Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 50: Wriggling Things
Several old canals crossed the royal capital. They drew water from a branch of the Ureri River northeast of the city, flowed beneath the capital, and eventually rejoined the river.
Many served as sewers for the residents’ garbage and waste. They smelled foul, and poor communities clustered around them.
Recently, a disturbing rumor had spread through those slums.
“Did you hear about some kind of mud crawling out of the canal?”
“Yeah, I heard about it. The old lady next door who saw it took to bed because she was so scared.”
“It was probably insects gathering in the filth, or a swarm of rats.”
Poor and uneducated, the residents couldn’t identify the phenomenon. Their low status also left them unable to petition the capital’s knights or watchmen. In the wet season’s dark, damp air, disturbing stories slowly accumulated.
“The smell is especially awful this year, though it’s bad every year.”
An elderly cleaner held her nose while emptying collected filth into the canal. Wealthy households employed cleaners to dump their refuse there. It was an ordinary sight, and neither ugly rumors nor the intensified wet-season stench seemed more than part of daily life.
The waterway passed underground beneath the city center to spare wealthy residents the odor. No ordinary resident knew what those tunnels looked like.
For commoners, however, rumors were a rare entertainment—and these rumors carried a sinister shadow.
“…More importantly, haven’t there been far too many reports of undead beasts near the capital recently?”
“They say nothing can prevent it when there’s a river. But this never happened before…”
“We’ll be fine! The Royal Order is here, along with the Holy Knight and Saint!”
“But these days, even when an undead beast appears, neither of them is seen…”
Little by little, their anxieties fed and darkened one another.
◆◆◆
Elliot and Lloyd stood in the Order’s barracks.
“A staged extermination?”
“Yes. His Majesty requested it. Apparently he remains disappointed that he never saw the Holy Knight in action.”
Count Agreas spoke wearily and spread a leather map of the capital’s surroundings over the table. He indicated a point on the Ureri River slightly north of the city.
“A weir upstream regulates the water level and protects the capital from flooding and landslides. An investigation found approximately a dozen undead beasts trapped there.”
“That many?”
Elliot and Lloyd paled, but Count Agreas continued soothingly.
“Beasts have long washed downriver and collected at the weir. A barrier protects the area against larger creatures, so there’s no immediate danger. We have ample time to prepare.”
“…In other words, we prepare, release all the undead beasts from the weir at once, destroy them, and present the spectacle to His Majesty?”
At Lloyd’s question, Count Agreas smiled.
“It may seem foolish, but careful preparation followed by simultaneous extermination is sound enough. We can turn the circumstances to our advantage. Moreover, repeated appearances of small undead beasts near the capital have unsettled the people. This demonstration will ease their fear.”
Elliot lowered his gaze and tightened his grip on the sword at his waist.
“I understand your anxiety. We’ll design the plan to prevent discovery and proceed with the utmost caution. If we prove the Holy Knight and Saint remain well before their great day, we can deceive everyone a little longer.”
Count Agreas pasted an emotionless smile onto his face.