Chapter 170

Chapter 170

***

The meanings contained in snow seemed to be truly various. Emptiness, sadness, and death. Snow fell from the grayish sky.

If a day comes when one can view falling snow beautifully, that might be when heaven had arrived on earth. Because snow clinging to life can never be beautiful.

Snow also fell on the secluded ruins where evil deeds were committed. Even on buildings without roofs, and on the temple too.

A snowy day was bound to sink one's mood, but the atmosphere inside the temple was slightly different.

Had a person who didn't know seen it, they would have seen it as bad people bullying a weak person. Without a doubt.

"Don't just focus on swinging. I'm telling you to occupy the space first."

"Because I'm trying to move and react after the opponent moves first my movements are sluggish."

Someone was fighting risking life and death, but there were people calmly watching and giving this and that advice. It was Bori and Marie.

The parties of the life-and-death duel were Roy and Grantz, but looking at the reality it seemed somewhat far from a duel. Because, Grantz merely kept running away.

Roy handled the ax quite well but to catch a person merely running away at once seemed too much.

When he gradually drove him into a corner, caught the timing, and swung his ax, Grantz threw away his pride as a noble or whatever and almost flopping over or quickly crawling he somehow escaped.

While doing so the reason he couldn't completely run away either was because Rickart, Bori, and Marie were blocking the entrance of the temple.

The sword he held in his hand was already tumbling on the floor long ago, because it was cumbersome for running away. Namely, he had no guts or will to risk his life and fight someone.

Grantz continuously turned his head swoosh swoosh and alternately looked at Roy and Rickart's side, and urgently shouted towards Rickart.

"Treasure! I will tell you the place where the treasure is! I gathered all the treasures of the Kingdom! W, wait! I'm speaking right now! Does it mean you don't care if people die!? How can you guarantee victory!? Even right now immediately! Wait!"

He tried to appease Rickart with treasure, and also threatened risking people's lives. Being desperate he just threw this and that, but Rickart didn't even listen with the back of his ear.

Merely, he was just displeased that the duel that wasn't a duel was taking a long time.

HWIING!

"Hiik!"

"Ah, that was a close one just now."

As Roy's ax blade grazed past Grantz closely Bori briefly lamented.

The aspect of the fight was Roy blocking him from running away as much as possible, driving him into a corner, and catching an opportunity to swing the ax once.

A similar situation repeated, and at this rate Roy might get exhausted first. So Roy focused on the opponent and used one trick.

It was driving him right towards the entrance. Towards the place where Rickart, Marie, and Bori were standing.

Because he thought if that happened Grantz would have no choice but to pay attention behind him, and his reaction would be slower than when his back was against a wall.

It was quite a decent idea. Because, perhaps feeling frustrated Rickart abruptly kicked Grantz's leg.

PEOK!

"Ack!"

Grantz received a feeling of being hit by some iron club, his knees buckled, and he ended up flopping down flop on the floor. Owing to that the pitch-black ash laid on the floor scattered dustily.

As Roy approached to kill him in one breath, Grantz tightly shut his eyes, pushed his hands forward, and shouted loudly.

"Cowardly bastard! You interfered in the duel! The duel is invalid! Invalid!"

Thereupon Roy raised the ax above his head and then paused. Because listening to it it sounded correct.

So he looked towards Rickart, and Rickart said.

"Do not be mistaken. This is not a duel but an execution. When I think of the damage so many people suffered because of a bastard like you I am at the point of dying from dumbfoundedness."

"Why do I have to care about commoners!? Right! Come to think of it that kid is a commoner too! The duel is invalid!"

Originally a duel was established only when done among people of matching status. Especially duels among nobles had strict formats or procedures, they weren't just done haphazardly like this.

However as Rickart said, this wasn't a duel. Merely, to live Grantz was just nitpicking Rickart's honor.

Rickart had no duty whatsoever to explain to Grantz. No reason to convince him either. So like the snow settling on cheeks, he said coldly.

"The invalid thing would be your life being invalid. So what's the use of living? With your strange schemes and betrayals it is clear you will only cause harm to the world. Roy, first strike his chest, then step on it with your foot to fix him and hit his head and you'll be able to cleanly decapitate him."

"Yes."

"Wh, what? W, wai......!"

HUNG! PEOK!

"Keok!"

As soon as Rickart ordered Roy without any hesitation, struck Grantz's chest with the ax. Thereupon Grantz's body momentarily stiffened.

Roy's ax swinging itself was very accurate, so stepping on the stiffened body and decapitating wasn't a very difficult task.

Ultimately the one who brought the flames of war to Adelorn ended up having his head cut off by a young boy.

HUUUNG! PEOK!

Grantz's head separated from his body rolled on the ash-filled floor. Instead of pure white snow, pitch-black ash covered his head.

"How did a bastard like this make things to this point."

"Wasn't it said he was originally a staff officer of the Second Son Mercenaries? I heard he killed the mercenary captain from behind and seized the mercenaries."

"Before that the mercenary captain killed the prince, and I heard the prince killed his father the King. Ultimately Adelorn brought the flames of war upon itself."

Rickart, Marie, and Bori said in order. Getting into the reasons, as all tragedies were, there was incompetence and greed.

Going deeper, there was a struggle to live and a demand for change. Since the very beginning was a peasant rebellion.

So blaming anyone now was a meaningless act. Merely, if finding meaning there was nothing left but an object lesson.

Rickart put Grantz's head in a sack and returned to Adelun. Being a distance of about half a day, going back and forth took exactly one day.

Returning to Adelun on a snowy night, in the midst of the city being entirely pitch-black a place where a bonfire shone was seen. Guards were gathered and warming themselves by the fire.

Rickart headed to the royal castle together with his party. Going up the hill path and passing the castle gate, Macquin was waiting.

Being the Mayor of Adelibari and supervising Rickart's administrative duties, if strictly distinguishing he corresponded to the Prime Minister. In terms of competence Paolo was more competent, but because he was too competent the Prime Minister position couldn't be entrusted to him.

Macquin was exactly appropriate. From Adelorn, appropriately competent, and seeing his usual demeanor it was felt that he sincerely worked for Adelorn.

"Have you come."

"Why are you out and waiting when it's cold?"

Rickart got off his horse, entrusted the reins to the stableman, and said. The other people also got off their horses.

"Isn't the matter urgent. You are out, Commander, and enemies are approaching. The Treasury Chancellor told me not to worry and has long since gone to sleep."

The Treasury Chancellor meant none other than Paolo. Since Rickart wasn't a King, practically the people acting as the King's advisory council weren't using formal titles like Treasurer. Rickart currently was to the very end the Knighthood Commander.

"Paolo's judgment is correct but it is a bit detestable. Let's hurry and go in."

Rickart entered the royal castle together with the party he went out with, and together with Macquin.

Stepping inside although not comfortably warm the air definitely warmer than outside seemed to melt the frozen facial muscles. Though it wasn't midwinter running riding a horse froze the face quickly.

"It's said the knighthood waited for the enemies to exit the canyon, and as soon as the enemies came out ambushed them and pushed them back into the canyon. Dividing the army a portion went around far away and even blocked the retreat route. Right now they are waiting for your order, Commander."

"What order?"

"Whether to kill them all."

"......How many is the enemies' number?"

"Because they only crushed the enemies' vanguard unit the exact number isn't known, but they said it's roughly about ten thousand."

Ten thousand was quite a large number. Of course because it was a military force scraped together scratch-scratch from here and there as it came, the quality of the army itself dropped.

However just because the quality of the army dropped didn't mean the weight of life also dropped. Fighting and winning, and deciding whether to kill them all or not were different problems.

Rickart didn't fail to foresee this situation. So he had already made the decision in advance too, but when it came down to it his mouth didn't open easily.

"If the food you sent, Ricky, went into those bastards' stomachs it would be right to take it out again."

Bori said taking off his gloves.

Being innocent, knowing many names of flowers, and liking quiet things didn't mean he was kind. Bori's words sounded very cold-hearted but originally he had not much interest itself. Whether ten thousand people died, or one person died.

Rickart also took off his gloves and stroked Roy's head for no reason. Fumbling his cold cheeks a bit he said.

"I should go to the scene at least and give the order directly myself. It doesn't seem to be an order to give from afar."

"Understood. But, can we have an exclusive audience for a moment?"

"With who?"

"With me."

"Understood. Wait a bit."

Rickart said exactly like so to Macquin who followed up to the front of the bedroom. Receiving Roy's help he took off his equipment, and washed together with Marie in the warm bathwater the servants had received.

Returning to the bedroom again with a refreshing body exhaustion rushed in automatically, but he simply dressed again and left the bedroom.

Outside two knights were guarding the bedroom, and far away in the dark corridor Macquin was waiting holding a lantern. It was exactly as if standing on the boundary of life and death.

Rickart who rode a horse all day was tired too, but he who waited all day would also be tired so he was curious what on earth he wanted an exclusive audience for.

"It's an exclusive audience. I will go alone."

Rickart said to the knights. And then approached Macquin without even wearing his sword.

"Please follow me."

Macquin merely walked taking the lead without even stating his business. Going down the stairs and reaching the first floor, they passed the place where servants stayed and moved to a secluded corner of the royal castle.

Reaching the defense tower connected to the castle there were stairs going down to the basement. Macquin went down there.

Rickart followed Macquin and went down the narrow stairs made in a spiral shape. A crunch-crunch step step sound echoed.

The stairs were connected to an underground crypt. It was similar to the catacombs he had seen in Harlin before, the walls were entirely filled with skulls. Passing there, the royal family's crypt appeared.

Stone coffins of past Kings or Queens were lined up, and all were open or broken. It was the traces of Grantz's plundering.

Perhaps because it was a crypt chilliness also seemed to be mixed in the cold air. No matter how strong Rickart was it wouldn't be strange to be a bit scared, yet Rickart had no such sign at all.

"Just how important of a word are you trying to say to hide like this?"

"We're almost there."

Macquin held the lantern and approached a certain stone coffin. And as he bent the torch holder hung on the wall to the side, the wall moved with a rumble sound and a secret room was revealed.

Because Kings' tombs were commonly grave-robbed since ancient times there were many such secret rooms, but Rickart was a bit doubtful how Macquin knew this.

The secret room wasn't that wide, and there was merely just one stone coffin. And on that stone coffin a name and phrase were written.

Macquin hung the lantern on the wall, and looking down at the stone coffin said.

"Adelorn was originally a colony of the Ancient Empire. Suffering from the tyranny of the Empire's Governor-General for a long time, the hero Ilya appeared, led the people, and drove out the Empire. All the Kings of Adelorn are descendants of Ilya."

Honestly, Rickart didn't believe such things well. How could one be sure the person buried here was Ilya. But he didn't blindly dismiss it as a lie either. Just don't know, what about it.

"The path that person walked, don't you think the fate is similar? With yours, Commander."

"It would be a coincidence."

"Perhaps so. However one thing is certain. Adelorn which was thought to be ruined, has risen again."

Grantz died, and his army was right before annihilation. Although it was said there were other warlords, at this point the civil war was practically no different from being over. Just extending a hand, Adelorn was resurrecting.

It hadn't even taken a year. The time that passed since Rickart came to Adelorn, that was. Reaching Adelibari around spring, traveling the world during the summer, bringing the knighthood, and finally defeating Grantz.

Thinking about it, settling things with Grantz was much easier than bringing the Steel Knights.

Macquin took out something from his bosom. It was a crude-looking iron crown. Instead of an artisan's delicate technique, only some abstract power was felt.

"Do you know why Grantz obsessed over Adelibari so much? It is because of this. Because of the Adelorn iron crown the Kings used generation after generation. It is said Ilya made it with his own hands, wore it on his head, pointed at the Empire's Governor-General and said this. 'From now on I am the King, and you are an invader.', he said."

Macquin handed the iron crown to Rickart. Rickart merely received the iron crown, and didn't particularly say anything.

But suddenly, Macquin took out a dagger from his sleeve. And aiming at his own neck, he said in a trembling voice.

"I am Macquin. Macquin von Adelorn. The last direct royal lineage. To you Rickart, I pass the throne. I shall die and confess my sins to the ancestors. I will take all the sins upon myself, so you move forward."

And then plunged the dagger into his own neck squelch.

"Keo-eok! Keok! Keureureuk. Keureuk......"

Macquin flinched and trembled, staggered, and soon flopped over flop on Ilya's stone coffin. And spilling his blood there, he breathed his last.

A deep, deep silence settled. Truly no sound could be heard.

In the graveyard of Kings dug up by enemies' hands, Rickart held the iron crown in his hand and looked down at the dead Macquin. It was a truly secret and modest abdication.

You could have continued living hiding your identity......

Whether he was paying his respects, or thinking other thoughts, Rickart stood drooped his head and stood for a long time.

Chapter 36 - Death of a Coward. The End.