The Warrior’s Ballad

Translator: Willia

Ricardt, Boribori, and Marie passed through the fields, valleys, and the Kaitz area. When they set out, spring was in full bloom, but before long, the weather had turned humid.

In the North, the temperature remained relatively stable throughout the year. However, that didn’t mean summers weren’t hot or winters weren’t cold.

The scent of grass carried by the wind was strong. Boribori sat in a flower field, closed his eyes, tilted his head up, and sniffed the air.

He was identifying the various plants hidden within the mixture of scents.

“Hmm... this is marigold, this... cornflower, this smells like Ricky, and this... is it gentian?”

While Boribori was doing this, in another flower field, a man and a woman were facing off. It was Ricardt and Marie.

It looked like they were sparring, but since they were holding real swords instead of practice weapons, it seemed rather dangerous.

Marie held her sword lowered to her side while crouching slightly, and Ricardt shifted his body weight back, as if preparing to swing diagonally upward from the lower left.

A cool breeze blew between them, carrying the fragrance of flowers, but it only lightly rustled their hair. Neither the wind nor the scent could shake the two locked gazes.

When people concentrate deeply, they often forget the passage of time. Who knew how long they had stood still? Marie took a bold step forward, then stopped precisely at the edge of the range.

Had she gone just a little further, Ricardt would have counterattacked. But because she held back, Ricardt didn’t react. His precise calculation of distance while remaining still was impressive.

Marie paused like a face hovering above the water, then slowly, as if sinking while holding her breath, stepped into Ricardt’s range with painstaking slowness. She felt every tingling sensation throughout her body as she did so.

Her heart pounded loudly, but her resolve didn’t waver. Her discipline was impressive as well.

That being said, compared to faking movements or charging as fast as possible to attack, this was a rather unique method.

Marie attacked, but in truth, she aimed to provoke Ricardt’s strike and counterattack.

Because of her approach, the sparring felt like a silent invitation: 'Why don’t you show your hand first?'

The gap between them narrowed further. If this were a real fight for survival, it would have been incredibly dangerous.

At this point, maintaining composure was absolutely crucial. One couldn’t be impatient, but neither could they be lax. Like the surface of a mirrored lake, one had to react to the slightest ripple.

Ricardt and Marie seemed to be waiting for each other's attack, and the distance between them shrank to just three steps.

Now it was time to strike. A counterattack wouldn’t matter, hesitation would cost her. A ripple of anxiety spread across Marie’s otherwise mirror-like composure. It was faint, but she hesitated.

That was when Ricardt moved. He swiftly stepped to the right, and though Marie was no ordinary fighter, she reacted in an instant, swinging her sword like lightning to cut off Ricardt’s path while simultaneously preparing to attack.

Whish!

The sound of slicing air and grass echoed as Ricardt twisted his upper body further to the right, narrowly dodging. Then, he closed the distance in one stride. He grabbed Marie’s wrist, which held the sword hilt, firmly.

Marie summoned her mana to resist, but Ricardt knew how to use an opponent’s strength against them. In truth, he didn’t even need to; he simply hooked her leg and swept it out from under her.

With a sharp motion, he knocked her supporting leg away, and Marie’s body tilted back as her upper body twisted. Ricardt caught her back before she hit the ground.

Oddly, it ended up looking like a dance move, with Ricardt and Marie’s faces suddenly very close to each other.

At that moment, Marie’s heart dropped for an entirely different reason, and her will to continue fighting evaporated.

“You were too close.”

Ricardt smiled and said.

"Y-you're the one who's too close!"

"Hmm? Ah, that's not what I meant."

Ricardt helped her up again and returned his sword to its sheath. Meanwhile, Marie adjusted her appearance for no particular reason.

“You’ve improved a lot. But in the end, it’s about your mind. You did well, but at the last moment, your mind wavered.”

Ricardt had pinpointed Marie’s impatience and anxiety that caused her focus to falter. In truth, he could have overpowered her much earlier, but he had been testing her.

"Being able to control your mind to that extent might make you inhuman."

"Maybe so."

“By the way, will I really not be able to beat you before you graduate?”

Ricardt’s graduation was fast approaching. At the earliest, it was two to three months away, and at most, five months.

“Well, I guess it depends on you, Marie.”

"But how do you think you'd feel if I really beat you?"

“I don’t think I’d care much.”

“Why? Wouldn’t you feel frustrated or competitive?”

“In a real fight, life and death are on the line. There’s no room for pride or competitiveness. Sparring is just an imitation of real combat, so I don’t think it’s that helpful. A person only truly reflects on themselves when they’re faced with the feeling of death.”

Ricardt spoke while gazing across the fields. The green plains stretched endlessly to the horizon, dotted with flowers in red, yellow, and white blooming abundantly.

The flowers and grass swayed gently in the wind, with butterflies and bees flying above them.

Though the weather was humid, the wind made it bearable.

“But I...”

“Hmm?”

Marie seemed like she wanted to say something, but she only hesitated, unable to speak in the end.

She had a mission, though it wasn’t exactly an official one. Either defeat Ricardt or seduce him into marriage. Achieving one of the two would allow her to gain true freedom.

Defeating Ricardt seemed impossible, even to her. The only real possibility was winning his heart.

However, Ricardt was someone who didn’t believe in love. Marie knew that better than anyone.

But when she thought about it more deeply, she felt ashamed of herself. Whether it was defeating him or winning his heart, it was ultimately just a means to gain her freedom.

Did that mean she had to abandon her desire for freedom?

It was too big of a burden for a young girl to bear.

"Are you done sparring?"

Boribori, who had been sniffing the flowers, asked. Ricardt, wearing his red cloak and slinging his sword over one shoulder, said to Marie,

“Let’s go.”

Marie let out a long sigh and prepared to move.

Then, suddenly, Boribori approached Marie and began sniffing her.

“What?”

“Hmm, Marie smells like gentian flowers. How interesting. I got confused for a moment.”

Ricardt and Marie chuckled, finding it rather amusing.

Beringen was just ahead. Sparring and enjoying the early summer fields were nice, but resting at home was the best.

Beringen was divided into districts - north, south, east, and west. The northern district was where the Nordic settlers lived, the western district was home to the locals who had lived there for generations, the eastern district housed many academy-graduated merchants and artisans, and the southern district was mostly frequented by passing travelers.

Though quite some time had passed, and one might expect the people to mix together, they hadn’t. They lived separately, and respecting each other’s boundaries was one way of coexisting. Regardless, that’s how it was.

There wasn’t any outright hostility between the districts, but if someone spoke or acted carelessly in another district, they might find themselves in serious trouble.

Ricardt, Boribori, and Marie were passing through the southern district when they spotted people who seemed ready to cause trouble.

“Hey, you fucking bastard. If you’re going to get drunk, just pass out or die somewhere instead of causing this bullshit trouble, you hear me? Bullshit!”

The man, whose clothes were filthy and stained, with his sleeves rolled up, spoke. He was quite large and seemed to be the tavern owner. The problem was that he was holding a large kitchen knife in his hand.

His opponents appeared to be young men, three in total when counting their friends.

One of them wore a dark blue jacket, while the other two had taken off their jackets and were in plain white shirts.

“When did I cause any trouble!? I just suggested stepping outside for some air!”

“You think we’re scared because you’re holding a knife!?”

“Is the barmaid yours or something!? Are you her pimp!? What’s wrong with talking to her!?”n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

They were like stray dogs barking at a large beast. The scene of these dogs yapping incessantly wasn’t exactly pleasant to watch.

It seemed the problem had something to do with a female worker. Wherever you went, matters of money and women often drove men to destruction.

In any case, the large man had an even more powerful weapon than the knife to end the argument quickly.

“She’s my wife, you bastards!”

With that single statement, the Academy students who had been barking like dogs immediately shut their mouths.

However, after exchanging glances, they started spouting nonsense.

“She looked young.”

“Did you kidnap her?”

“You probably threatened her to keep her here.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t make sense otherwise.”

They seemed to deny the man’s words while desperately searching for another excuse to keep the fight going. Meanwhile, people from the southern district began gathering slowly. Some were even holding clubs.

This was what “getting into trouble” looked like. If the locals swarmed and started beating someone, it could end in serious injury, or even death.

Yet, the students didn’t seem to realize their situation and prepared to lunge at the tavern owner again.

That was when Ricardt stepped forward.

“Hey, enough.”

Everyone at the scene turned to look at Ricardt. Several pairs of eyes scanned him up and down, then widened in surprise when they noticed Marie standing beside him, captivated by her exceptional beauty.

Ricardt ignored the reactions and warned them.

“You guys could really end up dead if you keep this up. Go back.”

The response, however, was unexpected.

“And who the hell are you?”

“Seems like every dog and cow wears a red cloak these days.”

“Don’t you see this jacket? We’re students of the Great Beringen Academy. At the Academy, we have 200 comrades waiting for us.”

The Great Beringen what? Comrades? Ricardt frowned as if he’d bitten into something bitter. He had no idea what nonsense they were spouting.

On top of that, it seemed these students didn’t recognize him. Ricardt had been away for a few months, so these were likely newcomers who had joined during his absence.

But were the newbies always this full of themselves?

“I’m giving you fair warning, back off while I’m being nice. Look around you.”

At Ricardt’s advice, the students finally looked around. People with dangerous expressions were gathering from every alleyway, creating an ominous atmosphere.

It was only then that the students began to feel a jolt of fear, and their confidence faltered. But even in their panic, they clung to their pride until the end.

“H-Hmph! I just remembered something important.”

“Y-Yeah. We’ve got somewhere to be.”

“The next time we come back, we’ll bring our comrades, so be ready for us!”

With that, they fled in a hurry. Ricardt could only shake his head in disbelief.

He turned to the tavern owner and apologized on their behalf.

“Sorry about that. I don’t think the kids are all that bad, they just need some guidance.”

“Hmph...”

In truth, there wasn’t a single tavern owner or local resident who didn’t know who Ricardt was. In fact, they were the ones who knew all too well how terrifying Ricardt could be.

Fortunately, as the students retreated, the residents who had begun gathering also dispersed.

“Has the guild war ended?”

The tavern owner asked. They weren’t particularly close, but they knew each other by face.

“They’re still in the middle of ceasefire negotiations.”

"Everyone's heard about what happened in Kaitz. There's no one who doesn't know."

“It was just a crazy fight. What's all this about, anyway?”

“While you were gone, some lunatic named Kali ended up as the leader. They’re not extorting merchants or robbing money like before, but now they’re roaming around in gangs, stirring up trouble here and there. Everyone’s got their shoulders puffed up too much these days.”

Kali was the nickname for Karllich, as people often referred to him.

The term leader was something the local residents used because they didn’t fully understand the Academy. They viewed it as some kind of militant group.

They weren’t mercenaries, nor were they adventurers, they were just bands of young brats roaming around in groups. That’s why they called any student who seemed to be at the top of the hierarchy or leading the group a “leader”.

“I’m sorry. I’ll look into it.”

“Alright, thanks.”

Ricardt apologized on behalf of the students, settled the situation, and then began heading toward the eastern district, where the guild building was located.

“What’s with all this mess?”

Boribori spoke, clearly baffled.

From the fact that they didn’t recognize Ricardt, it was obvious they were new students. When he was a rookie, things like this were unthinkable. Back then, all he could do was stay quiet, stuck in the 'henhouse', watching his back and getting beaten up.

“They seemed pretty united, considering all that talk about comrades.”

Marie said. She hadn’t been at the Academy for long, but she knew enough about its general atmosphere.

Students usually banded together in small groups and were highly individualistic. So, the term comrades felt out of place to her.

“Yeah, unity... great.”

Ricardt said with a sigh.

Starting with him, the Academy had been changing far too quickly. And with change always came side effects.

The uniforms Ricardt had bought for the students instilled a sense of pride and unity among them. Karllich had been the most vocal in fostering that sense of camaraderie. But when taken too far, this was the result.

In less than two years, so much had changed, and things were continuing to change at an even faster pace, so fast that even Ricardt struggled to keep up.

At this point, he couldn’t even tell what was happening anymore.