Many people stood on the city walls with Neia, watching the battle unfold.

许多的民众与宁亚一起站在城墙上，注视着战斗的发展。

While many people of them were had been swayed to the Sorcerer King’s side after being rescued by him, they were not the only ones here.

虽然受到魔导王救助而心服的人有很多，但在这里并不只是那些人。

There were priests and paladins here as well. Neia could not see Remedios from where she was standing, but she was close enough that Neia could hear her speak.

也有着圣骑士以及神官。从宁亚所在虽然因为人墙没法直接看见，但蕾梅迪奥斯也近在说话声能传到的地方。

The only members of the command staff who were not here were Gustav and Caspond.

身为干部却不在这的，也就只有古斯塔沃以及卡斯邦登了吧。

Everyone watching the battle was silent -- no, it was simply because there were no words to describe the battle.

在那眺望的任何人都说不出话——不对，那就是如此无以言表的战斗。

They should have known this.

应该早就知道的才是。

The members of Blue Rose had said that Jaldabaoth’s difficulty rating was above 200. In other words, this was like fighting a huge dragon in the form of a human. Just fighting said battle in the land of men would lead to a great tragedy.

苍蔷薇的诸位说过亚达巴沃的难度超过两百，那么那就是人形的巨龙在战斗。只是在人类世界发生就足以造成悲惨后果。

They ought to have been grateful that only a single city district was destroyed. Many houses were on fire and white plumes of smoke reached to the sky, but the total casualties were almost nil.

只是都市的一个区域崩坏就应该值得感谢了吧，数间住房燃烧、升起了白烟，但造成的人员伤亡却近乎为零。

While watching the battle, she had seen cyclones, blazes, strokes of lightning and other tremendous manifestations of power that were beyond man’s knowledge running wild. Each of these discharges of energy could have easily taken countless lives.

在观战的过程中，被释放出的龙卷、火焰、雷电等超越人知的巨大力量肆意肆虐。哪怕只是其中的任一个力量的放射，都能轻易地夺取众多人命吧。

Especially--

尤其是——

“It’s beautiful…”

「真是漂亮……」

What had truly moved Neia’s heart was the ball of white light that she had seen twice.

让宁亚的心为之荡漾的是发生过两次的白色光球。

It was power which consumed everything and made it disappear without a trace. It felt like something good to Neia, although she could not confirm whether it was truly the work of divine might. The incredible devastation she saw in the wake of the light’s disappearance frightened her, but her admiration of its great power had won out in the end.

将一切吞噬、消失的一乾二净的力量，在那里宁亚感觉到善的事物。虽然不能确实是否真的是神圣之力。而且那个光芒消失之后的压倒性破坏痕迹也令她感觉到恐怖，然而对于强大力量憧憬最后还是得胜了。

It seems the fighting is still going on. I can’t believe the battle still isn’t over after using all those spells… Jaldabaoth is really strong.

（战斗、好像还在继续的样子啊。使用了那么多魔法竟然还没有办法分出胜负......亚达巴沃真的好强啊）

She had heard about it, and she had even seen it with her own eyes. Yet, Neia’s thinking had still been too naive. That naivete was now thoroughly eradicated.

已经听说过、也亲眼看到了。然而宁亚的想法似乎还是太天真了。而那天真的想法如今也已被彻底粉碎。

The king she served -- though only temporarily, and only within the Holy Kingdom -- was fighting. She felt that searing his heroic visage into her eyes was only natural as part of her squire’s duties, which was why Neia was keeping watch from here. Yet, if she could--

在圣王国期间，虽然只是暂时的、所侍奉的王在战斗。认为作为从者将那个英姿深深映入眼中是当然的义务，所以宁亚才会在这里守望着。然后若是可能的话——

--Neia tightly squeezed the bow she was carrying.

——宁亚用力紧握住自己所持的弓。

If one looked closely, they would see several other shapes battling the Sorcerer King in addition to Jaldabaoth. Those were the maid demons, who were rated at difficulty 150. Neia could not do anything but admire the Sorcerer King’s power for fighting so many powerful adversaries at once without giving ground.

仔细看的话，能够发现除了亚达巴沃以外还有数道影子也在向魔导王发起挑战，那是被评估为难度一百五十的女仆恶魔们。同时面对那么多的强敌而一步也不退让，让人不得不对魔导王的惊人力量抱着敬畏之心。

It was at this moment that Neia finally realized something about herself. She envied the people of the Sorcerous Kingdom -- those people who were protected by justice. How happy they must be to live in a country ruled by such a being.

宁亚在这个瞬间终于彻底清醒了。自己是在羡慕着魔导国的国民——羡慕着那些被正义所庇护的人们。以如此存在为王的国家该有多么幸福呢。

“Weakness is a sin, so one must become strong, or humbly accept justice similar to that of His Majesty.”

「所谓的弱小既是罪孽，所以不得不变强，或应当恭敬地接受如魔导王陛下一般的正义」

It was at this moment that Neia voiced the words she had been mulling over all this time. The way she repeated it several times sounded very much like a prayer.

宁亚在这个时候，将一直思索的事发出声来，那持续重复了多次的话语祈祷的语句很是相似。

Suddenly, there was a large explosion as a meteor fell.

突然、陨石落下产生了大爆炸。

It threw the carcasses of buildings high into the air, and they rained back down to the earth amidst a shower of gravel and sand.

建筑物的残骸被刮到空中、与砂石掺杂在一起后如雨般散落。

“Captain… isn’t Jaldabaoth… too powerful?”

「团长......亚达巴沃......会不会太厉害了？」

“Yes, that’s right.”

「是啊」

“The Sorcerer King -- His Majesty is also incredibly strong. If he becomes an enemy of our nation… what will we do?”

「魔导王——陛下也太强了。将来、若是成了我国的敌人......那个、会变得如何呢？」

“Yes, that’s right.”

「是啊」

“Captain?”

「团长？」

“Yes, that’s right.”

「是啊」

She could hear Remedios talking to three paladins.

听见了蕾梅迪奥斯与三名圣骑士的对话。

The paladins asking her questions had probably not seen how Remedios had ended up being toyed with like a child even after unleashing the holy sword’s power and stabbing Jaldabaoth in the back.

发出疑问的圣骑士们，恐怕是没有看过蕾梅迪奥斯在解放圣剑的力量后，却仍然被当成小孩子在耍的样子吧。

Ahh, maybe they didn’t see it. Still, anyone who saw that fight would understand. Both the Sorcerer King and Jaldabaoth were unimaginably powerful. Still, it was too late to think about things like that now. No--

啊啊、也许没有看到吧。可即便如此看了那个战斗的话任谁都会明白吧。魔导王和亚达巴沃，这两人的力量实在是太超乎想象了。事到如今，再考虑那些事也太迟了。不——

If His Majesty could take this country under his rule, we would not have to suffer demihuman invasions again.

（魔导王陛下如果能够支配这个国家的话，这个国家就再也不会受到亚人们进攻了吧）

Neia was startled at how perfect that idea was, and even a little afraid.

宁亚惊讶于自己的内心中所产生出来的想法实在是太过完美，甚至有些害怕。

Merging with the Holy Kingdom… if he were a frightening tyrant, even I wouldn’t think about it. But the Sorcerer King isn’t like that. He is justice. In that case… I ought to gather people who feel the same way as me!

（与圣王国合并......如果是恐怖暴君的话，就连我也不会考虑那样的事。但是魔导王并不是，那位大人是正义。那么的话......就聚集起能赞同我的意见的同志！）

Neia pondered the matter.

宁亚进行反复思考。

Many people had come to respect and idolize the Sorcerer King. There were those who were drawn to his overwhelming power, those who were grateful for being freed from suffering, those who hated the demihumans and who were glad that he had taken revenge on their behalf, and many such others.

尊敬魔导王、崇拜的人们增加了相当多。被那压倒性力量所吸引的人、从苦痛之中被拯救而感谢的人、对亚人有着憎恶因代为复仇而欢喜的人、等等的人们。

From them she would select those people who had always been praying for the peace of this country, and then let them hear her words.

从那些人们之中召集一直为这个国家的和平而祈祷的同志，让他们聆听自己的话语。

Neia knew that she was still young and lacked life experience. However, adults with good sense could stop Neia if they felt that her judgement was in error.

宁亚理解自己还很年轻、人生经验也不够丰富。但果是具有良知的大人的话，在判断宁亚的想法的错误的同时就会进行阻止才对。

Let’s start by looking among my subordinates in the archery unit.

（一开始就从配属于我部下的弓兵队中找数人看看吧）

There were people among them who had lost their loved ones and harbored hate in their hearts. It might be better to try persuading them, because Neia could understand how they felt.

其中有的人失去了自己亲密的人、怀有憎恶的人，向这些人劝诱比较好也说不定，因为宁亚也非常了解那个感受。

As she pondered this, she heard a doom as an exceptionally large explosion rang out.

考虑到这的时候、咚嗡的发出了一声格外巨大的爆炸声响。

After that, far in the distance, a tall building began to collapse.

然后有相当一段距离的一栋高耸建筑物逐渐崩坏。

The Sorcerer King would not have destroyed that building for no reason. Neia narrowed her eyes to try and see what was going on, but she could not tell what was happening in the building as it collapsed amidst billowing clouds of dust.

魔导王不可能毫无意义地使那栋建筑物崩坏才对，宁亚虽然瞇眼尝试看清，但无法看出崩坏、冒出尘烟的建筑物发生了什么事。

It was followed by a massive stroke of lightning from the sky.

再加上有如是追击一般的粗壮雷柱从天而落。

It would seem he was working towards some objective here, as she had expected.

看来果然是有所目的的行动。

After a while, all manner of spells wrecked the city, and the situation repeated itself.

然后一段时间中各样的魔法破坏都市，持续重复着这个状态。

Neia was uneasy.

宁亚怀着不安。

That they were incredible spells went without saying, but could the Sorcerer King’s mana really hold out?

那些是多么厉害的魔法自然不用说，但魔导王的魔力能够继续维持吗。

Neia shook her head and banished the fear and unease from her heart.

宁亚摇了摇头，将自己心中产生的不安和恐怖之类的想法驱逐。

It’ll be fine! The Sorcerer King must have taken all this into account! He’s already wasted so much mana on this country, but even so--

（没问题！如果是魔导王陛下已将那些计算在内才对。虽然已经为了这个国家消费了重要的魔力、即使如此——！）

Still, hypothetically, if Jaldabaoth won, there would be no salvation for this world, only despair. What should she do if that happened?

但、只是假设，如果亚达巴沃得胜这个世界将不会有救赎，只留下绝望。如果变成那样该如何是好。

Your Majesty, I’m counting on you!

（魔导王陛下、拜托您了！）

And then, two shapes soared into the sky, as though Neia’s wish had gotten through.

仿佛宁亚的愿望传达到一般。有两个什么飞上了天空。

The first to ascend trailed darkness in his wake, while the one pursuing him flapped his crimson wings and left a streak of fire behind him.

The fact that the maids were not pursuing them meant one thing -- the Sorcerer King had defeated those difficulty 150 monsters among monsters while battling Jaldabaoth.

先行升空的是在身后留下深沉黑暗之人，追着那后面的是飘舞着红莲之翼、持续在身后留下火焰之人。女仆们则没有追随他们的样子，那诉说着一件事，魔导王将难度一百五十所谓怪物中的怪物，一边与亚达巴沃作战一边降服了。

--He’s amazing!

（——好厉害！）

Neia was so moved that she shivered.

宁亚因感动而浑身发抖。

His Majesty is more powerful than Jaldabaoth!

（魔导王的实力比起亚达巴沃还更高！）

Indeed. There was no need to think anything else.

没错，除此之外无法做其他考虑。

In turn, the maids were far weaker than Jaldabaoth, who was a notch below the Sorcerer King. That was why he could defeat them while fighting Jaldabaoth.

与魔导王相比亚达巴沃比低一级而女仆恶魔则是压倒性的低、正因为如此才能够一面与亚达巴沃为对手一面击退女仆恶魔。

Neia struggled to contain her delight. As she carefully engraved the greatness of the person she respected into her eyes, she was so filled with joy that it seemed like it would explode out of her.

宁亚使劲忍住产生出来的喜悦。所尊敬之人的伟大之处再次深刻地映入眼帘，对于这件事的喜悦好像要爆发出来。

Neia’s heart pounded, to the point where it almost hurt.

宁亚的心脏剧烈跳动着，甚至到了仿佛能感受到疼痛的地步。

They were all watching a scene that would one day be enshrined in a heroic saga.

我们现在正亲眼目睹将来会被传颂的英雄事迹的真实一幕。

--No, that’s not right.

（——不，不对）

It would seem they were going to fight again in the air.

天空中的战斗似乎要再度开始了。

Crimson spheres and glowing spheres blossomed in the sky.

像是红莲的球体和发光的球体都纷纷在空中产生。

Each of these spells could probably destroy an entire city district by themselves, and they were hurling them at each other in wild flurries. However, they looked kind of cute from a distance.

那大概、是能够轻易吹飞都市的一个区域的魔法正在乱射吧，但因为距离过远反而有种可爱的感觉。

Even so, that was an exchange of power within a realm that mankind could never reach.

然而既是那样那也是人类所无法到达领域之力量间的应答。

This is...

（这是......）

As she looked out the corner of her eyes, she saw the people lining the city walls gulping as they saw all this. It would seem that they understood as well. They watched the aerial battle in silence, with earnest looks on their faces.

以侧目窥视的话，以都市壁并排、正吞咽口水注视着的任何人都理解这件事的样子。只不过是、静默地以认真的神情注视着天空中的战斗。

Someone put his hands together in prayer, and the people beside him followed suit -- and soon almost everyone on the city walls had their hands together as they looked to the sky.

某个人十指交叉摆出祈祷的动作，那身边的人也学着——在都市壁的大家几乎都十指交叉、望天空看去。

It felt like they were at worship.

在那里的是与崇拜类似的某种感情。

...This is mythology...

（......这是神话啊）

Neia did not know how much time had passed, but eventually -- there was a commotion among the people.

究竟过了多少时间宁亚也不知道，终于——人群间发出了嘈杂声。

Before everyone’s eyes, one of the shapes in the sky fell towards the east -- and then it vanished.

大家的视线前方、其一个点如坠落一般流过东边的天空——然后消失了。

The battle was over.

分出胜负了。

As everyone watched closely, the remaining shape slowly descended. Neia’s vision was better than most, and so she saw it first. It shocked her so much that she covered her mouth.

在每个人注视之中，在空中唯一的点缓慢地落下。视力较好的宁亚比任何人都早发现、因震惊而以手掩口。

When the others saw the crimson fire, the city walls were silent. However, nobody tried to flee. Everyone who had seen the battle knew that there was no point in running.

当他人也见到红莲之炎之时、都市壁上被静寂所包覆。不过、没有任何一人想要逃走，目睹了那场战斗就了解，就算逃走了也没有意义。

With a flap of his fiery wings, the victor (Jaldabaoth) showed himself.

拍打缠绕着火炎之翼、胜者[亚达巴沃]现出姿态。

Though he was the victor in name, he was a tragic sight.

那姿态称其为胜者也实在是太过悲惨了。

His entire body was covered in electrical scorch marks. Half his face seemed to have been crushed, and his deep wounds oozed fresh blood. Perhaps it was due to its temperature, but the blood sizzled as it touched the city walls, and the sound did not stop for a moment.

全身没有一处不是被电流烧焦的残迹、面部也溃烂了一半，从深深的伤口中啵啵的冒出新鲜血液，不知血液是否因发着高热，当落在都市壁上时会发出啾的声音，而那个声音没有停息过。

The way he looked was a better testament to the intensity of their battle than words could ever be.

那模样比起任何言语更能说明两人的战斗是多么激烈。

“No way…”

「骗人......」

A weighty, yet somewhat pained voice echoed across the city walls, as though to wipe away Neia’s muttering.

就像是要抹去宁亚的嘟哝般、沉重、但却带有些心痛的声音响彻在城墙之上。

“...What a mighty opponent. He was one of the strongest I faced since Momon. I underestimated him. How foolish. Leading the demihumans nearly became meaningless. However -- yes, however, he is dead.”

「......真是个强敌，那般强者是自飞飞以来吧。真是小看他了。这是多么的愚蠢啊。差点失去了率领亚人的意义。但是——是的，但是、他已经死了」

Neia could not believe this. Therefore, she cried out:

不想相信，所以宁亚喊出。

“You’re lying!”

「你骗人！」

Jaldabaoth turned his intact eye toward Neia, but she did not budge despite being bathed in the gaze of a creature from a completely different order of life. The intense emotions within her heart left no room for fear to enter.

亚达巴沃另一边没事的眼睛看向宁亚，即便是沐浴到作为生物阶级不同的视线，宁亚却没有动摇，正因为自己的内心被激情所支配，那蛮勇让所谓的恐怖没有入侵的余地。

“I am not lying.”

「我没有说谎」

“His Majesty is very bad at jokes… so you’re lying, right?”

「陛下是位很不会开玩笑的大人......是骗人、的对吧？」

“I am not lying.”

「我没有说谎」

The words Jaldabaoth had repeated hit Neia hard enough to shatter her soul.

从亚达巴沃反复的言语里、宁亚受到了令人心碎般的冲击。

The world seemed to shake under her feet.

仿佛整个世界都摇摇欲坠。

Neia instantly understood why the Sorcerer King had lost to Jaldabaoth. There was no need to even think about it.

魔导王败给亚达巴沃的理由连想都不用想、宁亚瞬间就明白了。

It was simply because this country lacked Blue Rose’s Evileye and Darkness’ Nabe, the two magic casters who could hold the maid demons in check.

苍蔷薇的伊维尔哀以及漆黑的娜贝，因为在这个国家没有能够抑制住女仆恶魔的两名魔法吟唱者，不过如此。

No, there was another reason apart from that.

不、除此之外还有一个。

“If that undead had been in top condition, I might have been defeated instead. But to think he actually expended his mana for the sake of humans like you -- truly, he was a fool who did not know his priorities. For that, I thank you.”

「如果那个不死者是在准备万全情况下，那败北的说不定就是我了。居然为了你们这样的人类将分出魔力——真是个搞不清该以何为优先的愚者。我可是很感谢你们的啊」

I knew it, weakness truly is a sin!

（果然，果然弱小就是罪恶！）

Neia was certain that she was correct.

宁亚确信了自己的想法绝对没错。

“For that I shall reward you. The reward shall be your lives.”

「正因为如此就给你们褒奖吧，那就是你们的性命」

“...What does that mean?”

「......这是什么意思？」

Jaldabaoth snorted in delight at the question from an unknown source.

对于不知是谁发出的疑问，亚达巴沃看起来很开心的嗤笑道。

“I’m saying that I will spare you, at least for now.”

「我是说就先放你们一条命，至少此时此刻、是这样」

Someone sighed in relief, but Neia was furious.

不知是谁吐出安心的喘息——但宁亚却为此激怒了。

“Bullshit! Bullshit! Bullshit! It’s all a pack of lies! Everything you say is a lie! Who would believe what a devil says!?”

「别开玩笑！别开玩笑！别开玩笑！全都是谎言！你所说的全都是谎言！恶魔说的话谁会相信！」

“It seems you are unable to accept reality. Are you mad, human? Pitiful.” Jaldabaoth pointed to Neia. “Disapp… I see,” and then he immediately withdrew the finger.

「没有办法接受现实，是疯了呢、人类，真是可悲」亚达巴沃将指头摆在宁亚眼前「消失......原来如此」紧接着放下了那只手。

“What’s wrong! Jaldabaoth!”

「怎么了！亚达巴沃！」

“You intend to provoke me and thus prove I am lying? ...Is losing your life worth that much? I cannot understand it, but it seems to be the case.”

「你是想通过挑拨我，以此来证明我在说谎吗？......就算失去自己的性命、也有那样的价值吗？虽然不能理解、但看来就是这样吧」

Neia’s teeth creaked as she clenched them.

宁亚用力咬紧牙齿发出咔嚓声音。

Jaldabaoth had to be lying.

亚达巴沃不是说谎的话可不行。

He had to be a liar, the kind who would tell a ridiculous lie like the Sorcerer King was dead.

必须是会说出魔导王死了这种瞒天大谎、骗子才行。

“I will not allow it. Your lives have been saved. Now then, I will return for now. I must recover from these wounds. During that time, you may weep your tears of despair.”

「不会让你挑拨得逞，你们的命得救了。那么、我暂且回去吧。受到的这伤不休息一段时间可不行，你们就尽情在这绝望的期间中哭泣吧」

As Jaldabaoth was about to take off with a flap of his wings, Neia’s hands moved with a mind of their own.

啪地摆动羽翼、亚达巴沃即将飞走的瞬间，宁亚的手私自进行了动作。

She readied her bow -- and let loose a shot.

立刻架起弓——放出。

She had fired at him from the back, without giving him any warning of her shot.

完全从后方的一射，连预备动作也没有的一射。

However, Jaldabaoth immediately turned and seized the arrow. Despite his terrible wounds, he was still very agile.

然而亚达巴沃在一瞬间转头、将箭矢抓住，尽管受了那样的伤动作还是如此敏捷。

Jaldabaoth turned to face Neia, and then his eyes went to Neia’s bow, the Ultimate Shootingstar Super. After that, his wrath-twisted feature changed slightly.

亚达巴沃从正对面瞪着宁亚，那视线移往宁亚的弓——终极超级流星，然后因愤怒而扭曲的表情有少许变化。

“Ohh!? Ah! What an incredible weapon this is! I haven’t seen a weapon like this in so long! That was close, it almost finished me off!”

「喔！？啊！这、这是多么厉害的武器啊！这么厉害的武器可真是好久不见了！差点就被补刀了啊，真是危险啊」

Jaldabaoth gesticulated wildly with his limbs as he said that. He seemed composed, but also quite anxious.

亚达巴沃比手画脚的说着，看似有余裕但好像相当焦躁。

“What kind of weapon is this! How was it made?”

「这个武器是什么？是怎么制造的？」

“As if I’d tell you!”

「谁会告诉你！」

What on earth is he thinking? Neia’s mind boiled over with scorching hate.

这家伙在想什么、宁亚的脑中因灼热的憎恶而仿佛变得沸腾。

How could she tell this liar what she had learned from the Sorcerer King?

怎么能将从魔导王那里得知的情报，告诉这样的大骗子。

“How could I tell a liar like you!?”

「怎么可能告诉你这样的大骗子！？」

“Muu, ah, don’t, don’t tell me, was it made by runecraft?”

「姆、啊、该、该不会是使用所谓卢恩符文技术所制造的吧？」

Naia’s heart lurched for a moment as he hit the nail on the head. Although she had managed to calm down a little, as her broken heart recalled the compassionate figure of the Sorcerer King once more, her anger reawakened.

实情被说中了，一瞬间、宁亚的心脏激烈跳动了一下。虽然仅取回一点冷静，但被千刀万剐的心中回想起了温柔的魔导王身影的同时，愤怒也同时苏醒。

“You’re wrong!”

「不对！」

Neia screamed like she had abandoned everything else, and Jaldabaoth groaned. Taking that as an opening, Neia fired again.

宁亚仿佛舍弃一切般地喊叫、亚达巴沃发出了呻吟声。将那视为空隙、宁亚再一次射出。

Her next target was his feet, which were hard for the hands to reach.

下个目标是手难以够到的脚。

This time, Jaldabaoth frantically moved his feet to avoid the arrow.

这次亚达巴沃慌张移动脚回避了箭矢。

He’s wary of it! Maybe this bow could--!

（正在警戒着！若是这把弓的话也许——！）

There could only be one reason why Jaldabaoth had so desperately evaded her shot when he had been indifferent to being stabbed in the back by the holy sword. What else could it be if not that this bow could harm him.

背后受到圣剑一击也淡然处之的亚达巴沃会这么慌慌张张闪避的理由，如果使用这把弓的话就能够让他负伤，除了这个理由以外还能是什么呢。

Neia’s heart filled with regret as her eyes filled with tears.

宁亚感到非常后悔、不禁在眼眶中渗泪。

She realized that she should have joined that battle even if she would have perished swiftly, if it was possible that she could strike him with the Ultimate Shootingstar Super. She should have taken part, even if it was just to be a shield. If she had, then maybe--

宁亚明白就算参加了那场战斗也会轻易死去，即便如此如果终极超级流星能碰得到亚达巴沃的话，就算只是当盾牌也应该参战比较好不是吗。若是这样的话也许——

Neia launched another arrow.

宁亚再次引弓射箭。

Jaldabaoth moved his head. The arrow missed and flew off to parts unknown.

让他动了头、未中的箭矢飞往不知何处。

“Hit, damn you!”

「给我中！！」

She fired again.

再一次。

And again.

再一次。

But none of her shots found their mark. Despite his size and his severe wounds, he had still evaded Neia’s attacks with startling ease.

但是没有任何一发命中，明明躯体是那么巨大、身受那样的重伤，宁亚的攻击却被令人惊讶地轻松躲避了。

“Rune--”

「符文——」

“--Shut up!”

「——闭嘴！」

Neia fired another arrow to shut Jaldabaoth up.

堵住亚达巴沃的话、宁亚放出箭。

However, it too missed.

但是、果然命中不了。

Why, why isn’t anyone attacking?

（为什么、为什么没有人攻击！）

She could understand their inability to strike Jaldabaoth because he was airborne. However, even so, how could they simply let the lying demon who had killed the most merciful Sorcerer King go free?

能够理解因为亚达巴沃飞在空中所以没有攻击手段，但是、即使这样，声称杀害了有着巨大恩情的魔导王的大骗子恶魔，就这么样放过他真的好吗。

“..Muu. Well, eh, I guess it can’t be helped… no? [Greater Teleportation].”

「......姆唔。嘛、唉、没办法了......吗？......<高阶传送>」

Jaldabaoth suddenly vanished.

突然、亚达巴沃的身姿消失了。

“Get back here!!!”

「别逃阿啊啊！！」

Neia looked around.

宁亚展望四周。

All she saw were the wide-eyed faces of people who were shocked by what Neia had done. Jaldabaoth was nowhere in sight.

在那里只有眼睛瞪大、惊愕于宁亚行动的人们的脸。亚达巴沃的身姿哪儿都没有。

“Motherfucker! He ran away!”

「**！竟然跑了！」

“Calm down!” Remedios shouted.

「冷静下来！」

The angry cry of a mighty being could exert a pressure of its own, and normally it would have brought Neia back to her senses or even made her freeze up. However, it did little more than annoy Neia right now.

蕾梅迪奥斯大喝一声，强者的怒号甚至具有压力，一般的话能让宁亚取回冷静甚至会硬直吧。但是、对现在的宁亚来说与烦人的声音无异。

“How can I calm down!?”

「这怎么可能冷静的下来！」

“Squire Neia Baraja! Did you borrow that weapon from the Sorcerer King? Why was he so interested in it?”

「侍从、宁亚・巴拉哈！那个武器是从魔导王那里借来的吧？为何、那家伙会对那把武器感到兴趣！？」

“Don’t ask me irrelevant questions like that! More importantly, we need to find His Majesty! I saw him fall to the east! We need to send out a rescue party!”

「请不要问我那种怎么样都好的问题！比起那个得赶快去寻找魔导王陛下！我看见落在了东边的方向！应该立刻派出救援队！」

“Surely he must be dead.”

「那个已经死了吧」

“How could he be dead!? How could His Majesty die!?”

「怎么可能会死！那位魔导王陛下怎么可能就这么死了！」

Neia instinctively grabbed Remedios, but Remedios easily swept her aside and Neia fell to the ground.

宁亚忍不住扭上去，但被蕾梅迪奥斯轻松地拨开、摔倒在了城墙上。

“Are you calmer now? Nobody could survive a fall from that height.”

「脑袋稍微冷静点了吧，从那种高度落下是不可能还活着」

“Calm? You actually believe that demon’s words? Captain, did you sell your soul to him!?”

「冷静？相信那种恶魔的话，团长该不会把灵魂卖给他了吧！？」

Remedios’ expression changed, and then it twisted.

蕾梅迪奥斯的表情变了，然后扭了上去。

“Squire! Damn you, there are things you can and can’t say!”

「侍从！你这家伙、给我搞清楚该说的和不该说的话！」

She grabbed Neia’s collar with tremendous force, and Neia found it hard to breathe.

被过分强大的力量抓住衣襟、呼吸感到困难。

“You two! Cool it! Cool it right now!”

「你们两个！冷静、给我冷静下来！」

The paladins, priests, soldiers and so on hurriedly made their way between Neia and Remedios, pulling them apart.

圣骑士和神官、军士之类的人慌慌张张的进到宁亚和蕾梅迪奥斯之中、将她们拉开。

Neia panted heavily as she shouted:

一面反复着呼哧般的剧烈喘息、宁亚一面怒吼。

“We need to send out a team to rescue His Majesty!”

「立刻派遣救援魔导王陛下的部队！」

“We can’t waste our resources on that!”

「没有余力白费功夫！」

“How dare you call it a waste!”

「竟然说白费功夫！」

Neia wanted to go up and punch Remedios, but the people between them stopped her.

宁亚想要前进殴打蕾梅迪奥斯，但被两人中间插入的人们所阻止了。

“I’ve got nothing to say to you!” Having cooled down a little, Neia addressed the people holding her.

「和你根本没话说！」稍微冷静一些的宁亚向抓住自己的人们搭话。

“Could you let go of me? There’s something I have to do.”

「能放开我吗？我有不得不做的事」

“Where are you going !?”

「要去哪！？」

In response to that question, Neia looked at Remedios with an utterly incredulous expression on her face.

对于那个疑问宁亚以仿佛打从心底无法相信的表情看着蕾梅迪奥斯。

“What kind of eyes are those!? Is that how a squire should look at a paladin!?”

「那是什么眼神！那是侍从看向圣骑士的眼神吗！」

Hmph, Neia snorted.

哼、宁亚以鼻嗤笑。

“First, I will be asking His Highness the Prince to organize a rescue party for the Sorcerer King. After that, I will go straight to the Sorcerous Kingdom and tell them exactly what happened to His Majesty, and then I will ask for aid for His Majesty.”

「首先要请求王兄陛下派遣救援魔导王的部队，接下来我要直接前往魔导国，毫无隐瞒地说出魔导王陛下的现况，并且打算请求协助陛下的救援部队」

Given the circumstances, nothing good would come of going to the Sorcerous Kingdom. Even so, she was still the Sorcerer King’s squire, and she had to complete her duty.

在这个状况下，前去魔导国恐怕不会有什么好下场吧。但即使如此身为魔导王的侍从，也有着完成任务的必要。

Neia was unsure if she could safely reach the Sorcerous Kingdom from here, but she had to go, even if it meant her death.

宁亚对于是否能够从这里平安抵达魔导国怀揣着不安，但是就算拼了这条命也不得不去。

“Ohhh, if you’re going to the Sorcerous Kingdom, let me go with you, Baraja-san!”

「哦哦、如果要去魔导国的话，巴拉哈小姐，请让我一起去」

The person who spoke was an ex-soldier, who had retired and become a hunter. He had been lauded for his archery and had joined Neia’s unit.

发出声的是前军士、退役后从事猎人工作的中年男子。用弓技术受到赏识而加入了宁亚的班。

“Don’t worry about me, I’m old enough as it is, I don’t have much longer left.”

「不用在意，已经活到这把年纪了，没有多少日子了呢」

“Baldem-san!”

「巴鲁蒂姆先生！」

From his tone, she knew that he understood what sort of fate awaited him even if they reached the Sorcerous Kingdom safely.

能够听得出来，他话语中已经理解了就算平安抵达魔导国，在前方等待着的究竟是怎样的命运。

“Hey, Neia-chan. Don’t forget me!”

「喂、宁亚酱。可别忘了我啊！」

“You too, Codina-san!?”

「科迪纳先生也是吗！？」

“I’ll go too. Not for you, but if it’s for the Sorcerer King then it can’t be helped.”

「我也一起去。才不是为了小姑娘而去的呢，但如果是为了魔导王也没办法呢」

“Even Mena-san?”

「连梅纳先生也！」

All the skilled people in Neia’s unit stepped forward, one after the other. With their help, it might be possible for them to reach the Sorcerous Kingdom safely. However--

在所属于宁亚的班中也都很优秀的人们率先报名，如果有他们的协助的话，平安抵达魔导国也不是不可能的。但是——。

“Thank you very much. But everyone, could you join the rescue party?”

「非常感谢，那么大家、能否参加救援队那一边呢？」

“What are you saying? You were all gathered to rescue the Holy Kingdom and the suffering people from the clutches of that demon, weren’t you? Where are your priorities!?”

「在自说自话些什么呢！你们是为了圣王国、正在受苦的人们，从那个恶魔之中解放出来而被召集参加的人们才对吧！别给我搞错了优先度！」

“What are you saying, Captain!? Could anything be more important than rescuing His Majesty!?”

「团长才是在说些什么呢！？比起救出魔导王陛下还有其他更重要的事吗！」

“Of course! Right now, at this very moment, how many people of the Holy Kingdom do you think there are living in the hell the demihumans made for them!? Could anything be more important than rescuing them!?”

「那是当然！现在、这个瞬间，你认为有多少圣王国的人民在亚人们制造出的地狱里面受苦！有什么比救出他们更重要！」

“Of course! That’s--”

「有！那是——」

“--What on earth are you doing!? What’s all this shouting for!?”

「——到底、在做什么！？在大声争吵什么！」

The argument immediately stopped when the interloper showed up. It was Caspond.

争执因突然的闯入者而停止下来，出现的是卡斯邦登。

“Captain Custodio, should you not have returned immediately? Where is His Majesty? What about Jaldabaoth? What happened? Could somebody please explain?”

「卡斯托迪奥团长，你不是应该马上返回的才是吗？魔导王陛下呢？亚达巴沃怎么了？发生了什么......谁来说明下情况」

Caspond sounded like he had lost his bearings, and his voice echoed loudly in the miserable silence.

卡斯邦登那有如迷失了方向般的声音、在沉重苦闷的静默之中显得格外空荡。

***

The meeting room was very cramped, with paladins, priests, nobles who had been prisoners until recently and honorary paladins who had been summoned here. That said, there were no better rooms for them to use, since Jaldabaoth had destroyed the one which Caspond had previously used.

在会议的房间里，圣骑士和神官以及其他在日前还是俘虏身份的贵族以及名誉骑士被召集起来，而显得有些拥挤。话虽如此、卡斯邦登曾使用过的房间已经被亚达巴沃所破坏，没有其他适合的房间所以也没办法。

Caspond had called an emergency meeting after receiving a report from a paladin, and he had instructed all key personnel to gather in this room.

在那之后收到了一名圣骑士报告的卡斯邦登宣布召开紧急会议，指示将主要的成员集合到这个房间里面。

After everyone had assembled, Caspond and Remedios entered with quick strides.

全员集合完毕后过了没多久，卡斯邦登伴随着蕾梅迪奥斯快步入室。

Everyone bowed as the prince entered. Neia was one of them, because she held no grudges against Caspond.

因王兄的登场，许多人将头低下，宁亚也是其中一人，毕竟对卡斯邦登并没有什么怨恨。

Caspond stood in front of everyone and began to speak.

卡斯邦登就这么在大家面前站着开始说话。

“Thank you all for coming here. I wish to discuss our future actions.

「感谢各位集合参加，我想商量下今后我们该采取的手段」

Although it was supposed to be a discussion, there was only one thing Neia had to do, and she was certain that it was the right thing to do. Just as Neia was about to speak, Caspond raised his hand to stop her.

即便说是商量、宁亚该采取的行动只有一个，而那行动也绝对不会是错的。正当宁亚想要开口的时候，卡斯邦登举手制止了。

“I’m sure everyone has concerns of their own, but I pray you will hear me out first.

「我想各位有各自的考虑，但在那之前请先听我说几句」

Caspond looked out at everyone gathered here.

卡斯邦登缓慢地展望集合而来的人们。

“I believe many people have witnessed the extent to which Jaldabaoth’s strength exceeds ourimagination… yes. While I regret to say this, we must accept the fact that nobody in this country can triumph over him.”

「亚达巴沃的力量超乎想象之事我想已经有许多人目睹了......没错。很遗憾我们必须承认吧，在这个国家里面没有人能够胜过他」

Several people frowned in silence, then peeked at Remedios, who had been hailed as the strongest in the Holy Kingdom. After learning that she agreed with Caspond’s opinion, hints of fear and disappointment appeared on their faces.

数人一面板着脸不吭声、一面窥视被誉为圣王国最强的蕾梅迪奥斯，然后得知她也同意了卡斯邦登的意见之时，浮现出了略微的恐怖及失望。

“However, it is too early to give in to despair. If we cannot defeat him, then we will derail his plans in some other way and make him give up on trying to conquer the Holy Kingdom. We will not drive him out directly, but indirectly. Caspond waited several seconds for his words to sink in, and then spoke his conclusion. “What we will do is slaughter all the demihumans he leads.”

「但是，要悲观还太早。如果没有办法打倒他的话就用别的手段使他的计划受挫，让他放弃支配圣王国的计划即可。不是直接的，而是间接的击退那家伙」卡斯邦登经过数秒时间等待自己想说的话铭刻到大家的脑中、在那之后说出结论。「那个手段就是将那家伙所率领的亚人们全部杀光」

“Why are we doing that?

「这是为什么呢？」

Caspond saw someone asking a question and nodded to them.

看到有人提问，卡斯邦登点点头。

“In the past, Jaldabaoth made trouble in the Kingdom. Back then, he fought a certain warrior in a duel, and then he lost and ran away. At that time, he led an army of demons, but not an army of demihumans. In other words, he came to lead the demihuman army after losing to that warrior.”

「过去亚达巴沃在王国造成了动乱。那个时候，他和某位战士进行了单挑，结果是败北之后逃了出去。那个时候那家伙虽然率领着恶魔军团，但却没有率领着亚人军团。也就是说，正因为他和那位战士败北之后，他才会来率领亚人军团的不是么」

Caspond looked around, as if to see if everyone understood.

卡斯邦登像是要确认大家是否理解了那样，环视着周围。

“In other words, he is using the demihuman army as meat shields to avoid being forced into a one-on-one battle with that warrior. Didn’t Jaldabaoth say something like that when he defeated His Majesty? Something about leading the demihuman army almost becoming meaningless, or something.”

「也就是说他为了避免和那位战士形成一对一的状况，所以才率领了亚人军团来充当肉盾的不是吗......亚达巴沃打赢魔导王陛下的时候，好像这么说过？差点就失去了率领亚人的意义了，这样」

It made sense.

正是如此。

Back then, it had made no sense, but after hearing that explanation, it was hard to think of any other reason.

那个时候还搞不懂是什么意思，但现在听了说明以后，除此之外很难想到其他理由了。

“In other words, the demihuman army is like armor and stamina for when he fights that warrior again. What will Jaldabaoth do if he loses the demihuman army? Will he remain stripped of his armor and stamina? When that warrior might appear in front of him again at any moment? Or perhaps -- would he choose to flee?”

「也就是说，亚人军团对于亚达巴沃来说，是为了和那位战士再次交战的铠甲和体力。如果失去了亚人军团，亚达巴沃会怎么做呢？是维持自己铠甲和体力都被剥夺掉的状态么？明明那位战士有可能再度站到自己面前？又或者说——会选择逃跑呢？」

“I see… then do you intend to abandon this city, defeat the southern demihuman army, and then join forces with the South to drive out the demihumans?”

「原来如此......那么王兄殿下是打算放弃这座都市，南下打击亚人军队，和南部军联手一起驱逐亚人吗？」

After a certain priest asked his question, a certain rescued noble answered him.”

对于某位神官的提问，不知是哪位被解救出来的贵族回答了。

“That would be good. Thanks to the Sorcerer King’s power, almost 40’000 demihumans have been wiped out. The demihumans have lost a great deal of their fighting strength, no? The remainder ought to be staring down the South. If we rally all the people this city has rescued for an all-out attack and strike them from the back in a pincer attack, we ought to be able to rout the demihuman army. That way, we will be able to join up with the Southern forces and take back our land.

「这样很好。由于魔导王的力量，近四万的亚人都在这里被消灭了。大量的亚人兵力已经没有了哦？剩余的兵力应该和南方正在相互对峙着。将这个都市解救出来的全部人马一齐进攻，从背后——夹击的话，应该能够毁灭亚人军团。这样一来，和南部军汇合，也就可以夺还国土了」

哦哦，周围传出欢呼声。在这样的情况下，卡斯邦登摇了摇头，沉默充斥在这个房间里。

“--I propose the opposite. We will take back the closest major city on the west, which is the northern stronghold of Kalinsha.”

「——与此相反。我们要夺回离西边最近的大都市，也是北部要地的卡琳夏」

“Why is that, may I ask?”

「这是为什么、呢？」

“He’s right. All the major cities to the west such as Kalinsha, Prart, Rimun and the capital of Hoburns will be very hard to take. Many lives will be lost. Why don’t we fight the southern demihumans instead? Would destroying the demihumans’ fighting power not fit more with your plans, Prince-denka?”

「没错，以此往西的大都市，卡琳夏、泊蘭德、里穆恩，以及首都荷班斯。无论哪个都很难进攻。会出现很多牺牲吧。不如和南边的亚人军交战，消灭亚人的兵力不是才更结合王兄殿下的考虑么？」

“I see. All of your concerns are valid. I am grateful for the fact that many of the people present here are wise. However, is that an action which everyone can understand?”

「原来如此。各位的考虑确实可以说非常正确。我对在场的大多都是贤者一事表示由衷的感谢。但是，这是所有人都能理解的行动吗？」

There were baffled looks on the faces of many of the people here.

在场的很多人，都露出不明所以的表情。

“How about this? Going to the south implies that we will be abandoning -- though it is only temporary, we are still abandoning them -- all the imprisoned people that we will not rescue as a result. Can the masses -- can the people understand that?”

「这样好吗？前往南方也就意味着，将还遭到囚禁的人们，虽说只是一时的，但还是放弃——舍弃了他们的行为。多数的——人民能理解吗？」

“That, that… but that makes more sense, there’ll be a higher chance of saving them, no?

「那、那个是......可是，那样的话更合理，得救的可能性更高不是吗！」

“You’re a baron, I believe?”

「好像，你是男爵吧？」

Caspond turned to look at the middle-aged man who had asked the question.

卡斯邦登把视线转向了，发出代表其他人提问的壮年男子。

“Y-yes. I believe we met once, Prince-denka.”

「是、是的。和王兄殿下过去有过一面之缘。」

“Ahh, just so. Now, have all the people of your domain been rescued?”

「啊啊，是这样么。然后，你的领民们全部都得救了吗？」

“Ah, no, not yet. I was imprisoned when I took the field beside Her Majesty, so I don’t know about my domain…”

「不，没有，还没有。我被囚禁是在跟从圣王女陛下参战的时候，所以对于我的领地现在的状况.......」

“I see. So when you join up with the Southern forces and take back the North, people might say you fled to the South.”

「原来如此。那么和南部的军团一起参与夺还的时候，你或许会被人说成是逃到了南方」

The nobleman’s face froze up.

贵族的表情凝固了。

When one thought calmly about it, the nobleman was right. However, there was no guarantee that everyone -- especially those who were writhing in agony -- would be able to see the sense in what the nobleman had said. It was possible that there would be people who would say “why didn’t you save us earlier, our families were slaughtered by the demihumans” and turn the blades of their hatred on the nobles. Neia had seen such people before.

冷静地想想看，贵族所说的是正确的。然而，所有的人，而且还是在苦境中苦苦挣扎的人们，并不能保证他们会接受贵族所说的合理。有把憎恨的利刃朝向贵族的可能性吧「为什么，不早点来解救我们。自己的家人被亚人杀害了」会这么说的人，宁亚就曾经见过。

However, nobody had said that in the prison camps which the Sorcerer King had liberated. Given his overwhelmingly potent magic -- which could sometimes wreck city walls in a single blast -- and the fact that he was the king of another nation, nobody would dare anger him for personal reasons.

但是，在魔导王解救的收容所里，并没有说这种话的人。以压倒性的魔法——有时一击就能破坏护城河的魔导王，而且是作为他国的王的立场上，不可能会有人以个人的理由去迁怒他。

“Also, I had been intending to speak to the landholders one-on-one after this. In this case, we might as well do it now.”

「还有，本打算之后再跟拥有领地的人一个个谈话的，既然这样，就在这说吧」

“...We are all exhausted. In contrast, what will the nobles of the South do? In particular, what will the other nobles do about nobles who have abandoned their fiefs?

「......我们已经非常疲惫了，与此相对，南方的贵族们会采取什么样的行动呢？特别是针对被觉得是舍弃了自己领地的贵族，其他的贵族会采取怎样的手段呢？」

The sticky scent of politics and privileges began to fill the air.

空气中开始飘散着政治和权利的粘稠的气息。

While it sounded unbelievable to Neia, was this what the nobles wanted? They nodded repeatedly.

虽然对宁亚来说是难以置信的话题，但这是正中了贵族们所想的东西了吗，他们不断地点着头。

“Prince-denka. Our domains…”

「王兄殿下。我们的领地......」

“I want you to pretend that you did not hear what comes next. That is because I cannot guarantee you anything. However, the privileges of the Southern nobles will probably increase all of a sudden. That is why you must pick the best methods for post-war conditions.”

「接下来说的，你们就当做没听过。因为，我也并不能向你们保证什么。只是，南方贵族的权利应该会一口气增加吧。正因为如此，所以要看准战后的情况，有必要在此选择最好的手段」

“A moment please!”

「请等一下！」

One of the paladins called out to him.

一名圣骑士发出了声音。

“How can we shed more of the people’s blood for courtly disputes!?”

「怎么能因为宫廷斗争而让人民留更多的血啊！」

“Indeed! Indeed!” The priest called Siliaco shouted in a voice which was said to have been trained for volume. “What’s important is how to save more people!”

「正是！正是！」名为希利亞科的祭司也拿着被说教锻炼出来的大声音喊着「重要的是让更多的人民得救的方法！」

“...Driving out the demihumans doesn’t mean it’s all over, you know? If the South takes all the advantages, then we’ll have a hard time refusing the demands of the Southern nobles. And there’s no guarantee that they won’t impose heavy taxes on the exhausted people.”

「......把亚人驱逐出去并不代表着结束哦？如果好处全被南方占了的话，战后拒绝南部贵族的要求就变得困难了。也没有办法保证他们不会对已经很疲惫的人民再课以重税」

“...Now that the Holy Queen is dead, it would be very bad if the next Holy King were to be chosen by the Southern nobles. However, if we can show concrete results with our strength, then at least…”

「......圣王女死亡后，下代圣王要是以南部贵族们为主导选举出来的话就太糟了。但是，如果有靠我们的力量做到的实绩的话，至少......」

There were two factions in the room now.

室内的气氛，分成了两股。

The nobles’ faction and the paladins and priests’ faction.

贵族阀派和圣骑士神官阀派。

Both sides were at odds. Speaking of Remedios, the paladins were trying to spoonfeed her a simplified version of what the Prince had said.

两个阀派的意见相互碰撞，说起蕾梅迪奧斯，她正在从圣骑士那里简单易懂地理解王兄说的话。

Neia was not part of either faction. She simply followed the flow of the conversation in silence. That was because Neia had already made up her mind about what she would be doing, so it did not matter what conclusion they reached in the end. Rather she wanted to bring up her own suggestion and set out as soon as possible.

宁亚两边都没有加入，只是沉默地跟着话题走向。这样子也是由于宁亚的行动已经决定好了，无论最终得出哪种结论都没关系。比起这个，更想要赶快解决自己的提案，赶紧出发。

That said, talking about irrelevant things here will only ruin the mood, and people who might have helped me won’t come to my aid...

（话虽如此，如果我在这里说了毫不相关的话，会让大家的情绪变差，或许会让能够给予帮助的人变得不会来帮忙了......）

Shortly after listening to numerous boring topics, she decided to toss the ball back to Caspond once both sides had worn themselves out with arguing.

听着自己觉得无聊的话语，不久后，随着双方都争执不下疲惫的时候，将话题抛给了卡斯邦登。

“The Prince-denka brought up this topic. Perhaps we should let him finish speaking?”

「这是从从王兄殿下的提议开始的话题。首先是否能请殿下把话说完？」

“Ahh. Like I said earlier, I intend to take back Kalinsha. This is also militarily advantageous. In truth, this city is far too cramped, and much of it has already been destroyed. Living here is difficult, so I would like to have a larger, more solid home base. In addition, by taking back a major city, we’ll have an advantage when dealing with the Southern nobles. Also, Kalinsha was meant to stop enemy advances, so it ought to have military stores, assuming they haven’t been moved out yet.”

「啊啊。我的想法正如之前所说，要夺回卡琳夏。这在军事上也有益处。说实话现在这个都市太狭窄了，而且相当广阔的一片区域已经被破坏了，在这里生活已经变得困难，想要个更宽阔结实的据点，而且夺回了一个大都市，在面对对南部贵族们的时候也会变得有利吧。再者，作为遏止敌人进攻的卡琳夏，如果资源没被搬运出去的话，应该会有军事储备才对」

“...I approve the proposal to secure a better base.”

「......我赞成入手更好的据点这个提案」

“Ahhh, I’m a little uneasy about the sanitation of a city like this. Many people are shivering from the cold too.”

「啊啊。这种程度的都市在卫生方面感觉有些不安。因为寒冷而颤抖的人也很多啊」

However, they went on to say, “we need to avoid large numbers of deaths”.

但是，他们继续说道「要避免出现大量的牺牲」这样。

“Indeed. That is why it is the best time to attack the enemy strongholds. After all, Jaldabaoth cannot take action now.”

「确实如此。正因为如此，才是现在。现在是进攻敌人据点的绝好时机。毕竟亚达巴沃现在不能行动的可能性很大」

There was no telling how long Jaldabaoth’s wounds would take to heal, but surely he would recover before the demihuman army was completely defeated.

虽然不知道亚达巴沃治愈伤势需要多长的时间。但是应该不至于亚人军团被全部击退为止还没恢复好吧。

In addition, it was very unlikely that he would show his face before making a complete recovery. After knowing of the existence of a powerful warrior like Momon, he would surely take the possibility of Momon showing up into consideration before taking action. Therefore, if he acted, it would not happen before he was almost completely recovered.

而且，伤势还没有完全恢复就出来的可能性也很低吧。他知道还有飞飞这名强者，他不可能不考虑到飞飞会再次出现在他面前这种可能性就开始行动。所以说，要开始行动也应该是伤势几乎愈全了以后吧。

That said, no matter how many forces they had, the Holy Kingdom would be at a loss once Jaldabaoth took the field. Therefore they had to take the fortress now.

然后，无论集结多少兵力，只要亚达巴沃出现在战场，圣王国这方就将处于无计可施的状况，也正因为如此，才要趁现在去攻下据点。

So that was it. After listening to that agreeable explanation, Neia expressed her approval as well.

原来如此，面对即使传出这种同意声也毫不奇怪的说明，宁亚也对此表示赞同。

“--In that case, it seems the only thing you are unhappy with is the number of people who must die for this. Can I take that to mean that you will give me your support if I can minimize the number of deaths?”

Everyone present nodded, with the exception of Remedios. Neia did not mind either way, but after considering the flow of the conversation, she realised that it would be bad if only one person was not nodding, and so she nodded with everyone else.

As for Remedios, several people looked at her face and saw that she did not seem to have any special reasons, so they chose to ignore her.

“It’s decided then. We will discuss the details of retaking Kalinsha afterwards. Now then -- our next item.”

Caspond sighed loudly and then turned to Neia.

“This concerns the death of the Sorcerer King.”

“Prince-denka, I sincerely apologize, but I hope you will amend that statement immediately. The Sorcerer King’s death remains in question. That was simply what Jaldabaoth told us. It would be foolish to take a demon’s words at face value.”

Neia eyed Remedios and continued, “I think it it more likely that he is trying to deceive us.”

“In that case, why has he not come back? He can cast teleportation spells, can’t he?”

“Perhaps he was immobilized by his wounds, perhaps he’s out of mana, there could be many reasons for it.”

Remedios did not ask any further.

“That’s true. That’s why I’d like to hear from all of you. What do you think we should do?”

“There’s no point in asking what we should do!” Neia shouted, forcing the words out like she was trying to strain them out through her teeth. “...I think we should dispatch a rescue party and relay this news to the Sorcerous Kingdom at the same time. If possible, I would like to be the messenger.”

“I see. That’s what you think, Squire Baraja. How about the others?”

As Caspon looked up and down the gathered people, one of the nobles spoke up.

“I have a question. While the Sorcerer King was supposed to have gone down in the east, considering we will be mounting a rescue operation in demihuman-controlled territory, would it not be better to wait until we have some concrete intelligence before…”

“It’ll be too late by then,” Neia immediately shot back. “The more we delay, the more His Majesty will be exposed to danger. I suggest we make our rescue as soon as possible.”

The majority agreed with Neia’s opinion. What she said made perfect sense.

“In that case, we ought to send out a search party at the same time as the envoys to the Sorcerous Kingdom.”

“...I have something I would like to confirm with you, since you have the role of His Majesty’s squire. Do you think the Sorcerer King told the people of his country that he was coming to the Holy Kingdom?”

Neia began to think.

“I apologize, but I am not sure. However, I feel it would not be strange for him to have told the people of the Sorcerous Kingdom, because there were times when he returned to his country with teleportation spells.”

“In that case, I feel you should not send an envoy to the Sorcerous Kingdom.”

“Why!?”

Neia glared at the noble who had done nothing but naysay. The noble retreated two steps and his face went pale under that glare. The people around that noble also backed away from him.

“No, ah, please calm down and listen. That, uh, that is because it will bring trouble. Wait! Please calm down and listen to me. When you think about it normally, the possibility exists that the Sorcerous Kingdom’s undead armies would take revenge on us, am I wrong? And revenge would be one thing; they might annex the Holy Kingdom as well. And… ah, why is that? Who’s to say the Sorcerer King was not aiming for that all along?”

“Excuse me!” Neia was so angry that she actually felt dizzy. “In that case, permit me to ask a question of my own! If His Majesty returned to his country by teleportation, what will he think of the Holy Kingdom, who knew what happened but said nothing?”

Everyone she could see nodded in agreement. Amidst all this, Remedios spoke.

“Well, it can’t be helped then, can it? Our country doesn’t have the luxury of doing that now. We’ll apologize after everything is over.”

“Even if you--”

Neia was so worked up that she was about to shout, and then she heard the sound of clapping from beside her. She looked over, and saw that it was Caspond. Since the Prince wanted to speak, all Neia could do was remain silent.

“Squire Baraja. Allow me to pick the people who will go to the Sorcerous Kingdom. How about that? After all, if we send over a mere squire as a messenger, won’t the other country think we’re making fun of them?”

“That, that is as you say…”

His explanation made perfect sense. Under normal circumstances, they would surely pick a country’s ambassador over a squire who had borrowed a magic bow from the Sorcerer King. However, would he really send out an envoy? She found that part hard to believe. Even so, it would be very bad to show that she did not trust the Prince’s words.

“I am glad that you understand.”

“In that case, please allow me to lead several people to the east.”

“Indeed. I would very much like to send you as well, but we still do not know where the Sorcerer King fell. He might be ten kilometers away or a hundred. If things go badly, he might have fallen into the Abelion Hills, which Jaldabaoth controls. Even if I allowed you to go to such a desolate place, would you have any means of finding the Sorcerer King?

Neia could not answer him.

Finding where the demihumans lived in unfamiliar terrain was an impossible task. She could easily imagine the scouting team meeting with difficulty and being wiped out.

“Surviving in the hills, slipping past demihuman observation and gathering information,” Caspond counted off on his fingers. If you go there without preparing, you will simply be killing yourself indirectly, and what good is a rescue party that ends in failure?”

“Then, then do you have another way!?”

“Of course.”

“Eh?”

How could there be? As she thought about that question, it was easily answered. Neia’s eyes went wide in surprise, and then Caspond adjusted himself before telling Neia the answer.

“All you need is to find someone who knows the hills.”

Neia blinked, and Caspond smiled to her.

“Listen. All we need to do is to take a demihuman captive and have him lead the way. Would it not be safer to order a demihuman to act as your guide?”

“Ah.”

Indeed, that was the case. Humans would be taking an absurd risk in entering that land. However, it would be a different matter if they had guides.

However, there were also problems with it which could not be ignored.

If they simply threatened a demihuman prisoner into showing them the way, then if the prisoner was willing to take them with him, the searching party would be going to their deaths. The Orcs she had met earlier seemed like the type who did not care about whether they lived or died.

They would need trustworthy demihumans, but where would they find those?

What could she do to make a demihuman act as a reliable guide?

Neia racked her brains, but when she thought of demihumans, she could only think of them coming at her murderously, and she could not imagine them accepting an offer to turn their coats.

No, the Orcs and the Grand King Buser felt like humans -- I see, take their relatives hostage… no, if we could take a king like Buser prisoner, his tribe would probably obey us.

Or on the other hand, the angered tribe might put up stiff resistance. Besides, how would they capture a mighty demihuman king like Buser--

As Neia wandered aimlessly in a mental labyrinth, chasing an answer she could not find, the room’s door swung open and a paladin barged in.

He panted heavily and looked around the interior of the room, but he approached Caspond instead of Remedios.

Perhaps he did not want others to hear what news he had. He brought the Prince to a corner of the room and whispered in his ear, but Neia’s keen hearing picked up snatches of their exchange. Among them, the last piece of information piqued her interest.

He had said “maid demons”.