Chapter 127 part 1
Chapter 127 part 1
Translator: “Ashita” Editor: “Weasalopes”
Landbarn, the core town of this land.
Surrounding this town is a tall and layered castle wall that is roughly ten meters tall.
The castle wall’s crude exterior is a stack of natural rocks.
Right now, the top of the castle wall that is facing the Southern plains is crammed with people.
Voicing each of their opinions as they spectate the fight between the Knights, they scream and cheer from time to time.
And during this time, a middle-aged couple, who are selling Bento1, walked around as some of their customers shouted at them.
「Give me one too!」
「Thank you!」
The middle-aged man who has experience in managing an inn received the coins and handed over the paper bag.
Even though it is called a Bento, it is simply thickly-sliced bacon and lettuce stuffed between round bread.
The surface of the bacon did get grilled until it got hard so the oil that seeped out discolored the paper somewhat.
「Bento and drinks two each」
「Here ya go」
The middle-aged lady handed over the items taken from the box she was carrying in front of her just like a person selling station Bento.
「Isn’t it a bit too expensive」
「Of course! Today is special after all!」
The middle-aged woman replied assertively to those customers who complained.
As the Bentos they prepared sold like hotcakes, the middle-aged couple’s faces subconsciously mellowed.
As they were getting greedy and thinking of preparing more, their surroundings started to murmur.
「Hey! What’s that!」
The curious onlookers expressed their opinion at the same time.
This also caught the attention of the middle-aged man who was selling Bento. He had a glimpse of the battlefield from a space between the onlookers.
And he too was surprised as well, he also said the same words.
「What’s that!」
What the people at the top of the castle wall saw was a saucer of light let out close to the end of the line from the Kingdom camp.
As everyone, including the middle-aged man who was selling Bento, watched over it, it kept getting stronger.
「Isn’t that the Kingdom’s White Lion?」
A middle-aged man raised his voice.
The Kingdom camp is at the Eastern end of the plain. That means that the end of the line is close to Landbarn and the people are able to have a good view of this.
The true identity of the saucer of light is a gigantic magic circle put up by one Knight.
It sparkled and the light intensity was gradually increasing.
「There is no mistaking it. It is the White Lion」
Another middle-aged man, who seemed to be the former’s friend, answered as he squinted his eyes due to the radiance.
Due to the light let out by the magic circle, the exact traits cannot be determined but that figure is the figure of the A-rank Knight personally used by the previous commander of the Knight Order.
「So he joined hastily when the country is in peril. I expected no less」
「It was weird for him not to be here in this crisis after all」
It is widely known that the commander of the Kingdom’s Knight Order has been substituted. However, not many know that it was a dismissal.
Many people took it as the former commander of the Knight Order giving his seat up to the next generation.
「Look at that, the Knights are all kneeling down」
As the middle-aged man had said, the three B-rank Knights within the A rank Knight’s surroundings knelt down.
It is a posture that expresses respect for another or the posture taken when an oath is taken at the Knights’ Investiture Ceremony.
「Even if the seat was given up, it seems like the influence of the White Lion has not weakened」
The middle-aged man nodded many times seemingly satisfied.
As the magic circle sparkled ever brightly, it was pointed towards the center of the battlefield and a gigantic pillar of light was let out.
It was like a comet let out on the surface.
「That’s a long-range magic. And it’s especially huge」
A dumbfounded man with a Merchant Guild license raised at his chest murmured.
His expression became one of sudden realization and he shouted as he pressed down on his ears with his hands.
「Everyone! Cover your ears!」
Several moments later, the sound of an intense explosion reached the top of the castle wall.
The ears of the people who did not understand the warning and those who did not make it in time were ringing as they crouched down.
「Ama-amazing!」
「Isn’t this a win? With that!」
The seemingly impatient young men, their face red with excitement, hit each other’s shoulders.
「My my, to think that there is such a secret weapon」
The old man who seems to be a storekeeper said, his voice full of excitement and awe.
However, in the midst of this, only the man who lowered his Merchant Guild license had a depressed expression.
His eyes, that were already cold, got even more suspicious as they followed the traces of the comet.
(Is this……for real?)
There were many that did not realize this but the comet even mowed down its allies.
A large-scale long-range attack magic that grazes the ground as it flies.
Several fallen Knights can be found on both sides of the ground in its aftermath.
As the place belonged to the Kingdom, those were Knights from the Kingdom.
(That is definitely weird)
He could not do anything even as he held onto that belief.
The Kingdom’s A-rank Knight White Lion quietly advanced along the path that the comet created.
The man’s brows stood on its ends as he continued looking for the next development.
A little while before, back to the time where the 『White Lion of the Kingdom』 a.k.a. former Knight Order commander just arrived at the rear of the battlefield with his personal Knight.
The sudden appearance of the former Knight Order commander’s personal Knight without any advance notice.
The pilots of the B-rank Knights who saw this were confused.
They know that the former Knight Order commander had been dismissed from his position and is under house arrest.
And that only the former Knight Order commander can pilot the personal Knight.
However, that personal Knight is right in front of their very eyes.
(Reinforcements?)
Those words appeared in their minds. But something in their hearts did not agree with that.
The former Knight Order commander they know would never come to their aid after being dismissed in such a humiliating way.
These low-rank pilots themselves know this very well.
「Doing as you all please when I am not here」
The former Knight Order commander stared at the Knights from the seat of his personal Knight.
Those eyes have no warmth at all. Low-rank pilots are the equivalent of enemies to the former Knight Order commander of the present.
「The Knight Order has no need for commoners like low-rank pilots. I must propose this when I return」
Frowning with dissatisfaction, the Knight Order commander made plans to carry out after his return.
But before that, he has things he needs to do.
Late into the night yesterday, the former Knight Order commander left his own home and escaped from the Royal Capital together with his beloved personal Knight.
And he headed straight for this battlefield located at Landbarn.
It is all thanks to the cooperation with those sensible people – they even risked danger to take back his personal Knight – all for that very important task.
「I just need to defeat Lord Rosehip right? A trivial matter」
The former Knight Order commander’s mouth slipped.
That body that is full of an overflowing self-confidence.
But unlike his supporters, the former Knight Order commander had a clear basis for this. That is because he knew the power of his personal Knight like it was the back of his hand.
「Scums2, at least let me use you as fuel」
He then started activating a support magic circle.
「Accolade3」
One of the personal Knight’s support magic circle silently activated.
That support magic circle called out to its surroundings. A certain support magic circle inside B-rank Knight that was nearby responded and started moving.
This support magic circle was installed secretly by the craftsman of the Smithing Guild.
「Synchronization successful. Begin supplying」
The former Knight Order commander murmured with satisfaction.
The support magic circle of the personal Knight, the support magic circle of the Kingdom’s B-rank Knight.
Synchronizing these two magic support circles to manifest its functions.
The Knight started sending all of the mana stored in its body to the personal Knight.
Although the mana is closeby, it floats through the air.
Even though it attenuates in the process, it got absorbed by the personal Knight.
「This is a special occasion. Let me show you all something unique」
The absorbed mana was manipulated by the former Knight Order commander’s mind that made it flow into a magic circle.
A magic circle the size of the Knight’s height appeared before the personal Knight. It let out light as it turned.
On the other hand, the Knight’s body that had lost its mana could not support itself and it fell to its knees.
That was like it was kneeling down during the Investiture Ceremony and taking up a vow.
The former Knight Order commander’s mouth arced upwards, he was dissatisfied.
Notes:
[1. A home-packed/take-out meal common in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea.]
[2. written as 下級操縦士 which means low-rank pilot, read as くず meaning scum]
[3. written as 騎士叙任 which means Knights’ Investiture, read as アーコレイド meaning Accolade]