Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy
Iris
The battle came to an end soon after.
All monsters, including the Frost Wyverns, had either fled or been vanquished.
By the time Titilia-san and I reached the west gate, the fighting had already stopped, and everyone was busy assessing the situation and dealing with the aftermath.
Like Zeltis-san said, with the aid of the third squad led by Philias-san, the defenders on that side had also managed to minimize the damage as much as possible.
Still, there were hundreds of casualties throughout the city.
The confirmed death toll was fifty, with many more people missing… some might be unaccounted for, but others might still be trapped underneath the rubbles… Here and there, I could hear the shouts of people looking for them.
Though I sometimes thought we could have acted sooner, dwelling on it would serve no purpose.
I must focus on the present. With that in mind, I tirelessly tended to the ill and wounded.
Several days passed in the blink of an eye.
Reconstruction had already begun, and the city was gradually returning to its normal life.
Leonhardt-sama, along with soldiers and officials, was still bustling around, managing paperwork and inspecting the city, barely finding time to sleep.
Titilia-san, was more than eager to help her lord.
From morning till night, she was fully engrossed in constructing magical wards to protect the city from monsters.
As she returned home exhausted every evening, ideally, she would want to bathe every day, due to her Japanese roots, but she seemed likely to fall asleep any moment… It became a daily routine for me, Lenny-san, and others to take care of her conflicting desires.
Everyone else was more or less the same as before.
As for Scar-san… due to his status as royalty from a foreign nation, just like it was when it’s still a game, his assistance had been politely declined.
Not wanting to stay idle, he volunteered to become my bodyguard.
And as for me…
In a room within Rolandia Castle.
I’d returned to where Reiji-san and Saul-niisama were sound asleep.
In front of Aini-san, Lenny-san, Scar-san and others, I took a deep breath and began chanting.
“…Curse Erasure!”
As the purifying light flickered in my hands, I felt the heat on my forehead again.
The light itself seemed to burn hotter than before.
This should do it.
I gently brought that light closer to Reiji-san and Saul-niisama.
I can do this…!
Feeling a different response from before, I felt my conviction strengthen.
The darkness that once fiercely repelled the light melted away instantly.
When the purifying light quietly faded… a wave of exhaustion washed over me.
“Haaaah…”
I let out the breath I’d been holding until now.
There was a sense of accomplishment, but… while regulating my breathing, I continued to watch over their condition.
One minute… Two minutes… After what felt like an eternity passed…
“…Nngh?”
“…Reiji-san?!”
Reiji-san let out a groan… and faintly opened his eyes.
“Wh… Where am I… What happened…?!”
“I-It’s okay now, just lie down, please!”
I hurriedly stopped Reiji-san, who was trying to sit up, from getting off the bed.
“That Death Serpent person disappeared right after the fight. Everyone got back safely, okay?”
“I… see… What about… you? Are you… alright?”
I nodded at Reiji-san’s voice.
“See, I’m perfectly alright now… Both of you got the worst of it, so please rest slowly, Reiji-san.”
At those words, he seemed to finally feel relieved, as he relaxed himself to the bed, closing his eyes.
In the adjacent bed, Saul-niisama, who had also completely regained his color, was quietly breathing… He, too, seemed to have recovered.
For a while, time passed in silence.
Just when I thought they might have fallen asleep, it was Reiji-san who broke the silence.
“…Sorry. I failed to protect you…”
“That’s not true at all. You two, and everyone else, have been protecting me time and time again…”
I really think I’d been helped by many people.
Blanche-sama, who defended my life until her last breath.
Everyone who helped me defend the capital city.
Higami-san, who came rushing to my aid in the middle of it all.
There were so many things that I wish to talk about, but for now…
“…I want you to rest up. What happens next, we’ll think about it together later, okay?”
“Right… Next time, I won’t lose to him…”
Reiji-san clenched his fist. The expression on his face…
“…Sorry, I want to be alone for a bit.”
“…Yes. Please, don’t do anything rash.”
Seeing that he might burst into tears out of frustration at any moment… I felt a loss for words.
Leaving those two on their beds, I followed Aini-san and the others who had left the room unnoticed and stepped outside.
As soon as I gently closed the door-
“DAMN… IT! I LOOOOST..!!”
The sound of desperate, suppressed but uncontrollable emotions leaking out in cries and the pounding of fists on the bed echoed from the room I had just left.
“…Just go, Iris-chan.”
“……Yes, I understand.”
Prompted by Scar-san, I felt the tug at my heartstrings as I was led by the hand to start walking.
…As a man, Reiji-san surely didn’t want anyone to witness him being vulnerable. I understood that all too well.
And right now, he needed some time alone to release those pent-up emotions without interference from anyone else.
So, for now, I should leave him be… Reiji-san would come back stronger after this, it’s going to be okay in the end…
And when that time comes, I want to be there to support him by his side.
With those feelings in my heart, I departed…
In the roadless wilderness, two figures emerged.
No prominent vegetation was in sight, just large boulders strewn across the desolate terrain.
This place was located in the northwest corner of what humans called the frontier, a habitat unknown to humans, home to many monsters and Phantasmal Beasts… or, it used to be.
In such a desolate wasteland where everything seemed to have been devoured, two figures, one big, one small, dashed across the rugged terrain, using the boulders as footholds, moving at a speed that even carnivorous beasts would find challenging to match.
“There’s nothing here at all.”
The small figure, an elderly human man, murmured in a slightly hoarse but still vigorous voice.
“Indeed, mon. Place’s been like dis since ten seasons or so ago.”
“I see… Incidents like this have been happening since ancient times.”
The two fell silent again, continuing to traverse the wilderness.
“The place I want you to see is just beyond this hill, mon.”
The tall figure who’s taking the lead suddenly halted just before a steep incline and turned around.
He spoke with a powerful yet composed, resonant bass voice, his accent thick but unmistakably the most widely used standard trade language among humans.
The one who spoke was a young man of the Troll race, with a towering physique exceeding three meters.
And following his lead, the elder man, Ashley Rolandia, the “Sword Saint” of the human race, stopped as well.
Ashley
Since leaving Diamant Valley and crossing the border, a month had passed.
We, the Shadow Regiment, crossed the deep and wide coniferous forests, delving into the northwestern reaches of the frontier.
Evading the gaze of mighty monsters and Phantasmal Beasts, we made our way westward to the end of the continent.
The Troll settlement we stopped by happened to be the hometown of the Troll we fought in that mining town before.
Returning the enemy’s locks of hair we kept as mementos and possibly to find a place for burial, we were unexpectedly received with warm hospitality.
Despite their modest lifestyle, they even slaughtered one of their scarce sheep to prepare a feast for us.
For them, valuing martial prowess, our act was apparently seen as a gesture of gratitude toward their fallen, even if he was the village outcast.
As such… we were permitted to stay for a few days, allowing everyone to rest their weary bodies from the journey thus far.
During that time…
“My apologies for making you guide me all the way out here.”
“No problem, mon. For you to return the hair of our fallen kin who caused you harm, it would dishonor our ancestors if we don’t return the favors.”
Our mission was to find out what’s happening in this region.
Upon hearing our request, one of the youth volunteered to be our guide. He was a leader-like figure among his peers, with a particularly large black body and lion-like hair.
We departed from the village and traveled westward for about half a day.
That brought us to the present.
“I hafta say… Old man, you have such powerful strength. Never thought a human would be able to keep up with me for so long.”
“Hmph… Well, I’ve got to be an example for those youngsters. Running out of stamina on the battlefield can only mean death, I want them to understand that.”
Said youngsters still remained in the village, for I didn’t want to disturb their rest.
Fortunately, I was only wearing light armor without heavy equipment.
At this pace, it would be possible to keep up for a day, not just half a day.
…Well, a few of the youngsters did intend to follow me, but after I informed them about the length of this trip, they all grimaced and turned back.
“Your strength completely defies your age, old man. If it’s fine by you, perhaps we should have a spar when we return…”
“Actually, I second that idea… Let’s finish our task here first.”
“We simply couldn’t help ourselves when seeing strong ones like you, mon. Hope you don’t mind.”
“Mm, I can understand the sentiment.”
We exchanged smiles and agreed.
For those who live by the sword, it’s a natural desire to want to cross swords with a strong opponent.
Such behavior might be unbecoming of an old man like me, but old habits die hard.
“And… if you, those who came from the east, were to see this… Maybe you’ll hear us out.”
“…Hmm?”
“We’ll reach it soon. It would be bad if you dislocate your back after seeing it, so be prepared, old man.”
As we conversed, we had unknowingly reached the top of the hill. Climbing the last few steps and gazing into the open view, we saw…
“This is…!”
A complete nothing.
As if cut by a sharp knife, the other side of the cliff was a perfectly flat surface, leading straight to the sea below.
“…What’s happening here?”
“You see, anything past this hill… has all been erased.”
“…Come again?”
“You heard me. Some of our young folks tried to explore the area below… They were completely erased the moment they crossed this hill to the other side.”
Upon hearing those words, I was left speechless.
That such a situation had been unfolding in a place unbeknownst to the people…
“…Old man. No, we have to apologize to all of our esteemed guests.”
“What for?”
“For we do harbor some ulterior motives for your warm welcome.”
“I’m listening.”
“The strange phenomenon you’re seeing now… It’s been expanding and encroaching on our territory.”
“Expanding… How so?”
“Where do I begin…”
With a difficult face, the youth began to speak.
His expression and tone seemed to express the regret of leaving their ancestral land.
“At the rate thing’s going, within ten or twenty seasons, the village will be at risk of erasure. As someone who will eventually succeed as the tribal chief, I cannot afford to be idle and must not delay addressing this issue.”
“That’s… quite the alarming rate.”
“Which is why… we would hope to settle down somewhere further east, preferably separate from humans.”
“…”
Migration.
It’s not something to be taken lightly.
Even among humans, the sudden influx of people can greatly affect social conditions, such as increased competition for jobs, deteriorating security, and problems with food reserves.
However, the trolls in this settlement numbered in the hundreds at most, so such issues shouldn’t be much of a concern.
But there’s another problem. They were neither humans, Highborns nor Demons… they didn’t belong to what society considered “humanity”.
Their individual combat prowess far exceeded the average human… To the general populace, they would be considered monsters.
Even if they harbored no hostility, just living nearby would undoubtedly cause considerable anxiety among the surrounding residents.
…After a few days of living among them, I’d recognized their sincerity.
I didn’t want to disregard them. I wanted to help as much as I could.
“Of course, we won’t take your generosity for granted. If you grant us a place to live, we all pledge that in times of need, we shall be your nails and fangs… We swear on our ancestors’ spirits.”
Saying so, the troll youth kneeled, placing both fists on the ground and bowing deeply.
This posture and the words expressed the highest level of respect to the other party, showing how desperate he was.
In that case… I couldn’t simply refuse him.
“…Understood. I’ll be sure to let His Majesty know about this. Because of the gravity of the situation, I alone can’t decide. But I will discuss this matter upon returning. Even then, it’s not certain that your desire will be granted…”
“Thank you, old human. Letting our voices be heard is all we could have asked for.”
With a bright expression, the young Troll finally raised his head and shook hands with me.
Thinking back… Did I ever anticipate a day when I could form a friendship with the gentle but secluded Troll race?
I could say the same thing about a certain princess with whom I reunited in that mining town.
The thought of comparing the tall and hulkish Troll to that little princess made me chuckle.
A strange phenomenon was advancing on the frontier.
It’s completely up in the air about what would become of this world.
Nevertheless… It seemed undeniable that the wheel of fate had already begun to turn.
APM - Translation 