WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Oblivious
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Prince of Rage ◈
Chapter 92
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Promises between people are founded on trust, which makes each one a form of faith in itself.
A childhood promise to meet a friend by the lake, a parent’s promise to give a gift on one’s birthday, a lover’s promise to love only you, a husband’s promise to return as he leaves for a distant battlefield...
Every one of those promises, great or small, is a form of faith. When that faith is kept, a seed sprouts in a person’s heart, and a tree grows. A tree called self-esteem.
When it grows tall and strong, that person can endure even life’s harsh storms.
It gives shade to those in need, bears fruit for them, gives them somewhere to sit even when cut down, and in the end, even after death, becomes nourishment for all.
Therefore, there is no such thing as a trivial promise in this world. Great or small, a promise must be kept. Failing to keep one is no different from betraying faith.
There was someone who had promised to return before winter. Valerie’s friends had no doubt that promise would be kept, but they did not simply sit and wait for it.
They moved of their own accord, heading toward that promise.
“Since we’ve come this far, won’t he come if we go to the Third Prince?”
Knut said as he tidied up where they had slept.
It was morning, and countless drops of dew on the blades of grass shone like tens of thousands of jewels in the sunlight.
“Well, going to the Third Prince was only my guess in the first place, so we can’t be sure. And in a situation like this, we can be even less certain.”
Brynhildr replied as she saddled her horse.
“I only said it because Elik is right nearby.”
“Isn’t it because, now that it seems we’ve confirmed he’s alive, you want to sleep somewhere more comfortable than outdoors?”
Yorick said without looking back as he packed their belongings. The remark was so accurate that Knut felt both exposed and annoyed.
“Yorick, don’t talk like you know everything about me.”
“I got it exactly right. My apologies.”
“...”
“Can’t we just go back to the merchant company?”
“You only say that because Knut would have to spend another night outdoors if we went back now. You still have a long way to go, Ivy.”
“No. We already slept outdoors several times while coming down from Eldeira. I’m not that weak.”
“Of course not. Young Master isn’t weak. You’re all grown up now.”
“Hey, you...”
When Knut glared as though he truly meant to get angry, Yorick finally shut his mouth.
“Let’s go to Elik first. If things don’t work out, we can stay in a nearby city.”
Brynhildr settled the matter.
The group also helped the merchant company pack up. They had been given a place to stay for the night, so they returned the favor.
The merchant company’s people found it strange that a Valkyrie did not hesitate to do such menial work.
As they gathered for a meal and prepared to go their separate ways, the caravan leader asked Brynhildr,
“Where are you headed?”
“To Elik.”
“Elik... where the Third Prince is staying?”
“That is correct.”
“Hmm. From what I have heard, the force that effectively directs the Prince’s faction is the Antler Alliance. They are commonly called the Five-Man Council. It consists of a Duke and four Counts, and their relationship with the Kingmakers is not particularly good.”
The Kingmakers referred to the King’s advisory council. They were the figures or families who had led the effort to place the then-Prince on the throne.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Setting aside the relationship between the King and the Prince, it means the two great factions do not get along. In other words, if you become involved with one side, the other may see you as an enemy regardless of your own intentions. This may be different in nature from your stay in Nearcaster. It may be presumptuous of me, but I mention it out of concern.”
The King himself might be finished once he died, but the political forces that had gathered around him remained.
In other words, from the Kingmakers’ perspective, the faction gathering around the Prince could only seem to be trying to push them aside. No, it was bound to be seen that way.
The caravan leader gave an amiable smile.
They were middle-aged, and their business smile seemed so ingrained that it was hard to tell whether it was genuine or false.
“Which merchant company do you belong to?”
“The Silver Ring Merchant Company. I am Kunbert, and I handle peddling.”
The Silver Ring Merchant Company was a huge company comparable to, or perhaps even greater than, the Lokir Merchant Company.
Meeting them here also meant they had reached the invisible boundary between the Lokir Merchant Company and the Silver Ring Merchant Company.
“Raiding a tax wagon isn’t as easy as it sounds. It makes even less sense for three people to kill knights and rob it. I thought it was strange. Were those people called Ingvari’s Trio sent by the Kingmakers?”
Knut asked Kunbert.
“You have a sharp eye. No wonder you are fit to assist the Valkyrie. As for your question, well, perhaps they were, and perhaps they were not. There are as many strong people in the world as grains of sand.”
“I’m not assisting her...”
“Will you be going to Elik?”
Kunbert asked Brynhildr again. Brynhildr looked at her friends, and none of them appeared particularly reluctant or concerned.
It was impossible to know whether they lacked a sense of the political danger, or whether they could not change their decision merely because a merchant had warned them.
Brynhildr nodded.
“Thank you for the information. However, I have neither the strength to oppose anyone nor the desire to do so. I only wish to see the Prince as family.”
“Is that so? I understand. We are headed to Tusk. I wish you luck in battle.”
Thus, the group parted amicably from the merchant company. The road split north and south.
Brynhildr rode alone while the others walked.
By then, the dew had dried away, leaving only the wind brushing against their skin. It felt both cold and refreshing, as if they stood on the boundary between autumn and winter.
At times, Yorick carried Ivy on his back. They played pointless pranks and chatted as they walked south.
Then, around noon, they saw people in the distance riding urgently across the fields. They were lightly armed and looked more like messengers than knights.
There was a fleeting sense that something was wrong. From the opposite direction came a woman riding urgently with attendants, much like Brynhildr.
Upon spotting the group, she sharply pulled on her reins from a distance.
“Who are you?”
“I am Brynhildr, a Valkyrie!”
When Brynhildr gave her name and status, the eyes of the woman and her attendants, who had been radiating a sharp air, widened. They seemed to hesitate over whether they should dismount.
The woman’s eyes shifted as she considered it, then she carefully rode closer and asked,
“Can you prove it?”
“I am a woman of the Volsung clan. Whether you believe it or not is your choice, but my proof shall come only through vengeance for grudges.”
Brynhildr’s words were a kind of customary phrase. Not just anyone could say them. Royalty commonly used them when introducing themselves.
A woman dressed like a man, armed, mounted on horseback, and carrying herself so confidently, seemed worth treating carefully.
Only then did the woman from the other side dismount, and her attendants did the same. They bowed in greeting.
“I am Eldwin, daughter of the Baronial House of Grosner. It is an honor to meet you, Valkyrie. Long live His Majesty the King. Lead us to heaven.”
“I accept your greeting, Eldwin of Grosner. You appear to be in a hurry. It was not my intent to block your path. I do not know what is happening, but I hope nothing goes wrong.”
“No, Valkyrie. A messenger informed us that someone was approaching, so we hurried here.”
“It is not my place to say this, but you are impressive as a woman. Mount your horse again. It would not be discourteous.”
“Thank you.”
Eldwin mounted again. Looking at her now, she seemed older than Brynhildr. Still, she was probably only in her early twenties.
Moreover, while Brynhildr’s long hair was currently braided, Eldwin’s hair was short. Almost like a man’s. Even so, it did nothing to diminish her beauty.
Eldwin’s emerald eyes, glittering like jewels, rested on Brynhildr before sweeping over the group beside her.
One was short and looked disobedient, one looked like some kind of thief, and one resembled a cute country girl.
They seemed unsuitable as attendants for a Valkyrie, but perhaps that only reflected the hollow nature of the Valkyrie’s position.
“Are you headed to Elik?”
“Yes. I am going to see the Prince as family.”
“Do you have the King’s permission?”
“...Is that something I need permission for?”
“I do not mean to be rude, but I serve the Prince. I heard what happened in Nearcaster, so I cannot help but be concerned. To be honest, I have no interest in who was at fault. I only know that the Duke’s house was exterminated on the pretext that it had offended the King. I cannot discuss the complicated political matters separately, but we are always anxious not to give the Kingmakers an excuse. If you permit it, I will escort you elsewhere and report to the Prince separately.”
Though polite, Eldwin was not submissive at all. Rather, she seemed so confident that she was pressuring Brynhildr.
“In that case, it cannot be helped... I did not come to be a burden either.”
Brynhildr was honestly embarrassed in front of her friends. But this was also the limit of being a Valkyrie.
She was free to do what she wished when she had something she wanted to do, but she was blocked when it came to anything crucial. She possessed neither the authority nor the strength to force her way through.
“Thank you for understanding. As a woman, it is also an honor for me to serve you, Valkyrie. Circumstances have unfortunately become this way, but I will serve you to the best of my ability.”
Eldwin gestured to her attendants and gave some sort of signal. A few of them returned down the road, while others rode off elsewhere.
“Please follow me.”
Eldwin spoke and turned her reins first. In the distance, mounted messengers still hurried back and forth. It looked as though something had indeed happened.
The road Eldwin led them along went in a direction away from the messengers. They left the road and headed west, where a forest of autumn foliage and fallen leaves stood nearby.
They did not enter the forest, only walked along its edge, but trouble found them there.
It was late afternoon, as the sun slowly began to set.
“Left!”
“No, right!”
“Don’t get close! Wear them down!”
“They’re getting away! Stop them!”
The urgent shouts from afar sounded like a hunt.
Startled, Eldwin hurriedly turned her reins, trying to get away from the forest.
“This way!”
Not knowing what was happening, the group hurried away from the forest as well.
Then they heard the sound of galloping hooves along with something crashing. When they turned toward the forest, a burning carriage was racing toward them.
And in the forest, something neither quite human nor beast moved back and forth with impossible speed. Riders and runners hurriedly pursued the carriage.
Then, for some reason, the head of one rider flew away, and the horse carrying the headless body charged toward them.
Thud-thud! Thud-thud! Thud-thud! Thud-thud!
Brynhildr and her friends hastily moved aside. As the horse passed, blood sprayed from the severed neck.
As casualties quickly mounted among those pursuing someone, their momentum faltered.
“There.”
Knut pointed somewhere with his keen eye. Looking there, they saw someone darting rapidly between the trees, not unlike a squirrel.
Then someone on horseback emerged from the forest, sword in hand. They wore a mask.
They looked once toward the group, hesitated as if slightly surprised, then quickly ignored them and tried to head in another direction.
But the person who had been moving between the trees dropped to the ground and ran straight toward the group. Their body was so agile that the distance closed in an instant.
The one who had been about to leave turned and shouted urgently.
“Don’t do anything stupid!”
But it did not seem to be heard.
The group had scattered somewhat in the sudden chaos, and the person rushing forward at inhuman speed lunged straight at Knut.
Knut’s movements surpassed those of an ordinary person, but they were no match for the attacker. He hurriedly twisted aside, but the dagger he had just drawn flew from his hand.
Clang!
The dwarf steel dagger named Freedom flew through the air, and the attacker suddenly leaped up and snatched it. They landed on the ground and burst into shrill laughter.
“I’ve wanted this for a while! This is what you call spoils of war!”
It was clearly a woman’s voice. She wore a mask as well, so her face was hidden, but Brynhildr and Knut recognized her immediately.
Was her name Rita? It was the voice of one of the Einheri who had come when the Duke of Nearcaster’s household was slaughtered.
The masked person on horseback shouted angrily.
“You stupid bitch!”
Brynhildr, quick to read the situation, suddenly spurred her horse toward the masked rider.
When dealing with an Einheri, being on horseback was actually an opportunity. Brynhildr might have had the superior horsemanship.
As she drew her sword and charged, the other person urgently turned their reins and tried to flee back toward the forest. But their riding skill was not nearly as good.
Brynhildr closed in fast, but someone carrying a huge shield suddenly burst from the forest and collided with the side of her horse.
Thud!
How such a thing was possible through human strength, no one knew. The person behind the shield barely staggered back, while the horse toppled violently sideways and Brynhildr rolled across the ground.
Fortunately, she was thrown cleanly and rolled across the ground without suffering serious injuries.
However, the impact knocked her unconscious. She rolled along the ground and came to a stop as though dead.
“Unni!”
Ivy shouted as she ran toward her from afar.
“Damn it! What is this?”
The person who had been riding away also shouted in anger.
“Don’t be angry, Kali. It is a dagger worth that much.”
The woman called Rita said as she approached. Judging from the names, they really were the three Einheri who had slaughtered the Duke of Nearcaster’s household.
Karlek wanted to tear Rita apart for her impulsive action during the operation, but escaping the situation came first.
“I’ll deal with you later...”
He looked around. The Third Prince’s forces appeared too distracted by the sudden casualties and the burning carriage to pay attention. Brynhildr was unconscious, and her friends were hurrying toward them, but they were still far away.
After calmly judging the situation, he dismounted. His horse was already exhausted. If something similar happened again, they would have to fight. Running would not solve anything.
“Listen carefully to me from now on. Other than the Valkyrie, kill anyone who blocks us. One of us might be badly injured or die. Rita, you brought this on yourself, so accept it. Do you understand?”
Even for Einheri, escaping from the middle of enemy territory was not easy. Especially considering they had gone without sleep night and day and had not been eating properly, their concentration and stamina had fallen, sharply reducing their combat ability.
What they had accomplished so far was impressive enough, but Rita’s impulsive action had suddenly made the final stretch dangerous.
Then, perhaps by great fortune, someone stood in the path they intended to take, beside a horse.
With the red sunset at their back.
Karlek thought he could take that bastard’s horse and ride it. He did not know who it was, but their lives were at stake, so this was no time to worry about such things.
Yet whether it was an illusion or whether the person’s body was truly burning, the edges of their black silhouette seemed to blaze.
The person spoke. Their voice was calm, yet held a quiet anger beneath it.
If this voice could take form, it would likely be flame.
“Give back the dagger. And apologize. Say you are sorry for crashing into her.”
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