WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

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◈ Sword Master of the Fallen Kingdom

Chapter 51

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At the Crossroads (3)

The Branch Director's eyes went wide at the unbelievable sight. The letter that had been perfectly whole in Kyle's hand only moments ago had vanished completely in a white flame.

Magic? Had he used magic?

His eyes quickly swept over Kyle's appearance. A black cloak, well-made leather armor built for ease of movement, and a plain sword at his waist. Anyone would take him for a Silver-rank mercenary who primarily used a sword.

Then how?

The Branch Director looked past Kyle. The other mercenaries there wore the same stunned expressions as he did. Even the only mage in a robe looked no different. He seemed shaken that Kyle, who looked like a swordsman, had conjured fire from his hand without an incantation. No, more than that, he seemed unable to understand the pure white flame that had left not even ash behind.

"Moving alone is... a problem. As you know, the first floor is packed with Bronze-rank mercenaries and below. Unless Silver-rank mercenaries like you lead them, we can't manage them. If we force all those mercenaries into the guard force, there will be chaos."

The Branch Director cleared his throat and continued slowly, as if trying to persuade Kyle. His voice rang clearly through the office.

"And wouldn't it be better to search with others rather than alone? This Ligrid Gate City is far larger than you think. If you include the slums on the outskirts, it is practically a labyrinth. Skill aside, there will be a limit to how much ground you can cover alone."

"So?"

"The muster order falls under the Mercenary Guild's authority, and as the Branch Director of the Ligrid Mercenary Guild, I temporarily hold command authority. Since you answered the muster order, that means you must obey me. So..."

The Branch Director slowly looked up at Kyle, who stood right in front of him, then shuddered again. A pair of black eyes was glaring down at him as if to pierce straight through him.

A flame burning in utter silence.

The Branch Director saw a terribly cold anger in Kyle's eyes.

It was a tiny ember. Small, yet ready to flare into a great blaze at any moment and burn its opponent away. Faced with the unseen depth of that emotion, the Branch Director felt like prey before a beast. Air kept leaking through his trembling lips.

"So..."

The Branch Director barely managed to speak.

"What I mean is..."

Kyle cut off his stammering.

"I just need to prove it with results."

"..."

"I can find the target faster alone than hundreds of mercenaries and guards can. I have no desire to waste time and get held back for nothing."

Kyle turned around. The Branch Director, finally snapping back to himself, shouted after him.

Kyle did not listen to the rest. After closing the office door behind him, he went straight down to the first floor. The guild's first floor was still filled with the voices of the mercenaries gathered by the muster order and the staff dealing with them.

"How long do we have to sit around like this?"

"Please wait just a little longer. All the Silver-rank mercenaries have gathered, so orders should come down soon."

"Orders? From who?"

"Where the hell are those Silver-rank mercenaries supposed to be?"

"Hey, isn't that one over there? The guy coming down from the second floor."

Several people on the first floor turned toward Kyle as he came down the stairs. Kyle ignored them and walked on in silence.

There was not much time left. The sun would set soon.

Once it went down, the search would become more difficult. For Kyle, it would only be a little annoying, but there was no reason to drag his feet.

Just as he was about to leave the Mercenary Guild...

"Hey! Wait!"

A group came rushing down from the second floor. The noisy first floor fell quiet.

"Are you really planning to go alone? Disobeying the Branch Director's order?"

Kyle saw the mercenary with the long scar on his cheek, the one who had stepped forward before him earlier. The rest of the Silver-rank mercenaries followed in a line behind him.

The scarred mercenary approached the entrance where Kyle stood, his sword clattering at his waist. His expression said the situation had become troublesome.

"Why not think it over? The Branch Director isn't exactly wrong."

"...What are you trying to say?"

"Let's cooperate."

The scarred mercenary spoke. After glancing around, he seemed to realize something and quickly added.

"Ah, I'm late with the introduction. I'm Hugo. A Silver-rank mercenary, same as you."

"...Kyle."

"Right, Kyle. About what I was trying to say... if you don't want to lead other mercenaries, you can move alone. Some mercenaries are more comfortable working solo, after all. But as the Branch Director said, at least cooperate with us. Once a muster order is issued, the Branch Director's word is absolute. If you live by the blade too, you should know how important the guild's reputation is."

Rank did not rise simply because of good results. There was also a kind of contribution called reputation.

"And as the Branch Director said, Ligrid Gate is wide. Seeing you use magic, you seem skilled at handling mana, but even you must have limits. Most of all, it will be a problem if our search areas overlap while you move alone. Splitting up the districts and searching separately is more efficient."

Hugo's words were reasonable. The city inside the gate was large. No matter how skilled a knight or mage was, finding someone determined to hide was extremely difficult. If the mercenaries wandered around separately without cooperation, the search efficiency would drop sharply.

"Is this because of the pay, by any chance? Because cooperating means splitting it? If so, you have even less reason to worry."

Hugo deliberately raised his voice. The many mercenaries who had been arguing with the staff until moments ago now held their breath and listened to Kyle and Hugo's conversation as if nothing had happened. The Mercenary Guild staff were the same.

They had already heard a rough explanation of the operation.

They also knew that Silver-rank mercenaries would lead the Bronze-rank mercenaries and those below. Among them, the Silver-rank mercenary called Hugo had an excellent record. His reputation went without saying.

"You might not have heard properly because you cut off the Branch Director earlier, but the reward for this muster order includes Gold Coins provided by the Imperial side. Not only Silver-rank mercenaries, but the Bronze-rank mercenaries and those below under their command can receive them too."

"I-Imperial Gold Coins?"

"Is that real? We get paid by the Mercenary Guild and the Empire just for searching?"

The first floor turned noisy in an instant. A generous reward that even Bronze-rank and lower mercenaries could receive just by joining the search. Color returned at once to the faces of the mercenaries who had looked like they had been dragged to their deaths by the muster order.

"See? The richest bastards on the continent are the Elandor Empire. The wyvern knights of the Celestial Knights are even richer. They might add extra pay, but at the very least, they won't stiff us."

Hugo glanced at the sword hanging at Kyle's waist. It lasted only an instant. Meeting Kyle's eyes again, he continued.

"You seem pretty handy with a sword, so let's keep this smooth. There'll be enough money even if we cooperate and catch the target together. No need to take a risk and catch the target alone. If you get greedy for nothing and that traitor escapes, everything goes up in smoke. You know that, right?"

"You must be confident in your skill."

"Skill? Ah."

Hugo glanced at the sword hanging from his own waist, just like Kyle.

"You mean this sword? If you're asking whether I'm confident... quite a bit, yes."

"But you're not very perceptive."

"...What did you say?"

"Do I look like I would cling to a few coins?"

Kyle spoke in an icy voice. Hugo stared blankly with his mouth open.

"The tracking will be over soon anyway. I just have to follow the path. No matter how deeply someone hides, they leave traces of mana behind. Especially if they are a mage."

"What are you talking about..."

"Tell the Branch Director. My decision hasn't changed. If he wants to lower my rank, tell him to do as he pleases."

Even talking any longer was a waste of time. Kyle immediately pulled the guild door open. Voices called him from behind, and sharp glares stabbed into his back, but he paid them no mind. None of it mattered.

***

After leaving the guild, Kyle looked straight up. The sky was still dyed red.

The streets were chaotic. The scene outside had not changed from before. It was still much the same as when he had left the inn. The sun had not yet set, and the streets were filled with guards and mercenaries. Several mercenaries mixed in with the guards, roaming the streets as if turning them inside out.

"I think they're this way."

"Stop screwing around and get over here!"

"There! Block that side!"

"You bastard! If you go that way, you'll mess up the search area! Shut up and go the other way!"

Deafening shouts flew back and forth. Guards who looked like squad leaders barked at their soldiers and mercenaries. The soldiers silently followed orders, while the mercenaries dragged out of nowhere grumbled and moved their reluctant feet.

Kyle walked slowly through the middle of that confusion, then stopped. The Branch Director had been right. Searching the entire city alone by brute force was impossible. That was how vast this city was.

The Ligrid Mountains were among the largest mountain ranges even by the standards of Earth, where Kyle had once lived. Naturally, the gorge itself had to be enormous as well. No matter how skilled someone was, it was not a scale one person could handle.

Kyle was different.

He was extremely sensitive to traces of mana. All he needed was the very faint flow of mana shed by a mage. Kyle closed his eyes for a moment and felt the flow of mana scattered through the whole city. Using the ring, he sharpened all five senses more keenly than ever.

Mana mixed into the air. Faint fragments of mana leaking from Magic Tools.

And between them, the presence of mages stretching outward.

Found you.

Kyle opened his eyes, left the chaotic main street, and entered an alley. The strongest mage presence and the mana fragments shed by a Magic Tool. With those two together, finding the path was not difficult.

Kyle advanced without hesitation through the narrow, winding alleys. As he did, he thought.

What am I doing right now?

The gate had been sealed. A muster order had been issued because of an Imperial traitor.

As a Silver-rank mercenary, Kyle had a duty to follow the Branch Director's command. That way, this matter would be resolved, the gate would open, and he could cross the mountains.

The reward was generous too, so there was no reason to defy the Branch Director's will. The compromise suggested by the mercenary named Hugo was also reasonable enough. Move alone, but cooperate with the other mercenaries. There was no reason to refuse.

Then why had he done it?

As Kyle questioned himself, he muttered inwardly. The answer came quickly.

In truth, none of it matters.

The gate had been sealed, but that did not mean he could not cross it. If he accepted a little annoyance, he could pass through easily enough. The reward? Kyle had more than enough money in his Inventory Pouch. The same went for a rank demotion. Even if his rank fell, it would not be a problem. If he wanted to raise it again, he could do so quickly.

Am I angry right now?

Kyle slowly observed his own emotions. Then he found it. From the moment he had heard the words wyvern knight, his mind had gone colder than ever. His heart beat slowly, yet clearly, like the silence before battle.

He simply wanted to see that traitor's face.

Yes. This was personal curiosity. Interest. If someone had been branded a first-class traitor by the Emperor and was being chased by wyvern knights, they could not be ordinary.

The number of wyvern knights left at present was roughly twenty.

Originally, there had been close to thirty. After the Northern War, however, the number of wyvern knights had dropped into the teens. For the past three years, the Imperial House had spared no means to replace the dead wyvern knights and wyverns. Only now had they reached roughly twenty again.

Even then, the additional wyverns were either freshly hatched young or sub-adults that had not fully matured. In that situation, they sent two wyvern knights as a pursuit unit. It was practically the same as abandoning one front line connected to the Federation. That was why it made even less sense. How important was this traitor for them to go this far?

Maybe.

Just maybe.

Kyle's steps through the alleys gradually slowed. Not long after, he came to a complete stop. Looking up, he saw faint orange light pouring down from the sky above the narrow alley. Dim shadows tangled beneath it in disorder.

A filthy alley. The sunset shining through it. He must have come quite deep, because the noisy voices no longer reached him. All he heard now was the occasional wind and the sound of trash rolling along the ground. It was an oddly dreamlike scene. Enough to make him lose himself in the sight without realizing it.

And at the center of it...

When Kyle lowered his gaze, someone was standing before him. Their height was about 160. The mage wore a robe that had become close to gray, perhaps because it had been torn and faded by an extremely rough journey. Beyond the hood pulled low, he could see a smooth black mask.

A perception-inhibiting Magic Tool. With gate security that tight, they must have been unlucky and gotten caught.

"Are you the Empire's first-class traitor?"

Kyle took one step forward and slowly spoke. His low voice crossed the alley and vanished. The black mask, which had been looking elsewhere, turned its head for the first time. The eyes beyond the mask stared hard at Kyle.

Golden?

Bright yellow eyes that did not lose their shine even in the sunset were there. The mage did not answer Kyle's question. Instead, they raised a right hand wrapped in a white robe. Pale, slender fingers aimed exactly at Kyle's head.

Whoosh!

An invisible wave spread from the finger pointed at Kyle. Right after, air compressed to the limit shot explosively toward Kyle with a muffled sound. By then, Kyle had already lowered his upper body.

The scenery above his head warped, and a few severed strands of hair fluttered down.

Incantationless Wind Magic. Extremely precise mana control.

"...I see."

Kyle muttered softly and stepped forward while still bent low.

Gripping the sheath with his left hand, he flicked the cross-guard upward with his thumb.

The mage before him was pointing a finger at him again. A second attack flew in. Kyle seized the rising hilt with his right hand. From his waist, the blade dyed by the sunset rose like a beam of light.

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