9th Grade Civil Servant In Another World Chapter 24 - White Raven Order ― Richard (2)

“…I should go.”

Richard was always quick to make decisions and act on them.

Whether it was helping a friend, buying something that caught his eye, or choosing a building for his hospital.

But this time, he found himself agonizing over it until just a few hours before the party began.

Before he knew it, the sun had set, and it would be rude to contact them now saying he wouldn’t come.

After leaving work early, Richard put on a suit suitable for a party atmosphere and paced around his small living room before finally leaving at the last possible moment.

The carriage swayed as it headed toward the Brightner estate.

He was prepared never to see Erika again. No, not just prepared—he had already detached himself emotionally.

But business was business, personal matters were personal matters.

Richard was the Brightner family’s personal physician. Doctors were essentially merchants at heart, and he had a duty to maintain good relationships with his clients.

Of course, it wouldn’t be difficult. It was something he’d always done.

The Brightner estate, the most prominent in the District 8, was already brightly lit from the roof to the gardens.

Horses and carriages were lined up in the backyard, and cheerful laughter could already be heard from inside.

When Richard entered with the butler’s guidance, President Brightner, who had been laughing heartily while surrounded by people, spotted him and welcomed him warmly.

“Oh! Dr. Enke! Good to see you. I’m always in your debt. Erika! The doctor’s here.”

Richard swallowed a bitter smile. He knew that the president rarely spoke to Erika unless absolutely necessary.

Erika approached him. She had been busy greeting guests as the hostess, filling in for her mother who was said to be in seclusion due to selective mutism.

Dressed in a beautiful navy blue dress, she still looked like a 16-year-old kid to Richard’s eyes.

Richard extended his hand with a gentle smile.

“Good evening.”

“…Hello.”

Erika wore the same cold, composed expression as always.

“Well then, have fun.”

After she quietly withdrew, Richard spent time meaninglessly.

He engaged in social conversation with President Brightner and his acquaintances, filled his stomach with expensive foods he couldn’t usually afford.

People danced to the orchestra’s music in the spacious hall, but Richard didn’t join them.

At every party, President Brightner would introduce him to young ladies he described as “fine girls,” and Richard would dance with them, but none of these encounters ever developed into romantic relationships.

At 27, he was now at marriageable age.

His parents, who still ran a general store in the countryside, sent letters whenever they remembered, telling him to hurry up and get married and come back home.

However, Richard was determined never to return to that place filled with terrible memories. He had made that decision on the train to Lüdelheim on his first day of school.

‘And any woman who marries me would be unhappy.’

Richard knew this about himself.

He never disappointed people he had casual relationships with, but the moment someone tried to enter his personal sphere even slightly, he would immediately push them away, ultimately hurting them.

Erika was a case in point.

So he would have to live alone for the rest of his life.

Lost in such thoughts while drinking, he found himself quite intoxicated.

“I should go sober up for a moment.”

He familiarly headed to the second floor. There was a guest room specifically for Richard, where he always stayed over.

“Phew…”

He entered the dim room, sat heavily on the bed, and loosened the necktie that felt like it was choking him.

Having to entertain the guests had prevented Erika from leaving, and she kept appearing in his peripheral vision, making him more tense than usual.

Just rest for about 10 minutes and then go back down, he thought.

Whoosh!

The curtain covering the glass window seemed to flutter and move. Even though there was no wind.

“Who—”

“It’s me.”

Lucas Redan was suddenly sitting on the windowsill.

Grinning crookedly in the moonlight, he looked as evil as a demon descended into the mortal world.

Whiiiiiing!

Pop pop bang!

Fireworks shot up by a hired mage exploded behind Lucas.

***

“Richard will be hard to persuade. I know him.”

Her black bob swayed, and her lips, wet with dark beer, gleamed red.

“You say it’s hard. Are you really confident?”

“I’ll try as hard as I can, that’s all.”

I chuckled and poured more beer into her empty glass.

A high-end beer hall in the District 8. It was an expensive place at 100 felts per glass, but Erika would pay for it anyway.

Beside us, Daniel and Oscar were munching freely on dried snacks while Georg was drinking milk.

“Trying your best? Didn’t you say you’d definitely bring him? That’s different.”

Erika glared at me, but I didn’t sense the same malice as before.

From our meetings so far, I had figured out that Erika was the type who had difficulty getting close to people, but once she opened her heart, she would become so devoted that she’d give her own heart if necessary.

I could feel it coming.

If I gave this girl 1 unit of love, I’d get 10 back.

‘She’s starved for affection.’

I thought sadly and grinned.

“There’s no such thing as ‘absolute’ in this world.”

“Hey…!”

“But I told you. With all sincerity, I’ll definitely bring him. I swear.”

When I whispered seriously, Erika’s expression softened.

“So, what are you planning to do?”

Daniel, who had been listening, interjected with a question.

“You said he opened a hospital, right? Could you tell me the address?”

“Huh, you’re just going to visit him directly? That won’t work.”

“You have to try everything.”

Erika, Daniel, Oscar, and Georg all looked at me with dubious expressions.

“Is this your first visit? Your name?”

“Lucas Redan. I came to get some medicine for bruises.”

I had plenty of excuses for injuries.

The places where the Ossel had dragged me and beaten me had healed long ago, but perhaps because of my frail constitution, I developed bruises all over my body just from bumping into furniture while walking around the house.

After waiting about 30 minutes while reading a newspaper, I was shown to the director’s office.

“What brings you—”

“Hello.”

I grinned and plopped down heavily in the examination chair. The gentle eyes under platinum blond hair widened briefly, then smiled kindly.

“Is treatment just an excuse and you’ve come to persuade me?”

“No, I’m actually getting treatment too.”

I rolled up my sleeve and showed him a purple bruise. Richard glanced at the injured area and began writing a diagnosis.

“When did this happen?”

“Probably last night.”

He opened a small refrigerator near his desk and took out an ice pack.

A magic refrigerator with runes embedded in it.

In this world, it was quite an expensive item—not every household had one, not even restaurants—so business must really be going well.

His touch was careful as he silently applied the ice pack, but I couldn’t read anything from Richard’s face.

‘This is no easy opponent.’

He was skilled at hiding his inner thoughts. Whether it was just because he was good-natured and mature, or if there was another reason.

“If you massage it like this every day, it’ll heal quickly.”

“Ugh!”

When he pressed firmly on the bruised area, tremendous pain washed over me.

“Ungh, so, are you thinking of coming back?”

“I’m sorry. You must know by now that I’m not the kind of person suited for such things. I won’t report you, so please leave now.”

He smiled gently as he spoke firmly and pressed the call button.

“That’s what I told you.”

Erika spoke in a tone suggesting I was pathetic. I couldn’t see her expression, but it was probably deeply furrowed.

Today we were in a shabby underground cafe in the District 13. Filled with cigarette smoke and gamblers’ shouts, it would be hard for our conversation to leak out.

“He told me to get out.”

Even I thought my tone was incredibly cool.

Pfft!

I heard Oscar spitting out his beer beside me.

“Well, his treatment was quite kind though. He’ll come around soon.”

“That’s only natural since he’s a doctor!”

Georg shouted as if it was obvious.

“Lucas, I told you. If you can’t bring Erika and Richard—”

“Yes, yes. I know, you’ll kill me. But this was just a reconnaissance mission.”

I casually deflected Daniel’s words and lowered my voice.

“So here’s the thing, friends. I need collective intelligence.”

Everyone turned their heads toward me.

“Tell me about Richard’s personality.”

Daniel, Oscar, and Georg’s accounts weren’t particularly revealing. There was plenty of testimony, but in summary,

‘He’s a bit hard to approach, but he’s a good person.’

On the other hand, Erika hesitated for a long time before speaking quietly.

“He is good, but…”

I perked up my ears.

“He doesn’t open his heart easily. Not just to the degree Oscar mentioned, but severely so. His cold side can be excessive sometimes. He never truly gives his heart to anything. I think he’s someone who could throw away anything if he felt it might threaten him.”

The atmosphere grew heavy and cold.

That was harsh criticism.

Not baseless slander, but sincere words from someone who had experienced it deeply, making the criticism even more cutting.

“Ah, it’s probably not that bad.”

“No, it is that bad. I’ve known Richard for eight years, but after that incident, it’s like we’ve been cut off.”

Oscar waved his hand with a forced smile, but Erika was firm.

“Hmm, sis. But why did you introduce such a person to Daniel, I mean, Brother Daniel? And why did Brother Richard accept?”

“I thought maybe that side of him could be helpful. And as for why Richard accepted…”

Erika lowered her head with a look of not knowing what to do.

‘He must feel sorry.’

I nodded while resting my chin on my hand.

Richard must resent her. Even at the last drinking session, she had spoken somewhat resentfully about how Richard had cut her off decisively.

But knowing that the fundamental cause of this situation lay in her own act of dragging Richard into the White Raven Order, she must also feel sorry.

Actually, how did these two become friends in the first place?

With my head spinning slightly from alcohol, I continued my thoughts frantically.

Erika, who seemed cold on the surface but was hotter than anyone inside, and Richard, who seemed warm but was actually as cold as could be.

Someone who revealed her inner self completely and someone who unconditionally hid his.

But their relationship had been long.

That meant…

I stood up unsteadily.

“I’m going to get some fresh air. Erika, want to come?”

We came up to ground level and leaned against the alley wall. The cold air sharpened my mind instantly.

After letting some time pass, I suddenly brought my lips close to Erika’s ear and whispered.

“Do you like Richard?”

“What?”

She trembled as if she’d been electrocuted.

I just stared at her, and Erika, whose face had flushed in a way that didn’t match her cold expression, sighed.

“Don’t say ridiculous things.”

“Hmm.”

“We’re just friends now… It was just a fleeting emotion from childhood. I thought he was kind back then. He was the only person around me who seemed human.”

“I see.”

I nodded lightly.

“I’ll definitely bring him back. Your precious frien—d.”

“…Georg is right, your know-it-all attitude is annoying.”

“Now now, it’s not acting like he says, but actually knowing.”

She clenched her fist tightly.

“But don’t you have any other way to meet Richard? Besides visiting the hospital.”

Erika calmed her excitement and fell into thought.

“Father throws a party around this time every year, and he always invites Richard. The invitation probably went out this year too.”

“Why didn’t you invite us?”

“My friends have never come. It’s an event for father’s networking. I didn’t want to invite everyone, either.”

Responding seriously to my joke, a subtle anger flashed across her face.

‘Wait, a party?’

I felt my mind clearing.

“Thank you, Erika! I just had a good idea. I need your help.”

***

“So it was a trap.”

Richard muttered and lunged forward. But Lucas was faster.

Despite being much shorter and smaller, his agility was high—he blocked the large door before Richard could even take two steps.

“You can’t leave until you talk with me.”

“Why should I—”

“How long are you planning to run away?”

Richard felt the smile disappear from his face.

“Why do you keep trying to drag me in? I’ve already moved on.”

When he asked in an unusually low voice, Lucas chuckled.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re already in. This wasn’t something you could start without being prepared to continue for life, or at least until you get caught. You know that, don’t you?”

“It’s just playing at being a secret society—”

“Finally!”

Bang!

Lucas slammed the wall.

“Your true feelings are coming out. Yes, it’s playing. It was like child’s games. But those kids were all sincere! They tried their best to fight against Kruger. Even though they were clumsy, they all held onto their beliefs.”

“…”

Lucas’s black eyes glittered madly in the moonlight.

“I’m going to change the White Raven Order. I’ll make it into a real secret society. I don’t have any amazing abilities, but I’ll work hard. So that we can really, truly, bring down Kruger.”