The Warrior’s Ballad

Chapter 69

Translator: Willia

His palm stung. There was a small blood stain on the bandage, but it hadn't spread further.

Ricardt thought about Marie. Yet no matter how much he thought, he couldn’t understand. Was it pity? Sympathy? Guilt? Interest? Love? He didn’t know.

Would he find the answer if he took time to think carefully? Ricardt could only conclude that he really knew nothing about love.

Love could bring joy, pain, happiness, and sorrow.

It was more unpredictable than fire and much hotter. Loving someone was like scorching your entire heart in flames. That was why Ricardt couldn’t understand it.

“Chomp chomp chomp chomp chomp!”

The sound of someone devouring food interrupted Ricardt’s thoughts. He looked up and stared at the person sitting across the table.

He’d seen Sally eat before, but this wasn’t eating, it was more like massacring food.

Boribori and Delphi stared blankly at her with expressions that seemed to say, What kind of person eats like that?

She was quite pretty, but her cheeks were puffed out like a chipmunk as she frantically stuffed food into her mouth. It was bizarre, like she was possessed by a ghost who’d starved to death. The strangest part was that, despite eating so much, she still had such a slender figure.

Anyway, Sally kept eating like a madwoman for a while before downing a bowl of cold soup in one gulp. Then she leaned back against her chair and let out a loud burp.

“Buuuuuurp! Oh, that hit the spot.”

“......”

“Hmm, so where was I?”

“You said you’ve become the new guild master.”

Delphi said. Ricardt tilted his head and asked.

“What about Dunkel? Did he die?”

“Yeah, that moron, I killed him. And now I’m the guild master.”

It wasn’t true, it was just a mischievous joke. But since she said it with such a straight face, it wasn’t very funny.

It seemed like Sally had been set up as some sort of puppet leader. During the war, Dunkel’s identity had been exposed.

That much was obvious even without anyone explaining it.

"Then, is there nothing specific for us to do?"

“No, there is. When you graduate from the academy, everyone has to take on their first guild assignment. It’s the first and last test, you could say? It’s how we roughly decide your rank. But since you two already have ranks, let’s see here.”

Ricardt and Boribori were already senior adventurers. During their time as students, it was provisional, but now that they had graduated, they were officially senior adventurers.

Sally pulled a stack of cards from her pocket. With skillful hand movements, she quickly flipped through them, “shak shak shak”, and selected three cards in an instant.

She pushed the empty plates and bowls to the side and placed the three cards face-down on the table.

“One’s easy, one’s difficult, and the last one’s dangerous. Which one do you want?”

“What’s the easy one?”

Ricardt asked.

“I can’t tell you the details until you accept the assignment. That’s why the cards are face-down.”

“How hard is the difficult one?”

“I know your skills well. But this one isn’t about swordplay, it's more like manual labor. You’ll have to use your body, which is why it’s tough.”

“And the dangerous one?”

“A slim chance of success. Certain death if you fail.”

Ricardt glanced at Boribori as if to silently ask, What do you think?

“Let’s go with the easy one.”

Boribori said.

“Alright.”

But Sally shook her head.

“Nope. Not how it works. You each have to pick one card. You can’t do this together. You can get help from others or your clan, but since you two graduated together, you can’t work together on this. It’s kind of a test, you know?”

At that, Ricardt unhesitatingly picked the easy card and handed it to Boribori. Then he picked the dangerous card for himself.

"Ah, uh......"

Boribori looked a little flustered, but Ricardt had already flipped over his card.

<Special Request: Eliminate High-ranking Vampire Armand von Banstein

Client: Count Reman von Banstein>

As soon as Ricardt confirmed it, Sally quickly snatched the card away and burned it in the candle flame. She left Boribori’s card untouched because it was just a simple escort job for a merchant caravan.

“What’s the reward?”

Ricardt asked calmly.

“They said it’s not money but a tangible item.”

“What is it?”

“The Holy Oil of Ilya.”

Ricardt and Boribori looked at each other simultaneously. They had talked about that at the Academy today. The story of a warrior who lived as a cripple from birth until the age of thirty.

“That sounds like bullshit.”

“Try saying that to the count’s face.”

“Does that thing even exist in reality?”

“I don’t know either.”

It was hard to believe since it was an object mentioned only in legends.

“Hmm, but do I have to go alone for this?”

“You can take one person you trust. But try to keep this as quiet as possible. I trust you'll handle it well. But, do you know just how dangerous this is?"

“You told me to choose.”

“Well, yeah, but… you’re way too calm. It’s like you don’t realize how serious this is. You should’ve just picked the difficult one.”

Sally had warned that the success rate was slim and failure meant certain death, but she didn’t expect Ricardt to actually choose it.

Was it confidence stemming from immense skill, or was it just sheer audacity? He didn’t seem arrogant, though.

“If you were so concerned, you should’ve just assigned me the easy one.”

“Well, that wouldn’t be any fun.”

“That’s true.”

Whether it was his skill or his boldness, Ricardt was extraordinary. But Sally wasn’t exactly a normal person either.

Maybe because she wasn't Dunkel, Sally seemed like a rather reckless person. Someone who just did things based on interest.

Realistically, special requests were rarely accepted by guilds. The term “special” essentially meant the difficulty couldn’t even be classified, and so such requests were often ignored.

Simply put, special requests were tasks beyond human capability.

“Then, I don’t need to start immediately, right?”

"Right. First, discuss it well with your clan leader. Giving up the request is also an option. Just let me know. If you really decide to take on the request, I’ll provide an advance payment.”

One way or another, Ricardt was part of a clan. A clan would ultimately decide where an adventurer went; the guild couldn’t dictate that. It was like a feudal system.

However, only the first assignment after graduating from the academy was uniquely managed by the guild. Normally, the request would go to the clan leader, who would either assign it directly or discuss the matter first.

Ricardt had some light conversation with Sally and then got up from his seat.

“I’ll get going.”

“Congratulations.”

“For what?”

“For becoming an adventurer. Surviving the academy alone is impressive enough.”

Sally seemed to be thinking of the academy back when violence ran rampant, when students ended up taking their own lives, or were forced into dangerous missions.

But the academy was different now compared to Sally’s time, when Ricardt first entered, or even now.

Ricardt smiled faintly and shook his head.

“It’s not like the old days anymore.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll get going. I’m sure I’ll see Dunkel again someday.”

Ricardt left the guild building with his friends, Boribori and Delphi. Then, they went to visit Molty and Lara, who had chosen to give up adventuring and start a family instead.

From the two, Ricardt received genuinely celebratory news. They had a baby.

For Ricardt, the sight of their child was a bit of a shock. It was hard to believe, almost surreal. It felt strange, but also fascinating and astonishing.

Molty and Lara seemed happy despite their humble circumstances, and they were also acknowledged and welcomed by the surrounding Nordic settlers as respected neighbors.

The five of them sat in Molty and Lara’s modest home, sharing old stories. Time flew by, and before they knew it, evening had fallen.

So, with no other choice, Ricardt, Boribori, and Delphi headed back to the guild building to spend the night.

Ricardt quietly looked down at the baby sleeping soundly in the cradle before he left. He still couldn't believe it. The baby's very existence felt like a miracle.

Marie suddenly came to mind, but Ricardt turned his head away.

When he tried to sleep in the guild building, he oddly couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. He struggled to calm the inexplicable torment in his heart, but there was no escape.

It’ll pass. It will pass.

On the way to Ernburg, nothing significant happened. Ricardt simply enjoyedthe browns and yellows of autumn as he walked leisurely, taking his time.

When they arrived at the Ernburg branch, despite not seeing each other for just three or four months, given how harsh the world was, everyone had smiling faces just from reuniting safely.

"Volka, you've totally become like a branch manager?"

Ricardt said with a laugh. To be fair, Volka did seem to have gained some weight. After all, being a branch manager meant more time sitting at a desk than working in the field.

It was only natural to gain weight if you weren’t exercising. Most of the work involved assigning tasks to adventurers and carefully managing the finances.

"Reminds me of the Torveil branch manager from before."

Boribori chimed in. Alter, the branch manager in Torveil, was someone who had given various orders when they were chasing deserters. But to Ricardt and Boribori, he looked more like a neighborhood uncle than an adventurer.

Volka wasn’t quite at that level yet, but his figure seemed to be heading in that direction.

“Hehehe, honestly, it was only troublesome at the start. Why didn’t I do this sooner? It’s great.”

Volka grinned shamelessly, showing no pride whatsoever. Well, he looked happy, so Ricardt supposed that was a good thing.

“Geez, if you have nothing to do, get up and haul some barrels of ale or something.”

Delphi, always diligent, had unpacked her belongings the moment she arrived, rolled up her sleeves, and got to work. She cleaned tables and polished cups and utensils.

While doing so, she also introduced the kids the branch had hired. At that moment, the children were busy fetching water, moving laundry, and doing other chores, so they didn’t come over to greet Ricardt and Boribori. From afar, they simply stared curiously while walking past.

“I’ll introduce them. That one’s Roke, that one’s Remy, and that one’s Rona. I think Elga stepped out for a moment.”

They all looked about ten years old.

“What about Benny?”

“She’s still too young.”

“These kids look pretty young, too.”

“But they’re over ten.”

“What about Ice?”

“He’s starting to grow a belly like me.”

Volka added.

“What did you say?”

“Just kidding. He’s probably in my room doing the books. Even with all that sitting, his stomach’s still flat, unlike mine. Anyway, unpack your stuff. Honey! Bring us some ale!”

Volka called out, looking at Delphi at the end. Did the two of them get married?

It had only been a few months, but Ricardt felt like he needed some time to adjust to the changes.

After unpacking their belongings in the room he shared with Boribori, Ricardt stepped out and knocked on Volka’s door. When he opened it, he saw Ice sitting at a desk, really working on the accounts.

“Oh?”

Ice’s eyes widened in surprise. Somehow, his expressions seemed to be becoming more expressive over time.

"We're here! Come out. Let's talk for a bit."

At Ricardt’s invitation, Ice smiled faintly and stood up from his seat.

The branch was full of other adventurers, but Ricardt’s Viola Clan was the core clan. In other words, they were practically the owners of this building and, in feudal terms, the ruling family of Ernburg.

Once Ricardt, Boribori, Volka, and Ice gathered in front of the fireplace, Delphi arrived carrying four wooden cups filled with ale.

“I’m deducting this from your request commissions, got it?”

“Seriously?”

When Delphi mentioned the drinks would be deducted from their pay, Boribori’s eyes widened in disbelief. Delphi simply raised her eyebrows slyly and walked off again.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I’ll pay, so just drink up.”

Volka said.

“So, we do have to pay for it, huh?”

“Nothing in this world is free. Becoming a branch manager turns you into a cheapskate, whether you like it or not.”

“Are there a lot of adventurers gathered here?”

“More or less. Most of them are wanderers, but a few are decent. At this rate, I might even end up as a clan master.”

A clan master was someone who commanded several clans under their authority. Of course, this didn’t mean subordinate clans would always obey the clan master; it all depended on the individual’s capability.

“The more clans you command, the bigger your belly’s going to get.”

“Hehehe, I don’t mind if my belly grows.”

Volka didn’t seem lazy, he must have worked hard in his own way, but he genuinely looked satisfied with his current life.

"But didn't you guys receive your 'first' request?"

Ice asked, sipping his drink.

“Yeah. It’s not an issue for me, but it seems like there’s a problem with Ricky’s request. Even though she assigned the request, Sally told him not to do it."

Boribori said, pointing to Ricardt sitting beside him. At the mention of Sally, Volka scowled deeply.

“That gluttonous old woman is still acting as guild master? Damn it, she’s ruined my drink.”

“What’s wrong with her?”

“That woman has no sense at all. Last time, she gave overlapping requests to two branches, and it nearly turned into a bloody mess. We fought so hard to win the war, and then she pulls this kind of crap? Seriously. Why the hell did Dunkel leave that woman in charge and disappear?”

“So, what’s the request about?”

Ice asked.

“I don’t know if I should say, but you guys keep this to yourselves. It’s a special request: killing a high-ranking vampire.”

When Ricardt said this, Volka froze mid-sip. He didn’t spit out his drink; instead, it slowly dripped down the side of his mouth. Ice’s expression gradually reverted to what it used to be in the old days at the mention of the word 'special'.