WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Order
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 150: Spectacle
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Elbridge hid his confusion as he spoke.
“...You look younger than when I last saw you, Sir Leonhardt.”
Leonhardt gave a short laugh.
“You haven't aged at all. Looks like you've taken good care of yourself for the past two hundred years.”
They exchanged a silly joke.
Elbridge chuckled, then studied Leonhardt closely. Leonhardt adopted a solemn expression.
“Staring so openly at the king's face is rather disrespectful.”
“I've always had poor manners.”
Elbridge remembered the first time he had met Leonhardt. He looked nearly ten years younger than Elbridge remembered, which was why it had taken him so long to recognize him.
He recalled the conversation he had recently had with the Goddess of the Rusted Shield.
When Elbridge had asked what had become of Leonhardt, she had replied, ‘The situation is probably a little different from what you imagine.’
She had been right. Who could have guessed that Leonhardt had become the king of the west?
All kinds of emotions, beginning with joy, swirled in Elbridge's chest.
Every connection from his past was special to him, but Leonhardt held a particularly special place among them.
Then Elbridge froze.
‘Could the demon have taken over my mind?’
He took a step back and silently moved his lips in prayer.
“Goddess. Have I fallen for one of the demon's tricks?”
- No, Elbridge.
“Then... did you know I would meet Sir Leonhardt here?”
Earlier, the Goddess of the Rusted Shield had acted as if she knew where Leonhardt was.
Taken a little further, that meant she might have predicted this reunion between Elbridge and Leonhardt.
But the Goddess of the Rusted Shield denied his guess.
- No. I thought Leonhardt was somewhere on the surface, but I didn't know he would be here. Much less that he would be king...
Only then did Elbridge let out a relieved breath. A faint smile appeared on his lips.
“I truly never imagined I would meet Sir Leonhardt here. Not even in my dreams.”
“The world is interesting because it's full of unexpected things. Don't you think?”
It was something Leonhardt had always said out of habit. Elbridge grumbled a little.
“Did you know I was coming, Sir Leonhardt?”
“I found out a little earlier than you did.”
“...How?”
“There was quite a commotion at the temple, and I heard the Paladin at the center of it was named Elbridge. I wondered if it could be you. As you know, your name isn't exactly common.”
“Ahem.”
“After asking around some more, I heard there was a dwarf in your group. When I asked for the dwarf's name, they said it was Rombel. That gave me a strong suspicion. Rombel could only be that young dwarf who pissed himself in front of a demon.”
It was fortunate that Rombel wasn't here. Elbridge replied with an awkward expression.
“...You still remember people in strange ways.”
“Like anyone else, I remember people for the parts that stand out.”
“It certainly stood out. And Rombel isn't young anymore. He's well over three hundred now.”
“I suppose so. He couldn't have escaped time like you did...”
Leonhardt trailed off and stared at Elbridge. Then he pulled up one corner of his mouth and grinned.
“You grew up well. Just as I expected.”
Could Elbridge have received a better compliment than that?
Afraid his voice would tremble if he spoke, Elbridge responded with only a faint smile.
When the conversation paused, Murvach, who had remained silent and cautiously watched them until then, spoke up.
“Sir Elbridge. Do you know His Majesty?”
“I do.”
He wanted to say Leonhardt was like a father to him, but saying it in front of the man himself was a little embarrassing.
“...We've known each other for two hundred years.”
Leonhardt spoke.
“He's like a much younger brother, and also like a son. Not that I've ever been married.”
Elbridge was happy to hear it, but still grumbled for no reason.
“You look about my age now, so it feels strange hearing you call me your son. Let's go with younger brother.”
“Who said you were my actual son? You pick fights over everything. Are you going to keep standing there? Sit down first.”
Leonhardt sat down comfortably. Elbridge took the seat across from him, with a table between them.
“By the way, how did you end up here, Sir Leonhardt?”
“Ahem. There's something I should tell you first.”
From Leonhardt's slightly smug expression, Elbridge could guess what came next.
“Ascension?”
“What? How did you know?”
“I went all the way to the Great Forest and saw it at Lake of Eternity. Your Ascension was quite a sight.”
Leonhardt asked suspiciously, “Did you have one of my belongings or something? How did you see that?”
“When I went to Mountain City Barquntol, they gave me the Shield of Sir Leonhardt.”
“The Great Forest, Mountain City Barquntol... You don't seem to have been out of the seal for very long, but you've been to all sorts of places.”
“Those aren't the only places. I've also been to Middlemarch and Thornbush Forest.”
Leonhardt looked disappointed.
“Ah, what a shame. I could have surprised you.”
“Anyway, what happened?”
Leonhardt wiped beneath his nose with a finger, then leaned back in the soft chair.
“Not long after you were sealed, I was given the chance to Ascend as well. At first, I refused and planned to remain on the surface. I thought I'd live out my natural lifespan and die... But I couldn't stop thinking about you.”
“Me?”
Leonhardt nodded. Unlike before, his gaze was quite serious.
“I thought your seal would be broken someday, sooner or later. I wondered what would happen if you were left alone in the distant future. I figured you'd probably bawl your eyes out like a child... Hah. What else could I do? I had no choice but to wait until your seal was broken.”
Leonhardt shrugged.
“So I've been waiting all this time.”
In any other situation, it would have sounded like a joke. But Leonhardt had acted on those words.
A surge of emotion rose in Elbridge's chest. Once again, rather than honestly revealing how he felt, he changed the subject.
“Putting that aside, how did you become king?”
“Didn't I tell you? I come from a fairly respectable family.”
“...I don't think ‘fairly respectable’ covers it.”
“You know how humble I am.”
“...”
Elbridge chuckled, feeling pleasantly betrayed.
“By the way, why did you leave the Order?”
“People can leave depending on the situation. I originally traveled between different orders. I only settled in the Order of the Rusted Shield after meeting you.”
“Ahem. So the Order of the Rusted Shield had no believers for over a hundred years because of a whim. The Goddess must be holding a grudge.”
“Actually, to fulfill my duties as king, I had to transfer to an order that could grant me more useful divine power. A king can't always live however he wants.”
Ah, so that was what happened.
Their conversation had only just begun.
Elbridge poured out every question he had carried within him. There was so much he wanted to know. How had his old companions lived before passing away? How had the world changed after he was sealed?
He also told Leonhardt about what he had experienced after being freed from the seal.
The confusion and joy he had felt upon being released, and the oracle delivered by the Goddess of the Rusted Shield.
The daunting world before him, and how he had nevertheless continued fulfilling his duty and growing the Order's influence. The battle in Mountain City Barquntol, and the demon's identity he had learned through the God of Flowing Water...
As they spoke, someone knocked on the reception room door.
Knock, knock, knock.
The door opened slightly, and the servant from before appeared. Leonhardt rose with an awkward expression.
“I think we should end things here for today. I have a mountain of work waiting.”
When Elbridge looked disappointed, Leonhardt patted him on the back.
“Don't make that face. Today isn't the only day we'll have.”
“What's wrong with my face?”
Leonhardt grinned at Elbridge's blunt response.
“We'll set another day soon, so let's continue the rest of the story then.”
“Fine.”
Elbridge stood and stretched.
When he looked out the window, the sun was already sinking. Elbridge and Murvach followed the servant out of the royal palace. Their carriage was waiting for them.
Rattle, rattle.
Elbridge and Murvach didn't speak during the carriage ride, each lost in their own thoughts.
Before long, the carriage arrived at the Marquis of Hagenlot's estate.
Elbridge stepped down with a light stride and headed for the room where the others were waiting.
“I'm back.”
Rombel, Marcus, and Sonia, each passing the time in their own way, looked toward Elbridge.
The Marquis of Hagenlot was also in the room, apparently having come ahead after seeing the carriage return.
Rombel set down his carving knife and block of wood.
“That took a while. How did it go?”
Elbridge grinned.
“Don't be surprised. What happened was...”
Excited, Elbridge told them about meeting Leonhardt.
The group, including Rombel, listened with serious expressions, occasionally voicing their amazement.
Once Elbridge finished his long account, Rombel spoke.
“...Elbridge. Do you remember what demon you went to meet?”
Elbridge scoffed.
“Of course I do. That's why I asked the Goddess whether Sir Leonhardt in front of me was a demon or not.”
As Elbridge said that, the Goddess's voice rang out from the air.
- Elbridge.
“Speak, Goddess.”
- ...Your goddess has never heard such a prayer.
“What? But earlier, I clearly...”
Elbridge looked around.
His companions' expressions held an even mix of seriousness and disbelief.
The Marquis of Hagenlot looked as if he were saying, ‘Of course.’
Elbridge hurriedly turned to Murvach. Murvach's face was filled with nothing but confusion.
Elbridge pressed him.
“Mr. Murvach. Say something. You were there with me.”
“Didn't we have tea and refreshments with His Majesty? I've never seen anyone named Leonhardt... or anything like that.”
They had been in the same place, but their experiences were different.
Elbridge asked haltingly, “But this is the royal capital, Leodel. The Lion’s Citadel.”
“What does Leodel have to do with it?”
Elbridge turned to the Marquis of Hagenlot.
“You said the king's eyes were green. The same green eyes as Sir Leonhardt...”
Hagenlot shook his head.
“No. I said they were blue.”
He had definitely said green. Was everyone making fun of him now?
Elbridge looked around. Rombel and Marcus, and even Sonia, reacted the same way.
“Sir Hagenlot said the king's eyes were blue. He said they became brown when he met the king again.”
Elbridge's mind grew even more confused.
‘I'm sure he said green.’
The memory was far too vivid to be a mistake.
In his confusion, Elbridge prayed.
“Goddess. Then did you watch while the demon toyed with me?”
- It didn't seem dangerous, so I was observing the situation closely for now.
“You should have given me an oracle...”
- Elbridge. You were the one who asked for one chance.
Elbridge groaned. Ah, damn it. He had.
This time, Marcus asked the Goddess of the Rusted Shield, “Goddess. Didn't Sir Elbridge say he would pray to you regularly? He said that even if his mind was taken over, he would use that to determine when it happened.”
- He did.
“How many times did Sir Elbridge pray?”
The Goddess of the Rusted Shield hesitated slightly before answering.
- ...Not once after he entered the reception room.
That meant his mind had been taken over the moment he entered the reception room, and the demon had been toying with him ever since.
Someone snickered in the air. It was the God of Fox Rain.
The God of Fox Rain kept snickering for quite a while, then finally burst out laughing.
- What a spectacle, Elbridge. You fell for it like a complete idiot.
Elbridge covered his burning face with both hands and lowered his head.
‘...Damn it.’
Footnotes:
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