Chapter 66

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Since the walk from Beringen to the academy usually took six hours, Ricard, Boribori, and Marie decided to spend a day resting at the guild building.

It was something they always did after finishing their work away from the academy: enjoy a leisurely wash in warm water, then sleep without a care in the world in clean bedding.

As they approached the guild building, however, they saw quite a few students. Their uniforms made them instantly recognizable.

Not one of them was wearing the uniform properly. Some had their jackets draped over their shoulders without their arms in the sleeves. Others had dispensed with jackets altogether because of the heat and unbuttoned their shirts, exposing far more chest hair than anyone needed to see.

Only their dark blue trousers and matching boots distinguished them from everyone else.

That aside, perhaps it was because the war was not entirely over yet. With the working adventurers absent, there seemed to be an unusual number of students around the guild building. Ordinarily, students were not allowed to come and go as they pleased.

There were exceptions, like Ricard and Volka, but only because Dunkel had given them permission. As they had later learned, he was the Guild Master. With his permission, anything was possible.

Between this and what had happened outside the tavern earlier, Ricard approached the guild building feeling rather bewildered.

All the students turned to look. His different clothing alone apparently marked him as an outsider. Their stares seemed to say, This is our turf. What are you doing here?

One of them openly looked Ricard and his friends up and down before abruptly asking,

"You adventurers?"

Irritated by the student's tone, Ricard frowned slightly.

"... You adventurers? What kind of way is that to ask?"

"I asked if you're adventurers."

"I'm a student, just like you. But that's no way to speak to adventurers. Show some respect. They're all your seniors."

"A student? Are you new? You don't seem to understand. Those so-called seniors left us nothing but the rotten customs of the old days. We're different. We've been reborn."

"...?"

Ricard could make neither head nor tail of this bullshit. He simply blinked, unable to decide whether to get angry or argue. What was this guy talking about?

And it was true that earlier generations had passed down rotten customs, which left him momentarily speechless. The academy really had been a place of rampant violence.

But people who had never experienced it had no idea. Hearing stories simply did not make it real.

"You're pretty well armed. Did you meet up on the way here? That's odd. If you'd sent word ahead, someone would have gone to escort you for safety."

The academy student kept rattling on, making whatever assumptions he pleased. Then Boribori stepped in, though he usually stayed out of things when Ricard was speaking.

"Listen, friend."

"Hmm?"

"If you don't want to fucking die, you might want to talk a little less. We're tired. We'll be going inside now. That's fine, right?"

Boribori said it with the most innocent face imaginable. Ricard turned to him in surprise. What had gotten into him now?

It was good that following Ricard through all sorts of dangerous experiences had helped him mature and learn to speak his mind, but not like this. Had Volka rubbed off on him?

Boribori had not actually unleashed any killing intent, but the student hesitated. They were too well armed for him to dismiss them as mere newcomers, so he could not readily retort.

Leaving him to it, Ricard went inside. Bewildering as all this was, he had come here to rest. He doubted further conversation would lead to anything but mutual incomprehension.

Inside, he noticed that the layout had changed a little. A platform resembling a theatrical stage had been installed against one wall. It was not particularly large.

Here, too, students had practically taken over the building. They were drinking and throwing dice.

"Huh? Riki?"

Fortunately, one of them recognized Ricard. At last.

Once that first student noticed him, heads began turning all around the room.

"Huh?"

"It's Riki."

"It's Riki!"

They crowded around him. Seeing those familiar faces finally made Ricard feel as though he had come home.

"Have you all been well?"

"Is the war over?"

"I heard you killed a hundred men on the Kaitz heights!"

"That's our Riki. That must have taken those Rubens bastards down a peg."

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

His single question about how they had been was met with a torrent of questions. This had happened before, but it was still overwhelming. What was this about killing a hundred men, and what did Rubens have to do with anything?

"A hundred? Hardly. Anyway, it looks like a lot has changed around here. Do you like the clothes?"

"Of course! Our uniforms are our honor and pride. They show we're students of the great Beringen Academy! No other academy has anything like them."

"What, exactly, is this 'great Beringen' business?"

"The great Beringen Academy. We've broken the chains of submission and been reborn. We're all brothers and sisters. We're one. There are no nobles, no bastards. Under Karli's leadership, we're building the academy you wanted, Riki."

Ever since he had arrived in Beringen, Ricard had been unable to understand what the hell anyone was saying. Had they all gone mad? He looked almost ready to cry.

"What are you talking about? I never wanted anything like that."

"But you said we're all just students at the academy, Riki..."

"I just meant you should get along without bullying or discriminating against each other!"

"That's what we're doing."

"Ha... Fine. But what's this about Karli's leadership?"

"If you're our pioneer, Riki, then Karli is our leader, just like we said. He's a wonderful student representative who puts your teachings into practice, brings them to life, and unites the students."

Pioneer? Leader? At this point, Ricard squeezed his eyes shut. Seriously, what the hell were they talking about...?

"Karli's giving a speech tonight. You should listen too, Riki. You'll like it."

"Never mind that. Just get some bathwater ready. Where's the kid who works here?"

He meant the boy who had been looking after the guild building alone when they left the academy to fight in the guild war.

"The kid? Chet?"

The student glanced across the room. Following his gaze, Ricard saw the boy sitting at a table with academy students, drinking and throwing dice. Already pleasantly tipsy, he seemed to be having a wonderful time.

"Heeheehee... Hit the jackpot. I'm rich."

Ricard's eyes widened. He rushed over and overturned the entire table with a crash.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

The startled students looked utterly baffled.

"How could you give a child alcohol?!"

"..."

Everyone stood bewildered by Ricard's sudden outburst. After a brief, awkward silence, someone spoke.

"... Because drinking makes you feel good? And it's even better if everyone feels good together...?"

Even Dunkel had never offered Ricard alcohol, but the students seemed to think there could be nothing wrong with sharing a good thing.

Most of them were ignorant and illiterate to begin with, and they did not seem to understand what was so bad about it.

For the first time in his life, Ricard felt the back of his neck tighten with anger until he was short of breath.

Indifferent adults though they might have been, the working adventurers' absence had left the children in a sorry state.

With adventurers dying on the battlefield and vast sums changing hands every day to fund the war, no one had any attention to spare for the children.

Ricard finally collected himself and spoke as calmly as he could.

"From now on, no drinking until you're adults. No gambling either. If you have a problem with that, say so now. If I catch you doing it, you're fucking dead. Understood?"

The students in the building simply blinked at him. Ignorant though they were, they tended to obey authority and were fairly good at doing what they were told. The trouble was how strangely those instructions became distorted over time.

"Hurry up and take him to bed. No more drinking for the rest of you, either. Go outside and work. If you've got nothing to do, run around and play. If you're going to drink and gamble, get out. All of you, out!"

The students flinched at his shout, then streamed out of the building.

Ricard stood amid the overturned table and scattered mess, breathing hard. All his accumulated exhaustion seemed to hit him at once.

Marie came over and rubbed his back comfortingly.

"This is starting to scare me. It's like they've all gone mad."

"Don't worry. Once the adventurers come back, they'll be quiet as mice. You won't believe the difference."

Boribori was surprisingly relaxed. The students might be a mess, but he thought it would only be temporary.

In the end, Ricard had no choice but to wash in cold water. Marie filled a bathtub and washed separately, and they each went to their rooms and promptly fell asleep.

Yet it felt as though he had only just closed his eyes when the commotion outside woke him from his sound sleep. He could hear loud, raucous voices.

Stepping out of his room, Ricard looked down over the railing and saw the ground floor packed with students. Not only were all the tables occupied, but students were sitting or standing on the floor, crowded into every corner.

The only empty space was the small platform.

"Riki, over here."

Boribori, who must have woken earlier, spotted Ricard and called to him from a corner where he sat with Marie.

In all the deafening commotion, none of the other students even noticed Ricard. He squeezed through the crowd and struggled down the stairs until he reached the shadowy spot beside Boribori.

"What's all this?!"

It was so noisy that he had to shout even though Boribori was right beside him.

"There's going to be a speech!"

"By who?!"

"Karli! They say he's not here yet!"

"Oh, right."

Ricard remembered what he had heard that afternoon. They had said there would be a speech that evening.

Honestly, he was a little curious. Just what sort of bullshit was the fellow going to spout? The nap seemed to have cleared his head somewhat.

Meanwhile, the students kept up their clamor. They seemed to grow louder by the minute, until he wondered whether the noise might bring the building down.

Lit only by lanterns and candles, the hall was rather dim. Yet the students seemed to drive back the darkness with their youthful vigor.

Was that good or bad? Liveliness was good, at least.

The din was beginning to hurt Ricard's ears. Then, just as it reached its peak, the guild building's door opened.

Silence spread through the room like a ripple. Karlich had entered with several students who looked almost like an entourage.

With his hands clasped behind his back, he slowly stepped onto the platform. He surveyed the students, then spoke.

"Welcome, fellow students, my brothers and sisters. It gives me boundless joy to see so many of you here again today."

Karlich was quite solemn. He did not even speak particularly loudly. Only moments ago, people had needed to shout to be heard by the person beside them. Now everyone was listening intently to him alone.

He seemed to savor the music of that silence for a moment before continuing.

"Fellow students. Do you ever find yourselves alone in contemplation? Moments of silence come to us all. I am no exception. Yet when I sit in quiet reflection, I hear a sound. Do you know what it is?"

He put the question to the students.

"Birds chirping?"

"People fucking?"

"Hahaha. I hear those sounds as well, but I mean the sound that comes in utter silence. I hear the clanking of chains. Do you not hear it too?"

This sudden, incomprehensible remark left everyone bewildered. Ricard had wondered before, but was there something wrong with this boy's head?

Then Karlich clenched his fist and abruptly shouted. The sudden change from his quiet delivery made everyone jump.

"It is the sound of our own shackles! The sound of oppression! Of persecution! Of submission! It torments me beyond endurance! Does it not torment you?!"

After that fiery shout, Karlich swept his gaze over the audience and lowered his voice again. The students had been attentive before. Now they listened as though entranced.

"Whether you were born nobles or bastards, you are all the same. You have lived under your families' pressure and contempt. So have I. But even now, after leaving home, do those chains of bondage not still tighten around you? Does an anger you cannot explain sometimes rise within you and weigh you down? We must break these chains! That duty has been given to us!"

CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP!

He raised his voice emphatically once more at the end. Applause erupted. Karlich seemed to enjoy it at his leisure for a while before raising a hand for silence.

"To break those chains, we must fight! And what must we fight against? The ideas embedded in your minds and in the minds of others! Bastard? Second son? What comes to mind when you hear those words? Useless wretch. Someone who should never have been born. Spare part. Goddamned nuisance. Will you let that stand? We must show the world! All of us, united as one! Let us fight against everything that crushes and oppresses us!"

As though intoxicated by his own words, Karlich threw his head far back and spread his arms wide. The students rose to their feet in thunderous applause.

CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP!

The applause was astonishingly loud. It seemed to shake the entire building. Some students pounded their wooden cups against the tables, sloshing ale over the rims.

Even Boribori stood up and clapped enthusiastically. Marie, apparently moved by the speech as well, was applauding beside Ricard. He hurriedly grabbed them both and forced them back into their seats.

"What are you doing? Snap out of it."

"But that was a better speech than I expected."

"Better? It's dangerous."

"How?"

"What's this nonsense about fighting the world? Even if you're going to fight, you need the strength to back it up. One wrong move and everyone could end up dead."

The words might sound good, but they were unrealistic when you actually thought them through. That was what made them dangerous.

Then something unexpected happened. Karlich pointed straight at Ricard and shouted.

"I shall end my speech early today. Because today, we have a very special guest. Our savior! Our pioneer! Our hero! The great champion of the great Beringen Academy! Riki! Please welcome him with a round of applause, everyoooone!"

Ricard was startled. Looking around, he found everyone watching him and clapping as though they meant to set their palms on fire.

CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP!

Never in his life had he experienced anything so absurd. Even Ricard, normally so composed, was too flustered to know what to do. The wordless demand of their applause bore down on him.

"Riki! Riki! Riki! Riki!"

They even began chanting his name.

Unable to stay where he was any longer, Ricard found himself walking through the path the students cleared for him and climbing onto the platform.

Karlich stepped aside, applauding with an immensely satisfied expression. So this was what they meant when they said some lunatic agitator had become the boss.

The dimness inside seemed only to make it easier for the students to get swept up in the atmosphere.

After continuing for some time, the applause finally subsided, and every student's gaze fixed on Ricard. Their eyes were full of anticipation.

Those who knew him watched with smiles, while those who did not gazed at him in admiration.

Now that he was on the platform, Ricard had no idea what to say. He could remain unflinching before enemies whose eyes burned with killing intent in a life-or-death struggle, but this utterly unfamiliar situation overwhelmed him.

The students' expectations were not something he could fight with a sword.

Yet he could not stand there and make things up or say things he did not mean.

And honestly, the academy students' behavior since his arrival in Beringen had been far from admirable. They were united, but they were heading in the wrong direction.

Still, how could he betray those expectant eyes? Every single pair shone as though their owner were welcoming a god.

Even Boribori and Marie had been moved by Karlich's speech. Perhaps Ricard alone had kept his head because he was the only one who had grown up in a happy family.

Yet his memories of his previous life also allowed him to understand the students' feelings.

Time continued to pass as Ricard struggled to decide what to do. The silence dragged on. Sensing something was wrong, the students began to murmur.

Then Ricard spoke. Feeling that the occasion called for a certain formality, he unwittingly adopted a strange manner of speech.

"I, Riki, am disappointed in you students."

A simple wave would have sent them wild, but that one sentence silenced them so completely that not even a breath could be heard.

The anticipation in their eyes turned to bewilderment. Like lost sheep, they seemed unsure how to react. Was this a joke? Were they supposed to laugh?

Ricard, on the other hand, finally felt the pressure lift once those words left his mouth. He slowly surveyed the students filling the guild headquarters.

He could almost see their anxiety, their bewilderment, and their pent-up anger.