Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter Fourteen: After Autumn Arrived
One afternoon, several knights returned to Clausel City from villages scattered across the barony.
They went directly to the baron’s manor and formed a line before Weiss, who had come to receive them.
“What happened? Report.”
When none of the men immediately spoke, Weiss tilted his head.
“Why are you silent? Explain why all of you have returned.”
“T-then I will report, sir.”
“Very well. Hm? You were assigned to support House Ashton, were you not?”
“Yes, sir!”
The knight stepped forward, plainly struggling to organize his thoughts.
At last, he spoke.
“I report that the Thief Wolfen has been slain!”
“Excellent! That is welcome news. But why did you hesitate? By my calculations, you must have killed it soon after arriving… No, wait. You said that you confirmed its death.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then who killed it? Lord Roy?”
“No, sir.”
“An adventurer who happened to pass through the area?”
The knight shook his head again.
The only remaining explanation seemed to be that an even stronger monster had killed the Thief Wolfen–but if that were true, the men would hardly have returned alive.
Weiss grew more confused.
“Surely…”
The question that followed was not a serious expectation, merely a final possibility he felt obliged to eliminate.
“You are not about to tell me that the boy killed it.”
The knight nodded.
At last Weiss understood why every returning man looked bewildered. He raised his eyes toward the ceiling.
“We will hear the details inside. First, confirm that the remaining knights have stayed in their assigned regions.”
“Yes, sir! One man from each unit returned solely to deliver these reports.”
“Good.”
Weiss walked toward the manor, and the knights followed.
They proceeded directly to the baron’s office and reported the Thief Wolfen’s defeat. The baron, who had been working at a desk before the window, fell silent just as Weiss had.
“It is difficult to believe, even if this is the same boy who caught Weiss’s attention.”
“My lord–“
“I understand. You confirmed the monster’s death, and the boy was found collapsed beside it. The conclusion is obvious. I have no intention of claiming his achievement for my knights.”
The deed simply defied common sense. Everyone in the room shared the same bewilderment.
“Nevertheless, I must hear the full report. Continue.”
“Yes, my lord!”
The returning knight described everything that had occurred from the moment his unit reached the Ashton lands. His account lasted more than ten minutes.
When it ended, the baron dismissed everyone except Weiss.
“We must prepare a reward for House Ashton.”
“I suggest exempting their village from this year’s taxes. When circumstances permit, Your Lordship might also visit and personally commend them.”
“Then we shall do that. Still, we must continue investigating the other nobles. Too many questions remain.”
“Agreed. A monster as dangerous as the Thief Wolfen should never have appeared in that region.”
The baron struck his desk with a fist.
“It must be the work of the Hero Faction or the Imperial Faction!”
He stood, threw open the window, and looked down upon the city.
The Hero Faction and the Imperial Faction.
Neither man explained the meaning behind those names. They merely regarded one another with grim expressions.
“Weiss, I will have you return to the Ashton village before long.”
“Yes, my lord. You wish me to ask Lord Roy and the others whether they noticed anything unusual?”
“Exactly. I entrust this to you because there is no one I trust more.”
“I understand.”
Weiss left the office soon afterward.
As he walked through the corridor, his thoughts remained divided between astonishment at Ren’s feat and concern over the implications of his conversation with the baron.
“Oh?”
A little farther down the hall, he noticed Licia leaning against the wall.
She stood with the elegant bearing befitting someone called a saint. When Weiss approached, she looked up at him.
“Is it true?”
“To what do you refer, my lady?”
“You know. A child my age defeated a D-rank monster–and not merely any D-rank monster, but a Thief Wolfen.”
She had probably heard the story from the men dismissed from the office.
Naturally, it had captured her interest.
“It is true. That boy is so exceptional that I can accept such a thing as possible for him.”
“Then is he truly stronger than I am?”
Weiss answered immediately.
“Without question.”
“Then let me face him.”
Licia stepped forward without hesitation.
“As the bearer of White Saint, I refuse to lose to someone my own age.”
Weiss sighed.
“My lady, you know that your request is unreasonable.”
“Yes. I know perfectly well.”
“Then I will answer just as plainly: it is impossible. The Ashton manor is a considerable distance away, and the appearance of the Thief Wolfen means the region cannot yet be considered safe.”
Licia said nothing.
“Of course, an escort would protect you. You know that as well as I do. Even so, we cannot take you there merely because you wish to spar with the boy.”
“I see…”
For one moment, Weiss thought she had surrendered.
She lowered her head and folded her hands as if in prayer, creating an air of delicate disappointment.
Then she looked up. Her lovely expression was quietly triumphant.
“Then I only need a proper reason to go, don’t I?”
“My lady…?”
“I know how you and Father think. House Ashton’s reward will be a tax exemption and a personal commendation from Father, correct? Father is very busy, so wouldn’t it be better for me to visit in his place?”
Weiss could not hide his surprise that she had deduced even the precise nature of the reward.
He silently cursed his choice of words.
Then he remembered that Licia’s gifts extended beyond her natural talent with a sword. She was an exceptional student with a keen memory, strengthened by tireless effort.
With a sigh, he pressed a hand to his forehead.
“Hee-hee. I should speak to Father.”
Licia pushed away from the wall and started down the corridor. Weiss followed at once.
“Please refrain from defeating your father in an argument today.”
“What an awful thing to say. I never defeat Father in arguments. I merely consult with him.”
She turned with graceful composure, still wearing her charming smile.
* * * *
More time passed.
Nearly two months had gone by since the Thief Wolfen incident, and autumn had begun.
Throughout Baron Clausel’s territory, villages prepared for winter. Ren’s village was no exception.
One morning, Ren returned to Tsurugi Rock for the first time in many weeks.
“There.”
Several pieces of jewelry lay scattered across the summit, and delight spread across his face.
“I knew it–rare drops.”
Defeating the Thief Wolfen in Legend of the Seven Heroes always produced rare items. Some were valuable objects meant to be sold, while others were equipment unavailable in any shop.
“Good. Now I can wear the bracelet without hiding it.”
For Ren, valuables he could sell were more useful than equipment.
The money would help the village, and some of it could be used to commission a convincing imitation of the bracelet that accompanied Magic Sword Summoning. Then he would have an ordinary explanation for wearing the real one.
Satisfied, Ren stretched beneath the morning sun, then descended Tsurugi Rock using vines created by the Wooden Magic Sword.
After crossing the lake on a bridge of roots, he heard hoofbeats in the distance.
“Oops.”
He hurriedly dismissed the Wooden Magic Sword.
A few minutes later, a knight on horseback appeared.
“Lord Ren! How many times have we asked you to inform us before entering the forest?”
“Sorry. I thought I was well enough now.”
“The night of the attack was not so long ago. Please do not strain yourself.”
(It really hasn’t even been two months.)
Ren had defeated the Thief Wolfen that night, but the wounds he suffered nearly killed him. The baron’s reinforcements had arrived ahead of schedule and saved his life.
His injury was deep, and recovery had taken several weeks. The fangs had even reached one of his internal organs, though only slightly.
Ren himself did not fully understand how he had recovered so quickly. He attributed it to the potent medicine carried by the knights and the extraordinary vitality of his new body.
He had only been permitted to return to the forest two days earlier. After a period of rehabilitation confirmed that he could fight as before, he had finally ventured this far.
“Why did you come all the way to Tsurugi Rock?” the knight asked.
The knight’s continued presence in the village was another consequence of the incident. Baron Clausel had temporarily stationed soldiers in every settlement under his rule.
“I was looking for something.”
Ren showed him the treasures he had found.
“Oh! Are those…?”
“Exactly. They were hidden by the Thief Wolfen. I’d like to sell them and spend the money on the village. Is that permitted? I mean, considering taxes and everything else.”
“It should be. Treasure obtained from a defeated monster belongs to the person who slew it. Ordinarily, because you destroyed the monster while fulfilling House Ashton’s duty to protect the village, a tax would still be due. However…”
As a reward for defeating the Thief Wolfen, the baron had decided to collect no taxes from Ren’s village that year. Other gifts were also expected.
“The same applies to the Thief Wolfen materials you asked us to sell,” the knight continued. “His Lordship intends to purchase them personally and pay somewhat above the market rate.”
“Really? That sounds like a substantial amount of money.”
“It will be. Thief Wolfen materials are unsuited to weapons or armor, but they are valuable ingredients for medicine. The proceeds should leave your family and village free from hardship for more than a decade.”
“That’s incredible.”
“Lord Roy will remain unable to work for some time. Knowing you have such resources should bring you peace of mind.”
That concern had also influenced the baron’s decision to waive the taxes.
“Father claims he can already move normally,” Ren said, “but when I poked him in the chest, he doubled over in agony.”
“That was rather severe of you.”
“It’s necessary. Otherwise, he’ll decide on his own that he’s completely healed.”
The knight laughed.
“House Ashton has a dependable heir. Come, let us return to the village. We have already completed today’s hunting, so you need not worry about that.”
“Thank you. Then I’ll accept the ride.”
At the knight’s urging, Ren climbed onto the horse behind him, and together they headed home.