Chapter 213: The dormant weapon, part 1
[previous_page]
[next_page]
Translator: Denryuu; Editor: Ryunakama
Two days had passed since we returned from Reubens. I was waiting patiently for Elvi to bring news. I did not have long to wait before she arrived accompanied by Rodje.
「Any updates?」, I asked right off the bat.
「You said the fake Lylael melted, right?」, she replied. 「Though the fake Roland is still solid, the flesh seems to have rotted away unusually quickly.」
Knowing that my doppelganger had been birthed from my right arm, I wondered if the ability of these clones scaled with the body part from which they originated.
「I see. It’s safe to assume that the person who calls himself Van is the one behind all this.」
Elvi had mentioned that he spoke with a southern accent. Due to the geographic location of the Kingdom of Jorvenssen, it was an accent typical of its former inhabitants.
Lyla had suddenly asked about Jorvenssen too. It was likely that the person who had been observing us in our home had not been sent by Elvi, but rather by Van. And that spy had informed him of our relationship, allowing him to get in touch with Lyla.
None of us knew what he had told her, of course, but it must have been quite the speech, given that she had made the conscious decision to follow him. If I had to make an educated guess, it would be that he had used his nationality as an excuse to evoke her sympathy.
「By the way… what did you come here for, Rodje Sandsong?」
「What do you mean? It’s my duty to search for Lylael-sama! The ‘Bastion Girl’ is helping me, so I’m here to ask for your assistance too!」, squawked the elf standing in the doorway.
Elvi, who was a few metres behind her, looked downright embarrassed.
「Are you okay with this idiot elf joining us, Elvi?」, I asked.
「I am. The court is in chaos right now, with different ministerial factions warring over who gets to ascend the throne. If I remain in Reubens, I will inevitably be dragged into one of them. That’s why I’d rather be anywhere but there.」
It was very typical of her to feel that way.
「Hm? Someone’s here?」
Almeria, who was wearing an apron, peered at us from the back of the house.
「Ah, it’s Al. What are you doing in a place like this?」
「That’s my line, El.」
「I’m aiding elf-dono in her search for Lylael-dono.」
「Hm.」
The princess stared at her comrade through squinted eyes.
「What?」
「Oh, nothing. It’s good to see the old El back. You were acting really strange before.」
「I apologise for that debacle. Not only to you, but Roland as well.」
「No worries」, I said. 「All this started because I insisted on keeping a secret. I can’t fault you, and I won’t.」
In hindsight, I should’ve collared Lyla the moment we received it from Warwick. The inconvenience of being unable to use her powers was far less than what we had to deal with now.
Rodje finally showed herself in.
「How long are you guys going to stand there and run your mouths?」, she yelled, rolling her eyes.
「Come in, then, though I’m afraid the hospitality will be a little wanting」, I said.
Elvi looked into the princess’s eyes and tried to smile.
「Understandable.」
「You look like you have something to say」, observed Almeria, squinting again.
The Holy Knight simply shrugged.
Almeria had prepared multiple dishes which were waiting on the dining table. When Elvi saw them, her eyes widened to the size of plates.
「Wait. Almeria prepared this…?」
「I did!」, puffed the princess. 「The bread, meat and soup here — I got them from the store and plated them up nicely!」
She turned her chin up smugly.
「Making these from scratch is a little… er…」
「But you bought these on your own? And it’s actually a balanced meal…!?」
Rodje looked at us in disbelief.
「The two are noblewomen」, I said. 「They have never gone shopping on their own.」
「Heh」, sneered the elf. 「You mean to say Lylael-sama has outdone them, then.」
Her unbridled veneration of her master was written all over her face.
「I’ve been bathing on my own as of late.」
「Same. No attendants, eh?」
What on earth are they talking about, I thought. As the person who taught them how to fight, it’s also my responsibility to teach them what’s ‘normal’.
「Hey, the two of you. Bathing on your own is ‘normal’.」
「Look who’s telling me how to lead a normal life.」
「Yeah, exactly.」
Huh?
Anyway, we discussed our next move as we ate the dishes that Almeria had ‘prepared’.
「Do we look for Rina and Sera?」, asked Elvi, to which I shook my head.
「It’s probably best to leave them for now. In case anything happens.」
I felt that nothing would happen, though.
「And I don’t want to drag Rina into this mess」, I continued. 「I don’t want to pull her away from the peaceful life she’s leading right now, even if only for a while.」
The others nodded. To put it one way, her time in the Heroes’ Party had been abnormal. What she was doing now was much better for her.
「Look, human. As long as Lylael-sama’s whereabouts are still unknown, the more the merrier.」
「Do you have any other leads, Elvi? You’re the only one who’s spoken to him.」
Since the Lyla that had presented herself to Elvi was a fake, it was very likely that the real Lyla was with Van right now. I had an inkling of where they could be, but it was nothing more than speculation.
「I don’t know where he is or what he’s doing」, said Elvi. 「All I’ve heard is that he used to be a member of some craftsmanship guild. But that could be untrue. I can’t tell how strong he is either.」
I had immediately visited Warwick’s upon our return to hand him the magic sword.
『As you said — it amplifies the user’s magicka and gradually saps that of those around it. However, long-term usage creates instability in the user’s mind. It becomes akin to poison.』
According to Elvi’s description, Van was slightly older than I was. He looked like the average thirty-or-so-year-old Joe you could find anywhere. Though he had orchestrated King Reubens’s assassination, she said, he might nonetheless be unaffiliated with the monarch.
「So he really was testing the water.」
My doppelganger was a prototype, and he had deployed it as an experiment. Same went for the fake Lyla and the magic sword.
「Penny for your thoughts?」, asked Almeria, tearing into a slice of bread.
「He’s dangerous」, I said. 「If my doppelganger killed King Reubens, it’s possible that he couldn’t disobey Van’s orders. Which means –」
「If he manages to mass produce Lylael-samas, the world is his oyster.」
Rodje had realised the threat immediately. Her expression was grave.
「Hey, Roland. Who’s stronger, me or Lylael?」, asked Almeria.
「You’ve definitely become stronger thanks to your training, but Lyla is still a cut above you.」
She pouted.
「What a troublesome lady.」
Maybe he doesn’t intend to mass-produce Lyla, I thought. But since my doppelganger was sent to bump me off, the same might happen to her.
「But why did Lylael choose to follow Van? They’re not affiliated, are they? If it had been El, she’d have followed him to deliver justice, the Heroes’ Party member that she is.」
It was a very good question.
「Perhaps…」, I began before Rodje cut in.
「Could Lylael-sama have fallen in love with that Van –!?」, exclaimed the elf, a broken lightbulb lighting up in her head.
「Almost certainly not」, said Almeria, dismissing the possibility right away.
「How do you know for sure?」
「She likes Roland, doesn’t she?」
Rodje squinted in disgust, then nodded.
「There must be another reason, then」, said the princess, looking at Elvi.
The Holy Knight nodded.
I had no plausible theories either. Rodje’s head seemed to be empty too, which was admittedly very typical of her.
「I don’t know for sure, but maybe…」, I posited. 「Lyla knows that Van is from Jorvenssen, and followed him to atone for her crimes.」
「Atone for her crimes?」, repeated Almeria.
「Mhm. It’s been eating away at her. The invasion wasn’t her idea, and she’s been waiting for some sort of judgment to land upon her. She might have seen an opportunity to atone for her sins.」
I looked at Rodje, who agreed with me.
「Though the war had been inevitable, Lylael-sama tried her level best to end the war quickly. She sent a constant stream of diplomats to negotiate peace terms, but to no avail.」
I had heard about it as a rumour. Sadly, the majority of people had probably seen it as a provocation.
「Lylael-dono wants justice to be delivered to her even if it comes at the cost of leaving Roland behind…」
Even more so because she was the Demon King, I thought.
「Rodje」, I said. 「Can you scout that place with the Demon King’s castle… the Kingdom of Jorvenssen?」
「Can do. I think I’m more familiar with it than any of you.」
A loyal servant when it came to anything to do with her master, she accepted my request without a hint of dissent.
[previous_page]
[next_page]
Comment (0)