Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 74: Counterattack of the Ivy
Agreas let out a deep sigh of annoyance. He frowned at the weapons held by Lionel and his group as they advanced from the opposite side of the arena. He narrowed his eyes at the light and the sheer number of them.
“…I see, so they’re attacking with numbers. They may gather as many puny weapons as they like, but they’re no match for me. Still, they’re an eyesore. …Perhaps it’s best to eliminate the root cause first?”
He muttered, turning his gaze towards the strange carriage running across the arena.
With a snap of his fingers, the lower half of Agreas’s body dissolved into a gooey liquid and fused with the nearby Undead Slime.
“…Eeek…!”
A terrified, strangled voice came from behind. It was a noble who had, until just a moment ago, been fascinated by immortality.
Agreas gave a cold, amused smile.
“Isn’t this splendid? This isn’t my only plan, however.”
He spoke with a triumphant air, and with another snap of his fingers, the mucus of the Undead slime that had mixed with Agreas’s lower half transformed into the shape of a four-legged beast.
Watching this bizarre change, the king, the prime minister, and the nobles were all speechless.
The wave of the Undead Slime swelled greatly, causing the VIP seats to shake violently once again. Amidst the rising cries, Agreas, who had been transformed, ran forward as if walking on a carpeted road.
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Inside the cabin in the cargo hold of the carriage running through the arena, Gilbert was looking around restlessly.
He thought about getting off to lighten the load since it was being pulled by hand, but he was told that the carriage’s cargo hold, a special product of the blacksmith’s village, was enchanted so that the weight would be constant. Furthermore, he had been told to hide his secret weapon.
Everyone else who could fight was in action, but he felt left out and couldn’t keep still.
Flora, peeking outside from the skylight, and Chelsea, also peering out the window, both wore anxious looks. Seeing that made him even more restless, and he kept standing up and pacing around. Barbara smiled at him with a look of exasperation.
The skylight where Flora was looking out was an opening in the ceiling above the top bunk of the double bed. He leaned his battle axe against the bed frame, went up there, gently sat close to her, shoulder-to-shoulder. Flora, turning around, gave a small smile, but it was a bit awkward.
Realizing that she was wearing that expression because of her ex-husband, Gilbert felt a mix of unpleasant emotions: jealousy, anger, and guilt, and he felt self-loathing.
──I was the one who promised to help her, to come to their rescue.
Telling himself this, Gilbert put his hand on the chest of his leather armor. In the breast pocket of the shirt he was wearing underneath his leather armor, there was a gift for Flora that he hadn’t given her yet. He was thinking about foolish things like whether it would be underhanded to give it to her now, and he still hadn’t given it.
In truth, there was something else he couldn’t bring himself to say in this situation. He took a deep breath, trying to change his mood, and let his gaze wander. What filled most of his field of vision was the Undead iron-eating slime.
──First, I’ll do what I can.
Thinking so, he looked up and saw that it was a clear day, unusual for the rainy season. The clear blue sky was so vast and out of place against this hellish scene.
──This won’t be like before, when lightning would come down…
As he looked up at the sky, brows furrowed in thought, Flora, who was next to him, seemed to gasp.
When he looked in the direction she was looking, he saw a few people, who looked like knights, huddled against a wall and enduring the waves of slime.
Just as he reached for the battle-axe leaning against the edge of the bed, thinking it was finally his turn, the carriage suddenly lurched violently.
He Instinctively shielded Flora and supported her, but the carriage flipped over, and the two of them were thrown out of the skylight onto the ground. He could only manage to take the brunt of the fall by cradling Flora in his arms.
“Ugh, what…!?”
He shouted to assess the situation, and saw a mountain of dark red Undead Slime rising up in front of them. It was like a wall that had suddenly appeared.
“Gilbert! Are you alright!?”
He turned around at the sound of the mercenaries’ shouts to see Mr. Dolph and the others who had also been thrown from the driver’s seat, looking around with grim expressions. They were a bit far away since they had been thrown out from the skylight.
“I’m not injured! Are you guys alright!?”
“We’re not hurt either…Hey, Gilbert! Behind you!”
The mercenary shouted again, and Gilbert turned around. A few men in the guise of Ziemeld knights were approaching him with drawn swords. They were expressionless, and their eyes were vacant. But they were clearly hostile.
“Be careful! Those are the Undead, transformed Ziemeld knights!”
Father Sydney, who was closer and had probably been thrown from the driver’s seat, came running over to them.
“…This is bad. My weapon…”
His battle axe wasn’t with him because he’d been thrown out the skylight, but all he could find was the small woodworking knife he always carried with him.
Holding it in his hand, Gilbert stood up, pulling Flora towards him protectively. But before he knew it, a knight had already come around and was standing between him and the carriage.
Father Sydney stepped in front of them, creating a barrier to protect Flora and Gilbert.
“…Gilbert, it’s possible that my barrier might not work on these guys…”
The words whispered by Sydney over his shoulder made Gilbert frown.
“What do you mean…?”
“You remember the battle in the Ziemeld territory, right? The duke and knights we rescued at the time had become Undead from the inside. But we didn’t realize it until we returned to the capital city. That means that on the way back then, they passed right through the wide-area barrier I had set up along the way.”
Gilbert let out a small sigh, realizing what Father Sydney was trying to say.
“In other words, because they’re incomplete…?”
“Mm. Unlike the magical beasts, humans that are only partially Undead are like wounded soldiers. My barrier doesn’t exclude such individuals. There’s a chance that this spell will backfire here…”
Before Sydney could finish speaking, the sound of metal clashing came from behind. He glanced back and saw the mercenaries fighting to protect the carriage.
“Damn it, what are these guys…! Are they the missing superior officers from Ziemeld…”
The mercenaries sounded as if they were struggling. They were at a disadvantage in a fight against experienced knights.
Gilbert clenched his jaw and surveyed his surroundings again. The enemy knight on his side was approaching very slowly, threateningly. He could feel Flora trembling slightly as he held her.
──Can I somehow evade the guy behind me and go back to the carriage to get my battle axe…?
While thinking about that and checking their position, one of the enemy knights charged at him. He parried the slash with his small knife.
Gilbert’s dominant arm, which couldn’t hold a sword due to an old injury, had recovered considerably thanks to Flora’s cooking and his daily rehabilitation. Even so, he could barely hold his own against an enemy, and it wasn’t enough for him to fight against multiple knights with only a small knife.
“These guys aren’t targeting us. They’re only after the carriage…!”
Suddenly, he heard the voice of one of the mercenaries. Followed by Dolph’s shouting.
“What!? Everyone, protect the old woman and Flora-chan! Their target is the Mages!”
As soon as Gilbert heard that, he tried to shield Flora with his back. The knight’s sword was raised again, and he parried it once more with his knife, but a strand of Flora’s hair was cut and fell to the ground.
──Damn it, I won’t be able to help that holy knight before…No, that won’t do, I have to protect Flora!
Grating his teeth and glaring at the knight in front of him, the ground shook violently again.
Beneath their feet, the wooden planks of the arena floor made an unpleasant creaking noise. The impact was so strong that it was impossible for them to stand, and Gilbert and the others lost their balance.
As if timing it perfectly, the enemy knight’s sword was aimed at Flora again.
“Flora…!!”
Gilbert shouted, and kicked off the ground, intending to throw himself forward and become Flora’s shield. He grabbed Flora in his arms and gritted his teeth, preparing to take the slash of the sword with his shoulder.
But instead of the impact, he felt a tickling, strange sensation, and his body was enveloped by something.
“Gi, Gilbert…!”
When he looked up at Flora’s surprised voice, his vision was somehow painted green. When he looked closely, he could see that it was nothing but a lush patch of ivy.
“Eh…?”
“The brooch you gave me seems to have protected me… Maybe the hair ornament too…!”
When he loosened his arms around Flora, he saw ivy vines growing out of her chest and the back of her head, almost like they were decorations. Small flowers were even blooming.
Looking around, he saw that the enemy knight was entangled in the ivy vines, his sword still raised.