Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
55. A Prayer and the Past ①
Gilbert and Flora were sitting side by side on the back of the carriage, silently working with their backs against the wall. Gilbert was using a small knife to carve leaf-shaped buttons out of wood, while Flora was embroidering on a shirt.
What they were making was meant as gifts for Lionel, Dolph, and the mercenaries and soldiers who had been with them all the way from the Kelvim territory.
Inspired by Barbara, they had started this small wish-making endeavor to pray for their comrades’ safety. Barbara said it was a sharing of blessings, so both the buttons and embroidery mimicked ivy patterns.
Since they had been ordered to wait without leaving the carriage for a while, they had finished everything they could do to prepare for the journey south along the Uleri River. Therefore, they were spending this free time together, engaging in this modest wish-making, praying for the safety of their newly trusted companions in the times to come.
Gilbert blew on the ivy-shaped button he had just finished sanding, sending wood shavings flying. He gently stroked it with his fingers to check its shape before placing it in a bowl on the floor and looking up.
In his line of sight was Flora’s profile, smiling softly as she concentrated on her work. With each pass of the pale green embroidery thread from her needle, vibrant ivy leaves were taking shape on the fabric.
Though he thought it might make her uneasy to be watched closely while she worked, he couldn’t tear his eyes away. In this quiet moment, just the two of them, using their hands to create something tangible while thinking of someone else, felt like the most blissful time of all to him.
Even in the midst of a tense and unsettling situation, there are moments of calm and contentment. A contented mind gives rise to a sense of calm and confidence that one can ward off any terrible things that may come their way.
“This is wonderful! Everyone will surely be delighted, don’t you think?”
“Yes! It’s so lovely, I’m thinking of making one for Gilbert too, and one for myself!”
Barbara smiled brightly as she admired the finished shirt.
Flora stopped working, looked up, and returned the smile with a faint blush on her cheeks.
Seeing Flora like that, Gilbert felt his face heat up, and he covered half of his face with one hand. He glanced around, flustered, but his gaze quickly returned to Flora’s face.
—Damn it… she’s so cute. I want to keep looking at her…
Even as he wondered what he was thinking at such a critical time in the war, emotions are difficult to control. He wished for the peaceful time spent concentrating on their work in silence and these fleeting moments to last forever.
And then—Gilbert’s current dilemma, not well-practiced in dealing with women for various reasons, was how to mask his desire to take things a step further.
He tightly gripped the almost-finished gift for Flora hidden in his chest pocket. It felt as if he were holding his own heart.
If only it contained nothing but blessings, it would be fine, but he worried lately that wicked feelings might start to mix in, like wanting to get closer or even touch her, which was why he had made little progress on the gift.
—At a time when the country is in such trouble, if I’m thinking of strange things, won’t the goddess surely get angry with me…!?
Now, the words of admonition he used to control himself were primarily those.
There were things he had to do. People he wanted to protect. That was why he was currently suppressing his inappropriate feelings, trying to discipline himself somehow.
◆◆◆
After two days of preparations, the recovered old knight Clark summoned Gilbert and the others through Lionel. It seemed that Duke Ziemeld had regained consciousness.
“The Duke wishes to see you, the ‘Guide Mage.’ This is not solely for your benefit.”*
Accepting the invitation, Gilbert entrusted guarding the carriage to the mercenaries and joined Lionel, Priest Sidney, and the rest for the audience.
Lying in bed, Duke Ziemeld looked from Gilbert to Flora, then to Dolph and Barbara, then burst into tears. He was so weak from his previous illness that it seemed he was struggling to speak.
“The Guide Mage returns to my domain once more…”
He uttered in a rasping voice, trembling as if he could say no more.
The Old knight Clark, who had been serving the Duke even before his health decline, rubbed his back as a gesture of comfort and continued speaking in his place.
“Let me start by asking you all. Do you all know of the tale related to the holy sword from the last time?”
“Last time…? Are you referring to the holy sword that manifested in a small southern country a hundred and eighteen years ago?”
It was Priest Sidney who answered.
“Exactly. The subsequent events have likely left few records for the public. According to the records remaining in Ziemeld, it was about 115 years ago, during the time of my and my lord the Duke’s great-grandfather. At that time, Ziemeld was still a single country, and they faced a massive assault from magical beasts, including the Undead, and sought the holy sword and its wielder for aid.”
“What!? This is the first I’m hearing of it!?”
Sidney exclaimed in surprise.
“It hasn’t been spread outside… For the reason that my Ziemeld inadvertently… killed the Guide Mage who accompanied the wielder of the holy sword without knowing who they were.”
Multiple gasps shook the air.
Then Duke Ziemeld lifted his gaze and continued Clark’s narrative.
“According to the records, the power of the holy sword vanished in an instant, and our Ziemeld found itself in a dire situation. We received support from a neighboring country—in other words, our current country, Gilgrad— and after ten years we finally succeeded in repelling them, but… a great many of our people perished, and an enormous debt was left behind, rendering our nation unable to survive. This is the truth behind why we had no choice but to accept annexation by this country.”
The Duke, frail and worn by illness, somehow managed to sit up and gazed off into the distance.