Chapter 158

Chapter 158

***

It rained off and on. When it seemed the weather was clearing up a bit, the sky turned gray again. At this rate, when I wake up one morning, fresh sunlight and twinkling dew would welcome me.

When seasons change it exactly seemed to rain without fail. Could it be that autumn was formed in each and every raindrop? Perhaps that was how autumn permeated into the world.

Standing on the boundary of seasons, listening to the sound of rain falling outside, Rickart was reading a letter at the place where Snake-eye Ashtad had stayed. It was a letter sent by Marie.

Because the sentence composition method of the Empire didn't have such a thing as colloquial style, it had a formality unlike her usual way of speaking.

The letter contained the recent war situation of Adelibari and the things Marie felt.

And there were also recent updates of Bori and Roy's family, the many people helping her, Mayor Macquin, Ranger Captain Lester, and up to Bremen who was originally a guide but now taking charge as an advisor or guard captain.

But the ending of the letter contained contents where it was unknown whether it was nagging or concern.

It was a relief that she seemed to be doing well, but hearing a word of scolding out of nowhere, Rickart tilted his head and scratched his forehead.

"Sseup."

While quietly thinking, when the thought THIS DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT occurred to him, he immediately took out parchment, picked up a pen, and began to write a letter. Even though she told him not to write.

Passing the Lunadan region and reaching Sinatria, he had achieved a deep and broad heart and a high mind through surprising experiences, yet to the person he loved it seemed his true nature came out.

Saying things he didn't even have to say, Rickart needlessly threw a tantrum that wasn't a tantrum.

After finishing writing the letter, folding it and putting it in an envelope, he melted red wax to seal it and stamped a seal. Next, he put the envelope back in the letter tube and went outside.

The rain seemed to have stopped for a while, but the mountains, rivers, grass, and trees were all full of moisture, and the greenery was excessively green. The sky was full of low-hanging gray clouds.

Perhaps because it was amidst the mountains, or perhaps because it was late summer, the wind was cool.

The women who had suffered hardships from the bandits still seemed to find the knighthood difficult, but the children quickly let down their guard and acted friendly toward the knights and soldiers sitting and resting.

Sometimes they arm wrestled, threw dice and guessed odd or even, and grabbed the children, threw them high and caught them. Actually, it was closer to just unilaterally playing with them.

Perhaps because they had only seen adult men who routinely hit them and harshly exploited them, the children truly followed the soldiers like fathers.

The soldiers also filled their hearts with affection instead of duty and stubbornness while looking at the children. It was unknown who was saving who.

Rickart walked over to the monastery disciples talking with the knights. And holding out the letter tube, he said.

"Deliver this to Marie in Adelorn."

"Understood."

"What about Ice?"

"He went to the monastery. Saying he'll be away for a few days."

"Then why did you guys stay behind?"

"Just......"

With the bandits sorted out too, the monastery disciples seemed to have no particular thoughts. The conversation they were sharing with the knights was also knowledge and experience about combat and handling weapons.

Since there wasn't a large number of personnel and there was no reason they couldn't stay here, Rickart thought quietly and said.

"Someone guide me to the manor."

The disciples stared blankly at Rickart, exchanged glances among themselves, and stared fixedly at one female disciple who looked exactly to be around 15 or 16 years old.

Since stepping forward when you feel IT'S ME was the physiology of every group, she stepped forward. She was a woman with her hair pulled tight back and tied. She bit her lip once and said.

"Please follow me."

Rickart followed her. The knights in charge of personal bodyguarding tried to follow, but Rickart shook his head saying it was fine.

Because there would likely be nuns, it wasn't very good for many strange men to come and go.

Walking following the female disciple of the monastery, it was exactly like a deep mountain valley. It wasn't that high of a mountain, but it was a mountain densely grown with the straight and thick trees unique to the north.

Because the trees all looked similar, if one got lost it would likely be because of the trees.

The soil on the ground was on the fine side but wasn't muddy, and had a dry and crumbly feel. It felt exactly like walking on a premium carpet.

Because it rained a lot recently, the fresh breath the trees exhaled was completely felt even better.

Passing such a place that was hard to encounter in the secular world like that, at some point a petite and peaceful monastery revealed its appearance.

"It's here."

The female disciple who guided Rickart said. Rickart looked around the monastery and the manor attached to it.

The monastery's manor, rather than a farmland, merely had something exactly like a vegetable garden situated somewhat broadly. A few farmhouses were seen, all belonging to those serving the monastery.

Without even livestock, people were directly plowing the ground and tending to the crops with their hands. They obtained everything from nature, and it seemed they bought almost nothing from merchants.

Someone was squatting and digging up the field squelch squelch with something exactly like a trowel made of wood. She was wearing a white towel over her head, but looking at her back figure it was definitely a woman.

And Rickart exactly thought he knew who she was.

Rickart walked over to her, didn't talk, and merely stood by her side quietly watching the sight of her plowing the field.

Then the people nearby all looked over, and truly there wasn't a single old person, and the oldest person was around Rickart's age.

The woman squatting, moving backward and plowing the vegetable field suddenly noticed someone standing beside her looking down at her. So she lifted her head and looked up at Rickart.

What hadn't changed from the past or now were the big eyes and the smooth whites exactly like boiled eggs.

Sweat was beaded forming drops on her face. Whether she failed to recognize him, Daisy merely stared blankly up at Rickart who wore a sword at his waist and draped a cloak.

"Is the field work doable?"

Rickart asked first. Then Daisy's eyes dilated widely, and she jerked her head away.

"H, how......"

"Didn't you hear the news? I'm the one who wiped out the bandits."

"N, no, it's not that."

Daisy's voice trembled severely. Almost as if she would cry. And then she hastily wiped her sweat, her hands flustering not knowing how to compose herself.

"I'll go somewhere else for a bit."

Because she seemed embarrassed no matter how he looked at it, Rickart said like that.

"N, no. No. It's okay."

Daisy stood up from her spot. She took a few deep breaths, then collected her mind and looked back at Rickart.

Even though Rickart did nothing, Daisy's eyes trembled wildly. It seemed she would cry any moment, and it also seemed laughter would come out, her expression couldn't catch a bearing.

So Daisy turned her head away again.

"I, I guess I lack discipline. I thought I had sorted out my feelings in my own way by now."

"Sorry."

"There's nothing for Ricky to be sorry for."

Rickart looked around the simple manor and said. There were people, and there was life.

"You've achieved something wonderful, Daisy."

"I did nothing...... Everyone joined forces together."

Daisy wriggled her hands exactly as if hesitating. She could barely look at Rickart, merely stealing glances once in a while. Even in the past it was the same, but those big eyeballs rolling rolling were truly attractive.

Except for family, she was the oldest connection. The one he knew before Marie, and even before Bori, was Daisy.

Her life was truly unfortunate, and perhaps the most heartbreaking thing was exactly failing to win Rickart's heart.

However, leaving all that pain and sadness behind, she achieved something wonderful. In contrast to how no matter how much Rickart surprised the world, the only one by his side was Marie alone.

But Daisy formed a family, and a large family at that.

"Oh my?"

Hearing a somewhat surprised woman's voice nearby and turning his head, the nuns who just came out of the monastery were seen.

Someone had called them saying some strange man came and was talking to Daisy, Sister Michela.

"Hello?"

Rickart subtly greeted first. Then the nuns couldn't say anything and merely half-heartedly greeted while giggling softly among themselves.

Originally, they were women who had to become brides of God if God descended. In other words, they were women the Cult of Condemnation had educated and raised for a long time in order to become Rickart's brides.

So without exception their beauty was outstanding and they were pure. They were women slightly older or younger than Rickart, but all of them making a fuss like young girls exactly made them seem untainted by the dirt of the world.

"I just stopped by to say hello for a bit. It's too coldhearted to just leave after coming all the way here right. Since it seems many people are uncomfortable because of me anyway, I'll take my leave now. Take care."

Rickart's business was truly just that. There was nothing more to did here, and staying would only be awkward, so he really tried to just go.

"W, wait a minute."

Daisy called out.

"At least tea...... since I must treat a guest...... and unnis, don't do that from so close."

"We are just watching."

"That's why I'm saying that watching is wrong."

"What can we do when we have eyes? We can't walk around with them closed can we."

"Ehew......"

Daisy shook her head shaking head and moved her steps toward the monastery. Rickart followed her.

The monastery building wasn't that small in scale. That didn't mean it was huge, but it was just enough to have a building suitable to use as quarters and a building to use as storage separately.

And there were orphans in the inner courtyard of the monastery, and when Daisy and Rickart revealed their appearances, they approached exactly as if rushing crumbling.

"Sister! Sister! Who is it?"

"Is it your husband?"

"It's a boyfriend! It's a lover!"

"Then are you quitting being a Sister now?"

"Kids, stop saying useless things and go study. He's a guest. Can you make a guest uncomfortable, or not?"

"No we can't!!!"

They answered well. Of course it was a sort of leading question so Rickart didn't evaluate the level of the question highly.

"Because swordsmen are away due to the bandits, the kids are a bit like this. Please understand."

"So they were slacking off."

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

Rickart glossed over roughly and entered the building. One must rest when resting. Because they suffered.

Perhaps because it was a monastery, everything was simple. There was completely no splendidness, and the most splendid decoration was the white light entering through the open window. It was an elegant, pure, and neat place.

"Can I just go change my clothes for a bit? Because I sweated......"

"Yeah, it's okay. Change slowly and come."

"I'll be right back."

It wasn't a reception room for greeting guests either, just a dining room where the nuns ate. Rickart just looked around this place that had nothing to look at.

It took quite some time until Daisy returned again. Seeing her return again, it seemed she had completely washed up. She was dressed in a fresh black nun's habit that covered her hair.

She brought out tea brewed from tree bark. The scent was exactly like a faint burnt wood smell.

"Is monastery life doable?"

Rickart took a sip of tea sip and asked. Unlike himself sitting comfortably, Daisy looked uncomfortable exactly fingering the teacup made of wood with both hands. That didn't mean she hated it though.

"......Yeah. What about Ricky?"

"Life is originally suffering right. But aren't we struggling to discover joy within suffering?"

"I think, it is like that."

"But isn't it hard when there are many kids?"

"As hard as it is, the joy is also big."

"It was a foolish question."

"No."

Since Daisy kept answering with short answers, Rickart found it a bit hard to lead the conversation.

"Where did Ice go?"

"To the back mountain peak. There are swordsmen there too."

"I see. Life here also seems busier than thought."

"Right......"

"Thinking quietly, it seems there's not much difference between you and me. You take charge of orphans and raise them, and I lead soldiers who lost their way."

"I see...... that's true...... But you know, Ricky."

"Yeah."

"I think I can say it now."

"Say what?"

Daisy hesitated for a moment. Exactly as if making a difficult decision, she even closed her eyes tight. And opening her eyes again, she definitely spoke what she had made up her mind about.

"I'm sorry for only forcing my feelings. I didn't try to look at your pain."

"My pain?"

"That day, you looked very sad, Ricky."

"......Did I?"

"God showed everything. I just didn't try to see it. The moment I realized my foolishness, I also realized I failed to look around my surroundings. My poor mother, and the people sacrificed by the Cult. I only knew myself."

"Don't blame yourself too much. When you go out into the world it's full of idiots, whatever."

"Looking at it now, Ricky, you're subtly cynical right?"

"It goes back and forth. I have a personality that can't really tolerate seeing hypocritical or arrogant people. Conversely when I see pure people even if they're a bit stupid I want to treat them well. In this aspect I'm a bit selfish too."

Rickart's insight was sometimes as sharp as the blade he swung. But there was no consideration there. Would that be a flaw if one called it a flaw.

Daisy, perhaps because of the tea, stared blankly at Rickart with a somewhat comfortable mind. Then softly smiling exactly like a cute little flower, she said.

"Mm...... looking at you again, Ricky, I don't think you're that great as a man."

"Eh? Suddenly?"

"Perhaps because I was completely blinded by love back then?"

"It's a bit absurd, but what can I do. This is me."

Rickart also just smiled faintly and let it go. And then tilting his tea, the temperature was exactly right.

"Honestly speaking it's exactly agonizing to keep staying awkwardly. I'll go. It's a relief you seem to be doing well. I'll also well, try to do well."

"Yeah."

"Ah, also, if I make a donation will you pray for me? Wishing me luck in battle or something."

"Of course. I don't hate money."

"An excellent mindset. The bastards saying they have no greed for money are the most dangerous. I enjoyed the tea. I'm going. Don't come out. It's okay."

"Huh? Ah."

Rickart wanted to shake hands or at least hug, but since she was a nun he dared not touch her. It was a pity but this was exactly the end. While living, if he survived in this rough world, would he be able to see her again.

Merely showing a smiling face for the last time, he left the dining room.

Daisy hesitated whether to follow or not, shouldn't she see him off anyway. In the midst of exactly hesitating like that, Rickart grew distant.

Holding the teacup that was still half full, tears suddenly flowed. I always prayed though. Fool.

The rain that seemed to have stopped for a bit didn't fall anymore. The dark clouds retreated, and fresh sunlight illuminated the dew beaded on the tips of the leaves.

Finally, it was autumn.

Chapter 32 - At the End of Summer. The End.