Kays Translations

49. Distorting things

　In his office at the royal castle, Dylan Agreas Ziemeld  was reading through reports gathered from all over the country.

　He had been appointed commander of the Royal Order of Knights, and with that status came the trust that it commanded, any information about the appearance of magical beasts and requests for reinforcements were always sent to him first.

“…I will report this to His Excellency the Prime Minister and His Majesty the King.”

　The civil servant who came to deliver the package expressed his relief when he told him so with a smile. He must have looked inside to sort  the items.

　A man dressed in the military uniform of the Knights of Ziemeld entered the room, passing by the  civil servant who was leaving. He is a member of Agreas’s entourage who also serves as his chamberlain in the royal capital.

　When he enters the room, Agreas deploys a concealment spell using a Sorcerer’s Orb.

“My Lord, there was a report of a large lightning strike in the immediate vicinity of the Ziemeld capital yesterday.”

“A lightning strike, huh? It’s not that uncommon at this time of year. Is there something on your mind that maked you go out of your way to report it?”

　Agreas asked quietly, and the aid looked slightly impatient.

“No, no, I was just concerned. I was wondering if the location was near that barrier…”

“Prudence is a virtue. Well, I suppose I should send someone over to check right away.”

　The man from his entourage breathed a sigh of relief and changed the topic.

“The other thing is that there has been a steady flow of people who have fled their homes after seeing the wards. I think we are at the limit of how much we can keep it from getting out. ……”

“You can forget about that. As the rainy season sets in and the roads deteriorate, the speed at which people’s words get around will slow down. Even now ……, It’s already too late.”

　Saying this, Agreas put the report that he had just received from the civil servant in the fireplace.

“Have you found that woman?”

“No… but you… it seems the Marquis Beresfold has found out about us. The Viscount Cadira in the south is already under the protection of Beresfold, and all of our subordinates’ movements have been hindered and pursued…”

　The man’s voice sank. Agreas sighed in annoyance.

　The Marquis of Beresfold is the family of Amanda Aim Beresfold, the fiancée of Crown Prince Alexis.

“I never thought a commoner woman like that could do that… No, it’s actually the other way around. A silly little scandal robbed me of my work. But is it my fault that I have made such a situation in which I have to flinch and make such efforts?”**

　As Agreas muttered to himself, the aid turned pale.

“I am not blaming you. In the first place, it is more difficult to find such a vague existence.”

　Agreas exhaled.

“Prayers are invisible to the human eye. No one knows what another is praying for. Was it “a woman who’s always smiling, devoted, and loved by many”? I’m sure there are plenty of women like that if you look hard enough. The only clue I had was in such a trivial description. How ridiculous.”

　He wrinkled his eyebrows as he looked out at the cathedral of the royal castle through the window.

“But now there’s little need to get rid of the real thing. It’s too late for everything. You don’t have to worry about it.”

　The man behind him let out a sigh of relief.

　◆◆◆

　Emily’s face was pale as she was rocked in the carriage together with Marianne.

“lady Emily, I apologize for asking you to do so much when you have not been feeling well. Their morale has been high recently, and there were many requests for you to come….”

　Marianne’s caring voice sounded as if it’s coming from afar to her.

　Only a short time ago, she had been hoping to return to the battlefield where she would be praised for just her efforts.

　Now, she’s so scared.*

　–Oh no, what am I going to do, what am I going to say, …….

　Just thinking about it gives her chills and maked it hard to think.

　No matter how much she prayed each day, she couldn’t heal or purify anything, she didn’t get her powers back, which made her question how she ever used them.

　The carriage shook with a clang, and outside the window she could see several high-ranking knights. Familiar faces waved happily at her.

　The location was much closer to the royal capital than where the previous undead beast had appeared before. I could already see a few clergymen and monks there.

　─ ─ If it’s already over, I guess I’ll just show my face…

　Telling herself that, she got off the carriage on shaky legs.

　But before they could even exchange greetings, a man’s voice echoed from the bushes beside her.

“There’s another one!　He’s headed your way!!”

　The high-ranking knights all turned around at once.

　A distorted, eerie thing, coated in reddish-black rotten flesh and with a multitude of eyes jumps out of the corner of their vision.

　Emily screams at the sight of it.

　Almost losing her balance, Emily desperately ran back to the carriage, and hugged her knees, trembling.

　Never before had she seen an undead magical beast so close.

　Senior knights Marcus and Richard immediately drew their swords at the signal of the man’s voice. Marcus was wounded in the arm by the sudden attack from the side, but they, who were used to fighting, slaughtered the undead without fear.

　But, at almost at the same time, a high-pitched scream startled him and made him turn around.

“Saint, ……?”

　Marcus and Richard were bewildered, and a female monk who was nearby rushed over to tend to their wounds. She, too, was shaking a little.

“Monks specialize in healing and purification, so they don’t accompany you to the front lines of battles like the priests who are good at creating barriers. We didn’t leave our garrisons during the battles either,…… So we had never seen the undead monsters in such close proximity,…… her also, probably ….I never thought they could look that horrifying. ……”

　Marcus and Richard were perplexed, however, by the monk, who looked as if she was trying to suppress fear and was trembling slightly.

　Emily had been there the whole time, facing something similarly terrifying, or so they had thought.

　True, the monks had never left the safety of the garrison. And yes, they had never seen the undead up close in the battlefield.

“Um, the healing and purification are complete…”

　The monk called out to Marcus, who had fallen silent.

“Eh?　Isn’t it a little too soon ……?　Saint Emily would have done it more carefully!”

　Marcus asked the monk, his tone sharp with Irritation and stinging, partly due to his confusion. The monk looked surprised.

“No, it’s been completed properly. Please rest assured.”

　From the side, a cleric called out in a calm voice, checking where Marcus had been injured. The other clergymen did the same, saying that all the healing and cleansing had been done, the monk had done the work.

 “…… Um, carefully, you say. She’s an apprentice monk, so it takes her a while, It can’t be helped, right?”

　The female monk was puzzled, but told Marcus anyway.

　Marcus and Richard looked at each other. Feeling extremely uncomfortable, as if they had just realized that they had made a huge mistake.

■About clerics and monks in the world of the story (since I didn’t mention it in the work…)

There are cases where monk / cleric is used regardless of religion or sect,

Those who have applied this knowledge and undergone training to become able to heal and purify are broadly classified as monks.

Those who have learned to use more advanced magic under the tutelage of a particular church are called clerics/priests,

I use it in different ways.*¹

I apologize to anyone who was confused as I used this term in the story without any particular explanation…!

Tl note:

*¹: “I use it in different ways.”*it emphasizes the idea of making a proper distinction when using something. 

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