Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 9. Blacksmith Village②
I tried my best not to be emotional as I briefly told the story of how it happened.
“My goodness… I had heard about the story of the holy knight and the saint from a merchant who came to the village,…… but I had no idea that there was such a backstory. What in the name of the Goddess! It’s an astonishing story to hear.”*
Barbara frowned and sighed.
Dolf looked at her with a difficult face and a thoughtful expression on his face as he stared off into the distance.
Gilbert, on the other hand, suddenly became despondent.
“I’m sorry, Flora, I was indiscreet in the way I asked.”
“No, there’s no point in hiding it. Besides, it’s only natural that he would be attracted to the Saint who supported him at his side, rather than a useless wife who only prayed in the comforts of safety…”
It may be self-deprecating and bitter to say this to myself, but it is also the truth. Would it be too pessimistic to say that I would rather be the first to tell you this than have it spread by a stranger as a rumor?**
“…When you’re on a long expedition, it’s shameful, but there are actually quite a few people who become unfaithful. However, no matter how glorious their achievements may be, there’s no reason to forgive them for that.”
After saying this in a calm voice, Mr. Gilbert looked me straight in the eye and continued.
“Besides, you want the people you care about to be in a safe place. Many knights take up their swords in order to protect. On top of that, it’s a real honor for a knight to have someone pray for his/her safety all the time. You have no flaw.”
His words were so decisive that they brought tears to my eyes.
Then, Mr. Gilbert looked up at the ceiling and exhaled remorsefully.
“If I were still active, I would have given him a shakedown before it got to that point…”
─ ─ Aren’t you an active knight?
I was surprised, but then Mr. Gilbert gave me a wry smile.
“About two years ago, I lost my dominant arm on the battlefield. My treatment was delayed, and I was no longer able to hold a sword, so I retired.”
He was still young, and from his physique, it was clear that he was still training, so he didn’t look like someone who had retired. I can only imagine that for a knight to no longer be able to wield a sword must have been a painful experience.
However, Gilbert did not show any sigh of it and continued his story as if it was nothing.
“Even if I can’t use a sword as a knight anymore, it doesn’t mean I can’t fight a little bit. So I was pretending to be a mercenary. But just recently, a former superior officer, who was like a mentor to me, went into a very reckless battle. I wanted to go and lend a hand, even in this my situation, so I came here to ask old man Dolph for help.”
Mr. Dolph, who had been silent the whole time, wiggled his eyebrows and sighed with a troubled look on his face.
“Hey, Gilbert, you can’t use a sword but want to wield an axe. It’s not that simple, you know.”
Gilbert gave him a silly look and a mischievous smile, then turned to me again with a serious look on his face.
“I heard the story of the Holy Knight’s wife from so… him. He said that …… he gave priority to the war situation and pretended not to see it, and as a result, he ended up making an innocent woman miserable. That person, because of his position, is not in a position to come to apologize so easily,…… no, just you hearing this from me would embarrass him, I think,……”
I shook my head.
When I think of the battlefield where they faced the terrifying undead beasts, I can understand that the situation couldn’t have been managed with pretty words. Or maybe it was the fact that he had given up during the days he spent in the royal capital.*
“I no longer have any feelings of resentment toward anyone.”
That is all I said.
Now, rather…
When Mr. Gilbert told me that it wasn’t my fault, I felt like the heaviest and most painful chains inside of me has been lifted.
Barbara came next to me, pulled me in a hug and stroked my head.
“So, since you’re leaving the royal capital, you came here to see me, right, Flora-chan?”
After a short pause, Mr. Dolph- asks in a calm voice.
“…… yes. Although I have been separated from him,……, I can’t pretend that all the precious memories of the past never happened.”
Those days are now a distant memory, but the sword that Mr. Dolph made for me was always with me.
Mr. Dolf smiled gently and nodded, understanding the gratitude I expressed.
“Well, Flora, if you are not in a hurry on your journey, could you make me some duck soup for dinner for the first time in a while?”
“That’s a great idea!”
Barbara and Dolf both looked at me expectantly. I was a little surprised, but nodded my head in agreement.
Perhaps it was because I had been bound by the words that all I could do was pray and had been tormented by a sense of helplessness for so long, but I felt very happy and elated to be needed by others.. It had been a long time since I had felt that way.
“Oh, I’m going to have some of that duck soup!
Even Mr. Gilbert’s eyes are shining in the background.
However, Mr. Dolph’s expression suddenly turned grim and he turned to Gilbert.
“Gilbert, you were saying some pretty crazy stuff earlier, weren’t you?”
When asked about it, Gilbert looked uneasy and his eyes wandered.
“I didn’t quite hear you earlier because of Flora,……,you told me to fix your axe ’cause you wanted to start a woodworking business but what’s this, you’re working as a mercenary……? So what, you were planning to go to the battlefield with that body of yours?”*
After opening and closing his mouth in a gasp, Mr. Gilbert slumped back like a scolded child.