Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 30: Strange Events in the North (2)
In the town center, residents carried spring water in every kind of container while clergy offered prayers and bestowed purification upon it, turning it into holy water.
Nearby, everyone able to move—from private soldiers and mercenaries to townsmen whose wounds had been treated—gathered every available weapon and purified it with holy water.
Gilbert soaked a cloth in the water and carefully wiped the crescent blade of his battle-axe.
“Gilbert, soak these as well. The holy water’s blessing may prove useful.”
Dolph placed beside him the braided cord Flora had made in the wagon and a chain brought from the village.
An anchor-shaped hook curved down from the axe’s crescent blade toward the top of its haft, allowing a cord or chain to pass through. Decorative links around the axe head could also hold the cord. Before leaving the village, Dolph had prepared and modified the weapon to compensate for the weakness in Gilbert’s dominant hand.
Dolph crouched to meet the grim-faced Gilbert’s eyes.
“As I told you in the village, your weak right hand already makes a battle-axe poorly suited to fighting beasts and undead beasts. Against a large opponent, your body and the axe’s momentum may still provide enough force. Small enemies requiring quick movements put you at an even greater disadvantage.”
Dolph spoke both as the blacksmith who had made the weapon and as an old friend. Gilbert smiled reassuringly and nodded.
“I know, I won’t do anything reckless. I’ll just do what I can.”
Dolph gave a skeptical laugh.
“That promise doesn’t inspire much confidence…”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
As they traded light remarks, a commotion suddenly arose outside.
“Undead beasts have appeared in another village to the northeast! They’re small, but there are many!”
A man raced into town and delivered the report breathlessly. The lord and everyone nearby looked grim.
“That’s opposite the direction Sir Lionel went. This is bad… Everyone able to move, head there!”
At the lord’s call, private soldiers and mercenaries rushed out with purified weapons. The clergy followed.
Watching them, Dolph furrowed his brow and turned to Gilbert.
“What are you going to do? Do you want to stay here and wait for Lionel?”
“No, if I did that, I wouldn’t be able to face him.”
Gilbert rose with his battle-axe in hand. Dolph chuckled knowingly, then shouted into the distance.
“Barbara! Flora! Get the carriage ready!”
“What? Wait. Don’t tell me you’re coming too!”
Gilbert stared wide-eyed. Dolph nodded smugly.
“Naturally. Didn’t I tell you that I need to see what you’re fighting?”
“Well, that’s true, but you promised to stay somewhere safe…”
Rather than answer, Dolph slapped Gilbert’s backside to urge him onward, and the two ran together. Ahead, Barbara and Flora waved beside the waiting wagon.
“That wagon contains the blessings of every craftsperson and magic user in our village. Its interior is safer than anywhere else.”
“Really…?”
Despite his skepticism, Gilbert smiled helplessly and climbed onto the driver’s bench.
“We have clergy riding with us too. And… here!”
At Flora’s voice, Gilbert turned to find her offering him a bagel filled with cheese and meat. His tension eased, and he smiled.
“Thank you, that’s a relief. It’s times like these that we need to eat. We can’t fight on an empty stomach.”
Gilbert took a bite of Flora’s bagel and set the horses moving.
Beyond the town walls, they crossed wheat fields stretching southwest, then followed several paths through the woods until they found the village.
Nothing appeared unusual from a distance, but as they approached from higher ground, the horror became clear.
A reddish-black mass resembling foam covered roughly a third of the village’s northern side.
Children and elderly residents who appeared to have escaped from the south side walked toward the castle town, glancing fearfully around them.
Upon reaching the village, the party saw that the distant ‘bubbles’ were countless froglike undead beasts.
They ranged from an adult’s waist height to a child’s knee, but reddish-black decaying flesh covered them all.
“There are far too many.”
“Fortunately, they aren’t especially lethal, but their numbers never seem to diminish.”
The private soldiers who arrived first frowned as they rinsed their weapons—whose blessings had faded—with holy water.
“Can we use a ward to contain them?”
“No. The clergy capable of raising a large barrier are with Lionel. We can’t cover the entire village…”
“I see. ……”
A private soldier’s shoulders slumped at the priest’s answer.
Gilbert and the others approached the group.
“Could we prioritize evacuating the residents rather than exterminating the creatures? We happen to have a wagon.”
“That will be difficult. The original beasts from which these undead arose are troublesome creatures that breed in swamps much farther north and track prey by scent. If every resident flees at once, the swarm will pursue them.”
Gilbert frowned as he realized why the evacuating children hadn’t run.
“Undead beasts can’t die without the blessing of holy water. But if we damage their bodies severely, restoring themselves should take some time.”
Hearing what Gilbert said, the private soldiers and mercenaries looked up.
“In other words, if we draw their attention and crush them until they can’t pursue anyone, we can buy enough time for the residents to escape to town.”
“That’s the purest meathead strategy I’ve ever heard.”
“But honestly, it’s the only option we have.”
The tough mercenaries laughed approvingly. The private soldiers and clergy also nodded with wry smiles.
“…The question is how we escape after the residents are safe.”
Gilbert murmured, and a burly mercenary clapped him on the shoulder with a laugh.
“We can worry about that later. First, we evacuate the residents safely.”
The plan was settled. Entrusting the evacuation to Dolph and the others, Gilbert, the private soldiers, and the mercenaries advanced toward the village with weapons in hand.
Left at the wagon, Dolph sighed and addressed Flora and Barbara, who peered out anxiously.
“That damn Gilbert has no regard for his own safety. We need to finish the evacuation before he gets badly hurt.”
Flora and Barbara nodded, their expressions more serious than ever.