WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 261: Beneath the Flowing Water (4)
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"..."
"..."
Silence.
Countless people from the Four Kingdoms were there, along with more than sixty mages of House Slick, yet not a single person spoke.
The reason for the silence?
At first, it had clearly been tension.
Tension from clashing with a mage from the superpower Runtel. Tension from a one-on-one duel between a Sword Master and a Grand Mage. Tension from the vague possibility that, despite having little to do with them, this duel might somehow affect them.
But that was no longer the case.
One exchange.
Watching the young Sword Master of Hale subdue House Slick's second-in-command at once, no one present could hide their shock or confusion.
'...Does that even make sense?'
'A swordsman may have the advantage against a mage, but...'
'His opponent is a Grand Mage. Meanwhile, Airen Farreira may be a Master, but he only broke through that wall last year...'
'Is a Sword Master's Aura usually that massive?'
'Is it over? Is it really over?'
The royals and high-ranking nobles of each kingdom looked toward the knights around them.
Their eyes carried an unspoken question: was the current situation normal?
But.
'Looking at me like that won't help...'
'How would I know? This is my first time seeing a Sword Master fight a Grand Mage too.'
'I had my eyes wide open, but I still couldn't see the movement. Heh, so this is the difference between an Expert and a Master...'
'No, the Master I saw before wasn't anywhere near this level.'
The knights could not answer either.
They might have been the strongest in their respective nations, but that only applied within the Four Kingdoms.
It was impossible for them to accurately judge a Sword Master's strength.
Still, there was one thing they all agreed on.
'Airen Farreira...'
'He's not at the beginner level of a Sword Master.'
'I can't tell exactly how strong he is, but he's much stronger than the rumors say!'
"It seems Master Farreira is far more outstanding than we expected."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. My own level is lacking, so I cannot say for certain, but..."
"Hmm..."
The silence that had seemed as though it would last forever ended, and quiet voices rose here and there.
Most of them were talking about Airen Farreira. Naturally.
Compared with the defeated and already well-known Ephrein Slick, the newly rising star was far more interesting.
That was especially true for the Four Kingdoms, which shared borders.
After listening to the knights, the royals nodded with strange murmurs and looked at Airen with even greater intensity.
They had already known he was someone to treat carefully. Now, they realized they needed to be far more cautious than they had thought.
'We will have to see how relations with Runtel Kingdom develop from here, but...'
'For now, we should maintain amicable relations.'
'They say he is close to House Lindsay and House Lloyd. Depending on the extent of those ties, this matter could take an entirely different direction...'
'Though everyone here is probably thinking the same thing.'
Excluding Bisau, which had deep ties with Runtel, the representatives of Sonan and Koln watched one another closely.
No matter how powerful a Sword Master might be, if they were bound to Runtel through bad blood, it would be wiser not to look their way at all.
The strongest kingdom in the east held an overwhelming position on the continent.
But this case was slightly different.
Airen had reached Sword Master at the astonishing age of twenty-two, and his current skill was far greater than the rumors suggested.
If so, there was a good chance his friendship with House Lindsay and House Lloyd was real as well.
It might even go beyond that. They might be much closer than anyone realized.
And considering that Airen's younger sibling had ties to Cesar Duchy too, it seemed best to build a connection first, even if that meant accepting a little risk.
'Before those Koln bastards reach out first...'
'Before those Sonan bastards start cozying up, we need to get close to him first!'
The kings of Sonan and Koln narrowed their eyes.
They had originally planned to return home as soon as the hunt ended, but they changed their minds.
It seemed better to remain until the banquet, which would continue through tomorrow and the day after.
Of course...
"It is deeply regrettable that things turned out this way."
"Hmm."
"I'm sorry, but it seems we must take our leave first. I ask for your understanding."
"...I won't see you out."
The King of Bisau was the exception.
Regardless of the duel's outcome, Hale was not the only kingdom in a difficult position.
He and Kyle Murdock had looked restless even before the duel began, and once the Grand Mage's defeat was decided, they looked as though they might collapse at any moment.
The entire Bisau delegation was the same.
In the end, they had no choice but to withdraw from the banquet early alongside the Runtel mages.
Watching the people of Bisau Kingdom leave dejectedly, the King of Hale wore a bitter expression.
'Perhaps the Four-Kingdom Banquet will no longer be held after today.'
He did not think Bisau Kingdom was the only problem.
Sonan, Koln, and Hale itself all had their own problems.
The four kingdoms had come together to move forward as one, but at some point, they had become obsessed with deceiving, disregarding, and surpassing one another. Perhaps this outcome had been inevitable.
'At least the atmosphere in Sonan and Koln is not bad.'
He still did not know exactly what they were thinking, but at least the mood was not hostile.
He had considered the worst-case scenario, in which Hale alone was isolated while the other three kingdoms sided with Runtel, but that did not seem likely.
As he continued wrestling with these troubling thoughts, the person responsible for the incident approached him.
The King of Hale forced himself to compose his expression.
Those who knew him well knew he was a simple and sincere man, but at this moment, he felt he needed to appear dignified.
However, that thought flew far away the instant Airen Farreira offered him a formal bow.
"Your Majesty. I am deeply sorry and ashamed for causing this disturbance through my own decision. However, I could not simply endure Ephrein Slick's remarks, which seemed to disregard not only my house, but Hale Kingdom as a whole. House Slick, and Runtel Kingdom beyond it, may be a powerful force capable of challenging the Empire's position, but Hale too is my proud homeland, with a history stretching back hundreds of years."
Vwooooooom!
The words of a young Sword Master, respectful yet unwaveringly confident.
And the radiant golden Aura Sword that followed his words and surged outward.
As the King of Hale and most of the others wore dazed expressions...
Thunk!
Airen drove his sword forcefully into the ground and swore.
"I swear to Your Majesty on my sword, my heart, and a knight's honor. From this day forward, I will take responsibility for and resolve any unpleasant matter that arises from this duel. I will never allow Your Majesty or my homeland to suffer because of me."
"..."
The King of Hale could not bring himself to speak.
Taken solely by their content, Airen Farreira's words were not especially remarkable.
It was admirable that he intended to take responsibility for what he had done, but without a concrete plan, no one could blame the king for dismissing them as merely pleasant words.
But Airen was a Sword Master.
Not just any Sword Master, but one with talent great enough to leave his name in history. He was drawing an Aura Sword more radiant and sacred than even a Paladin of Abilius, then swearing an oath before him.
For the king of a small nation, it was the most profoundly moving moment he could experience as a sovereign, one he had never encountered even in his dreams.
Before such overwhelming emotion, rational and logical measures were unnecessary.
The king barely managed to nod, then glanced sidelong toward Sonan and Koln.
'You... You do not have one, do you?'
Your countries do not have a Sword Master like this, do you?
Even if you did, your Sword Master would fall short of our Airen. No, Master Farreira.
The thoroughly childish thought came through clearly in his gaze. The representatives of Sonan and Koln understood the king's intent perfectly.
But they could not say anything.
They were envious. Envious, and envious again.
That was their honest feeling.
"Big brother looks pretty cool today, doesn't he, Dad?"
"..."
"Dad? Dad, why aren't you answering... Dad?"
Kiril Farreira looked startled.
Harun Farreira, normally quiet and serious, was silently shedding tears as he looked at Airen.
Of course, it was not strange. If anything, it was only natural.
Watching her father continue to gaze at his son without hearing a word, Kiril took a step back.
Then, with eyes similar to Harun's, Kiril looked at her proud older brother.
"..."
Of course, not everyone was thinking pleasant thoughts.
The Commander of the Twilight Order, Oswaldo Odone, was one of them.
Even as he marveled at Airen Farreira's skill, which had far exceeded expectations, his concern over Runtel never left his mind.
'It was a fair duel, and the other side started the conflict. The defeat was also so one-sided that it would be embarrassing to speak of it. Requesting support from Runtel would be humiliating for Ephrein, and from the kingdom's perspective, too, such a request would be absurd. But...'
Did that mean the matter was completely over?
Would the old mage truly withdraw quietly like this?
House Slick was known to have the strongest sense of superiority even within Runtel, and Ephrein Slick was a man followed by unsavory rumors even within that house.
'...It seems we need to discuss countermeasures.'
Of course, that was impossible right now. They would have to finish the chaotic hunting tournament, rest appropriately, and wait until night at the earliest.
Airen Farreira's participation would be essential.
Yet even after everything was over, Oswaldo could not find Airen.
"It appears he has gone out for a walk."
"Hmm..."
Hearing the servant's words, Oswaldo Odone let out a heavy sigh.
Amid an inexplicable unease, the night deepened.
* * *
"That damned bastard...!"
Outside Hale's royal castle, a massive palanquin belonging to House Slick stood in a quiet clearing.
Inside it, Ephrein Slick muttered curses without pause.
His mind continued its magical calculations while his hands transformed mana into the properties he desired.
Ordinarily, this was a method to be avoided. Introducing personal emotions into the rational, logical process of constructing a spell was unwise.
If it degraded the purity of the mana, it could produce poor results.
But it was fine this time.
The spell he was constructing would affect his target's mood and mind. With this kind of curse, the more negative emotion the caster put into it, the better it worked.
"Hah... Finished."
Once his work was complete, he let out a deep breath.
The completed spell was exceedingly subtle.
It was colorless and odorless, and its flow of mana was so faint that even an ordinary mage would struggle to sense it.
Once it dispersed into the air and its density thinned, that quality became even more pronounced.
Once it left the palanquin, even Ephrein himself would likely be unable to detect it.
Then what effect could a spell, diluted enough to escape even its caster's senses, possibly have?
'There is no problem.'
Ephrein Slick smiled coldly.
The white barrier he had constructed just before the duel.
It had not merely separated the inside from the outside.
The subtle mana that had flowed out from it had wrapped around several targets, and that too was an energy so subtle that even high-ranking mages would find it difficult to discern.
'But that insignificant spell will draw in this one, and when the two spells blend together...'
They could produce an effect similar to the elixir ancient demons had used to corrupt humans.
It was a word now forgotten even by most kingdoms, but people in the past had called it "Narcotics."
"That piece of trash..."
Watching the colorless, odorless spell spread slowly outward, the Grand Mage gnashed his teeth.
He had no intention of accepting help from the head of House Slick or from Runtel Kingdom.
His own abilities were enough. If he got his hands on someone the boy cared about, everything would be settled.
Let's see if he can stay that proud when his father bows before me.
That was what he was thinking when it happened.
Crack!
The sound of the massive palanquin's door opening.
No. The sound of it breaking reached Ephrein Slick's ears. It was faint, but he could not have missed it.
He was in an extremely sensitive state, and he had even cast a spell to sharpen all five senses.
If anything, it was more absurd that he had failed to notice someone entering until then.
But that feeling did not last long.
The door opened, revealing a figure.
The instant he recognized Airen Farreira, the old mage's pupils began to shake wildly.
But something even more shocking happened next.
"My, my spell... You caught my spell... with your hand?"
Before a sight that defied even a Grand Mage's understanding, Ephrein Slick's voice trembled violently.
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