Chapter 253

Chapter 253

***

With nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, they were hit by the rain. By the way to be hit by the rain was a bit agonizing at first, but if you let go of your mind it was at least somewhat fine.

Letting go of one's mind didn't mean giving up but was a mindset that allowed one to silently endure this terrible situation.

Pitch-black darkness where a water bomb poured down, occasionally thunder and lightning struck making the world flash brightly. Even though it was a mere instant, the magnificent nature where black and white contrasted remained in the mind for a long time.

It was a water hell alright, but thanks to the lightning the thought 'I am still in this world at least' arose. Catching that like a lifeline he held on.

No matter how superhuman the physical strength and power Rickart had, being hit by the rain all night in the tundra region was hard to endure.

Nevertheless he held Hushike tightly in his arms like incubating an egg to protect her warmly so she at least would get hit less by the rain.

Whether the person herself knew that or not she fell asleep breathing *ssae-aek*, *ssae-aek*. Probably, she was in the middle of eating my memories.

The toil of the horse went without saying. Rickart said to the Black Cloud he was riding.

"Thanks to you we lived......"

At first it was an agony hard to endure even for 1 minute, but forcibly recalling past days the time surprisingly went by quickly too. From memories when he was very young, leaving home to reach the Academy, and the times adventuring with friends.

From a historical perspective his achievements after that were greater, but Rickart felt he was the happiest at that time.

However the reason nostalgia was sad was because I myself also knew that I had lost that innocence and purity forever.

Something more precious because it's faint. That made Rickart endure right now. By the way thinking about it quietly why am I suffering like this right now......

Rickart accepted the pain and endured it with various thoughts. Meanwhile, light came out from Caldebert's staff he was holding in his hand, and shot straight out in a certain direction.

Rickart flinched in surprise, but he considered this a good omen not a harmful thing. So although without basis, he walked following the light that stretched out in a straight line cleaving the darkness.

Because of the fiercely falling rain streaks the light seemed to look blindly crumpled. However the light did not lose its direction.

Wandering the pitch-black darkness getting rained on without direction, and moving forward knowing the direction was a difference between heaven and earth. The strength to overcome the agony and pain had arisen.

While he was at it Rickart galloped his horse, and the Black Cloud was likewise exhausted but whether it knew its master's will it gained strength and ran.

Then the sleeping Hushike flashed her eyes open, and at that moment Rickart ended up losing consciousness. Like a candle blowing out, his consciousness went out.

Even as dawn came the rain didn't stop. However the rain streaks became much thinner and fell like spraying from a spray bottle.

The world was a blue close to black. It was hard to distinguish the surroundings but a wet silver-haired girl was currently whining and moving an adult man.

The girl looked about 15 years old. Looking at her wet clothes it was Hushike. The top garment that came down to her ankles now reached about her knees.

For Hushike, her hair clung to her face and blocked her vision, which was extremely annoying.

So she plucked the horse's tail hair and tightly tied her own hair back. And merely gave all the carrots to the horse as a reward.

Fortunately the place where Hushike, Rickart, and the Black Cloud currently were was a certain forest. It was a forest lined with spruce, fir, and pine trees.

The forest had many places with uneven terrain, and there were places where the ground was dry too. A place where a rock protruded out acting as a roof, and was dented inwards so the ground on both sides blocked the wind.

It was exactly perfect for a traveler to rest, and Hushike evacuated the unconscious Rickart and the horse there.

It would have been a really big deal if they didn't have the horse, because flint and firewood and such were all in the saddlebags.

Though it held a bit of moisture, fortunately it wasn't wet from touching water. Hushike mimicked what Rickart and the Vikings used to did. Though that didn't mean lighting a fire was an easy task. Especially on a day like today.

So she flicked the flint *ttakttak* for several hours and even blew on the kindling trying to dry it, doing all sorts of efforts.

Around the time the dark dawn passed and a clearer blue morning arrived, she barely managed to bloom a single small flame. A smile fully blossomed on Hushike's face. It was nothing special but how thrilling it was.

From now on she had to grow the fire, but that was a bit different in method from an ordinary person. Hushike lied face down and swallowed the small flame *horok*, then mumbled it in her mouth.

Then as she spat it back out like spitting drool *jureureuk*, a long bug-like thing made of flames came out of her mouth.

The flame bug landed on the pile of straw and looked up at Hushike nodding its head *kkeudeok-kkeudeok*. And then it wandered around the straw growing its body, and earnestly dug in and ate when Hushike handed it firewood.

Soon, the small flame became a single bonfire. It began to burn blazingly.

Hushike took off her clothes and left them on the ground near the bonfire. She was naked but she originally had no human-like shame, and she was alone in the world anyway. The only person present was a single unconscious man.

After that she whined and stripped Rickart's equipment and all his clothes too. Armor, sword, and staff were almost discarded, and the clothes were arranged well around the fire with her own care.

And then she cuddled into Rickart and closed her eyes again. The drizzling rain, the uncomfortable floor, and body heat. That was the entirety of the world.

However Hushike couldn't fly into Rickart's deep dreams. Because someone approached rustling.

A moment later someone revealed their figure pushing through the bushes. It was an achingly beautiful male with a slender physique. His ears were long. It was an elf she thought only existed in legends or myths.

He held a sword curved downwards contrary to a nomad's curved sword. A shape where the blade width widened towards the tip, although it was a sword it looked like it could be swung like an axe. It was a weapon called a falcata.

And the surprising part was that his dark green clothes were not wet at all. Even now when rain was drizzling down.

He had no change in expression even seeing the naked girl. Rather, it was an extremely wary gaze. The two people who met did not speak to each other first.

Soon several elves consisting of men and women revealed their figures. They examined Hushike very carefully as if observing a creature they saw for the first time.

Then, seeing Rickart collapsed naked inside the shallow cave they frowned.

"You don't seem like a human, but that man is definitely a human. What business do you have here? How did you enter?"

"Uh...... Well? I think he said he was looking for a friend......"

"Friend? You have no friends here. And this is the territory of orcs. If they eat you folks and get a taste for meat it could be bothersome even for us. So leave again."

It seemed certain they were not favorable. By the way one female elf said.

"A blonde human male, and a girl harboring the aura of a fairy. Could they be the ones from the prophecy?"

At her words the male elf thought for a moment then asked Hushike.

"How are you harboring the aura of a fairy while having the form of a human?"

"Because I am a fairy. I grew eating Ricky's dreams. I was smaller a while ago."

"Don't lie. No matter how much a fairy eats dreams growing like you is impossible. As expected humans constantly spit lies from their mouths."

"It's true though...... But can we stay here just until we avoid the rain?"

"Didn't you hear? It'll provoke the orcs. Especially these days we have to be more careful. Because a war might break out."

"What war?"

"That's none of your business. Leave the horse and you two leave."

"Eh? Why should we leave the horse?"

"Since it entered our territory it's ours. You two are unneeded."

"......Didn't you just say this was the territory of orcs? Actually I don't really know the concept of ownership, but this doesn't seem right. The Black Cloud is Ricky and my friend, not yours."

"If words don't communicate we can mobilize other means of conversation. Leave when I'm speaking nicely."

Saying that the elf approached Hushike. While holding the sword.

By the way what was fascinating was that rainwater couldn't touch him and slid off as if he had a thin protective film over his whole body.

Two other elves also stepped forward and blocked both sides of the cave. Hushike backed away but there was nowhere else to run to.

As the male elf reached out his hand to drag Hushike out first, at that time the sleeping Rickart flashed his eyes open.

And like a spinal reflex he sprang up his body, picked up the sword on the ground, drew it like lightning and cut off his arm.

It was a very short moment when the male elf had just recognized his arm was cut and his eyes widened. Rickart threw the sword at another elf next to the cave.

*Puk!*

"Kuk!"

The tip of the sword accurately pierced through the neck, and Rickart snatched the male elf's sword. And as he charged like a tiger towards the last remaining female elf, the male elf deprived of his sword was already having his neck dropping.

It was an amazingly, no, unbelievable sword play even seeing it. The female elf hurriedly opened the distance and tried to grab the bow slung across her shoulder.

However before putting it into practice, Rickart grabbed her hair and jerked *hwak* it. Then her upper body bent forward.

"Kkyak!"

Before she could even resist and struggle, she felt a burning sensation on her neck. Rickart grabbed her hair and sawed her neck with the sword.

Since death was synonymous with complete silence, stillness arrived. Normally when a sword fight occurs it should be accompanied by crashing and banging noises, but it was all over before that.

Rickart stood perfectly still with the elf's severed head in one hand, and the sword in the other hand. The drizzling rain made no sound of rain whatsoever.

Whether savoring the lingering imagery of slaughter, or perhaps thinking of something else. Soon Rickart casually tossed *tuk* the head and the sword on the ground at the same time.

And then he looked back at Hushike. Meeting his gaze Hushike flinched and trembled. Because, it burned with an unfathomable degree of madness and rage.

Whether Hushike was surprised or not Rickart quickly surveyed the surroundings of the cave. The black horse, the sprawling staff, the taken off golden breastplate, the rest of the clothes, and the warm bonfire......

Quickly surveying the situation his expression was utterly uncomprehending. So he looked at Hushike and asked. But the question was somehow wrong.

"Who are you?"

"......Huh? It's me, Hushike."

Hushike answered but Rickart seemed to not know at all. Feeling something was strange Hushike asked.

"What's your name?"

"Ricky."

"What's the last thing you remember?"

Rickart quietly lowered his head and thought. Like it happened just now, the shouts and screams of war, the sounds of iron clashing, the burning scene of massacre and the madly glaring eyes brushed past. And his hometown too.

As his thoughts reached his hometown, there were words that naturally flowed from Rickart's mouth. His eye rims reddening with rage, clenching his teeth, he said as if still shuddering.

"Traitors......"