The Warrior’s Ballad
Chapter 101

Translator: Willia

Bremen and his group were suddenly frightened when Ricardt and Marie began to follow them.

They knew he was a decent person, but he was still someone who could slice a person's head with a staff, and that was understandably terrifying.

Why is he following us? Did we do something wrong? Is he aiming for our cattle now? A flood of thoughts crossed their minds.

Everyone looked only at Bremen, wondering what to do. If they were going to run, they needed to do it quickly.

Bremen, who had been at the front of the procession, came to the back and shouted. His voice trembled slightly too.

"Wh-what's the matter!"

From a distance, Ricardt raised his staff as if to say everything was fine. Marie waved her hand in greeting.

Their intention not to harm was clearly conveyed, but it was still scary. That was because he now carried a sword they hadn’t seen before.

Eventually, Ricardt came closer and spoke to Bremen. In his left hand was a sword wrapped in cloth.

“I’m also planning to go to the Eastern Expedition Territory, no, the Frontier. Would it be alright if I came along?”

“...Hmm? Why? No, I mean, it's fine for us, but why go out of your way…”

If someone as strong as Ricardt joined them, it would be more than welcome. However, the question "why" naturally arose.

Everyone else had no choice but to head that way, but Ricardt was the opposite. Despite being able to live peacefully, he wanted to venture into a dangerous and rough world.

“I want to see with my own eyes whether there really is something worthy of being the last hope. I can’t tell just by herding sheep, right?”

“......”

Since that was how he felt, there was no room for rebuttal, but it was still hard to understand. Honestly, the very act of slicing someone's head with a wooden stick was already beyond comprehension.

Anyway, whether they understood or not, if Ricardt asked to come along, they had no right or strength to refuse. Of course, it wasn’t like Ricardt was threatening them.

People were confused and frightened, so no one said anything. Thus, there was neither a welcome nor a cold rejection.

No, there was at least one person who welcomed them. It was Roy. Roy smiled brightly and approached Ricardt.

“Hyung.”

Ricardt pointed to the flower crown on his head and smiled. Roy laughed even more brightly.

“Th-then shall we get going again? Or maybe, say our introductions?”

Bremen looked around at the people and asked. But still, no one could speak.

Only Hartmann stepped forward confidently and said,

“I’m Hartmann. I’ve always wanted to repay your kindness someday. I’m glad the opportunity has come.”

Ricardt looked at him. He seemed like a solid, upright, and gentle person by nature.

Ricardt shook the hand Hartmann offered and said,

“I’m Ricky. Kindness is too much, I'm not even the owner of that land. I hope we get along on the journey.”

Seeing the two young men greet each other peacefully without clashing, the onlookers felt relieved.

“This is my wife, Elia.”

“I’m Beka.”

“And you must be Roy?”

Ricardt already knew, so he patted the boy’s head as he spoke. Roy giggled.

“I’m Ricky’s wife, Marie.”

Marie also stepped forward and introduced herself as Ricardt’s wife, but people seemed a little awkward.

That was because, unlike Ricardt whose outfit was a mismatched combination, Marie was unmistakably a swordswoman.

A deep blue gambeson, tight-fitting pants, long boots, a cloak, and above all, the sword at her waist...

While no one knew the couple’s past, it was clear they were no ordinary people.

The group consisted of the guide Bremen and Hartmann’s family, four siblings who had lost both parents when their father died yesterday, a former prostitute and her baby, and the newly joined couple, Ricardt and Marie.

“If everyone’s done with introductions, let’s get moving again. We’ll head to Wertheim. I’d appreciate it if you two took the rear.”

“Understood.”

Ricardt nodded.

The rear of the procession was the most vulnerable and dangerous position, but for now, Ricardt and Marie were childless and of active age, so it was best for them to take the rear. It was similar to a pack of wolves.

At the center of the formation were the cattle, the four siblings, and Dalia. The front was taken by Hartmann’s family.

The role similar to what the military would call a point man or scout was naturally filled by Bremen, the guide.

They didn’t just bunch together and march aimlessly, but rather formed a sort of organized line as they traveled.

Ricardt walked at the very end, holding a sword in his left hand and a staff in his right.

Then, when the field ended and they reached a road frequented by people, a new feeling of emotion washed over him. They had truly entered the real world.

At that moment, Marie suddenly climbed onto his back.

“My legs hurt.”

Marie would sometimes whine to Ricardt like a child for no reason, and this was one of those times. Ricardt said nothing and just carried her on his back.

For an ordinary person, it would have been extremely exhausting, but Ricardt could carry her without invoking the "wind" and walk all day, no, several days, without rest.

Marie mischievously blew air onto Ricardt’s nape or gently bit it, teasing him. Ricardt just laughed softly in response.

Maybe it was because she hadn’t been loved as a child. Perhaps she was compensating for that lack by clinging to Ricardt in this way.

Ricardt never found it bothersome and accepted it all. In fact, he felt grateful. Because it meant that someone usually armored with dignity and independence sometimes disarmed herself only around him.

At some point, the road changed from grassy to gravel. It looked like a place where a river had dried up long ago, and following the path led them into a gorge.

There were mountains on both sides, though not very high. The problem was that there were people looking down from the top on the right side.

Were they just ordinary travelers, or were they bandits? It was impossible to tell just by looking, and distinguishing between the two was meaningless anyway. On the road, if someone looked vulnerable and the opportunity arose, anyone could turn into a bandit.

The people kept glancing nervously up at the mountains, while Ricardt simply gazed upward calmly. Even from a distance, it was clear that those people had their eyes on the cattle.

And rather than charging in recklessly, they were carefully assessing the group’s strength. How many men there were, what kind of arms they carried.

"Marie, wait a moment."

Ricardt set down Marie, whom he had been carrying, and picked up a suitable pebble among the many scattered along the path. Then, he hurled it straight at one of the watchers above.

The pebble shot through the air in a perfect straight line over the long distance. It struck the head of the man wearing an ill-fitting helmet with perfect accuracy.

Clang!

A crisp metallic sound echoed through the gorge. The man who was hit didn’t die instantly, but the force of the stone twisted his head sideways, and he collapsed. He had been knocked unconscious.

Startled, the people turned to look at Ricardt. Ricardt picked up another stone and hurled it again. The stone flew at an unbelievable speed and this time shattered someone’s jaw.

They might have dodged it, but in the brief moment of thinking “Huh?”, they were struck.

Crack!

Broken teeth scattered through the air. Finally, the onlookers’ eyes widened in shock.

Regardless, as Ricardt picked up another stone and prepared to throw it again, the people on the ridge scrambled like frightened monkeys, dragging their comrades and vanishing beyond the ridge.

Ricardt tossed the stone to the ground with a thud and dusted off his hands. Then he spoke to Rena, the eldest of the four siblings. She looked to be around fourteen or fifteen years old.

“If you’re planning to go a long way, it’s best to sell the cattle except for carrying loads. Especially the calf, it won’t last very long.”

Livestock were strong but surprisingly had less endurance than humans, and they didn’t adapt well to new environments.

They also ate a lot and drank a lot of water, making them unsuitable for long journeys. Cattle were fit for use within a village or to haul heavy loads between villages.

However, perhaps because she had just witnessed Ricardt’s nearly miraculous stone throwing, Rena could only blink.

“Uh, th-that is, I...”

It would’ve made sense for Rena to take Ricardt’s advice, but she didn’t seem too willing.

“Do you have a reason?”

“W-well, the cow was bought with our mother’s life... Our father told us never to sell it...”

The price of a life. It seemed like there was quite a painful story behind this. But Ricardt didn't pry into the painful details. He simply spoke.

"If you meet your mother because of the cow, she will be sad. But if you arrive safely at the Eastern Frontier, she’ll be happy. It’s your choice. But if you insist on bringing the cow, I can’t guarantee your safety.”

Ricardt spoke somewhat coldly. But what could he do? That was reality.

No matter how strong Ricardt was, he couldn’t chase away every fly or mosquito that gathered.

In chaos, someone might die, and if that happened, the youngest kids were the most likely to be the victims. He couldn’t control every variable.

“......”

Rena and the rest of the four siblings looked worried and gloomy, deep in thought. Rena was only about fourteen or fifteen years old, yet had to take care of her three younger siblings, her future felt hopeless.

In any case, if not for Ricardt, they all might’ve perished in that gorge. And likely because of the cow.

In a way, it wasn’t just the siblings’ personal issue, it could become a burden on the whole group.

After all, banditry, when you think about it, was also a dangerous and difficult task. Unless someone was desperate, they didn’t just attack anyone without a good reason.

But a cow, was a clear and valuable prize. It was like walking naked among starving wolves, asking to be eaten.

In this era, if you wanted to have more, you had to be that much stronger. No one guaranteed your property rights.

Thanks to Ricardt, however, the group was able to keep moving without stopping, and by the time they exited the gorge, they could see Wertheim in the distance. The sunset blazed red in the western sky.

But strangely, there were so many outsiders gathered that they far outnumbered the locals, and many couldn’t even enter the city.

Outside the city, people camped in droves like ants, living under tents.

Where there were people, there were needs; and thus, there were merchants catering to them. Those with skilled hands made and sold crafts or built homes and settled in.

Half the people looked like beggars. The other half were barely better. Among them, a few had accumulated wealth, and most of those were part of criminal groups.

Of course, under these circumstances, it was hard to tell what counted as a crime and what preserved order.

In the end, Ricardt’s group couldn’t enter the city either. It was getting late, anyway.

Now the question was, where should they set up camp? Places like this always had someone claiming territory. Invading someone’s space, even unknowingly, could lead to serious trouble.

Fortunately, Bremen wasn’t a guide for nothing. It seemed he had a few connections.

After speaking with someone, he arranged a spot for the group to set up camp. They unpacked and lit a fire. Finally sitting or lying down to rest, their weary bodies felt like they were melting. It even started to feel like home.

There was a reason why travelers said the sky was their roof. When you were exhausted, sitting just anywhere felt like heaven.

Ricardt hung the flower crown on his sword hilt and warmed himself by the fire. But the four siblings were nowhere to be seen. More precisely, Rena and her sister were missing.

The third child and the youngest were preparing the meal with their tiny hands, moving heavy things for their older sisters.

Once the sun had fully set, Rena and the second sister returned. Hartmann, who had just finished eating, glanced at them and asked.

“Did you sell it?”

“Huh? Ah, yes. The shepherd- no, the warrior’s words made sense. We plan to offer half of the cow’s price to God, and we’re thinking about how to use the rest.”

The money they said they offered to God was likely a payment to ease their conscience. So Ricardt didn’t say anything. But Marie was different.

“How much did you get?”

“Pardon?”

“How many cows and calves did you sell, and how much did you get for them?”

“Well, um... We sold one cow for two silver coins, and three calves for six copper coins.”

So they had sold everything except for the one cow they kept for carrying loads. The problem was that the price seemed far too low.

Marie turned to Ricardt and said,

“This doesn’t seem right, does it?”

“Hmm... that’s a bit much.”

It was good that they had decided to sell the cattle, but the price they got was excessively low.

A single cow should have fetched at least ten silver coins, and the calves, appearing to be in good health, should have been worth at least two silver coins each.

Of course, prices vary by region, time, and the condition of the livestock, but two silver coins for a cow? That was daylight robbery.

If they’d told him, he could’ve gone with them. It was unfortunate, but it needed to be corrected right away.

“Who did you sell them to? Take me to them.”

“Huh?”

Ricardt stood, leaving the sword behind and holding only his staff.

“Before I herded sheep, I was a specialist in debt collection. Two silver and six copper coins? That’s ridiculous. Lead the way. Let’s go. Marie, keep watch here for a bit.”

“Okay.”

Ricardt started walking straight into the crowd of people.

From afar, the many campfires and fire pits scattered throughout looked like stars in the night sky.

Rena stood frozen, not knowing what to do, until Ricardt kept getting farther away. In a panic, she dashed into the field of stars. More precisely, she ran toward the brightest star.

****

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