WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

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◈ Sword Master of the Fallen Kingdom

Chapter 49

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At the Crossroads (1)

After leaving Magic Tower City Kabiles and parting ways with Lena, Kyle continued east. Once he was alone, his pace became much faster than before.

During the day, he walked steadily. Whenever he had strength to spare, he used Body Reinforcement and ran just enough not to hurt his condition. At night, he found a suitable campsite as usual, lit a fire, and spent the night there. It was the routine he had grown used to over the past three years.

But on the third day, Kyle felt strangely empty. It was because the young girl mage who had chattered beside him every day was gone. At first, her endless talking had even annoyed him, yet now he found himself missing it. The same went for his brief but intense meeting and farewell with Gerard.

This was why a person should not keep warmth close.

Kyle thought that as he chewed the food Lena had packed for him. It was a good thing he had left the Magic Tower as soon as possible. If he had stayed a few more days, the comfortable life inside the tower and Gerard and Lena's kindness would have made leaving much harder. Three years ago, after losing everything, he had sworn never to love anyone or grow attached to anyone again.

Kyle stopped by a decently sized city to resupply and rented a sturdy wagon. It came with a skilled coachman. As for money, he already had more than enough. At least until he crossed the border, he wanted to conserve his stamina and sort out his thoughts.

"The weather's good, thankfully. We should have a smooth trip to our destination."

Some time after they left the city, the coachman spoke while handling the horses with practiced ease. He was a mild-looking man in his early thirties, around Kyle's age. Kyle had noticed it when hiring him, but the man was easygoing and friendly.

"Still, renting this whole wagon by yourself... You must have quite a bit to spare. Usually, people headed in the same direction gather together and split the cost."

"I'm not short on money. Other people would only make things uncomfortable."

The coachman, holding the reins, glanced back. Curiosity showed on his face.

Kyle sat alone in the wagon, his clean features carrying an exotic air. At a glance, he looked like a veteran mercenary who had been through every hardship imaginable. Yet when the coachman listened to him speak or watched how he carried himself, he sensed the dignity of a high noble or a knight. Since he often dealt with nobles and knights, he could tell even more clearly.

"Are you not getting a horse of your own? You seem quite skilled. I wondered if you might know how to ride."

The coachman faced forward again and asked carefully as he drove the wagon.

"I know how to ride."

"Then why not?"

"A horse I cherished died a long time ago. I haven't ridden since."

"Ah..."

The coachman trailed off. Kyle recalled his beloved horse, which had died years ago.

The beast had been like his partner even before Kyle was formally knighted and bestowed a star iron sword.

For a knight, horsemanship was as important as swordsmanship. Kyle had been counted among the best riders in the order. Naturally, his bond with his horse had been deeper than most. That bond was also an important part of horsemanship.

The problem was that it had been too deep. Kyle's horse had been exceptionally fast and strong even within the order, and it had been just as loyal to Kyle. Kyle could still remember it vividly. The sight of the creature that had been no different from his own two legs being torn apart by a wyvern's hind claws. Those black eyes staring at him until the moment before death. His own voice screaming.

If this star iron sword was Kyle's hand, then that horse had been his feet. That was why he could not ride another horse after the war.

More precisely, he chose not to. It was an instinctive rejection.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"It's fine."

The coachman glanced back again, watching Kyle's mood. Kyle leaned against the wagon's backrest and closed his eyes. He sorted through his plans.

First, his destination was Renavik, the capital of the Kalov Kingdom in the Grandecia Federation.

But he could not go there empty-handed.

Kyle knew there was nothing an individual could do against a nation. No matter how powerful one person was, a single man could not face an army of tens of thousands. Even Rowen, the former Commander of the Knights of Ash, could not have done such a thing.

So he would borrow the strength of another nation.

The problem was whether they would listen to him. Even if Kyle was the last Commander of the Knights of Ash, and even if the power of the ring let him face most knight orders alone, they would not move. For one thing, not all five kingdoms of the Grandecia Federation were hostile to the Empire.

A small number of great houses in the Federation even traded with the Empire in secret. Above all, many Federation houses and royal families did not want an all-out war with the Empire. The southern kingdoms had even signed a peace treaty with the Empire. After the war Gerard had fought in fifty years ago, they had given up on opposing the Empire.

The same was true for House Valerian of the Kingdom of Kirian. A few nobles Kyle knew were the same. They were people who would offer titles, territory, and even their daughters without hesitation if it meant making Kyle their vassal, but they would never provide troops for a war against the Empire. That would be close to suicide. At least, that was how they saw it.

So he needed an armed force of his own.

One that belonged only to me. One that would die for me. One that no one could ignore.

A force that would stab a blade into the heart of the Empire in place of the Knights of Ash.

In the end, a mercenary company?

Kyle sighed inwardly. Once he tried to make a concrete plan, his head began to ache. Still, the outline was more detailed now than it had been when he was only vaguely putting things off.

It would be easier if I had a cause that could draw the Federation's cooperation without building a mercenary company.

"...Are you very tired?"

When Kyle rubbed a hand over his face, the coachman, who had been watching his mood, asked hesitantly. Kyle opened his eyes slightly and answered in a low voice.

"Not that much."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. But my eyelids feel a little heavy. Would it be all right if I closed my eyes for a while?"

"Of course. Sleep comfortably. I'll drive as safely as I can."

Kyle flicked a silver coin from inside his clothes. The coachman hurriedly turned back, saw the coin Kyle had tossed him, and smiled brightly. He pulled the reins more carefully than before. Kyle closed his eyes, listening to the wagon's jolting and the clatter of hooves.

***

After he hired the wagon, the journey went smoothly. The sky remained blue. Not a single drop of rain fell. Thanks to that, the wheels never sank into muddy ground.

A week passed that way.

"We're almost there! I can see our destination over there."

The coachman shouted in an excited voice. Kyle, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, slowly lifted his eyelids and looked to the side.

"Those are the Ligrid Mountains. They're still a magnificent sight."

Beyond the coachman's slightly excited back, an overwhelming scene spread out. Even from far away, its scale was impossible to grasp. A majestic mountain range stretched across the horizon. It was not quite like Hailen's Caldra Mountains, where eternal snow slept, but peaks impossible to climb by normal means rose one after another. It felt as if a massive mountain range he had only seen in textbook photos as a child now stood right before his eyes.

"Is this your first time seeing them?"

"...Yes."

Kyle answered dryly. It was nothing like the reaction most people had when they first saw the Ligrid Mountains.

"You don't seem very surprised."

"I've seen greater sights several times."

The Kyle who was twenty would have reacted differently. He would have admired the scenery before him and thought it felt as if he had gone backpacking through Europe alone.

But Kyle was thirty now. He had already seen and experienced too much. On top of that, he had seen the Caldra Mountains as part of his daily life, so the sight did not stir much in him.

"You see that deep gorge between the mountains?"

The coachman held the reins with his left hand and raised his right to point ahead.

"That's Ligrid Gate. It's the only passage through the mountains. If you try to go around, you'll have to make a huge detour."

"And once we pass the gate, we'll be in the border region."

"You know it well."

The coachman increased their speed. The passing scenery moved faster. The wagon rattled along the road, but Kyle did not complain.

Before long, the sun was setting. A reddish-orange dusk settled over the long mountain peaks. In a world dyed red, the wagon carrying Kyle passed through inspection and entered the city beyond the gate.

"There are a lot of people."

Kyle murmured quietly as he watched the other wagons and people passing through the street.

"Yes. People trying to leave the Kingdom of Brendel and people trying to enter it are mixed together here. Ligrid Gate is always crowded."

"You seem to have come through this place several times. Is there an inn you recommend?"

"An inn I recommend?"

"Price doesn't matter. Somewhere as large and well-equipped as possible."

"In that case, there's a famous place in the center called Wind's Rest. It isn't far from the mercenary guild either."

The coachman slowly drove the horses toward the inn he had recommended. Before long, the wagon stopped. The coachman let out a weary sigh and turned to Kyle.

"We're here."

"Thank you."

"Not at all."

Kyle got down from the wagon. After taking a look around, he pulled a gold coin from inside his clothes and flicked it, just as he had done before. The coachman caught it with practiced ease, checked the bright yellow shine, and grinned.

"You really are generous."

"Are you leaving right away?"

Kyle looked at the coachman as he asked.

"Yes. Gate cities always have plenty of demand for transport. I plan to find a passenger and head back the other way."

"Hardworking."

"I have no choice if I want to feed my wife and children."

The coachman answered frankly, a soft smile on his lips.

"Then, I wish you a good journey."

After that final farewell, the coachman drove the horses away. Kyle watched the back of the wagon grow distant for a moment, then entered the inn.

Jingle.

A clear bell rang. Kyle looked around the inside of the inn. As the coachman had said, Wind's Rest, located in the center of the city, was quite large and well-equipped. From the first floor to the second, the space opened into one dining hall with no ceiling between them.

"Welcome. Will you be staying with us?"

A young woman who seemed to be a waitress approached through the noisy conversations of the crowd.

"I'd like to stay for one night."

"Do you have a room preference?"

"One with a bath."

"We happen to have one room with a bath open. Hot water is included. It's a special room, so it's expensive. Is that all right?"

"I don't mind."

"Will you be having dinner too?"

"Yes. Bring me whatever will fill my stomach."

"Understood. One night in the special room is 20 silver, and dinner is today's innkeeper's recommended set meal for 2 silver."

Kyle took out two large silver coins and two silver coins, then handed them to the waitress.

As expected, the price was rather high. It was twice the cost of the best inn he had stayed at in the Free City of Traben. Considering this was a gate city right in front of the border, though, it was understandable. It was also the best inn here.

"Please sit anywhere open. I'll bring your dinner right away."

After receiving the money, the waitress hurried toward the kitchen. Kyle searched for an empty seat and frowned before he knew it.

The bar seats are all full.

Kyle clicked his tongue softly. He did not drink alcohol, but he always sat at the bar when eating. It let him eat comfortably without talking to or getting involved with others. Right now, though, it seemed he would have to share a table with someone.

No choice.

Kyle sat at a table with an open seat. The two mercenaries already eating there raised their eyebrows at Kyle when he suddenly sat across from them. Even at a glance, their equipment was decent, and like Kyle, they looked like veteran mercenaries with plenty of experience. Since this inn catered to wealthy merchants and skilled mercenaries, it was nothing strange.

"Where did you come from?"

A short-haired mercenary eating with a greatsword propped beside the chair asked. The other silently put food in their mouth and listened.

"Kabiles."

"Kabiles? Ah, the place where the Lenore Magic Tower has its base?"

"Right. What about you?"

"We came from the Duchy of Tervan. Things over there are a complete mess, so there's plenty of work. Trading convoy escorts and the like."

The Duchy of Tervan was a small nation that shared a border with the Kingdom of Brendel. Apart from its capital, most of the country was mountainous and rugged.

It was also a place Kyle had to pass through on his way to the Federation. Katrin, the Ranger who had escorted the House Metis trading convoy with him before, had been from the Duchy of Tervan.

"You must have had a rough time."

"Don't even start. I really thought I was going to die. We got out lucky, but I heard the ones who went in after us disappeared completely. You're not heading that way, are you?"

Kyle nodded without speaking. The two mercenaries chewing their food looked at each other, then shook their heads.

"As someone who just came from there, I can't really recommend it..."

"I don't have time to go around."

"Then it can't be helped. You look fairly skilled too, and sticking my nose into other people's business isn't my style."

Dinner came out not long after. The waitress who had taken Kyle's money earlier set a bowl piled with several kinds of food in front of him.

Holding his utensils, Kyle quietly ate. The two mercenaries across from him did the same. The taste was better than he had expected. As high as the price was, the portions were large and the ingredients seemed good.

"Did you hear? They say the Empire and the Federation are going to war soon..."

"Stop spouting nonsense and eat. The Northern War..."

"No, this time is really different. I heard the Celestial Knights moved..."

"Wyvern knights? What can those bastards do without their wyverns? If we fought bare-handed, I could turn their faces into mush with these fists."

"Hahaha!"

All kinds of voices reached him while he ate. People boasting about their haul for the day, people telling stories of their own exploits, and people talking in worried voices about the state of the continent.

Kyle let the sounds go in one ear and out the other.

He focused on filling his empty stomach. The Empire had destroyed Hailen, and now it was aiming for the Federation. That was a common rumor that had been going around for three years. It was nothing new, so there was no need to pay it much attention.

I should sleep early today and wake up early tomorrow morning.

After roughly finishing his meal, Kyle drank the cold water he had ordered instead of alcohol. He had paid more than he would have for lukewarm beer, but the cold sensation running down his throat was worth it.

Bang!

That was when the inn entrance burst open. Kyle, who had been about to rise, paused. The others eating around him did the same.

All their gazes turned toward the entrance.

"B-Bad news! Bad news!"

The man who had suddenly barged in looked like he was about to cry. In an instant, the first and second floors of the inn went silent, as if cold water had been poured over them.

"The gate is closed! It's completely closed!"

"The gate is closed?"

"Isn't there still some time before the sun goes down? But it closed?"

"Strange. Did something happen?"

At the man's desperate shout, the quiet inn became noisy again. The gate usually closed between seven and eight, after the sun had fully set. It was too early for the gate to close now, while the sunset still remained. There was roughly an hour left. Unless something had happened, it made no sense.

"An Imperial traitor!"

As if answering everyone's questions, the man shouted again.

"An Imperial traitor has hidden inside Ligrid Gate! We're completely trapped!"

At the sobbing man's voice, people finally turned to look at one another with stiff faces. Beyond the open door, reddish-orange dusk was still pouring in.

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