Chapter 60
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 60
Rickert knew. He didn’t belong here, and everyone was looking down on him.
An ordinary person would have shrunk under those cold stares, but Rickert felt nothing of the sort. He wasn’t intimidated, nor did he resent them. They all just looked so weak.
He had only one thought: I won’t be staying here for long.
Marie wasn’t intimidated either, but her defiance came from a different place.
She had spent her entire life as an outcast in a family of swordsmen, treated like a bastard child while dedicating herself to training. Then one day, out of the blue, she was told she had been officially added to the family registry and was ordered to enroll in the Academy.
She had gone from a bastard to an Imperial Princess overnight, yet not much had actually changed. She had merely received a notification; she had never once laid eyes on her father, the Emperor.
Because of this, Marie despised those who flaunted their status, wealth, or position. She could feel that arrogance in the crowd’s stares, and it disgusted her.
While Rickert merely gave their peers a passing glance, Marie stood tall, returning their condescending glares with equal disdain.
Perhaps sensing the strange atmosphere surrounding the pair, the crowd’s gaze began to shift.
Looking closer, they saw that Rickert possessed a gentle yet robust boyish charm, while Marie’s beauty was simply overwhelming. Her face alone outshone all their expensive clothes and jewelry. It was as if the reddish glow of the candlelight had been lit solely for them.
Intending to look around the banquet hall, Rickert took Marie’s hand and began to walk. The eyes of the crowd followed their every move.
In their unforced, confident strides, people sensed a quiet dignity. The condescension in their eyes gradually faded, replaced by curiosity and a subtle envy.
Of course, there were also those filled with jealousy. Who do they think they are? Aren’t they just penniless beggars? Why are they acting so high and mighty?
At any gathering, there was always a dominant clique, and within it, someone who played the hero.
From a group of young men and women gathered by the fireplace, a girl in a deep pink, pearl-adorned dress stood up. Holding a folding fan, she walked over to Rickert and Marie.
“Hello.”
Rickert, who had been admiring the rare delicacies on the tables, looked up at her. She was cute, but the way one corner of her mouth curled upward betrayed a sneer.
“Yes?”
“I take it this is your first time at the Gathering of the Morning Stars?”
“The Morning Stars?”
“Yes. This is a gathering for the children of Ehrenberg’s most influential families. The term ‘Morning Stars’ is quite fitting, wouldn’t you say?”
“I don’t know. It sounds a bit childish.”
“Excuse me?”
The girl’s eyebrow twitched, as if she’d misheard.
It’s remarkably efficient how she only moves one facial muscle at a time, Rickert thought idly. First her lip, now her eyebrow.
“If I may ask, what is your name, young master?”
“I’m Rickert. And you, my lady?”
“I am Regina. Those close to me call me ‘Cute Regi.’ If you and I become close, young master, I might grant you the honor of calling me Regi as well.”
Honor? What is she talking about? Rickert was momentarily dumbfounded.
Regina was not a traditional noble name. It sounded like it belonged to a wealthy merchant family. While they were considered nobility in a sense, this was an era where a clear line was drawn between them and the titled, traditional aristocracy.
But since he hadn’t come to debate social status, Rickert paid it no mind and continued the conversation.
“Are banquets usually this quiet? I thought they were supposed to be loud, with everyone talking, eating, and drinking.”
Banquets were often held in Stormherz. They weren’t just for fun; they were important events that fostered camaraderie between the lord and his retainers. Rickert had seen his usually taciturn father trade crude jokes with his men once the alcohol started flowing, and the dissonance here was jarring.
A knightly family meant descendants of warriors. They were conservative, valuing discipline and honor, but when it came to celebrating, warriors knew how to let loose. Though cultures differed between regions, this was generally the case for any family that kept the martial spirit alive, whether they were counts or dukes.
At Rickert’s words, Regina smirked triumphantly.
“Hohoho, those kinds of banquets are for country bumpkins. We are different. Shouldn’t nobles naturally maintain their dignity and refinement?”
“Instead of honor and discipline?”
“That’s just something mercenaries prattle on about. Unfortunately, young master, your attire is anything but refined.”
Regina’s words were laced with veiled insults, but her tone had absolutely no effect on Rickert. He knew exactly what she was trying to do, but he simply found her too trivial to be angry at.
“I know my clothes don’t suit this place. If you’d invited me when I had money, I would have dressed for the occasion. If it makes you uncomfortable, we can leave.”
“Ohohoho! No, no. Bestowing charity upon the wretched is also a virtue a noble must uphold. Please, take your time and enjoy yourselves. Just try not to eat too greedily; it’s rather unsightly. And if you happen to need money, I might speak to my father and lend you some, depending on how you behave.”
Believing she had successfully humiliated him, Regina burst into triumphant laughter.
To Rickert, she was nothing more than a pathetic child. He saw no point in dealing with her, but Marie, who had been listening silently, could no longer hold back. She absolutely could not tolerate anyone targeting Rickert.
“Excuse me, my lady, but it seems you have quite the fantasy about what a noble is,” Marie interjected. Her gaze was cold, but a fire raged within.
“What do you mean? I don’t understand. Everyone here is a noble. Naturally, myself included. And what family might you be from, ‘my lady’?” Regina asked, lifting her chin. As a daughter of one of Ehrenberg’s most prominent merchant families, she spoke with absolute confidence.
But she was nothing compared to Marie, whose father was the Emperor and whose maternal family was that of Count Palatine Hellauman. If their families were ever to clash—an impossible scenario—Marie’s side could annihilate a mere merchant house with no more effort than crushing a bug.
Marie snorted. She saw no need to reveal her family name just to squash such an insignificant pest. Nor did she want to.
“In my opinion, my family is far more prestigious than yours. We exude dignity and grace naturally, without needing to adorn ourselves in expensive clothes and jewelry. It’s a pity. No matter how much you decorate the exterior, you can’t change the blood in your veins. It’s laughable to hear a mere merchant’s daughter speak of refinement.”
“...W-what did you say?”
“Besides, aren’t you just a puppet of your family, Lady Regina? Before long, your elders will sell you off like a pig. Where is the dignity in that? I, on the other hand, am free. That includes the freedom to choose my own clothes. Please, don’t project your own frustrations and victimhood onto others. It’s pathetic to watch.”
Where Regina hid needles in her words, Marie stabbed openly with a blade.
Shocked to her core, Regina’s sneer vanished. The other children of merchant families nearby covered their mouths in disbelief. Unwilling to admit defeat, Regina tried to force her lips back into a curl, but it looked as grueling as lifting a boulder. She wanted to retort but could only stammer.
“H-how dare you... a p-pig... such insolence...”
“Go back to your room and quietly do some needlework, you poor thing. That seems far more suited to you.”
Marie had utterly crushed her.
My mom used to do needlework every day, Rickert thought, but given the circumstances, he wasn’t offended.
The atmosphere was a balloon stretched to its limit. Just as it was about to burst, a mature man’s voice rang out.
“Sir Hero?”
Rickert turned to see a middle-aged man in the floppy hat of a merchant looking at him.
“I don’t know if I’m a hero, but I did come from the Beringen Guild branch.”
“Ah, my apologies! I thought you hadn’t arrived yet. Why didn’t that fellow report this? I am terribly sorry. I should have received you personally. Please, come this way.”
It seemed there had been a mix-up. Or perhaps they had entered the wrong room.
“I enjoyed our chat, my lady. And needlework isn’t a bad thing, by the way,” Rickert said to Regina before following the man out with Marie.
The room, which had fallen silent when they first entered, remained quiet. But even in the silence, the girl was trembling all over, her insides boiling with rage.
*
“I am Marconis, head of the Marconis Trading Company. It was my oversight not to receive you properly. Please forgive me,” the man said, serving them expensive tea in a private drawing room.
The tea could only be acquired from the distant Salamans, making it not just worth its weight in gold, but more expensive. Rickert took a sip. A fragrance he had never encountered before greeted him. It was hard to describe; the tea was warm, yet it carried a refreshing, cool sensation.
“Is the tea to your liking?” Marconis asked with a genial smile. But something about that practiced grin made Rickert feel uneasy.
“The aroma is unique. I like it.”
“And for you, my lady?”
“It’s fine.”
“I am glad. Unfortunately, the main banquet has already concluded. The room you were just in was the social hall, where the children of Ehrenberg’s influential families gather to get acquainted and, if need be, find a match. I imagine it must have been quite an interesting scene…”
Rickert realized the man was lying. Looking into Marconis’s eyes, he knew he had been intentionally guided there. He wasn’t sure of the exact motive—was it to break his spirit first? To apply pressure? Did he think that letting the children intimidate him would give him the upper hand in their negotiations?
It was a clever tactic, but a shallow one. Rickert had no desire to engage in lengthy small talk. He was neither a merchant nor a negotiator.
“It was entertaining enough. But why did you invite me?”
“Hahaha, as expected of the Hero, you are quite straightforward,” Marconis laughed, amused by Rickert’s directness. Merchants usually spoke as if their tongues were coated in oil, beating around the bush endlessly.
“First, I wanted to greet you, as I heard you have started a new venture in the city. Your fame precedes you, so I was naturally curious. Besides, doesn’t the Adventurers’ Guild maintain close ties with merchants?”
That was true enough, so Rickert nodded. Where money went, the sword followed. When the sword was swung, blood-stained money poured out. That was how the world worked.
“So you called me just to say hello. I’m not much of a conversationalist.”
“Ah, but there is a second reason. In fact, this is the important one.”
“Go on.”
“Have you heard of the Ehrenberg Masons’ Guild?”
“Yes, I heard they’re quite famous.”
“Their craftsmanship is excellent, but they are such rough folk that they often cause headaches. We paid the construction fees according to our contract, yet they have occupied the docks again, demanding more money. No matter how much we deal in finances, money doesn’t just spring up from nowhere, does it?”
Rickert stared down at his tea. Money doesn’t spring up from nowhere, yet you have enough to enjoy tea like this?
“So you want me to teach them a lesson?”
“Hahaha… that’s a blunt way to put it, but yes. Every day our ships can’t set sail, we lose ten gold coins. It has already been three days. What are we to do?”
“What are the down payment, interim payment, and success fee?” Rickert asked, already tired of Marconis dragging out the conversation.
At the question, Marconis pulled money from his breast pocket. With a metallic clink, two stacks of ten gold coins, each polished to a brilliant shine, were piled on the table. Twenty gold coins.
“A down payment of twenty gold coins. An interim payment of ten. A success fee of thirty. Sixty gold coins in total.”
Of course, they would need to draft a formal contract, but thrusting the gold before his eyes was clearly a negotiation tactic. Still, sixty gold coins was an enormous sum—equivalent to 1,200 silver coins. Capturing Haspil, the assassin known as ‘He Who Grieves Mothers,’ had only been worth forty.
“I assume killing them is out of the question?”
“Precisely. The matter must be resolved without any casualties, which is why we are offering such a generous sum.”
“Alright. I’ll discuss it with my companions and get back to you. Thank you for the tea.”
“Pardon?”
Having heard all he needed to, Rickert stood up without hesitation. Marconis blinked, utterly bewildered.
“I said I’ll get back to you. We’ll be going now. Goodbye.”
Ignoring the man’s bewilderment, Rickert simply walked out of the drawing room with Marie. No matter how desperately they needed money, they couldn’t just rush into a contract.
Leaving the mansion, they saw several people boarding carriages to go home. While many guests would spend the night, it seemed some chose to leave.
Rickert and Marie walked back to the guild building, just as they had come.
As they followed the river, the lights from the docks, mansions, and other buildings reflected on the dark water. The ripples on the surface made it look as if the moon itself had been submerged. While it possessed a certain charm, the atmosphere was also eerie, as if an assassin might leap from the bushes at any moment.
But since neither Rickert nor Marie felt any fear, they were able to appreciate the stark beauty of the riverside at night.
“That man gives off a bad vibe, doesn’t he?” Marie asked. She hadn’t seen through Marconis’s shallow scheme as clearly as Rickert, but she too sensed something was off.
“Yeah.”
“But it’s tricky to make an enemy of him. We need to establish ourselves in this city, and he’s an influential figure.”
“We’ll see how things play out. Bori and Ice went to the docks, so let’s hear what the atmosphere was like there first.”
“Okay.”
Leaving the riverside behind, they walked through the city’s night streets. Not a single soul was in sight; the city was incredibly dangerous after dark, forcing everyone indoors.
The boy and girl continued through the deserted streets, the rhythmic click-clack and thud of their footsteps echoing with unusual clarity.
Rickert looked up at the Milky Way visible between the buildings. Marie watched him from his side.
The distance between them was exactly this much. Marie found it deeply painful, yet at the same time, she felt a sense of relief. Relief that she could at least be this close. That she could reach out and touch him if she wanted. But she didn’t take his hand.
For some reason, the boy’s eyes, as he looked up at the night sky, seemed filled with sadness.
Why did he stop believing in love, when he knows how to cherish another’s heart? she wondered, a sudden pang of pity striking her.
To others, he might be a genius swordsman, a terrifying foe, a close friend, or a hero. But to Marie, the boy somehow felt like a pitiful existence. Because she was the only one who had ever knocked on his tightly shut door, she could faintly sense what lay beyond it. He was someone she admired, someone she found cool, yet at the same time, she felt a deep desire to embrace and comfort him.
Just as they reached the underpass where a canal ran, several dark silhouettes blocked their path.
Thugs? City ruffians? The thoughts crossed their minds as one figure stepped forward with a click of their heels. Then, a familiar voice rang out.
“Aside from dignity and etiquette, there is something else that distinguishes nobles from commoners: power. In other words, authority. You didn’t think a lowly adventurer could insult a noble like me and just walk away, did you? I do hope you aren’t that stupid.”
It was Regina.
Rickert’s hand went to the dagger at his waist. He glanced at the canal running alongside the road, wondering if it was deep enough to dispose of the bodies.
But before he could do anything, Marie stepped forward.
“You really are a nuisance.”
Perhaps because their precious time alone had been interrupted, Marie’s eyes no longer hid her fury.
Seeing that look, Rickert momentarily wondered if he should stop her—though he himself had been contemplating body disposal just a second ago.