WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Reformation of the Deadbeat Noble

Chapter 57

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Hidden Dragon of Hale Kingdom (1)

There had once been a time when demons were as easy to encounter as monsters, though that wasn't so anymore.

It had been that way four hundred years ago, when the border between the human realm and the demon realm ran thin. It had been that way a hundred and fifty years ago too, when the seven mighty archdemons ran rampant.

Compared to those eras, the present, with the passage between the two worlds sealed shut, could be called a far more peaceful and safer age.

That didn't mean the threat of the demonic had vanished completely, though.

Demonoids.

Those corrupted beings gained immense power through contracts with demons, and poured all their strength into spreading their malignant influence across the continent.

"I don't know if you're aware, but Demonoids are strong on a level that doesn't even compare to ordinary monsters."

Kiril Farreira's expression was grave.

Airen Farreira, hearing that, nodded with an equally hardened face.

He didn't know the details.

But he could guess at them.

In a way, a "Demonoid" was a being comparable to a "Sorcerer."

In the sense that both required a will strong enough to produce miracles beyond belief.

The difference was that whatever will Demonoids carried inside them was deeply negative.

Rage, anxiety, despair, confusion, envy, self-loathing, inferiority, deprivation, betrayal...

A yearning so dense it reached all the way down to the demons crouched in the deepest layer, how horrific and cruel a thing must that be. Hard to even imagine.

It wasn't unreasonable for his sister to worry.

Still.

"I'll be fine, though."

"..."

"I have confidence in this. I'll try to make it back safe. No, I'll make sure of it."

"...You've gotten better with words than you used to be."

Well, not that it's unwelcome.

Kiril muttered that to herself and pursed her lips.

She'd had fairly high hopes after hearing he'd broken out of the barrier all on his own, no help from anyone, but he'd turned out even more solid than she expected. Solid in a way that went well beyond how much taller he'd grown.

'I've grown a fair bit myself, though.'

Looking up at her brother's face, still higher than her own eye level, Kiril forced herself into a stern expression.

Being solid was one thing. Worrying about him was another matter entirely.

She narrowed her eyes and gave one more warning.

"Strong is strong, but what makes Demonoids dangerous is that you can't predict what abilities they'll use. Especially anything related to the mind."

"Hm. That's definitely dangerous."

"Right! Really dangerous. I happen to know a lot about this stuff, so I'll tell you everything."

"Okay."

"At least give me the truly important parts first."

"Thanks."

"And if anything comes to mind during the Subjugation itself, tell me right away."

"Huh?"

Airen looked flustered.

Why had the two of them sparred in the first place? To prove his ability against Kiril's opposition, so he could take part in the Subjugation Campaign.

But now his sister was saying she'd participate too?

"There's no reason for me not to go just because Oppa's going, is there?"

"But..."

"Did I ever say that?"

"..."

She had a point.

Airen fell silent. Kiril lifted one corner of her mouth and added one more line.

"You said it yourself. That you have confidence. So there's nothing to worry about."

Again, he had no comeback.

Airen could only take his sister's hand in silence when she held it out, saying, "Let's do our best together."

* * *

To cut to the conclusion first, Kiril Farreira's participation in the Subjugation Campaign came to nothing.

It wasn't because their parents objected.

Prickly as her personality was, she generally listened to her mother, but this time she'd made up her mind with unusual firmness.

The one who managed to rein in this stubborn Sorcerer was, of all people, another Sorcerer.

Kiril Farreira's master, Skeena Kitten.

One of the most renowned Sorcerers even in Cesar Duchy, the very nation of Sorcerers, and she'd come to House Farreira's territory in person.

"You! There's an important event in exactly two weeks and you're doing what here!"

"No, my one and only brother got out of the barrier, so obviously..."

"Oh, is that Airen Farreira over there? Nice to meet you. I've heard so much. I'm Skeena Kitten, the most beautiful Sorcerer in Cesar!"

Skeena Kitten held out her hand cheerfully. Airen, looking a bit dazed, shook it.

He'd heard she was over fifty this year, but going by appearance alone, she looked every bit a young woman in her twenties.

And genuinely beautiful, too.

'Did she use Sorcery to make herself look younger?'

"That's right."

"Huh?"

"What you just thought. That's right."

"You, you can read my mind too? Is that also Sorcery?"

"Nope. But I don't need Sorcery to know what you're thinking. Ah, she's so pretty, is this gorgeous woman really Kiril's master? That's what you were just thinking, weren't you."

"..."

"Don't listen to a word this woman says. Everything about her is a mess except her Sorcery."

Kiril said it with a scowl.

Quite a rude thing to say to one's own master.

But Skeena Kitten didn't seem to mind at all.

If anything, she pulled Kiril into a tight hug, smiling.

"Of course! When it comes to Sorcery, nobody beats me, right? Such a shy girl, praising her master in such a roundabout way!"

"I never said anything like that!"

"By the way, this child talked about Airen nonstop for five whole years. Want to know what she said..."

"Aaah! AAAAAAH!"

"If you want my mouth shut, how about you come back to Cesar with me nice and quiet?"

"..."

Watching Kiril, red-faced and unable to say a word, Airen let out a burst of admiration.

Handling his stubborn, endlessly difficult sister that well.

Truly worthy of being counted among Cesar's finest Sorcerers.

Of course, she didn't act that way with everyone.

Once Kiril had stormed off in a huff, leaving the two of them alone, Skeena Kitten turned out to be quite courteous.

"Sorry about that. A little much for a first meeting, wasn't it? To act as Kiril's master, you have to be even more strong willed than Kiril herself. Please understand."

"Ah, no, I get it."

"You're really different from Kiril. In more ways than one."

The conversation continued in a much calmer atmosphere than before.

Through it, Airen was able to learn about Kiril's past five years. His sister's joys, her sorrows, and everything else besides.

He felt grateful to Skeena Kitten.

Even as someone she'd just met, she'd picked up right away on exactly what he most wanted to hear, and told him in a warm voice.

Enough that he half wondered if she really could read minds after all.

'And more than that... this person truly cares about Kiril.'

His sister really had ended up under a good master.

The thought brought a soft smile to Airen's face.

"And this."

There was even a gift.

A necklace.

A high grade artifact that would warn of Demonic aura and certain levels of magical traps in advance, and could even neutralize most poisons.

Startled, Airen waved his hands in refusal. He could guess how precious a thing it was.

But the words that followed left him no choice but to lower his hands.

"We made it together. Over five whole years. Kiril poured her own power into this necklace every single day, all while hoping her brother would get out of that barrier."

"...I'll treasure it."

"That's all I'll say for now. I need to go tell Baron Farreira that I'm taking Kiril with me. Cesar's schedule doesn't leave us much time, honestly."

She let out a laugh, ho ho ho, recalling how startled she'd been when she noticed Kiril had gone missing, and Airen thanked her once more.

Nodding with a smile, Skeena Kitten rose into the air.

Then she said.

"I'm so glad he's such a wonderful brother. Even more than I expected."

With those final words, she left.

A moment later, the disciple returned to Airen Farreira's side in her master's place.

"What did she say?"

"Nothing much. Just that you're doing well. But is it okay for you to be here? Shouldn't you go after your master?"

"She'll come find me once she's finished greeting our parents."

Kiril said it with a note of irritation.

Not that it felt unpleasant, of course.

Airen wore a happy expression, and his sister, who'd been about to snap something back, swallowed the words with a tch instead.

In the quiet that followed, the siblings enjoyed a peaceful walk together.

Silent, but not an uncomfortable silence.

It was Airen Farreira who broke that atmosphere first.

"Do you happen to know?"

"Hm?"

"Where Lulu is."

"...I don't know."

"Really?"

"I'm serious. You think I'd lie about this? She stayed in the territory for a few months, then one day she just disappeared. Haven't seen her since. That's all there is to it."

"..."

Another silence settled in. Different from before. An uncomfortable air drifted between the otherwise close siblings.

Airen's eyes followed his sister's expression. It had gone rigid, hardened.

Still, there was something he had to say, no matter how uncomfortable it was.

"I know you don't think well of Lulu. But... you know it wasn't Lulu's fault."

"..."

"It wasn't anyone's fault, to begin with. There was nothing wrong to begin with. I wanted to move forward by my own will, and the world granted my wish and gave me the ground to stand on. That's all it was."

"...So what am I supposed to do about it."

"Next time you see her, could you try not to hate her?"

Airen stopped walking. Then he quietly turned to look at his sister.

His expression was as unreadable as usual, giving little away.

But Kiril knew.

What her brother was thinking.

What feelings he carried inside.

How enormous those feelings really were.

She couldn't not know. She was a Sorcerer, after all.

"...I'll try. I'll make an effort."

And so, she had no choice but to nod.

It was a pleasant April afternoon.

* * *

A month later.

The forces of the Six Southern Houses of Hale Kingdom, Baron Farreira's included, gathered in Gairon territory.

Small in number, but made up almost entirely of elite knights, the force made it plain just how different this Demonoid Subjugation Campaign was from the ordinary kind.

Yet the nobles who'd gathered showed little sign of unease on their faces.

The Twilight Knights, mages, and priests dispatched from the kingdom's capital.

And the young, capable commander leading them, Sir Hill Burnett, had come as well.

'No matter how dangerous a Demonoid is, it won't stand a chance against the knights of the Twilight Order under Sir Hill Burnett's command!'

'We have to take part, no question. Nothing to lose and plenty of honor to gain from this Subjugation!'

Thanks to that, house heads who'd originally planned to send only their forces, and even their eldest sons, all ended up joining the Subjugation Campaign in person.

A banquet had even been held before departure to ease the tension and fatigue, and not a single person gathered in Gairon territory considered the possibility that the Subjugation might fail.

If anything, something else entirely had caught their attention.

The lazy lord, Airen Farreira, making his first public appearance in five years.

"Didn't think I'd see him in a place like this..."

"Heard he was trapped in some kind of Sorcery barrier?"

"Is that even true? Wasn't it a lie?"

"Honestly, I used to think he'd killed himself. Made up some excuse because the truth was too hard to admit..."

Everyone, without exception, talked about Airen.

Whether he'd really entered some Otherworldly Realm and come back, or had simply been sick, or had faked illness because he wanted to avoid people, nobody knew for certain.

But there was one thing they all understood.

That a man who'd spent his whole life buried away in his own house, trying to get in on the action now, wouldn't earn a shred of recognition from anyone.

'Fool.'

'A guy who's never even experienced monster subjugation once in his life. He'll be lucky if he doesn't wet himself.'

But not everyone thought that way.

The children of House Lester, House Russell, House Gairon.

The eldest son of House Gairon in particular, Laiyan Gairon, had an unusual look in his eyes.

He handed his wine glass to a servant.

Then walked, step by step, toward Airen Farreira.

'What's this?'

'What's going on?'

The eyes of everyone nearby quickly fixed on the two now facing each other.

On one side, the finest talent among the Six Southern Houses.

On the other, the most hopeless of lazy lords.

Just as everyone's faces filled with anticipation at such an endlessly interesting pairing.

"The Vice Commander of the Twilight Order, Sir Hill Burnett, is entering."

Those who'd been laughing and chatting, those who'd been quietly enjoying their food, even those who'd been watching Laiyan Gairon and Airen Farreira, all turned their eyes toward Hill Burnett.

A natural thing to do.

How could anyone withhold their attention from the great figure who would grant them glorious honor?

Everyone applauded as one, and Hill Burnett savored the moment with a brief silence.

Of course, that didn't last forever.

Raising a hand to stop the applause, he spoke solemnly.

"Sorry to spoil the mood, but the rest of you don't need to take part in the Subjugation Campaign."

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