WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Sword Master of the Fallen Kingdom

Chapter 77

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Seeking the Road Ahead (5)

Nadia did not panic even with a blade against her throat. If anything, she spoke calmly, as though she had expected this.

"That reaction is a bit much. I was only testing you, but can I take this to mean my guess was right?"

"Funny, coming from someone who said it when she was already halfway certain."

Nadia only smiled. Her reaction made Kyle even more certain. The woman before him had suspected his identity at first, then figured it out along the way.

She probably already had several pieces of circumstantial evidence. Then Kyle himself had appeared before her. The deaths of two wyvern knights were that serious. Kyle had known there was some chance things would turn out this way. Serentia's intelligence network was simply far faster and sturdier than he had expected.

"Don't misunderstand. I don't want to make an enemy of someone who might have killed two wyvern knights either. Not when the Twin Fangs of Silence and House Filein have already been half destroyed."

So she had a rough idea of what had happened inside and outside the Alenos ruins too. Since she had no solid proof, this was likely another probe. Kyle looked down at Nadia without expression. In the taut silence, she was the first to raise both hands.

"If you want, I can promise to keep the information secret."

"Secret?"

"I mean that even if I can't hide the information about the wyvern knights' disappearance, I can stay silent for a while about the Night Crow's movements connected to it."

"That sounds like you're threatening me for money."

"I apologize if it came across that way. But what can I do? We make our living from information. Especially information connected to wyvern knights. That's not something we can simply bury. Even covering up a small shadow means taking a heavy loss."

She was not wrong. Information about wyvern knights was extremely expensive.

All the more so if a famous figure like the Night Crow of Kirian was involved.

"How many people know about this?"

Kyle asked, his sword still in hand.

"Right now, only a very small number, including me. In particular, I'm the only one who knows that the Night Crow the wyvern knights were chasing is here in Nibelmund. I only realized it right before you drew your sword."

"So you'll keep your mouth shut for a while in exchange for money..."

"Isn't that how this business works? At least we don't lie. We choose silence instead, if that's what we choose. Taking money to deliberately keep quiet about information is fairly common. And we've never broken that promise."

Kyle thought for a moment. In truth, there was not much to think about.

This was a current he could not stop anyway. The moment two wyvern knights disappeared, rumors were bound to spread. Even if Kyle had not come here, the information would eventually reach the Imperial side. Including the fact that the collaborator who had aided the traitor was the Night Crow of Kirian.

So this was actually better. For Kyle, hiding his movements for a short time would be enough. Once he reached Renavik, all of it would become meaningless. If anything, paying to hide Kyle and Elysia's route for a set period was a good deal. The amount did not matter either.

Given Serentia's credibility, the chances of them breaking their promise were low.

"Kyle, you..."

Jade, who had been listening from the side, muttered with a shocked expression. The sudden mention of wyvern knights seemed to have shaken him badly.

"It's already dealt with. At least until we pass through the duchy, there won't be a problem."

"..."

"The dead tell no tales."

At Kyle's words, Jade quickly composed himself. In no time, he had returned to the same look as before. A cheerful personality, but a heavy mouth and sharp instincts. That was the biggest reason Kyle had decided to travel with Jade.

"Take it."

Kyle removed the sword from Nadia's neck, sheathed it, and tossed a pouch onto the desk. She touched her neck with a slightly trembling hand, checked the pile of Gold Coins and top-grade Magicite inside the small cloth pouch, then nodded.

"Is it not enough?"

"No, it's enough. Actually, it's a little more than needed. Can I consider the rest the information fee, separate from the advance?"

"Yes."

Kyle sat back down. The more he thought about it, the better the deal seemed. In the end, by coming here, he had secured a way to hide their route for a certain period, and he had learned just how swift and solid Serentia's intelligence network was.

"Good. Where should I begin..."

Nadia put the pouch Kyle had given her into a drawer inside the desk. After a short hum of thought, she continued.

"First, let me confirm one thing. You three came here to cross the Duchy of Tervan, correct?"

There was no need to hesitate over that question. Kyle glanced at Jade and Elysia on either side, then nodded for the group.

"To be honest... I don't recommend crossing the duchy right now."

"Why?"

"Because there are far more barbarians than people generally think. How many barbarians do you think are currently tearing through the highlands of the Duchy of Tervan?"

"Hundreds who can fight. A thousand at most, no?"

Jade answered in his place. Nadia shook her head.

"Wrong. Three thousand unified combatants alone. If you add the noncombatants, it goes over ten thousand."

"What? Three thousand combatants?"

"Surprised? Well, it wasn't that bad until recently, so I understand. The three thousand aren't all gathered in one place, but even scattered around, that's a lot."

Nadia flicked her brows as if it were no great matter. The others reacted differently. More precisely, Jade and Elysia did.

Kyle only narrowed his brow slightly and silently waited for Nadia to continue.

"The barbarian tribes of the Duchy of Tervan have been divided into three tribes for a long time."

After a brief pause, she spoke again.

"More accurately, they used to be divided. A few months ago, Zakan, the chieftain of the Krakes Tribe, killed the chieftains of the other two tribes, merged them into one tribe, and rose to the position of Great Chieftain."

"Huh..."

"That's why there are three thousand combatants. Originally, there should have been fewer because of infighting between the tribes, but apparently that Great Chieftain Zakan killed the other two chieftains through Shurak, the barbarian duel rite."

"Shurak?"

This time, Kyle asked. Nadia nodded.

"Yes, Shurak. A bloody proof that doesn't end until one side dies."

"So he killed two chieftains through that duel rite and absorbed the other tribes."

"Then Count Barkan, who had been wavering, completely sided with the barbarians, and this whole mess happened. Three thousand barbarians, plus five hundred regular soldiers under the count. Three thousand five hundred in total. The duchy's capital defense force is only a little over a thousand, so in practice, they can't do anything even if they want to."

"What a mess."

Kyle muttered without meaning to. Nadia sighed in agreement.

"Right. A complete mess. The plateau capital itself is safe because its walls are so sturdy, but most of the trade routes crossing the duchy are reeling from barbarian attacks. Some places have practically been swallowed whole."

Due to the nature of the highlands, the capital's influence was bound to be limited. The Duchy of Tervan was not wealthy enough for its administration to reach every corner of the vast and rugged mountain valleys. If anything, it was harsh and poor.

"A rebellion..."

Kyle murmured to himself. The Duchy of Tervan had always been a country with frequent civil wars.

Places like this were prone to corruption, to the point where bribery became custom. Since controlling just a few of the main trade routes through the highlands was enough to cut off the economy, they would believe time was on their side if they simply blocked passing goods with the barbarians behind them, without needing to invade the capital. In reality, that was true.

"Then was the recent attack on the Hamar Trade Company's convoy also the work of that Great Chieftain Zakan?"

"You know quite a bit. More precisely, it was done by Zakan, Count Barkan, and the regular soldiers."

"The Hamar Trade Company should be a famous company with real scale even in Sarmaren. Has there been no response from Brendel or the Kingdom of Sarmaren?"

At this point, trade between Sarmaren and Brendel was bound to suffer. Yet Kyle had not heard anything related to it so far. Not even a notable rumor.

"Not yet. Even if they know, there's nothing they can do. Duke Tervan's side has half given up too."

"..."

"Even if they send reinforcements, this isn't ordinary flatland, so a large-scale field battle is impossible. How are they supposed to catch barbarians who were born and raised in the mountains their whole lives? They specialize in guerrilla warfare to begin with. They'd be lucky not to get altitude sickness."

In other words, there was no answer from within, and bringing in outside forces would not be efficient either. If the situation grew more serious, Brendel and Sarmaren might step in directly, but not right now.

"This is troublesome..."

"..."

"What will you do now, Kyle?"

Jade scratched his head roughly and looked at Kyle. Elysia also looked at him with concern in her eyes.

"The decision doesn't change. If we can pay to pass, we pass. If not, we'll have to use force."

Kyle answered at once without hesitation. He could not keep waiting over something with no clear end. He had to shorten the time to Renavik as much as possible. He had also calculated that passing through the barbarians would be easier than dealing with wyvern knights.

"I'm asking just in case... but what is your final destination?"

Nadia, who had been listening, looked between the three and asked.

"Me? Sarmaren. The eastern part of the south."

Jade answered first. Nadia's gaze turned to Kyle beside him. Kyle exchanged a brief look with Elysia. The Imperial side already knew their destination was Renavik. The Imperial family knew Elysia and Grand Duke Rivelius were especially close, and they were the ones who had inspected the letters between them.

It should not be a major problem to say it.

The paths from Nibelmund to the Federation were limited. If he asked for information, the route would be identified anyway. Even if it leaked, it did not matter.

Serentia would stay silent for a certain period, and after that, they would already have set foot on Federation soil.

The chances that the Empire would break through the border and make a surprise declaration of war just to catch Kyle and Elysia in that vast land were very low. After Hailen's fall, the Federation was the only nation capable of waging an all-out war against the Empire.

No matter what rumors were spreading, it was a huge risk for the Empire to attack the Federation directly. The aftereffects of the war with Hailen still remained.

"Renavik."

"One to Sarmaren, and one to Renavik, where the Federal Assembly is..."

Tap, tap. After drumming the desk for a moment, Nadia opened the drawer opposite the one where she had put the money pouch. A large, detailed map of Velia, bigger and finer than the one Kyle had, was placed on the desk.

As if by agreement, all four gazes gathered at the center of the map.

"If it's near eastern Sarmaren, there's also a way to make a large detour south without passing through the Duchy of Tervan. Likewise, for Renavik where the Federal Assembly is, there's a route north from here in Nibelmund without entering the highlands."

Nadia's finger moved up and down once from their current location, Nibelmund.

"But it seems you dislike all of them."

"A detour south takes more than twice as long."

Jade grumbled. Nadia did not deny it.

"True. And from here to Renavik..."

Nibelmund, the second-largest major city at the entrance of the Duchy of Tervan.

Above it lay the border region between the Empire and the Federation. Drawings of numerous fortresses appeared between the winding, tangled border lines. In the very middle of it all, at the center of Velia, was the religious nation of Crescent.

"Rejected."

"I knew it."

Since they were being chased by the Empire, setting even one foot in its territory carried too much risk. That was also why Kyle was trying to cross the duchy no matter what.

"Then there are two options left. Cross the duchy and go over the Spina Mountains to the north to enter the Federation directly. Or take a ship from Cadis, an eastern port city of Sarmaren, and make a detour along the coast."

"We'll cross the Spina Mountains. It's faster that way."

"But that is... hmm."

"Is there a problem?"

"...There is. Normally, it would be fine, but winter is coming soon. And the Spina Mountains are famous for being even rougher than the Ligrid Mountains, so crossing them in winter is practically impossible."

"They should still be better than the Caldra Mountains."

"That's true, but... will the young lady over there be all right too?"

Nadia turned away from Kyle and looked at Elysia beside him. In an instant, everyone's attention focused on her.

Elysia was looking back at Kyle with a reluctant expression. Perhaps because she was worried her identity might be exposed, she had not said a single word since entering this room. Kyle could read the disgust on Elysia's shadowed face beyond her hood. More exactly, the moment she heard the words Spina Mountains, she seemed to have recalled what had happened in the Ligrid Mountains.

"If we take a ship from Cadis and detour into the Federation, we'll have to pass by the Corsa Archipelago. What's the situation there?"

Kyle changed his mind and asked. Until now, he had considered only the shortest route. But given Elysia's stamina, taking a ship seemed better even if it took longer.

"There? It's always about the same over there. Unless things go very wrong, they take a toll and let ships pass. Since it's far from here, I don't know the details."

"No particular obstacle, then."

"Right? Even if it takes a little longer, that route is safer and more certain. The pirate families of the Corsa Archipelago have held their place for hundreds of years in their own way. Well, all of that assumes you cross the Duchy of Tervan safely."

"That won't be a problem. More than that, you'd better properly seal everything we discussed today. At least for about three months."

Kyle pulled an extra handful of Large Gold Coins from his chest and placed them on the desk. Nadia quickly counted the coins and smiled.

"Don't worry. No matter what happens, we do what we're paid for."

"I hope so."

Kyle rose from his seat. Jade and Elysia, who stood one beat later, followed Kyle out first and disappeared beyond the corridor.

Soon, only silence and stillness remained inside the room after the three of them had completely left. Nadia leaned back in her chair with her eyes closed for a while, then picked up the pipe lying on the corner of the desk.

***

The three of them returned to the inn as soon as they left Serentia. Once morning broke, they started taking care of the tasks they had put off one by one.

First, they found clothes. Kyle discarded the leather armor that had served him for a long time and bought a new black leather coat, similarly focused on practicality. Elysia did the same. With the generous amount of money Kyle had given her, she went through the shopping district and bought every daily necessity she needed.

As they had before entering the city, they bought as many dried rations as the Inventory Pouch could hold and stuffed them in. Most of it was jerky, nuts, and a bit of dried fruit, but that was enough.

Quick-witted Jade did not ask about what had happened at Serentia that day. He simply went from place to place, wearing the same smile as usual, trying to find horses.

"The weather is good."

Near Nibelmund's eastern gate, with the highlands right before them, Elysia murmured. The sky, which had been dark only a little while ago, now had the sun rising over it.

"Your body?"

"It's fine. I'm healed now."

Kyle placed his hand on her forehead one last time. Perhaps because she had grown quite used to it, Elysia no longer flinched.

"You really are."

"It would be stranger if I hadn't healed after resting for two full days."

"More importantly, will that be all right?"

"Hm? Ah, this."

Elysia looked down at herself. After returning the black cloak to Kyle yesterday, she was wearing the same white robe she had worn when they first met.

"It has a self-repair function, so there's no problem. It does eat a bit too much mana, but my body is fine now."

Just as she said, Elysia's robe was clean. She had taken a day to wash it and imbue it with mana, using the robe's own spell formations, so it no longer looked dirty like before. The hem Kyle had torn off to burn away the wyvern mana had also returned to normal.

"More than that, he should be here soon..."

Elysia had just turned around while speaking to herself.

"Hey! I'm here!"

A wagon approached from far away. Jade was sitting in the driver's seat.

"I thought I was going to die trying to get two decent horses and a wagon too. The competition was no joke."

Jade pulled the reins in front of Kyle and Elysia, then hopped down onto the road. Jade did not seem to be lying. The horses had good color and large frames, and the cargo wagon covered with a thick canopy looked to be of fairly high quality at a glance.

"Good work."

"Here, the remaining change."

Jade tossed him a bundle of money. Kyle caught it lightly. The bundle that had been packed full of Gold Coins was now much thinner.

"...You're still pointlessly honest."

"What would I do with that money? I tried to get them as cheap as I could. So, getting the wagon is fine and all, but who's driving it? With the situation like this, there was no driver willing to cross the mountains. You told me not to worry about the driver."

"Ah, that."

Kyle tossed the bundle in his hand back to Jade. Jade caught it again in confusion.

"Why are you giving this...?"

"Your wage."

"What?"

"You're the driver. You should earn your information fee."

Kyle leisurely stepped into the cargo wagon. Elysia, who had been carefully watching the mood between the two, followed Kyle and climbed onto the wagon.

"Huh..."

Jade let out a sigh without meaning to. By the time he gathered himself, he was the only one left on the roadside where the wagon stood. Under the gradually rising sun, Jade stood alone, looking at the back of the cargo wagon and the two snorting horses, then muttered in disbelief.

"I got myself well and truly roped in. Damn it."

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