Chapter 227

Chapter 227

***

What one should truly fear was not pain and suffering, but emptiness.

When pain comes, it was rather something to welcome. Because through pain I will become stronger and grow. However there was absolutely no way to deal with emptiness.

One cannot run away even if one tries. Exactly like a sense of guilt. The two might perhaps be distant relatives.

"Going to the Eastern Frontier through the Ceska County territory? Is there a need to explicitly do so?"

Bori asked as they walked a mountain pass together.

"Torveil is a place belonging to Beringen anyway. We can open a new road directly connecting to Adelorn through the Ceska County territory."

"Explicitly? What for after opening it?"

"Just because."

"Is it okay for the King to decide in that manner?"

"If it costs a lot of funds and personnel I wouldn't do it. But this is largely my personal matter right?"

"Why is it a personal matter? Have lingering attachments remained because you stopped while going with Roy's family in the past?"

"No."

"Then?"

"From the distant past, should I say it's about a place of memories."

"What memories? When have you ever been to the Eastern Frontier."

"......Well, Bori would you believe it if I said there are past lives?"

Rickart looked back at Bori and asked. Bori turned his head and stared fixedly into his friend's hazel eyes. Exactly as always they were merely calm.

And what lay within that gaze had parts that were hard to fully know even as an old friend.

"Did you fall into some pseudo-religion or something lately?"

"Hahaha, that's not it."

"Then again, Ricky has never done anything common-sensically until now."

"That sounds a bit like an insult?"

"No way. Since you proved it with results every time there's nothing for me to say."

Rickart merely smiled faintly. It's just, wandering the world alone with Bori exactly like old times after a long time felt somewhat healing.

Before long as they reached the crest of the mountain pass, a mine was visible in that distant place. It was precisely that famous gold mine of Adelorn.

The cost that went into establishing the Master's Federation, and the gold mine that became the source of funds in carrying out the war.

The method of mining at the gold mine wasn't much. Digging up stone or dirt from the gold vein, breaking it finely, sifting it multiple times, washing it with water, then collecting only the gold separately and melting it.

Because the item handled was what it was, security was strict. So the miners couldn't leave the mine, and they were all prisoners.

They were people who had to endure endless pain because of the sins they committed themselves. Though they dig the most valuable treasure in the world they cannot possess a single piece, and just had to endure only pain until they died.

It was worthy of being called a hell existing in the human world, and the person who created that hell was none other than Rickart.

"Is the King personally doing an inspection once?"

Bori asked.

"There's no explicit need to do so."

"Yeah, since it wouldn't be very pleasant to see."

Saying so, the two walked down the mountain path heading east. Now, it was the same as having entered the territory of Adelorn.

By the time they came all the way down the mountain path the sun began to set, and because it was a forest it got dark earlier. So the two naturally looked for a place suitable for bivouacking.

A mound suitable to avoid the wind and solid dirt ground where grass didn't grow, there were traces of travelers having been there.

Bori revived the embers exactly like handling something precious, and lit a fire blowing strength into it little by little.

Since they were almost fully in Adelorn now, Rickart unpacked all the things to eat. Things like potatoes, sweet potatoes, tough jerky, and hard bread.

Roasting what needed roasting, melting what needed melting, and soaking in water to eat what needed eating, the two friends spent time.

The night deepened more and more, and grass insects cried squelch squelch exactly as if soothing loneliness, but something heterogeneous caught the senses of the two.

Without being startled or anything, they naturally turned their heads simultaneously to the place where that heterogeneous sensation was felt. They stared beyond the pitch-black darkness where the light didn't reach.

"Seems like a wild animal. Its condition isn't good."

Bori said. Rickart thought it was such a thing too. But that beast approached the two, wondering if it was drawn to the light.

Not long after, what revealed its figure at the end point where the campfire's light faintly reached was a beast named human.

Draped in rags rather than clothes, ankles festered, it was a gaunt man. His roughly cut hair and beard were incomparably messy. Emitting truly beast-like glints in his eyes he looked alternately at the two and the food.

Then exactly like a surprising event occurring, the beast spoke.

"I request, request help."

"What kind of help?"

"Fire and, water, and some food......"

Rickart and Bori met each other's gazes once. Rickart looked back at that beast-like man, and left things like roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes on the ground nearby exactly as he would to a wild animal.

Then exactly as if pouncing wildly, the man fell forward, and shoved it into his mouth haphazardly without even peeling it properly.

He seemed to be choking but whether he suffocated to death or not, he ate recklessly exactly as if he couldn't eat food ever again if not now.

As Bori sneakily handed over a water pouch, the man flinched and trembled then received the water pouch with shivering hands.

"Th-thank you."

And then gulping it down he emptied it in a single breath. Rickart gave all the remaining food to him, and the man shoved it all into his mouth indiscriminately exactly as if he would die while eating.

When reason seemed to return at least somewhat then, Rickart asked.

"Did you escape from the mine?"

At that question the man flinched and trembled. And then looked once at the swords left off near Rickart and Bori, and looking at Rickart again he nodded his head.

"How long were you there?"

The man spread his ten fingers and showed them. It seemed somehow it was 10 years. It meant he dug gold continuously from exactly when the mine was being developed until now.

"For committing what crime?"

Bori asked. Then the man's gaze which seemed to have lost its way wandered briefly, then rested on the campfire. And dry words flowed from his cracked, dry lips.

"Cannibalism."

Silence flowed. Even the grass insects seemed to hold their breath, and the campfire barely made a sound intermittently exactly like reading the room.

"Try explaining in detail."

Rickart asked. Then staring at the campfire the prisoner seemed to increasingly fall into the past.

"Like many others I do not know my parents. Born on the streets, and grew up on the streets. At 6 I learned pickpocketing at the Thieves Guild, and at 10 succeeded in assassination and became an official guild member. At 15 I left the guild and worked alone. Then the Adelorn civil war broke out right. 4 years? 5 years? Or so passed and it became a time when one couldn't distinguish who was a criminal, and even I couldn't fill my meals. I tried to enlist in Grantz's unit but group living didn't suit me. So I came out again, but where would I get food? Ultimately I touched corpses. Not long after the Prince of Promise liberated Adelorn. I was caught by residents' reports and dragged to the mine. As a cannibal."

Listening to the confession of sin, Rickart and Bori didn't have any particular change in expression. Because they had seen worse things in terms of gruesomeness.

Compared to the human experiments done by the Cult of Condemnation, cannibalism due to hunger wasn't particularly surprising either. Furthermore would only he have committed cannibalism? Many people probably did during the civil war.

Just, it seemed he was reported because his residence was unclear and he was an outsider.

"Do you regret it?"

Rickart asked.

"Regret? Haha...... I did such things hundreds, thousands of times looking at the pitch-black mine shafts. But nothing changes. I merely thought I was just born on the streets, grew up on the streets, and now became a bastard digging tunnels."

"But why did you escape?"

Bori asked. Then the prisoner spoke in a voice crawling inward exactly as if ashamed.

"......For atonement."

"What atonement?"

"Atonement towards myself. Atonement for living exactly like a retard wandering the streets. Do you know what you come to see if you look into the pitch-black mine shafts all day long, all year round?"

"......"

"I come to see the merely naked me who knows nothing. Even if I try to turn my eyes I cannot turn them. The more I dig the earth the clearer it is seen. I should have said I didn't want to do it when they made me pickpocket back then. Even if I died I should have extended my fist when that son of a bitch bullied me. I should have said I wouldn't when told to assassinate a person with no connections at all. Even if I starved to death I shouldn't have touched corpses!"

Whether his emotions surged the prisoner ended up shouting loudly exactly like he would vomit blood at the end.

"Regret? That's right. I regret terribly. I regret almost to the point of a curse. I mean a curse on myself who lived exactly like a retard."

"Anyway where do you intend to go? There will be pursuers."

Bori said looking towards the dark forest. Feeling the presence of a group approaching from afar.

"Eastern Frontier. They won't chase up to there probably. And I heard it's a land of salvation. I don't fear hell. However if I am to atone I must do it alive, what meaning would atonement done dead have?"

Then Rickart bowed his head and fell into thought.

"Hmm, atonement towards myself huh......"

The presence gradually drew closer. The sound of hunting dogs barking bark bark was also heard. The prisoner flinched startled and didn't know what to did. As he hurriedly tried to run away, there were pursuers approaching from the back too exactly as if they already formed an encirclement.

So unable to go anywhere he merely stuck close to the mound. At that time the pursuers arrived. The dogs barked noisily.

However, because the pursuers didn't know there were travelers they seemed a little flustered. On one hand they were also vigilant wondering if they were the prisoner's helpers.

But here was Adelorn already. There was someone who knew Rickart.

The eyes of some among the pursuers grew round. Someone said.

"Are you not the King?"

"Uh. I went to Kalitz and am a bit late."

The prisoner who was not far away also had his eyes grow round. What did he say? King? What King?

"Pull the dogs back. Make them not bark. I apologize. We showed an ugly sight. We will catch the prisoner and go shortly."

"No. I will personally monitor him."

"Yes?"

"It's not a pardon. His crime wasn't of a nature I could pardon. Anyway just return."

"......Ah, regarding that, we must take at least one finger or one hand. Because only then do the remaining prisoners not waver......"

Then the prisoner who was stuck close to the wall suddenly snatched up the sword that was near Rickart exactly with a snatching motion.

Well, if he didn't want to get it taken he could have prevented it, but Rickart merely watched blankly wondering what ddid he intend to did by doing that.

As the greatly shocked pursuit team hurriedly drew their swords, the prisoner also drew the sword. The King's sword, called a magic sword or holy sword, flashed receiving the light of the campfire.

Without an inch of hesitation, the prisoner placed his left hand on the wall and struck down with the sword. It was a shabby sword stroke, but with the sharpness of the holy sword his wrist was cut completely off in a single breath.

Clang!

"Ugh......!"

In pain the prisoner let go of the sword from his hand and collapsed. Blood flowed profusely. Trembling trembling exactly as if he would soon faint, he said.

"T-take it......!"

And then rolling his eyes back he fainted.

Rickart stood up from his seat and slowly retrieved his sword. And looking down at the fainted prisoner asked the pursuer.

"What is his name?"

"I am the Head Jailer, called Norben."

"No, not you I mean this prisoner."

"Ah, I apologize. He only has a nickname rather than a name. Called Maters, he's called that among the prisoners."

Maters meant martyr. Although it was unknowable why he was called that among the prisoners, it was truly ironic.

"A truly untrustworthy companion."

Bori said from where he sat. Throwing firewood into the campfire, the grass insects began to cry again.

Late at night, an armed group of people, the King and his friend, and a prisoner who bled and fainted were by the campfire. Light and shadow formed on each of them.