WeTried Translations
Translator: Hydrogen B
Editor: Hydrogen B
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 126: When the First Snow Falls (1)
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The Federation, where they had set foot for the first time, was an unknown land.
That was true for Kyle as much as it was for Elysia.
It was a union of five kingdoms in the eastern part of the continent. Its history and culture had naturally developed differently from those of other lands. Elysia, who had spent almost her entire life confined within Archandia, the Imperial capital, had never seen the Federation in person. Kyle was no different.
More than ten years had already passed since he spent twenty years on Earth before falling into this isekai. The first place where he opened his eyes had been the Empire. From there, he passed through Hailen, which had become a second home to him, before reaching the southern part of the continent. The Federation had never been part of that journey.
Even so, they had to go.
To Renavik, the capital of the Kalov Kingdom, where the Federation Council was located.
The weather had turned sharply colder after they arrived in the Kingdom of Rustin. Once they finished resupplying and left Belmar, the Federation's southernmost port city, the two hurried north with Renavik as their final destination.
The farther they traveled from the coast, the drier the air became. The salty smell unique to the sea had faded as well. Using the Federation map they bought in Belmar as a guide, Kyle and Elysia treated the cities along their route as resupply points. Every city they saw was peaceful.
Is this what it feels like to travel at a leisurely pace?
As Kyle muttered inwardly, he realized that their situation was not so different now. Once they had entered the Federation, it was reasonable to assume the Empire's pursuit had effectively ended. Unlike when they passed through the Kingdom of Brendel and the Duchy of Tervan, Kyle and Elysia could now travel while getting proper sleep. The Federation's lands were that vast.
It was not a distance they could cross overnight. Still, simply not being pursued made their anxiety and tension feel entirely different. Only then did they begin to notice things they had overlooked before. Elysia's eyes shone with interest whenever she encountered another country's culture.
One day passed, then two.
The first week passed, then the second, then the third.
By the time they reached the fourth week, the colorful leaves had begun disappearing one by one. Before they knew it, even the fallen leaves that had covered the ground were gone.
Each time they breathed in and out, faint white vapor drifted through the air. The wind against their skin was not just cold, but biting. The Federation was terribly cold in late November. Thinking of the autumn that had slipped away, Kyle looked up at the high sky.
Winter had arrived where the fallen leaves had vanished.
Quietly, yet unmistakably.
* * *
The carriage rattled along the uneven dirt road. Kyle, who had been lost in thought for a while, shifted his eyes and casually looked around.
Elysia sat across from him inside the cargo carriage. As always, she wore a white robe with her hood pulled low. She looked dressed to freeze to death, but she showed no sign of being cold. After wandering through a snowfield not long ago, this weather probably felt like nothing to her.
The scenery outside was much the same. Bare trees stood scattered across the wide fields that had been covered in color only a short while ago. It had not snowed yet, but with most of the fallen leaves gone, the landscape could not help feeling bleak. The temperature had not dropped below freezing, though it probably would soon.
It feels like it might snow this week.
Kyle looked at the pale breath drifting before him and thought to himself. Elysia quietly watched the scenery outside.
I gave her fur clothing, but it would be uncomfortable to wear while moving around normally.
Just in case, I should buy a Heating Magic Tool later to keep her warm.
“Are you cold?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Is that so? I usually pile on clothes around this time of year. You must not feel the cold much.”
The middle-aged driver sitting on the coachman's seat spoke casually. Kyle looked at his back as he held the reins.
At the moment, the two were riding in a carriage driven by a coachman they had hired with money. In the city where they stopped to resupply yesterday, they had sold the horses they had been riding and arranged for a new carriage. Their horses had become quite exhausted after traveling almost nonstop for a month, so they had no other choice. Since neither Kyle nor Elysia knew the Federation's geography well, they decided it would be better to hire a driver than find new horses and travel alone again.
“My hometown is cold.”
Kyle answered without taking his eyes off the scenery. The driver simply shrugged.
“More importantly, you two seem quite close. It isn't common for a young man and woman to travel such a long distance together at the beginning of winter.”
“...”
“If it isn't too rude, are you husband and wife?”
The reaction came from across from Kyle. Elysia, who had silently been looking outside as though meditating, flinched and opened her eyes wide. The golden eyes visible beneath her hood were filled with undisguised embarrassment.
“No, that isn't...”
“Close enough. You have a good eye.”
Kyle cut off Elysia's fumbling response. As she stared at him in shock, he raised a finger to her lips.
Shh. Be quiet.
Kyle silently mouthed the words. Elysia glanced away and gave a small nod.
There was no need to correct the misunderstanding. It would be more natural for a married couple to travel together than for an unrelated man and woman to do so. If the driver's guard dropped, they might learn useful information. There was nothing faster than rumors circulating among ordinary people.
“I knew it.”
Fortunately, the driver did not seem particularly suspicious. He continued as though he had expected it.
“You came from far away, not from the Grandecia Federation.”
“You knew?”
“Yes. It feels strange to say this, but it is fairly obvious.”
“Because of our accents?”
“There are several reasons, but the accents are probably the biggest. Anyone born and raised in the Federation would likely feel the same. Did both of you come from the Empire?”
Kyle did not answer.
His silence was answer enough.
Elysia spoke with the unmistakable accent of an Imperial central noble. Kyle had some of a northern noble's accent mixed into his speech, but he fundamentally used the continent's common language as shaped by the Empire. Anyone native to the Grandecia Federation would recognize that the two had deep ties to the Empire one way or another.
“Then you should be careful.”
“What do you mean?”
Elysia, who had been listening quietly, asked. The driver glanced behind him before adding, “People's tempers have become ugly lately. Hostility toward the Empire has risen sharply. Some people openly say the Imperial bastards ought to be torn to pieces and killed.”
“...”
“I am only a commoner, so I do not know much, but there are widespread rumors that voices are raised in the Federation Council every day. There have also been troubling stories from the border regions near the Empire. Sigh. I wonder what will happen to the world.”
The driver let out a long sigh. Kyle murmured quietly to himself.
“We should be careful.”
“Yes. Times are what they are. Of course, they probably will not openly harm people like you who are not soldiers, but no one knows what may happen from here on.”
“Do you not think anything when you see us?”
“I hate the Empire too, as a Federation citizen, but what sin has any individual committed? It is all the Emperor's fault.”
“The Emperor is at fault...”
Kyle trailed off. When he looked ahead, Elysia wore a dark expression.
A cruel conqueror who had destroyed Hailen in the north and now stretched his hand even toward the Federation.
That was what the Emperor appeared to be. The truth was different. Kyle and Elysia knew it. They knew the current Emperor was nothing more than a puppet whose personality had long ago been consumed by the First Emperor.
Even so, the need to kill him did not change. Even if the secret became known to the public, the conclusion would remain the same. The Emperor people spoke of was not a single human being, but the Imperial throne itself. Whether the one sitting upon it was Elysia's father, whose mind had already been consumed, or the First Emperor, who had lived for over a thousand years, such small details did not matter.
“You are right. The Emperor is the cause of all this.”
“You think so too, do you not? See? There are clear-sighted people within the Empire as well, like Grand Duke Rivelius.”
“You know Grand Duke Rivelius?”
Kyle asked with surprise. The Emperor's once most beloved younger brother, now the Empire's worst traitor after turning against it. He was also Elysia's paternal uncle, someone she had known closely since childhood. The ultimate person they were traveling to meet.
“Of course. He is one of the High Council's members.”
“You sound pleased. It does not seem like you dislike him.”
“Why would anyone dislike His Grace?”
“Even though he is Imperial royalty?”
“That makes it all the more meaningful. Despite being the Emperor's most favored brother, he defected to the Federation because of his beliefs. Even people who cannot stand the Empire like Grand Duke Rivelius.”
“...”
“Come to think of it, even the name of the title the Emperor bestowed on him, Rivelius, is amusing. Rebellion. Perhaps it means the only person who can keep him in check, or something like that.”
Elysia's hand, resting on her lap, curled tightly into a fist. Kyle noticed it without meaning to and looked at her with pity.
It had been nearly ten years since the Emperor granted Adrian Archandia the title of Grand Duke Rivelius.
Was that before the Emperor's sense of self was consumed?
After that, their conversation turned to trivial matters. Most of it was not useful information, but small complaints about daily life and insignificant incidents.
The driver seemed to be naturally talkative and friendly, so he never stopped speaking to Kyle and Elysia. Elysia had fallen silent after the conversation turned to the Emperor, so Kyle answered in her place and kept the conversation going. The carriage continued onward without stopping.
By the time the sun was setting.
“We have arrived.”
“That is...”
“Yes. This is Renvel, the destination you mentioned. It is the largest commercial city in this region. Its lord is an Imperial noble who defected, like Grand Duke Rivelius, and I hear he is remarkably capable.”
The driver pointed to the city before them. Kyle and Elysia looked in the direction of his finger almost at the same time.
Countless carriages came and went beneath the huge city walls, like blood flowing through veins with every beat of a heart. Lines of merchant caravans loaded with goods swiftly disappeared into the city. The driver guided his carriage to the very end of the queue.
* * *
Renvel's inspection was not particularly strict. If anything, it was loose. Since it was a commercial city with frequent trade, it seemed to be intentionally managed that way.
Thanks to that, the carriage carrying Kyle and Elysia entered the city after giving a few coins to the soldiers at the gate. Considering how complicated the inspections had been in several cities they had visited before, it saved them a meaningful amount of time and money. One city had been troublesome enough that they chose to give up and pass it by altogether.
“Then I will be on my way.”
The middle-aged driver left after offering a brief farewell. After passing through the city gate and getting down on the outer boulevard inside the city, Kyle quickly surveyed his surroundings before speaking.
“Elysia.”
“...”
“Elysia?”
“Ah...?”
“Wake up. We have arrived in Renvel, just as you said. This is definitely the place, right?”
That had been more than a week earlier. While they were steadily traveling north toward Renavik, Elysia had suddenly said there was somewhere they needed to stop.
Their final goal was to meet Elysia's uncle, Grand Duke Rivelius. As a member of the Federation Supreme Council, he could become Elysia's guardian and help Kyle raise an army.
They could not simply visit him without warning. As one of the Federation's most important figures, he would be difficult to meet privately through ordinary means. They needed to send a messenger hawk in advance so he could learn of Kyle and Elysia's intentions and make preparations. Yet if they sent the messenger hawk anonymously, the letter would not reach Grand Duke Rivelius. There was a high chance it would be inspected along the way.
They needed someone who could act as a bridge to Grand Duke Rivelius. Fortunately, Elysia knew someone who met the conditions perfectly.
An Imperial noble who had defected, was loyal to Grand Duke Rivelius, and knew Elysia to some extent.
Gilbert Perian, the lord of the commercial city of Renvel.
“I am sure. Aside from my uncle, he is a noble who opposed the Emperor and whom I know fairly well. It has been several years since I last exchanged letters with him, so he may have changed...”
Elysia trailed off, sounding somewhat uneasy.
“If he is still in this city, he will help us.”
Yet it lasted only a moment. After looking around at the passing carriages and people, she once again wore a determined expression. None of the hesitation she had shown in the carriage remained.
“How can you be sure?”
Elysia answered Kyle's question without a moment of hesitation.
“Because he was the most honest person I have ever seen.”
Elysia turned her head toward the city. Kyle followed her gaze and looked toward the center beyond the straight road. The edges of tall buildings rose in the distance. Their roofs and terraces were dyed red by the setting sun.
“We will meet my uncle. And we will secure the Federation Council's cooperation as well.”
Footnotes:
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