Chapter 155

Chapter 155

***

It was such a place that one couldn't know unless they were a local or well-versed in the surrounding geography.

The somewhat low cave could avoid the rain, and this and that travel equipment was provided.

Exactly like a sort of resting place where travelers suffering from rain and wind could rest briefly.

The depressing rain streaks dared not invade the heart, and the cozy campfire seemed to softly strokes the soul.

Knights shared the campfire with knights, and monastery people shared it with monastery people. An unfamiliar atmosphere flowed between the two.

Rickart and Ice were not like that. Leaning their backs against the wall and keeping their shoulders side-by-side, the two basked in a campfire just for the two of them. The coziness of the flame couldn't even compare to their affectionate friendship.

But what should they talk about? No particular words came to mind. However, looking into each other's eyes, a smile just spread on their lips without any reason.

The past days they spent together occasionally came to mind. The days beautifully packaged under the name of memories, that was.

Both the hard suffering and the unspeakable pain were now merely passed memories. Because they lived so well and could see each other smiling, it felt like everything was forgiven with that. Whatever it was.

"Should I call you Priest now?"

Rickart jokingly asked first.

"No. What do you mean Priest. I didn't even receive authorization from the Holy Empire."

"Such stuff doesn't have much meaning at all. The meaning is whether you are happy."

"I am happy. It's all thanks to you, Ricky."

Ice said without an ounce of hesitation. Rickart felt bashful and turned his gaze away.

"What did I do. You achieved it all yourself."

"Even though I disappointed you several times, you didn't abandon me."

"Hmm? That's not true. You seem to be mistaken."

Rickart said as if asking what he was talking about.

"Huh?"

"You've never disappointed me, Ice."

It was the truth. When it came to revealing his own feelings, Rickart might hide them but he had never lied.

Conversely this time, Ice smilingly dropped his head wondering if he felt embarrassed needlessly. And looking back at Rickart, he said. The reddish light of the campfire seemed to melt into his silver hair.

"......Words typical of Ricky. You're still the same. Strong, and warm."

"Is that so? Well, I don't really know. Anyway it hasn't been that long, but being called Ricky feels like it's been a long time. I've been using my real name recently you see."

"Ah, right. I also heard news through the grapevine. I heard up to that you were in Adelorn, but I didn't know you were leading the knighthood. There are many nobles with the exact same name after all."

It was indeed hard to think that a person who should be in Adelorn got shipwrecked after taking a boat, wandered the Holy Land going through this and that incident, and then ended up crossing over to the Empire leading a knighthood.

"Since an army doesn't fall from the sky, nor springs up from the ground, I merely did the legwork. Fortunately my sincerity got through."

"That's a relief. So are you going to Adelorn with the knighthood? I already feel pity for your enemies. Anyway, do you have kids?"

"No, not yet. I'm not sure if I'll settle down. I have work to do for the time being, but who knows as time passes."

"Anyway, you seem to be doing well. I occasionally wanted to at least ask how you were doing, but I restrained myself because of Marie."

"What does that mean? Why Marie?"

"She hates me right."

"Eh? That's a story I hear for the first time?"

It was an unexpected story. Even when there was the issue with the Cult of Condemnation surrounding Ice, Marie was rather on the side defending Ice.

And if there was someone uncomfortable, wouldn't it be Daisy's side? It was unexpected for Ice to say these words.

"Back when we stayed in Ehrenberg, when you weren't looking she glared at me and stuff."

"Marie did?"

"Yeah."

"Why did she do that......?"

"Well, it seemed she felt an inferiority complex because of sword skills? Because she wasn't a Sword Master back then. She seemed to be chased by something and just indignant. But since I'm not very sociable either, it was just left in that state. It doesn't mean she's a bad kid."

Rickart carefully retraced the past. Perhaps that time was when he rejected Marie's first confession. In the buckwheat field.

It's a funny thing thinking about it now, but back then it was the most important thing in the world for Marie.

During immature days, restraining and controlling burning feelings was never easy. So did she feel indignant towards a completely uninvolved person over nothing? He didn't know.

"I shouldn't apologize on her behalf or anything right?"

"Haha, you can if you want to."

"Anyway it's a relief. Since she's not a bad kid to marry."

"Hahaha......"

It wasn't an important talk. It was merely a trivial past story. The kind of conversation typical among close friends.

But suddenly, something shiny was seen through the gaps of Ice's clothes. It seemed he wore armor underneath, and even seeing just a part of it, Rickart knew what it was. It was the breastplate made of True Silver that he used to wear in the past.

"You've been keeping this."

Rickart and Ice had an age difference of about 4 years, but their physiques and builds were similar. It would be big for Bori to wear, and small for Bolka, but it looked exactly fit for Ice.

"Huh? Ah, this. Back then, you took it off and just left you see. And then I couldn't find where you went. Should I return it?"

Back then he was just in that kind of mood. Because the side part of the breastplate cracked, it seemed he just took it off, threw it away, and left the Sanctuary.

"No. I thought it was a relief you were keeping it. Keep wearing it."

"This would be quite a bit if converted to money though?"

"Money is something you have then don't have, and don't have then have. I don't care."

"Then it's a bit late but I guess I should say thank you."

"Do as you please. Anyway how have you been doing? Being a monk, do you offer worship every day and transcribe books and stuff like that?"

"Haha, no. I just teach the kids swordsmanship and go on patrol together, that's all. Doing chores for the nuns, and the nuns take care of the kids......"

It sounded exactly like running an orphanage. Though the functions differ for each monastery, monasteries generally functioned as general local administrative institutions, starting from social welfare like hospitals or orphanages to officiating marriages and conducting funerals.

The Michela Sword Monastery was a bit more unique; as a sort of armed monastery, it maintained security in the surrounding region, took in kids with nowhere to go and raised them, or taught swordsmanship to the talented kids among them.

"So it seems you were killing bandits? I saw on the way. Corpse."

"Right. Ashtad with the snake eyes. The person leading a group of deserters, but starting a few years ago they seized the village and grew their power. The lords were out of their minds gathering armies on their own, so they've grown too big while no one could touch them. Then there's no choice but us stepping up."

"Couldn't you kill them all by yourself? You're a Sword Master too."

"Even Sword Masters aren't all like you, Ricky. If you get stabbed, slashed, and the wounds fester, you die."

"I am the same."

"Anyway. There's a need to approach somewhat carefully. It's dangerous for the kids too."

Rickart turned his head and looked at the monastery kids acting as men and women gathered near the cave entrance. They looked to be around 14 to 18 years old. In other words, a similar age group as Rickart.

However, between them and Rickart, there was an insurmountable difference in talent, experience, skill, and enlightenment. Even living the same years, their densities were invariably different.

But the monastery kids were staring blankly this way. Accurately speaking, they were looking at Ice, and it was none other than because the Master who laughed a lot uncharacteristically was fascinating.

Even though it had improved a lot compared to the past, Ice unintentionally appeared cold in the eyes of others often.

It wasn't that he taught that strictly either, but because he usually rarely smiled and didn't have a friendly personality.

But, seeing a smile not leaving his face upon meeting an old friend, the kids felt like they had discovered a rare wild flower.

OUR MASTER ALSO HAD SOMETHING CALLED LAUGHTER, HE WAS A PERSON WHO SMILED LIKE THAT, HE WAS TRULY THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PERSON IN THE WORLD, such thoughts naturally arose.

And naturally, curiosity about the man making their Master smile also arose. Blond hair like pure gold, a straight nose. But from somewhere in his calm eyes, an unknown chillingness could be felt.

Above all, an aura was felt amidst the ordinariness. Something difficult to explain, exactly as if he wasn't a person of this world, something whose depth was hard to fathom.

Rickart withdrew his gaze from his friend's disciples, looked back at Ice and asked.

"Do you contact the other guys?"

"Not often. Bolka was the one who provided the money when buying the abandoned monastery and reclaiming the surrounding farmland. I always think of him thankfully."

The main source of income for the Michela Sword Monastery was operating a sort of manor. Basically self-sufficient, they maintained their livelihood by selling byproducts obtained from exterminating robbers or bandits.

Rickart nodded his head in agreement and said.

"Everyone walks the path of the sword in their own ways."

"What does that mean?"

"For Bori, what should I say, it's like walking the path of a scholar? It seems he's trying to make swordsmanship into an academic study. Bolka seems to be doing some business, and you Ice, it seems you take the sword as a means to polish your faith. Though there is the commonality of the sword, the paths walked are all different."

"Isn't there another commonality?"

"Which one?"

"You. Everyone was influenced by you. Without you Bolka wouldn't have been able to grow until now. Not to mention Bori, Marie, and me."

"No. You guys grew on your own."

"Ricky, you subtly get embarrassed when praised?"

"Humility, it's humility."

"Let's say it is."

It was a light conversation. There was nothing catching, and it was comfortable as if smoothly gliding over. Such a comfortable atmosphere continued, and Rickart comfortably asked along that line.

"Not gonna get married? Ice, you're older than me right."

"I am a person under a vow of chastity after all. I chose the life of a monk anyway."

"Well, that's strange."

"What is?"

"The people of the knighthood all made vows of chastity too. But I made them quit."

"Why?"

"Because it seemed they lost their way. Since ultimately there's nothing as good as forming a family and raising children with love. To speak honestly, I grew up in a happy family. Mother's love, father's acknowledgment, brotherly affection with siblings. I don't doubt at all that it made me who I am today. I am certain parents' love is a holy power that makes a human live through the long suffering called life. So I presented such a path. But then again, I'm not explicitly forcing marriage. You know what I mean right?"

The difference between Ice and the knighthood was whether they had lost their way or not. Because Ice hadn't lost his way, Rickart didn't force him to form a family.

However, Rickart's words just now seemed to have given some resonance to Ice. Ice quietly stared at Rickart, then shifted his gaze to the campfire. He had an expression as if thinking for a moment.

"You know, Ricky."

"Yeah."

"Can I ask you one thing?"

"As much as you want."

"Back then, why did you spare me......? You killed everyone else."

Back then referred to the events at the Cult of Condemnation Sanctuary four years ago. Not only Ice but including the nuns, there were quite a lot of people he spared. Though the people he killed were several times more of course.

"......Well...... I don't remember well either, but I think I thought I had to cut the chain of connection. The chain of hatred and hatred, that is. And how could I kill you? I'd rather die myself. Don't say such things."

"No, just curious. Ricky, are you perhaps truly an apostle of God or something like that? Haven't you ever heard the words of God?"

This time Rickart quietly stared at Ice. Because they weren't sitting facing each other across the campfire but sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, their gazes were close.

In Ice's silver eyes, there seemed to be a very slight delusion. Lingering attachment to religion, that was.

Rickart knew. The pain inherent in the deepest part of Ice's heart. The inerasable guilt toward his younger sibling. Whenever he thought it was getting a little better, it suddenly revived and stuck around like a shadow.

"With my own hands, I directly killed my older brother. My Billy whom I couldn't help but love. That trembling gaze and fragility at the moment of death are still vivid in my eyes and ears. But do I look like I am agonizing? Ice."

"......"

"Pain isn't agonizing you, you are holding onto pain. Accept pain as pain and cherish it in your heart. Don't obsess over it. What you said earlier about being happy, you must focus on that. That is the path to hearing the words of God."

Not knowing why, Ice momentarily felt a throb in his heart. So he turned his head. He didn't sob, but when he closed his eyes, his long eyelashes were wet.

Rickart's words weren't light consolation. Actually they weren't words forcibly fabricated without being able to empathize either.

They made sense, knew the weight of sadness, and were the words of someone who understood pain and agony better than anyone else.

Ice's nose tip stung and he composed himself for a while. And speaking again, slight traces of tears were initially buried in his voice.

"At least, keuhm, at least to me you are an apostle of God."

"Is that so? Then as an apostle can I issue a command?"

"What command?"

"You and me, let's swap faces."

"Hahahaha!"

Ice laughed cheerfully at Rickart's silly joke. The sound of laughter rang loudly in the somewhat low cave, so the knights and monastery kids all looked over.

Even so, he didn't care and continued to laugh. Thanks to that, his tears completely receded.

"Let's just rest for now and as soon as day breaks, let's scold the bad guys first. How about it?"

"Sounds good."

"It's good that it feels like the old days."

Rickart said while smiling confidently.

There was no need to mistakenly call in the soldiers resting below and make them toil. Because if it was with Ice, he was confident he could kill any large bandit group.

Actually he could did it alone, but then it could become messy. Because anyway they needed a place to avoid the rain so they couldn't set fires.

Rickart felt exactly like he had returned to around the time he was 10 years old looking at Ice. Conversely, Ice seemed to have overcome his anxious days, grown, and looked relaxed.

That relaxedness was because he had certainty in the path he walked himself. And it was self-evident that that certainty originated from Rickart.

The children who once swayed like reeds were now exactly like trees firmly rooted in their own ways. And those trees were becoming refuges for people.

Outside the cave in the pitch-black night, rain still fell. He felt a feeling of getting drunk without alcohol at the burnt smell of the campfire.