Chapter 215

Chapter 215

A clan refers to a kin group or blood relatives who share a common ancestor. It's a concept larger than a family, and smaller than a tribe.

Nowadays the concept of a tribe or clan had faded a lot, and the smallest constituent unit of society was the village community. It wasn't the family.

Of course the individual inherently had no place to stand. It was a society where individuals were naturally required to just sacrifice for the community or even lay down their lives.

The reason the smallest constituent unit of society wasn't the individual or family was because it was hard to survive outside the community.

From solving the simplest hunger, to protecting safety from external threats, and even funerals after death. The community took charge of it all.

In conclusion, to survive in this barren and rugged world, one had to at least belong to a community.

Of course human society didn't just flow exactly as formalized like that. Because some were naturally born that way, and some lost their family and community due to cruel violence and were thrown into the world as individuals.

A clan was what people like that formed by gathering together. It was different from the original meaning. Since it wasn't based on blood ties, nor based on region.

However it was a group where the bond was as sticky as a family, and they protected each other as much as a community.

And here, there were people trying to make such a clan.

"Mister, you said you were in a clan in the past right?"

The black-haired young man said. His body was scrawny and his appearance also looked frail so he didn't seem suitable for an adventurer.

It was the young man named Graf, and it was the first time he spoke to Rickart. Rickart answered shortly.

"Yeah."

"But how did you end up alone now?"

"We each had our own things to do. As you grow older paths sometimes divide. We didn't leave turning our backs on each other. Even now we meet if there is a reason to meet here and there."

"Then how long did you work together?"

"Probably traveled together for about 4 or 5 years."

"What was the goal back then?"

"Having our own nest."

"So how did it turn out?"

"Got what we wanted. However, as life goes there is always a next homework. I made efforts to solve my homework, and the clan to solve the clan's homework."

"That's cool."

"......Suddenly?"

"Yes. You achieved something right."

Rickart looked back at Graf. His drooping eyes looked somewhat stupid but there seemed to be some kind of passion inside them.

Lena and Ravenna were walking in front, and Rickart and Graf were walking behind. Under the weather with the spring sunshine beating down flowers had bloomed on both sides of the road so it was an atmosphere exactly like they had come out for a walk.

"Then what do you want to achieve?"

"Me making the best clothes."

"Are you telling me you'll become a tailor?"

"It's not that......"

Graf rustled and took something out from his bosom. As Rickart walked side by side and looked from the side, it was things like some scraps of cloth.

"What's this?"

"What you wear inside the pants."

"Are you talking about underwear?"

"Underwear is underwear, but originally underwear is uncomfortable right. For me if my underwear is uncomfortable whatever I do doesn't go well. Even if I search for what I want it doesn't exist, so I decided to make it myself. Feeling like you're wearing it, or not wearing it, the feeling truly varies widely depending on cloth of good material and appropriate shape, sewing, and things like that. Even if I research no matter how much there is no end."

Rickart wondered what the heck he was saying. Actually underwear was just roughly covering with a loose cloth and fixing it with a string, and there were many people who didn't wear it either.

But the underwear Graf made were firstly too small and imagining when wearing it seemed it would be a bit bizarre.

So Rickart unwittingly glared sideways at Graf with an expression wondering how there could be all these kinds of bastards.

Not knowing that either Graf even offered it to Rickart.

"Would you like to try wearing it once?"

"It's fine. I like it as is now."

"If you try wearing it your thoughts will change."

"I don't really want to change my thoughts."

"Those kids also had repulsion at first but now they can't live without it."

Graf said pointing at Lena and Ravenna walking in front with his eyes.

"Are you saying you make women's underwear for them?"

"Why?"

Graf asked back without any shame.

Rickart naturally got a little shocked inwardly thinking 'Were kids nowadays like this?'. Was he peculiar, or did I have outdated thoughts.

Rickart was basically a noble, and although he didn't have something like a sense of privilege he still had somewhat conservative thoughts laid as a foundation. So Graf's act looked slightly like a paganistic act.

Still he didn't reveal it outwardly. Because looking strange didn't necessarily mean it was exactly wrong. Actually Bori was also scolded for doing girlish acts but didn't he grow up well as a mature adult.

"I don't really know. But do they teach such things in Kalitz Academy?"

"It's not that. Wherever you go they teach you one skill each so you don't starve. Like gem crafting, tailoring, tanning, wood trimming. In my case I learned tailoring and while doing it I ended up making underwear."

"......There's something called the honor of a swordsman but I really don't know."

"An adventurer doesn't necessarily need to be limited to a swordsman right? Anyway it's truly fortunate. That Ricky-mister joined us."

"Don't rely that much."

"It's not that, it was really hard being between two women with strong spirits. It's hard to even speak as I please too. Just having a conversation partner I can open up and talk to man-to-man is a huge strength to me."

Graf whether he significantly suffered from the two women's henpecking had eyes full of goodwill looking at Rickart. Of course Rickart found that a bit burdensome though.

"......If it's so that's fortunate."

"But are you really not going to try wearing it? It's really good though."

"Wearing something like that makes me feel like I'm participating in a paganistic act. I'm a no."

Actually the underwear Graf made wasn't a big deal. It was just underwear made to fit the body perfectly with cloth of good material, and to easily tighten and loosen the string.

"That's a shame. However there will be opportunities. As we travel together."

"What? What opportunities?"

"Just opportunities."

Rickart thought, 'don't tell me'. Something like secretly approaching while sleeping at night.

Thinking quietly about it Lena too and this kid too weren't normal. Although he didn't know Ravenna well yet, seeing her friends one knows the person too so he thought she wouldn't be ordinary either.

Saying she'd become an adventurer for adventure, yet that adventure was exactly making things like underwear. Of course a dream didn't necessarily need to be grandly big but he wondered if this was right.

Anyway Rickart and the three youths walked the road heading east. Their first destination was Nibelungen.

Since it was the road going to the Empire's capital after all, they frequently encountered travelers or merchant groups in between. Unlike the past there wasn't an intense bloody vigilance against people seen for the first time, and if that was a change it was a change.

But while doing so, they discovered a wagon with a wheel fallen off on the roadside. It seemed to be a merchant group transporting trade goods after all, multiple people were stuck to the wagon groaning and trying to pull the wheel out.

The people were suffering, and only the two pack horses leisurely grazing after briefly escaping the bridle seemed to have a good fate.

Actually an item called a wheel frequently broke down and often fell into potholes if one misstepped, so it looked better to just take the wheel off and attach a new one instead.

As Rickart and the party passed by them, one merchant who was standing blankly without helping with the hands asked.

"You're young adventurers. Going to the Capital?"

"Yes, do you perhaps need help?"

Lena answered naturally.

"No need for that. Since it's a frequent occurrence. However, I was just getting bored not knowing when this troubling matter will end. I will sell goods at a good price so would you spare some time briefly? Also to reduce weight."

The merchant seemed to want to did business on the street taking the opportunity of the wheel falling off.

"What are the goods?"

"Exactly essential things for adventurers. Good quality whetstones and camellia oil, iron ingots and lanterns brought in from the Lunadan region, sturdy leather bags, boots, gloves, there are such things."

"Really? Can you perhaps show us once?"

"Come here a bit. Since the wagon is like this."

The merchant naturally made them come close to the wagon. At that time Rickart who was only watching quietly from behind stepped up.

"No. Take the goods out and show them. Weren't you planning to lessen the load anyway?"

"Hahaha, as you can see this tilted so the goods inside must be a mess. It'll take time to take them out one by one so it might be a bit messy but I think it would be better to come and see."

"Then we will just go our way. I hope your difficult matter is resolved well."

Being able to buy good goods at a good price was a good thing. However Rickart rejected that.

Lena and Ravenna, and Graf were bewildered at first, but as Rickart stepped up to this extent they felt a sign that something was strange.

"Wait a minute."

The merchant called. Rickart who was about to take steps looked back at him.

"You're on the way coming from Neuschafen, right?"

"......"

"If you're adventurers you naturally take on requests, don't you have a request you took on recently?"

"Don't want to talk about work."

Lena cut it off sternly. However the relaxed merchant's expression was laced with a sense of incongruity somewhere.

"Have you perhaps heard of a Codex?"

The merchant asked. Putting the word Codex in his mouth, he closely observed the changes in expressions of Rickart and the party.

Sure enough the three youths forcefully maintained expressionless faces, but perhaps because their experience was still immature they looked somewhat awkward. That awkwardness like they were pricked by something.

And along with the merchant's question the workers trying to pull out the wagon wheel also stopped moving.

Rickart naturally checked his surroundings. In case there were hidden personnel besides them. No other presence was felt.

Looking back at the merchant again he asked.

"Are you the client?"

"Well."

"What do you want the Codex for?"

"Codex is Codex. Everyone wants to have it."

"And not anyone can have it."

"Not anyone can protect it either."

"Is that so? Then conversation is meaningless anymore."

Reaching this point Lena and the other two people also noticed that they were people aiming for the Codex. A chill went down their spines. If they had approached the wagon what would have happened?

The warm sunshine of a spring day, and a cool wind. The wind that passed sweeping the fields contained the scent of flowers.

It wasn't a match. If it was an ambush it was an ambush. It was actual combat, and so there was no such thing as a referee either.

Someone pushing aside the cloth came out from inside the suddenly tilted wagon. Simultaneously the workers who were stuck to the wagon also lunged all at once.

Because Lena and Ravenna, and Graf were preparing their minds in their own way they pulled out their swords smoothly. However they didn't have the skill to unfold their best sword art in any situation.

It was just thrusting their swords with all their might towards the person most in front of their eyes.

Not trembling in actual combat and thrusting swords in their own way was praiseworthy if praiseworthy, but those attacking were not ordinary fellows.

Not confronting the thrust sword against themselves, they slipped back smoothly and another person attacked the party from the side. The person holding a sharp dagger seemed to crash their body and stab.

However Lena's party wasn't at an ordinary level either. There were those guarding their companion's side.

Graf who seemed so scrawny one wondered if he could even swing a sword properly gripped the longsword with both hands and swung it quite fiercely. Then the blades crossed and a metallic sound was heard.

CHAENGGANG!

And a few cut-off fingers dropped patter. It was Ravenna who finished off the faltering enemy. Her posture was quite clean.

When Ravenna's sword stabbed the neck of one enemy, the one who stepped back abruptly surged forward.

Lena didn't panic and moved slightly to the side and kicked the opponent's leg. Then the opponent severely plummeted forward. Graf stabbed his back and killed him.

However into the ears of Lena's party who excellently took down two enemies the sound of horse hooves was heard.

DUGUDUK! DUGUDUK! DUGUDUK!

Quickly turning their heads and looking, the merchant was fleeing riding a horse. Towards such a him something flew flashing receiving the sunlight, then stuck in his back. Even though a dagger was stuck in his back the merchant clenched his teeth and maintained his posture and dashed off.

Looking back at the direction the dagger was thrown from there were five or six headless corpses collapsed around Rickart.

Then the eyes of Lena and her friends rolled wide. Because it was so congested in the inn they couldn't see all of Rickart's skills, but now something perfectly incomprehensible had happened.

Especially Rickart's sword was still in the scabbard exactly as was. Exactly like it was never pulled out from the start.

"Hmm...... Received training but they aren't ones who learned swordsmanship. Are these also hired?"

Rickart deduced in his own way talking to himself then finally approached the wagon and checked inside. Iron ingots or camellia oil my ass, as expected there was exactly nothing.

Rickart looked back at the party and said.

"Have to be vigilant against strangers. You don't go just because they tell you to come. In the past it was a problem being too vigilant but now you're completely not vigilant."

"......Were you a magician?"

Graf who barely attached words with Rickart earlier asked.

"What did you say?"

"That."

Graf pointed at the five or six headless corpses collapsed on the floor. In his eyes it had no choice but to look like magic.

Because accurately cutting the heads of five or six people while looking elsewhere briefly wasn't something that could be done with a sword.

"I met the Mage of the Wastelands but even he couldn't do something like that."

"Yes?"

"Let's move without delaying. Didn't know they would be this explicit but anyway they're dangerous bastards."

Rickart tidied his cloak that seemed somewhat disheveled and walked away again. Exactly like nothing happened.

Rickart found Graf and those friends looking strange, but in their eyes Rickart looking strange was the exact same. What kind of trick did he exactly use to strike the necks of five or six people in an instant?

They needed to organize their thoughts for a moment but for now they followed Rickart. And only then could they feel that the scent of flowers was mixed in the breeze.