Chapter 210

Chapter 210

The difference between being in one’s teens, twenties, and the age of thirty was that one gained the room to think. In one’s teens, there was anxiety; in one’s twenties, there was the frantic rush of looking only ahead.

What was gained, what was lost, what remains...

No matter how much Rickart thought about it, he reached the conclusion that his thirty-year-old self was empty-handed.

He had a loving wife, friends, and children, but he did not possess them; he knew that the very concept of ownership was wrong.

He simply thought that in a short life, good connections had touched him.

In the end, one way or another, he was alone. Faced with that self-evident truth, he felt a renewed sense of shabbiness.

When he saw those obsessed with fine clothes, nice houses, horses, swords, power, and honor, he sometimes thought it was pathetic, but then again, he supposed that was just how people lived.

Perhaps what he thought he had gained was not actually gained, and instead, something had remained from what he had lost.

The Nameless, Hashim, and Vilter, and even the opponents he had fought while risking his life—they had not simply disappeared by dying; it was clear they had engraved something upon his soul.

He didn't know exactly what it was, but reflecting on his past life, it seemed to be true.

"I heard Bolka’s kids and Karlrich’s kids fought again. It seems there were some casualties this time."

"It seems he's having a hard time managing those kids as the days go by. Bolka complained to me so much about how they won't listen even when told. I'm not exactly the type of person who listens to people's complaints, am I? But I wonder how bad it must have been for Bolka to request mediation from the Empress. Bolka and Karlrich know they shouldn't do that, but since the kids under them are so extreme these days, the two seem to have become estranged for no reason."

Bori and Ice spoke. The three were sitting at the same table in a pub they seemed to have rented out entirely; there was no one else present except for Roy, who sat quietly near the fireplace.

"In particular, there are many adventurers who are dissatisfied, saying that we’re the only ones benefiting. Even if they have the skills, they can't join the Federation because of their background. So it seems they’re forming their own strange organizations, but there are too many of them to just kill, and that isn't exactly the solution anyway... It's not like those people have done anything wrong."

"By the way, Karlrich was really excited when he thought Billy was enrolling. After all, the Crown Prince enrolling would have raised the Academy’s prestige. Didn't you agree on that with Marie? Of course, you said you weren't going to force adult circumstances on the Crown Prince yet... are you listening, Ricky?"

Ice asked as he turned to look at Rickart. Rickart sat blankly at the table for a moment before snapping back to reality.

"Huh?"

Bori and Ice stared blankly at Rickart. Then, Ice asked with a bit of concern, "...Are you tired? Shall we talk later?"

The three were on their way back after dropping off Vilter and Rudy at the Kalitz Academy. Since they had walked instead of riding horses, it was understandable that they might be tired—not physically, but mentally.

As a side note, the admissions officer had been stunned for a while after seeing the letter of recommendation and the proof of sponsorship with Rickart’s name on them, but the three of them had left as quietly as possible.

What happened next was for Vilter and Rudy to handle. It would be a noisy Academy life, but in the end, they had to experience it and grow on their own.

Rickart believed that. And now, it was time for him to did his own work.

Rickart looked steadily at Ice, who was worrying about him, and then gave a faint smile.

"Ice, you've become more active as you've gotten older. You talk more, too. Does the work for the Council of Six suit you well?"

"Hmm? Really? Maybe. But the world has gotten better, Ricky. It's not perfect, but is there anything more rewarding than this? Human trafficking, robbery, murder—those things have decreased significantly compared to the past. Doesn't that mean we’re offering salvation from a tragic life to even one more person? Of course, it doesn't seem like everyone is satisfied."

"At first, we just made it for our own security, but before we knew it, it became like this."

"Why do you say it like that? As if we’re doing something bad," Bori asked.

"Regardless of whether we’re doing well or not, a firm justice is a firm injustice to someone else. I don't care about other people praising me. Conversely, I don't care about them hating me either. It's good to feel a sense of accomplishment in your work, but keep this in mind: to someone, we will be unparalleled villains."

"..."

It wasn't intentional, but out of necessity, the Council of Six had become something like an organization that controlled the world from behind the scenes.

Even if they didn't step forward, they had become an organization that held the adventurer's guilds of the entire Empire in its grip, using the Inner Circle and its subordinate body, the Master's Federation, as tools. It was a truly powerful influence.

However, wielding such powerful force was no easy task. This was because each member of the Council of Six belonged to a different organization, did different work, and had subtly different goals.

The Viola Clan and the Beringen Academy were showing the most distinct conflict. For some reason, the two organizations had become like rivals before anyone knew it.

And since both considered Rickart to be one of their own and took great pride in that, mediating between the two was a very difficult task for Rickart.

So it would be good if Marie, the Empress, stepped in, but she was busy with her work as Empress and seemed to want to avoid the affairs of the Council of Six. Her attitude was along the lines of 'you guys take care of it yourselves, just don't make any noise.'

Since Rickart also had his duties as the King of Adelorn to look after, Ice had asked if he was tired. Because it was a different kind of exhausting work from swinging a sword.

Ice looked at Rickart, who seemed to have cooled down after being fired up for a while. He thought about Rickart’s words and then spoke.

"It's the same for me, Ricky. I don't care what others say, even if I look like a villain in their eyes. We have seen what we’ve seen. I don't think of it as bestowing grace upon the people of the world, either. To have love in one’s heart is to bear sorrow, so I know that to love the world is to embrace even greater sorrow. Even as an Armed Monk, in the end, I am a servant of God. I once suffered from a distorted belief, but you pulled me out. I am familiar with pain and sorrow. If only a single flower of salvation can be raised from it, I am fine with falling into hell."

Ice didn't show it outwardly, but he was a person with firm religious beliefs.

He had once suffered under a distorted faith in the Cult of Condemnation, but after meeting Rickart, he had broken the chains of guilt and oppression and grown into a person of even greater faith.

"If that is your salvation, I can only support you."

"Thank you. But you are with us too."

"...Right."

"People are a bit disgusting, though. I know what you mean, Ricky," Bori said.

Rickart turned to look at Bori with a gaze that said I never said they were disgusting, though. Bori then added to his words.

"When the world is in chaos for a long time and peace finally comes, people are grateful for it, but from a certain point on, they take it for granted, and those newly born don't know what it was like before. And to those people, they’ll think we’re the ones oppressing them. But looking at the way the kids below act, we don't exactly have a say either. Because there are many who act as if they’ve become someone important just because they have a sword at their waist."

Since the adventurer's guilds were spread throughout the entire Empire with only a few exceptions, there were naturally many adventurers. Consequently, there were bound to be adventurers who did strange things.

Although they were monitored and managed, it was impossible to control everyone in the first place.

As a result, complaints were bursting out from here and there, and it wasn't that the Council of Six didn't know about them.

However, looking at the essence of those complaints, they were all words that came out because they conflicted with one’s own interests. To Bori, that was what was disgusting.

It had been that way for a long time, but Bori only entirely supported and helped Rickart; there were few things he did because he felt like it. He wasn't actually that interested in the operation of the Council of Six, either.

However, since Marie was busy as Empress and Bolka and Karlrich didn't have personal feelings toward each other but their respective organizations were not on good terms, the Council of Six was essentially operating as a three-man system consisting of Rickart, Bori, and Ice.

The meeting of the three at a quiet inn right now was precisely the regular meeting of the Council of Six.

It was humble. Yet, conversely, the three of them held an incredibly powerful force in their hands.

It was almost a divine power. Because they could decide everything—who to track, who to save, and who to kill. If it was a resolution of the Council of Six, expert-level swordsmen could move and kill someone openly, without even needing an assassination.

If they let go of their sense of responsibility, they could enjoy that power, but fortunately or unfortunately, the three of them had little interest in enjoying power.

"Shouldn't we start preparing a successor soon?" Rickart said, as if testing the waters.

"Weren't you going to hand it over to Billy?"

"Combining being the King and the Empress of Adelorn is already a burden. Not the Council of Six."

"What about the other kids? Abel is smart, too."

Abel was Rickart’s second son, named Abellich after his father's name.

"He's young."

"We’re not deciding on a successor right now. We can just raise him and have him do it."

"I have never once made my children do anything. I don't want to make them, either. Whatever it is, I hope they decide for themselves. And I can't intervene with Abel. Marie has decided all his career paths."

Marie had a strong influence on the children's career paths. At most, Rickart had only put a bit of effort into making sure his eldest son, Vilter, would have a proper and independent personality.

If he were to go on about the second son as well, he might have to prepare for a marital spat, so Rickart was in a difficult position.

It was truly difficult—everything from the work of the Council of Six to being a King, a husband, and a father. The hero of the nation was, in the end, just an aging human being.

Life had turned out this way. Naturally, he didn't regret it. But he couldn't help but occasionally think, How did it turn out like this?

"I naturally thought it would be Roy," Ice said.

At that, Rickart and Bori naturally turned to look at Roy, who was sitting by the fireplace, and Roy also looked back at the three of them blankly.

"Me?"

"Do you want to do it?" Rickart asked bluntly.

"Hmm... but I'm not as smart as the Master."

"You don't have to be smart. The heart is what’s important."

"I'm not exactly a kind person."

"It's not a position where you can be only kind."

"I don't have the capacity to do bad things, either."

"Perfect. Do you think someone issues an execution order because they want to?"

"Uh... but I do have a right to refuse, don't I?"

"......Do you think so?"

"......"

Roy rolled his eyes to the side as if to avoid their gaze before returning them to their original position. Even so, the three of them were staring at him intently.

"Good. It’s decided. Roy, you are my successor to the Council of Six. I’ll have to stay behind for a while to help you endure the pressure from Bolka and Karlrich. For now, you’ll work in the capacity of a representative. Bori and Ice, help him out a bit."

As soon as Rickart made the decision, he recorded the fact that Roy von Hartlinger was to be his successor in the meeting minutes and then scribbled his signature immediately.

He then looked down at the content and smiled brightly, as if he had returned to his teens. Finally, it's over.

"I’ve suffered a lot for ten years. Bori and Ice, if the two of you feel it’s unfair, you can make successors too. Roy, the foundation has been set and the framework roughly built, so it won't be difficult. I'm going first."

Rickart poured out his words quickly as if he were in a hurry, then stood up and left the pub.

As he left the pub, the spring sunlight shone upon him like a wave. There were several swordsmen wearing black cloaks outside, and Rickart spoke to them.

"From now on, Roy is my representative, so if you have anything to report, report it all to him."

He then strode off somewhere. Whether he was using some kind of magic, he moved away as fast as if he were running. And in an instant, he disappeared from sight.

No one knew where he had gone.