Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 48: The Voice of the Goddess
Gilbert, Lionel, and the mercenaries slowly approached the reddish-black mound of Undead Mud.
“If it began as a slime, it should move slowly. But mutation is possible, so remain cautious.”
Carefully measuring the distance, they first targeted the area where armor protruded. As they neared, the crumbling bodies of several other beasts became visible within the slime.
“Did the creatures devour one another while transforming, or were they assimilated into it?”
A mercenary murmured as he advanced, constantly watching the surroundings.
Even at close range, the mound didn’t attack. It looked like nothing more than muddy water. To rescue the swallowed person, Lionel drove his blade into the mud and began shaving it away.
“The cut portions seem to disappear, but how long will the blessing last?”
Lionel glanced at his sword while carving through the mud.
Gilbert’s battle-axe could destroy a much wider area. Mindful of the people trapped within, however, he stood some distance from Lionel and cut carefully into the undead slime.
They exposed a knight, dragged him clear, and passed him to the priests behind them. Several more victims were visible, so they repeated the process.
“He’s breathing! Can you carry him to the carriage?”
A priest gave basic treatment, and young Knights of Ziemeld carried the survivor to the wagon, relief and confusion mingling on their faces.
Keeping clear of the rescue effort, Dolph’s party protected the recovered knights and prepared the wagon to move at any moment.
“If matters turn bad, we retrieve Gilbert and the others and flee immediately. Keep the escape route in sight. Barbara, Flora, bring the spare cloaks to cover the survivors.”
Dolph grimly directed the people nearby while watching Gilbert’s group in the distance.
“I raised another broad barrier as near as possible. It’s simple, but reaching it should buy us time.”
Sydney spoke to Dolph, then turned bitterly toward Clark, who prostrated himself nearby.
Clark crouched with his forehead against the ground, trembling. When he finally looked up, his gaze followed Gilbert fighting in the distance.
“Forgive us… We… We did it for the cause…”
His rough, broken voice rang with fear, terror, and regret.
Sydney stood beside Clark, his expression grim.
“Many Knights of Ziemeld swear allegiance not to this country or its people, but to Ziemeld’s ancient royal line. I won’t condemn that pride. But does what lies beyond it now reflect what you truly desire?”
Quiet anger filled Sydney’s voice.
“…No longer. Not anymore…”
Trembling, Clark drew his sword and placed it before his kneeling body, its hilt turned away from his dominant hand.
It was the surrender gesture of a knight from old Ziemeld.
The strange event occurred after several knights had been rescued.
As the party dug through the muddy mass, one knight regained consciousness. His superior armor suggested a captain, but most of his body remained buried.
The blessings upon Lionel’s and the others’ weapons had already faded. They could now only dig through the mud slowly.
“What are you doing? The operation failed… Run… Beneath your feet… We made a mistake…”
After the broken warning, the man lost consciousness.
“Feet ……?”
The word caught Lionel’s attention, and he looked down.
At the edge of his vision, the ground heaved unnaturally.
“This is bad! We need barriers beneath us as well!”
At Lionel’s shout, the priests immediately warded the ground around them.
Beyond the barrier, enormous worm- and snakelike undead beasts burst from the earth.
Sensing the disturbance, Sydney also warded the ground, but a heartbeat too late. A mound erupted beside Dolph’s wagon. Smaller than the others yet as tall as a child, the creature lunged toward Barbara at the wagon door.
It immediately went toward Barbara, who was taking off her coat at the carriage door.
“Barbara!”
Flora seized a pot from the wagon and swung its bottom into the wormlike undead beast with all her strength.
The creature about to strike Barbara crumpled beneath the dull impact and fell backward.
The pot crushed its wormlike body. Countless tiny lights flashed from the point of impact, and the creature disintegrated.
“Flora-san…!?”
Still fighting the undead creatures erupting around him, Gilbert glanced toward Flora. His eyes widened at what he saw. His arms continued swinging the axe, but his mouth fell open.
“Flora… impressive!”
“Oh, I used that pot to make holy water. I suppose a great deal of blessing soaked into it…”
Lionel, the mercenaries, and the clergy stared in shock even as they prepared to retreat.
Despite the danger, Gilbert couldn’t help laughing.
“Flora, you may not look it, but you have remarkable courage.”
He checked the surroundings and stared at the mass of Undead Mud before him.
—Strangely, when Flora is with me, I feel as though I can’t lose. I know I mustn’t be reckless, but…
He could think only of what would happen next. The priests’ barriers had limits, so retreat offered no permanent solution, and there was no time to devise another plan.
Residents remained in the capital. Gilbert wanted to reduce the threat as much as possible.
“Gilbert! Retreat inside the barrier! We’re withdrawing!”
He could hear Lionel shouting.
“……!! Gilbert!!”
Once again, Lionel’s yelling, mixed with impatience, rang out.
The ground rose around Gilbert from several directions and cut off every escape. A giant undead worm and a mass of slime closed over him.
Gilbert raised his battle-axe.
A pillar of light tore vertically from the clouded sky toward the earth. Almost simultaneously, a roar shook the ground.
Lightning struck the raised battle-axe. It seemed that Gilbert brought the weapon down together with the bolt, and a pure-white flash blinded him.
When Gilbert’s vision returned, every undead beast and every trace of Undead Mud around him had vanished.
The rain had stopped unnoticed. Only a few clods of earth remained where the reddish-black mound had stood.
“Was this… within your expectations?”
Sydney quietly asked Dolph.
“…No. I’m currently inventing an explanation. If you have a good one, tell me.”
Dolph laughed helplessly.
Gilbert looked around anxiously, then saw Lionel and Flora leap from the wagon and race toward him.
Lightning still played over Gilbert’s axe, and an ivy relief had appeared on its blade.