Chapter 93

Chapter 93

***

The sun was setting at the edge of the Haiden plains, which rolled like gentle waves. As the colorful twilight faded, campfires were lit throughout the encampment.

The tents were of all shapes, colors, and sizes. Some were conical, while others had a triangular cross-section.

In the center of the encampment, adventurers built a massive bonfire, soothing their weariness from the day with alcohol and women.

Wherever money and people gathered, merchants were sure to follow, and they were the ones providing this entertainment.

One might question what they were doing acting like this on a military operation, but this was a common sight in military encampments of the current era. Even though, strictly speaking, they were not a formal army.

Rickart was not the type to enjoy such loud revelry. He was the kind of person who was fully rested and satisfied just by sitting quietly deep in thought or chatting with his friends.

But right now, staying still was incredibly agonizing. It was because of Daisy.

Marie had disappeared into the tent, while Bolka, Bori-bori, and Ice were staring blankly at the two of them.

"Who is she?"

Bolka asked, pointing at Daisy.

"Hello. I am Daisy, Ricky's wife. We were married a long time ago, but due to unavoidable circumstances, we were separated for a while, and now we've been reunited."

Daisy greeted Rickart's friends with a bright, beaming smile. Having lived a life on the run since childhood, she never felt intimidated, even in unfamiliar places.

Right now, she simply looked like a pure and pristine young girl, but she had lived through a rather turbulent childhood.

"Really?"

Bori-bori looked at Rickart, as if seeking confirmation. Rickart furiously shook his head.

"No. Absolutely not."

"Ricky is just being shy. We exchanged rings and promised each other, remember, Ricky?"

"Don't frame me."

Rickart was like a machine right now, mechanically answering while in a half-dazed state.

"I think you mentioned being a believer of the Cult."

Ice asked, looking at Daisy.

"That's right. But I wasn't all that devout when I joined. It's just that my prophetic abilities were a good match for them, so I spent a few years living in the Cult."

"Prophetic abilities? You don't mean...?"

"Yes, I am a Nun of Prophecy within the Cult. So, besides being bored, I didn't really do anything special inside..."

At the mention of 'Nun of Prophecy,' Ice was startled, quickly closing his eyes and turning his head away. Even though he had left the Cult, their doctrines were so deeply ingrained in him that he didn't dare look a Nun of Prophecy directly in the eye.

Bori-bori stared intently at the beautiful yet somehow peculiar girl before speaking up.

"Ice, I think the answer to your problem is right here. Instead of pushing away women who approach you like Ricky does, you just have to accept them all."

"Wh-what? Bori, what are you talking about?"

At Bori-bori's completely unexpected remark, Rickart, who had been somewhat dazed, snapped back to reality.

"She just seems that way to me. For the record, I don't think it's a bad thing. It's Ricky's problem to deal with, anyway."

A friend was like a mirror reflecting oneself. Hearing that innocent boy speak to him in heavily Rickart-esque phrasing left Rickart utterly dumbfounded.

It wasn't like he intentionally went around saying mean things to others, but a sudden thought crossed his mind: Was I really this harsh?

"So, what's the prophecy?"

Bolka asked. At this, Daisy's expression, usually as masterfully controlled as a ghost's, darkened slightly.

"God will resurrect. Therefore, you cannot win. Turn back, even now. I'm going to take Ricky with me, too."

Bolka and Bori-bori didn't seem to put much stock in Daisy's words, but Ice was visibly shocked, his body stiffening momentarily. It was because the words hadn't come from just anyone, but a Nun of Prophecy.

"Well, they all spout the exact same nonsense."

Bolka replied with profound apathy. Why? Because every single believer in the Judgment Cult constantly sang the same tune about their God resurrecting.

Unfortunately, they couldn't glean any special information from Daisy. Right now, they didn't lack information; they had an overflowing abundance of it. The real difficulty lay in sifting the useful intel from the useless.

Since the incident last autumn, Nibelungen had rooted out the Cult's believers, even going so far as to hang hundreds of them a day. Naturally, this process involved extensive torture.

Through that process, they acquired a massive amount of information, but the task of filtering out the useful tidbits and discarding the rest was no ordinary feat.

The current Supreme Commander, Helauman, knew where the Cult's sanctuary was located, their infiltration routes, their daily routines, and a rough estimate of their military strength.

The problem was knowing how to execute a plan with that knowledge. It was similar to knowing that a tiger lives in a tiger's den, but still having to figure out how to go in and catch it.

Just storming in as a mob wouldn't work. How to divide the units, how to organize the command structure, how to mobilize them, and how long the operation should last—these were all headache-inducing logistical problems.

Since Bolka participated in the strategy meetings as a branch manager and Clan Master, he was well aware of these issues.

Therefore, he couldn't care less about prophecies or any such nonsense, and Bori-bori also thought prophecies were absurd.

Bori-bori placed a hand on Ice's shoulder and said,

"If all prophecies came true, what would be the point of us even being alive? So don't worry about it."

But for Ice, it wasn't a matter he could brush off so easily. There was also a dilemma involving prophecies. If the prophecies were nonsense, then Armand's words would also become untrustworthy.

"I feel a bit sorry for Marie. I'm sure you will handle it well, Ricky, but pay a little attention to her. I'll be back if there’s anything else to relay, so rest up, everyone."

Bolka lightly punched Rickart's chest and walked away.

With that, Daisy's immediate standing seemed roughly settled. From the adventurers' perspective, she was just a useless defector from the Cult, nothing more.

If it were still the time of madness when the Cult was being violently suppressed and hunted down like last year, they might have demanded her immediate hanging. However, she knew Rickart, and they were aware that persecuting her wasn't the priority right now.

The biggest headache at the moment was that the deadline for the operation was only about a month. Without a dedicated supply unit, a month was actually cutting it very close.

They had to finish the subjugation within that timeframe, but an even bigger problem was that some adventurers still hadn't gathered.

This was reality. Whenever people gathered to accomplish a task, all sorts of problems inevitably arose.

Of course, those were issues for the command center to handle, not something for Rickart to worry about.

What Rickart needed to carefully manage was walking the tightrope between Marie and Daisy.

"Daisy, you follow him. He used to be in the Cult too, so you two should be able to communicate."

Rickart said, pointing at Ice.

"I don't want to."

"Ricky, if you ask me, I think it would be better to stick Marie and her together and for you to make yourself scarce."

"Wh-what are you talking about, Bori?"

"Because right now, you uselessly trying to comfort and appease both sides seems to be making the problem worse."

"You're supposed to be on my side..."

"What do you mean? I'm always on your side. I just wish everyone could get along."

When it came to interpersonal relationships, Rickart was rather dense, but Bori-bori was delicate and perceptive.

But did that mean Bori-bori was right? Stick Marie and Daisy together? Rickart found that incredibly hard to accept.

Then, he suddenly realized the great benefit of having friends. He grabbed Daisy by the shoulder, abruptly shoved her toward Bori-bori and Ice, and then bolted across the twilight fields as fast as he could. He was running away.

A tuberculosis patient running away, panting heavily as he desperately fled. Bori-bori grabbed Daisy, who was about to rush after him, and watched the whole scene unfold with an expression of pure disbelief.

"Let go."

"For Ricky's sake, endure it for a bit right now. Don't just force your feelings on him."

"And what if we get separated again?"

"What?"

"Have you ever lived in anxiety for years, thinking about only one person?"

"No. But why should I care about your circumstances? Also, we were doing just fine among ourselves, and you're the one who ruined the peace. To us, you're currently an unwelcome outsider. So act accordingly. You can understand at least this much, right?"

To Bori-bori, his people—his friends—were more important than anything else in the world, so he honestly despised Daisy for creating a rift in those relationships.

By the way, perhaps because he had learned a lot, he didn't stutter like he used to and spoke with remarkable eloquence.

Unable to simply watch any longer, Ice stepped forward. Without looking directly at her, he lowered his gaze and spoke.

"Nun, I will escort you."

At this, perhaps Bori-bori's words had some effect, as Daisy allowed herself to be led away by Ice for the time being. It wasn't as though she had accepted it in her heart, however.

Marie was alone in the tent, Bolka was busy, Daisy was temporarily pushed aside, and Rickart had run away.

Left all alone, Bori-bori sighed and started walking. To go find Rickart.

"Sigh..."

In the past, Rickart had practically raised Bori-bori, but now it seemed the roles were somewhat reversed.

However, as they say, it is darkest right under the lamp. Rickart hadn't actually run that far away.

He had been hiding behind a nearby tent watching, and only when the situation seemed to have somewhat settled did he stealthily reappear. Even amidst all this, his deceptive tactics were truly astounding.

Rickart slightly pulled back the flap of the tent where Marie was and peered inside. Since no candles were lit, the dark interior was hard to see.

As he peeked his head in and darted his eyes around to assess the situation, Bori-bori suddenly appeared from behind and shoved him hard.

The most astounding deceptive tactics could easily be seen through by someone familiar with them.

"Whoa!"

Stumbling clumsily into the tent, Rickart's heart dropped, but he froze in place when he spotted Marie with her face buried in her pillow. It seemed she had been crying continuously.

"M-Marie..."

Rickart didn't dare approach her. Still, he cautiously sat on the edge of the bed. It was hard to even offer comfort, and he didn't know what to say.

"It's not like I cheated on you... it's just something from a long time ago... like a childhood prank..."

It wasn't comforting at all. It was merely self-defense. But honestly, it's not like I did anything wrong, right? He harbored a slight sense of injustice.

Not knowing what else to do, he aimlessly poked at Marie's toes. Pretending to be playful, he fiddled with her toes one by one. Marie swiftly pulled her foot away.

Still, the fact that she reacted at all was a relief to Rickart.

"She's just a pitiful girl. They say she was entrusted to the Cult, but isn't that practically the same as being abandoned? That doesn't mean I have special feelings for her. You're the only one I've opened my heart to. This is the truth, the absolute truth. I don't even think a vow is necessary. But if you need one, I'll make it."

"......"

Silence descended. Only the distant sounds of adventurers laughing and drinking could be heard. Coarse words occasionally drifted over on the wind.

Rickart silently stayed by Marie's side.

Then, having cried so much that her nose was incredibly stuffed, Marie spoke with a nasally voice.

"......Swear it."

"How should I swear it?"

"That you will only love me."

It seemed somewhat childish, but right now, she wanted to act that way. Even the resolute and brave Marie sometimes wanted to whine, but only to Rickart.

Rickart, however, didn't treat her childishness as a joke. Without a single moment of hesitation, he swore an oath like a pure knight.

"I, Rickart, swear to love only Martelia. Unchanging, even in death."

A moment later, Marie finally sniffled and turned her head. Honestly, she looked a bit messy, but because her underlying features were so beautiful, she only looked endearingly pitiful. Her pillowcase was completely soaked.

Rickart wiped away her tears and snot with his hands, then casually wiped them off on his own clothes.

As if that wasn't enough, he wiped her face with his sleeves as well. He smoothed out her hair and gently stroked her face, and she looked much better.

The redness of her nose couldn't be helped, though.

"You must have drank a lot of alcohol, huh?"

"Huh?"

"Your nose is red."

At that trivial, lighthearted joke, Marie finally let out a small "Pfft," and laughed.

"Oh? They say if you laugh after crying..."

"Do you want to confirm it?"

"What are you confirming? I was going to say, if you laugh after crying, you're happy."

"Hmph..."

"You're surprisingly eager, aren't you?"

"What did I do? Just what exactly were you trying to confirm?"

"Who knows?"

Even though the atmosphere had been serious just moments ago, magically, Rickart and Marie quickly fell back into exchanging their usual banter. However, the gazes they shared were sparkling like stars.

Growing closer without even realizing it was a natural process, and that was enough.

These comfortable moments were so wonderful, and the fact that they were allowed only to each other moved them deeply and filled their hearts with pride.

There was no such thing as a perfect human being in this world. Everyone had flaws, carried scars, and could unintentionally inflict pain on others. But despite that, devoting one's heart entirely was what mattered.

Just like following a guiding star, Rickart and Marie looked at each other in that way. Even if they weren't perfect, their common ground was that they gave their absolute sincerity.

Sometimes, just like tripping over a rock, their feelings clashed, and they got hurt. Even so, finding the courage to rise again, gaze at the stars with a praying heart, and offer one's true sincerity required real bravery.

Fortunately, both Rickart and Marie were brave. They had lived vastly different lives, but in that regard, they were akin, which was why they were inevitably drawn to each other. Just as gravity pulls stars together.

However, those incredibly starry, sparkling moments couldn't last long. Because, above all else, this was a battlefield.

One might ask how command could overlook such an obvious possibility, but the leadership truly didn't expect the enemy to attack them first. They had developed a blind spot while solely focusing on how to crush their opponents.

The plains of Haiden were a place where stars bloomed in exceptional abundance. Underneath that sky, where starlight poured down like rain, the first battle commenced.