Chapter 8

Chapter 8

New sprouts were forming like dewdrops between the bare branches. Soon they would sprout and bloom flowers.

Someone said that just not encountering rain or snow on a journey is being lucky.

That saying wasn't particularly wrong, because nothing threatened health and was as hard as encountering rain on the road.

Only two days had passed since leaving, and Rickart luckily didn't encounter rain. He was just passing a mountain path where bandits dwelled.

It was still cold in the morning and evening, but beads of sweat formed on Rickart's temples as he climbed the mountain pass.

The cart pulled by a donkey rattled continuously, and wagons also had to be pushed from behind by people intermittently.

This was like shouting to the bandits that we were here, when sneakily passing wouldn't be enough. The speed was also slow, so unless they abandoned their property when meeting bandits, even their lives couldn't be guaranteed.

Heads bowed naturally from exhaustion, and women had to carry bundles on their backs and hold babies in front.

At least the older children sat on the rattling carts or wagons.

Rickart didn't bow his head even though it was hard, and walked while examining the surrounding terrain. Because danger must be discovered in advance.

Then suddenly, a girl sitting behind a cart nearby, whom he didn't even know was there, thrust something out to Rickart. Looking at what it was, it was a flower ring made by weaving plant stems.

"Are you giving this to me?"

Rickart asked. The girl just nodded silently.

Rickart was also somewhat dirty not having washed properly for two days, but the girl had disheveled hair and dirt running down her face, almost close to a beggar's appearance.

Instead, the whites of her large eyes were clear like boiled eggs, and her green pupils were brilliant like emeralds. Contrasted with the beggar-like appearance, they caught the eye more distinctly.

The girl boldly grabbed Rickart's hand and put the flower ring on his finger.

"Now Oppa and I are married."

The girl said. Rickart laughed because it was absurd.

"We don't even know our names?"

"We can know now. What's your name?"

But just as Rickart was about to say his name, Arno walking beside him intervened abruptly.

"Hey you dirty girl. Do you know who this person is to talk such nonsense?"

"I'm fine, Arno."

"No. Young Master. Although I'm a commoner too, you shouldn't treat commoners well. They crawl up. Do you think a noble's marriage is some neighbor's dog's name? Wake up, you girl."

At the word noble, people walking around looked with surprised faces. The girl shrank back at Arno's scolding.

To people's eyes, Rickart was a bit dirty, but his clothes were neat. Moreover, his teeth were even, there were no angular parts on his face, and he didn't have the wrinkles and shadows unique to commoners living a hard life.

Looking again, he really looked like a young master from a noble family. But why is such a young master here?

People felt fear along with doubt. Because getting involved wrongly with a noble could mean getting flayed. Especially the reactions of the people accompanying now were more severe.

Since Rickart lived in the countryside, he didn't know well how commoners generally thought of nobles. Nobles he met in his past life were military commanders or enemies.

In Stormhearts, commoners and nobles played together.

However, the atmosphere of the territory varied widely by noble and region. Perverts, lunatics, etc., there were all sorts of guys.

"I apologize. Sir."

A woman carrying a baby urgently pulled the girl roughly. Because of that, the girl almost fell from the back of the cart she was riding.

Rickart caught her reflexively.

"It's okay. Though I don't know why Arno is making a fuss."

When Rickart used honorifics, the woman had a dumbfounded expression. It seemed the Lord in the village she lived in ruled quite scarily.

"I'm telling you they crawl up, really......"

Arno grumbled as if dissatisfied. Whether he did or not, Rickart said to the girl.

"Thanks for the ring."

"......"

Unfortunately, the bold girl couldn't give any particular answer now.

Because of Rickart or Arno, the atmosphere of the procession became unsettled.

Then the wagon going in front couldn't cross a rock again and the procession stopped.

The wagon was loaded with goods the merchant was transporting, but for some reason, ordinary men pushed from behind. The two armed men stood with their legs crossed and just watched.

Taking the opportunity of the delayed procession, Arno and Rickart stopped to rest for a moment, and Rickart saw people standing on the mountain slope up there.

Looking only at the appearance, they weren't much different from the ordinary commoners going together now. They didn't hide their bodies but just stood blankly looking down below.

"Those people, they are bandits, right?"

"Yes?"

"Up there."

"Uh......"

At Rickart's words, Arno also looked up at the mountain slope. In his eyes too, a couple of people were seen standing blankly looking this way. No, not a couple but about four or five. Huh? Increasing gradually? Wait, fuck?

It seemed they were bandits indeed. Not all, but some were wearing gambesons that didn't fit their bodies, or wearing helmets on their heads virtually just hung without fastening the chin strap properly. Anyone could see they were armed, right?

"Uh uh?"

Following that, other people also discovered the bandits on the mountain slope. At first, without fear or anything, it seemed like encountering strangers.

However, one of the people on the mountain slope naturally picked up a bow as if it were obvious, nocked an arrow, pulled the string, and aimed this way.

"Uh uh uh?"

Twang. Thwack.

Eventually, one arrow was fired and stuck in a nearby tree. But surprisingly, with that single arrow, the ordinary men lost their will to fight. Even though no one died or was hurt.

"Hiiik!"

Some sat down on the spot, some hid sticking to the wagon, and some abandoned their families and ran away the way they came.

"You can't go that way!"

Rickart shouted at the person running away. Because showing themselves openly like that meant they had blocked the retreat in advance.

"Damn it!"

"Let's just go!"

"What nonsense! We can't leave the goods!"

The merchant group in front wasn't in a good situation either. The two guards drew their swords, but didn't seem to want to fight risking their lives.

In the meantime, some of the bandits looking down from the slope came down holding spears.

Then two approached one armed guard, and the guard backed away ungracefully swinging his sword in the air threateningly.

"D-Don't come! You fuckers!"

The two bandits approaching him said nothing. Just made eye contact with their comrade, then stabbed with spears from both sides at once. Although the armament was crude, it wasn't a skill done once or twice.

The guard couldn't block or dodge absurdly, and allowed one spear to stick in his stomach.

Clang.

"Fuuck......! These dog......"

The sword fell powerlessly to the ground. All he could do was grip the spear shaft stuck in his stomach tight and spit out curses from his mouth shut tight unknowingly.

One bandit quickly picked up the sword fallen on the ground, and stabbed the original owner's neck with it killing him.

When a person, and that too an armed person they were relying on mentally, died absurdly, the remaining people just fell into panic.

"Kyaaaaaaaak!"

A woman's tearing scream was heard. From then on, everyone ran away without direction. In front of life, household goods, merchandise, children, nothing mattered.

The wagon horse also jumped wildly in surprise, but couldn't run away because it was tied to the harness and the wheels were caught. In an instant, the scene became a shambles.

But Rickart, whether fearless or out of it, stood blankly watching what the bandits were doing.

Two didn't come down the slope to the end and looked down, those two seemed to be commanders. Other bandits started attacking people.

Taking goods was good, but after all, the best loot in this era was people. Goods could be taken later, they aimed for women first.

Then someone snatched Rickart's arm. It was Arno. He ran not forward or backward but to a place where there was no path.

"Oppa!"

Just a little after taking steps to run away, a young voice stuck in Rickart's ear. A flower ring that hadn't withered yet was on his finger.

Rickart shook off Arno's hand holding his arm. Surprised Arno looked back and shouted.

"Young Master!"

Adults all ran away, and the girl was just crouching holding her head beside the cart not knowing what to do. Rickart ran to the child quickly.

"Can you stand up?"

But the girl trembled only, too shocked and scared to answer or move.

Rickart smiled softly and threw a joke so the girl could relax.

"I'm Ricky. What's your name? Shouldn't we know names at least since we are a couple?"

Even in extreme fear, the girl looked at Rickart as if possessed and barely answered.

"......Daisy."

"Is it a flower name?"

"Yeah."

Mysteriously, the girl's trembling subsided and everything in the world became distant at this moment. Only the boy's face was seen with eyes, and only his voice was heard with ears.

But then, the two people who seemed to be commanders of the bandit group came down the mountain slope late and walked this way. They definitely heard a girl's voice around here.

The two had decent equipment compared to other bandits. Wearing leather breastplates made by layering leather several times, it was hard enough that ordinary blades wouldn't penetrate.

Maybe because of that, they walked to see behind the cart without any defense. But suddenly a child popped out and bumped into him.

The bandit reached out to catch the kid who bumped into him. But the child nimbly moved away avoiding the hand.

Then the bandit felt his lower abdomen burning, and looking down, saw intestines pouring out between the armor.

"Uh......?"

He couldn't immediately recognize what just happened to him.

By the time he realized the intestines pouring on the floor were his, he felt an emptiness different from hunger in his abdomen and legs lost strength, collapsing.

"What's wrong? What is it?"

The bandit coming from behind asked what was happening. Seeing his comrade bump into a kid suddenly popping out and then collapsing powerlessly, he thought it strange.

Soon realizing his comrade poured out intestines from the stomach, his eyes widened. The comrade was picking up intestines and putting them back into his stomach in a dazed state.

His gaze was stolen by the shocking sight. It was a fatal mistake.

Just as he was about to lift his head to see who did this to his comrade, this time Rickart's dagger cut deep into his inner thigh through the gap in armor.

"Aaaaaak!"

He screamed and fell closing his eyes tight without knowing what happened. Funnily enough, he couldn't even pull the sword at his waist because of pain and mental shock, and flailed his arms in the air.

In the meantime, Rickart grabbed the hair of the bandit putting intestines back, pulled it, and slit his throat. Currently, the dagger was so sharp that it was smooth even when passing through cartilage.

Rickart pushed the bandit's head forward indifferently. The bandit slammed his face on the ground pouring blood from his neck, and submerged in his own blood.

"Cough. Keuk. Krrk......"

The one with the cut thigh struggled falling on the floor. And turned pale seeing his comrade dying.

He tried to get up but with the tendon of one thigh cut, his body couldn't move properly. He repeated standing up a little and collapsing.

Rickart kicked his chest hard, held the dagger in reverse, raised it high above his head, and drove it into the bandit's eye throwing his body weight. It stuck up to the hilt at once.

Thwack!

As the blade passed the eye and reached the brain, the bandit flopped his body like a fish out of water.

Rickart pulled out the dagger with all his might, wiped blood and grease on the bandit's clothes, stood up and looked around. Since everyone ran away and pursued, there were no people around.

Only Arno was sitting on the floor stopping running away, looking this way with his mouth open.

In his eyes, Rickart now was inhumanly calm. Not forcing himself to pretend not to be scared, but looking like something important as a human was lacking.

Or a being possessed by an evil spirit needing exorcism. He didn't look like just a 10-year-old boy at all.

And even more unbelievable was Rickart's appearance calmly searching the bandit's bosom and cutting a finger to take a gold ring.

Mountain wind blew cooling the sweat, but Arno couldn't feel pleasant coolness. Fear assaulted him to the point of being chilled to the bone, and goosebumps rose all over his body.

Rickart wiped a few drops of blood splattered on his face with his sleeve. And said to Arno smiling as usual.

"I didn't know they would just walk over stupidly. Got lucky."

Before climbing the mountain path, did Rickart say luck is made? Meeting bandits on the road might be bad luck, but being able to save the girl in time might be good luck.

Good luck and bad luck, happiness and unhappiness were like paths crossing each other. Or sticking together like two sides of a coin.

In the end, it was one's own choice which path to walk at that crossroad, or which side of the coin to see.

Therefore, even if bad luck strikes, there is no need to be frustrated. It only means the moment of choice has come, and the choice is made by my will. Rickart thought so.

So in the past life, maybe comrades gave such a nickname.

Part 2 - Lucky Ricky. End.