Chapter 100: Return to Lyadas |
Hello, Jonathan Titan here!
This is the 100th Chapter of this story. And the 40th chapter that I have translated from Japanese to English so far.
My skills sure must have increased from when I started.
Thanks for the support and co-operation you have shown to me so far.
Please continue to take care of me!
Enjoy!
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After that, Tatsuro and his companions remained in the mansion's garden, circulating the air with wind magic. They continued to dig a long tunnel leading outside the town.
When they reached a deserted location, they filled in the hole, brought out a board, connected one end of a reinforced wire to it, and attached the other end to an improvised iron chair they had made. They had Gillian, the merchant, sit in the chair and secured it with another wire to prevent him from falling.
"Well, we want to get to our destination a bit faster" (Tatsuro)
"That doesn't answer my question… Oh well, merchants have courage!" (Gillian Mac Dermott)
"That's the spirit!" (Tatsuro)
Gillian was uncertain about what was going to happen, but at this point, he was prepared for anything. Tatsuro and Ai boarded the board as usual, instructed Gillian to keep his mouth closed to avoid biting his tongue, and then swiftly jumped into the air.
"Buhotasarijaiehrjapuhrjh." (Gillian Mac Dermott)
"Oh, too—-" (Tatsuro)
"Keep it up, Tatsuro!" (Ai)
Without any prior explanation, Gillian had no idea what was happening. He felt the sensation of being rapidly pulled upward and was already on the verge of fainting.
Tatsuro, on the other hand, struggled desperately to control the wind magic due to the unexpected weight, which was gradually eroding his magical power. To alleviate the strain, he retrieved iron ingots from his [Item Box] and expanded the board's surface to create a shape resembling a giant manta ray, thus increasing buoyancy enough to barely endure.
(TL.NOTES: Check the explanation on Giant manta rays here at https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_oceanic_manta_ray)
With a little breathing room, Tatsuro borrowed Cardina's detection magic and examined Gillian's condition who was sitting in the chair connected by the wire.
"Bukubukubuku…" (Gillian Mac Dermott)
"Oh, he's foaming at the mouth." (Tatsuro)
"Is he okay?" (Ai)
"It seems like there's no immediate danger, so he should be fine. It's safer this way rather than being conscious." (Tatsuro)
Rushing ahead, they made sure to keep an eye on Gillian to prevent him from choking on the foam. However, unable to endure the rapid consumption of magical power, they had to make several emergency landings along the way to take breaks while heading towards Salman's hidden location.
The morning had come, and the sunlight spilled through the partly cloudy sky. Last night, they had used the effects of their titles for fatigue recovery and their own [Life Magic] to move without rest, repeatedly taking breaks. They landed near the underground room where Salman was being held.
After a night of hard labor, Tatsuro removed the wire that had secured Gillian and laid him on the grass. Tatsuro also leaned against Ai's knee and rested while waiting for Gillian to wake up.
"Hmm… Where am I?" (Gillian Mac Dermott)
"Oh, you're awake?" (Tatsuro)
"I must say, it feels like you two are always glued together." (Gillian Mac Dermott)
"We're good friends." (Ai)
"It's quite passionate." (Gillian Mac Dermott)
Gillian, seemingly in a good mood after waking up in a safe place, calmly exchanged words with the two. Then, they explained the current situation and the events that led to rescuing Gillian, including the killing of Iyaruki.
"Well, this is… a rather dire situation, isn't it?" (Gillian Mac Dermott)
"That's why we want to talk to the lord as soon as possible." (Tatsuro)
"Yes, with the head of the bandits taken down, they might take extreme actions. And you still have that family heirloom, right?" (Gillian Mac Dermott)
"Yes. I stored it in my [Item Box] as soon as possible, without touching the body." (Tatsuro)
"Is it possible to show it to me now? My father should be able to determine if it's the lord's family heirloom, but I should be able to ascertain if it's a worthy item as well." (Gillian Mac Dermott)
"Sure." (Tatsuro)
Tatsuro trusted Gillian's words more than leaving the body with the bandits. He took the box containing the body and placed it in front of Gillian. Gillian opened the box and began inspecting its contents.
Since they had some idle time, they decided to bring Salman out. After getting Gillian's permission, they headed to the entrance of the underground room where Salman was being held.
Tatsuro used earth magic to open the sealed entrance and called out to Salman inside. Salman responded, and Tatsuro asked him to come out to make sure nothing was left behind.
"This… this is leftover dragon meat. I tried it for the first time, and it's incredibly delicious!" (Salman)
"Thank you. Thanks to your information, we were able to rescue the person who was captured." (Tatsuro)
Tatsuro accepted the leftover meat and put it in his [Item Box] while informing Salman of their progress.
"I see. With this, I can prove that I wasn't lying." (Salman)
"That's right. We're heading to Lyadas to meet with the lord. You should come with us." (Tatsuro)
"If I do that, won't I get captured?" (Salman)
"Even so, you were being forced to do it, right? We'll explain everything, including what happened this time, and make sure the worst doesn't happen." (Tatsuro)
Salman covered his head with his hands, pondered for a while, and reluctantly agreed.
"Well, well, maybe it's a chance to atone for my sins. After all, I was forced to kill unknown people multiple times, all in the name of ‘training.'" (Salman)
"Does that mean there's a |Clan Killer| title too? Even after killing Iyaruki and dozens of others, we didn't get the |Clan Killer| title." (Tatsuro)
It was so eerie that Tatsuro had suspected they might have to arrive separately, so he decided to inquire about it here. Salman vehemently denied the accusation, with his large, bulging eyes widening even further.
"Th-th-th-there's no way I would have such a thing! I'm even willing to expose my status to you! So, please believe that!" (Salman)
"…You're quite emphatic, but is the |Clan Killer| title that bad?" (Tatsuro)
"W-What are you talking about? The |Clan Killer| title is for those who derive even the tiniest bit of pleasure from committing murder, right? It's like a synonym for criminals! I've never felt such emotions, I swear!" (Salman)
"I see, I see. We believe you, so please calm down." (Tatsuro)
"Then the people who have that title must be really dangerous." (Ai)
"Sorry for doubting you." (Tatsuro)
While calming down the frenzied Salman, who was out of breath, the two were surprised to discover that the acquisition conditions for the title were related to emotions. They were relieved to know that they would never earn such a dishonorable title.
They then had Salman stand in front of them and walked to where Gillian was. Gillian was excitedly examining the various pieces of equipment and couldn't contain his enthusiasm.
"Wow! This is… amazing!" (Gillian Mac Dermott)
"Hey, did he go insane while he was captured?" (Salman)
"No… That can't be…" (Ai)
"His eyes are gone." (Tatsuro)
As the three looked on in dismay, Gillian finally noticed their cold stares and cleared his throat while trying to maintain composure.
"These equipment pieces are undoubtedly a collection fit for the lord of Lyadas to consider as family heirlooms. Furthermore, the lord's family crest is firmly engraved on them, so there's no mistake." (Gillian Mac Dermott)
"I see. Then it should be fine to take it as it is." (Tatsuro)
"Yes, it shouldn't be a problem. So, how do we return to the town from here?" (Ai)
"Hmm… We'll have one of my familiars take us as far as they can, and then it's back to underground activities." (Tatsuro)
Upon hearing this, Ai made a displeased expression.
"More mole-like activities, huh? I can't stand cramped spaces; they make me feel suffocated." (Ai)
"Let's just endure it." (Tatsuro)
"Actually, you're pretty abnormal to stay so calm while constantly releasing magical power like that." (Salman)
"Well, don't worry about it." (Tatsuro)
Not wanting to explain further, Tatsuro responded dryly to Salman's comment. He instructed Salman and Gillian to stay here for a while and then, with Ai, went to a place out of sight. He summoned Jeanne and their carriage.
On the cart's platform, Tatsuro removed Cardina's seat to make space for passengers. He set up a ladder and connected it to Jeanne, waiting for the two who had been out of sight.
"Alright, please get on board." (Tatsuro)
"Is this creature pulling the cart different from the one before?" (Gillian Mac Dermott)
"No, it's the same one." (Ai)
"It has quite a menacing appearance…" (Gillian Mac Dermott)
"Isn't it cute?" (Ai)
Salman silently climbed up, and Gillian, realizing that further questions were pointless, reluctantly took hold of the ladder on the carriage and got on board.
After ensuring they were seated securely, Tatsuro signaled Jeanne, who had been flying vigilantly in the sky, to come down. He placed the two on the passengers' laps and gave the signal to Jeanne.
The carriage started moving, and with careful navigation using Cardina and Tatsuro's detection magic, they chose unpaved, secluded paths even if it meant taking detours. As a result of traveling such routes, they had used almost a full day to cover a distance they could have reached in half a day. By the early afternoon of the next day, they finally arrived near Lyadas.
When they got close, they found a spot that seemed inconspicuous and stopped the carriage there.
"We'll be heading underground from here, so please disembark." (Tatsuro)
"Yes" (Salman)
"Okay." (Gillian Mac Dermott)
"Finally, we've arrived at the enemy's headquarters." (Ai)
"The main base is currently in Tofas, and this place only houses the root of all evil." (Tatsuro)
While exchanging these words, Tatsuro used his staff imbued with magic to create a tunnel wide enough for them to pass through with his free hand that was not holding Ai's hand. They allowed Salman and Gillian to enter the tunnel first, stored Jeanne and the carriage in the meantime, and then followed behind.
"Is this the right way?" (Tatsuro)
"Yes, my family's house is in an area where relatively affluent people gather, so it should be in that direction." (Gillian Mac Dermott)
"As expected of a merchant with a special connection to the lord!" (Ai)
"It's not me; it's all thanks to my father and grandfather." (Gillian Mac Dermott)
They cross-checked their current location meticulously using the map function and information from Gillian. Tatsuro advanced with periodic ventilation using wind magic along the way. He likely arrived at a location believed to be under the garden of Gillian's family estate, the Mac Dermott Mansion.
"By the way, if we can easily bypass the guards and enter our estate like this, it might be a good idea to be more cautious in the future." (Gillian Mac Dermott)
"Do you really need to?" (Salman)
"Why do you say that?" (Gillian Mac Dermott)
"The people around here wouldn't last a second; they can't handle the magic power. Even if a user of earth magic, wants to dig a hole through, they would run out of magic power along the way and get stuck. Besides, someone not skilled enough might cause a collapse. You might not understand because you're a merchant, but even these walls are built with reinforced structures." (Salman)
"That is indeed extraordinary." (Gillian Mac Dermott)
"Y-yeah, you're right. With this level of power, there's no need to bother digging holes or anything like that. They wouldn't even be doing these things if it weren't for us." (Salman)
As Salman and Gillian chatted in hushed voices, Tatsuro had created a path leading to the Mac Dermott Mansion's garden.
"Hey, come on, hurry up! We'll leave you behind!" (Tatsuro)
"Oh, you've come all the way here for us. Let's get our job done." (Gillian Mac Dermott)
"Yeah, you're right." (Salman)
They ascended a deliberately uneven slope to prevent slipping and, with Gillian's consent, cleared the grass that had served as a lid. Natural light pierced through, not from magic but from the sun.
With squinting eyes, they emerged from the garden one by one: Gillian, Salman, Tatsuro, and Ai. Alongside the sound of commotion from inside the mansion, five armored soldiers rushed in.
"Who goes there!?… Wait, young master!?"
"""" Young master?""""
"Well… I've been asking you to stop calling me that for a while, Neville." (Gillian Mac Dermott)
"What are you talking about? To me, you'll always be the young master. So, young master, who are these people?"
Gillian, with a bright red face, briefly explained the situation to Neville, an elderly knight overseeing the mansion's security, and requested an audience with his father, Reginald Mac Dermott.