Kays Translations

Chapter 482: The Saint’s Party Sets Up Camp

Following some distance behind the Crown Prince, Saint Matilda, the Kingdom of Luwan’s delegation, and their escorts reached the battlefield late after hesitating when they heard that monsters were attacking ahead. They arrived in time to see Black-Gold Wings in action.

“I’m astonished… Lady Aeris is far more than an ordinary marquis’s daughter, isn’t she?”

Matilda was genuinely impressed after seeing Aeris, who was the same age as her, fight monsters.

“Lord Tauro’s performance was equally remarkable. Ogres are formidable monsters with strong physical resistance. Even the Kingdom of Sart’s Royal Guard suffered casualties, yet their party defeated the monsters with ease. I’d heard they were powerful, but witnessing it’s another matter entirely.”

Marquis Donaissun had lost all confidence in the Crown Prince’s faction, but he praised Tauro and his companions without reservation.

“They’re adventurers, so naturally they’re skilled at defeating monsters. Are ogres really so powerful?”

For a moment, Matilda seemed to imagine that she could have done the same because she was a Saint.

“Your Holiness, please don’t even consider testing that.”

Marquis Donaissun immediately warned her, having seen through her thoughts.

He then added:

“More importantly, would this not be a good opportunity to show your gratitude by healing the wounded guards?”

There was no longer any need.

Tauro’s healing potions and the healing magic of Aeris and Zion had already treated the wounded.

By the time Matilda left her carriage and approached, most of the injured Royal Guard members had recovered.

“There are hardly any wounded people left. I suppose the losses weren’t so serious after all,” Matilda remarked to Aeris, who had just completed another treatment.

“Some of them were gravely injured. They recovered because of Tauro’s potions and our healing magic.”

Aeris corrected Matilda’s misunderstanding.

“Even I require time to treat severe injuries. Ordinary potions and spells couldn’t heal them so quickly.”

Under normal circumstances, Matilda would have been correct.

Tauro, however, carried a large supply of precious intermediate- and advanced-grade healing potions that he had made himself. Aeris and Zion had also learned advanced healing techniques from the dragonfolk, placing their abilities far beyond those of ordinary healers.

Furthermore, Aeris could use [Blessing], a power widely believed to belong exclusively to Saints. Comparing her with an ordinary healer was meaningless.

“That’s simply what Black-Gold Wings can do, Matilda. There’s always someone stronger in this world. Even I know someone of the [True Saint] class whose mastery of magic and healing far exceeds my own.”

Aeris calmly admonished Matilda.

“But I’m a Saint. Someone like me hasn’t appeared publicly for more than a century. There can’t be anyone greater than me. What an amusing thing to say.”

Matilda treated the warning as a joke, unwilling to believe that anyone could surpass her.

“For your own sake, I’d like to introduce you to someone someday…” Aeris glanced toward Tauro. “But I’ll consider that later.”

Realizing that further explanation would accomplish little, Aeris dropped the subject.

Soon afterward, Marquis Donaissun returned from speaking with the Crown Prince and reported their decision.

“Your Holiness, unfortunately, the attack delayed us considerably. We won’t reach the next village before nightfall, so we’ve decided to find a clearing and camp.”

“Ugh… really?”

After enduring a rough carriage ride all day, Matilda had looked forward to sleeping in a warm bed. The loss of that one comfort left her scowling.

The procession emerged from the forest and reached a clearing just as the sun began to set. Everyone immediately began preparing the camp.

The Royal Guard pitched tents made from the water-repellent cloth developed by Giro Sugar.

Magic lanterns were lit to illuminate the clearing.

This was the delegation’s first night camping, so the equipment had remained packed in the wagons until now.

Only a few people knew that Tauro was Giro Sugar. He couldn’t boast about his work, but seeing his inventions used still pleased him.

“Tauro, we should prepare our camp too.”

Aeris urged him to unpack their equipment.

“Right! Sorry, I became distracted. Ragune, Ankh, Zion—could you set up the tent?”

Tauro removed an original water-repellent tent from [Magic Storage] and handed it to them.

“Then I will… yes, I’ll place a barrier around the camp, just in case.”

Aeris hesitated because a barrier mage from the Crown Prince’s party had just erected a monster-repelling barrier. Its range, however, was almost laughably small, covering only the prince’s entourage and part of the Luwan delegation.

Using what Maria, the dragonfolk [True Saint], had taught her, Aeris effortlessly expanded a barrier over the entire clearing.

“!?”

The barrier mage stared upward in surprise. Assuming that someone from the Kingdom of Luwan had cast the new barrier, he hurried around asking who was responsible.

The Luwan mages also began murmuring among themselves as they tried to identify the caster.

“This will cause trouble later. You should probably tell them that you cast it, Aeris,” Tauro advised.

“Sigh… fine.” Aeris went to explain her magic and calm the commotion.

While Tauro lit the stove he had taken from [Magic Storage], another kind of commotion rose among Aeris and the assembled mages.

Praise for Aeris could be heard throughout the camp.

“Aeris really did become much more powerful while we were apart… What exactly did the dragonfolk teach her? Zion improved remarkably too. Perhaps I should’ve trained in the Dragon’s Den as well,” Tauro muttered while cooking.

“N-No, Tauro! You mustn’t! That hellish place isn’t somewhere anyone should enter lightly… Damn it… Just kill me…”

Ragune had overheard him and seized his shoulder to stop him.

She muttered her familiar refrain in anguish.

Beside her, Zion nodded furiously.

“Please, Tauro-sama, remain exactly as you are! The Dragon’s Den is forbidden! Damn it, I’ll live…!”

Zion added her own familiar refrain as she firmly opposed the idea.

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