. But that was all. What they were interested in was the battle, the results of the battle, and Rickart. The reason was unknown.

Anyway, the soldiers were ignoramuses who couldn't even read, but on the other hand, because they had a lot of combat experience, they knew just by listening. Whether Bremen's words were a bluff or not.

Just like when someone who hasn't been to the army talks about the army, it's totally obvious, it was something like that.

"Then having defeated the Lector Mercenaries, where are you going? Adelibari?"

When Herbert asked, Bremen nodded and said.

"After resupplying there, we'll head towards Torveil."

"But Adelibari is currently surrounded."

"......Surrounded by what?"

"Virtually, it's the only place left. A place to plunder."

The Adelorn Kingdom had almost its entire territory plundered, so there were almost no proper cities left now.

Adelibari, being near the border, had managed to hold out until now, but because there was so little left to plunder, it seemed they went there to eat the last remaining appetizing piece of meat.

"Who? Who surrounded it?"

"The 'Invincible' Grantz."

How could a nickname be 'Invincible'. It seemed too grandiose. Was it a bluff, or was he that great a person?

"Who is that?"

Rickart opened his mouth and asked for the first time. Then the gazes that were already focused on Rickart seemed to gather even more. Why are these people like this?

Bremen's old comrade-in-arms, Herbert, answered.

"He's the leader of the largest faction among the warlords currently dominating the kingdom. I heard he's from Laurentia, but I don't know where that is, and originally he was a member of the Second Son Mercenaries, but he staged a mutiny during the war, killed the commander, and took control of the mercenaries himself. The Lector Mercenaries are one of the mercenary companies under his command. The guys you and your friends said you taught a lesson."

"The 'Second Son' Mercenaries?"

Perhaps because Rickart broke the ice, this time Bori asked. It was because the name seemed a bit peculiar.

"Originally, it was a mercenary company made up entirely of people from noble families. They were quite famous. Four years ago, when peasant uprisings broke out in the east and signs of civil war appeared, the King hired them. But taking advantage of the chaos, the Prince killed the King, and then the Second Son Mercenaries killed the Prince, and then Grantz killed the mercenary commander again. Then things started going to the dogs, leading to this state."

"So what does this Grantz guy intend to do? If he coveted the throne, he should have done it long ago."

"He calls himself king, but who would serve as king the very person who destroyed the capital, Adelun? I don't know the exact inside story. However, there's no way the lords would follow him. So it seems he decided to destroy the entire kingdom. And now it's not a mercenary company made up only of nobles either. Having accepted just any dog or cow, now the total troop strength alone is 10,000, and the swarm of beggars following them is 50,000. It's likely that even he can't handle it now."

Having a lot of troops wasn't unconditionally good. It was only good to have a lot of troops within a manageable level.

For instance, they said they had the Lector Mercenaries under their command, but what exactly were the Lector Mercenaries doing in Pacina?

In the first place, because management wasn't done well, the guys underneath them roamed around as they pleased and did such things. The Rubens Clan was a sort of external faction, so signing an employment contract with them didn't make sense in itself.

The problem with such a group was that they swarmed around, plundering and destroying everything. Just like the Demon King and his army from legends.

From the perspective of the people living in the Adelorn Kingdom, this was virtually the end of the world.

They were no longer mercenaries, much less a regular army, and it was hard to call them a warlord since they didn't have a fixed sphere of influence; they were rather closer to a group of armed robbers.

The reason they did such things was because they had to do so to eat and live.

Originally, a proper army has combat units and supply units clearly divided and running smoothly, but because that wasn't happening, it inevitably flowed like this.

Who gives salaries, and who provides meals? They just plundered villages or cities to barely make a living.

Above all, there was no turning back now. Once they became rigid in living like that, they couldn't do other work. They also became increasingly cruel.

"Then what are you all doing here?"

Rickart asked. He wasn't reprimanding but asking out of pure curiosity.

"We...... are just doing what we've been doing. Guarding this peak. And also receiving a sort of toll from passersby while we're at it."

These men too were neither bandits, nor were they a regular army. It was because they had no commander. The border lords had all died during the civil war.

"So...... what do we do now? Is there anywhere to go back to?"

Bremen asked. His old friend Herbert shook his head. Even if there was a path to go back, all the villages or cities in between had been reduced to ruins.

In this situation, it wasn't bandit gangs that were scary, but starving commoners who were scarier. Because ominous rumors of cannibalism were even heard from time to time.

"Couldn't we just quietly blend in? Since they don't seem properly controlled anyway."

With a throng of 60,000 people gathered, it was indeed impossible to strictly crack down on and control every single person. If they slipped past quietly, who would know.

The problem was that it was uncertain. If things went wrong, they could be crushed under the number 60,000.

"We can't go back after coming all this way, but we can't just waste time either......"

Though reluctant, Bremen had no other method either. Having weathered many hardships, he merely felt a larger mountain was blocking the way.

The group pitched tents for the first time in a while and spent a night at the stronghold. Because they had eaten all the potatoes and vegetables the previous day due to the rain, there was barely any food left.

If they were to resupply, it seemed they would have to roughly blend into the throng of 60,000, not Adelibari, and buy food there or something.

But during the night, Herbert and his soldiers kept looking toward Rickart and whispering among themselves.

If they were plotting something bad, they would hide and do it, but doing it so openly made him wonder what on earth it was. Extremely bothered by it, Rickart couldn't sleep properly.

The next morning, as the group packed their belongings and prepared to leave, Herbert and his soldiers also packed their weapons and gear and followed.

"Why are you following us?"

Dumbfounded, Bremen asked.

"Just as you and your group are heading to the Eastern Frontier seeking your final hope, we have also decided to head to Adelibari for our final battle."

"What does that mean?"

"Like you, I don't have many days left to live. But what about the soldiers? What's the point of guarding the peak doing nothing; from what are they guarding it? The kingdom is already completely ruined."

Indeed, what meaning was there in guarding the border of a ruined country. As Rickart looked back at the soldiers, they didn't have resolute expressions. They just looked a bit, mentally exhausted.

Before just fading away fruitlessly, it seemed they wanted to fight a proper battle one last time. But to do that, they needed a proper commander.

Rickart felt a foreboding presentiment for some reason. No, rather than foreboding, should he say it was uncomfortable. He didn't know exactly why, but anyway, something was uncomfortable.

But strictly speaking, they were just going the same way, not exactly following him. So he couldn't say anything.

However, as they passed by other strongholds along the ridge, upon hearing the story that three people had smashed the Lector Mercenaries, soldiers from those places started joining as well.

With roughly ten to twenty personnel per stronghold, after passing five strongholds, the people following Rickart's group numbered close to seventy.

Like people on a march, soldiers with long spears resting on their shoulders walked in a single file along the ridge.

"I don't think this is right......"

"Isn't quietly blending in out of the question?"

Bori and Marie uttered a word mixed with concern. Because with this many armed personnel, they simply couldn't pass by quietly.

Rickart also thought this wasn't right, but he couldn't boss around their willpower.

There were seven strongholds in total, and the number of people who ultimately tagged along was about 100. There used to be more in the past, but this was all that remained now.

Past noon, the ridge path ended, and a mountain path descending downward appeared. It was a path that seemed to wrap around the entire mountain like a snake, and continuing downward, a village came into sight.

But actually, it wasn't a village; these people were exactly those led by that 'Invincible' Grantz, or rather, the people following him.

Since 50,000 people couldn't stay gathered in one place, they were spread out over a wide area, and these were one such group. Mostly people from the same region or village, or blood relatives stuck together and roamed.

Naturally, these weren't an army or mercenaries. It was closer to having lost the foundation of their lives and tagging along to somehow survive.

For instance, they too were formerly Adelorn subjects, but after being plundered, they had no choice but to follow Grantz to survive.

And then they too participated in plundering, died, and barely survived. That was the reality.

Excluding combat troops, the 50,000-strong throng was mostly such people, and they were like a swarm of locusts.

The people Rickart encountered right now were just like that. There were almost no young men; it consisted mostly of women, the elderly, and young children.

Knowing nothing, the children simply roamed around cheerfully, scavenging and eating whatever they could find.

They blinked their eyes as they saw Rickart, his group, and the soldiers following behind.

Perhaps because their lives were already ruined, they didn't even seem to feel fear about what might be done to them.

Having lost a husband, a son, a father. They were all like that. That was why the soldiers were indifferent even after hearing Roy's story. In a world where tragedy is common, tragedy was no longer tragedy.

The only thing left to them seemed to be songs. Like folk songs passed down from grandmother to mother, and from mother to sons and daughters.

"When apple blossoms bloom, I look up the pass. When the lake embraces the sun, I walk by the lakeside. My heart is already over that pass. When stars twinkle on the lake, the prince will come. When the prince comes, this misery will end too."

The melody was sorrowful, yet the children, with untainted voices, simply sang cheerfully. There were also soldiers who hummed along to the children's song.

That very thing seemed to indicate that we and you are not enemies. That we are people of the same country, the same nation. Even though the situation had become like this.

That didn't mean anything could be done right now. Rickart passed them and descended the mountain path.

"What country maiden waits for a prince? Is she a hidden mistress or something?"

"That's how stories usually are."

When Bori spoke as if nitpicking, Marie replied as if scolding him to just roughly understand.

"It's about Kaldebert."

Herbert, who was following silently from behind, said. Rickart, Marie, and Bori looked back at him.

"The prince in the lyrics. The Hero Knight, Kaldebert the Breaker. It's a song that he will return and end the war. Adelorn has had severe civil wars since ancient times."

Hearing the name of the old friend once again, Rickart momentarily paused. The foreboding? The uncomfortableness? The thing that had been clinging to a corner of his heart all along seemed to balloon immensely.

Right then, Bori's eyes flashed open and he spoke loudly.

"Ah! I remember! Ricky, isn't that guy the founding ancestor of your family?"

"......Middle ancestor."

"Anyway, they said he was the 4th Prince of Adelorn."

Rickart's Kaldebern family was a family founded and named after Kaldebert.

Kaldebert was originally the 4th Prince of Adelorn, who achieved merits in the Eastern Expeditionary Zone and received an estate from the Emperor, gaining the right to establish a new family.

In other words, purely logically based on genealogy, the Adelorn Royal Family was the main house, and Kaldebern was a sort of branch family.

That was if you traced the bloodline; claiming the throne now or something like that was unreasonable.

But if the situation was like this......

"What does that mean?"

Herbert, who was following from behind, came a little closer and asked. His expression was serious. No, was it desperate?

"This guy is actually a noble. The Kaldebern family. He's the descendant of that, Kaldebert the Breaker."

"Hey, you shouldn't just say things like that recklessly. It's fine when we talk comfortably among ourselves, but in front of others......"

Bori pointed at Rickart and spoke as if it was no big deal, but Marie frowned and stopped him.

Then Herbert suddenly grabbed Rickart's shoulders firmly. And stared at Rickart as if scrutinizing his eyes, nose, mouth, jawline, hair, and even wrinkles one by one.

While wondering what was wrong with this person, Rickart felt the foreboding becoming increasingly concrete.

"A-Are you truly the Prince?"

"No, I'm from the countryside. I'm not a prince. Marie here, she's a princess, no, an Imperial Princess."

"Why are you bringing me up?"

Marie's eyes widened in dumbfoundedness, but Herbert suddenly dropped to his knees. Rickart, Marie, and Bori looked at him, startled.

"Uheuk! Heukheukheuk!"

Herbert sobbed, and eventually began to cry. The three were so flabbergasted they couldn't speak.

"Why are you doing this?"

Bremen's eyes also widened as he asked his friend.

"......This is destiny."

"What is?"

"That the war will end!"

He seemed merely an indifferent person, but that was just a shell. As the shell broke, the sorrow and resentment that had been welling up inside burst out.

The soldiers behind murmured, "What's going on, what's going on?", and the people in the village also peeked over.

"The Prince has returned!"

Herbert shouted loudly. Then everyone made a puzzled expression. However, the women of the village suddenly burst into tears and dropped to their knees.

Sobbing sounds could be heard; there was no sound as sorrowful as women crying collectively.

As the atmosphere suddenly flowed like that, among the soldiers too, one by one they took off their helmets and knelt. And everyone looked up at Rickart with wide eyes. As if etching him into their eyes.

Was this the trace of anxiety he had been subtly feeling since yesterday. Rickart was speechless.

However, sometimes, heroes make the era, but there are also times when the era needs a hero.

Right now, these people needed something, anything, to believe in and follow. Then, whether by coincidence or inevitability, Rickart was chosen.

Whether it was a task superimposed on his bloodline, or just fate. Would he just feign ignorance, or would he deliver the final hope to these people. Hope like a torch lighting the dark times.

What to choose was entirely up to Rickart.