Kays Translations

Chapter 16. Feeling uneasy③

　A heavy silence fell over the place.

　　As Elliott’s hands came into view, his confusion deepened, and his breathing became even more erratic. His feet felt as if they were glued to the ground, and even when he opened his mouth, his raspy breath was only an unsightly gush, not a sound.

　Lloyd, too, was frozen in place, unable to move. He couldn’t get his head around the was happening, which until yesterday he had never imagined.

　It was a relief, at least, that only Elliott, Lloyd, and Powell were present. If more people had been there, chaos would have ensued.

　The silence was broken by the voice of the Priest Powell, who called to Lloyd.

“Your name is Lloyd, right?”

“…… yes.”

　Seeing the two of them, Powell must have realised what had happened, as he was now looking in the direction Lloyd was looking.

“I’m going to ask you one thing, …… do you have any idea why?”

　The calm tone of his voice finally brought Lloyd back to his senses, but he just shook his head.

“…Hmm. I think it’s best if His Majesty, or anyone else for that matter, doesn’t find out just yet. I don’t think even you would be averse to being bombarded with questions when you don’t even know the reason for this.”

“Yes, …… that’s right.”

　Lloyd’s voice was low and throaty as he responded, and then he turned his attention back to Elliott. Elliott was still standing there, his pale face flushed with confusion.

“You two stay here for a bit.  I’ll come up with some excuse and have the others go back first.”

　Powell then mounted his horse with an agility that belied his advanced age, and rode off to the luxurious carriage where the king and the prime minister were waiting.

　Lloyd, who was left behind, made Elliot, who was still far from calm, sit down on a nearby rock.

　Elliot was in a daze and didn’t even respond when he called out to him.

　He had to put his sword back in its sheathe for the time being, so he had Elliott release his grip on the holy sword in his hand, but then he scowled again.

　–it feels Light…?

　When Elliott had acquired the holy sword on the battlefield, it was so heavy that no one but him could lift it in his hands. But now it was no different from an ordinary sword. He felt a chill run down his spine when he thought about what it meant.

　Even with Lloyd, It wasn’t like in the past he hadn’t harbor feelings of inferiority and jealousy as to why it was Elliot, not him, who got the Holy Sword.

　But now, at the fact that he was able to lift it up himself, he felt no joy; instead, he felt an indescribable  sense of dread.

　As the blade was sucked into the sheath, even the ivy relief carved into the blade seemed to be fading. He pretended not to notice this, doing his best to maintain his composure.

　–What happened?  Why is this …… happening?

　Even though he wanted to confront him about it aloud, one look at Elliot’s condition, and it was clear that even he himself was confused and didn’t understand what is happening.

　After a while, the sound of horse hooves was heard and Priest Powell returned.

“I told him that we needed to clean up and do some investigating. Well, it’s true that we need to do some research on this one as well.”

　Powell looked at the remains of the undead immortal beast they had just defeated and put his hand on his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“…Did His Majesty the King say something?”

“No. Neither His Majesty nor any of the others seemed to notice anything at all. They were quite far away. They seemed to think that the light reflected from the water was the light of the holy sword, so I left it as it was.”

　Powell smiled wryly, the lines on his face deepening.

　Perhaps it was because of his age, but without any questions, Powell had understood the situation and used his position to get them through it for the time being. Lloyd felt relieved, but also looked at him pleadingly.

“I appreciate your concern, Mr. Powell. So, um…, is there anything you know about that?”

　Powell returned the smile with a troubled look on his face, his brows drooping, then quietly shook his head.

“I’m sorry, ……. The last time the sword was manifested was in my grandfather’s time,……, some 118 years ago. It was not in this country either. I heard it was in a small country in the south. To make matters worse is that stories like this tend to be kept secret, except in good fortune. It’s not going to be easy to find precedents. ……”

“So, I see. ……”

　Powell looked at Lloyd with pity as he hung his head.

　After a few moments of contemplation, he crossed his arms and let out a sigh.

“Either the …… steel vessel can no longer withstand the load of  the great blessing, or the blessing has been stripped away. If it’s the former, then it is still ……”  

　Hearing what Powell muttered, Lloyd looked up as if he had found a faint glimmer of hope.

“I’m just guessing, don’t get your hopes up. But if you understand that, then ……. There is an old arms dealer by the west gate of the royal castle who has been in business for a long time. His name is Goliath. Take the sword there and ask him. He may have some clues.”

“Okay, ……!”

　Behind Lloyd, who seemed to have seen a ray of hope, Elliot, who had been bowed in silence, finally raised his head.

　The two young men were soon astride their horses and hurrying back to the castle. As he watched their backs recede into the distance, Powell let out a long sigh.

“…I don’t really know anything about it. There is one thing I am certain of though. For all that…”

　He remembered Elliot’s face as he walked away without saying a word, still in a state of confusion.

“If the person in question cannot even realize that, then the holy sword will never return to his hands again.”

　Powell’s mutterings melted away in the wind without reaching anyone’s ears.

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