Savior of the Nation

Part 1

The liberation of Kalinsha had been surprisingly simple.

卡林夏的解放出乎意料的简单。

The combination of the Zerns rising up in revolt, the sheer lack of demihuman manpower compared to the size of the city and the absence of the henchman demon to command them, meant that it was a foregone conclusion. Of course, there were many casualties on both sides, but the losses to the Holy Kingdom Liberation Army were surprisingly light considering they had managed to retake such a large city.

蓝蛆进行了内应、没有了亲信大恶魔的指挥、亚人方兵力相对城市面积又显得不足等等多种原因共同作用促成了这一结局。当然，双方都出现了大量的战死者，但是能夺回如此大的城市，对于解放军方面来说这个损失还是出乎意料的小。

One of the main reasons for that was Neia, who carried the Ultimate Shootingstar Super on her back.

主要的原因之一，是背着终极超级流星进行引导的宁亚。

Of course, CZ had assisted from the shadows, but Neia and her spectacular bow had been a majestic sight which had greatly inspired the people.

当然这其中也有来自希丝的暗中支援，不过装备了华丽耀眼弓箭的宁亚有足够的威严鼓舞民众。

And so, Neia stood atop a platform and passionately addressed the audience gathered in the plaza.

如今宁亚正站在台上，向广场上的观众们热情地诉说着。

She told them: there was no greater king in this world than the Sorcerer King.

The first thing Neia did after liberating Kalinsha was to request support in order to go searching for the Sorcerer King.

解放卡林夏后，宁亚做的第一件事就是寻求对魔导王搜索的支援。

The Zern did their part and questioned the demihuman captives about the Abelion Hills, but she was still severely lacking in material resources, information, experience, and the like.

蓝蛆提供了协助，向俘虏的亚人进行了关于亚伯利恩丘陵的情报收集，但物资、情报、经验等还是有很多不足。

It would be one thing if they could try as often as they liked, but it was difficult to repeatedly send out search parties and rescue teams into enemy territory. In other words, they had to get it right the first time. That being the case, no amount of preparations would be enough. That was why she had decided to capitalize on the fact that many people had been freed through the liberation of Kalinsha and seek their aid in various areas.

如果机会非常多的话倒还另当别论，但想要多次向敌方领土派出搜索和救出的部队实则困难。也就是说，必须一次成功。那么不管怎样去准备都不嫌充分。所以才会活用解放了卡林夏而让众多民众得救的状况，寻求各式各样的助力。

However, the people did not volunteer their help immediately after it was requested. Even after taking back Kalinsha, there were still many other cities that had been captured, as well as many people who had been imprisoned or who had lost track of their relatives. Neia was trying to sell them on the benefits of aiding the Sorcerer King in order to move their hearts.

但并非表示希望得到帮助后，就立刻会有人提供帮助。就算夺回了卡林夏，其他被占领的城市还有很多，被囚禁的人也有很多，还很多人失去了亲人的行踪。正是为了打动这些人的心，宁亚在诉说着援助魔导王的好处。

However, as the number of helpers increased, the contents of her speeches gradually began to change.

但是随着协助者的增加，诉说的内容也渐渐发生了变化。

The people who had come to hear Neia speak about the Sorcerer King were all people that the Sorcerer King had once rescued. They were people who had tasted the purest of pain and who now wanted to cling to a powerful being in order to heal the lingering emotional trauma in their souls.

这些来到宁亚身边想要聆听有关魔导王的话语的听众，都是一些被魔导王救助过的人们。他们是品味过痛苦、为了缓和心中难以愈合的创伤而向强大的存在寻求依靠的人们。

Those who knew of the Sorcerer King’s greatness could be considered her comrades.

在知晓魔导王的伟大这一方面称得上是同胞。

It was second nature for Neia to joyously tell them about the Sorcerer King’s magnificence.

宁亚能够愉快地诉说魔导王有多么卓越也是再正常不过的变化了。

Gradually, people who did not know the Sorcerer King began to take part as well. These were the friends of those who had been rescued by the Sorcerer King. As the word spread, more and more unrelated people came to listen to Neia’s words.

渐渐地，不认识魔导王的人们也加入了进来，这是因为魔导王救助过的人们邀请来了自己的朋友。然后传闻越来越广，现在想要听宁亚讲话的无关人员变得越来越多了。

With her visor on, Neia gushed to these people about the excellence of the Sorcerer King during the liberation of the city and the battle with Jaldabaoth.

戴着护目镜的宁亚对那些人们口若悬河的说着关于夺还城市、和亚达巴沃战斗的魔导王有多么超群绝伦。

She would not have been able to speak so unreservedly several weeks ago. She would have tensed up under the eyes of the audience and she would have been at a loss for words as her mind blanked out. But after addressing crowds over and over again, she finally came to realize that she did not need to express her own thoughts, only paint a picture of the Sorcerer King’s glory for the audience with her words. Neia had become an eloquent speaker.

数星期之前还无法做到这般无所顾忌的演讲，会因为众人的视线而感到紧张，不知道该讲些什么好，经常会有脑袋里一片空白的情况。但是经过多次在众人面前讲话终于明白，不必发表自己的感想，只要将自己所见的魔导王那卓越的风采描述给众人即可。宁亚变得能言善辩了。

Yes, they now spoke of her as the Faceless Preacher.

是的，已经达到了被称作无 面的传教士的境界。

And so--

于是——

“Thus, His majesty is truly beyond compare! How could there be another king who cares so much for the people! Yes, I know what you want to say. After all, Her Majesty Calca Bessarez is also an excellent queen, however -- has anyone here heard of a king who would go this far for the people of another nation! You!”

「正因此，魔导王陛下是无人可比的！如此为民众着想的王，还可能有第二个吗！我也明白大家想要说什么！确实卡儿可·贝萨雷斯圣王女陛下也是一位很优秀的女王，但是——难道还有人听说过有哪位大人会为了救助他国的民众而做到这般地步吗！你！」

Neia pointed at one of the members of the audience in front of her.

宁亚指向了身前听众中的一人。

“Have you ever heard of a king who went out by himself to save another nation’s people from torment?”

「你有听说过吗？因为他国民众的疾苦，而单身前去拯救的王的传闻！」

“Eh, ah, no, that, I’ve never heard… anything like that… before…”

「哎、啊、不、那个、没有听……说、过」

As everyone’s eyes focused on him, the voice of the man who had been called out gradually trailed off.

众人的视线向他聚来，被指点的男人声音渐渐小了下去。

“Excellent answer! That’s exactly it!”

「答得漂亮！就是那样！」

The rows of people beside Neia on the stage joined the people in the audience who shared Neia’s views, to applaud the man as Neia praised him.

配合着宁亚的赞赏，在台上左右排开，和她持有相同看法的人们，向回答的男人送上掌声。

The man blushed and looked a little shy.

男人变得有些不好意思起来。

“In truth, we checked to see if any other king had done that much, but noooo! No matter how hard we looked, we could not find any king like the Sorcerer King!”

「事实上我们也调查过有没有其他的王能做到这般地步，但是、没有！那样的王不管哪里也再找不出第二位，只有魔导王陛下！」

There had been kings who had led armies to rescue neighboring countries, but it was a fact that there had been no kings who had gone alone.

是有率兵前往邻国进行救援的王，但没有单身赴会的王却是事实。

“Think of it, a king going to aid the people of another country regardless of the risk to himself! It’s never been done before! Only the Sorcerer King!” Neia paused, then continued. “Only His Majesty! Only a king like that truly deserves to be called a righteous king!”

「一国之王不顾危险帮助他国的平民。从来没有过这种事！只有魔导王陛下！」宁亚稍作停顿，继续说到。「只有魔导王陛下！只有这样的王才能被称作正义的王！」

“But can we trust him!? Isn’t he undead!?”

「但是能够信任吗！？他是不死者吧！？」

Neia responded to the question from the audience with a gentle smile. At first, Neia had thought the same thing herself. In other words, he was like herself from the past. He simply did not know; he did not understand.

面对听众中投来的这般疑问，宁亚报以温柔的笑容进行回答。宁亚最初也曾怀有过相同想法。也就是说他就像是以前的自己。只是不知道、知识不足而已。

She would make him see -- no, she would open his eyes, just like she had opened her eyes, and those of everyone else’s. With that feeling in her heart, Neia addressed the crowd.

就像自己见识到的那样，使他——不、要让和他抱有同样想法的人都能够领悟，宁亚抱着这种干劲，向听众们诉说着。

“Yes! His Majesty is undead! It is only normal that you should all feel uneasy! It is a fact that the undead are frightening monsters. I have no intention of saying that all undead are good. Many undead are evil, and there is no doubt that they hate the living!”

「是的！陛下是不死者！大家会感到不安也很正常！不死者是恐怖的怪物也是事实。要说不死者全都是好的，我一点赞同的意思都没有。大部分不死者都是邪恶的存在，毫无疑问在憎恨着生者吧」

Now that everyone was listening to her in earnest, Neia seized on the mood in the air and forcefully declared her summation.

感受着所有人都在认真倾听自己话语的现场气氛，宁亚将结论强烈地表达出来。

“However! There are exceptions to all things! Just as there might be a warm day in winter, just as a bud might bloom from a withered branch, just as a brilliant shooting star can streak across the darkest night. So too is His Majesty -- an undead being who aids the living. You must have heard the stories from the people he rescued. It is also possible that some of you were rescued by him. Then based on what you know to be true, you have the proof that I am not lying!”

「但是！不管什么事情都有例外。就像寒冷的冬季里也可能有温暖的一天，就像枯萎的树枝上也可能长出含苞待放的花蕾。漆黑的夜空也可能突然划过一道闪亮的流星。陛下他——正是对生者给予帮助的不死者！你们当中应该也有人从获得救助的人那里听说过了吧，也可能、你们中有人正是被救助过的人，那么你们所了解的事实，应该可以证明我所说的并不是谎言吧」

After verifying that there were no objections from the crowd, Neia spoke in leaden, grim tones.

确认听众中没有传来反对的声音，宁亚用沉重、阴暗的语气说下去。

“...This time round, that sturdy fortress line was broken, and the demihumans rushed in like an avalanche. Will such a tragedy only happen once? Does anyone believe it will not happen a second time?”

「……这次，那条坚固的要塞防线被打破，使得亚人们能蜂拥而入。这种悲剧只会发生这一次吗？有人认为再也不会发生第二次了吗？」

The silence of the audience spoke for them.

一目了然，听众们的沉默正代表了他们的答案。

Of course they hoped that it would not happen again, but nobody could believe it.

当然是希望不会再发生，但却没有办法相信。

“I fully understand how uneasy you are. Perhaps the generation of our -- everyone’s children might be able to rest at ease. After all, the tragedy that just occurred will spur us on to unflagging vigilance… however!”

「我十分理解大家的不安，在我们或者大家的孩子这一代人大概可以安心吧。毕竟刚刚发生的悲剧，会驱使我们毫不怠懈的警戒……。但是！」

Neia’s tone grew forceful.

宁亚在这里加重了语气。

“Can anyone guarantee that such a tragedy will not repeat itself in the generation of our grandchildren, or our grandchildren’s grandchildren? Does anyone dare say it happened once, so it will never happen again!? That is why we must prepare, so the fortress will never be breached again!”

「到了我们孙子或是孙子的孙子的时候——能绝对不保证会发生同样的悲剧吗！谁又敢说发生过一次就真的不会再有第二次呢！？所以我们必须要进行准备，要让那个要塞不可能再次被突破」

Voices saying “Yes” and “That’s right” began to float up from the crowd.

是的、不错、这样的声音扬了起来。

“--It seems everyone agrees too, but in the far-off future, in an age when this tragedy is but a distant memory, can the people then still maintain their strength? Do you think we can station twice or three times as many forces on the fortress line?”

「——看来大家也都很赞同啊，但是在遥远的后世，只是对悲剧有所耳闻的那个时代，人们还能维持足够的军事力量吗？你们认为能够让现今的两倍、三倍兵力一直留在要塞防线吗？」

The military budget would drain the national reserves, and they would deploy an intimidating amount of fighting strength but have no obvious results to show for it.

军费会压迫着国库，用作威慑的战力却难以展现出显着的成果。

“I trust there are people who served in the fortresses during your conscription. Then please recall the daily expenses and stores consumed back then; if they were tripled, do you not think it would greatly strain the nation? At that time, do you think a country that only knows of that tragedy from memory will continue their efforts?”

「在这里各位应该有应召征兵去过要塞的人吧。那么请回想起来，如果大家记忆中的日常粮食消耗速度提升到三倍的话，不觉得对国库会造成沉重的负担吗？届时只是从记载中了解到过往悲剧的王家，还会继续坚持下去吗？」

As understanding dawned on the faces of her audience, Neia delivered her conclusion.

等待听众们浮现出理解的神色后，宁亚说出结论。

“--That is why we need the protection of His Majesty!”

「——所以我们需要魔导王陛下的庇护！」

“Why! Why must we seek the help of the undead!”

「为什么啊！为什么要向不死者！」

The same voice from before rang out.

和先前的声音相同的男性声音再次扬起。

It was the man who had questioned her earlier. People like him put Neia at ease. Her toughest crowds were the ones where nobody reacted at all. When that happened, she felt uneasy about whether her words had reached them at all.

正是之前提出疑问的男人。有这种人在能使宁亚感到更安心，最难搞的是谁都没有反应的情况，那样的话，会对自己的话是否传达到了、能否被理解而感到不安。

Neia’s supporters had suggested planting a few naysayers like that in the audience beforehand, but Neia refused. Similarly, she had rejected the idea of planting shills in the audience.

协助者们也有提出过应该在听众中事先混入几名类似角色的建议，不过宁亚拒绝了。同样被拒绝的还有雇人捧场的建议。

“I am saying this precisely because he is undead. His Majesty is powerful, but more importantly, he is undead, and so in that far distant future, he will still be alive -- still exist.”

「正因为是不死者，我才会这样说。魔导王陛下很强，更重要的是，他是一位不死的存在，在遥远的那个时代也能活着——存在下去。」

“But, but I heard that the Sorcerer King fell in battle and died.”

「但、但是，我听说魔导王已经战败而死了啊」

“That rumor is both true and false at the same time. Sadly, the first part is true. His Majesty expended a great deal of mana and cast many spells in order to save we who were powerless, and in the end he was defeated by Jaldabaoth. But the second part is false. His Majesty is not dead! The existence of CZ will prove that to everyone.”

「那是真实和虚假同时存在的传言呢。虽然很遗憾，前者确实是事实。魔导王陛下为了救助无力的我们，使用了很多魔法，消耗了大量的魔力，最终才败给了亚达巴沃。但后者却是虚假的，魔导王陛下并没有死。关于这一点希丝的存在可以证明」

This was the cue for CZ -- one of the key figures in the liberation of Kalinsha -- to enter from the side.

夺还卡林夏的中心人物之一，希丝从舞台的侧面以合适的时机登场。

The audience gasped in awe, and worshipful murmurs of “CZ-sama” could be heard.

观众们发出了感叹，还有「是希丝大人」这样的充满崇拜的声音传来。

“...Mm.”

「…………嗯」

CZ held her head high and puffed her chest out.

希丝昂首挺胸。

“Once, she was one of the maid demons in Jaldabaoth’s service, yet she fought alongside us in the Battle of Kalinsha. That is because His Majesty wrested command over her from Jaldabaoth’s hands.”

「她曾是亚达巴沃手下的女仆恶魔中的一人，但是，却在夺还卡林夏在战斗中和我们并肩作战。那是因为魔导王陛下从亚达巴沃手中夺取了她的支配权」

Many people had seen CZ slay demihumans without pause during the battle. The people who addressed her as -sama had probably been directly aided by her.

希丝在卡林夏夺还战中不停猎杀亚人的身姿被很多民众们看在眼中。对她以大人相称的人应该是受到过她的直接帮助吧。

CZ was very popular. Even if she had once been a maid demon of Jaldabaoth, she was still very pretty, and more importantly, she felt youthful. One could say it was difficult to bear hostility against her.

希丝的人气很高。就算已经明白她过去曾是亚达巴沃的女仆恶魔，但毕竟外貌很美，更重要的是，还带有一些年幼的感觉。可以说难以对她抱以敌意。

Had the Sorcerer King considered this when he bound you to his service, Neia had once asked CZ. CZ had replied, “Maybe.”

魔导王是因为已经考虑到这些了才选择支配你吗，这样向她提问后，希丝的回答是「有可能」。

“CZ was bound by the magic of His Majesty, and that remains in effect as long as the Sorcerer King still lives. In other words, she is the proof that His Majesty still lives.”

「希丝是被魔导王陛下的魔法所支配的，只要魔导王还在世那支配就有效果。也就是说，她正是魔导王陛下还活着的证据」

As the air turned electric, Neia raised her arms to indicate that everyone should be quiet, because she was not done speaking.

面对现场嘈杂起来的气氛，宁亚扬起双手，示意大家静一静，自己的话还没有说完。

“I am sure you are all wondering why His Majesty has not yet shown himself. In truth I do not know either. However, I cannot imagine that such a compassionate lord would abandon us! There must be some reason why he cannot return here immediately. I do not know if that is because of His Majesty’s considerations, or if some danger has arisen. And that is why!”

「大家也在想为什么陛下还不现身吧，关于这一点我也不明白，但是，我无法想象那位慈悲为怀的大人会舍弃我们！一定有什么原因，一定是因为什么而无法立即回到这里吧！至于那是出于陛下自身的考虑，还是由于出现了危险的状况我也不明白。正因如此！」

Neia’s voice reverberated through the silent plaza.

在寂静下来的广场上，宁亚的声音强烈地回荡着。

“That is why I beseech all of you for your strength! Please lend me the strength to find His Majesty. Even if we bet our lives to walk the length and breadth of the Abelion Hills where the demihumans live before finding His Majesty, the Holy Kingdom still cannot fully repay the debt we owe Him. And I have said this before, but His Majesty came only to fight Jaldabaoth, yet he ended up fighting the demihumans on behalf of our weak selves, thus wearing down his strength and leading to his defeat!”

「正因如此，我希望借助大家的力量！请借给我去寻找魔导王陛下的力量。就算拼上性命走遍亚人领土的丘陵地带，最终找回了陛下，圣王国仍说不上偿还了陛下的恩情。之前也说过了，魔导王陛下只是为了与亚达巴沃战斗而来的，却因为我们的弱小而负担了和亚人们的战斗，因此损耗了力量才导致失败！」

Neia raised her voice even louder as she shouted.

宁亚用更大的声音喊着。

“And that is why -- everyone! That is why we ought to repay the debt we owe to the person who came to save us! That great man came by himself to save us! Even if he is one of the undead, I do not intend to be an ingrate! --And so, I call upon the people who seek to repay the debt to His Majesty in some small way.”

「即便如此——大家！我们、应该要对救我们而来的人报恩！只身前来救助我们的那位大人——就算他是不死者，我也不想因此而成为忘恩负义的人！——想要偿还魔导王陛下恩情的人们啊，我向你们请求」

Neia stopped for a while to let the anticipation build before shouting again.

演讲暂停了一会，稍作蓄势后的宁亚开口喊到。

“I am looking for people to help me find His Majesty! But you do not need to go in person! Your skills, your knowledge, anything you can contribute will be useful. Please lend me your strength! Please help me!”

「我寻求能和我共同援助魔导王陛下的人们！并不是必须要亲身前往！在技术上、知识上、什么

都行！请借给我力量！请帮助我！」

Neia bowed her head, and beside her, so did CZ.

宁亚低下了头，身旁的希丝也将头轻轻低下。

Ohhhh, the crowd roared.

从听众中传来噢噢的呼喊声。

After raising her head, Neia finished thusly:

抬起头的宁亚在最后只是这么说。

“...I am certain there are some of you out there who cannot believe based on my words alone. However, how about asking the people from the Liberation Army before Kalinsha was taken back? That way, I am certain you will believe that I am not lying.”