19-9
The White Stake
Translator : PolterGlast
I was utterly
exhausted thanks to Sigrun. If possible, I felt like finding an inn and
sleeping, but well, that wasn't going to happen. Since the Abyss Ants had
appeared, the next step was to cut off the source. Therefore, requesting the
beastman army's help, we searched the forest on the western side where the
enemy's appearance was prominent, and sure enough, a white stake stood towering
there.
「It was
found easily, alright, leave this to sessha!」
「Don't
spout nonsense, Big sis! Please, just stop with that sword!」
All the beastmen
agreed with Yashu's words and prostrated themselves before the Lord of
Thunder in the form of a Horned person.
「I'll
do it. My power has good affinity with this thing.」
「Like
I'd let you, here I go! Gyuuoooon, oryaaaaa!!」
I hadn't expected
anything from Sigrun's personality from the start. Thinking she would do
it, I covered my ears first, and the beastmen also fell to the ground and
clutched their ears. The vibrating sword chipped away at the white stake little
by little, and by the time the excessively long thunderclap passed, the stake
was finally destroyed.
「Sorry,
it was hard! But even sessha managed to break it, Shinza♪」
「Wh-What
a terrifying person...」
「Didn't
I tell you it was noisy and to stop, Big sis Sigrun!」
She doesn't have the
kind of personality to listen to what she's told. At any rate, with this, the
source was cut off. It would be bad if their queen had slipped in, but
searching for her just in case probably wasn't our job.
「Being
with you makes me tired...」
『Kukuku...
it's like giving a chainsaw to a madman. The worst possible combination.』
Must be nice for Zirant
to be so carefree since she's
just watching... Sigrun was a peerless warrior, but she was also a
troublemaker whom no one could handle... Just who was it... The idiot who
thought of giving Sigrun a sword that's basically a mass of noise...
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
And so, we entered
the royal capital in a form that induced awe and fear. Preparations for an
audience with the King were quickly made, and the chance to thank King Kaha
for sending his elites arrived.
「I
didn't expect you to be a man of this caliber. I am the King who unites this Da
Kaha Kingdom, Yashu.」
「A-Auu...
Don't look at me, kyan, Ashley-sama... In this country, there are
many 'Yashu's, kyan...」
「Ah,
that's how it is, so you can just call me Kaha. But you really saved us.
I'm even stroking my chest in relief, thinking that choosing Ashley-dono
was the right answer.」
「...I
see, a lot of things make sense now. With your personality, it wouldn't be
strange for you to send a reinforcement or two to someone you took a liking to.
Those guys in the reinforcements are good-natured folks. So much so that we'd
like to learn from them.」
The King was a large
wolf species with a fearless atmosphere. Just by taking one look at him, I
thought he was a trustworthy guy. He's frank and probably prioritizes intuition
over logic. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent elites to us.
「And
that over there is the terrifying Lord of Thunder?」
「Are
you talking about sessha? Umu, after rampaging just a little, the
soldiers started looking at sessha with frightened eyes! Your soldiers
lack devotion!」
「You...
Don't use that sword anymore where your allies are...」
「Why?
Do you dislike it that much!?」
Even I, who am aware
of my own rudeness, don't have the resolve to activate a mass of noise in an
audience chamber... But Sigrun did. Releasing a ridiculous explosive
sound, she overturned King Kaha on his throne with the noise...
「I... I
see, this is certainly a Lord of Thunder... For me of all people to almost wet
myself...」
「What
are you saying too, King Kaha...」
「Well,
it was a white stake, right? I'm grateful you seemingly removed the cause too.
So, about the underground tunnel...」
「Yeah,
I opened it up. If you use that, you can ride into the Imperial Capital without
being noticed by the enemy. I'll rely on your reinforcements when the time
comes.」
「Then
it's also a good idea to use that and have our main force stationed in Fimbul...
Understood, call us when the firefight starts.」
The conversation is
too fast here, too. It would have been fine if he grumbled a little more, yet
he said he would bet his country's future on us.
「King Kaha,
why did you feel like lending a hand to Georg and me?」
「That's
obvious, I took a liking to you. There's no idiot other than you who would
snatch back our comrades
from scoundrels just to save our comrades, Prince Ashley. We were moved by your actions.」
It seemed their very
way of thinking was different from us, who only think in terms of logic and
calculation. That figure of theirs, choosing emotion as if it were obvious, is
perilous, but as a man, I find it favorable.
「You
got me there...」
I was planning to
run away if the signs of defeat grew thick. Yet, with this, I can't run away.
No matter what happens, I must win for the sake of those who are lending me
their strength. I felt myself being swallowed up by a massive war.
「I'm
having a meal prepared right now, so wait a bit. I'm looking forward to the
firefight in the Empire.」
「Sessha
also agrees with the big doggy! We'll do it flashily, Shovel Man!」
「If we
do it flashily, it'll just cause that much more damage... Why is it premised on
a civil war starting...」
In the beastman country,
we received a grand welcome from the cheerful folks. They smell like beasts
when gathered, but they are all good guys. For that very reason, I really
didn't want any casualties among these deeply affectionate people. If all races
on the surface had been born as beastmen, the world probably would have taken a
more salvageable shape.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
・Georg
「A
white stake again... As if this situation with political strife and zero order
wasn't enough, to be dragged down by monsters of the Abyss...」
Not long after Ashley
departed, the situation continued to break new records for the worst one after
another. The outbreak of civil war could no longer be stopped. Julius
and Yord, who had nearly been assassinated, obtained a just cause to
suppress the Imperial Capital through armed force. The old enmities that
occurred in Father's era had yet to be severed. In such a situation, white
stakes appeared in various places. There was no way the regional nobles, who
were advancing preparations for war, would allocate a decent military force
towards this.
「What
will you do? If we disperse our troops any further, it will become difficult to
suppress the civil war.」
「Yeah.
Even so, if we abandon them, we'd be no different from the rest... We have no
choice but to go and destroy the stakes ourselves.」
「Then
we shall do so. With things like this, the war funds Ashley-sama
procured for us really shine.」
「Yeah...
Uncle Morac and the others are telling us to ignore the frontiers and
stand by. Those guys just want to use us as shields.」
Because they failed
to kill Julius and Yord, it ended up causing a civil war. Why
must we wipe their asses for them... It might not be something a general of the
Empire should say, but I can't think there is any meaning in such a war...
「The
First Imperial Army will be independent from today. Send troops to various
places; we are heading towards the Ratatosk area. It seems my younger
brother was taken care of by the folks over there, after all...」
「Ashley-sama
will definitely return bringing allies with him. For that slightly feeble Ashley-sama
to turn out like that, it must surely be the ultimate blessing for an older
brother.」
「Yeah,
he's a little brother I'm proud of, both now and in the past... Though it
wouldn't have caused trouble if I had struck down Julius and Yord
back there...」
「I
think a civil war would have happened either way. No matter who becomes
Emperor, if no one acknowledges that Emperor... peace will not come.」
Father asked me just
once if I would succeed him... But I refused. There was no way my older
brothers would accept it. That's why I said I would protect the Empire as a
soldier.
「That's
right. It was a checkmate from the very beginning... Well then, I will go on an
expedition to Ratatosk. I leave the rest to you.」
「Yes,
sir! Have a safe trip, General Georg! Leave the Imperial Capital and Ashley-sama
to us!」
It can't be helped. To destroy the monsters of the Abyss and the white stakes, I departed for the front towards the Ratatosk area, where the damage was most prominent. During that gap, the northern and southern lords will likely clash in the outskirts of the Imperial Capital. I gave strict orders to the First Army left in the Imperial Capital to never join the conflict. It's a war they started. Let them fight amongst themselves as they please. Ashley would surely say something like that.
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