Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 76: Red Sand Fortress
Heavy snow was falling outside, the wind howled with icy force. Although the room was heated with blazing magic stones, Legovis still felt a chill creeping in.
This was the best room available in the Red Sand Fortress. Even if it blocked the outer wind, it couldn’t stop the bone-chilling cold from seeping in bit by bit.
The heat from the blazing magic stones just wasn’t enough.
Feeling unbearably cold, Legovis grabbed both sides of the wooden desk and, with a sudden burst of strength, lifted the heavy table—despite the many items on it—and steadily moved it closer to the fireplace.
Only after he felt slightly warmer did he gently set the table down.
He brought a chair over, sat at the table, and picked up a letter from the capital.
After tearing open the envelope, he skimmed the contents, and immediately, with clear impatience, tossed the letter onto the desk.
Knock knock!
At that moment, a crisp knock came from the door.
“Your Highness, may I come in?”
“Yes, come in.”
With permission granted, a Holy Knight entered the room. He was Legovis’s personal guard, named Yafen.
“Whew—it’s freezing outside.”
Yafen brushed the snow off his body and shut the door.
“Much warmer in here.”
“Your Highness, here’s what you asked for.”
He walked up to the desk and placed the package he was carrying onto it.
“Oh! Excellent, thank you, Yafen.”
Eagerly reaching for the package, Legovis could hardly wait to open it.
The crown prince was easygoing and casual, nothing like the arrogant and aloof nobles. He was very approachable.
Ever since Yafen had taken up the post as his bodyguard, Legovis often asked him about the duties and details of being a Holy Knight.
Over the past month, the two had formed a good friendship.
“It’s my honor, Your Highness.”
Noticing the letter on the table, Yafen asked.
“Another letter from the capital? Something wrong in Junhui City?”
“Father seems to have fallen ill from worrying about me. He’s currently recovering,”
Legovis paused what he was doing and said with displeasure.
“What’s annoying is that Count Terry keeps pressuring me to return.”
“That’s serious!”
Yafen exclaimed in shock.
“Your Highness, you’re not going back?”
“Nope…”
Legovis shook his head.
“When I left, Father was in great health. Probably just caught a cold. There are experienced doctors in the capital—let them treat him. I don’t get why Count Terry’s so anxious. What good would it do if I went back? It’s not like I know medicine. Would Father magically recover just because I showed up?”
“Well… he is your father after all, shouldn’t you at least go visit him?”
If it really was just a minor illness, there was no need to rush the prince back. But since this was a royal family matter, Yafen didn’t press the issue.
“I’ve admired brave warriors who win glory in battle since I was a child. I finally made it to the Red Sand Fortress, a place I’ve dreamed of. I won’t let this opportunity go to waste. If I go back, who knows if Father will let me return to the battlefield?”
“Life at Red Sand Fortress is harsh. It’s amazing you’ve endured this long. The people here say you’re quite the odd prince.”
Yafen commented.
“Haha!”
Legovis laughed heartily.
“To become a powerful warrior as renowned throughout the kingdom as Zeus Banger—this bit of hardship is nothing.”
As the crown prince, instead of earnestly learning how to be a competent king, he actually wanted to become a great warrior? Truly incomprehensible.
Of course, Yafen only complained inwardly and didn’t dare say it aloud.
In truth, Legovis’ intentions were quite simple.
He believed that his father could remain on the throne for at least another ten years. During that time, he hoped to earn great military merit and make a name for himself. Then, if the kingdom’s bravest prince succeeded the throne, wouldn’t that be a tale worth telling?
Just as he finished speaking, a horn suddenly sounded from outside—it was the signal that a large number of undead monsters had been spotted.
“Your Highness.”
Yafen said, expression growing serious.
“Let’s go! Check the situation.”
Setting the package back on the table, Legovis strode to the wall, grabbed his weapon—a wide and heavy greatsword—slung it across his back, and hurriedly left the room for the city walls.
At one of the watchtowers on the wall of Red Sand Fortress, aside from the scouts on duty, there were two men of extraordinary presence. Their full-body armor alone marked their distinguished status.
At the moment, they were gazing into the distance, observing the movement of the undead.
Though the snowstorm had yet to cease and visibility was poor, they could still see countless dark figures gathering in the distance.
“There are roughly around 2,500 enemies by visual estimate”
Said a man in white armor trimmed with gold, with brown hair—Orthofen, the commander of the Holy knight Order.
“Tch! They really like attacking during snowstorms… Still, holding the walls shouldn’t be a problem.”
The other man radiated a powerful aura. His armor bore numerous signs of battle damage, and his stern face was marked by a claw scar over his right eye—though the eye itself remained uninjured.
This man with deep crimson hair was none other than the previously mentioned knight commander—Zeus Banger.
“If it’s just these small fry, we’ve nothing to worry about. What’s troubling is if they send stronger undead creatures to launch a sneak attack.”
Zeus said in his hoarse voice.
“Indeed.”
Orthofen nodded in agreement.
Out in the snowy field, about a thousand meters from Red Sand Fortress, the undead monsters were forming into several neat battalions.
Each one bared a hideous, vicious expression, as if determined to slaughter every human inside the fortress.
Unlike the situation in Bianshu Town, the undead facing Red Sand Fortress weren’t just greater in number—they were also being directed by a commander.
At the center of the undead army, a skeletal mage draped in a black robe sat atop a towering rotting corpse elephant, holding a staff made entirely of ice and issuing various commands.
Unlike ordinary skeleton soldiers, this skeletal mage had two glowing crimson flames dancing in its eye sockets—a sign of intelligence.
The entire undead force followed its orders, which significantly increased the difficulty of defending Red Sand Fortress. The intensity of the battles here was nothing like those in Border Garrison.
“If only we could capture that skeletal mage and force it to reveal Kazitu’s whereabouts…”
Zeus said coldly.
If they could just eliminate the King of the Undead once and for all, this war could finally end.
For the past two hundred years, the Kingdom of Dawn had sacrificed countless lives to resist the undead’s southern invasions. To replenish its troops, Red Sand Fortress carried out forced conscription from other regions every year—and even sent criminals here.
Zeus deeply valued the life of every knight and soldier, including those criminals.
Some of the “criminals” hadn’t even committed serious crimes—for example, stealing food out of desperation to survive—and yet they were still branded and sent here.
Once branded, they were bound to Red Sand Fortress for life.
This respect for every soldier is one of the key reasons Zeus commands such high esteem within the fortress.