Chapter 89

Chapter 89

***

It was a night so chilly that the tip of one's nose felt sharp. Deep in the mountains near Rubensheim, a campfire was burning.

Rickart stood wrapped in his cloak, taking in the view of Rubensheim as it shimmered in the darkness like faint starlight. That city was where the headquarters of the Rubens Guild was located.

Rickart and his three friends were boldly camping nearby.

"Ricky."

Marie's voice came from behind. The scent of agarwood drifted past his nose, which was slightly numb from the cold.

When Rickart turned around, he saw his friends.

Bori-bori and Ice were maintaining their weapons, borrowing sharpening tools from each other, while Marie was lighting agarwood at the end of a thin, short stick with a groove.

Rickart sat beside Marie and inhaled the agarwood smoke she held to his nose. Bori-bori and Ice looked up and stared at him.

To them, the sight of him inhaling smoke was rather unsightly—or perhaps just a bit ridiculous and strange.

"Hmm... this is surprisingly addictive."

But Rickart enjoyed the agarwood without caring how his friends saw him. While the fragrance itself wasn't physically addictive, it was so pleasant that after smelling it every morning and evening, he had begun to enjoy it beyond its medicinal value.

"It does smell good. It makes me feel calm," Bori-bori said.

"But isn't it expensive? How much is left?" Ice asked.

"I have to use it every morning and evening, so it looks like there's enough for over a month," Marie replied.

Rickart, without even using his hands, inhaled the smoke from the stick Marie held for him and frowned slightly.

"You guys need to tighten up. We're in the middle of enemy territory. Don't go getting complacent."

"You're the one who chose to set up camp here, Ricky," Bori-bori said with a look of disbelief.

"Well, yes, but still, keep your guard up."

"But are you going to kill them in the city? Aren't we supposed to avoid fighting inside the city?"

"The enemy was the first to cross the line; if we're the only ones following the rules, we're just setting ourselves up for a disadvantageous fight. I'd prefer not to do it, but for now, I'm just watching their reaction."

"But do you think they'll accept the negotiation? I think mentioning the antidote was a mistake. It feels like we're giving them leverage," said Marie, who was still holding the small stick under Rickart's nose.

"I never had any intention of negotiating from the start. It's just bait—bait to see how the guild master reacts."

The three negotiation terms Rickart had proposed—the guild master dies alone, the guild suffers catastrophic damage, or they hand over the antidote.

In truth, they were all essentially meaningless.

"I don't quite understand. We need the antidote, don't we?"

"We need it, but I don't want what that guy gives us. And if you're tied to what you need, they'll just pull you along. If they think like you, Marie, then I'm grateful. If they think I'm desperate for the antidote and try to buy time, then we can take our time picking off the enemies even more leisurely."

"Oh... Ricky might not have studied much, but he's really smart," Bori-bori marveled.

But Marie couldn't just marvel at the thought.

"It's not an 'Oh,' Bori. From my perspective, it's a bit too complacent. What if we don't treat it in time? What you just said means you're not looking after your own life. I don't understand why you have to use such a tactic."

"Well, if that's what he wants, what can we do? I'm not Ricky's fiancée, so I wouldn't know," Bori-bori said.

"...You're starting to sound more like Ricky lately."

"Me? Wait, is that an insult or a compliment?"

Bori-bori was two years older than Rickart. He was already an adult and had learned many things, so he was no longer as naive as before.

And as Marie pointed out, since he had spent a lot of time with Rickart, he had unknowingly been influenced by him in many ways.

"Stop it. You guys shouldn't talk like that in front of the person themselves. Marie, don't worry too much about the antidote. We'll find a way to treat it eventually. Trust me. For now, it's important to create an advantageous situation."

"But... still..." Marie grumbled, clearly unhappy. Bori-bori and Ice watched her with expressions of disbelief. 'In the time we haven't seen them, they've become quite annoying. They used to be so cool.'

Rickart, who also picked up on the mood, let out a few coughs. To escape the awkward situation, he focused on talking about the task at hand.

"Let's say the Rubens Guild has about a hundred members. If they scrape together kids from their affiliate academy, it might be around a hundred and fifty. But if so many people are gathered in one place, they'll just be eating through their food supplies. If we just leave them alone, they'll suffer massive losses on their own. But the guild master there isn't a fool, right? If you were in his position, what would you do?"

"I don't know. Just tell us," Ice said bluntly.

Rickart wondered if his method of teaching through questions wasn't a good one after all. Anyway, they were friends, not teacher and disciple.

"If the guild master is a coward, he'll panic and gather all his available forces in one place. If he has guts, he'll let the adventurers continue their work at their respective posts. The most common-sense response would be to form a small group to hunt us down. Looking at Rubensheim today, it didn't seem like there was an influx of personnel. That means he has some backbone and intends to handle it with only his close associates. In fact, he has no choice but to do that if he doesn't want his position to be undermined."

In truth, the Rubens Guild had been in a poor state for a while. It bore the typical characteristics of a declining group; the recent frantic effort to accumulate money was evidence of that.

When a group is in trouble, the biggest risk is that unity drops and members begin to leave. Then, the group falls apart.

The leaders of all groups, regardless of status or class, feared that most of all.

That was exactly what Rickart was betting on. A man who had survived so long as an adventurer wouldn't be afraid of dying. So, he intended to drive him toward what he truly feared: ruin.

One by one, step by step, cutting off every limb.

Whether he would end up begging in tears and snot, or trying to wage a final battle in desperation, the result would be the same: he would be broken.

"Tomorrow, let's go to a place called Hetz. If we wipe out the ones there, it'll become difficult for them to procure food. Let's see how long they can last."

When the agarwood finished burning and Rickart finished inhaling the smoke, he twitched his nose.

His sense of smell felt temporarily paralyzed, but it soon returned. He could smell the campfire. And the scent of Marie's hair beside him.

Anyway, although Rickart had told them to sharpen up, the three of them seemed to have no worries. But they weren't being careless. It was because they had gained a lot of combat experience.

Looking back, he had gone through many events with Bori-bori, Ice, and Marie. Thinking of them individually, it felt as though they had narrowly survived or barely managed to overcome them.

As a result, the bond between them had deepened, they understood each other better, and they could handle most crises with equanimity.

Had they grown? Were they becoming adults? What did it mean to be an adult? Such questions crossed his mind, but there was one thing that weighed on Rickart's heart.

"Ice."

"Yeah?"

"Tell me, have you ever heard of the 'Nuns of Prophecy'?"

Rickart spoke of what he had heard from Daisy's mother, whom he had coincidentally met in Nibelungen. Since it was related to the cult, he was a bit cautious.

But Ice didn't seem to mind much. He stared at the campfire for a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking.

"The cult has been researching the Codex for a long time. I've heard that among its contents are secrets for longevity, magic, and even arts of prophecy. I was trained to become a Sword Master, and my mission was to steal techniques from the Imperial family. I never saw the Nuns of Prophecy myself. I only heard that they foresee the day when God will be resurrected. And when God is resurrected, they are preparing to continue his divine bloodline. Bathing daily, praying, that sort of thing."

"So, when will he be resurrected?"

"I'm not sure. I heard even the Nuns of Prophecy can only see fragments. So they seem to train together to infer the date through cross-verification. The incident in Nibelungen recently was likely a sacrificial ritual. They believe that if the Imperial family and the nobles suppress the cult, God will be resurrected on the promised day and wipe them all out."

"..."

To Rickart, it sounded like they had built a meticulous plan based on an absurd premise. No matter how meticulously a plan was made, what was the use if the premise was absurd? He truly couldn't understand.

Well, since they believed it was real rather than absurd, that was why.

"But what if he really is resurrected?" Bori-bori asked.

"Well, since we have Ice with us, maybe he'll spare us," Rickart replied with a light joke. Ice finally allowed a smile to play on his lips.

"I'm sorry, but I'm an apostate. I've committed a sin greater than that of an atheist."

"That's a bit much. You've worked so hard for them; they should at least give you credit for that. Even a god should."

"It doesn't work that way, Ricky," Ice said, letting out a chuckle at Rickart's naive comment about religion.

"But that... 'holy land,' was it? Is it true the headquarters is in the Heiden Fields?"

"Yes. The cultists there are different from the ones outside. At the holy land, 'shut-eyed' knights guard the holy sword for the promised day."

"The holy sword?"

"Yes, the sword with which the God of Retribution punished sinners. To the eyes of sinners, it would be a demonic sword."

"..."

It seemed to be the sword that the Ricky of his past life had used. 'It still remains?'

"The shut-eyed knights are all Sword Masters. That was my ultimate goal as well. It doesn't matter anymore, though. To hell with being a Sword Master."

"How many of those knights are there?"

"At least thirty."

"Thirty!?"

"Does that even make sense!?"

Bori-bori and Marie's eyes widened in shock.

"The number of children who died to create them must be hundreds of times that amount. I almost became one of them."

The world wasn't perfect. There were many problems. But the Cult of Retribution was far from normal as well.

It felt as though the monsters born of the world were trying to take revenge on it in even more cruel ways. Just like the Ricky of his past life.

The mood turned somber at the thought of the children who had died to produce Sword Masters.

"Can't we just live while respecting each other?" Bori-bori said. It seemed so simple when you thought about it. It wasn't difficult. But perhaps that was why it was so hard. Because it was a simple thing that just... wouldn't happen. Everyone agreed with Bori-bori's words in silence.

"What about you? Are you alright?" Rickart asked Ice.

"Me? Well... to be honest, a sliver of anxiety remains. The difference from before is that I'm not controlled by that anxiety, but I can't seem to make it go away. It's thanks to you and Armand that I've come this far. Thank you."

"What are you anxious about?" Bori-bori asked. When Rickart wasn't around, the two were surprisingly close. Their personalities seemed to complement each other.

"The thought: 'What if what they said is true?' If God really is resurrected, what should I do? What about my sister? That kind of anxiety."

"How about you try dating someone? Love changes everything, Student Ice," Marie said as she hugged Rickart tighter. Ice shook his head with a grimace.

"I don't think I can trust women. They all say they like me even though I haven't done anything."

"Wow..." Bori-bori marveled with an expression of disbelief at a statement that an ordinary man could never make.

Ice offered an awkward smile and said, "I'm not trying to brag; it's just the truth. I don't see how I'm handsome."

"Woooow..."

This time, Rickart, Bori-bori, and Marie all marveled simultaneously in disbelief. Ice shook his head as if he couldn't say another word.

Regardless of how the world would turn out, the four focused on the task before them.

According to Rickart's plan, they went to Hetz and killed all the Rubens Guild adventurers there.

After that, they targeted only the Rubens Guild's weak points, killing every adventurer they encountered.

Since they were no match for them, Rickart's group traveled through the area openly and leisurely. Sometimes Marie took the lead, sometimes Ice, and sometimes they fought together.

Only Rickart had it easy—to the point where his damaged lungs seemed like an excuse.

From the Rubens Guild's perspective, staying still would result in accumulating losses, but gathering their forces against such a group of four raised the question of whether it would even be effective.

Since this wasn't a war between guilds, Rickart's group could simply flee to Beringen at any moment. Rickart clearly held the initiative. He could do whatever he wanted.

It was as if he were poking them with a spear, saying, 'Still going to stay still? What are you going to do?'

The master of the Rubens Guild had no hope of winning even in a direct confrontation, so he was truly at a loss. It felt as though an inescapable death was circling around them. They were even more relentless than the original Ehrenberg five-man team.

As time passed, trust was lost and adventurers began to leave. The communication network was paralyzed, to the point where they couldn't even determine their own strength.

However, he still had one last resort.

It was when Rickart and his friends were loitering near the village of Kogts. It was a small village with a stream flowing by and a mill.

Beside the stream, brown frogs were hopping about in the grass. It was the time for them to begin their hibernation.

Rickart was looking around the village, moving his head to and fro as if searching for something, when someone walked along the path by the stream.

"Huh? Isn't that Dunkel?" Bori-bori was the first to notice and spoke up. Rickart turned his head and saw him approaching from a distance.

Rarely, Dunkel was wearing his work clothes. 'Work clothes' referred to the attire worn during an assassination or a battle.

It was a dark brown leather vest that fit his body perfectly, with many pockets. There was no telling what hidden weapons might be concealed within.

A machete was tied to his waist, and in his hands, he held a large bundle wrapped around something.

Dunkel approached Rickart, offering a slight smile as he spoke. "It's been a while. What are you doing here?"

"What about you, Dunkel? This is Rubens Guild territory. Can the Beringen Guild Master be here?"

"But didn't Sally say she'd killed Dunkel?"

"Hey, did you really believe that?"

Sally tended to speak in a rather excessive manner, and it seemed Bori-bori had actually believed her when she said she'd killed Dunkel.

"Ricky." Dunkel took a deep breath and called out to Rickart.

"Yeah?"

"It's time to stop. They've surrendered. The Rubens Guild."

"To whom?"

"A guild should naturally surrender to another guild. That's how it works."

"Uh... but this is a personal grudge."

"You've killed forty of their adventurers. Isn't that enough to settle the grudge?"

"I don't think that's for you to decide, Dunkel. Should they not at least apologize to me? I almost died because of them."

It was a fact that if he had inhaled just a little more poison, his life would have been in danger.

"There is no antidote. I'm told it was purchased from a magician of the wilderness."

A magician of the wilderness referred to a Salanin magician. They hadn't sold the poison to the Rubens Guild because they had a grudge against Rickart; they had simply sold an item.

"So you want me to just end it here?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I'm ordering it."

"Hmm... but I'm from the Ehrenberg branch, aren't I? Isn't there a chain of command? Can the guild master directly issue an order to an adventurer in an ordinary clan?"

"Ricky." Dunkel had been smiling, but his expression turned serious as he called Rickart's name once more.

"What?"

"I kept the secret about your handsome friend. I hope I can continue to keep it."

Dunkel had known for a long time that Ice was part of the Cult of Retribution. It was he who had warned Rickart to stay away from Ice.

"Hey, talk to me," Ice said, stepping forward with a scowl. But Rickart held out his arm to stop him.

"That was a threat, wasn't it?"

"Ricky, are you going to act as you please, just like the original Ehrenberg five-man team? Especially when the world is like this? Is forty people not enough?"

"But why should you be the one to judge and decide that, Dunkel? I'm the one who almost died."

It might have looked like he was throwing a tantrum, but Rickart was right. Why would a guild interfere in a personal grudge?

Dunkel looked away toward the peaceful village and let out a deep sigh. He turned back to Rickart and spoke.

"The Imperial family has no capacity to mobilize troops right now. By next spring at the earliest, adventurers will be deployed in an operation to subjugate the Cult of Retribution. Your tearing apart of adventurers here is just reducing our available forces. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Must we follow the Imperial family's orders?"

"Why do you think the Adventurer's Guild was created? Our formation and our growth was all planned by the Elder. Long ago. To raise the ultimate swordsman. regardless, if the connection to the Imperial family is cut, adventurers are just swordsmen. Not in a derogatory sense, but truly just a group of swordsmen. Is that what you want?"

"..."

Dunkel convinced Rickart by sharing a top-secret fact. Rickart considered for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright."

"Return to Ehrenberg. I'll guarantee the identity and safety of your handsome friend. And I'll give you the Rubens treasure they offered in surrender. You've done more than enough, and Rubens has paid an adequate price."

Dunkel left the bundle on the ground and departed. He walked into the village and disappeared behind the temple.

Rickart suddenly recalled what Bolka had said—that one couldn't go far if they were always under someone else's thumb.

"Whether it's the cultists or us, in the end, we're all just puppets," Bori-bori said. It was an undeniable truth.

However, Rickart had accepted Dunkel's instruction because he believed that a final decision had to be made in the Heiden Fields.

He had no choice but to seek the answer in the place where everything had begun.