Chapter 65

Chapter 65

***

Rickart, Bori-bori, and Marie passed through fields, valleys, and the Kaits area. When they departed, the air was full of spring, but before they knew it, the weather had become muggy.

The northern region had a relatively even temperature throughout the year, but that didn't mean summer wasn't hot or winter wasn't cold.

The scent of grass carried on the wind was strong. Bori-bori was sitting in a flower field with his eyes closed, lifting his head and sniffing.

He was in the middle of identifying each individual plant hidden within the scent where various things were mixed.

"Mm...... This is marigold, this is...... cornflower, this is Ricky's smell, and this is...... gentian?"

Whether Bori-bori did that or not, a man and a woman were confronting each other in another flower field. It was Rickart and Marie.

It seemed they were sparring, but since they were holding real swords without practice swords, it looked quite dangerous.

Marie had her sword, Ricky, hanging down at her side and was in a posture with her knees bent, while Rickart had shifted his center of gravity back slightly, taking a stance as if to strike up diagonally from the lower left.

Even though a cool wind blew between the two, and even if a scent dwelled in it, only the hair of the two fluttered lightly. Neither the wind nor the scent could shake the gazes of the two directed at each other.

When a person concentrates deeply, they are bound to forget the flow of time. Not knowing how long the confrontation lasted, Marie boldly took a big step forward. And stopped exactly at the edge of the distance.

If she had entered just a little more, Rickart would have counterattacked, but since it wasn't within range, Rickart didn't react. Rickart, calculating the distance accurately and staying still, was also amazing.

Marie stopped her face exactly above the water's surface, then as if slowly submerging while holding her breath, she entered Rickart's range very slowly. While fully feeling the tingling sensation all over her body as she entered the range.

Her heart pounded, but her mind didn't shake. Her self-discipline was also tremendous.

Anyway, compared to feinting here and there or rushing in as fast as possible to attack, it was a quite unique method.

"I attack, but in reality, it's about inducing the opponent's attack and aiming for a counterattack."

Since Marie came out this way, the aspect of the sparring flowed with a feeling like 'Why don't you show your hand first?'.

The distance narrowed more and more, and if it were a real life-and-death duel, it was a truly dangerous act.

Therefore, controlling the mind was really important from now on. One shouldn't be impatient. One shouldn't be relaxed either. Just like the surface of a mirror-like lake, reacting accurately to even very small signs.

Rickart and Marie seemed to be waiting for each other's attack, and the distance had closed to three steps before they knew it.

'Now I have to swing. Counterattack or whatever, it will be late.' Marie's mirror-like mind rippled due to her own anxiety. She hesitated, though minutely.

At that moment, Rickart moved. 'Whoosh'. As he stepped out to the right, Marie, who wasn't ordinary either, blocked Rickart's sword path and simultaneously swung her sword like lightning in a direction where she could attack.

Whish!

With a swishing sound, some grass was cut, and Rickart twisted his upper body further to the right, dodging thrillingly, then stepped in big again. And grabbed Marie's wrist holding the sword hilt abruptly.

Marie pulled up her mana to endure, but Rickart knew how to reverse-use the opponent's force. Actually, without even needing that, he just tripped her leg and knocked her down.

As he swept her pivot foot strongly, Marie's legs were lifted high and her upper body bent backward, but Rickart supported her back.

Then, amusingly, it became like a dance move, and Rickart and Marie's faces became close.

At that moment, Marie's heart sank with a thud in a different meaning, and her will to continue the fight disappeared.

"Too close."

Rickart said, laughing.

"C, close is you, isn't it?"

"Mm? Ah, I didn't say it with that meaning."

Rickart helped her up again and put his sword back into the sheath. Meanwhile, Marie fixed her attire for no reason.

"It seems you improved a lot. But in the end, it's the mind. You did well, but your mind shook at the last moment."

Rickart had accurately noticed Marie becoming impatient and her mind shaking from anxiety. Actually, if he wanted to subdue her, he could have done so much earlier, but it was closer to testing her once.

"If you can control your mind to that extent, you might not be human."

"Maybe."

"Anyway, will I really not be able to beat you until I graduate?"

Rickart's graduation was really not far off now. At the earliest 2 or 3 months, at the latest 5 months.

"Well, doesn't it depend on you, Marie?"

"But if I really beat you, how would you feel?"

"I don't think I would feel anything?"

"Why? Annoyed or desire for winning, don't you have such things?"

"Anyway, a real fight is a matter of life and death. There's no room for a desire to win to intervene. Since sparring is just imitating a real fight, I actually think it's not much help. A person reflects on their true self only when they feel they are dying."

Rickart said, looking at the field. Green fields stretched out to the horizon, and red, yellow, and white colorful flowers were blooming profusely on them.

Flowers and grass swayed lightly in the wind, and butterflies and bees flew above them.

Although it was muggy weather, thanks to the wind it wasn't that hot.

"But I......"

"Mm?"

Marie seemed to have something to say, but she only hesitated and couldn't open her mouth in the end.

Because she had a mission that wasn't really a mission. Defeating Rickart, or seducing him to marry. She could obtain true freedom only if she achieved one of the two.

Defeating Rickart seemed impossible even to her eyes. The only possibility was winning his heart.

However, Rickart was a person who couldn't believe in love. That, Marie knew better than anyone.

But looking deeper, Marie thought she wasn't honorable herself. Whether defeating Rickart or winning his heart, wasn't it eventually a means to obtain freedom?

Then should she abandon the mind wanting to obtain freedom?

It was too big a homework for a young girl.

"Sparring finished?"

Bori-bori, who was sitting in the flower field sniffing, asked. Rickart, carrying his sword on one shoulder over his red cloak, said to Marie.

"Let's go."

Marie sighed deeply and prepared to move.

But suddenly Bori-bori approached Marie and sniffed.

"Why?"

"Mm, Marie smells of gentian flowers. Amazing. I was confused for a moment."

Rickart and Marie smirked as if it was absurd.

Beringen was right in front of them. Sparring was good, and appreciating the fields of early summer was good too, but resting at home was the best thing.

Beringen had districts divided by East, West, South, and North. The North was where Nord settlers lived, the West was where locals who had lived here for a long time lived, the East was where many Academy-graduate merchants and industrialists lived, and the South was where outsiders coming and going lightly mainly stayed.

Since quite some time had passed, they might have mixed, but they didn't. Living separately and respecting each other was one way of living together, but anyway, it was like that.

Although they didn't have grudges against each other, if one went to another district and spoke or acted carelessly, they could get into serious trouble.

Rickart, Bori-bori, and Marie were passing through the South District. Then they saw people who were about to get into serious trouble soon.

"Hey, you son of a bitch. If you drink, you should sleep nicely or die; why are you making a fuss for nothing, making a fuss?"

A man in dirty stained clothes with his sleeves rolled up said. He was quite bulky and seemed to be the bar owner. The problem was that a large kitchen knife was held in his hand.

His opponents seemed to be young guys, three of them including friends.

One was wearing a dark blue jacket, and the other two were in white shirts with their jackets off.

"When did I make a fuss!? I just said let's go out and get some fresh air, that's all!"

"Do you think we'll be scared if you hold a knife!?"

"Is the barmaid yours!? Are you a pimp!? What's wrong with just talking to her!?"

They were like wild dogs barking at one big beast. The sight of wild dogs barking noisily wasn't very good to see.

It seemed a problem occurred because of the female employee; wherever one goes, money and women problems used to drive men to death.

Anyway, the bulky man had a weapon more powerful than the kitchen knife that could end the argument easily.

"She's my wife! You bastards!"

At that one word, the Academy students who were barking 'wal-wal' shut their mouths tight suddenly.

But looking at each other's faces, they said strange things for no reason.

"She looked young though."

"Isn't she kidnapped?"

"Must be keeping her by threatening clearly."

"Right. It doesn't make sense."

It looked like they were denying the opponent's words and finding a reason to pick a fight again. However, people living in the South District were gathering slowly. There were people holding clubs in their hands too.

This was exactly the case of getting into serious trouble. If locals rushed in and beat them up, in severe cases, they could die.

But the students, whether knowing their situation or not, tried to rush at the bar owner again.

At that moment, Rickart stepped up.

"Oi, stop it."

Then the people at the scene looked back at Rickart. Several pairs of eyes swept him up and down, but looking at Marie next to Rickart, their eyes went wide at her tremendous beauty.

Whether they did or not, Rickart advised.

"You guys might really die doing that. Go back."

But the answer was unexpected.

"Who are you again?"

"These days, any dog or cow walks around wearing a red cloak."

"Can't you see this jacket? We are students belonging to the Great Beringen Academy. If we go to the Academy, we have 200 comrades."

Great Beringen what? Comrades? Since he couldn't know what bullshit this was, Rickart made a face like he chewed a bug.

Moreover, it seemed they were students who didn't know Rickart of all people. Since he had left for a few months, they could be new entrants who came in during that time.

But were new entrants this high-spirited originally?

"Stop it and get lost when I speak nicely. Look around you."

At Rickart's advice, the students looked around them only then. They saw people gathering from every alley giving off an unusual atmosphere.

Are they scared suddenly only then? They showed signs of panic. But they didn't let go of their pride until the last moment.

"Hmph! I suddenly remembered work."

"R, Right. We have a place to go."

"Next time we come, we'll bring comrades, so be prepared firmly."

Saying so, they left the spot hurriedly. He wondered what kind of guys they were. Rickart apologized to the bar owner instead.

"I'm sorry. The kids don't seem that malicious, I'll talk to them well."

"Hmm......"

Actually, there was no one among the bar owner or the residents living here who didn't know Rickart. In other words, rather, they were people who knew well how scary Rickart was.

Fortunately, as the students retreated, the residents who had gathered slowly also left.

"Is the guild war over?"

The bar owner asked. Not a very close relationship, but a relationship knowing faces at least.

"They say they are negotiating the end of the war."

"I heard what happened in Kaits. There's no one who doesn't know."

"We just fought frantically. By the way, what is all this?"

"While you were gone, a crazy agitator named Carly became the boss or something. He doesn't threaten merchants and rob money like before, but he goes around in a pack causing havoc here and there. Everyone has too much strength on their shoulders."

Carly was Carlich's nickname and the name people called him simply.

Calling him 'Boss' was because local residents didn't know the Academy well, so they thought of the Academy as some armed group or something, so they called him that.

Not mercenaries, but not adventurers either, a pack of young bastards moving in a group. Just that degree. So they referred to the student who looked like the 1st rank or captain as 'Boss'.

"I'm sorry. I'll look into it."

"Yeah, thanks."

Rickart apologized on behalf of the students, and after settling the matter, headed to the East District again. Where the Guild building was.

"What is all this happening?"

Bori-bori said because it was absurd.

Seeing that they didn't know Rickart, they were clearly new entrants, but for them, it was something they couldn't even dream of when they were new entrants. They were just stuck in the chicken coop reading faces or getting beaten up.

"Seeing them say comrade or whatever, unity must be good."

Marie said. She hadn't been in the Academy long, but she knew the atmosphere roughly.

Students hung out in groups of their own and had strong individualistic tendencies, so the word comrade itself was unfamiliar.

"Yeah, unity is good......"

Rickart said as if sighing.

Starting with himself, the Academy was changing too fast. And change was bound to accompany side effects always.

The uniforms Rickart bought for the students gave them pride and a sense of kinship. And Carlich took the lead inciting that more than anyone. But if that becomes too excessive, things end up like this.

Less than 2 years of time, many things had changed, and were changing faster. To the extent it was hard for Rickart to follow.

Now he couldn't know how things were going.