WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: nemui

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Forgotten Curse Knight ◈

Vol. 2 Ch. 2: A Blessing for a Knight's Departure

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A slender man in his mid-thirties, wearing a Gray Knights uniform, greeted Theo and the others when they arrived in the capital, Grandrium, after Theo's first train ride.

His dark brown hair was neatly combed, and he wore glasses, giving him a somewhat nervous air. A saber hung at his waist.

A magnificent enclosed carriage waited behind him. It seemed they would be taken away in that carriage.

Elbert cheerfully addressed the man who had come to meet them.

"Hello. Thank you for coming to meet us, Administrator Archibald."

"Thank you for overseeing the Gray Knights, Commander Randolph. We will take them from here."

Archibald bowed respectfully to Elbert, then gave Theo and the others a cold look through his glasses.

There was no welcome in that gaze. It was as though he wanted to say that more troublesome people had arrived.

（First, greetings and introductions!）

Because people were so quick to forget him, Theo never held back on greetings and introductions.

He straightened his back and raised his voice.

"My name is Theo, and I come from Worg. I have no family name. It is a pleasure to meet you!"

"...I am Archibald, Gray Knight Administrator."

Archibald introduced himself curtly and urged them to board the carriage.

Beryl looked up at it and whistled.

"What a fancy carriage. They don't usually prepare something like this."

"We cannot let people without collars walk through the city."

In response to Beryl's teasing remark, Archibald looked at Theo's neck.

The Gray Knights were Mad Walkers, walking curses who could turn into Termea at any moment. Therefore, they were required to wear chokers that revealed their location whenever they went out.

Beryl and Carla wore them, but Theo had only just been chosen to join the Gray Knights, so he did not have one yet.

Only now did Theo realize something. The grand enclosed carriage was not meant to treat them with respect. It was a measure to isolate dangerous people.

（That man named Archibald should be a Gray Knight too, though...）

If he was a Gray Knight, Archibald should be a Mad Walker as well.

And yet, Theo sensed something from Archibald that resembled the attitude Elbert's subordinates had shown aboard the train.

In other words, disgust toward Mad Walkers.

"Theo."

A gentle voice, utterly unrelated to disgust, called Theo's name. It was Elbert.

The hero Theo admired smiled softly and spoke.

"A blessing upon the departure of a young knight."

The hero Elbert had called Theo by name. He had given him words of blessing. That alone gave Theo the strength to keep trying.

Theo answered firmly, "Yes!" Then he added one more thing.

"Please take care of Allen. He looks serious, but he really isn't, so please train him strictly."

Elbert laughed, his shoulders shaking, then nodded.

"Understood. I will remember that."

Allen would soon come to the Reyel Holy District in Erington and become Elbert's squire.

Allen was talented, so he would surely become a full Holy Knight before long.

（I'll definitely catch up to Allen.）

Theo fixed the image of his admired hero firmly in his mind once more and made his vow.

* * *

Theo looked out the carriage window as they headed for Gray Knights Headquarters.

Gas lamps stood at regular intervals along the broad avenue, which was lined with stone and brick buildings. There were not many tall buildings, apparently because of an unspoken agreement that none should surpass the cathedral in height.

The well-maintained streets were full of carriages, most of them enclosed carriages meant for passengers. That too was new to Theo. In Worg, almost every carriage carried cargo, and covered wagons for passengers were only seen occasionally. Magnificent enclosed carriages like this were used only by people such as bankers.

（There are so many people...）

The mining town of Worg had been lively enough, but it was the cluttered bustle of miners and cargo wagons coming and going.

Grandrium, on the other hand, had people of every sort passing through its streets: laborers, people in refined clothing, and travelers.

Their appearances varied as well. In the central western region of Legato, most people had pale skin and black or brown hair. But in Grandrium, there were people with dark skin who seemed to come from the south, like Beryl, as well as blond people like Theo.

（...The only thing unchanged from Worg is the color of the sky.）

The sky above was reddish gray.

Both Erington and Legato had many industrial districts, so smoke from burning Red Coal always made the sky this color.

Then Theo noticed something. Beyond the buildings, a spire stood silhouetted against the dull sky.

"Is that Gordreil Castle?"

"Close. That's Valgan Palace. Where the important people..."

Beryl answered Theo's question, but Archibald gave her a sharp look.

Beryl stuck out her tongue and corrected herself.

"The residence of the royal family."

As though that was acceptable, Archibald gave a small nod and continued Beryl's explanation.

"At the center of Grandrium is Valgan Palace, the center of politics. Southwest of there, before the Rent River, stands Gordreil Castle. Across the river lies the Reyel Holy District. We are heading for Gray Knights Headquarters, south of Gordreil Castle."

Gordreil Castle, steeped in history, had once been both the royal residence and the political center. But around twenty years ago, it was flooded when the Rent River overflowed.

The king at the time moved his residence to Valgan Palace, which had remained the political center ever since.

"Ah, over there..."

A faint voice spoke. It was Carla, sitting across from Theo. For some reason, Beryl and Archibald both looked surprised.

Carla turned her masked face toward the window. Her finger, with its short, rounded nail, pointed down a street lined with buildings.

"...Gordreil Castle is that way."

Perhaps she had noticed that Theo was interested in Gordreil Castle.

There were many things Theo wanted to see when he came to Erington: Valgan Palace, the grand cathedral, the Great Red Steel Bridge. But the thing he had wanted to see most was Gordreil Castle.

Feeling strangely happy, Theo smiled at Carla.

"Thank you for telling me, Miss Carla."

"...Carla is fine."

"Oh, okay. Thank you, Carla!"

Theo and Carla were both Mad Walkers. They carried curses and lived under the country's supervision. Yet Theo felt more normal than ever before.

After all, when he had lived in Worg, nobody except his family remembered him.

When he spoke with several people at once, they tended to forget he was there, and they were surprised whenever he said something. That was why Theo had always tried to state his opinions clearly.

（But my fellow Gray Knights... don't forget me.）

Being recognized as though his existence were only natural made Theo happier than he could bear.

Savoring that joy, he looked at the silhouette of the castle beyond the buildings.

"Are they frying bread at that stall? Do people fry bread here? Do you eat it often too, Carla?"

"...They serve it in the dining hall sometimes."

"Worg has more Press Bread. You put ingredients between slices of bread and press-grill it... Ah, I can see Gordreil Castle again! It's huge...!"

"Up close, it's even bigger..."

"I see. Once I'm a Gray Knight, I'll get to see it nearby all the time."

Gordreil Castle was the oldest and most historic castle on the continent. Theo had wanted to see it ever since he read about it in a book.

（If I remember correctly, the current owner of Gordreil Castle is Crown Prince Richard, first in line to the throne of the Kingdom of Lunoa... He has the authority to command the Erington Army, including the Royal Feather Guard Infantry Regiment.）

Holy Knights and Gray Knights both had knight in their names, but their affiliations were entirely different.

Holy Knights belonged under the Papal See in the Reyel Holy District. Theo and the other Gray Knights belonged to the Erington Army.

（So, in other words, the Gray Knights might be close to Crown Prince Richard's personal soldiers...）

As Theo thought about that, Archibald beside him spoke.

"By the way... have I heard your name?"

"Yes, I'm Theo! I have no family name!"

Theo repeated the introduction he had given earlier. It was an exchange he was used to.

Beryl, who had been listening, looked at Archibald with a slightly wicked upward glance.

"I told you by telegraph that he carries the Oblivion Curse."

"I see... So this is..."

Archibald seemed to understand something as he stared intently at Theo. Theo grew tense beneath that direct, sharp gaze.

Even so, Archibald's words were strange. Gray Knights, who were Mad Walkers, should not be affected by Theo's Oblivion Curse.

（Could this man be...）

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