Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
29. Strange happenings in the north①
“Gilbert, do you know what that smoke signal means?”
Dolph asked as he held the reins in the driver’s seat of the swaying carriage. After a nod, Gilbert replied with a grim expression.
“…it’s often used by the Knights, but it can also be understood by private armies and mercenaries from each territory to convey a message. It has been laced with magical light dust to show that it is not a request for reinforcements, and it should be conveying that a simultaneous attack has been launched from that position, or that the front lines have advanced to that location…”
Mr. Dolph frowned.
“You mean there’s something big enough that they have to do that?”
“Probably yes. The question is whether …… it was just a bunch of stray magical beasts attacking the city or ……”
Dolph took one look at Gilbert, who was reluctant to say what was ahead, then turned his attention to the city ahead.
“Gilbert, whatever you do, don’t do anything rash. And right now we have no holy water on hand. In case it’s the undead, we’ll have to get some holy water from the church in that town first.”
“Yeah… that’s right…”
Gilbert gripped the handle of the battle axe in his hand.
“This area is already pretty close to what used to be the northern front line… If we’re going to catch up, it should be pretty close.”*
“You think Lionel’s up there?”
“I don’t know. But it’s quite possible.”
Dolph looked straight ahead, pondered for a moment, and then spoke up.
“Barbara, Flora, gather up the parts you’re working on.”
“Yes!”
“got it!”
As he listened to the three voices, Gilbert stared at the city walls that were gradually growing before his eyes, and the smoke signals rising beyond them.
We arrived at a small town with an old castle, where a large number of clergymen had set up wards along the walls and were tending to the wounded.
As we passed through the gate and continued on our carriage to the central square, we saw a man who appeared to be the lord of the area discussing something with a group of private soldiers, his expression grim.
As soon as he noticed us, he came running over.
“That battle axe, are you a mercenary or something? I’m sorry, but we need some extra help right now. I’ll pay you! Help us!”
“We’ll help if we can. First of all, can you tell us what happened?”
Dolph answers on behalf of the group, stopping Gilbert from answering.
“Earlier this morning, an undead magical beast appeared in a nearby forest…….The order for the Knights to return was given too soon. ……What in the world was His Majesty thinking?
The man’s face was filled with bitterness as he complained, and Dolph asked in a calm voice,
“So it’s the undead beasts after all. …… even from a distance, I could see the smoke signals rising, but have you finished exterminating it yet?”
“…Ah. To begin with, our private army was already fully occupied. Luckily, we were fortunate to have the clergy who stayed behind in the north and, as luck would have it, Sir Lionel, the Commander of the kingdom’s knights, rushed to our aid.”
At the mention of Lionel’s name, Gilbert jumped down from the carriage and ran to the lord.
“If he’s not here, then he must be at the smoke signal, right?”
“Oh, yes. He has been pulling them away from the city. The truth is, it’s a pretty tricky situation…”
The lord wrinkled his brow and let out a heavy sigh.
“There was only one large one, so we managed to deal with it… but right after that, a large group of smaller ones appeared. We haven’t counted them, but there are quite a few of them.”
“Smaller ……? Are you saying that the undead beasts are swarming?”
Gilbert asked, and the lord nodded with a grim look on his face.
“Yes, that’s right. Normally, most of the smaller monsters and beasts would have died before becoming immortal beasts. That’s why I’ve never heard of such a large number of them appearing at the same time…”
He said that in this city near the north, undead beasts sometimes appear once or twice a year on a one-off basis. That is why they had the knowledge and were familiar with dealing with them.
“Even during the recent extermination of the mass outbreak in the north, the swarms encountered on the front lines were generally around ten or a dozen medium-sized monsters. But the ones that attacked this city today were far more than could be counted.”
Both Dolph and Gilbert’s expressions twisted in confusion.
“Could it be that we’ve come all the way here and found a mutant species…?”
Normally, larger magical beasts are of course more troublesome, but In this case with undead magical beasts, the problem is numbers more than anything else, due to the complexity of their extermination.
The heads must be cut off with a weapon that has been purified with holy water, but the blessing of the holy water quickly fades, so it is time-consuming to re-purify each one.
“Can I get some holy water?”
Gilbert, wanting to rush to Lionel’s side immediately, asked, but the lord shook his head.
Ad
“We ran out a while ago. We’re working with the clergy to remake it.”
“I see. ……”
Gilbert turned his head down and clenched his trembling fists.
Looking at him sideways, Mr Dolph asked the lord.
“Is Lionel alone?”
“No, he is accompanied by several high-ranking clergymen and several skilled members from our private army. Once they gain some distance, they’re going to temporarily restrain it in place with wards. If all goes well, they should be back before the sun sets.”
Hearing this, Dolph nodded and patted Gilbert on the shoulder to encourage him.
“Then we must now prepare for what lies ahead.”