Chapter 49

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The adventurers' guild building at the foot of the hill in Beringen was as quiet as an empty house. Not only Dunkel but every last adventurer was gone. With nothing but the patter of rain outside to break the silence, a young clerk sat by the fireplace, watching over the building.

It might have seemed far too defenseless, but the real guild headquarters was inside the fortress atop the hill, so it hardly mattered if this place was raided. Particularly during a guild war, the locations of command posts and assembly points were top-secret information. Only a fool would keep using the usual headquarters.

It was late at night. Had midnight passed? With no way to check the sky, it was impossible to tell for certain. The young clerk was nodding off in the warmth of the fire when someone pounding on the door startled him awake. What was happening? They had said this place was safe.

BANG, BANG, BANG.

Someone knocked again, and the clerk's heart pounded along with it. He approached cautiously and slid open the little viewing hatch in the door. Outside stood several cloaked figures who looked like reapers. The one at the front pulled back his hood to show his face.

"It's me. Volka."

It was a familiar face. The clerk let out a relieved breath.

"Whew... Volka, you scared me. You should've said something first."

"Idiot. What if an enemy heard my name? Just open up."

The clerk unlocked the door and let them in. Five people trudged inside in sodden cloaks, water streaming from their hems. Walking all the way from the academy in the rain for five or six hours had been exhausting.

Perhaps that was why Volka went straight to the fireplace, tossed on a few logs to build up the fire, then took off his cloak and hung it beside the hearth. Ricard, Boribori, Marie, and Delphi also stripped off their wet cloaks to dry them by the fire. Simply sitting down relieved their aching legs and made them feel alive again.

Volka leaned all the way back in his chair, tipped his head back, and propped both legs on another chair.

"Ah... That's better. How the hell did I keep making that trip? It's so fucking far. Seriously. Ah."

No one had traveled between the academy and the city more energetically or frequently than Volka, but now that he had graduated, he apparently found it unbearable.

With his cloak off, his unusual armor came into view. Linked plates of iron covered his entire left arm like an arthropod's shell. Though hidden from sight, there were also plates protecting his chest and belly beneath his clothes. The armor protected his vital areas while preserving as much mobility as possible.

"Hey, take all your gear off before you rest. You need to wipe it dry," Delphi said as she sorted out her own equipment and belongings.

"Let me rest a little first."

"Honestly. What would you do without me..."

Even as she said it, Delphi went over and began taking his equipment off for him.

Ricard drew his sword to tend to it first. There was no particular moisture on it, but he wiped it down with a towel before carefully applying camellia oil. Marie and Boribori did the same.

Afterward, as they sat catching their breath, the young clerk spoke.

"Volka, want something to eat?"

"Is there anything left?" Volka asked. Most of the useful supplies had been scraped together and taken away, leaving little in the building.

"Breadcrumb soup with jerky in it. There's a little potato, too."

"That'll do."

The clerk, who had been left to look after the building alone, fetched wooden bowls. Then he lifted the lid of the pot over the fire and ladled out the soup that had been simmering there. He passed out the bowls one by one. Ricard took his, blew on it, and slurped it down.

It was little more than pale gruel with a reasonably salty taste. Rather than something to savor, it was simply something hot to warm his belly.

Halfway through his gruel, Ricard addressed Volka. By now, Volka had stripped to the waist and was toweling himself off, exposing his hairy chest and belly.

"So where are we headed?"

"Kaitz. We'll join up with the Widowmakers clan there. There aren't enough of us to handle a whole sector."

With only four members, the Viola clan was as small as clans came. Large clans could number in the dozens. It was much like the distinction between great nobles such as dukes or grand dukes and lesser nobles. Large clans sometimes held sway over an entire guild. On rare occasions, they even broke away from their guild altogether.

"What's the mission?"

"Nothing much. Guarding a route."

"Sounds like the fighting hasn't really started yet?"

"I've heard about clashes here and there, but it sounds like our side's only taken a few casualties. All the guilds seem to be feeling things out."

"Feeling what out?"

"They need to figure out who's a friend and who's an enemy first, don't they?"

Guilds could form alliances with one another. Of course, whether an alliance could be trusted was for the Guild Master to judge.

"So war is certain, but no one knows when it'll start in earnest."

"Yeah. But the signs have definitely been bad lately. More and more armed men are hanging around."

"What are these Widowmakers like?"

"A fiery bunch. Trouble is, they're stupid."

Delphi, who was maintaining Volka's equipment for him, answered for him as well.

"Ice is nearby, too. I hear he's already killed five enemies. That makes him their number-one target now."

"Well, if it's Ice, I can believe it."

"Ice..."

Hearing the name of the boy she had been compared to without even knowing him, Marie murmured to herself without thinking. Volka and Delphi turned toward her.

"Marie, right? Sorry it took so long to introduce myself. I'm Volka."

"I'm Delphi. Nice to meet you."

"Hello. I'm Marie. Riki and Bori have told me a lot about you."

"No need to be formal. We could die any day, so why stand on ceremony? We only just graduated ourselves."

"Volka, you make everything sound so bleak. Come here. I'll brush your hair."

Comb in hand, Delphi moved behind Marie.

"Pardon? Oh, thank... thank you..."

"Don't mention it. And relax around us."

After tending to Volka's equipment for him, Delphi had come over to comb Marie's wet hair. She really was a kind person, always looking after others before herself. She had seemed rather boisterous at first.

Warming himself by the fire, Ricard spent a little while recalling the days they had shared. Then he turned toward Volka.

"But Volka."

"Yeah? Go ahead."

"Do you think this war is worth fighting? Or are you just doing it because you belong to the guild?"

"No."

"Then why?"

"If we get new territory to operate in, won't we need new branch heads? I can't spend my whole life being a swordsman sent here and there whenever someone calls. I've got to start laying the groundwork to settle down. Honestly, the north isn't my first choice, but you've got to seize an opportunity when it comes."

"You think they'll make you a branch head when the war's over?"

"Who knows what the higher-ups will do? I make my living by the sword anyway. It's not like there's much else I can do. Once I've saved enough money, I'll clear some vacant land and build a manor of our own. I'll live there with Delphi until I'm old and dead."

"..."

Delphi said nothing as she combed Marie's hair. She offered none of her usual playful reproaches. Her face merely reddened a little.

"You sound like a grown-up, Volka," Boribori said over his second bowl of pale gruel.

Volka simply tipped his head back over the chair again and chuckled.

"I've got to look after you lot, too. Believe it or not, I am the leader of the Viola clan. If you really have nothing better to do someday, come plow the fields on our estate."

This time, Ricard chuckled. Volka really did have a strong sense of responsibility, just as he had back at the academy.

"Let's get some rest here and leave in the morning. Wash up if you want. It'll be cold water, of course, but you know this isn't the time to be fussy."

Following Volka's suggestion, they warmed themselves a little longer before Ricard, Boribori, and Volka went out to the well in the backyard.

The boys washed by pouring water over themselves, while the two girls filled a tub, though they could not heat the water. Afterward, they left their clothes to dry by the fire and split up into separate empty rooms for the boys and girls to catch a little sleep.

The rain drumming against the roof and windows made an excellent lullaby. Their sleep was brief but deep.

PITTER-PAT. PITTER-PATTER. PITTER-PAT...

In the morning, they gathered their equipment and belongings and stepped outside to find a clear sky awaiting them.

"Take care, all of you," the young clerk said.

It was admirable of him to look after the building alone. Of course, his job was only to dust and clear away cobwebs, not fight off enemies.

The rain-soaked world looked fresher than usual, but the ground was muddy. Things improved once they left the city and took to the fields. Following Volka and Delphi, the party headed southwest. Kaitz was an uninhabited stretch of high ground.

There was, however, a defensive tower that had long since outlived its purpose and fallen into ruin. Occupying it allowed a force to exert control over the surrounding area. They could descend from the heights at any moment to raid the road, making travel itself difficult for anyone who failed to secure the position.

In short, it was an important stronghold.

Volka led the way, scanning their surroundings, while Ricard brought up the rear. Even with only five people, they maintained something of a formation.

The land was wide open in every direction, but that only called for greater caution. Plains were not truly flat everywhere. Slight rises and dips created places invisible from a distance that only came into view up close. Grass growing in spring and summer made it even easier to hide. Enemies could lie in such places and ambush them, so they had to watch their surroundings even on open ground.

Ricard kept his senses sharp as they traveled, but nothing caught his keen attention. They pressed on, reaching gently sloping ground covered in short grass and jutting, uneven rocks by late afternoon. This was where Kaitz began.

Having made it this far safely, however, they ran into five or six people. The mountainside had hidden them until they rounded it. They were armed, each with a distinctive assortment of equipment chosen for familiarity. They were plainly adventurers.

The two groups were roughly forty or fifty meters apart. Near, in one sense, and far in another. Far enough to pass by without acknowledging each other. Too far for a surprise attack. Close enough to hear a shout.

In other words, it was an awkward distance, the result of neither side knowing the other was there until they met.

"Hey!"

"Who are you with?"

The other party shouted first. Should they fight here, or ignore them and keep climbing?

Volka immediately looked up the path toward the defensive tower. More people had appeared without his noticing, blocking their way. They were quietly watching what was happening below.

Just as the lack of an answer to their question was about to make the enemies suspicious, Ricard hurriedly shouted,

"Brabant!"

Along with Beringen, the Brabant Guild was one of the guilds closest to the central north. Thinking on his feet, Ricard had called out its name because he believed the two could never be on the same side. The reasoning itself was sound, but the lie was flimsy.

"Brabant? Is Brabant coming too? Hey! Not your guild! Tell us your clan!"

It looked as though deception was out of the question.

"Let's head up. Volka, clear a path. I'll take the rear," Ricard said, quietly enough that only his companions could hear.

"Yeah."

Volka nodded. There was no time to discuss it. They could not run away, either. Shaking off pursuit would be more dangerous and difficult. Better to break through ahead and quickly join the Widowmakers clan at the tower.

Without waiting for any further agreement, Volka calmly started up the path. Neither side had drawn a blade yet. Once he had closed some of the distance, the people above realized something was wrong.

"Come no closer. We'll consider you hostile."

"Hey! You there! Put down your weapons!"

"These bastards are from Beringen!"

At that, Volka charged like a bull at the enemies above. They were evidently no mere novices, bringing swords and maces to bear in an instant. An enemy swung a sword at Volka as he led the charge. He deflected it with his armored left arm and simply slammed into the man.

THUD!

Slipping one arm between his opponent's legs, he hoisted the man bodily into the air and hurled him onto the slope where the other enemies stood.

"Whoa!"

"Damn it!"

"Stop them! Don't let them get up there!"

The man Volka threw sent several enemies tumbling down, but those still on their feet desperately tried to stop Ricard's party. Volka drew a short, broad-bladed sword from his waist and fought with relentless aggression, closing in to punch, grapple and throw, or stab with his sword.

His rough style inevitably left a few openings, but Delphi covered them superbly. In one brief, furious clash, Volka broke through.

Marie and Boribori hurried after him. Ricard followed last, his scabbard slung diagonally across his back, when an enemy came sprinting up and tried to stab him from behind. As though he had eyes in the back of his head, Ricard suddenly spun around and swung his sword.

CLANG!

The enemy's sword broke. Ricard's meteoric-iron sword sliced through the man's jaw and throat in the same stroke.

"Gurk!"

One man had fallen, but two more rushed Ricard from either side while the broken sword was still in the air. Their attacks came a fraction apart. Ricard met the first strike from his right by pushing his sword straight forward into it.

CLANG!

Metal rang again. As the attack from his left sliced through empty air, Ricard turned his wrist to circle his blade out of the bind, then immediately swung.

WHOOSH!

The enemy close to him lost his head, while the one on his left had his throat severed. A single stroke had cut down both men. Only then did the broken blade spinning through the air strike a rock.

CLANG!

The pursuing enemies faltered at what had happened in the blink of an eye. Ice was making a name for himself for killing five enemies, yet Ricard had cut down three the moment he arrived.

Standing on the gentle slope with his bloodied sword in hand, Ricard looked down at his enemies. His red cloak stirred in the breeze. One of them seemed to realize something at the sight. He pointed at Ricard and shouted.

"You! The red cloak! Red Cloak Riki!"

"You know me?"

Ricard, who had killed three men in an instant, sounded bewildered. But the man did not answer. Instead, he ran across the upland field, shouting like a shepherd raising the alarm at the appearance of a wolf.

"It's Riki! It's Red Cloak Riki!"

The other enemies fled after him in a rush. Volka and Delphi, still climbing the slope with Boribori and Marie, looked back in confusion. No one was more bewildered than Ricard himself. What was wrong with them?

The enemies kept shouting the same things.

"It's Red Cloak Riki!"

"Riki's here!"

Ricard had no particular desire to chase them, but he was curious whom they were shouting to warn. He ran after them across the upland field. Then, as he rounded the mountainside, he involuntarily sucked in a breath.

"Hah!"

Far below the heights, a crowd that looked well over a hundred strong was milling about. Volka and the others, coming up behind him, were equally shocked by the sight.

"Good God..."

"What is this... Are they fighting an actual war?"

A guild war was different from a real war. It was simply swordsmen killing one another in scattered clashes, with no more than a few dozen people mobilized at most. Guilds varied in size, but even those capable of gathering a hundred or so fighters did not assemble them all in one place like this. In other words, it looked as though several guilds had joined forces.

Whatever the case, things certainly seemed to be taking a serious turn.

The enemies who had encountered Ricard's party kept shouting as they ran toward the mass of adventurers. His name rang out in every direction across the heights.

"It's Red Cloak Riki!"