Kays Translations

Chapter 54 - Terney, a town on the border of the territory

After taking a brief one-hour break, the knights continued their march towards the neighboring territory, leaving a few riders for communication.

Somewhere along the way, the sky had started to lighten, indicating the approach of dawn. Diluc, riding alongside Selfers, spoke in a hushed tone.

"Selfers-sama, is your eye okay?"

"Yeah, it's been a while since I used it... the strain is still considerable. Well, with this magic sword, I doubt I'll need to use it often..."

With a wry smile, Selfers lightly touched his right eye with his right hand and replied.

"I see. By the way, when did you take that magic sword with you? Is that the enhanced version? It shouldn't have been mass-produced yet. Wasn't it a prototype made by Isamu-dono?"

Diluc inquired, his tone a bit more intense, and he squinted while looking at Selfers.

The magic sword Selfers had used in the ogre battle was an enhanced version of Type 1, with a runtime of two hours. After realizing that the normal Type 1 would take too long to defeat the ogre with just one strike, he had switched to the enhanced version for a quick battle.

"Yeah, I thought there might be larger individuals. I asked Isamu-dono to bring it to me before we left. What's with that look?"

“No, nothing? Don’t you think you’re the only one who's cheating?" 

Diluc answered, averting his gaze. 

“…”

"Yes, yes. Even though you've declared that it's prohibited to take unregistered items, I would never think to be sneaky and use a glowing magic sword that hasn't been accounted for."

The exchange between Selfers and Diluc was observed by the knights behind them, who couldn't help but chuckle at their somewhat childish conversation.

While engaging in this kind of conversation, they marched at a steady pace with occasional bursts of speed for about an hour. As the town of Terney, which was the westernmost part of their territory, approached, they heard faint sounds of combat coming from a distance.

"!!! It seems like they are in combat in Terney! Let's hurry!"

The group rushed towards Terney, where the battle seemed to be taking place.

After a one-minute dash on horseback, they took a side road that branched off from the main road. There, they saw guards fighting against monsters with a broken gate behind them. It appeared that they were holding the line at the water's edge, with some of them injured and the situation far from advantageous.

"Let's divide into three units and assault in different directions! The first unit will go with me through the center, the second unit on the left, and the third unit on the right. Spread out!"

“””“Ha!!!”””

The unit led by Selfers charged straight into the enemy while giving orders on horseback.

"Defenders of Terney, you did well! Leave the rest to us, and prioritize taking care of the wounded!"

Hearing Selfers' voice and the sound of horse hooves, the defending guards cheered.

"Lord! It's Selfers-sama! The knights have come!"

"You saved us! Just a little more!"

The morale of the defending guards suddenly rose. As they pushed back the monsters, the knights rushed in to assist.

In the center, there were the most monsters, with more than 30 visible. About the same number of fallen monsters were also seen, so it could be said that a group of around ten people were holding the gate, struggling to defend it.

Selfers, leading about 15 knights, raised their swords and charged into the enemy camp.

"Gyaaaaaaah!"

"Bumooooooooooooo?"

They hurriedly responded to the sudden appearance of enemies from behind, but they were struck down as the knights cut through them and they fell to the ground.

The units on the left and right, which were divided into about ten knights each, ran along the wall, taking down the monsters that were trying to climb the wall.

Selfers charged through the enemy camp and turned around to stop in front of the gate.

"You defended the town well! Leave the rest to us, and make sure to tend to the wounded!"

"Ha! Thank you!"

"Everyone, eliminate the enemies individually! Don't hold back, give it your all!"

"Understood!"

It was over in no time. Fortunately, there were no formidable foes like ogres, and within about 30 minutes, the monsters that had attacked Terney were wiped out. The knights felt the sharpness of their swords as if they had just fought against nearly 200 monsters.

They sent a few men for patrol, and the remaining knights entered Terney. The town, while not large, was surrounded by trees, with beautiful, warm buildings made from the wood of the surrounding forests. The main street in front of the gate was crowded with residents who had gathered to catch a glimpse of the lord and the knights who had arrived to rescue them.

"Selfers-sama!"

"Thank you!"

"Kya Diluc-san!"

The knights were popular everywhere they went, and Diluc, who served as the captain, was particularly well-liked.

Responding to the cheers, they continued walking and stopped at a square a little inside the gate, where they addressed the townsfolk.

"Sorry for arriving so late, everyone. Thanks to your unwavering defense, we made it in time. This wasn't a victory won by the strength of the knights alone. It was a victory that everyone secured with their combined efforts!"

"Oooooooooooooooo!"

"But the scars are still significant. We don't know when the next attack will come. I'm sorry to ask this when you're tired, but could you help repair the gate and other defense mechanisms?"

"Of course! There might be more coming!"

"Alright, let's put in extra effort!"

"Leave it to us, my lord!"

"Thank you! Please apply for any necessary materials at the administrative office. We will go check on the neighboring territory later. Sorry, but we'll take a short break until then."

"Thank you for your hard work!"

"If you need a place to rest, feel free to use our inn!"

"Our inn has a few empty rooms as well!"

With the gate repair entrusted to the townsfolk, the knights disbanded temporarily. Since Terney was not very large, they accepted the residents' hospitality and took temporary naps in multiple locations.

After about five hours of taking turns to rest, it was already noon. They had another meal with the residents' hospitality and left the town with a few knights staying behind for communication and command.

The infantry unit would likely make Terney its base for constructing a defensive line. With that in mind, the defensive force should be sufficient.

Sending a messenger ahead to Viscount Jansen’s Territory, the knights left Terney behind and continued their march on the main road at a steady pace.

The region was in the midst of summer. Although not very hot due to its slightly higher altitude, wearing armor made it still relatively warm. The shade provided by the trees along the road was much appreciated.

Belonging to the same Bisseling County as Viscount Jansen’s Territory, there was no checkpoint-like structure on the border between the two territories. There were small huts on either side of the border for communication, but the hut had been destroyed by the advancing monsters.

"It seems they've traveled along the main road after all."

"Yeah, with their numbers and all, the main road is the easiest route."

Passing by the broken hut, the group crossed the unmanned border and entered Viscount Jansen’s Territory.

After taking two breaks along the way, a knight who had been sent ahead on a fast horse returned.

"Report! We've found a group that appears to have evacuated at a location about 2 melts (1 kilometer) ahead! According to the guards and adventurers on escort duty, it includes elderly people, women, and children who escaped through the back gate, as the main gate of Badalona was almost breached. The men and the remaining guards and adventurers are inside the magistrate's residence, preparing for a siege!"

The messenger finished the rapid report, panting heavily.

"What did you say?"

"Has Badalona fallen?"

The knights were shaken by the urgent news.

Badalona is a town on Viscount Jansen’s Territory side, similar to Terney.

It's even more compact than Terney but was built on the ruins of an old fortress.

While the town's outer walls were constructed later and were not much different from Terney, the magistrate's residence was the former fortress, so they hoped it wouldn't fall that easily.

"Great job on the report! Did everyone hear that? It seems the festival of monster attacks is far from over... We're heading to Badalona for relief! The magistrate's residence in Badalona is a remnant of the fortress. If they've managed to hold out, we should have enough time. On the way, if we come into contact with a refugee, two people will join their escort and head towards Terney! Let's go! ! ! " 

“Haaa!!!”

It was about 8 kilometers from here to Badalona. If the refugees were 2 kilometers ahead, they had walked for about 6 kilometers, perhaps taking breaks with the elderly and children. If they had managed to hold out, they should arrive in time even if they rushed now.

Selfers wished in his heart that they would make it.

After about ten minutes of riding, they encountered the refugees as the fast horse knight had mentioned.

There was a large group of around 300 people, with several guards and about ten adventurers leading and guarding them.

As Selfers and his group approached at a slower pace, one of the guards knelt.

"It's fine as you were. Everyone must be tired... I've heard the story from the fast horse knight. We're heading to Badalona for relief."

"Is that really true, Klaufeldt-sama!?"

"Ohhhh!"

Everyone cheered at Selfers' offer.

"Of course. Duff has been a friend for a long time, so I won't abandon him. So, rest assured and head to Terney for now. There's still some distance to go..."

"Thank you!"

"Please, please help my husband!"

"Knight-sama, please help him!"

As the tension subsided, everyone burst into tearful pleas.

"Of course, young one! Your dad stayed in town to fight and let the children escape. Now it's our turn to fight to protect your dads!"

Saying this, Miseroi patted the head of a small boy who had approached with tears.

"What's your name, kid?"

"I'm Noel."

"Noel, huh. We're almost there, so can you hang on a bit longer?"

"Yes, I'll do my best!"

"Good job, kid. If you do your best, so will I!"

He patted Noel's head again.

"All right, everyone, let's hurry!"

"Haaah!"

Leaving a few knights as guides and escorts, Selfers spurred his horse westward again.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter