Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 428: It’s All Ijidol’s Fault
By dinnertime, a detailed report from the subjugation force had arrived, and House Mulan was in a celebratory mood. The servants were not the only ones in high spirits; even the knights seemed delighted. They might already have been holding a celebration of their own in the barracks.
Marquis and Marchioness Mulan were equally cheerful. They entered the dining room wearing brighter expressions than usual, and the meal itself seemed slightly more extravagant.
“I believe everyone has heard by now, but the dangerous monster thought to have caused the outbreak has been exterminated. This region should gradually regain its peace. Naturally, we will remain vigilant for some time.”
“That’s wonderful news. We can now concentrate on treating the injured and rebuilding the towns and villages attacked by the monsters.”
“Precisely.”
Marquis Mulan raised his wine in satisfaction. Those of us who were too young to drink had fruit juice instead. I wanted something carbonated. I should have asked the kitchen for a carbonation stone.
“Father, what kind of monster was it?”
“Apparently, it was a Big Ape subspecies. Its influence seems to have driven the other Big Apes out of their usual territory, which is why so many were encountered in the forest.”
A Big Ape subspecies? More surprising still, it had apparently been capable of using magic. According to the Monster Encyclopaedia, individual monsters sometimes mutated into subspecies. It was less the evolution of an entire species than an abnormal change in a single creature. If its offspring inherited the same traits, the resulting damage would be unimaginable.
“A subspecies… It must have been extremely strong.”
“It could apparently use magic, and its intelligence had increased as well. Defeating it cannot have been easy.”
“You know quite a lot about it, Ijidol.”
Oops. Ijidol’s face plainly said, I’ve made a mistake. He needed to stop glancing at me as well; that only made both of us look suspicious. Caro tilted her head, while Axel stopped eating and folded his arms.
“Ijidol, how do you know that? We’ve been together ever since we returned, haven’t we?”
“Ah, well… when I climbed the clock tower yesterday, I happened to see the forest burning. I assumed the fire came from the battle against the monster.”
Ijidol glanced at me again. This was becoming dangerous. I tried to continue eating with an innocent expression, but the food seemed to lose its flavour beneath the combined stares of Axel, Caro and Fabienne.
“I see. What Ijidol witnessed must have been the battle between the Eastern Margrave’s army and the monster. As you guessed, the subspecies was intelligent and used fire magic to set the forest ablaze.”
“Oh my. Was the forest all right?”
“The mages accompanying the army were trying to extinguish the flames. Fortunately, a torrential rain began soon afterwards and put out the entire fire almost instantly. Everyone is calling it divine intervention, and I am inclined to agree.”
Ah. I had not wanted to hear that. This was entirely Ijidol’s fault. I stared at him as if to ask what he had done, and he shrank into his seat before silently resuming his meal.
“A torrential rain arrived at exactly the right moment…”
“Yes, and that was not the end of it. A warm, dry wind swept across the battlefield immediately afterwards. By the time it passed, every soldier whose clothes had been soaked was completely dry.”
What!? Ijidol turned towards me with an expression that clearly said, Did you hear that? Had they somehow discovered that I used wind magic as well? I thought I had concealed it perfectly, yet the information had returned from an entirely unexpected direction.
“I heard the same account. There can be no doubt that the gods were watching over us.”
Marchioness Mulan smiled happily. A territory blessed by the gods—such a story alone would attract enormous attention. The region’s recovery from the monster outbreak might progress even faster than I had expected.
“So that’s what happened. Does that mean you watched the entire scene, Ijidol?”
“Huh? Well… let me think. What exactly did I see again?”
Ijidol’s eyes wandered suspiciously. He stopped eating, folded his arms and pretended to search his memory. If he admitted witnessing the event, everyone would naturally ask him for a detailed account. After all, he would have seen what people already regarded as a historic miracle.
“What about you, Julius? You were with him, weren’t you?”
“Huh? No, I didn’t notice anything…”
Damn it. Because of Ijidol, the sparks were now flying towards me too. He had started this, so he ought to be shielding me from them. While I silently complained, Fabienne leaned closer. This was bad.
“Julius-sama, what really happened?”
Fabienne spoke quietly enough that only I could hear. I did not want to lie to her. I would have to confess later. It was all Ijidol’s fault, and that was the end of the matter.
“I’ll explain later.”
“…I thought so.”
She understood immediately. As expected of my fiancée, we were already communicating without words. Axel and Caro continued watching me as though they had several questions, but neither pressed the matter. Had they given up?
Afterwards, an unusually animated Ijidol questioned Marquis Mulan about the battle. The subjugation force had provided a thorough report, so the Marquis explained the fighting in considerable detail.
For now, I was simply grateful that the operation had ended safely and that the eastern region was secure again.
That was close.