Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 69: Amidst the Frenzy ②
In the destroyed arena, the high-ranking knights were cornered and huddled on what little footing remained, their faces pale and trembling. They were left speechless by the unexpected event that had just taken place. Holy knight Elliot had been a source of comfort for them, a guarantee that their victories were secure, no matter what the circumstances.
There was no denying that they felt inferior, as if their existence was being belittled. Despite this, Elliot’s holy sword had brought them progress in the long, arduous battle against the unending Undead.
That’s why they were proud to be alongside Elliot, a hero who wielded the holy sword, and they found solace in his presence.
But that comfort had shattered so easily before their very eyes.
In the first place, a knight fighting with a sword would be at a disadvantage against an incomprehensible entity like an Undead iron-eating slime. So even if they knew there was nothing that could be done, the despair did not go away.
They were so caught off guard by what had happened that nobody could even move to help Elliot as he was being swallowed by the liquefied slime. Confused and cornered, they had no way to escape and were on the verge of being swallowed up just like Elliot. Trapped in the undead sticky mucus, the armor they were wearing began to rot.
In the midst of this chaos, a voice that shouldn’t have been able to reach from where they were suddenly echoe through the air. It was Dylan Agreas Ziemeld’s voice from the VIP seat set up on the north side of the hill. The words he spoke resonated directly in their heads, as if it was coming through the slime.
What they heard, what he’d said, only deepened their anguish.
“…So, we… lady Emily isn’t a saintess…?”
It was Marcus’ faint mutterings that echoed from aside.
Richard, one of the higher-ranking knights, realized his own foolishness. He had been suspicious since the incident the other time, and it seemed he had been right to suspect that something was amiss.
Who was it that first said “Emily” was a saintess? There was no one to point a finger at. It was they who agreed with it, and they were the ones who were deceived.
In the bleak, war-torn land where there was little entertainment and no solace, they were enamored by Emily’s cheerful presence, her unwavering spirit as she adorably ran around. At first, it was just a light-hearted remark; that if saints really existed, they would probably be like that, but it eventually became a reassuring aspect of their existence.
It gradually took root and became a small daily pleasure, a comfort, and eventually a fever. When was it that so many people started calling Emily a saint every day, and started to believe it was true and no longer doubted it?
“…It was us who pushed her forward with no basis…”
He says this like a confession, but it gets nowhere. He realizes now that he’s only seen the surface, and now it’s already too late.
“Maybe it’s our fault that the Holy Sword has …… disappeared. ……”
Marcus said this as the undead slime took hold and he no longer had the strength to resist and was consumed by it.
“When I was told by His Excellency Agreas that the Holy Knight and the saint must be protected,…… I took it as confirmation that His Excellency also recognized the existence of the saint.”
Richard mentioned something that had been in the corner of his memories. He didn’t think that shifting the blame to Agreas for that reason made him any less culpable. He just wanted to convey to Marcus and the other knights that he had been taken advantage of and instigated by his own foolishness.
It is the same with Agreas. Just a short time ago, he was someone they had respected.
Most of them were not legitimate sons, even if they were from prestigious noble families, and some were from lower-ranking noble families or commoners. The proud Duke of Ziemeld family recognized the achievements of these knights who would otherwise go unnoticed, and took the initiative to support them. But the trust and respect that existed there was now shattered.
“Haha… equality? Miraculous power? After turning into a monster, what exactly are you going to protect…?”
His last bit of pride as a knight made him deny Agreas’ words, but even that vanished in the depths of despair, without reaching anyone’s ears.
As the wave of slime engulfed him and his armor began to melt, Lloyd forced his body to move and grabbed Elliot’s shoulders as he sunk into the undead slime. He drags him up and searched for a foothold.
“Elliot!! Hold on!!”
Elliot was in a daze, and although he seemed conscious, he was barely responding.
“Elliot…Hey, listen to me. I owe you an apology. I was one of those who were used by lord Agreas. I never thought it through, followed him blindly, and as a result, I put you in a perilous situation.”
Lloyd’s voice was strained, and it was unclear if Elliot had heard it.
“I was jealous of you. I had always wondered why you were chosen to wield the holy sword, not me. We were both from the same baronial households, and trained in the same way, so What on earth was the difference between you and me? My jealousy clouded my judgement.”
As he spun the words as if shouting, Lloyd pulled Elliot back onto the remaining platform along the wall; he realized how pitiful their situation was. The platform was crumbling, and all that remained in Elliot’s hand the hilt of the holy sword. Even though Lloyd knew that it had never been the holy sword to begin with. But the sight of him in such a pitiful state made him feel a wave of self-loathing, almost nauseating.
Now that he knew what Aggreas had planned from the start, Lloyd found himself in an irreversible situation, but he still struggled. The loathing he felt for having been manipulated would never go away. There was no point in trying to atone for his sins at this point.
However, he couldn’t bear to remain at Agreas’ mercy any longer.
But, he couldn’t think of any way to deal with the approaching slime. Before he knew it, he was once again covered in a wave of mucus up to his waist. Lloyd looked around in a panic.
On the south side, directly opposite to the noble seats, there was a gate through which undead magical beasts were let through for the purpose of the public subjugation. From behind that black, open-mouthed gate, he spotted a covered carriage, which did not look like it belonged here, heading towards them.
**The term “echo chamber phenomenon” has become well known these days.
Also known as “repetition bias” or “truth illusion.
In a closed group
“By hearing the same words repeatedly, we come to believe and assume that information is true, even if it is obviously false or baseless,
This is a psychological effect that is actually used as a means of brainwashing,
It is a psychological tendency that can happen to anyone.
(I have added this note in consideration of the possibility that readers with a dispassionate third-party perspective may misunderstand this premise without this information.)