WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
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Chapter 208: Among Geniuses (4)
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It was mid-March, and the mornings and evenings still carried a lingering chill.
Julius Hyul and the other members of the Purification Order stepped outside the city to leave Lavath.
Few people had come to see them off.
Only a handful knew of their existence, and the matter they were heading to resolve was top secret.
That was why only several high-ranking members of the dungeon expedition, along with Joshua Lindsay and Airen's group, watched them depart.
‘...What an incredible force.’
Perry Martinez, Lavath's court mage, marveled inwardly.
He had already known that the Holy Kingdom's strength surpassed what it showed to the world.
Still, he had never imagined it would be this formidable.
Former powerhouses who had made names for themselves across the continent filled the group, including Quincy Myers, the former Red Knight Commander.
That gave him confidence.
With a force like this, even that dreadful Jester Demon would not be able to hold out.
No other demon lurking in the shadows would be able to harm them, either.
Relieved, Perry turned his gaze elsewhere.
The youngest member of the Demon Subjugation Force, and a figure known throughout the continent, was the Commander of the Black Knight Order, Ignet Crescentia.
Airen Farreira, Lulu, and Illia Lindsay stood proudly before her.
A deeper feeling rose in Perry's chest.
‘So many people destined to leave their names in history have gathered in one generation.’
Ignet Crescentia went without saying.
Before she was even thirty, she had become skilled enough to defeat her old rival, Sevion Brooks, with ease.
The air around her now was even more imposing than before she had faced the demon.
She had clearly gained some new insight.
The same went for Airen and Lulu.
Perry still remembered their feats, courage, and composure in the dungeon.
Even when he, an experienced mage, had trembled in fear, they had paid no heed to the demonic aura. They had made the best possible decisions and acted accordingly.
If not for them, the damage would have been far worse.
‘But the most surprising one is...’
Illia Lindsay.
She had been remarkable in the dungeon as well.
She had been one of the three who broke through the Jester Demon's second barrier, and she had even mastered the Hero's Sword, which everyone else had struggled with.
Compared to the others, though, she had seemed somewhat unsteady, as though she were pushing herself too hard.
That was no longer the case.
She was not the type to openly display her power like Ignet, so Perry could not be certain.
Still, his instincts as a Grand Mage told him that she had grown, and by a great deal.
‘Even the way she looks at Ignet seems more relaxed... What happened? What on earth could have happened?’
He did not know.
One thing was certain. Despite her defeat at Proof Land, House Lindsay's gifted daughter was ready to soar even higher.
“If only Lavath had talents like that.”
Perry muttered under his breath and smacked his lips. Then he looked to the side.
Joshua Lindsay stood there, watching his daughter with an oddly troubled expression.
‘What's with him? His daughter is standing proudly before Ignet without shrinking back.’
No, was he looking at Airen rather than his daughter?
Perry did not know. Honestly, he did not want to understand. He simply decided Joshua had an eccentric side and left it at that.
Airen could not do the same.
“Airen, Airen.”
“Yeah?”
“Illia's dad is glaring at you really hard.”
“I know.”
“Did you do something wrong? Did you sneak something to eat?”
“...I didn't.”
Airen sighed.
He had vaguely sensed it before, but now he knew for certain. Joshua Lindsay had seriously misunderstood something.
Airen had no idea how to clear it up.
Of course, this was not the time to worry about that.
Ignet stepped forward and spoke.
“Airen Farreira.”
“Go ahead.”
“As I told you before, you have three years. Make certain you improve your skills by then.”
“As I told you before, I'll definitely join you within a year.”
“You are too confident. Kun is not someone to be taken lightly.”
“Have you met Kun?”
“I have not. But I have heard much about him.”
“...”
“I will tell you one thing as well.”
At that moment, Ignet suddenly closed the distance between them.
She came close enough for their noses to touch, then tilted her head toward Airen's left ear.
After whispering something into his ear, she swiftly took two steps back.
She had felt a powerful killing intent.
With a faint smile, she asked Illia, the source of it, “Do you have something to say?”
“...”
Illia Lindsay remained silent for a moment.
She seemed to be calming herself, or perhaps choosing her words.
About thirty seconds passed before she spoke.
“...The next time we meet.”
“The next time we meet?”
“Perhaps we can spar sometime.”
Unlike before, Illia spoke politely.
Yet that made her harder to dismiss.
Compared to before, when she had seemed to be forcing every ounce of strength from herself, she now appeared far more relaxed.
Ignet was briefly taken aback, then let out a small laugh. Nodding, she held out her hand.
“Very well. Until next time.”
“I'd rather not shake hands.”
“Ah, right.”
“Then shake my paw.”
“Didn't you dislike me too?”
“I dislike you a little less now. Enough to shake hands.”
After Illia bluntly refused, Lulu extended one of her front paws instead. Ignet gently held it between her thumb and forefinger and gave it a little shake.
‘So soft.’
Her smile deepened. Several elderly knights of the Purification Order watched with envious expressions.
‘This is reassuring.’
Julius Hyul also looked at Airen, Illia, Lulu, and Ignet.
Of course, he did not share the other elderly knights' ridiculous, overenthusiastic thoughts.
He was not simply looking at the present moment, but at a brilliant future.
‘May they continue to have a positive influence on one another for a long time to come.’
May they grow into stronger and more righteous people through one another.
The Paladin, who had dedicated his life to the peace of the continent, closed his eyes and prayed to God.
At the same time, deep within the Ancient Forest in the south of the continent, a malicious force shot toward a young hero.
* * *
[Side Story - Joshua Lindsay]
“Dame Emma. How much farther do we have to go?”
“At our current pace, it will take about another week.”
“I see.”
“Should we increase our speed?”
“No. Do not push yourselves. I do not think that would change anything.”
Joshua Lindsay closed his eyes after speaking. A sigh escaped his lips.
Since the disappearance of his son, Carl Lindsay, Joshua had become even more sensitive about Illia's safety.
That was why he had tried to stop his daughter, an Expert, from setting out on her training journey.
Naturally, he had not been able to break her stubborn resolve. Their compromise was the Sorcery map he held in his hand.
It could track the location of a person marked with blood, and it emitted a strong red glow if that person suffered a mental or physical shock they could not endure.
It was unaffected by most magical interference and cost far more than an ordinary magical device.
Yet something was wrong with that Sorcery map.
The dot on it, which should normally have been green, was neither red nor green. It had turned black.
‘There is nothing wrong with the map.’
‘Then what is it?’
‘There are a few possibilities... but the most likely is that the target has entered a place filled with something denser than magical power... for example, an area thick with demonic aura. That could cause this to happen.’
Remembering the map maker's words, Joshua ground his teeth.
Nothing would happen. That was what he had believed until two weeks ago.
No matter how terrible a den of Demonoids might be, it could not place his daughter, who had reached Sword Master, in danger.
And according to her escort knight, Emma Garcia, her three companions were all highly skilled as well.
‘One of them even defeated my daughter. There is also an outstanding Sorcerer who happens to be a cat...’
With that much strength, even Joshua, doting father that he was, should have put his worries aside.
But as the black dot on the map refused to turn green no matter how much time passed, another possibility began to form in his mind.
What if...
What if the being his daughter faced was more dreadful than a Demonoid?
What if it was an ancient demon, believed to have vanished one hundred and fifty years ago...?
That was when it happened.
Flash!
“It, it's lit up. The light is back on!”
“What?”
Joshua's eyes snapped open. He looked at the map in his hand.
It truly was glowing. Not red, but green.
His daughter was alive.
And she was healthy!
Joshua let out a sigh of relief and embraced the escort knight in the carriage, along with the map maker.
The sturdy Emma Garcia was fine, but the Sorcerer who made the map felt considerable pain from the grip of one of the Ten Great Swordsmen.
“M-My lord! Wait...”
“Ah, right! Check my daughter's condition at once. Hurry!”
“...”
“What is it?”
“N-Nothing. Understood.”
The elderly Sorcerer nodded.
It was understandable that Joshua would be beside himself after confirming that his cherished daughter was alive. He could hardly be expected to care about the Sorcerer's pain.
The map maker felt a little hurt because of his timid nature, but he did his job.
By consuming a part of someone's body, he could see the person and the scenery around them.
To do so, the Sorcerer put a strand of Illia's hair into his mouth.
His expression grew extremely serious as he closed his eyes. Joshua and Emma quietly waited for his ability to activate.
After a while, information began to flow from the Sorcerer's mouth.
“First... the young lady is safe. She does not appear to have any problems.”
“Whew, I see! Is there, is there anything else you can see?”
Joshua sighed in relief again.
Thank goodness. It truly was a relief.
He did not yet know exactly what had happened, but knowing his daughter was safe made him feel as though he had the whole world.
That was not the end of it, of course. He urged the Sorcerer on, and the Sorcerer hesitantly described what he saw.
A mass of combat forces gathered in a wasteland.
Elderly knights in pure white armor, utterly unlike the grimy people around them.
The ruins of a collapsed dungeon behind them.
“...It seems something serious did happen.”
“It would appear so.”
Joshua and Emma wore grave expressions.
Given the circumstances, it clearly involved something demonic. It did not feel like an ordinary Demonoid incident, but something connected to a true demon.
His daughter had been caught up in something so terrible!
Veins stood out on Joshua's clenched fist.
What on earth had those brats been doing...?
Then another piece of information came from the Sorcerer's mouth.
“And... there are two figures near your daughter.”
“Two?”
“Yes. One is a cat that seems to understand human speech, and it can fly as well...”
“Wait, you mean there are two including the cat?”
“Y-Yes.”
The Sorcerer answered in confusion. He did not understand why the lord was so focused on the number of people.
Joshua had no choice but to be sensitive about it.
‘Could it be that the group of four split up, and the two of them are traveling together?’
The lord's face stiffened.
He had disliked the idea from the moment he first received Emma Garcia's report.
A party that included a man? What kind of situation was that?
Still, there had been another woman in the party, and worrying about it now would only make him look like an overprotective father. He remembered nodding, doing his best to put on a magnanimous front.
At least, that had been the case then.
But if there were only two of them, that changed things.
Joshua swallowed hard and asked the Sorcerer.
He did not realize it, but his voice trembled slightly.
“Th-Then who is the other one? Is it a woman? Someone with red hair...”
“No.”
“What?”
“It is a blond man. Quite handsome...”
“Coachman! Go faster!”
“Excuse me?”
“Huh?”
Emma Garcia looked bewildered as Joshua suddenly lost control. Startled, the Sorcerer lost his concentration, and his ability cut off. Despite the throbbing in his head, he looked at the lord in disbelief.
“Can we not go faster? Hurry, faster!”
The lord paid no attention.
He did not stop at giving an order, either.
After stopping the carriage, he received two horses from another retainer. Then he spoke to Emma Garcia.
“This will not do. The two of us will go ahead. It will be faster that way.”
“...”
“What is it?”
“Nothing. I will carry out your order.”
Emma quickly composed herself.
The two rode to Lavath's territory in no time, arriving two days earlier than expected.
But...
‘It seems my daughter has already fallen for that bastard.’
Joshua sighed as he remembered the journey before their arrival.
It was not as if he could not understand it.
Airen Farreira was quite a decent young man.
He was handsome and well-built. His swordsmanship was even more impressive.
Other than Ignet, there was no swordsman in his twenties who could match him. He was a genius who could not even be compared to Joshua in his youth.
His character was good, too.
He never relied solely on his talent or neglected his efforts, and he never became drunk on his own abilities and looked down on others. He was kind to Illia as well.
The problem was that no matter how dependable a young man might be, no father would ever be satisfied with him.
“This will not do. Starting with tomorrow's sparring session, I need to push him harder.”
“...”
Emma Garcia stayed silent.
The lord had said he was too frustrated and asked her to drink with him, so she had obliged him...
But honestly, it was becoming a little difficult to endure.
She loved the young lady deeply as well, but this doting father's love for his daughter was excessive.
Emma was not bold enough to point that out, of course.
After thinking for a moment, she spoke.
“My lord's judgment is correct.”
“Yes, yes. Let us have another drink.”
Joshua continued drinking strong whiskey, glass after glass, then went to bed full of worry.
After attending to the lord until the end, Emma Garcia left the room and thought,
‘Hang in there, Airen Farreira.’
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