Chapter 255

Chapter 255

***

Just because opinions oppose or clash with each other doesn't unconditionally mean a fight breaks out. Especially a fight risking life and death that was. If there was room for negotiation you negotiate, and living while sometimes making compromises too isn't that a wise attitude towards life.

However there were bound to be parts where anyone cannot back down. If that part opposes or clashes there was no choice but to fight even risking one's life.

Generally sovereignty of the homeland and individual freedom, family and faith were reasons worth fighting risking one's life, the final line where one cannot back down.

Giving that up and abandoning the fight was no different from saying it doesn't matter even if I become a slave.

If there was no sovereignty and freedom, and family and faith were mortgaged what meaning can dwell in life?

The elves wanted to capture Hushike. And thus wanted to offer her as a sacrifice to breathe vitality back into the World Tree.

How important that was to them cannot be known, but Rickart who lost his memories could not hand Hushike over. Because selling a friend was no different from selling one's soul, and selling one's soul meant the loss of personality.

Even if betrayed by the village people and his wife, it seemed he still had things he had to protect in his own way.

When recalling what kind of existence a friend was, Caldebert naturally came to mind. Those gentle words that soothed the exhausted body and mind.

Regrettably friends like Marie, Bori, Ice, Bolka, and Roy were not in his memories. Whether they settled deep inside as if jewels buried under solid ground, or flew away like the wind.

Rather than expressing rage and hatred towards the world, the thought 'I could have returned to him' occurred to the current Rickart now.

Anyway, nevertheless, he couldn't give up Hushike. Not abandoning even if abandoned, putting aside memories whether in past life or reincarnation that was Ricky's nature.

There was opposition, and next there was collision. The start of the collision was an arrow that flew fiercely cleaving the bushes.

The forest with many old dead trees where the rain stopped, the flying arrowhead flashed momentarily.

Rickart jerked *hwik* his head dodging it by a hair's breadth, and following that three or four arrows flew in aiming for vitals like the neck and heart.

But he dodged them all by rapidly lowering his posture as if sinking *huk* into the ground. From this moment the time to load the next arrow was calculated in Rickart's head.

The elves holding swords rapidly approached, but something was thrown from Rickart's hand. It was the first arrow that he snatched and threw.

Because it was such an unbelievable thing, no one expected it and it accurately lodged exactly between the eyebrows of an elf approaching holding a sword.

*Pak!*

"Ugh!"

His head bent backwards *hwak* and he collapsed.

Rickart ignored those holding swords and dashed to the side. To aim for the archers first. Running with his posture bent low, it was as if he was rapidly sliding across the ground.

However unlike humans the elves were extremely alert and agile. In ordinary cases one would naturally panic, but the elves in the forest surpassed the movements of veteran rangers.

Like wild animals the archers scattered in an instant and disappeared into the forest. Rickart picked out only one person and obstinately chased him.

But that was the moment.

"Ricky!"

Hushike's shout was heard. Thinking 'ops', he quickly turned *hwaek* his head and saw she had flown and gone up high on a tree.

The elves holding swords hurriedly climbed the tree trying to catch her, but it was enough to just fly and escape. Meanwhile Hushike raised the staff, pointed somewhere and shouted.

"Watch your side!"

The elves were truly swift and organic. While Rickart picked out one and chased, other elf archers stopped and tried to snipe Rickart.

Arrows flew from both sides. Some aimed for vitals, some shot with his evasion in mind, and some intentionally shot with a time difference.

It seemed he absolutely had no ability to dodge all the arrows. However Rickart was no ordinary person either. Dodging what could be dodged, parrying with his sword, or snatching what couldn't be helped.

*Hwik! Hwik! Pabak!*

The next movement was very natural like flowing water. Accurately estimating the direction the arrows flew from in that short instant, he threw the snatched arrow and the sword in his hand. And ran towards that side almost as fast as the flying speed of the sword.

Even without seeing the result, one arrow accurately pierced an elf archer's neck, and the flown sword also pierced through a chest.

Almost simultaneously, Rickart drew his sword and rushed at the closest elf archer. The last archer.

Though flustered he hurriedly dodged his body behind an old dead tree, but Rickart's blade cleaved the thick old dead tree in half and even struck the neck of the elf beyond it.

*Hwing! Pak!*

Then he turned *hwik* his head and looked back at the elves holding swords who chased belatedly, and they were widening their eyes in surprise.

"T, This is......"

Actually if it were ordinary people it would have been hard to know how on earth Rickart moved and what results occurred, but rather because the elves had good eyes they ended up witnessing all those nonsensical magical martial arts like magic.

But there was no time to panic. Because Rickart, who was as fast as them or even faster, came rushing to kill.

The elves' judgment was to immediately scatter and escape. The judgment was fast and the movement was agile.

Rickart was about to chase, then just stopped. If he couldn't kill them all anyway treating one or two more wouldn't make a big difference.

Hushike approached Rickart riding the black horse. Then the words she said were somewhat quite a sight.

"I like what this person is wearing a bit more."

She said looking down at the elf archer who died with an arrow pierced through between his eyebrows. Because his body was diminutive it seemed to fit Hushike well, and the clothes were also high-quality silk so she liked it.

Hushike stripped the clothes off the corpse and changed. Somehow, the more they killed elves the better her attire seemed to become.

Rickart roughly wiped and retrieved his blade, and looking around the forest said.

"Ride the horse and go. I have business left."

"I'm not going to."

"Fighting while protecting brings disadvantage upon yourself. The enemies will also obstinately aim for you. The numbers were small this time, but next time we might have to face more outstanding skills and higher numbers."

"That's a realistic problem."

"You have to think realistically, what else would you think?"

The Ricky of his past life had excessive overheating and coldness existing together. Right now he was somewhat cold. Even his eyes were cold.

But Hushike indifferently let that coldness pass over.

"I am a fairy. Where would I have to go? My body grew this big now. Most of what comprises me is your dreams. Rather Ricky is the one who has more people waiting. If someone has to go it should be Ricky."

"Waiting for me? Who?"

"Marie, Bori, Ice, Bolka, Roy, Father, Older Brother, Sister-in-law, Nephew, sons and daughters, and numerous people following you."

Hearing names he heard for the first time in his life, and the words Father and Older Brother, Sister-in-law, Nephews and Children, Rickart frowned.

"......What are you talking about?"

"It's not a lie. Just because you lose your memories doesn't mean those people disappear. You are an existence like a lantern to those people. Beyond necessity, an existence that supports and brightens."

"......"

Rickart had no words to say. He couldn't believe it either. But conversely, he couldn't conclude it wasn't.

"The children who breathed their last jumping off the cliff, there is a field where beautiful flowers bloom. Strolling that place you promised Bori and Bolka. That our friendship will be eternal. You embraced Ice who scratched you while shedding tears to the end. You went up the old defense tower and confessed love to Marie. You thrust a sword into the belly of your irreplaceable older brother, and salvaged the sinful ones. There were also many foolish humans. An old monster crazy about the sword, believers of a twisted cult, a group of 5 who enjoyed massacre, an abandoned noble who plunged the kingdom into misery. You executed the ones who scattered despair, and shared hope with the people."

Hushike told him the things she saw in the dreams. It wasn't an ephemeral dream, but a dream-like memory tinged with fondness. And words that sounded like a dream to the current Rickart.

It was inevitable, because the mind of the current Rickart was entirely stained with fire and steel, blood, and death, betrayal, rage, and hatred.

"......It's an impossible thing."

"Even if impossible it's not a lie. I didn't prophesy the future, I told you the past that already happened. What Ricky lost is not simply memories you know."

Rickart had his head turned with the sword at his waist. Because of fighting his hair was somewhat tangled, and the war surcoat worn over his armor also seemed to need straightening out.

Staying like that for a moment, he lowered his head then looked back at Hushike.

"If we survive it would be good to find out if it's true or not right."

"Good. Then it's decided. Let's go rescue our friend first. Finding out whether it's true or not is after that. Since my strength grew stronger now, I won't hold you back."

Hushike said cheerfully. Because sadness and melancholy dwelling in her seemed precisely impossible. So to Rickart who was in the midst of darkness, she approached with even clearer brightness.

The fairy who grew eating Rickart's dreams, was an existence like a lantern to Rickart right now.

Unlike the elves who opposed and clashed, Rickart and Hushike gave birth to, raised, and guided each other.

Rickart gripped the horse reins and said.

"Where are we going? Do you know?"

"Just as they noticed my aura, I can also feel their aura. Over there far away I feel an aura of condensed nature. It looks like it's spreading out centering on there. Wouldn't your friend probably be there?"

"Sounds like saying he's in the heart of the enemy."

"It's fine. Because most are wary of the orcs. Maybe right now might be an opportunity?"

"Got it. But let's take a slight detour. Because if we go too straightforwardly there's a high probability we'll be blocked frequently. We're rescuing Caldebert all the way."

"Got it."

Rickart and Hushike clicked well in their own way. Rickart walked gripping the Black Cloud's reins.

The Taiga Forest, or the forest where the elves live was far wider in width than the entire Empire. Nevertheless being able to encounter elves and obtain Caldebert's information in his own way, should be seen as lucky.

And the forest's trees were very thick and straight, and the spacing between trees was far apart so there was no big difficulty riding a horse. Even if they couldn't run refreshingly, running a little was possible.

Just, it was a good place to hide one's body but shaking off elves in the forest wasn't easy.

Hours hadn't even passed since they departed but glances could already be felt. Whether because they suffered soundly once they kept quite a distance, and stuck to them very carefully to monitor Rickart's movements.

The current Rickart possessed sharper senses than before losing his memories. And more certain, colder, and more mechanical. Along with an unknown power in his body.

"As long as they don't attack first let's just keep going like this. Run them off once more when it starts getting dark and let's hide."

"Yeah."

Since Hushike originally had no particular thoughts she just answered.

Hanging such bothersome and uncomfortable surveillance Rickart merely kept walking through the forest. Hiding their figures from very far away the elves meticulously observed their every move.

Then it was around the time they got hungry around the afternoon. Different from people's food, elves who felt like they were wearing something like priest robes revealed their figures and approached.

Even at a glance they felt like existences with a somewhat high rank in elf society. Without distinction of old or young, beauty or ugliness, all were outstanding handsome men and beautiful women.

They were emitting a soft light from their entire bodies, and such a sight approached very unrealistically. Such they dared not approach closely to Rickart who was like a dangerous and fierce beast.

They spoke from afar.

"Hello, human warrior. I heard what you want is Caldebert the Prophet."

Rickart answered looking at him while keeping his guard all around.

"But?"

"If you hand over the Goddess we will bring him to you."

"Are you saying let's make a transaction?"

"That is so. According to ancient records I heard humans are bellicose and like transactions very much."

Because the elves hadn't interacted with humans for a long time from their position either, they didn't know each other well.

Just, in parts where they absolutely couldn't back down they had no choice but to oppose and clash, but after the collision considering negotiation again was also the rule. Since fighting showed it couldn't be done.

But Rickart had nothing suitable to answer about the transaction. Although he had no intention to transact in the first place, it was because what if they utilized Caldebert as a hostage. And, he might be floating it to see if Caldebert had value as a hostage.

To not fall for clever tricks Rickart thought carefully. In the midst of that Hushike looked at the elf priests and said.

"Their clothes are pretty."

"What did you say?"

"Let's kill them and take it."

"That......"

"Doing that will be a good answer. Because, it will clearly convey that Caldebert is out of our minds. Then they won't be able to utilize him as a hostage. Because if we exchange words unnecessarily they will quickly notice the subtle signs. Since looking closely those guys seem to have the ability to distinguish truth and falsehood. Because responding to conversation clumsily is not good for us."

Even if Hushike looked like she had no thoughts, her analytical skills were sharp in her own way. Innocent but not naive, and not nice. Rickart liked that.

So he smiled for no reason and said.

"Okay, let's do that."

The high elves squinted their eyes and tilted their heads back and forth examining Rickart and Hushike, but couldn't know on earth what the two were thinking.

Then, seeing Rickart draw his sword they felt the certainty that conversation with these guys wouldn't work.