Chapter 254

Chapter 254

***

Rickart was sitting by the fire wearing wet clothes that would take a long time to dry. Sitting with his knees drawn together, he seemed to be lost in deep thought looking at the bonfire.

But no matter how much he thought there was nothing to think about. Because only boiling rage and hatred burned his heart.

Where did this rage originate from? Betrayal of course. Against the village people who sold me off, and the woman who deceived me from the beginning.

And thinking broader didn't the whole world treat me mercilessly? Then I have no choice but to repay the world equally. Mercilessly.

However the problem was, where on earth was this place. Rage towards the world, but what if that world was not the world I knew?

At that time something was abruptly thrust *hwak* towards the fire in front of Rickart's vision. It was a single skewer. Beetles and larvae stuck on a branch. The bugs wildly struggled and wriggled their legs.

Wondering what it was he slightly raised his head and saw the silver-haired girl smiling *singeul-singeul* and roasting a bug skewer.

She didn't seem to mind much even though Rickart had changed a lot somehow. Seeing how she was immediately interested in the roasted bug skewer right in front of her eyes.

"Who are you?"

Rickart asked.

"Me? I am Hushike."

"I see you for the first time, why are we together?"

"Umm, well? Because we're friends? Ricky said he came here to find a friend too."

"I did?"

"Yeah."

"I don't have any friends."

"Try to think about it carefully. For starters I'm here right?"

It felt like a very erratic question and answer. Rickart frowned, but he felt the anger and hatred that had peaked significantly soften at Hushike's calm attitude.

"So where is this?"

"This is the Taiga Forest. It's the end of the world, very far from where Ricky originally lived, or maybe not that far. The Empire you thought of doesn't exist. There's no war either. It ended a long time ago."

Since Hushike ate Rickart's memories, it was possible for her to explain his current state in her own way.

"The war ended?"

"Probably? The war in Ricky's memories ended."

Whether she finished roasting the skewer Hushike ate the bugs one by one starting from the end. Chewing sounds *eujijik, eujijik* came out, and watching that sight Rickart frowned once more.

Even when there was nothing to eat on the battlefield he caught and ate mice, because seeing someone eat bugs like that was a first in his life.

"Do you really have to eat that?"

"Hehe, even if your memories aren't intact Ricky is Ricky huh? In the past Ricky didn't like me eating bugs either."

"There are many other things to eat."

"Mm, but this is delicious y'know?"

Rickart thought she was a strange girl. But this girl and I were friends? Wait, friend?

Memories of someone flashed like lightning in Rickart's mind. It was Caldebert. Whether he lost his memories or not, he was the first and eternal friend.

Recalling him, as if warmth pushed out coldness, instead of rage and hatred a sense of pity, apology, and gratitude arose simultaneously.

I shouldn't have left the battlefield. If I had known such betrayal was lurking in my hometown that was. The battlefield was rather better. Even if I died fighting I wouldn't have felt this aggrieved.

"Caldebert......"

Rickart softly chanted his name aloud. Like a magic spell, it seemed to have an effect of calming his mind.

Because of lost memories, inaccurate information, and an erratic girl, Rickart imperfectly connected memory and memory.

That he felt so betrayed upon returning to his hometown that he committed all sorts of slaughter, and then searched for him again and came all the way here. That was the timeline Rickart himself thought of.

Rickart looked outside the cave. The corpses of the elves were sprawling, and blood was spreading on the rain-wet ground.

An elf? What on earth were those ears? Clearly, he could tell this was not the world he knew.

But on the other hand, it was also true that there was a bad omen since he had already seen blood.

Rickart was like a sharply honed weapon and a lethal machine in these aspects, so he quickly established realistic behavioral guidelines for what was to come.

"It's not very good to stay here long. Whether the rain continues or stops let's move as soon as our clothes dry. Because if the clothes don't dry it steals our stamina so there can be restrictions on mobility. Judging by my current state I can fight for about 9 hours. What about you Hushike?"

"Mm...... I don't know?"

"......Since Caldebert is somewhere here getting information is also important, so we can consider a luring operation. I don't know to what extent the elves' search abilities are, but I expect it won't take more than 24 hours to discover the corpses. When uncertain you have to assume the worst and act. Let's hide nearby and if someone approaches let's try capturing them. I think we can get information, kill them, and then move."

"......Okay. Let's do that."

Hushike seemed to have no thoughts. One peculiar point was that she wasn't surprised or had any particular reaction even seeing the corpses. Rickart decided to think positively. If she had made an unnecessary fuss he would have abandoned her and left.

Rickart packed his own weapons and the weapons the elves used. The golden breastplate was something he saw for the first time in his life but looked very sturdy, and he intended to put it on as soon as his clothes dried and try luring right away.

Hushike took Caldebert's staff, and roughly tore and tied the elves' clothes to wear them. Barefoot without even shoes, but she didn't seem to mind at all.

However Rickart recommended wearing shoes for long-term operational activities. Even if the foot size didn't quite match, the elves' shoes were made of woven tree vines so they could be tightened to fit the feet.

Because the clothes were near the fire along with body heat they dried faster than expected. As the rain that fell like a spray stopped, the clear morning sunlight fell on the forest.

Rickart immediately packed his equipment and stood up from his seat. Together with Hushike and the Black Cloud they moved to survey the surrounding terrain for now, but beings completely different from expectations approached.

They had no intention of erasing their presence at all, and by the unique stench Rickart could quickly tell what they were. Orcs. Three or four orcs were drawn by the smell of blood and came looking.

With green thick skin, a huge bulk far surpassing humans, barbarism, more faithful to instincts than beasts yet sometimes cunning and reckless, they were literally monsters.

Ordinary people usually have their bodies freeze when they actually see an orc, but Rickart merely examined them calmly without major fluctuations in his mind. Orcs hear heartbeats, that was one of the things he learned on the battlefield.

Although Rickart came out without properly cleaning up the cave, the orcs were distracted by the untimely feast and separately Rickart's presence wasn't in their mind.

They were just busy burying their heads in the corpses tearing and eating flesh and organs. The crunching sounds *eujeok-eujeok* couldn't be any more creepy.

Fortunately Hushike didn't get surprised or frightened and merely watched blinking *kkeumbeok-kkeumbeok* her eyes. He covered the Black Cloud's eyes.

While the orcs were in the midst of tearing and eating the elves' corpses, it was around the time Rickart was thinking how he should modify the plan. Since originally he was going to capture the elves if they approached.

At that time an arrow flying from somewhere stuck *puk* into an orc's neck. Immediately three or four more arrows flew in and accurately lodged into the orc's head.

However because its neck was so thick, and a pierced cheek by an arrow wasn't instant death, the orcs revealed their ferocity according to their nature. Drooling blood *jiljil* from their mouths they shouted loudly.

"Kuwooooo!"

Whether they did or not arrows continued to fly in, and each shot seemed to be fired by an expert marksman. But the orcs raised their thick arms to block and recklessly charged towards the side the arrows flew from. One ran away holding a chunk of meat from an elf corpse.

Soon a cracking sound *ujikkeun* and an orc's loud shout were heard beyond the bushes over there.

Rickart almost accurately inferred the situation just from hearing the sounds, and knew the elves were skillfully killing the orcs.

It's good if you kill them in one shot with an arrow, but the actual purpose was luring and cutting off their breath was done with swords. He naturally inputted such combat methods into his head.

"What do we do now? You said we'd capture them?"

Hushike asked. But under the circumstances where variables occurred even Rickart couldn't immediately establish the next plan right away. Friction with the elves was unwelcome, but without them Caldebert's whereabouts could not be known.

The simplest yet most normal method was to step forward first and ask. If they know anything.

Hushike thought quietly, then surprisingly proposed.

"How about doing it like this? The elves said I have the aura of a fairy. They felt something whether it's smell or aura. I am actually a fairy, and how about saying you Ricky are escorting me? That we're looking for Caldebert."

"......Will a fairy-like story work?"

"But I really am a fairy."

"I have seen many whose minds were destroyed. Are you like that too? Did something bad happen?"

As Rickart without memories it was hard to believe Hushike was a fairy. But soon, as Hushike crouched down and applied force to her body, wings suddenly sprouted *hwak* on her back. They were shaped like a giant butterfly's wings. Rickart's eyes widened. What was this?

What neutralizes endless hatred and rage might be absurd things continuously happening.

Am I dreaming? Did I finally die and fall into hell? Rickart's mind was almost in a daze.

But the wings were clearly alive. Seeing them flutter *padak-padak* that was.

But Rickart wasn't the only one whose eyes widened. Seeming to have already known where Rickart and Hushike were hiding, the elves approached cautiously but were astonished seeing Hushike's wings. Because, basically fairies aren't this big.

"T-The prophecy was true......?"

Someone among the elves muttered. Their weapons stained with orc blood naturally lowered.

Rickart reflexively brought his hand to the sword at his waist, but didn't draw it. Because he didn't know how to control and unravel this situation right now.

That this bold and somewhat supposedly dimwitted girl would take the lead in the situation was something he hadn't expected.

"Hello, I am Hursikhef. You can call me Hushike. This is my friend and escort Ricky, and we came looking for a person named Caldebert, do you happen to know?"

To the extent of worrying whether it was okay to approach this simply, Hushike was innocent. It's not that she was naive because she wasn't surprised seeing blood, but she definitely was innocent.

With her silver hair tied back with horse tail hair, her green eyes on her moonlight-like skin seemed to shine. There's a saying clothes were wings, but these were actual wings. With just one pair of wings sprouting a person looked truly different.

Silence descended upon the fresh forest where the rain stopped this time. Same for Rickart, but the elves also seemed to not really know what to did about this situation right now.

After an awkward yet justified silence, someone among the elves said.

"By Caldebert do you mean the Prophet? He had fallen into a long sleep and woke up at dawn today. Saying that when three sacrifices are offered from the south, finally the Goddess of the Tree will appear."

"Goddess? Are you talking about me?"

Hushike pointed at herself, looked back at Rickart and asked. A beetle's leg was stuck between her teeth.

"Are you certain his name is Caldebert? Why did he come here?"

Rickart asked.

"80 years ago, he sought us out and asked us to teach him reincarnation magic. In exchange, he said he would guide the Goddess who would revive the dying World Tree. In other words, a transaction."

"I found him."

Hushike said smiling brightly. She always smiled broadly looking at Rickart whenever something good happened.

He had no memories, but at the girl's brightness without a speck of doubt Rickart's heart seemed to melt without resistance. How much memory did I lose? Were we really close friends?

If even a single person, someone had treated me like this. No, there was, but didn't I leave.

Rickart's head was complicated and his mind was dizzy. But wait, 80 years? What ddid that mean? Reincarnation magic?

"Can I meet Caldebert?"

Rickart asked.

"He has been asleep for a long time so his muscles are weakened to the point of being weakened. To see him you must go to our city, but since you are a human we cannot let you in."

"How did Caldebert enter then?"

"Because he made a transaction."

"Then I can make a transaction too."

"Well, we don't particularly need anything so. There is nothing you can give us."

"How about I do it by force?"

"What are you saying you'll do by force?"

When a slightly threatening aura flowed between Rickart and the elves, Hushike intervened.

"Wait, if Ricky can't enter I won't go either."

"No, if you are the Goddess of the prophecy you have no choice."

"Is it okay to use that tone to a Goddess?"

"To revive the World Tree the Goddess must be offered as a sacrifice. There are various kinds of gods too. You are not an object of worship. A sacrifice is a sacrifice."

"They say they'll kill me?"

Hushike pointed at herself once more, and said looking at Rickart.

At the elf's words Rickart frowned *pak*. And abruptly drawing his sword and aiming it at them he said.

"Your faces are pretty but the things you do are no different from barbarians. Piss off when I'm speaking nicely."

"You rather, leave the Goddess and the horse and piss off when I'm speaking nicely."

Something, there seemed to be absolutely no room for negotiation between the two. Searching for Caldebert was searching, but even so he couldn't meet him to the point of offering Hushike as a sacrifice.

This was a problem of having to choose one of the two. And Rickart chose. Even if he couldn't see Caldebert coming to the end, he couldn't hand over Hushike.

For what? How precious was she? To fight all the elves of an unknown number just to protect a single girl?

He didn't know if he had to go this far, or if he could did it, but at least Rickart was a man who had fought placing the whole world as his enemy.

Just as Gundar jumped into the flames together with his enemy without an inch of hesitation, perhaps fighting all the elves just to protect a single girl might be Rickart's nature.

Even if he was so demon-like at one time.

Volume 51 - The Final Choice. End.