Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
46. Stormy Weather in the North②
The rain gradually got stronger, and the sky became covered with pitch black clouds, making it gloomy even though it was daytime.
The ground was muddy, hindering their march, and the sun was setting when the wall of red light in front of them grew larger and became much clearer
“We should be able to reach that barrier as soon as tomorrow morning, so let’s check a few things while we’re at it.”
Just halfway between the capital and the area where the ward was, were the ruins of an old church and fortress. The roof had fallen in, the walls were crumbling, and the inside was in shambles, as if it had been ransacked. It was worrisome to see such a dilapidated church left exposed to the elements so close to the capital, but with night approaching, it was difficult to march any further.
Lionel called out to the group as they prepared to set up camp, using it as a base from which to pitch a tent to protect them from the rain. Lionel turned to the knights of Ziemeld.
“Count Agreas is in the royal capital, right? Did you send him word?”
“…All of the people remaining now are low-ranking members of the Ziemeld Knights. I sent a few people to deliver the message on my own initiative, but they aren’t official messengers. Most of the high-ranking knights who were involved in the chain of command are… well…”
The knight of Ziemerd, hesitates, attracting the eyes of the people around him.
“Somehow, they’ve disappeared.”
“They’re gone ……? Did they follow Count Agreas to the royal capital?”
“No,……, I don’t know, but ever since the Royal Knights left this place, one by one, with each passing day, they have disappeared.”
“At first it was thought that they had left on the orders of His Excellency Agreas or for some other reason, but no one knew anything about it, and on top of that, the horse was almost always left behind in the stables, which is… strange.”
It is true that many of the knights from Ziemeld who had joined the group were young, and some of them looked almost new recruits.
“By the time we realized it, there was no one left who could explain the situation or take command, and we ourselves didn’t know exactly what was going on… Even if we tried to ask for an explanation from our superiors, there’s… no… one… here.”
“It’s as if we’ve been stranded here, along with that barrier, all at once. It all happened in the blink of an eye over the past month or so…”
The knights of Ziemeld were exhausted with confusion and anxiety.
A mercenary who had been checking the direction of the red barrier while listening to the story stood up and spoke up.
“Sir Lionel! Something is strange, the walls of the ward are flickering!”
When everyone turned around, they saw a wall of red light that irregularly faded in intensity before their eyes. It looked like a flame about to burn out.
Then, suddenly in the pouring rain, the red light disappeared, leaving only the black shadows of the forest spreading out before their eyes.
“This is bad…”
“Hey, there’s an undead beast inside that ward, isn’t there!”
Everyone in the room stood up, starting with Lionel and Gilbert.
“What do we do?”
“Approaching in this rain and darkness is a huge disadvantage. We can’t accurately ascertain what is going on or what’s in there. For now, let’s use the abandoned church and the fort to secure a place of refuge.”
If those mutant small undead beasts are in the mix, it’ll be even more difficult to deal with them in the dark of night.
But judging from the distance, even taking into account their movement speed, there should still be some time before they are attacked.
“What about the capital city? There are probably still some residents left in the city. From what I just heard, it’s doubtful that there are enough troops left to protect them.”
Gilbert was looking in the direction of the capital city. The castle town of the Ziemeld territory was visible in the distance, and considering its size it looked quite desolate, but even through the rain he could see a few lights.
“That’s where we come in.”
Saying this, Sydney, the priest of the Great Church of the West, stood up and stepped forward, along with the rest of clergy.
“Wide-area barriers are our specialty. Leave it to us.”
The priests and clergy stood side by side, not minding getting drenched by the rain, and facing the direction of the capital, held out their hands to the sky.
There in the dark, a large curve of light spread horizontally, drawing a trail of ivy, symbolizing the goddess, as it floated in the sky.
“How long will it last?”
“…… Well, to be honest, with such a large area, I’d say two or three days maximum.”
When Lionel asked, Priest Sydney smiled bitterly.
Hearing this, Dolph, who had been silent the whole time, called out to Lionel and the others.
“Lionel, Gilbert, I don’t need to tell you this, but don’t die in vain. I know you’re planning to wipe them out, but I don’t know what’s in store for you. ……”
There was a moment of silence, then Dolph chuckled.
“…So, let’s fill our stomachs while we still have time.”
Behind Dolph, Flora and Barbara, who had been listening quietly with somber expressions on their faces, eyes widened. They looked at each other and immediately set about cooking grasping the what he meant.
Since they had to make camp at short notice in bad weather, they prepared only seared salted meat and porridge soup with barley and vegetables. They ate it all up to fill their stomachs and boost their morale, Then decided on the division of labor.
They took turns sleeping as they waited for morning, and by midnight they were luring in and destroying the medium-sized undead beasts that had begun to appear in the vicinity.
The rain didn’t stop, and morning came as the surroundings turned white.
And then, when they saw what they saw, everyone was left speechless.
In the middle of the forest, where there had been a red light ward until last night, stood something that looked like an eerie reddish-black mountain.