Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 281: Marching without Worries
“Why do you think it turned out like this?”
“I wonder why indeed…”
Walking through the partially muddy terrain, Lutz and Claudia pondered. The ground wasn’t wet enough to sink their shoes deeply, but it wasn’t completely dry either, giving them the sensation of walking on a sticky sheet and doubling their fatigue.
Ahead of them marched Victor, the leader of the Fourth Knight Order, along with forty knights and over a hundred attendants. Everyone was carrying heavy loads, containing various items like oil, medicines, fabric, and provisions.
About half of the knights, around twenty of them, had bruises on their faces. They had complained that carrying loads wasn’t their duty as knights, and it seemed Victor had actually punched them.
…Normally, wouldn’t people back down or get scared after one or two were beaten?
Watching them, Lutz shook his head in disbelief.
It seemed not only Victor but also the knights were acting with somewhat peculiar values, as they didn’t stop complaining until twenty of them were beaten.
Even the troublesome commander Victor occasionally stroked his chin and cheeks. It seemed he had been hit back several times during “negotiations.”
Despite carrying more than anyone else, Victor seemed to be full of energy, chatting cheerfully throughout the march.
“And then, when I explained the outline of the incident to His Majesty to get permission to march, he said, ‘Then I’ll go too.’ So I had to join forces with the imperial guards and desperately stop him. It might have been the first time we agreed on something in our lives.”
“Indeed, if His Majesty decides to march, we must start with road maintenance.”
When a knight joked, Victor became even more spirited.
“I didn’t ask you to carry the goods, though.”
Laughter erupted around Victor. Once you left the capital, even the king became just a topic of conversation.
…It seemed they don’t get along with the Imperial guards.
Lutz remembered his conversation with the commander of the imperial guards. Protecting the king from the closest distance was their mission, and fulfilling that important duty was something he loved. To him, allowing the king to be the subject of jokes, even unintentionally, was unthinkable and disrespectful.
“Hey, Claudia, is it really such a bad idea for His Majesty to join us? I think it’s not bad for important people to understand the situation on the ground.”
Lutz quietly leaned in and asked Claudia.
“The problem is that he’s too important. As everyone is saying, we can’t afford to let him do this, right?”
Claudia pointed to her shoes as she spoke. They were covered in mud. She didn’t have heavy baggage, but keeping up with the sturdy steps of the knights was already challenging enough. Asking the king to do the same would be utterly absurd.
“We’ll have to improve the drainage to the point where wagons can pass and lay cobblestones. Well, road maintenance itself is important, but in this case, spending a month or two on it would be counterproductive.”
“The village would be overrun with mushrooms.”
“And besides fighting the enemy, we’ll need escorts, and we’ll have to arrange accommodations. When the king moves, it’s like moving the throne itself. So it’s much better to entrust money to the Fourth Knight Order than to spend hundreds, maybe even thousands of gold coins in some cases.”
“Indeed,” Lutz agreed.
“I don’t know why, but it’s really good that His Majesty is showing enthusiasm. It’s much better than being indifferent and apathetic.”
“How’s his reputation in the capital?”
“Everyone seems to have similar feelings. The recent changes in the king are reassuring, but nobody knows why it happened.”
“I guess so…”
Lutz recalled the image of the king he had seen at the peace talks. He had seemed like a tired, middle-aged man who had given up on life.
He also remembered the king at the ceremony where he rewarded his retainers. He was brimming with vitality, engaging in lively conversations with people like Victor.
They were both the same man, Radwald Walscheidt, but the images in his memory didn’t quite match up.
“Do you have any concerns?”
“Wah!”
Suddenly, Victor appeared between Lutz and Claudia from behind. Despite his large build, they hadn’t noticed him until he made himself known.
“Oh, no, I’m sorry. Talking about His Majesty like that…”
It was disrespectful for commoners to talk about the king in such a manner. Lutz apologized, but Victor waved his hand as if to say it didn’t matter.
“It’s okay. I’m also puzzled by His Majesty’s changes. Of course, it’s a welcome change, but still.”
“If even you, Victor-sama, don’t know, it must have been a sudden change indeed.”
“Well, don’t bother thinking about things you can’t understand. What’s important now is that His Majesty is backing us up. Just a while ago, if we tried to get permission to march, he might have said something like ‘Let’s wait and see.'”
“Many people think that if they hide and stay quiet, troubles will pass them by. It’s a problem for rulers, though.”
“A superior who’s decent! Oh, what a wonderful thing!”
Victor exaggeratedly looked up at the sky. It didn’t seem like pure theatrics; there was some genuine emotion behind it.
“It’s really unpleasant. Fighting while considering the possibility of being kicked by your allies…”
“Oh, yes.”
“It’s easy with enemies you don’t like; you just kill them. But it’s not so simple with allies. Ah, it’s unfair, it’s unfair.”
It must have been quite a bitter memory. Lutz searched for comforting words but found none. A godsend interruption came as mud splashed up from ahead.
The young knight running towards them was Keith.
“Victor-sama, I’ve come to fetch you.”
Victor immediately discerned a change in Keith’s demeanor with just one look at his face. His armor was covered in mud and scratches, his hair was messy and greasy.
The appearance of a man who had been fighting.
“Hey, Keith, you managed to get rid of your diaper?”
“Yes, I can go to the bathroom on my own now.”
“Did you forget about Leonard?”
“I’ve finally managed to put away what was overflowing from my chest.”
“That’s good.”
Victor chuckled and slapped Keith’s chest.
Feeling recognized by this rugged, charming figure different from Leonard, Keith was overcome with emotion and bowed his head. Otherwise, he felt like he might burst into tears.
With his arm around Keith’s shoulder, Victor shouted to his comrades in the Fourth Knight Order.
“All right, everyone, the village is near! When we arrive, we’ll eat, sleep for the night, and in the morning, we’ll go hunt those mushroom bastards!”
“Yeah!”
Over a hundred powerful voices sharply shook the surrounding air.