Chapter 97: Riven and the Crimson Sword

It wasn’t a tavern I usually visited. I’d heard it used to be one Reynard and the others frequented back in the day. Unlike the inn I was staying at, or Charlotte’s… shop, this place was on a much larger scale. Apparently, this town had quite a few taverns like this—popular spots where adventurers could drink after a job or before heading out again. The reason we’d avoided them until now was out of consideration for Charlotte.

…She’s not comfortable in places that can pack in this many people. Reynard had told me as much.

At the counter, Reynard was already waiting. Ever the proper one, he hadn’t even taken a sip of alcohol yet. As soon as he spotted me, he raised his hand and beckoned me over to the empty seat beside him. Without a word, I sat down.

"Well now, asking to speak with me one-on-one? That’s unusual."

"…I appreciate you agreeing to it."

"No need to thank me. Truth is, I’d been wanting to have a proper talk with you as well."

With an easy flow, Reynard ordered drinks, along with a few light snacks to go with them. I stayed quiet and let him handle it. This was his kind of territory, after all. Once the orders were in, Reynard turned back to me and spoke.

"How has she been since then?"

"Little by little, she’s getting better. But it’s still best not to leave her alone."

Since that dream-town, Charlotte had become intensely fearful of those around her. She was fine with people she trusted, but with anyone else, she claimed she heard phantom voices. She never told me exactly what they said, but… it couldn’t have been anything good.

As a result, she couldn’t be left without someone familiar nearby. Even the darkness of night seemed to whisper to her. For now, that role was being filled by the girl working at her shop—Alice, I think her name was.

"It was a relief she accepted the advice to rest."

"Yeah. The situation with Trishel forcing her to stop making plans for the near future helped too. Otherwise, she’d have kept pushing herself, no doubt about it."

"That sounds like her. She can’t sit still once the unease sets in."

That was a side of her I hadn’t known. Before, I probably wouldn’t have thought twice about such small details. The thought made me chuckle at my own foolish sentimentality.

"So then, what you wanted to talk to me about—this is about her, isn’t it?"

"Yeah. I hardly know her at all."

Strictly speaking, that wasn’t true. In that dream-town, she’d spoken to me at length. But that was all from her own perspective—what she had felt and experienced. I didn’t know what Charlotte looked like through the eyes of others.

"Tell me about the days of the Crimson Sword."

"…The Crimson Sword, huh. That takes me back. Even now, if I close my eyes, I can see it clear as day."

Apparently, it had been a party centered around Reynard. Slowly, carefully, as if savoring each memory, he began to speak.

There was Gareth, the towering heavy warrior who, despite his size, was timid and liked working with his hands on delicate tasks. Lisbeth, who became a scout because she figured she could pocket whatever she found ahead without being caught. Celine, who was always striving to raise her reputation. And Charlotte, constantly running around spreading cheer wherever she went. Together, the five of them had made up the party.

"Gareth was huge, but such a worrier. He was always asking me how to talk to Charlotte, since she was the smallest and most fragile of us. He was scared that just touching her might hurt her, given his strength."

"A troublesome personality."

True, Charlotte was short, but there’s no way a normal touch would hurt her. …Well, unless it came from truly monstrous strength.

"Lisbeth only ever cared about the pay. She saw the rest of us as nothing more than convenient tools. The freest spirit of the bunch, really."

"…Strange that she stayed with the same party for so long."

"That’s probably because it suited her. As for Celine… she’s harder to sum up. She always aimed to be the best, or so she said. But honestly, the strongest impression I have is how she fixated on Charlotte as her rival."

Fixated? So they didn’t get along.

"Looking back, maybe if I’d stepped in to mediate between them earlier, things wouldn’t have gone the way they did."

"Charlotte told me the party fell apart because of her."

"Hmm. That’s one way of looking at it, I suppose. But I don’t see it that way."

Just then, the drinks arrived. After a brief exchange, we raised our cups in a toast and took a sip. The alcohol here wasn’t for fun—it was to loosen tongues. It couldn’t have come at a better time, given where the conversation was heading.

"The start of it all really was Charlotte. The first complaint was that she wasn’t contributing enough."

"But that’s—"

"Exactly. In truth, the less a healer is needed, the better. And her healing magic was incredibly powerful. Sure, it was harder to use in the middle of combat, but the sheer potency was unmatched."

At least, Reynard added with a laugh, she was the only one who could heal someone whose insides had been mangled beyond recognition. I remembered that—back during the auction, when Rosalind had injured me. I had lingering aftereffects, but considering she’d used the Authority of Destruction, the fact I’d survived at all was strange. With hindsight, it made sense only because it was a White One’s Authority.

"It was Celine who first said it. Lisbeth backed her up. Gareth defended Charlotte, and just like that, the party split in two. Once a crack formed in our unity, it all fell apart quickly."

He chuckled as he said it, but his expression carried a hint of sadness. His position hadn’t allowed him to take sides without making the divide permanent. That, in the end, had led to the collapse.

"Charlotte used to report and consult with me all the time. She was the most conscientious of us, really. She helped me out with all sorts of little details."

"So that’s why you two are close."

"I don’t know how she sees it. But if she thinks of me as a friend… I’d be glad for that."

Up to this point, I’d managed to piece a lot of things together.

Reynard never held a grudge against Charlotte for the party’s collapse. And yet Charlotte, convinced she was the cause, had been eating herself up with guilt. A tragic misunderstanding, it seemed.

Even so, seeing them getting along now showed they must be compatible after all. Since their reunion, I’d gotten to know them myself. It was the time before that—what I didn’t know—that I really wanted to hear about… but cutting in now would be in poor taste.

"I should’ve been more attentive, more careful. If I had, that incident could’ve been avoided."

"Ah, so that’s why you’re so admired in the Crimson Bell…"

"It’s the lesson I learned. I don’t ever want to overlook the pain of a comrade again."

Reynard downed his drink as he said it.

He might have looked casual as he spoke, but clearly, there was a lot weighing on him.

"…Sorry, I’ve gone off-topic."

"Don’t worry about it. You’re humoring me; the least I can do is return the favor."

"Thanks. Then, if you don’t mind, I’d like to keep talking a little longer."

I’d heard it happened a long time ago, but for him, it was still a fresh wound. No doubt, he hadn’t been able to confide in his fellow clan members either.

"Sure, the Crimson Bell became the strongest clan in this town. But whenever I thought about it, the same thing always crossed my mind: why couldn’t I get it right from the very beginning?"

"That’s—"

"You don’t have to say it. I know it’s just wishful thinking. It’s only because I lost something that I have what I do now… I get that, at least in my head."

People can’t help but dwell on what they’ve lost, huh?

Tenyuu… I’m the same. There isn’t a moment I don’t think of him. If only I’d been stronger.

But even so, I have to move forward. If there’s something I want to grasp in the future, then I have no choice but to.

"Sorry. I’ve just been unloading on you this whole time."

"Don’t mention it. Honestly, I’m glad you told me. If you’d bottled it up and it exploded later, I might’ve been the one caught in the fallout."

"Haha, you sure know how to put it."

By now, our fates were probably too closely tied to ever separate. At least, so long as we stayed in this town.

Strengthening that bond was important too. A sense of unity can sometimes shatter even the worst hardships.

"Well then, now that I’ve vented and feel better, I’d like to get back to our real talk. But before that, can I just confirm one little thing?"

"Hm? What is it?"

A confirmation? Was there something in particular he needed to clarify?

I replayed the conversation in my head. Nothing stood out. So what could it be?

At a loss, I lifted my drink.

"Reven. You like Charlotte, don’t you?"

"—! Guh—cough, cough!"

I choked. The words were so out of nowhere, so impossible to predict.

"Ah, so I was right."

"Ugh… what the hell, dropping something like that out of the blue."

"Haha, you’re flustered enough to make it obvious. Must be a pretty serious thing for you."

Reynard chuckled in amusement, his cheeks tinged with red.

Wait—was he already drunk off such a small amount of alcohol?

"I see. Yeah… if it’s you, I can accept it."

"What are you even talking about!"

"Well, you know. It couldn’t be me."

I glared at him, about to snap, but his profile was nothing but lonely.

"Don’t tell her, alright? I was only able to stay by her side because I never made a move."

He tipped his drink as if to deflect the subject. It was unmistakably the face of the swordsman I respected—and at the same time, the face of a man who had given up everything.

"Let’s talk. The two of us here, as men, might as well lay everything out—what’s happened so far, and what’s still to come."