Kays Translations

42.  Mire of the north

　The next morning, preparations for battle were underway again in the town of Kelvim.

　Being in the north, bordering the unexplored forest, it was natural to be on guard, and the situation in the neighboring Ziemeld territory to the northeast was unknown. The residents of the north, who had a long history of fighting magical beasts, were beginning to prepare for the battle.

　Meanwhile, Gilbert had Flora and the others make him some armor out of leather.

“Gilbert, next time, please keep your arms up and stay still.”

“Huh! P-please…!”

　As he raises his arms, Flora, holding a leather strap in her hands, comes up to him very close and puts her arms around his back. She was simply measuring his chest, but the closeness made him feel nervous, as if she was hugging him.

　– Well…… oh, Flora! She smells so nice…!?

　Flora’s expression was completely serious, so Gilbert never says it out loud, but silently screaming in his head.

“Next, raise your arms out to the sides and hold them at shoulder height, then take a deep breath and hold it in that position.”

　He nods his head and does as he is told. His body temperature is rising and he felt sweaty and restless.

　Next to him, Dolph was smiling warmly as he processed a thin sheet of iron. As Barbara ran scissors through the leather she had measured, she muttered something like, “It’s spring,” but contrary to the cheerful atmosphere inside the carriage, it had been raining outside all  morning.

　The reason he is wearing new protective armor is to avoid getting wet and losing body heat as the rainy season approaches. Dolph, Barbara, and Flora have been making the breastplate, shoulder pads, gauntlets, and cloak in their spare time.

　He also got a new braided cord tied to his battle axe. Flora even sewed him a change of clothes, so now almost everything he was wearing was handmade by her.

　─ ─ That’s not enough at all for a thank-you …….

　Gilbert’s gaze fell on Flora’s hair, where a wooden flower hair ornament swayed in her hair. He’d woken up early this morning to make it for her. On her chest was the brooch he’d given her previously. He felt a twinge of joy knowing that Flora was wearing something he’d made.

　Fidgeting, he thought about what to give her next. He fantasized about learning how to process glass from a glass artisan.

　◆◆◆

　While they were doing that, Lionel came to call Gilbert and Dolph. It seemed that the Ziemeld knight had woken up. The lord of the city, Count Kelvim, and the others involved in the battle had gathered at the church.

“Thank you very much for your help. On top of that, I know it’s a selfish request,……, but please save Ziemeld.”

The young man, who had raised himself on the bed with a pained expression on his face, probably still not fully recovered, bowed his head, his voice cracking.

“First, may I ask you about what is going on? I have heard that the knights of Ziemeld swear absolute loyalty to their lord. But from the looks of it… you must have run away from there?”

　Count Kelvim spoke to him, and the young man nodded with a bitter expression.

“Yes…. Due to the pride of having protected the country for so long in the harsh north, not many people dared to go against the orders of our lord, Duke Ziemeld. However, there were also many who spoke out out of fear, or to protect their families. …. Anyone who objected to His Excellency’s policies was arrested…”

“Policy…? Is Duke Ziemeld plotting something?”

　　The young knight began to speak with a frightened look on his face.

“He is increasing …… the number of undead beasts in the wards,  Instead of defeating them, they are capturing them alive. ……”

“Ridiculous!　Why would you do something like that!?　Are you unaware of the horror of the undead, the immortal beasts?!”

　Count Kelvim cried out in shock, but the young man weakly shook his head helplessly.

“Because I’m only at the bottom, I don’t know what their goal is. But even from an outsider’s perspective, it doesn’t seem like they can control it at all… Also, here’s something wrong with him.”

　Both Lionel and Gilbert listen with grim expressions on their faces.

“His son and next head of the family, His Excellency Agreas, is currently in the royal capital, but His Excellency Duke Ziemeld has been bedridden for a long time, and although he has been giving orders through his aides, we have not seen him in person for about six months now. But, sometimes in the middle of the night, we can hear His Excellency’s voice coming from the ground!”

“From the ground ……?”

“Yes. I’m not sure if he’s using some kind of magic or not. I can’t hear exactly what they are saying, but I can tell that he’s in pain. There are many who have heard his voice.”

　Gilbert frowned in confusion.

“Um… Could it be that Duke Ziemeld is no longer with us and has become a ghost or something?”

“At first, there were such rumors. But if that’s the case, I don’t see why it shouldn’t be made public. His heir, His Excellency Agreas, is still alive and well, and there is no one in the realm who would not support him as his successor.”

　The confusion of everyone there only deepened.

“I don’t have a full grasp of the situation, but suppose we were to ride in and take on the Knights of Ziemeld …”

Count Kelvim frowned. Of course, there was the difference in size and skill to start with, but also the northern region had long been plagued by battles with magical beasts. Because of that environment, there hadn’t been many man-made wars there, and they were not accustomed to fighting people.

“As I said earlier, we have not been successful in controlling the undead demonic beasts. It’s getting to the point where we can barely contain them, and the chain of command is starting to fall into disarray. I took advantage of this situation and ran away to warn the outside world.”

　Lionel’s expression turned even more grim.

“Has the Royal Capital been informed ……?”

“I’m sorry ……, but as I was in captivity, I don’t have that much information.”

　Count Kelvim exhaled deeply.

“I sent a messenger to the southern gate of Ziemeld this morning, but this can no longer be called a situation check. We should prepare ourselves and send out troops. From what I’ve just heard, I don’t think we have time to wait for a reply from the royal capital. If the situation in Ziemeld falls apart, this will be the first to suffer damage.”

Everyone there nodded. Although there was a risk in acting on the testimony of a single knight without any evidence, they feared that if it all turned out to be true, it might be too late while they wasted time.

“Fortunately, yesterday’s sweep went smoothly so we have some spare time. As soon as we have more preparations in place, we’ll head to Ziemeld.”

　At Lionel’s words, everyone immediately sprang into action.

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