Chapter 85
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 85
It was an era that had not yet conquered the darkness of the night. When deep gloom fell, people believed demons and monsters lurked just beyond the shadows. And of course, in reality, they actually did.
Eerie folktales and legends could be found in any region, but they dared not make the home of a brave knight tremble.
Only a few candles on the table lit the dark dining room, casting a dim glow over the faces gathered around it.
There sat Rickert and Marie, alongside his father, his eldest brother, his sister-in-law, and his young nephew.
There was no warm conversation. Everyone silently focused on their food—tearing bread to dip in soup, slicing salted meat, or spreading butter. There were no utensils, only hands and knives.
Marie darted her eyes around the suffocating silence, while Rickert's sister-in-law fed her young son little by little, tasting each bite first. Meanwhile, the little boy stared intently at his Uncle Ricky.
Compared to his blunt father and grandfather, Fritzrit found his Uncle Ricky fascinating. Whenever their eyes met, his uncle would offer a warm, wonderful smile.
Seeing his doll-like young nephew beam at him with blonde hair and chubby cheeks, Rickert couldn't help but smile back.
"I heard you were poisoned," Abelich, Rickert's father, said casually. Having finished his meal, he wiped his hands and mouth.
"Yes, well, I'm fine now."
"Nonsense. I do not know much about poisons, but if inhaling it was enough to make you bleed, it is not an injury that heals easily. When you have time, stop by the main house and see Dr. Leno."
It was his own blunt way of showing concern. Rickert nodded in understanding.
Abelich didn't ask his son—whom he hadn't seen in ages—how he was doing or what he had been up to. Leaving only those words, he stood up from the table. He hadn't changed a bit.
"I am tired, so I shall retire early."
It seemed he was intentionally leaving to give them space, well aware that his presence only made things awkward.
He could have been a bit warmer, but this was simply how the men of House Caldebern of Stormherz showed consideration.
They didn't throw a grand welcome for the son who visited after so long, nor did they make him feel unwelcome. They simply treated him exactly the same, as if they had all been living together just yesterday.
Of course, Marie was a slightly different case.
"Child, you are my son's savior and fiancée, so this place is your home. Make yourself comfortable. I, too, shall treat you as a member of the family."
Coming from him, this was a level of tenderness that might happen once in a lifetime.
"...Ah? Yes. Thank you."
Marie, not realizing at first that he was speaking to her, was slightly dazed before quickly replying. The atmosphere of the household was incredibly heavy, making her realize that Rickert was actually the cheerful one in this family.
Once Abelich left, Rickert's sister-in-law also stood up with her son.
"Fritz? We should go night-night too, right? Say goodnight to your father, uncle, and aunt."
"Mm... G'night."
The adorable little boy stood up straight and bowed politely. Rickert wanted to give him a gift, but he had nothing on him right now. He resolved to send something later once he went out and earned some money.
When his sister-in-law went to clear the dishes, Marie tried to help. It resulted in a small, playful struggle over the plates, but it was a warm sight nonetheless.
"Oh, no, it's fine. Really."
"No, I'm an adventurer, so I'm good at this kind of thing."
Since Marie was a Swordmaster, snatching the dishes with her swift hand movements was child's play. She swept them away naturally and smoothly without causing any offense.
In the end, only the eldest and the youngest of the three brothers remained in the dining room. Grout poured wine into a horn cup, as if wrapping up the day.
"Want a drink?"
"No. I can't drink."
"You finally left the estate and you still don't drink?"
"I never really felt the urge."
"Then have one now."
Grout offered the cup he had already poured. Rickert took it and drank, but his face soured at the bitter taste.
Grout smiled faintly, poured wine into another cup, and took a sip.
"The Emperor is dead. Is everything going to be okay?" Rickert asked.
"Well, that's for the main house to decide. We don't really know."
"The main house follows the Duke. Was it Brumbear?"
Because of the feudal system, unless it was their direct liege, they didn't really care whether an Emperor or a king died.
Although House Caldebern had received their estate from a past Emperor, they did not have a direct lord-vassal relationship with the throne.
They followed Duke Brumbear, a cadet branch of the imperial family. The history of how that came to be was somewhat complicated, but in any case, the Duke was a direct vassal of the Emperor.
In other words, those directly affected by the Emperor's death were big figures like kings, dukes, or margraves. It wasn't a problem for a backwater country lord to worry about.
Of course, if war broke out and figures like the Duke or King went to battle, summoning their vassals in droves, then it would be a different story. But things hadn't reached that stage yet.
The death of the Emperor was simply a matter of how the high nobility chose to interpret and react to it.
While some might think, The Emperor is dead, what does that have to do with me? others might see it as an opportunity, or try to declare independence while the imperial family was weakened.
Therefore, at this point, they couldn't predict what would happen next. And even if they did, there was nothing they could do about it.
"Is the adventurer life treating you well? How was the Academy?"
"If I had to give it meaning, it's helping people in trouble and solving problems. Though in the end, it's all resolved through sword fights. Academy life wasn't bad. For me, at least."
"As expected, you were extraordinary since you were young. If only we had discovered that talent a bit earlier, or if you had been born a bit earlier... I wonder how things would have turned out."
"Why are you asking that?"
"Who knows."
Grout looked somewhat bitter. He was taking on more and more of the estate's management, and the burden was wearing on him.
Saying harsh things to people, treating them strictly, sometimes pushing them relentlessly—such things truly drained the mind. To protect and lead the estate, there were many things he had to do, no matter how much he hated them.
There was a reason why their father was so blunt, and Grout was gradually becoming just like him.
"Is there some kind of trouble?"
"..."
Grout did not answer, but he clearly had something on his mind. Rickert did not press him, taking small sips of his drink as he waited.
"Uh, keep this a secret from Father."
"Reminds me of when we were young. We had a lot of secrets back then. Billy would go around telling everyone it was a secret, and then Mother would find out."
Even though Rickert was young at the time, he had never once leaked a secret between brothers.
Grout chuckled as if remembering the old days, but his expression quickly turned anxious again.
Looking embarrassed and reluctant, he hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.
"You know the Adventurers' Guild... do you know anyone there?"
"...I do, yes. Only in the Beringen Guild, though. Why?"
"Well... is there any way to lower the request fee?"
"What's going on?"
Grout couldn't look Rickert straight in the eye, hesitating again before speaking.
"Father is against it. He says our affairs are for us to handle, and we cannot receive outside help."
That sounded exactly like Father. But what was the matter? Rickert waited for him to continue.
Grout took a deep gulp of wine before speaking.
"Recently, because of the swordsmanship tournament, there are many outsiders nearby. Most of them are thugs. Chasing them away or killing them is nothing. But one day, a man came claiming to be the Emperor's magistrate. He demanded food and money, saying he had to feed his soldiers. His attire, documents, and entourage made it look plausible."
Listening to the story, Rickert could roughly guess what happened, but he felt uneasy.
"Originally, the imperial family never directly interfered with us. But the swordsmanship tournament is real, and because the surrounding area is in an uproar, I thought it was a special case. So, I provided the food."
"But it turned out to be a fake?"
In short, they had been scammed. It seemed hard to believe how this was possible, but occasionally there were bold bastards—bastards who dared to scam nobles.
A typical example was selling fake holy relics, but this case was quite plausible.
"If it had ended with just that, I wouldn't have brought it up. It seems this guy scammed others besides us. And using that as leverage, he actually gathered a force of his own. I don't know how long such a rabble will last, but now he's openly threatening us, demanding money. Of course, we ignore him. But the problem is that he's roaming around the area under the pretext of maintaining public order."
It was obvious without looking that he would actually commit robbery under the guise of public order. Moreover, since he was roaming outside the estate, the family couldn't do anything about it.
If the imperial family were intact, they would have crushed them immediately, but it was hard to expect that from the currently chaotic imperial court.
If left alone, these guys would grow their forces and eventually become uncontrollably large like a swarm of locusts, plundering here and there.
Perhaps it was already a sign of troubled times. It seemed like absurd bastards were running wild.
Moreover, what angered Rickert was that they dared to touch his family and hometown.
"What's his name?"
"Luiginant. They call him 'Lucky'. Lucky Luiginant."
"Sounds like a western name."
The pronunciation would be different in the west, but anyway, since it was a big tournament, it seemed a strange guy had rolled in from afar.
"Probably."
Grout was ashamed and felt embarrassed to bring up such a story to his younger brother, so he just toyed with his empty cup. Seeing him like that made Rickert even angrier.
"Brother."
"Hmm?"
"Lift your head. Why are you so intimidated?"
"..."
"Am I laughing at you, or am I showing off because I made a name for myself as an adventurer? I know running an estate isn't easy. And in life, all sorts of absurd things happen. So don't lose heart."
Grout's eyes widened. Although the youngest had rebelled once before leaving home, in Grout's memory, his little brother was always just 'gentle' Ricky.
But now, he had the eyes of a warrior.
"I've traveled around, and I can tell just by looking at people's faces whether their lord is ruling properly or not. You must be doing well helping Father, which is why the people's expressions are good. That's enough. Don't worry about a guy like that. I'm leaving tomorrow. My friends will worry, so as much as I'd like to stay longer, I can't. Keep the request fee. There will be good news soon. Don't worry."
It wasn't easy to send a messenger, and if he was going to send one, it was better to just go back himself. That was why Rickert wanted to return quickly. To Ehrenberg.
In any case, Grout blinked and stared blankly at Rickert.
"You really have grown up, haven't you?"
"Well, I've been living by the sword for three years. Would I still be a kid?"
Rickert said with a laugh. Grout tilted his head, seemingly unable to adjust to this version of his brother.
"No news from Billy?"
Grout shook his head. Unfortunately, there seemed to be none. He poured wine into his empty cup and spoke.
"I guess I still can't be like Father. So, how was the Academy? Tell me about it."
"The Academy is one thing, but have you ever seen a vampire? The sea? You probably wouldn't believe me even if I told you what I've seen and heard."
"Hey, are you treating me like a country bumpkin just because you've been out for three years?"
"You are a country bumpkin, aren't you?"
"Why you!"
"Hahaha!"
Perhaps because the alcohol was kicking in, the two brothers finally began to tease each other. The somewhat awkward atmosphere seemed to peel away.
Although the world was harsh and sword fights between brothers were not uncommon, nothing provided a sense of solidarity like sharing the same blood.
Rickert and Grout drank until late into the night, sharing their worries and talking about old memories.
When he woke up from his drunken slumber, Rickert found his face buried in Marie's chest. Startled, he scrambled up, gathered his senses, and opened the window to cool his head. It was already broad daylight. Oh, boy.
Since his father and brother went out on patrol early in the morning, there was no time to say goodbye.
They could have postponed their work a bit for the son who visited after a long time, but the people of this household had none of that. They believed that providing fresh food and a warm bed was enough, and there was no need to be overly affectionate.
Rickert was sometimes so detached that others might think he was heartless, and perhaps that was simply the family way.
Work had to be done, and if they missed each other, it couldn't be helped. Wish each other well, and see each other again if they could.
Therefore, Rickert did not feel disappointed at all. Rather, he liked that they hadn't changed.
After waking Marie, washing up, and preparing for the journey, he was about to say goodbye to his sister-in-law and nephew when she hurriedly called him.
"Oh, right! This! Please take this, brother-in-law. My husband told me to give it to you. He said he bought it after selling the horses."
It seemed Abelich had sold the two horses obtained from the bandits they killed when they met Marie. Since they were carriage horses, they were useless and only cost money to maintain, so it was better to sell them.
The item his eldest brother had asked her to deliver was none other than a sword. Rickert usually used longswords or greatswords, but this was an arming sword—a so-called knightly sword—designed for one-handed use, as knights always had to carry shields.
On the pommel, balanced with a round piece of iron, the family crest—a cross—was engraved.
Although it wasn't his main weapon, Rickert was highly proficient with it. Wearing it on his waist as a sidearm also made it much more portable, whereas he had been carrying his larger weapons slung over his shoulder.
"Thank you. I'll use it well."
"And Father said you must stop by the main house first. To see Dr. Leno before you go."
Even if they weren't affectionate, this was more than enough to feel his father's worry and love. Rickert smiled softly.
"I hope you don't act submissively anywhere, but carry yourself with confidence and bravery. Please take good care of my brother, sister-in-law. May good fortune be with you both."
True to her status as a woman of a knightly family, she didn't utter a single word telling him to be careful. Rickert stroked his nephew's head one last time and said goodbye.
"Take care, Fritz. I'm off. Let's go, Marie."
Rickert set out with his new sword at his waist. He didn't look back, to the point of seeming heartless.
He had rested enough, obtained what he needed, and had nothing left to leave behind. What he would leave behind was nothing other than the good news he had promised his eldest brother.
Rickert did not go to the main house first. Instead, he went looking for the bastard named Lucky Luiginant.
He hadn't shown it in front of his family, but Rickert's murderous instinct had been boiling inside him since last night.
That rotten bastard. I'm going to kill him.