WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Oblivious
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Prince of Rage ◈
Chapter 91
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The eruption of Mount Hekla sent tremors throughout the kingdom.
It was not an especially powerful earthquake, but it shook the earth for a moment, and some buildings collapsed.
Volcanic ash spread widely, forming dark clouds. Thunder and lightning struck, and torrential rain fell.
Since it was rain at the turn of winter, it was bitterly cold.
They said rumors traveled faster than the wind, but the mountain range blocked them, and the heavy rain soaked them away. News that Valerie had killed a dragon had not yet spread across the world.
“Why isn’t he back? It’s been twelve days already.”
At the Hayden Crossroads branch of the Lokir Merchant Company, Knut spoke as he watched the rain pouring beyond the window.
Knut rarely worried, even about friends he liked, but Valerie had been gone for so long that concern made his voice slightly irritated.
“If he went south, he probably went to see the Third Prince.”
Brynhildr spoke. There was nothing worse than rain while traveling. Since it was rain at the turn of winter, it was even more worrying.
Neither of them welcomed the rain. Still, there was nothing they could do about it.
There were no guests in the branch’s dining hall. Only the firewood in the fireplace burned.
Then the door suddenly opened, and two people entered the branch. One was tall and the other small. Water streamed from their long, hooded cloaks.
They pulled back their hoods almost at the same time. They were none other than Yorick and Ivy.
As though they had rehearsed it beforehand, Yorick and Ivy looked around with their heads turning in the same direction and at the same speed. Then they both spotted Knut and Brynhildr at once.
“There they are.”
Ivy pointed, then ran to embrace Brynhildr, whom she had not seen in a while.
Her wet cloak soaked Brynhildr’s clothes as well, but Brynhildr did not seem to care.
Knut did not seem particularly pleased to see them and asked about their business first.
“What did they say?”
“We checked through informants, and they said he suddenly disappeared from Tusk Village.”
Yorick was referring to how the Lokir Merchant Company’s headquarters had used its intelligence network to learn Valerie’s whereabouts.
Tusk Village was where Valerie had first met Ölvir.
“He suddenly disappeared?”
“He wasn’t someone they were keeping under watch, so they barely managed to learn even that by asking around.”
“What is this? It’s not like he could have been kidnapped, and he isn’t the sort to go around getting beaten up.”
“Could the Third Prince have done something?”
“No. The Third Prince doesn’t know. If the Third Prince knew, things wouldn’t be this quiet.”
Brynhildr said as she combed Ivy’s damp hair.
The princes were rivals competing with their lives on the line. Brynhildr thought that if the Third Prince had known Valerie was a prince, that prince would have acted long ago. Suddenly assassinating or kidnapping Valerie made no sense.
“Wouldn’t the surest way be to go to Tusk Village once the rain stops?”
“And what would we do there?”
“Rather than doing anything, we could at least meet the Third Prince. If we watch for any signs, won’t we get a general idea?”
Yorick apparently believed that it would be a huge matter if one prince had dealt with another. If that had happened, things could not possibly be this quiet. In short, he was suggesting they do a little spying.
The Third Prince’s side and the Lokir Merchant Company were not on good terms because of the mercenaries sent before, but Valerie’s friends were not enemies of the Third Prince’s side.
They likely did not even know who they were, so there was no harm in going to find out.
“What if I were our pretext?”
Brynhildr said. As a Valkyrie, her mere presence could serve as a reason to meet a prince.
“Would that be all right?”
Knut asked.
“What do you mean, would it be all right? What else are we supposed to do?”
“That is true.”
“You three would make perfect servants and a maid.”
“Me too?”
Knut asked, his eyebrow twitching. Brynhildr smiled.
“It is only spying. Spying.”
“Still, I have my dignity.”
“Since when?”
“What?”
“I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you act dignified...”
Knut flared up, but inwardly thought the remark was right, which only made him angrier.
“What is dignity supposed to be? Standing around with your hands behind your back and clearing your throat? I don’t do that nonsense.”
“Exactly. That’s why I said I’ve never seen you act dignified.”
“Anyway, I can’t be a servant. I’ll be an escort.”
“Either way, we’ll go as soon as the rain stops.”
Brynhildr concluded. She was somewhat gloomy with concern for Valerie, but being with good friends kept her spirits from sinking too deeply.
Still, the icy rain continued for two full days.
After it stopped, Knut, Yorick, Brynhildr, and Ivy crossed Giant’s Bridge and headed south along the wet road.
Only Brynhildr rode a horse. Yorick walked like a servant, holding the reins, while Knut and Ivy simply walked.
When they reached Tusk Village, where Valerie had arrived around ten days earlier, they saw people gathered together. They seemed busy building fires and drying their clothes in broad daylight.
The two days of rain had turned many places into mud, and the weather seemed to have grown noticeably colder.
People with all sorts of talents had gathered from every region, so Valerie’s friends did not particularly stand out.
Still, since Brynhildr was riding a horse and was exceptionally beautiful, many people glanced at her.
Yorick asked one of the passersby.
“You are in the presence of Valkyrie Brynhildr. Where must we go to meet the Third Prince?”
“...”
The traveler, whose hairline had receded halfway up their head, was barefoot and dressed only in something like underwear while drying their wet clothes. They stared blankly at Brynhildr, then looked over the others. It took them a moment to answer.
“The Valkyrie from Nearcaster?”
“Insolent fool!”
Yorick scolded the traveler sternly, but his voice was too thin to sound very imposing.
The traveler did not seem frightened at all, whether Yorick scolded them or not.
“A person called Hansen used to test people’s talents and bring them in as the Third Prince’s guest retainers, but Hansen hasn’t come here in a while. If you’re a Valkyrie, you can probably go straight to Elik.”
Elik was one of the five major cities in the Duchy of Edelia. It was the smallest of them, but it was a kind of new city. The Third Prince was there.
“How long does it take to reach Elik?”
“You could probably get there after spending one night outdoors. If you hurry, maybe you can arrive around evening? I don’t know. You should have a rough idea, right? I have to go get my socks.”
Having said only that, the traveler gave Brynhildr, who was on horseback, a slight bow and continued on their way.
The traveler had shown courtesy, but there was no respect in it. Rumors about Brynhildr were not good.
Strictly speaking, the Duke of Nearcaster had used Brynhildr and then been marked by the king and killed. But people believed that the Duke had died because of her.
Perhaps people needed someone to blame more than they needed the truth itself. Stories about wicked women were easily made and believed anywhere.
Yet Brynhildr truly seemed not to care at all as she asked her friends,
“What should we do? Stay here for the night and leave in the morning?”
“No. Let’s just go.”
For some reason, Knut answered firmly. He glared at the traveler who had already passed, then looked around at the nearby people. Their gazes were unfriendly, as was Knut’s.
“I’m fine.”
“I’m not. My dagger hilt is itching.”
Knut drew a clear line between those he considered his own and those he did not. Now that he seemed to regard Brynhildr as one of his own, the subtle disrespect people showed her angered him.
So the group passed through Tusk Village and continued south.
After noon, they crossed a low mountain pass and saw a fork in the road in the distance, where armed people had gathered.
They wore helmets and carried spears or swords at their waists. Their shields were propped against the ground or set upright somewhere.
When the group reached the fork, the armed people looked at them coldly and said,
“Identity.”
“This is Valkyrie Brynhildr. We are on our way to meet the Third Prince.”
“A Valkyrie?”
All the armed people looked up at Brynhildr on horseback. Their gazes were unfriendly as well, since she was rumored to be a wicked woman who brought misfortune.
“Ah, come on...”
“What bad luck.”
The soldiers muttered complaints quietly enough that they were nearly inaudible.
This was how Valkyries were treated. Their treatment changed according to their image, and Brynhildr’s image was currently at its worst.
Even so, they had no particular way to stop her.
“Go on.”
One of the soldiers said. Brynhildr asked the soldier,
“Why are you guarding this fork in the road?”
“...Because of Ingvari’s Trio, Valkyrie.”
“Ingvari’s Trio?”
“Yes. They are infamous bandits who appeared not long ago. They rob tax wagons and are ruthless enough to kill every knight guarding them before looting them. We are soldiers of Count Gareth, who follows the Third Prince.”
“They don’t sound like ordinary bandits.”
“We don’t know. We only do what we’re told.”
“I understand. Keep up the good work.”
Brynhildr encouraged the soldiers as a Valkyrie, but they did not seem pleased. Even so, a few of them removed their helmets in respect.
The group took the left road at the fork and continued toward the city of Elik.
“They aren’t going to drive us away, are they?”
Yorick said. Brynhildr’s reputation was much worse than he had expected, and he thought the Third Prince might drive them away.
“They let us pass, didn’t they? That alone is half a blessing.”
Brynhildr spoke positively, as if she truly did not care about her reputation.
After walking for some time, they saw a group camped beside the road as the sun sank toward the western mountains. They had arranged baggage wagons like walls and appeared to be preparing for the night. They looked like merchants.
They seemed to have come from the west, and since it was getting late, it would be very convenient if they could ask to stay the night.
“Should I reveal my identity instead? Want to trade places?”
Knut asked Brynhildr.
“No. You hate that sort of thing. I really don’t care about being insulted.”
Was she mentally strong, or simply indifferent?
In truth, compared to the cruel things her mother had said to her, people’s gossip was so trivial that it truly meant nothing.
When the group approached the merchants preparing their camp, they looked over. Naturally, Brynhildr on horseback drew their attention.
But since she wore men’s clothes instead of ordinary women’s attire and carried a sword at her waist, they stared at her with curiosity.
Yorick was about to speak to them, but this time Brynhildr spoke first.
“I am Valkyrie Brynhildr. May I stay here for one night?”
“A Valkyrie?”
“Yes.”
“Uh... Really? If that is true, it is an honor to receive you.”
They were unexpectedly welcoming. One of the merchants immediately went to find the group’s leader and informed them about Brynhildr. Then even the leader hurried over and bowed deeply.
“It is an honor, Valkyrie. Long live His Majesty the King. Lead us to heaven.”
“You do not need to show such respect. I should be the grateful one if you let us stay the night.”
“What are you saying? We will serve you to the best of our ability.”
Their hospitality was so excessive that it was almost suspicious, but the merchants were more preoccupied with something other than Brynhildr.
As evening arrived, several campfires burned, and people sat together to eat and chat.
From what they could overhear, the merchants seemed to be talking about a dragon.
Curious, Yorick asked,
“Excuse me, what do you mean by a dragon? Tell us as well.”
“You haven’t heard the news yet? The dragon-slayer. The dragon-slayer who defeated the fire dragon Húginnis and saved the Cambrians.”
“What?”
“We are coming from Aldincaster. The rumor has already spread everywhere there.”
“Can such a person truly exist? Not Sigurd?”
“That is why Aldincaster is in an uproar. A man called Sísrik went with them and witnessed it himself. If you go to Cambri, there is an actual dragon skull there. It was not seen by only one or two people. Even though the weather is so cold, travelers are flocking there as if on a pilgrimage, to see proof of a legend.”
“Who was it? Who is this dragon-slayer?”
“I heard it was Valerie and Ölvir. They killed it together.”
“...”
At that moment, everyone in the group turned to look at the merchant who had just spoken. As if their thoughts had stopped, they continued staring at them.
“...What is it?”
“Who did you say?”
Brynhildr asked.
“Valerie. Valery The Hügnisbani. And Ölvir Barnakarl, also a dragon-slayer. Unfortunately, I heard that Ölvir died. So there is only one dragon-slayer now.”
Silence fell over the group again. Then Knut spoke as if he could not believe it.
“What in the world has he been doing out there...?”
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