Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 108
“Ah… truly… at long last…”
The queen, who had been standing right beside me, seemed to lose all strength in her knees and collapsed gently onto the floor.
Kokuri, Cres, and Shuris rushed over to support her.
“At last… finally… with this, the people—the country—will be saved…! Kokuri, you won’t have to bear all the burden alone anymore…!”
“Your Majesty…! Please, stand up. You’re in front of your people.”
“Ah, yes… Same and Melt too… they’re all people I must protect…”
With a trembling, fragile voice that sounded like she could break into tears at any moment, she was helped by her three retainers and guided to sit on the sofa.
There, she no longer looked like a queen, but rather a single woman worn down by a weight and responsibility far too heavy for one person to bear.
“Here, Your Majesty, drink this. It’s tasty, you’ll feel better.”
“Hmm? I see. Thank you, Melt.”
Hey—don’t give ice-cold cola to someone in that state, seriously.
The queen eyed the unfamiliar black liquid with some suspicion, but the aroma must have appealed to her. She took a sip—
“Hmm… certainly, it’s delicious. It clears the head.”
“Right? You must be really tired, Your Majesty. I think you should just sit here, drink cola, and take a short break.”
“Yes… just for now… I’ll do that.”
Maybe she didn’t quite grasp how dire the current situation really was.
But Melt’s simple, sincere words—spoken purely out of concern—seemed to reach her just fine.
Seeing the queen like that, even the knight sisters smiled softly.
“Whew… Same. Truly, I thank you. Please accept this as the words of gratitude from all our citizens.”
“…Your words are more than I deserve. But I accept them, with all my heart.”
The southern half of the continent—essentially, all of Lendia—would now gradually shift into a climate more hospitable to human life.
While it was said that crops would grow faster, we wouldn’t know for sure until we saw it in action.
But outside the Lindblum region, many areas had already fallen into near-deserted conditions.
If all that could be reversed… the impact would be immeasurable.
…Well, this is enough for now.
“Kokuri, is it alright if we delay dealing with the artificial dungeon core for a bit? I’m kind of nervous about using so many things all at once. The scale of these changes might be too massive.”
“You’re right… there’s no precedent for this kind of thing. Besides, reactivating the artificial dungeon was always going to take time anyway, since the system was damaged. It’s perfectly fine to wait until things ‘settle down’.”
That phrase, “until things settle down,” most likely meant after the war ends.
“Well then… everyone, as promised, I’ll now send Silent here. However—”
Alright. Time to play my trump card.
Let’s bring out the ace in the hole.
“Silent will likely propose a plan to ‘end the war in the shortest time possible.’ I’m not asking you to accept it outright. But—what he says will never be a lie. That much, I ask you to remember.”
“He’s said to be the strongest member of your brigade… is he really such a man?”
“Your Majesty, I once had the chance to speak with him directly. We had a fairly deep, open conversation… and yes, I felt something unfathomable from him.”
Shuris spoke, though she faltered mid-sentence as if remembering something awkward.
…Ah, she must’ve remembered the time they bathed together. That was a sight for sore eyes…
“I understand. Then, please—bring him here.”
“Yes. He could arrive as early as tonight. Shall I have him head straight to the castle?”
“Yes… at this point, it’s fair to say we’re already in a wartime state. Every second counts. Have him report to the castle immediately upon arrival.”
“Hmm, wouldn’t it be best if he came with you, Same? That way, the conversation might go smoother.”
Ah, that’s not possible.
“No, since Silent will be away, I’ll stay with the brigade for a bit. Someone needs to manage things, or Shizuma will have a tough time.”
“I see. So Shizuma is doing his best over there as well. Same, then please help him. He’s still young, but… I found him to be a hard worker. Don’t let him push himself too hard.”
“Oh my, sounds like my little sister is quite fond of this Shizuma fellow? I’d like to meet him myself.”
“Sister, please don’t tease me. Shizuma is indeed young. But his thoughts, his mindset… he must have met a great mentor. He’s very mature for his age. Truly, a promising talent.”
“Hmm… is that so? Same, do you think he’s that exceptional too?”
…A great mentor, huh. That’s right. I’ve had many people I could call mentors—Same, Silent, Sheele, and so many others.
“Yes. Shizuma has grown by learning from all of us. Someday… I believe he’ll surpass me, Silent, and everyone else.”
That’s a vow. A promise to myself, that he’ll one day surpass us all.
“Well then, I’m off to fetch Silent. Melt, I probably won’t be back for a while. And Silent will likely be away from Lindblum for some time too. Is it okay if I leave things in your hands?”
“I see. So Silent is coming. Alright. Then… could you tell him to stop by the house once, just for a moment?”
That’s Melt’s way of saying she wants to talk to him.
Even though I decided not to involve her in the war, and I alone would be part of it as Silent… she probably has something to say about that.
“Your Majesty. Everyone. Please don’t forget what I said earlier. …And when it comes to war—Silent is undeniably the strongest. Even if you reject his plans and use him as pure firepower… his strength alone will be invaluable. He’s a man who truly shines on the battlefield.”
“I understand. Same, if someone like you says that much, I’ll make sure to consider his plans very carefully.”
“Thank you. Well then… I’ll be going now. But if you all have time, please feel free to relax a bit longer. We’ve prepared drinks and snacks for you.”
“Fufu, yes… this is quite delicious. Just a little longer—just for now, I’d like to stay here a while longer. …It brings back memories. As a child, I used to come play here sometimes…”
“Yes, Your Majesty… it’s nostalgic, isn’t it?”
…So the former owner of this house must have been someone deeply trusted by the queen, just like Kokuri is now.
And so, after saying my goodbyes to Shuris and Cres, I left Lindblum through the northern gate this time.
A bit away from the north gate, off the main road, I noticed a part of the forest that had been heavily damaged.
Most likely, that was the giant crater created by the explosion in the Underside—the path Isaka and Inami used to escape.
Which means… they probably returned to Golda.
Last I heard, the Scorched Valley was still in its dormant phase and should be impassable, but…
“Wait, maybe the core I just returned caused some change…?”
I can’t check right now—but I’ll have to confirm it eventually.
If that place becomes traversable again, then the wall dividing the two nations will finally disappear.
“…Judging by the contents of the dungeon core’s control menu, it’s definitely possible…”
In order to end the war as quickly as possible, I marched down the highway and entered a quiet, uninhabited forest—
“…No issues with my consciousness. And my personality… is still me.”
Having taken on Silent’s form, I checked my awareness.
I considered the possibility that there might be other effects from Sheele’s disappearance.
And I also considered what kind of influence my—Shizuma’s—growth might have had on the other characters.
…I felt that, compared to before, I could understand Silent’s feelings and thoughts a bit better now.
I could clearly feel that Silent was burning with determination.
“It’s war… A war. Looks like the war is calling for me.”
Of course, I intended to use my trump card to bring things to a close before the flames of war spread too far.
“…Let’s head back to Lindblum.”
I proceeded calmly along the northern highway.
This highway originally led to the border with Golda, so during peacetime, it was probably a well-traveled road.
However, by the time I first arrived in this country, the Holy Nation’s knights were already deployed near the border.
Officially, they said it was “to deal with monsters and outlaws who escaped from the dungeon,” but looking back now, it was clear that they were already wary of Golda.
Or perhaps they were already planning a large-scale assault on the Scorched Valley.
“…Better hurry.”
I couldn’t move as fast as Same or Shizuma—normally.
I could only use basic high-speed movement.
However, in this world, your stats are reflected in your physical ability… So if I, with stats nearly three times that of Same, ran full speed as Silent—
“…Just over an hour, huh?”
Roughly retracing the path that took Same two hours.
With that, I headed boldly for the North Gate.
“Halt. Entering the city through the North Gate now requires formal procedures. Please present your identification.”
Surprisingly, the two gatekeepers at the North Gate—whom I was seeing up close for the first time—were both women.
Ah… so this really is a workplace where women can thrive. Come to think of it, back when I was leading a squad, there was a female archer who used to be part of the Holy Nation.
“This is my Adventurer Guild registration tag.”
“Let me confirm… Wait, a Sapphire tag!? P-Please forgive us!”
“Huh? But there are only three sapphire-ranked adventurers, right? Was he one of them?”
“Wha!? You! This is a forgery, isn’t it!? Trying to fake a sapphire rank when there are so few of them—how sloppy!”
Wait, seriously!? There’s this kind of scenario too!?
I was detained by the female guard and taken to the guard station.
…I could’ve easily broken free by force, but it’s not exactly the right thing to do for someone about to head to the royal castle.
The guild will probably send someone soon—until then, I guess I’ll just behave.
I felt a little sorry for this gatekeeper… She’ll probably be punished for this.
“Just a warning—but if you check with the Adventurer Guild, you’ll immediately see that I’m legitimate. I’m willing to let this slide as a misunderstanding—for now.”
“No! I used to be an adventurer myself, so I know all the sapphire-ranked members!”
“Right, and we haven’t heard of any big achievements from new adventurers lately either…”
Well, yeah… I did rise in rank thanks to rather confidential missions.
“Until the guild sends someone, you’ll be held in this cell. Hand over your weapons— Guh!”
“Are you okay, senpai!? Ugh… What a heavy greatsword… so dangerous!”
…Out of all the gatekeepers at the city’s gates, these two definitely leave the worst impression…
Soon after, a staff member from the Adventurer Guild arrived.
Hmm, I recognize her. She was the one who registered Melt in the guild—and I’ve seen her face as Silent before.
“EEP!!! Silent-sama!?!?!? You two—do you have any idea what you’ve done!? This person is an official Sapphire-rank adventurer! Be grateful you’re still breathing! I’m going to file a strong complaint with the Holy Nation over this!!”
“No, it’s fine. Don’t escalate this. It’s understandable that they didn’t recognize me.”
“But, Silent-sama…”
“I’ve business at the royal palace. Causing a stir will only make things harder for me.”
“EEP! D-Don’t tell me… you’re heading there to launch a direct assault…?”
No, I’m not!
“Anyway, I’ll be going now. Return my weapon.”
Though, since I was a bit annoyed, I decided to intimidate them just a little.
With a bit of strength, I crushed the handcuffs to pieces.
Then I took back my sword and left the cell.
“…Later.”
…Well, I guess I can think of it as a valuable experience.
I didn’t realize how much infrastructure is packed inside the gate…
Could it be that the city walls have actual usable space inside them too?
After that, I passed through the city and exited from the south gate.
Of course, since the road leads to the royal palace, the gatekeepers are always particularly alert to those going in and out here.
Especially now, with the artificial dungeon closed, there really shouldn’t be anyone heading this way.
…I know, of course I know. The reason I keep getting stopped at gates is largely because of how I look.
“Anyway, here’s my ID.”
“Understood. Verification complete. Please proceed.”
I wonder if what happened earlier has already been shared between the gatekeepers.
Short-range wired communication seems to be in practical use already.
…Couldn’t they reproduce radio waves or something like that with magic?
“…Should I go see Melt first, or head to the palace? …The palace, I suppose. Either way, I’ll have to return home afterward.”
Some time has passed since then, so surely the queen and the others have returned to the palace by now.
…Surely she’s not still at home drinking cola or something… right?
Pushing aside my slight concern, I arrived at the palace, where the gatekeeper waiting for me immediately allowed me inside.
Just like in the morning, I was led to the conference room, but this time, no special warnings were given.
Which likely means only a minimum number of people are currently inside.
…Well then, time to meet Her Majesty the Queen for the first time as Silent.
Let’s have ourselves a somewhat… intense discussion.