Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 49: Distorted Things
In his castle office, Dylan Agreas Ziemeld read reports gathered from throughout the kingdom.
His appointment as commander of the Royal Order granted immense authority. Reports of beasts and requests for reinforcements now reached him first.
“I’ll report this to the chancellor and His Majesty.”
The civil servant who delivered the packet looked relieved at Agreas’s smiling assurance. He had likely examined the contents while sorting them.
As the official departed, a man in the uniform of the Knights of Ziemeld entered. He belonged to Agreas’s entourage and served as his chamberlain in the capital.
Once the door closed, Agreas used a sorcerer’s orb to raise a concealment spell.
“My lord, a powerful lightning strike was reported immediately outside Ziemeld’s capital yesterday.”
“Lightning is hardly unusual at this time of year. What concern made the matter worth reporting?”
At Agreas’s quiet question, the aide grew anxious.
“None in particular. I only wondered whether it struck near the barrier.”
“Prudence is a virtue. I suppose we should send someone to investigate immediately.”
The attendant sighed in relief, then changed subjects.
“A steady stream of people have fled after seeing the barrier. I fear we have reached the limit of our ability to suppress the story.”
“Forget it. The wet season has begun, and deteriorating roads will slow the spread of rumors. Even now… it’s already too late.”
Agreas tossed the report from the civil servant into the fire.
“Have you found that woman?”
“No. Moreover, Marquis Beresford appears to have discovered us. Viscount Kadira in the south is already under Beresford protection, and their people have obstructed and pursued all our agents.”
The man’s voice sank. Agreas sighed in annoyance.
Marquis Beresford was the father of Amanda Aime Beresford, Crown Prince Alexis’s fiancée.
“I never imagined a common-born woman could cause so much trouble. No—the opposite is true. A trivial scandal deprived me of my work. But whose fault is it that circumstances forced me to flinch and expend such effort?”
As Agreas muttered, his aide paled.
“I’m not blaming you. An existence described so vaguely is difficult to locate.”
Agreas exhaled.
“Prayers are invisible. No one knows what another person prays for. Was the description ‘a devoted woman who always smiles and is loved by many’? Search hard enough and countless women fit it. That worthless description was my only clue. Ridiculous.”
He frowned through the window at the castle cathedral.
“But little need remains to eliminate the genuine article. Everything is already too late. You need not concern yourself.”
The man behind him released a relieved breath.
◆◆◆
Emily sat pale in a carriage with Marianne.
“Lady Emily, forgive me for asking this while you feel unwell. Morale has risen recently, and many people requested your presence.”
Marianne’s caring voice seemed to reach Emily from a great distance.
Not long ago, Emily had longed to return to the battlefield, where effort alone earned praise.
Now she was terrified.
—What am I going to do? What can I say?
The mere thought chilled her and made thinking difficult.
No matter how much she prayed each day, she could neither heal nor purify. Her power hadn’t returned, and she could no longer understand how she once used it.
The carriage jolted. Beyond the window, several familiar high-ranking knights waved cheerfully.
They were much nearer the royal capital than the site of the previous undead appearance. Several clergy were already visible.
—If it’s already over, I can simply show my face…
Telling herself that, Emily descended on trembling legs.
Before anyone exchanged greetings, a man shouted from nearby brush.
“There’s another! It’s heading toward you!”
The high-ranking knights all turned around at once.
A distorted horror coated in reddish-black rotten flesh, with countless eyes, leaped into view.
Emily screamed.
Nearly falling, she fled desperately into the carriage, curled around her knees, and trembled.
Never before had she seen an undead beast so close.
Marcus and Richard immediately drew their swords. The surprise attack wounded Marcus’s arm, but the battle-hardened knights destroyed the undead beast without hesitation.
Almost simultaneously, a shrill scream startled them and made them turn.
“Saint, ……?”
Marcus and Richard stared in confusion. A female cleric hurried over to treat their wounds, trembling faintly herself.
“Clerics who specialize in healing and purification don’t accompany fighters to the front as priests skilled with barriers do. We remained in the garrison during battle as well. We’ve never seen undead beasts so close. She probably hadn’t either… I never imagined they looked so horrifying…”
Marcus and Richard remained puzzled. This cleric trembled but fought to master her fear.
They had believed Emily spent the entire campaign facing the same horrors.
Yet ordinary clerics truly had remained within the safety of the garrison and never seen an undead beast at close range.
“The healing and purification are complete…”
The monk called out to Marcus, who had fallen silent.
“Already? Saint Emily would have performed it more carefully!”
Confusion sharpened Marcus’s irritated voice. The cleric looked surprised.
“No. It’s been completed properly. Please be assured.”
A priest calmly confirmed the healed wound. Other clergy agreed that the cleric had completed both healing and purification.
“…You said ‘more carefully,’ but she’s only an apprentice cleric. Naturally she needs more time.”
The female cleric spoke in confusion.
Marcus and Richard exchanged glances. A terrible discomfort filled them, as if they had suddenly realized an enormous mistake.