WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

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◈ Sword Master of the Fallen Kingdom

Chapter 85

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Prey and Hunter (8)

The checkpoint entrance fell quiet. In the stillness, the steady sound of footsteps drew near the rangers, then stopped.

Who was that?

Silas narrowed his eyes. The man who had appeared without warning was wrapped head to toe in a black cloak. With his hood pulled low, the face beneath was half hidden and difficult to make out. But the black hair and dark eyes faintly visible beneath it stood out with unusual clarity. The sword at his waist gleamed brightly.

"Ah, you're here."

"Am I late?"

"No. You arrived at exactly the right time. How did your talk with Sir Kellan go?"

"Fine. We already discussed most of it yesterday. All that's left is a little final confirmation."

The man spoke casually with the ranger in charge of the inspection. Silas and the rest of the procession, who had been watching nervously, stared wide-eyed.

"The scale is... not bad."

Kyle calmly ignored their stares and looked over every part of the procession. The number of wagons, the size of the merchant company and its mercenaries, and finally the owner of the convoy, the merchant head who had come to the front and tried every possible way to win over the rangers so they could pass the checkpoint.

"Who are they?"

Kyle asked with a glance at the rangers beside him. One of them, a ranger who had accompanied him to the checkpoint yesterday, handed over the identification in his hand.

"Here it is. They say it's a trading convoy from the Silas Trade Company."

"The Silas Trade Company..."

"Have you heard of them?"

"No. Never. They're probably a small company."

There were only about a hundred merchant heads registered with the Brendel Merchants' Guild and bearing the guild's seal. He could not remember them all one by one. Kyle only knew a few famous merchant heads from the large trade companies. If he did not remember this one, it meant the company was that small.

"This actually works better. A convoy from a major trade company would never try to cross the duchy in times like this. The risk is too great."

Kyle was not disappointed. Once a convoy had more than ten wagons, it would usually use the main trade route instead of the auxiliary trade route.

The Silas Trade Company's convoy before him was not a huge procession from a major trade company, but it was not too small either. It was a convoy a small trade company had prepared with considerable care. Exactly the scale Kyle wanted.

"I'll ask one thing."

Kyle had been looking down at the identification for the Silas Trade Company and its merchant head, Silas Weaver. He raised his head and looked at the merchant head. Silas, who had been standing there with his mouth hanging open because he could not follow the exchange between Kyle and the ranger, finally snapped back to his senses.

"Are you trying to pass through here?"

"Pardon? Ah, yes! We were on our way from Brendel through the duchy to Sarmaren."

"I see."

"Um... can we pass?"

Silas asked carefully, watching Kyle's reaction. The duchy's rangers were speaking respectfully to this man. Silas did not know exactly who he was, but nothing good would come of getting on his nerves.

"That will be difficult. I don't think that's possible."

Kyle's answer was firm. Silas's face, which had held a faint trace of hope, sank into despair.

"Are you saying we can't pass?"

That could not happen. He had staked everything on this convoy, including the fate of his trade company. He had already wasted a great deal of time in Nibelmund below the highlands. He needed to cross the duchy as quickly as possible, repay his debts, and rebuild. He could not be stopped before he even began.

"But..."

His dry lips moved soundlessly for a while before he opened his mouth again.

"Is it because the toll isn't enough? If that's the issue, I can..."

"No. No matter how much toll you pay, the result won't change."

"Then why can't we pass the checkpoint?"

"You should already know."

Kyle spun the identification in his hand. For an instant, Silas felt the words catch in his throat.

"Right now, most of the duchy outside the plateau capital is impossible to travel through normally because of attacks from the barbarian tribes. Even if you force your way through, you'll be robbed. You'll be lucky to escape with your lives."

"It's fine! We'll take responsibility for that..."

"No. An official notice has already come down from the capital under the Duke of Tervan's authority. All checkpoints and fortresses are to be closed for the time being. This place is no exception."

Kyle returned the identification in his hand to the man before him. Silas stood there hollow-eyed, staring down at the identification being offered to him. Kyle watched him in silence.

"Are we blocked?"

"I don't know. It sounds like we can't pass."

"Then what happens now?"

Murmurs rose here and there. The mercenaries, along with the merchant company members, whispered among themselves about the convoy route that had suddenly been cut off in a way none of them had expected. The mercenaries' faces looked especially grim. If the convoy stopped here, they would not receive the rest of their pay beyond the advance.

"Hey!"

One mercenary, unable to stand by any longer, stepped forward. The surrounding whispers stopped at once.

"We can't pass the checkpoint? What kind of bullshit is that?"

He was a Silver-rank mercenary, the strongest among the mercenaries Silas had hired. He hopped down from his horse and stood in front of Kyle. Silas, who had been anxiously shifting his feet and wondering what to do, looked startled when the man abruptly came to stand beside him.

"It means exactly what I said. According to the official notice from the capital, no one can pass."

Kyle spoke calmly. The mercenary, however, scowled as if the answer displeased him.

"That's your problem. We're saying we'll risk our own lives and go, so why are you stopping us? Isn't that official notice just some lie you made up to sound convincing? Do you have proof? Huh?"

The mercenary shouted at him. Kyle silently stared back. The two rangers beside Kyle were the ones who began to look uneasy.

"From the look of you, you're not even a ranger from the duchy or a knight. You're a mercenary just like us. Don't give me that crap. Call the person in charge inside..."

Seeing Kyle remain silent, the mercenary grew more confident and raised his voice even further. Then a sudden gust of wind sliced sharply across his cheek. Among the strands of hair fluttering down, a single drop of blood ran along his cheek.

"Say that again."

"..."

"You wanted me to call the person in charge inside?"

Kyle asked in a level voice. The mercenary, who had only rolled his eyes sideways to check the blood running down his cheek, froze stiff.

Incantationless Magic?

When the hell did he do that?

Everyone in the convoy, including Silas and the mercenary, shut their mouths and began watching the situation carefully. The wind magic that had happened in an instant had left that much of an impact. In the silence, Kyle exchanged looks with the two rangers in charge of the inspection. The whip had done enough.

All that remained was to offer the carrot.

"It's not as if there is no way at all."

A little time passed. When Kyle spoke again, Silas, who had been half ready to give up, jerked his head up. His eyes burned with stubborn determination to make this convoy succeed no matter what.

"What is it?"

"It's not difficult. A little cooperation will be enough."

Kyle paused for a moment, then continued.

"Once you hear it, you can't take it back. Do you still want to hear?"

Silas nodded without a moment of hesitation. After glancing at the ranger one last time, Kyle had the Silas Trade Company's procession brought inside. Even then, Silas still wore a resolute look.

***

"Take out as much cargo as possible."

"Pardon?"

"Did you not hear what I just said? I said take out as much cargo as possible."

"But as Sir Kellan said yesterday, we've already sorted..."

"Ha! You call this sorted? Are you playing games with us?"

"This bastard's unbelievable. Hey! Leave only the bare minimum inside and drag everything else out! How are our people supposed to ride in there like this?"

"N-No! Without those goods, our trade company will...!"

Kyle opened his eyes to the argument between the rangers and Silas, the merchant head, coming from outside. Cold morning wind pushed in little by little through the narrow opening in the tent.

Was it today?

Kyle got up with a rustle and looked around the tent. He was the only one left inside. Jade and Elysia seemed to have gone out ahead of him. He had stayed up alone to keep watch before they reached the checkpoint, and yesterday he had gone to sleep late as well, so he must have been the last to wake.

His condition was not bad.

Kyle tied the sword he had set beside his head firmly to his waist.

After one last look around the inside of the tent, he stepped outside. The early autumn morning wind swept coolly over his whole body.

"Kyle!"

Jade's voice came from nearby. Kyle turned toward the sound and immediately started walking. There stood the wagon Kyle's group had ridden in, along with the two people who seemed to have been waiting for him. Elysia, who had been standing nearby instead of entering the wagon, greeted Kyle first when she saw him approach.

"Did you sleep well?"

"...Yes. Thanks to you."

He gave a small nod. Jade, who had been checking the horses' condition, muttered to himself.

"Feels like this has gotten bigger than expected. I had no idea it would turn out like this when we started."

"If you're scared, pull out now."

"Who said I'm scared? I'm just making backup plans in case something unexpected happens."

"You have a surprisingly timid personality."

"Even you, my lady?"

Jade sighed and looked around. Kyle and Elysia followed his gaze and took in the scene.

"No, not that item!"

"I told you to move! Leave only the most expensive things and take out the rest!"

Silas, the merchant head of the Silas Trade Company, and the rangers were still arguing over which goods and people to load into the wagons. The others were not much different.

After the Silas Trade Company entered the checkpoint yesterday, Kellan and Kyle had reviewed the troops and mercenaries who would join the convoy one more time. Eight cargo wagons, one wagon carrying the merchant head, and Kyle's group's wagon made ten in total. The procession had been disguised as naturally as possible.

As an extra measure, they had removed as much cargo as possible and arranged the wagons so people could ride inside.

"The objective doesn't change either way."

Kyle, who had been silently watching the scene, spoke.

"We cross the duchy as quickly as possible."

This was only one part of the process of destroying the Empire. Kyle still had a long way to go. Even after crossing the duchy, they would need to find a ship in Cadis, the port city in the east of the Kingdom of Sarmaren, and cross the sea.

Once they crossed the sea and reached the south of the Federation, they would still have to travel for a long time to reach Renavik, where the Federal Assembly was located.

In that process, the Empire would surely make its move.

Two wyvern knights had died, so it would not stay quiet. At that sudden thought, Kyle looked up. The autumn sky over the highlands was strikingly clear. Dawn had almost completely faded, and clouds bloomed across the bright blue sky above the peaks.

For some reason, memories of the past came to him. Even when the war had been at its height, even when the battlefield had been a red sea of blood, the sky had held a vivid indigo that contrasted with the carnage below. At one point, he had found that deeply strange. It felt as if the world itself was contradictory. There were gods, and there was holy power, yet inescapable fate seemed no different from Earth.

Not anymore. Now he only felt numb. It was probably because Kyle was broken. Even in this moment, he was thinking of the Empire more than the Great Chieftain of the barbarian tribes or the count who had betrayed the duchy, whom he might soon have to face.

It would not take long.

If he cut down everything that stood in his way. If he went as far away as possible, farther and farther.

One day, he would achieve his goal. Following the drifting clouds, Kyle's heart quietly settled into calm. Kyle looked down at the ring on his left hand. The mana inside still had not filled completely.

"You look to be in decent condition."

While Kyle was calculating the remaining mana, a knight on horseback approached. It was Senior Knight Kellan Fell, the overall commander of this outpost. Unlike how he had looked before, the sturdy middle-aged knight's eyes were sharp and clear, almost gleaming.

"Do you have any intention of taking back your decision at the last moment?"

Kyle asked. Kellan frowned.

"That will not happen."

"You don't have to step forward personally. It would be fine for the scout captain who will command the soldiers to join us instead."

"I have already made up my mind. Though I am old and have declined from my prime, the fact remains that I am still a knight loyal to Tervan."

As Kellan said that, he looked strangely relieved.

"Rather than stay locked up here trembling like a coward, I've decided to trust you and take the gamble. If luck is on my side, I may even be able to lend a hand in killing that Great Chieftain of the barbarian tribes or Count Barkan. And when you stop by other fortresses or outposts later, having me on your side will make things easier."

Since he was not wrong, Kyle did not argue any further. Kellan seemed to have his reasons for leaving the scout captain at the outpost and going himself.

"Sounds like they've done quite a lot to you."

"Quite a lot? My hatred for the barbarian tribes is greater than you think. It always has been. Whenever they found the slightest opening, those bastards were busy looting."

Kellan looked once at Jade and Elysia beside Kyle.

"It seems the preparations are almost done, so I'll go ahead. Once the front starts moving, follow right behind."

After briefly checking the surroundings, he moved toward the checkpoint entrance leading east. Kyle and the other two stood there, watching Kellan's back grow distant.

"Looks like we're about to move."

Jade spoke from the driver's seat. Elysia glanced sideways at Kyle, then entered the back of the wagon first. The sky still shone a vivid blue. Kyle looked at the checkpoint entrance opening, the procession stretching out behind it, Jade sitting in the driver's seat, and Elysia waiting for him inside. Then he climbed onto the wagon and said,

"Let's go."

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