Chapter 172

Chapter 172

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Just as God created the world with words, a King's words had to have majesty.

At Rickart's single word of whether to be exiled or die, Adelorn's warlord factions scattered like sand blown in the wind.

Of course they also knew the trend had tilted, and because Rickart was resolute enough to kill as many as 10,000 people all at once, even before the King's majesty rationally thinking they had no choices.

Around the time a year passed, Rickart finally completely obtained Adelorn in his hands.

No one to oppose him. That was a fact not an evaluation.

However while one could gain a country through war, one could not rule a country through war.

Looking at history, countless heroes who didn't know this fell upon reaching their later years.

To not commit such a folly, Rickart let go out of his hands the most powerful strength he possessed.

The knighthood military force scattered all over scattered. They would gather again at any time if Rickart called, but the world's most specialized army didn't exist right now immediately.

Rickart's first goal and top priority task was national territory reconstruction. Plowing the devastated land again, scattering fertilizer, erecting collapsed buildings again.

So maintaining the army at a minimum was right. Although it was a measure the other Lords of the Empire couldn't understand when they saw it.

Of course whether they understood or not, Rickart didn't care one bit. Because he had lived doing what he himself thought was important, and was living like that.

What was important in life? Regarding that it was Rickart who believed one must have their own standards, not others' gazes or thoughts.

"Do you think it's a son, or a daughter?"

Warming himself by the midwinter fireplace's bonfire Rickart asked. Marie didn't answer for a moment because she was reading documents sitting on the bed. That didn't mean she didn't hear the question though.

"Well, I don't know either."

"Don't women know a bit? You must have something like a feeling right."

"Idiot, I 'm not even seeing it with my eyes so how do I know."

Marie laughed snicker whether she found it absurd and said.

"But why do you ask that?"

"Because the matters that occur are different depending on whether it's a son or daughter. I heard from Paolo. If it's a son a real heir is born, and if it's a daughter I heard it can be utilized as a diplomatic card from the moment it's born."

If it was a daughter they could form an engagement, and even if not an engagement they could test the waters exactly as if they would form one.

Marriage of noble families was not decided by the marriage parties. It was a matter the family elders, and ultimately the Head of the Family decided. The Head of the Rikarn family was Rickart.

Especially marriage or engagement of the royal family was an important means that could exercise diplomatic influence in itself.

Rickart and Marie who love-married were an extremely unusual case. Because both had nothing to did with succession, it was able to be like that.

If Rickart himself was Stormhearts's heir, he would have married exactly as his father ordered. He himself thought like that.

"So, you're going to utilize it as a card?"

Marie took her eyes off the documents, looked at Rickart and asked.

"I don't really know. It feels like a world I don't know is gradually unfolding. It's different from how I've lived until now. What is good or bad, what is good or bad for whom, things like that."

"It's better not to listen too closely to Paolo's words. No matter how much of a community of destiny with Adelorn he is, ultimately that person is also a person who pursues the profits of the Benicio Merchant Guild."

"I am filtering it and listening. I just asked. What you think, Marie."

"I don't have the thought of superficially respecting a daughter's intentions either. I am a daughter of the Imperial Family, but what I spent my childhood years was Kelbron. The family tradition of Kelbron as you know too, Ricky, is strict to the point of being heartless, but even if not to that extent I do think there's a need to raise children a bit strictly. Because looking back I feel like such an education method wasn't necessarily bad."

It was exactly this part. The part where Rickart and Marie's thoughts diverged.

Being a married couple was also joining because they liked each other, but having joined it was also a process of discovering different parts about each other. From trivial things up to political leanings.

Unlike Marie, Rickart's childhood period simply overflowed with happiness, love, and affection.

So for Rickart things as a King, or duties the royal family must did, or such things felt like clothes that didn't fit his body. He couldn't raise the kids like living in the countryside.

That was considered a bit regretful and a pity, but it couldn't be helped.

"Have you thought of a name?"

Placing her gaze back on the documents Marie asked.

"Vilter or Hildis."

"Who is that bitch?"

Marie abruptly turned to Rickart whoosh and asked. She seemed to glare slightly too. She knew who Vilter was, but because Hildis was a woman's name she was hearing for the first time.

"My mother."

"I think it's a pretty name."

Hardly had Rickart's words finished, Marie reacted as fast as her swordsmanship and said.

She had often heard stories about Rickart's mother, but because she had never heard her name it was a mistake she could make.

Rickart didn't care at all, but perhaps somewhat flustered Marie tried to change the topic.

"Did you decide on a side?"

"What side?"

"I'm asking if you decided whose side to take between the 2nd Prince and the 5th Prince."

"The essence of the succession war for the Emperor's throne is a family fight. I don't want to meddle in."

"Thinking about it it is my family too, and since you married me isn't it your family's matter too?"

"Looking at it like that it is? But anyway, if swept up in that matter it's full of headache-inducing matters from beginning to end. Think about it. First of all the main subject of the war isn't me. Even if I participate in the war somehow, what is left after fighting hard? Since I made the Emperor with my hands, he will habitually commit tyranny, what are you going to do? Specific profits are not visible. I'll just end up shouldering responsibility."

"Our husband was more calculating than I thought."

"It's a matter where many lives hang. What needs to be calculated must be calculated. Thoroughly."

"Right, well, since you know war well. But war doesn't seem to be merely a problem of whether to fight or not. Many things are at stake right. Like grain prices rising right away, or existing trade routes being blocked, or problems occurring on the borders. What I mean is, whether we like it or not we are influenced by the war too."

"I know too. But in the midst of that there are many people who become rich too. Like the Benicio Merchant Guild. And a certain portion of the money those people earn is coming into our pockets."

The Benicio Merchant Guild was in the middle of creating a kind of industrial complex within the Adelorn Kingdom. Although it wasn't the completion stage yet, they were producing war weapons or various manufactured goods and selling them to the battlefield.

Because there were no demanders as enthusiastic as people whose lives were going back and forth right away, it was a structure where the more they produced the more money they earned.

"That's true but feeling somewhat uncomfortable in one corner of my heart can't be helped. Since it's not honorable money."

"The times have changed. We can't survive merely putting noble's honor forward. Values that must be protected must be protected, but when taking practical profits we must shamelessly ignore face and take them. I don't want to superficially wander here and there."

This was Rickart's personality and way of acting. For things that absolutely cannot be yielded protecting them even risking his life, and when exercising flexibility throwing away titles like noble and acting brazenly.

Looking back on how he lived until now it was like that. And he was still living like that now.

By the way occasionally, as one lives life there were times testing that limit. Until where to protect what must be protected, and until where to exercise flexibility, that was.

"But did you hear that story?"

Marie asked.

"What?"

"I mean the serial murder incident. I heard this time a whole family was annihilated. What did they say their business was? Ah right, they said a weapon merchant. Last time it was a goldsmith. Could it perchance be something like a fight over interests? To say it's that it's too strange that there are no traces."

"Weapon merchant is a superficial thing. What I heard was the boss of the Redheim Brotherhood."

"Really? Because people become able to make a living and money circulates bastards like that get entangled. But it being clean without a single witness to be a faction fight, doesn't it weigh on your mind a bit? It's not just once or twice."

"Herbert will handle it and investigate well himself."

"It's not that I don't trust Herbert, but he's not a person with outstanding abilities. If the culprit has outstanding skills to that extent tracking them down will be hard. Pay some attention to it, Ricky."

"Yeah...... Well, I should. Because people are anxious too. I'll go get some fresh air for a bit. It's a bit stuffy being just inside too much. Marie, you open a window or something a bit."

"I'm not stuffy."

"Yeah, well, take care and do well yourself."

Rickart rose from his seat and left the bedroom. As soon as he left the bedroom cold air like an ice sheet stroked his cheeks.

Because they focused only on consolidating domestic affairs, the royal castle's corridors were bleak with almost no decorations. At most what was there was merely the Steel Knights's unit flags hung up like tapestries.

It was fortunate because the employees cleaned cleanly, if they hadn't even cleaned properly it would be to the point of just looking like an abandoned castle.

Rickart walked that bleak corridor, went down to the lower floor, and then left the castle. It was cold enough to quickly make the tips of his ears sting.

However even after coming out there was nowhere to particularly go. He couldn't ride a horse when it was this cold either, and pacing around the stables he entered the temple building located inside the castle.

For the chapel its size was big too but it was the highlight of Adelorn architecture. The overall structure had straight lines and curved lines harmoniously intertwined, and the walls and ceiling had delicate sculptures engraved exactly like another world.

It was a space overflowing with holy energy exactly as if God's words would be heard automatically, but Rickart took one sweeping look around and then left the chapel and walked the corridor.

Reaching a place with a large door and opening the door, along with a slight burnt smell warm air once again breathed warm vitality into Rickart's frozen muscles. That feeling was truly nice.

This place was none other than the royal library. And the manager of the royal library was Bori.

Bori was in the middle of savoring tea little by little next to the fireplace and reading a book. He glanced at Rickart, didn't even greet him, and turned his gaze back to the book.

Because they had now surpassed the level of being close, generally affectionate words were unnecessary between the two.

If he came he came, if they saw they saw, because he was a too natural yet precious existence exactly like a part of the body. Therefore positions decided by the world like King and vassal couldn't differentiate between the two either.

And what all of that meant was that he was an existence he could trust more than anyone.

"What are you looking at?"

Sitting opposite Bori Rickart asked. Rickart tilted the kettle on the small table and poured into a porcelain cup. Being half cooled the scent didn't spread well.

"Mana Enhancement through Men and Women Sleeping Together."

"......What is that?"

"Exactly as the title says. It says men and women can enhance mana while having sexual relations. According to this book."

"Is that possible?"

"It's worth referencing. Because the nature of mana needs to be considered from various directions. It seems this needs a little experiment, Ricky, can't you help a bit? Discuss it with Marie."

"......That makes no sense, Bori."

"You're embarrassed?"

"Isn't it obvious."

"Well, is it obvious?"

"Enough, is writing the book going well?"

"No. Digging and digging there's no end. I think I jumped in blindly at first because I didn't know the depth. The reason people felt different mana seems to be because a Sword Master's mana is based on innate disposition and experience. So, it means establishing some unified theory is hard. Even if I develop a Bori-style Mana Drive, would there be a person in the world who perfectly matches me? Ultimately teaching someone is nothing more than producing imitators. Can that be called complete teaching? Does it have meaning to write a book?"

"......I don't really know what you're saying, but anyway my method was correct right?"

"Eh? What?"

"Look at Roy. I tend to let him grow on his own a bit right."

"That is exactly what I don't know well."

"Just think simply. The person who will read your book will also think right. If something gets stuck wouldn't they take care of it and supplement it or change it a little to suit themselves?"

"......Is that so......?"

Bori tilted his head. Even though their goals were different, because the depth of their thoughts or level of swordsmanship was high, their conversations flowed well.

Bori seemed to organize his thoughts alone, then began reading the book again. Following that Rickart also sipped his tea and threw his gaze to the bonfire.

The warmth blended with the cold air seemed to approach and then recede once in a while. So the thing called temperature felt exactly as if it was alive.

Quietly feeling that sensation, Rickart asked without turning his gaze.

"How did that matter go?"

"Huh? What? Ah, the weapon merchant?"

Exactly as if it was nothing much, Bori flipped a page and said.

"There are no witnesses. Because I killed them all."

"......Sorry."

Rickart bowed his head and apologized. Thereupon Bori smiled softly, and closed the Codex thud. And rising from his seat, he passed by Rickart and patted his chest thud thud.

"Being able to help you in your shade is a great joy to me. The party involved is joyful so is there anything to be sorry about."

Bori brought the book to the bookshelf, and picked up another book. Coincidentally, the title was 'Murder Play'.