The Warrior’s Ballad

Chapter 66

Translator: Willia

Since it typically takes about six hours on foot to get from Beringen to the Academy, Ricardt, Boribori, and Marie decided to rest for the day at the guild building.

It was something they always did after completing missions. A relaxed bath in warm water, followed by sleeping comfortably on clean bedding.

But as they approached the guild building, they saw quite a lot of students nearby. It was easy to identify them by their uniforms.

However, none of the students were properly dressed in their uniforms. Some wore their jackets draped over their shoulders without putting their arms through the sleeves, while others didn’t wear their jackets at all, leaving the front of their shirts open and exposing their uncomfortable chest hair.

The only thing that distinguished them from others was their dark blue pants and matching boots.

That aside, perhaps it was because the war hadn’t completely ended yet. With no active adventurers around, it seemed like there were especially many students gathered near the guild building. Normally, students were not allowed to enter the guild building freely.

There were exceptions, like Ricardt or Volka, but that was only possible with Dunkel’s permission.

As Ricardt would later learn, since Dunkel was ultimately the Guild Master, everything was possible if he gave his permission.

Just like what had happened in front of the tavern earlier, Ricardt approached the guild building feeling a bit bewildered.

The students all stared at them as they approached. With their attire standing out, it was clear they were being seen as outsiders. Their gazes seemed to say, 'This is our territory. Why are you coming here?'

Someone brazenly looked Ricardt and his friends up and down and abruptly asked.

“Adventurers?”

Ricardt frowned slightly at the student’s tone.

“...Adventurers? What do you mean by that?”

“No, I’m asking if you’re adventurers.”

“I’m a student, just like you. But speaking to adventurers that way isn’t polite. Show some respect. They’re all your seniors, after all.”

“A student? A newbie, huh? You don’t seem to know. Seniors are just remnants of outdated traditions. We’re different from them. We’ve been reborn.”

“...?”

Ricardt blinked, not knowing whether he should be angry or argue back because he couldn’t make sense of what the student was saying. What’s this nonsense?

And while it wasn’t entirely wrong that the older generations had passed down bad traditions, Ricardt found himself at a loss for words. The Academy used to be a place rife with extreme violence, after all.

But people who hadn’t experienced it firsthand couldn’t really understand. Hearing about it was one thing, but experiencing it was entirely different.

“You’re well-armed. Did you join in somewhere along the way? That’s strange. If you’d informed us in advance, someone would’ve gone to escort you for safety.”

The Academy student spoke presumptuously. At this, Boribori, who normally didn’t step in when Ricardt was speaking, suddenly spoke up.

“Hey there, friend.”

“Hm?”

“If you don’t want to get killed, you’d better keep your mouth shut. We’re kind of tired. We’re just gonna pass through. Okay?”

Boribori said this with the most innocent expression in the world. Ricardt turned to him in surprise, wondering why he was acting like this.

It was good that Boribori had grown assertive after going through various tough experiences with Ricardt, but this wasn’t the right way to handle it. Did he pick this up from Volka?

Boribori didn’t exude any particular killing intent, but the student hesitated. Ricardt and his group were well-armed enough that they couldn’t be dismissed as mere newbies, so the student couldn’t rashly say anything further.

Whether or not the student hesitated, Ricardt stepped into the building. As ridiculous as the situation was, they had come here to rest. Ricardt figured that talking further would just lead to more misunderstanding.

But as they entered the guild building, Ricardt immediately noticed that the structure had changed somewhat. A stage, like something from a small theater, had been installed against the wall. It wasn’t very large.

And, as expected, the inside of the guild building was practically occupied by students. They were drinking or playing dice games.

“Huh? Ricky?”

Fortunately, among the students, there was someone who recognized Ricardt. Finally.

Once one person recognized him, heads began to turn here and there, all eyes landing on Ricardt.

“Huh?”

“It’s Ricky.”

“It’s Ricky!”

And then they swarmed around Ricardt.

Seeing the familiar faces, Ricardt finally felt like he had come home.

“How have you all been?”

“Is the war over?”

“They said you killed a hundred people at the Kaitz Highlands, right?”

“As expected of Ricky. That should’ve put the Rubens bastards in their place.”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

The students bombarded him with questions just from a single greeting. It was like this before, too, and it made his head spin. Killing a hundred people? Who were the Rubens bastards now?

"What do you mean a hundred people? Anyway, it looks like this place has changed a lot. Do you like your uniforms?”

“Of course. The uniform is our honor and pride. It shows that we’re students of the Great Beringen Academy. Other academies don’t have something like this.”

"What's this 'Great Beringen' thing about?"

“The Great Beringen Academy. We’ve been reborn, breaking the chains of submission. We are all brothers and sisters now, united as one. No nobles, no illegitimate children. Under Kali’s leadership, we’re creating the Academy you wanted, Ricky.”

From the moment he entered Beringen, Ricardt couldn’t understand whether everyone had gone mad or if they were just spouting nonsense. His face was now close to tears.

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

“But Ricky, didn’t you say back then that everyone at the Academy should be equal students…?”

“No, that just meant stop bullying each other, stop discriminating, and get along!”

“That’s what we’re doing right now.”

“Ha... No, fine. But then, what is this ‘leadership of Kali’ about, huh?”

“If you’re the pioneer, then Kali is the literal leader. He practices and implements your teachings, uniting the students as an excellent student representative.”

Pioneer? Leader? By this point, Ricardt squeezed his eyes shut. Ah, seriously, what are they even saying...?

“There’s going to be a speech by Kali this evening. You should listen to it, Ricky. You’ll like it.”

“Forget that. Just get me some bathwater ready. Where’s that guild clerk kid?”

The guild clerk kid Ricardt was referring to was the child who had stayed behind at the guild building alone when they left for the guild war.

“Clerk kid? Chet?”

The student glanced around. Following that gaze, Ricardt spotted the kid sitting at a table with some Academy students, drinking alcohol and playing dice. The kid already looked tipsy and seemed to be in a very good mood.

“Hehehe… jackpot. This is the best.”

Ricardt’s eyes widened in shock, and he hurried over to the table, flipping it over with a loud crash.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

The startled students looked at him with puzzled expressions.

“How could you let a kid drink alcohol?!”

“...”

The sudden outburst left everyone flustered. After a brief awkward silence, someone finally spoke up.

“...Because drinking makes you feel good? And if everyone feels good together, isn’t that even better…?”

Even Dunkel hadn’t tried to offer Ricardt alcohol, but these students seemed to think good things are just good things.

Most of them were illiterate and ignorant, so they clearly didn’t understand what was harmful or bad.

For the first time in this life, Ricardt felt the back of his head tingle and his breathing grow heavy.

With the adventurers absent due to the war, the state of these kids had fallen into utter chaos, and there were no adults around to care.

On the battlefield, adventurers were dying left and right, and enormous amounts of money were flowing daily for war expenses. There was simply no one paying attention to the kids.

Ricardt barely managed to gather his thoughts and spoke as calmly as he could.

“From now on, drinking is banned until you’re adults. Gambling is banned, too. If you have a problem with that, speak now. If you get caught doing it later, you'll die by my hand. Understood?"

The students inside the building blinked in confusion. Though they were ignorant, they were oddly obedient to authority; if someone told them what to do, they’d usually comply without issue. The problem was how things tended to warp over time.

“Take the kid and put him to bed. The rest of you stop drinking too. Go out and do some work, or if you’ve got nothing to do, go play outside. If you’re going to keep drinking and gambling, then get out. All of you, get out!”

At Ricardt’s shouting, the students flinched and began pouring out of the building.

Ricardt stood amid the overturned and messy space, breathing heavily. It felt as if all the exhaustion that had built up over time was crashing down on him at once.

Marie approached, gently rubbing his back to comfort him.

“This is starting to get a little scary. It feels like everyone’s gone mad.”

“There’s nothing to worry about. Once the adventurers return, they’ll all quiet down as if nothing happened.”

Surprisingly, Boribori remained calm. While the students’ situation looked hopeless, he thought it was only temporary.

In the end, Ricardt had to wash with cold water. Marie bathed separately in a filled bathtub, and soon, they each retreated to their rooms and fell into a deep sleep.

However, it felt as if he had barely closed his eyes when loud commotion outside woke him from his slumber. A clamor of voices filled the air.

When Ricardt stepped outside, he saw that the first floor below the railing was packed with students. Not only were they taking up every seat at the tables, but many were sitting or standing on the floor, crammed into every corner.

The only empty space was the narrow platform at the front.

“Ricky, over here.”

Boribori, who had apparently woken up earlier, called out to Ricardt. He was sitting with Marie in a secluded corner.

The atmosphere was so chaotically loud that the other students didn’t even notice Ricardt. He pushed his way through the crowd, barely managing to make his way downstairs, and sat in the shaded spot next to Boribori.

“What the hell is all this?!”

The noise was so overwhelming that Ricardt had to shout just to be heard by Boribori sitting next to him.

“There’s going to be a speech!”

“From who?!”

“Kali! He’s not here yet!”

"Ah, right."

Ricardt recalled what he had heard earlier in the day, that there would be a speech in the evening.

To be honest, he was a bit curious. He wondered what kind of nonsense this guy would spout. After a bit of rest, his mind felt a little clearer.

The students continued to chatter loudly, and the noise seemed to be growing louder. It was so intense that Ricardt wondered if the building might collapse from the sound.

The room was dimly lit by lanterns and candles, but the students seemed to drive away the darkness with the vigor of their youth.

Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, Ricardt wasn’t sure. It was nice to see energy, but this was too much.

The noise was so deafening that Ricardt’s ears ached. Then, just as the noise reached its peak, the doors of the guild building opened.

Like ripples spreading outward, silence quickly fell over the room.

The person who entered was Karllich, accompanied by a few students who looked like attendants.

Karllich slowly walked with his hands clasped behind his back and ascended the platform. He swept his gaze over the gathered students before opening his mouth to speak.

“Greetings, comrades, brothers, and sisters. I am deeply pleased to see so many of you here today.”

Karllich spoke solemnly, without raising his voice. Just moments ago, everyone had to shout to be heard by the person next to them, but now, all attention was fixed on him.

Karllich seemed to savor the silence for a moment before speaking again.

"My fellow students, do you ever find yourselves lost in thought when you’re alone? Moments of silence can come to us at any time. It’s the same for me. But in those moments of quiet contemplation, I hear something. Do you know what that sound is?”

Karllich posed a question to the students.

“The sound of birds chirping?”

“The sound of rice cakes being pounded?”

“Hahaha, you can hear those sounds, too. But what I mean is the sound that comes in complete silence. I hear the clinking of chains. Do none of you hear it?”

When Karllich began to spout something completely incomprehensible, everyone looked bewildered. Ricardt had thought this before, but now he was certain, is this guy out of his mind?

Then suddenly, Karllich clenched his fist and shouted at the top of his lungs. The abrupt shift from quiet speaking to yelling startled everyone.

“It is the sound of the chains that bind us! The sounds of oppression! Of persecution! Of submission! It torments me to no end! Are you saying it does not torment you?!”

After shouting fiercely, Karllich scanned the crowd before speaking quietly again. The students, who had already been focused, now listened as if they were entranced.

“Whether you are born of nobility or as an illegitimate child, we are all the same. We have lived under the pressure and scorn of our families. I am no different. Yet even now, after leaving those homes, do the chains of that bondage not still strangle you? Does an inexplicable anger not well up inside you from time to time and suppress you? We must break these chains! It is our duty to do so!”

Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!

At his final impassioned shout, a wave of applause erupted. Karllich seemed to enjoy the thunderous clapping for a while before raising his hand to quiet the crowd.

“To break these chains, we must fight! But what do we fight against? We must fight the thoughts planted in people’s minds! Illegitimate child? Second son? What do these words make you think of? Worthless, unwanted, spare parts, damned souls. Will you leave it as it is? We must show the world! We must fight together, as one, against all that oppresses and suppresses us!”

As if drunk on his own words, Karllich leaned his head back dramatically and spread his arms wide. The students immediately stood up, erupting into thunderous applause.

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!

The clapping was deafening, shaking the entire building. Some students banged their wooden cups loudly on the tables, causing the liquor inside to spill over.

Even Boribori stood up and began clapping enthusiastically. Marie, seemingly moved by the speech, clapped beside Ricardt as well. Ricardt quickly grabbed both of them and forced them to sit down.

“What are you doing? Snap out of it.”

“But it’s a better speech than I expected, isn’t it?”

“Better? It’s dangerous.”

“What do you mean?”

“What’s all this nonsense about fighting the world? If you’re going to fight, you’d better have the strength to back it up. Otherwise, you’re all going to end up dead.”

The speech might have sounded inspiring on the surface, but if you examined it carefully, it was utterly unrealistic. And that made it dangerous.

Then, something unexpected happened. Karllich suddenly pointed directly at Ricardt and shouted.

“I will end today’s speech early because we have a special guest among us. Our savior! Our pioneer! Our hero! The great warrior of The Great Beringen Academy! Ricky! Let us welcome him with applause, everyone!”

Ricardt was stunned. He looked around, only to see everyone staring at him while clapping so enthusiastically it seemed like their palms might catch fire.

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!

In all his life, Ricardt had never experienced anything so absurd. Even with his usual composure, he didn’t know what to do. The relentless applause pressed in on him like an invisible weight.

“Ricky! Ricky! Ricky! Ricky!”

Before long, the students began chanting his name.

Ricardt had no choice. Unable to stay put any longer, he reluctantly walked through the path the students opened for him and stepped up onto the platform.

Karllich stepped aside, clapping with a satisfied expression. So this is what they mean when they say a lunatic has become a leader.

The interior of the building remained dim, but that seemed to make it easier for the students to lose themselves in the atmosphere.

The applause that had continued for a while gradually died down, and the eyes of all the students fixed on Ricardt. Their gazes were filled with anticipation.

The students who knew Ricardt looked at him with smiles, while those who didn’t looked at him with admiration and awe.

Standing on the platform, Ricardt didn’t know what to say. He had faced enemies with murderous intent in life-or-death battles and remained composed, yet this situation was a first for him. He felt overwhelmed.

After all, the students’ expectation was not something he could fight off with a sword.

But at the same time, he couldn’t just make up lies or say something he didn’t truly mean.

Honestly, what he had seen of the Academy students’ behavior since arriving in Beringen had been far from good. They had unity, yes, but it wasn’t directed toward anything meaningful.

Still, how could he betray those expectant gazes? Each and every student was looking at him as though they were welcoming a god.

Even Boribori and Marie had been moved by Karllich’s speech. Perhaps Ricardt alone remained sober because he was the only one who had grown up in a truly harmonious family.

Yet, thanks to the memories of his past life, he could also understand the students’ feelings to some extent.

As Ricardt struggled to gather his thoughts, time continued to flow, and a heavy silence stretched on. The students began to sense that something was off and murmurs spread through the crowd.

At that moment, Ricardt finally spoke. The atmosphere seemed to call for a formal tone, so he inadvertently used a strange, stiff manner of speaking.

“I, Ricky, am disappointed in you all.”

Even a simple gesture would have been enough to make the students go wild, but at Ricardt’s words, the room became so quiet that not even a breath could be heard.

The students’ gazes shifted from anticipation to confusion. Like lost sheep, they seemed unsure how to react. Was that a joke? Should we laugh?

On the other hand, Ricardt, having uttered those words, finally felt the weight lift off his chest. He then slowly scanned the room, taking in all the students who filled the guild headquarters.

It was as though he could see their anxiety, confusion, and underlying frustration written on their faces.