Kays Translations

Chapter 89: Purchased with Blood

While Jocel was fighting the enemy captain, Lutz was confronting a man who appeared to be the deputy commander.

The man, Doros, is holding a hatchet with his arm hanging slackly. It is not what one would call a stance.

Lutz, on the other hand, was wearing a katana and a side grip, the so-called "two-holed" style, but his blade remained in its scabbard.

"Are you sure you want to do this?”

Doros asked amusedly.

"No problem"

Lutz answered briefly.

The answer is clear. It doesn't seem to be a suicidal person.

Not only was there a lot of openings, but he hadn't even drawn his weapon. Doros was unable to strike against such a man. For some reason, he felt a strange spirit.

Staring at the bastard like this is not my hobby. Doros regained his grip on the hatchet. No matter what the other guy is thinking, it's all the same once you crack his head open.

Doros kicked the ground and closed the distance at once. He swung his axe straight down with his spirit. In contrast to the captain, he fights with brute force.

Dozens of people have been cut like this on the battlefield. The simplest and most effective attack.

Lutz put all his strength on his toes, drew his sword, and at the same time parried Doros’ swing.

"What!?"

The axe slid diagonally with a spark and shaved a little off Lutz's shoulder.

Receiving, immediately, slashing. The katana is a weapon that combines offence and defence. The katana was swung down in an arc above his head with the momentum of the parry.

The blade bit squarely into Doros’ head. The way he had envisioned killing came directly back at him.

The spouted fresh blood wets the blade. Lutz was convinced that he had won. Or maybe it was complacency.

Something white wriggled and squirmed in the reddish-black face. Doros’ eyes were looking at me. He was not dead yet.

Dross' left hand gripped the blade. The blade bit into his finger and almost cut him off, but he didn't care.

……Idiot, why can you move!?

The blade split the skull, but didn't reach the brain. Even so, being able to move and trying to counterattack is abnormal.

The katana's blade was swung away with force. Several of Doros’ caterpillar-thick fingers fell to the spot. Doros’ raised his hatchet with a vicious grin.

No good, I'll be killed. Even though I knew that, I was intimidated and couldn't move.

... Am I going to die? No, I won't die

Claudia had reminded me many times not to die. You must never betray her trust, you must never do that.

"Ooooh!"

A roar that inspires. Lutz let go of his katana, pulled out his short sword, and thrust it straight toward Doros' neck.

The feeling of the side cut ripping through the skin and piercing his throat was raw in his right hand.

Doros' fiendish expression softened just a little, and he collapsed on the spot.

Were you happy that you were able to die in battle instead of dying of hunger and poverty? Or was he trying to convince himself that he was happy? No one knows anymore.

Lutz trembled with fatigue and fear. The last blow came just in time due to the Doros' excessive blood loss and loss of consciousness caused by the head destruction. If he had been in perfect condition, Lutz's head would have been smashed in with a powerful swing. The fact that the first blow was successful was due in large part to Doro's unfamiliarity with fighting with katanas.

…… I wonder if I was inferior in ability.

I've cut bandits many times before. Today was the first time I fought and killed a real warrior.

Lutz picked up the katana and glanced at the blade.

The blade is chipped. I wonder if it was scraped when I parried the swing of the hatchet. Because of this, it was not possible to cut the head deeply.

...I'm an idiot.

Lutz let out a big sigh. This is what happens when you put off your own personal sword.

Doing anything to survive should have been the basis of the battle. Even though he had made many famous swords, he probably didn't believe in the power of the famous swords.

Lutz was determined to make his own sword when he returned home

When I looked down at my feet, I saw a hatchet sunk in a puddle of blood.

"I'll take it, Doros-san."

He picked up the hatchet from the faintly warm pool of blood and tucked it into his belt.

Today, for the first time, I know what a real fight is. I feel like I have taken a step forward as a sword smith. I will never forget this battle, or Doros, for the rest of my life.

"Sorry guys! We lost!"

When I turned around at that voice, the enemy commander Kilcord was standing upright without a weapon.

If you look closely, there is no right hand. It seems that the other side has also settled down. It seems that the other side had settled the case. Looking at Jocel's exhausted face, it was hard to tell who was the winner.

One by one, the men who were slashing with Gerhard in order to recapture the princess dropped their swords.

They realised that with the defeat of the captain, there was no more way forward.

"Are you going to give up..."

Eil was hesitant to let go of his sword, although he had readied it, but another member of the team answered with a wry smile.

"It's over. Our dream is over."

At those words, Eil's hand lost strength, and the sword fell down. It makes a dry, inorganic sound. It's like his current empty self.

"Jocel, Lutz, collect weapons and put all the living in one place."

They moved as Gerhard had instructed, and after ensuring their safety, they let the third princess, Listille, out of her prison.

Listille sits on a wooden box. Jocel and Lutz flanked her. Although shabby, they looked like a throne and a Kingsguard.

Sitting in front of them as sinners were Kilcord, Eil, and four members of the squad. The second-in-command was slain by Lutz, and two members of the squad were slain by Gerhard.

"Princess, how would you like to deal with the rebels?"

Gerhard asked. After all, he is the only moderator in these situations.

The rule is that anyone who attempts to murder or kidnap royalty must be taken to the royal capital and subjected to torture that is too horrific to even mention, but there are not enough people to do this.

I wonder if we should execute everyone here, or take only the captain.

It is a terrible thing to ask a thirteen-year-old girl to decide. If possible, I would have liked her to say that she would leave it to me.

However, Listille did not say either "get rid of it" or "I leave it to you," but rather thought for a moment before opening her mouth.

"Would you care to share your story with us?"

"……what?"

Kilcord looked up. His face was no longer pale, but rather earthy. Jocel had tied his arm to stop the bleeding, but he was not going to live much longer.

"What did you want to complain about? What did you want to demand when you met my father? Can you tell me? I don't want it to end without knowing anything."

"That is……"

"I'm powerless. However, I can at least talk to my father."

Kilcord did not tell Listille anything. He had decided from the start that he had nothing to say to this little girl. He only wanted her for her value as a hostage.

It would have been easy to give up and say that anything he said would be useless anyway. But for the sake of my friends who died with him, for the sake of his fellow countrymen who are still suffering, he could not give up at this point.

It doesn't matter if it's useless, it doesn't matter if it's the embarrassment of clinging to a little girl. He who starts the fight must take responsibility.

I even expected a little bit more. They kidnap you, kill each other in front of your eyes, and then immediately after being rescued, you turn to the kidnappers and tell them to talk to you. Is this something an ordinary person can do?

Kilcord spoke of the plight of the returning soldiers.

They risked their lives to fight for their country, and all they had to show for it was a few silver coins. There was no place for them when they returned home, and many were plagued by the trauma of the war.

The warriors were abhorred as a group of murderers when the war was over. I was frustrated by that and could not forgive it. I wanted them to be evaluated correctly. At the very least, I wanted to live like a human being.

He continued to speak breathlessly. His men tried to replace him on the way, but he refused. He thought that appealing to the royal family was his final duty as captain.

Listille listened to Kilcord's story in silence. And when he finished, she nodded solemnly.

"...I understand. I promise to tell my father about your plight and have him assure me that something will be done."

"What do you mean, "something"?

I knew it was disrespectful to ask back to the royalty, but I couldn't let the conversation end on a vague note.

"We will provide houses and fields for the returned soldiers who have nowhere else to go. We will also provide food and other necessities until their lives are stabilised."

Unbeknownst to Listille at this point, it was very similar to the policy the Allies had for veterans.

"Thank you……"

It was really hard to move his neck just a little, but Kilcord bowed his head and thanked her.

It's just a verbal promise, no proof. Still, I was able to draw out a commitment from the royal family, that's all I can do.

"But……"

Listille continued.

I know. There is one more thing that must never be left ambiguous. Kilcord quietly accepted his fate.

"You must die."

Listille, with tears in her black jewel-like eyes, declared clearly.

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