Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A tunic made of linen cloth, a belt, leather shoes, a wool coat and travel cloak, a single dagger, and a bag slung sideways were all Rickart currently had.

Now there was no home to return to, and no promise of meeting his family again.

In a good light, a new future and world were unfolding, but in a bad light, a path of hardship never experienced before had opened up.

At times like this, having a past life was good. Because whatever he did, he wasn't scared.

Rickart passed the boundary of Stormhearts, which he had never left since being born anew, and walked all day except for resting briefly about twice.

As the sun set early on the mountain pass and the cool breeze began to feel chilly, the courier headed to a place to camp.

It seemed to be a place travelers passing by stopped at, a suitable place to avoid the wind, and there was a pile of black ashes in a makeshift hearth made of gathered large stones.

The courier skillfully struck flint against dry branches and straw he had prepared in advance to light a fire. After blowing on it to grow the fire, he placed scattered firewood nearby on top.

Soon, crackling sounds were heard as the flames gained strength.

Rickart settled in a suitable spot and took out travel food wrapped in cloth from his bag.

It was made by his sister-in-law, food made by mixing various grains, honey, salt, etc., steaming and drying them.

It was hard so he had to gnaw with his front teeth or crunch it. And soaked it with saliva inside his mouth to eat. Savory, salty, and sweet tastes were all felt.

The ratio was so appropriate that it wasn't just edible but a delicacy. He felt his sister-in-law's heart.

"Have you ever traveled before?"

The courier asked abruptly.

"No."

"You can speak comfortably. I feel uncomfortable."

"Really? Okay."

"Geez, it's strange. These days there are many guys who aren't even nobles but act like nobles just because they have a lot of money, but strangely, real authentic nobles are polite."

"I just do as I learned from my mother. She told me to speak politely to adults."

"By the way, is it really your first trip?"

"It is. Why?"

"No...... well, I don't see any worry or anxiety or such looks."

It was an era where even if one met a robber on the road and was killed, there was no way to find the culprit. Human trafficking was active in the shadows, and above all, nobles were often kidnapped for ransom.

However, even though a 10-year-old left home for the first time and was going a long way, it was strange that there was no sign of worry or anxiety as the courier said. Did he just not know the ways of the world?

Rickart just smiled slightly. And finishing the food he was eating, this time he asked first.

"Is the delivery job worth doing?"

"Worth doing or whatever, having work is happiness. Because the immediate problem of making a living is solved. Thanks to the work, I made many acquaintances here and there, and even if I quit this job, there are a few places I can enter through connections. Despite looks, I belong to the Empire. Hahaha."

"That's a relief."

"By the way, do you intend to become an adventurer?"

"For now."

"I don't know well. It's a world where nobles become adventurers these days. Do you know that? Letter delivery work I do was also done by adventurers in the old days. So strictly speaking, I am also an adventurer in a sense."

"Adventurer or whatever, I don't care what the title is. What I'm interested in is whether it was worth waging war. The Eastern Expeditionary Land. Is it called Fernland now? Anyway."

"......Yes? You're interested in such things?"

"It's personal. I think you might not understand."

Indeed, the courier had an expression of not understanding. But what can be done if he says so.

"But, the reputation isn't that good. The place called Academy. I don't know if I can say this."

"Why? Is there some problem?"

"If there is a problem, there is, if not, there isn't. I also don't know exactly what happens inside. However, cases of Academy students dying or becoming crippled are common. I've actually seen it too. Because Academies don't hesitate to shed blood as if they have some feud with each other. Fighting bloodily among themselves, reconciling, then fighting again. Since the Young Master is still young, you won't be mobilized for such fights immediately, but who knows when you get older. In my view, I wonder if it's all because guilds are manipulating from behind."

"You mean Academy students are mobilized for fights between guilds?"

"I'm saying that's what I think. In the end, then and now, being an adventurer is a bit shady. If there's a difference, in the past they were looked down upon, but now they are a bit scary."

Without being very old, the courier kept babbling 'in the past', 'old days'. Maybe he was showing off as an elder in front of young Rickart.

So Rickart didn't listen to his words attentively. On the contrary, he didn't ignore them either. He just accepted it as stories of how the world goes.

"There must be a reason. Whether absurd or important."

"Aren't you scared, Young Master?"

"Why? Do you want me to be scared?"

"That's not it, but if it were me, I would go back even now and grab the Lord's pants leg begging to send me to a monastery. Living as a monk is better than expected? On weekends go to the village and play with innocent country girls, no need to take responsibility even if they get pregnant, drink alcohol, pay no taxes, and don't care about the Lord either."

"The monks I saw weren't like that?"

"Sorry to say, but Stormhearts is frankly a bit rural. And people in the central region tend to be stubborn and stuffy. People in the western region are hot and open-minded. So just go to a monastery in the western region."

"Really? Is Stormhearts central?"

"About central-south."

"In your view am I stubborn and stuffy?"

"Hahaha, that's not it. Since the Young Master is still young. Anyway, I will go to the west later when I save money and set up a winery."

The courier actually had never been to the western region. Going back and forth around the central region delivering letters was all he did.

It seemed he harbored fantasies and had a dream from stories heard from someone. Open-minded beauties, delicious wine, good weather, rich land, things like that.

Not bad. Rickart thought so. Whether a big dream, a humble dream, or a secular dream, anyway if it becomes a driving force for him to live.

"What is your name? I can't keep calling you courier."

"It's Arno. In childhood, I was called 'Rabbit Foot'. Because I'm good at running away. So this job fits my aptitude. Do you know that? Delivery work also takes an oath like knights."

"What oath?"

When Rickart asked, Arno suddenly straightened his posture and spoke solemnly.

"In the name of God and the Emperor, I swear that I will not drink alcohol while working, not act violently towards people, deliver mail no matter what happens, not open the contents, and work honestly and diligently. If I violate this, I will become a criminal of the Empire and fall to hell after death."

One might wonder why make a courier take such an oath, but it was true that the job couldn't be done without trust.

So nobles entrusted letters to retainers or reliable people when delivering, not explicitly to people belonging to the Imperial Guild Agency.

But certainly different from knights, there were no words about fighting. It wasn't savage content like not backing down when facing battle, or risking life to protect honor.

Still, it seemed there was some kind of professional consciousness.

In a way, it was just a brief companionship, but since they walked together all day and warmed themselves by the campfire together at night, the two had no choice but to get a little closer.

Arno had heard many stories wandering here and there as a courier, so he had many stories to tell.

He also seemed to like having someone to talk to. The night deepened, not lonely after a long time.

Early next day, the two rubbed the already extinguished campfire with their feet to put it out completely and set off. Crossed the pass and headed northeast.

Rickart might get tired of just walking continuously at a young age, but he followed well without complaining. Even without separate physical training, he ran around forests and fields since childhood.

Since it was a countryside with not much to play with, he often had running races, and since Rickart's opponents were all older brothers, he always had to challenge his physical limits.

However, even if exhausted, after sleeping at night, he was fine the next day. And ran around again.

But setting aside the physical stamina issue, originally travel was bound to have variables.

Since Arno did delivery work, he frequently used shortcuts only known to those in the know, but met a group of people where the mountain pass started again.

Wagons and carts stopped by the roadside, and people were living setting up tents around them.

There were people looking like newlyweds, people looking like a large family consisting of grandmother to grandchildren, cousins, a person looking like a merchant and two armed people escorting him. All together about twenty people.

Since people who didn't fit each other were gathered in one place, Arno doing letter delivery work also thought it strange. Not a place to settle down and live either?

They stared blankly at Arno and Rickart passing the remote road.

"Hello. I am a courier belonging to the Imperial Guild Agency. Are you holding a spring festival or something here?"

Arno approached people and greeted them good-naturedly, asking what they were doing here.

Despite the question, no one answered. When Arno's good-natured smile was about to distort along with awkward silence, a merchant warming himself by the fire a bit away said.

"Waiting for people."

"Is that so? Must be a very important person? Can I ask who you are waiting for?"

"Not exactly waiting for anyone. Just, to fill the headcount. Even waiting three whole days, only a young man and a young boy, seems like a useless act."

Arno turned his head to meet eyes with Rickart standing next to him, then looked at the merchant again and asked.

"Fill the headcount? Why?"

"If the headcount is large, wouldn't bandits be scared to approach."

"Bandits? There are bandits?"

"Then why would I be stuck here? Every day is a loss."

The merchant pointed somewhere with a nod. There were a few mounds of dirt, and crudely made wooden crosses were stuck in those mounds. Graves made not long ago.

While Arno hadn't passed this road for a while, bandits had twisted in.

Robbers and bandits were not that rare existences. Since it was an era where making a living was harsh and punishment was severe, many people chose to become bandits instead.

"Shall we go back?"

Rickart asked.

"As you saw coming here, it's a single path. Young Master. If we go back, it will be hard to meet the deadline."

The date to arrive at the Academy was the 14th. It was a bit tight when starting, if going around a long way, as Arno said, they might not meet the deadline.

Moreover, Arno wasn't taking him to the destination. Had to find a guide again in Rheinfurt.

"Seeing they even killed people, means they are guys who went to the end......"

Arno muttered with a troubled expression. Just crossing this pass, Rheinfurt is right under the nose.

"It seems merchant groups are rare since it's just spring. Otherwise, merchants could have gathered to pass. Seems useless to wait."

Rickart said. Don't know how a kid knows such things, but it was correct.

But the merchant seemed to have the same thought as Rickart. He waited for days just in case, but since only Arno and Rickart came, he couldn't delay any longer.

Waiting quietly would only reveal the bottom of provisions, and for merchant groups, time and distance were immediately money. Transporting a long distance in a short time made money, conversely taking a lot of time for a short distance was a loss.

However, since the merchant also wasn't very inclined to take the risk alone, he looked around at people and said.

"You guys, anyway if you go back you'll be caught by the Lord and die, if so, wouldn't it be right to risk your lives where there is a possibility of living?"

Don't know what story there is, but people looking just like ordinary people seemed to be fugitives.

"Just the people gathered now is not a small number. Waiting more will only deplete your food, so let's make a decision now. I will take the lead."

Obviously looked like a scheme to disperse risk and run away alone somehow. But since everyone had the same thought, there was no need to consider the merchant cowardly.

Like a merchant, he proposed a kind of negotiation without negotiation, and people moved at the word 'food'. They folded tents and equipped themselves to move.

Anyhow, only two armed people, and including Arno, adult males were only five or six.

"Whether lucky or unlucky, seems there is no choice. Young Master Ricky."

"Luck isn't something known only by result. It's making it."

"Is that so? I wish luck could really be made. Make lots and lots to play dice gambling and become filthy rich. Stick close to my side. I'll try making luck."

"Okay, thanks."

At the word dice gambling, Rickart was dumbfounded so he answered laughing. And the two people mixed among people and climbed the mountain pass.