Gunner and Archer

Part 1

After leaving Caspond’s room, the first place Neia went was the archery range. Neia’s subordinates had been waiting there and they swiftly flocked to her.

离开了卡斯邦登房间的宁亚，首先前往的地方是弓箭训练所。在那里等着宁亚归来的部下们

很快聚集了过来。

As her friends went, “How did the meeting turn out, Miss Baraja?”, “We’re always ready to go” and other such things, Neia told them about the meeting.

宁亚向包围了自己，讲着「巴拉哈小姐。会议的结果怎么样了呐？」「我们随时都可以行动

哦」等等的伙伴们讲述了会议的内容。

She told them everything -- what had happened, what had been said, and the conclusions they had reached.

发生了什么、讲了些什么，还有结论是什么。宁亚全部都说了出来。

Most of them hunted for a living, and they were all excellent outdoorsmen. Even they could not help but nod grimly at Caspond’s conclusion. There was no doubt that searching the Hills would be extremely difficult.

他们多数都是以狩猎为生，拥有很强的野外生存能力。即使是他们，面对卡斯邦登的结论也

只能懊悔地点头。看来丘陵的搜索难度相当高是不会错了。

That being the case, they would not be able to cover a large area with a search party within a short span of time. However, they could conduct a simple search within the Holy Kingdom -- heading east from this place to the fortress line. Since it was unclear where the Sorcerer King had landed, he might be within the Holy Kingdom’s borders.

这么一来，果然要尽快派遣搜索队大范围地寻找是不太可能的。因为还不知道魔导王落在了

哪里，说不定就在圣王国的境内。只是，即使是简单地搜索也会是圣王国境内——从这里到

要塞线为止的大片东部地区。

Several people skilled in ranger techniques stepped forward.

几个拥有游击兵[Ranger]技能的人自告奋勇站了出来。

Neia wanted to take part as well, but she had practically no ranger skills, so she would only get in the way if she accompanied them.

宁亚虽然也想参加，但她作为游击兵的技能和没有差不多。和他们一起去也只会碍手碍脚。

This was an operation to rescue a righteous king who had reached a helping hand out to save the people of another country. As his squire, not being able to go felt like disloyalty, and it gnawed at Neia’s heart.

不去参加救出向他国民众伸出救助之手的正义之王的行动，对作为王的侍从的自己来说这简

直是不忠，宁亚不禁心如刀绞。

She felt like screaming the way she had done at Remedios, but nothing would come of it even if she did so.

内心充满了想要和那个时候的蕾梅迪奥丝一样地吼叫的心情。但是就算这么做了也没什么用。

Neia told everyone that they had received Caspond’s permission to search within the Holy Kingdom’s borders, but she could not take part herself.

宁亚告诉了大家在境内的搜索行动已经得到了卡斯邦登的许可，但是自己不能参加。

“Leave it to us, Miss Baraja.”

「就交给我们吧。巴拉哈小姐」

“Ahhh. We’ll keep our eyes open while searching our great benefactor, His Majesty. We won’t miss a single clue!”

「啊啊。搜索对我们有大恩的魔导王陛下时，一定睁大眼睛，决不会落下一丝一毫的线索！」

“Alright, everyone. Once the Prince-denka gives his permission, I, I’ll be counting on all of you!”

「好的，大家。王兄殿下的许可下来的时候，务必，务必拜托大家了！」

Neia bowed deeply to them.

宁亚深深地低下了头。

“Miss Baraja, what will the rest of us do? How can we be useful to the Sorcerer King?”

「那么巴哈拉小姐。剩下的人要做什么好？怎样才能帮到魔导王陛下？」

As everyone looked at her with zeal in their eyes, Neia was filled with delight.

被大家充满热情的视线看着，宁亚开心了起来。

Even after witnessing that sight, nobody felt that the Sorcerer King was dead.

就算看到了那样的光景，也没有一个人觉得魔导王已经死了。

That’s right! How could His Majesty be dead! I’m sure, I’m sure he must be waiting for us to rescue him… I think.

「就是啊！魔导王陛下怎么可能会死！一定，是在等着我们的救援……大概」

Neia could not imagine a scenario where that supreme being would wait for these people to rescue him. For all she knew, they would probably find him elegantly sipping a glass of fine wine in front of a pile of demihuman and demon corpses.

脑海里浮现不出那位绝对者会等待自己这些人去救助的光景。说不定找到他的时候，他正在

亚人和恶魔死尸累累的背景前，优雅地畅饮红酒什么的。

“Alright! Then everyone who’s left will start training, because weakness is a sin!”

「好！那么剩下的人就进行训练吧！因为弱小就是恶呢！」

Indeed, that was all Neia could do now. She had to become strong enough to be of use next time. If she and her people had been strong enough, the righteous Sorcerer King would not have ended up like this.

没错，现如今宁亚能做的也就只有这个了。不强大到下次至少能派上点用处可不行。如果这

边足够强的话，也就不会发生让正义的魔导王陷入如此境地的事情了。

“Ohhhh!”

「喔喔！」

Their spirited answer echoed loudly. That was because everyone understood what Neia meant when she said, “The Sorcerer King is justice and weakness is a sin”. Not many people had agreed with those words when this unit had first been formed, but after mixing with them, more people had come to understand them.

充满气魄的回应声大声响起。这正是因为大家都理解了宁亚所说的「魔导王才是正义，弱小即

为恶」的说法。这支队伍刚成立的时候同意这个的人并不多，在交流过几次之后理解的人便

增加了。

“Then I’ll go see the Prince!”

「那么我就去会见王兄殿下了！」

After speaking directly with Caspond, the search party was quickly granted permission to move out. They had set out on the day itself, and three days had passed since then.

和卡斯邦登直接谈过之后，搜索队出动的许可很快就下来了。许可的当天搜索队便已出发，

至今已过了三天。

While things might have gotten troublesome if the members of the search party had not been of one mind, the fact was that all of them had been chosen because they agreed with Neia’s proposal, and so they had left without delay.

虽然想说搜索队的成员如果选的是有各种不同想法的人的话，事情可能会变得很麻烦，但实际

上全员都是和宁亚的提议一致的人选所以迅速地就出发了。

While rumors of taking back Kalinsha had circulated through the city during these three days, the Liberation Army had not actually made any moves and merely let time pass aimlessly. The exception was Neia and the increasing number of people who had come to accept the Sorcerer King as justice -- they diligently applied themselves to their training

在这三天里，虽然都市内流传着夺还卡林夏的流言，但是解放军实际上什么动作也没有，只是无

意义地——除了宁亚她们有在切实地训练，相信魔导王陛下是正义的人也越来越多外——让

时间流逝而已。

Neia let loose an arrow at the target bored, an irritated look on her face.

宁亚摆着一张表情烦躁的脸，对着靶子射着箭。

Her anxiety and anger had probably made her hands slip, because the arrow embedded itself just slightly off the center of the target.

是焦急与愤怒的感情影响到了手感吧。射出的箭扎在了偏离靶心一点的位置。

Normally, someone would have come over to lightly chide Neia, but nobody dared address Neia now.

虽然平时的话会有谁过来调侃两句吧，但没有会向现在的宁亚搭话的人。

The reason for that was Neia’s face.

原因是宁亚现在的脸。

Her anxiety over not being able to do anything for the Sorcerer King and a lack of sleep due to a lack of news meant that the area around her eyes was swollen and discolored, which made for a frightening face when one factored in the wrinkles between her brows as well. Since she typically concealed her face with her visor, it made a great impact on others when she removed it.

不能为了魔导王而行动的焦躁感以及没有情报传回来而失眠的结果，黑眼圈严重加眼睑水肿，

还有眉间的皱纹等等造就了张可怕的脸。正因为一直有用护目镜隐藏着，摘掉那个以后给别人的

冲击会超级大。

While Neia’s subordinates keenly understood how she felt, nobody dared come near her.

虽然宁亚的部下们十分明白她的想法，但她的表情糟糕到即使如此也没人敢靠近。

--Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your--

(——导王陛下。魔导王陛下。魔导王陛下。魔导王陛下。魔导王陛下。魔导王陛下。魔导王

陛下。魔导王陛下。魔导王陛下。魔导王陛下。魔导王陛下。魔导王陛下。魔导王陛下。魔

导王陛下。魔导王陛下。魔导王陛下。魔导王陛下。魔导王陛下。魔导王陛下。魔导王陛下。

魔导王陛下。魔导王陛下。魔导王陛下。魔——)

Those words tumbled round and round in Neia’s head.

宁亚的头脑中只有这个词在不停地翻滚。

“--Ahh, honestly.”

「——啊啊，真是的」

The shoulders of everyone around Neia who was drawing back their bowstrings trembled as they heard those quiet words.

可以发现周围和宁亚一样拉着弓的人们的肩膀都因这一声低语猛地震了一下。

--Majesty. No. I need to calm down. Calm down. It’s only been three days! Just the eastern region of the Holy Kingdom is large enough as it is! You don’t want to scare the others, do you?

(——陛下。不行呢。冷静一下。冷静下来。才只有三天！仅仅从这里到东圣王国的范围就已

经很大了！妳也并不希望让大家感到害怕吧)

Neia took off her visor -- and heard something like a choked scream from someone who had happened to look her way -- then massaged her temples lightly as she tried to relax her stiff face.

宁亚取下了护目镜——听到了不知是哪个偶然看到这边的人发出的小声惨叫——然后轻轻按摩着太阳穴，想放松一下紧绷的表情。

Just then, Neia heard two sets of footsteps running toward the archery range. Given the metallic clinking of shirts, they were not militiamen who had come here to train. Paladins wore armor of metal plates, so it could not have been them wither. They were probably somewhat higher-ranked soldiers, or colleagues (squires).

这时，宁亚听到了两个向训练场跑来的脚步声。与此同时从听到的锁甲[ChainShirt]所特有的金属碰撞的声音判断出，并不是来训练的民兵。圣骑士穿的是用金属板打造的铠甲，所以也不是。恐怕

是阶级比较高的士兵，或是和自己一样的侍从吧。

“Squire Neia Baraja!”

「侍从宁亚·巴哈拉！」

When Neia turned to face the people who had barged in, the two men who had shown up simultaneously stepped back and cried out.

当宁亚转向闯入者时，出现的两个男人不约而同地后退了一步叫了起来。

“What, what’s going on? Did something happen?!”

「什、怎么了！有什么事吗！」

Weren’t you the ones with something to say? Neia thought as she replied:

想着有事要说的不是你们吗，宁亚回应道。

“Ahh, it’s been a while. That’s the usual reaction… no, maybe it’s a little more than the usual reaction?”

「啊啊，好久不见了。和平时一样的反应……不，比平时的反应还要夸张点？」

These two people were also squires, and they had been trained alongside Neia. That said, she knew next to nothing about their characters since she had barely spoken to them, but at the very least she still remembered their names and faces.

这两人也都是侍从，之前有和宁亚一起接受过教育。虽说如此，因为也并没有说过几句话，

对他们的为人完全不熟悉，不过名字和样子至少还是知道的。

If Neia knew them, then they must also know Neia. That would mean they ought to have been used to Neia’s murderous eyes. Even so, the fact that they had reacted this way showed how terrifying Neia’s face was now.

宁亚认识他们的话也就代表他们也认识宁亚。对宁亚有如杀人鬼般的眼睛也应该多少

习惯了。就算是这样的他们都会有如此反应，说明宁亚现在的表情真的是超级恐怖吧。

Speaking of which, Neia recalled that they too had been freed from prison camps.

话说回来，宁亚不经意地想起，他们也曾是被关在俘虏收容所，被解放出来的。

“Ah, yes. I usually don’t look like this -- like I hate the entire world… I think. No, am I usually like that?”

「啊，是了。平时应该没有——摆着一副仇恨世界的眼神……吧。不，平时也有？」

Neia rubbed her face and mused that maybe she should not take off the visor.

宁亚揉起了脸来，想着或许还是不要把护目镜取下来比较好。

“...Ah, sorry. It seems there’s something going on, can you tell me about it?”

「……那个，抱歉。有什么事情，可以说了吗？」

“Ah, no, Prince Caspond is looking for you. Please report to him right away.”

「啊，不，卡斯邦登王兄殿下找妳。希望妳立刻去见他。」

“The Prince?”

「王兄殿下吗？」

Why was he looking for her? She had a few ideas, but she did not know which one was correct, so all she could do was pray that he was seeking her out for a good reason.

是为了什么目的来找自己呢，虽然不是没有头绪，但并不能确定到底是哪一个。只能祈祷找

上自己的事是好事了。

“I understand. Please tell him I’ll be coming right away.”

「明白了，请替我转达我马上就过去。」

However, they did not look like they were leaving, even after she had given her answer. It puzzled Neia.

虽然已经回答了，但他们没有要离开的样子，让宁亚觉得奇怪。

“What is it? Is there anything else?”

「怎么了？还有什么别的事吗？」

“No, it feels a little -- well, it’s not your face, but maybe it’s the air around you? Feels like the air around you has changed. I know I can’t express it too well in words…”

「不，感觉稍微有点——并不是在说表情，该说是围绕在身边的气息吗、感觉给人的气质稍微有

点变了。虽然用语言不能很好地表达啦……」

“Well, I’d be glad if it was a good change… but we’re all going to change. We’ve all been through so much.”

「虽然如果说的是往好的方面的话很开心……肯定会变的啊。大家都遭遇了那么多事」

“Ahh, yes. You’re right. It’s just like what you said, Baraja.”

「啊啊，是呢。说的对。和巴拉哈说的一样呐」

The two of them smiled tiredly. She did not know if they had bought it. They said, “We’ll talk again some other time” and then they left.

露出疲惫笑容的两人，不知是不是接受了。只留下句「过几天，再一起好好聊聊吧」便离开

了。

Neia told her subordinates looking at her about how she was going to see Caspond, and then she headed out.

宁亚把自己现在要去卡斯邦登那里的事告诉了看着这边的部下们之后，立刻就出发了。

Caspond still stayed in the same building as before, but he was in a different room now.

卡斯邦登住的房子虽然还是之前的那一幢，但是被带领到的房间却不同了。

That was because Jaldabaoth had smashed a huge hole in the previous room’s wall when he had shown up.

因为之前使用的房间在亚达巴沃出现的时候，墙壁被破坏出现了个大洞。

Nobody stopped her on her way to the room, even with her visor on, and she reached it with no problems.

到房间之前，即使戴着护目镜也没有被阻拦，一路畅通地抵达了。

During this time, nobody had asked her to leave behind the bow on her back either. There was no telling if it was because they trusted her, or because they were mindful of the fact that the bow had been borrowed from the Sorcerer King.

在这过程中一次也没有被要求说要把背后的弓留下，不知是因为被信赖着，还是因为重视着弓是从

魔导王那里借来的关系。

“Caspond-denka, this is Squire Neia Baraja reporting.”

「卡斯邦登王兄殿下。侍从宁亚·巴拉哈参见」

Caspond was sitting inside the room, and two paladins stood beside him -- Remedios and Gustav. Neia immediately fell to one knee.

在室内的是坐着的卡斯邦登，站着的两名圣骑士——是蕾梅迪奥丝和古斯塔沃。宁亚立即单

膝下跪。

“I’m glad you came. We’ve been waiting for you. Ahh. that’s fine. Don’t worry about it, just stand up.

「来的好。就等妳了。啊啊，可以了。不用拘谨站起来吧」

Neia stood as requested, and then asked:

宁亚听从指示站了起来并问道。

“I apologize for keeping you waiting. May I know your bidding?”

「让您久等了十分抱歉。请问您有什么吩咐呢？」

“Before that, remove the item covering your face, Squire Neia Baraja.”

「在这之前，侍从，宁亚·巴拉哈。把那个遮住脸的道具摘下来」

Those matter-of-fact words came from Gustav. Common sense indicated that she ought to have done so.

从古斯塔沃那里传来理所当然的话语。从常识来考虑完全就该是那样。

“Yes! Please forgive me.”

「是！属下失礼了」

After Neia removed her visor, Gustav’s eyes widened slightly.

看到摘下护目镜的宁亚，古斯塔沃稍稍睁大了眼睛。

“...Ah, are you not feeling well? Would you like the priests to examine you?”

「……啊啊，是不是身体不太舒服？会不会让神官他们帮妳看下比较好？」

“No, I don’t feel that bad yet.” Since explaining was troublesome, Neia decided to press on. “...Now then, may I ask what’s the matter?”

「不，感觉还没有到那种程度」因为要说明的话也很麻烦，宁亚便推进了话题。「……然后，

可以请问是有什么事吗？」

“About that… well, there’s one more person who will be joining us besides the four of us here. I’m going to get them now, so don’t be too shocked, alright?”

「关于这件事么……除了在这里的四个人外，还有一个要来参加的人物。现在去叫那人，妳可

别太惊讶了哦？」

She could see a look of distaste on Remedios’ face from the corner of her eye. If it could put a look of disgust on the Captain’s face, it was probably related to Jaldabaoth. And then the word “maid demon” suddenly came to Neia’s mind.

从视线的角落里捕捉到了蕾梅迪奥丝反感的表情。能让我们的团长露出厌恶的表情的，应该

可以认为是和亚达巴沃有关系的人。宁亚的头脑里突然地跳出了女仆恶魔这个词。

After hearing Caspond’s order, Gustav opened a side door and spoke to the person within.

听从卡斯邦登的命令，古斯塔沃打开了旁边房间的门向里面搭话。

And then, a heteromorph emerged before them. Neia knew what species it was.

然后出现在众人面前的是个异形。宁亚也知道那是什么种族。

It was a Zern.

是蓝蛆。

While it was a species with a shiny carapace, its appearance was not offensive. However, there was a faint, almost imperceptible smell of bloodshed surrounding it.

虽然是拥有油光锃亮的外皮的种族，但和看上去的感觉不同并不是会散发恶臭的类型。只是

有那么一丝，几乎察觉不到的血腥味的程度。

What’s a demihuman like that doing here, Neia wondered. Caspond seemed to sense this, and he spoke.

像是察觉到宁亚在想为什么这里会有亚人的卡斯邦登开口道。

“He is an envoy.”

「他是使者殿下」

So Jaldabaoth’s envoy is here, is that it? Neia unconsciously let her hostility show, and the Zern twitched like it was going on the defensive.

亚达巴沃的使者来了，是这样么。对着不自觉显露出敌意的宁亚，蓝蛆像是要摆好架势一样

动了起来。

“Hold it, Squire Baraja. It seems you are slightly mistaken. He is not Jaldabaoth’s envoy. It is the opposite. He is an envoy of those people who plan to rebel against Jaldabaoth.”

「慢着，侍从巴哈拉啊。妳似乎是有点误会了。他不是亚达巴沃的使者。正相反，他是那些

计划反抗亚达巴沃的人的使者殿下。」

“Eh?”

「哎？」

Neia could not help exclaiming in surprise. Caspond seemed to have expected that response, and laughed.

宁亚不禁发出了意外的声音，卡斯邦登就好像是在等她这个反应似地笑了起来。

“You look surprised. Well, that’s only to be expected. Surely you didn’t expect anyone to rebel against Jaldabaoth’s subjugation of the demihumans, did you? However, there are people like that. According to the envoy-dono, not all demihumans serve Jaldabaoth wholeheartedly. For instance, these Zerns. There are other species like the Zern who have no choice but to help Jaldabaoth because their ruling class -- their royal family -- was taken hostage. What they want is to rescue those hostages.”

「看起来吓到了呐。这也是应该的。没想到会有反抗支配着亚人的亚达巴沃的人存在吧？但

是，是有的。从使者殿下的话来看，不是所有的亚人都真心服从亚达巴沃的。就好像他们蓝

蛆一样。作为支配阶级的王族的人被抓为了人质，没办法只好协助亚达巴沃的种族其他也还

有。然后他们的要求就是救出那些人质」

“Precisely.”

「正是如此」

Neia had never heard that female voice before and it startled her. She looked around the interior of the room. Finally, just as she was about to go “no way”, her eyes landed on the Zern. That voice would have sounded perfectly fine coming from a human being.

从没听见过的女声令宁亚感到惊讶，视线不停地在室内游走着。最后想说不会吧的同时，视

线停在了蓝蛆的身上。这个声音就算说是人类发出的也丝毫没有违和感。

From where on its disgusting and frightening body did its human-like voice come from?

这恶心可怕的身体是从哪里发出和人类一样的声音的呢。

Was this a special ability of the Zerns, or was it a kind of magical power?

这是蓝蛆这种种族所拥有的特异能力之一吗，或着是魔法的力量呢。

“The city you humans call Kalinsha that is four or five days’ travel to the southwest holds someone important to us. We ask that you save him.”

「你们人类称为卡林夏，从这里往西南五天左右行程的那座都市里，囚禁着我们重要的贵人，

我们的要求就是去救出他」

Neia conjured up a map of the Holy Kingdom in her head.

宁亚在头脑中浮显出了圣王国的地图。

From her previous words, the city of which the Zern spoke was indeed Kalinsha. Of course, it was closer to west-south-west than the south west and she wondered if travelling there would really take five days, but everything else was within the margins of error.

从刚才的话判断，蓝蛆说的都市确实就是卡林夏。虽然也有比起西南更接近西南西吧；行程

需要五天吗等等疑问，但还都在误差的范围内吧。

However, there was one thing she did not understand. Why were they telling Neia about this?

但是，还有不明白的地方。为什么，这些事要让宁亚知道。

However, before Neia could contemplate the reasons for that, Caspond said something shocking.

但宁亚开始思考这么做的理由之前，卡斯邦登说出了令人惊讶的内容。

“That is why we have decided to ally with them to fight against Jaldabaoth, Miss Baraja.”

「所以。巴拉哈小姐。我们决定了和他们连手对抗亚达巴沃」

Ehhh? Neia could not help but doubt her ears. Could they trust a species like the Zern, monsters who did not even have facial features to read?

哎地，宁亚不禁怀疑起了自己的耳朵。能信任像是蓝蛆这种连表情都无法读取的怪物一样的

种族吗。

“While we were forced to bow to Jaldabaoth’s power and invaded this place as part of his army, we received news that our king, who was being held hostage in the Abelion Hills, was killed by demons. As for the other one, the prince who’s being held prisoner as a symbol of our submission… now that the previous king has been killed, he is our new king. If you rescue him, we will help you.”

「虽然臣服于亚达巴沃的强大，我们也作为那家伙军队的一部分参与了侵略这里，但是我

们得到了作为人质留在丘陵的王被恶魔杀了的情报。所以另一位，作为从属的证明而被囚禁起

来的王子……前任的王被杀了，所以他现在已经是新王了，如果你们去救那位大人的话我们

就会协助你们」

Did they kill him because they did not need two hostages? Or was there a more demon-like reason for the killing? While she could not read that deeply into matters, it would seem the important thing was that their king had been killed.

是因为人质不需要两个所以杀掉的吗。还是因为别的更加恶魔般的理由杀的呢。虽然不至于

能分析到那种程度，这里重要的是他们的王被杀了这一点吧。

“That said, we are preparing to take our new king somewhere that Jaldabaoth cannot reach, so our most elite royal guard will not be able to help you. However, the remaining three thousand or so of our warriors that Jaldabaoth brought along will fight by your side. Our species will not die out as long as there is a king and a single female, so you may use those warriors as you wish. There will be no problems even if you kill them all.”

「话是这么说，但是我们是准备让新王能逃到亚达巴沃无法触及的地方的，所以最精锐的近卫

兵无法帮助你们，但是在此之外，被亚达巴沃带来还剩下的三千士兵会和你们一起战斗的吧。

有王和一名雌性在的话我们的种族便不会灭亡，所以那些士兵你们可以随意使用，就算全灭

了也没关系」

“That’s how it is. You also know the conditions I’ve laid out to triumph against Jaldabaoth. Rather than decreasing the demihumans numbers with combat, we will take fewer losses if we persuade them to leave his side. Also, they have provided us with important information, and we have finished verifying it.”

「就是这么回事。你也清楚我所构想的对抗亚达巴沃的胜利条件是什么，比起战斗来减少亚人的数量还是策反的损耗比较少。而且从他们那里得到情报，确认真伪，到回收的工作才刚刚结束。」

Caspond smiled, and then continued.

卡斯邦登露出微笑，继续说。

“From what we know, this news is not a trap set by Jaldabaoth. On the contrary, this is something we can use to deal with the Zern. If Jaldabaoth finds out, they will be purged, and their prince -- the new king -- will also be killed.”

「既然已经知道这份情报不是亚达巴沃那边的陷阱，反过来说这就成了对付蓝蛆的手牌了。被亚达巴沃知道了的话就会被肃清，进而连王子——新王也会被杀」

That’s what’ll happen to you if you betray us, Caspond was threatening the Zern.

背叛的话就会变成这样哦，这样威胁蓝蛆的卡斯邦登。

Although it was only natural for anyone in a high position to think like that, the fact that Caspond could ruthlessly describe such a development frightened Neia a little.

虽然站在高位的人都会有这种心机，但是能够平静地把这种冷酷展现出来的卡斯邦登还是让宁亚稍微感到恐怖。

However, once the calm returned to Neia’s heart, a question boiled up inside her. Namely: why had he brought her here to listen to their planning? If he wanted Neia to take part in the rescue, all he would have to do was give her an order. It was true that Neia was now a unit commander, but ultimately she was just a squire who was somewhat skilled with the bow. There was no need to explain the operation to her in such detail. And not just that--

但是，恢复平静后宁亚心里浮起了疑问。那就是，为什么会让自己来这里听这些事情的背景呢。

想让宁亚参与到这个救出作战的话，直接命令就好了。确实宁亚现在是一支部队的队长，但说到底也只是一个对弓有点拿手的从者而已。并没有必要说给自己听那么详细的作战内容。非但如此——。

...Ah, don’t tell me that they still regard me as His Majesty’s squire? I mean, I’m halfway to being a citizen of the Sorcerous Kingdom already, right?

（......啊，难道说，是因为我还被当作是魔导王陛下的从者？毕竟，已经算半只脚踏进魔导国了？）

They probably mean that the Sorcerer King would also be listening to this under normal circumstances. Or maybe they want me to explain this to the Sorcerer King when we see him again.

本来的话应该是魔导王也一起来听的喔，是为了做个这样的形式吧。或是说等见到魔导王的时候再让我说明经过吗。

That was it. Neia was still the Sorcerer King’s squire.

没错。我宁亚还是魔导王的从者。

Neia puffed up her chest, and Caspond was slightly surprised at the sudden change in her attitude.

宁亚挺起了胸膛，对她态度的突然转变，卡斯邦登浮现出了稍微有点惊讶得表情。

“Now then. With regards to rescuing the Zern prince, we have reached the decision that rescuing him during the chaos of attacking Kalinsha will be very difficult.”

「那么。关于救出蓝蛆王子的事情，我们得出了要在趁着攻略卡林夏的混乱中，来救出蓝蛆王子这种方案十分困难的结论了。」

“Indeed,” the Zern followed up on Caspond’s words. “Let me tell you where the prince is being held. Vice-Captain, I hope you will help clarify details for me.”

「没错」蓝蛆继续卡斯邦登的话。「首先说明一下王子被囚禁的地方吧，副团长，就拜托你补充了」

The Zern launched into her explanation with Gustav backing her up.

在古斯塔沃对大都市卡林夏的进行补充说明的同时，蓝蛆开始了说明。

First of all, the great city of Kalinsha occupied the top of a hill. It was under the direct administration of the royal family and was protected by thick walls. On its west, near its highest point, was Castle Kalinsha.

首先，大都市卡林夏是在仅有的小高丘上面扩展开的圣王家直辖都市，被厚重的城墙守护着。然后在西边临近地方最高的就是巨大的卡林夏城。

It was intended to hold the demihumans at bay should the fortress line be breached, and at the same time, it was near a major trade route leading to the south. Therefore, it was more sturdily built than any other city in the Holy Kingdom.

因为这个卡林夏都市原本是作为要塞线被突破时阻挡亚人们的地方，同时又是与南部的交易分岔点附近，所以建得比起圣王国的其他都市都要坚固。

In addition, Kalinsha’s seldom-used castle was very solidly-built in order to withstand sieges.

然后卡林夏里有个平常不会用到的城堡，为了在被围城时用到而建造的非常坚固。

The imprisoned Zern prince was held within one of the towers of the castle. Since he was in the innermost of the towers that were intended for last-ditch defenses, one could say it was the hardest place in Kalinsha to infiltrate.

而关键的蓝蛆王子被关在的地方，正是城里的一个尖塔，作为最后抵抗的最里面的尖塔里，是卡林夏里最难潜入的地方。

It did not even have windows in order to protect against aerial attack, and one could not reach it without travelling down an aerial walkway.

为了防止来自天空的侵入连窗户都没有，不通过城里延伸的唯一一条天空走廊，是进不去的。

This tower was now inhabited by powerful guardians -- the water-using ogrekin known as Vah Uns. The Zerns were not allowed to go near it, lest something happen to their prince if they did.

这个尖塔现在，正驻扎着的——是能使用水之力的，食人魔的亚种水元素巨魔，而且蓝蛆连靠近那个地方都不被允许，如果靠近的话王子可能会遭遇到什么不测。

However, provided their treachery was not exposed, if the guards saw humans -- who were not related to the Zerns -- they would not harm the prince. In fact, they would protect the prince instead. That was what they meant by borrowing the strength of humans.

但是，只要背叛的事不暴露，只是看到和蓝蛆没有关联的人类的话，守门人是不会加害王子的，反而他们觉得那些守门人还会保护王子，这就是想借人类力量的理由。

“But once the actual fighting begins, if the prince is still imprisoned, we will have no choice but to kill you humans. Since all our fellows who were brought to this land are present…”

「然后等战斗真正开始时，只要王子还被囚困着，理所当然我们不得不和你们人类互相残杀。而且还是被带到这里的所有同胞，到那时......」

The Zern’s words started to lose coherence, but everyone understood her meaning.

蓝蛆的话开始含糊，之后的不说大家也明白了。

It would be too late by then.

这样的话就全部都晚了。

There was value in rescuing the prince because the Zerns were enemies of mankind. If the Zern were all wiped out, then there would be no need to rescue the prince.

正因为蓝蛆是人类的敌人，救出王子让其倒戈才有价值。如果蓝蛆被全灭的话就已经没有救出王子的必要了。

“It’ll be too late to send reinforcements once the fighting begins. Therefore, the safest and most effective way to rescue the prince is to send a group of elite warriors who will move as stealthily as possible. Squire Neia Baraja, I would like you to command this operation.”

「战斗开始后才放出救援队就太迟了。所以，在之前只送出一部分的精英，尽量隐秘地行动，才是救出蓝蛆王子最安全，成功率最高的办法。从者，宁亚·巴拉哈。我希望由你来担当这次作战的指挥官」

“I cannot. It is impossible for me.”

「办不到。这对我来说不可能」

Neia responded to Caspond immediately.

对卡斯邦登的话宁亚立即答道。

Normally, gainsaying the prince -- who was her supreme commander -- would not be tolerated, both in terms of military discipline and social conventions, but at the same time, that order was truly ridiculous. It was simply too much, no matter how you looked at it.

对作为最高司令官的王兄的敕令唱反调，不管是在军队的纪律上还是社会常识里都是不能被原谅的，但以常识来说这个命令实在是太不现实了。不管怎么说这都太为难人了。

“I knew you would say that. However, Miss Baraja, this matter is of great benefit to you as well,” Caspond narrowed his eyes. “They will furnish us with knowledge about the hills and introduce reliable guides there.”

「就猜到你会这么说。但是啊，巴拉哈小姐。这对你来说也是非常有价值的事哦」卡斯邦登眯起了眼「他们会提供自己知道的所有的关于丘陵的知识，而且还会介绍信得过的带路人」

Neia gulped.

宁亚咽了口水。

She bit her lip, desperately trying to keep a lid on her emotions.

咬着嘴唇拼命忍着，不让表情暴露出来。

“...How much trust can we place in those words?”

「......这句话有多少是能够信任的」

“Once you rescue the prince, the Zerns will respond by rising up in revolt from the inside, at which point retaking Kalinsha will be much simpler. It’s certainly better than a conventional siege, and we will be able to take more demihumans prisoner. The Zerns also say that they will ask around to see which prisoners have the knowledge you desire.”

「救出了王子的话，为了呼应我们的进军蓝蛆会从内部举起旗帜，到时候卡林夏的夺还作战会简单很多吧。肯定会比平常的攻城战，还要能俘虏更多的亚人来。那些拥有你想知道情报的俘虏，蓝蛆们也说了会从他们那里打听」

“I’m not too sure about the details,” the Zern added on to Caspond’s words. “It seems you wish to travel to the Abelion Hills. If you rescue our prince unharmed, our entire species will be indebted to you. Who would refuse to share what they know with a benefactor? In addition, that knowledge is nothing special.”

「虽然没有听说详情」蓝蛆继续卡斯邦登的话。「你好像是想要去亚伯利恩丘陵的样子，如果能救回王子的话你就是我们整个种族的恩人了。为那个恩人而分享我们的知识，是不会有人拒绝的哦？而且也不是什么特别的知识」

Her argument was utterly irrefutable.

完全没有办法反驳的正论。

Refusing them would mean being disloyal to His Majesty. If I let a chance to be useful to His Majesty slip out of my hands because I’m afraid…

（如果拒绝了的话就是对魔导王陛下的不忠。明明有为陛下派上用场的机会，却因为怕死而从手中溜走的话）

After calmly considering the matter, she felt that this was her best chance. However -- she did not intend to kill herself.

冷静地考虑后，觉得这是最好的机会。但是——并不准备做出这种自杀行为。

“Who else will be going on the mission to rescue the prince?”

「关于这个王子救出队，有谁同行吗？」

Neia looked at Remedios, who had been silent all this time.

宁亚看了眼一直默不作声的蕾梅迪奥丝。

“I’m not going. I can’t infiltrate or anything.”

「我可不去哦，我完全做不来潜入行动的」

If you say that, then what about me, Neia thought, and then she looked silently to Caspond.

我也是一样的啊，这样想的宁亚什么也没有说望着卡斯邦登。

“...I asked her to go with you several times, but she kept refusing. Therefore, you will be accompanied by that captive… no, that collaborator.”

「......虽然叫了她几次跟你同行，但她一直不答应。所以跟你同行的是那个俘虏......不对，是协力者」

“Hmph. Captive will do.”

「哼。叫俘虏就行了」

“...Captain.”

「......团长」

“It doesn’t matter. Vice-Captain Montagnes, can you bring her over?”

「没关系，蒙塔涅斯副团长。能把她带过来吗？」

Montagnes left the room with a “yes”. At the same time, the Zern envoy left the room as well. It would seem she did not want to let unrelated people learn her true identity.

留下「是」的回应，古斯塔沃离开了房间。与之同时蓝蛆的使者也离开了房间。似乎是不想让无关的人知道协力者的真实身份。

Gustav returned before long, but not alone. He had with him a girl wrapped in layer upon layer of chains, a girl that Neia had never seen before. She seemed more petite and delicate. Given her looks, she seemed to be younger than Neia.

古斯塔沃没过多久便回来了，不过不是一个人。带来了一个被锁链团团捆住，从未见过的少女。看起来比宁亚还要娇小柔弱。从外观来看，岁数要比宁亚小吧。

She wore a scarf that blended dark green and sand yellow in a complex pattern, as well as a strange maid’s outfit.

裹着浓绿与土黄色复杂地交织在一起，有着独特花纹的围巾，身穿奇怪的女仆装。

Her facial features were exquisite, and even the patch that covered one of her eyes did not diminish her beauty.

容貌十分端正，即使遮住了一边的眼睛也完全没有影响到她的美貌。

Neia suddenly remembered what Evileye had said, and while she was quite sure who this person was, she decided to ask just in case.

突然回想起了苍蔷薇的伊维尔哀的话，虽然觉得肯定不会猜错她的身份，不过为了以防万一还是开口问道。

“Prince-denka, who is this?”

「王兄殿下，这是哪位？」

“...Haven’t you already guessed? She’s one of the maid demons who showed up in this city.”

「……妳不是已经猜到了吗？她是出现在这座都市的亚达巴沃的女仆恶魔中的一个。」

Neia went stiff. She had guessed as much, but it still startled her. She was difficulty rating 150. In other words, she was a monster among monsters. A being which humanity could not overcome now stood before her eyes.

宁亚紧张了起来。虽然已经猜到，但还是吓了一跳。因为难度一百五十，换句话说就是怪物中的怪物， 人类无法战胜的存在就站在自己的眼前。

However, Neia also sensed something else that startled her.

不过，与此同时宁亚察觉到了另一件让自己惊讶的事。

That was the fact that she could still feel such intense hatred with an unbeatable monster in front of her.

即使绝对无法战胜的怪物就在眼前，自己却还能不变地保持着激烈的憎恶。

How could she hold on to such emotions when facing a creature that outclassed her so tremendously? Was it because this maid demon was not radiating an aura of fear, or was it because of her loyalty to the Sorcerer King?

作为生物，面对着如此巨大的差距，还能抱着这种感情，是因为这个女仆恶魔并没有在散播恐怖吗，还是因为自己对魔导王的忠诚呢。

Regardless of which it was -- Neia sank her hatred for the maid demon into the depths of her heart and did not let it show.

无论是哪个——宁亚把对女仆恶魔的这份憎恶沉入了心底，不让它表露出来。

If she was careless, she would start berating her as one of the reasons why such an outstanding monarch like the Sorcerer King lost to Jaldabaoth.

一不小心的话，就会想要对这个令魔导王那么优秀的王，输给了亚达巴沃的原因之一开骂了。

However, while Remedios had her hand on the hilt of her holy sword, Caspond and Gustav did not seem to be doing anything special on their part.

但是，虽然蕾梅迪奥丝有把手放在圣剑上，不过卡斯邦登和古斯塔沃却并没有什么特别的举动。

Therefore, Neia could conclude that she did not pose any immediate danger. Otherwise, they would never allow her to stay in the same room as the prince.

应该可以判断为暂时不会有什么危险性不会错的。如果不是这样的话是绝对不会让她能和王兄呆在一个房间里的。

“...Murderer girl. Do not be afraid. Right now I am not sworn to Jaldabaoth, but to Ainz-sama. I will not attack.”

「…………杀人鬼少女。不用害怕。现在的我不是对亚达巴沃，而是向安兹大人效忠。不会攻击的」

“I don’t believe you.”

「我不相信」

Ainz-sama. That term of address filled Neia’s heart with displeasure, as if she was trying to reject the fact that it had been said. However, the maid demon replied to her in an inflectionless monotone.

安兹大人，这个称呼让宁亚的心中感到一阵不快，像是要拒绝般地说着。不过，女仆恶魔还是用着没有声调的平坦声音响应道。

“...You do not have to believe me. It is simply the truth.”

「…………不相信也没有关系。我只是在陈述事实」

“Miss Baraja. It seems that His Majesty somehow managed to usurp control over her from Jaldabaoth during the battle.

「巴拉哈小姐，看起来是在那场战斗中最激烈的时候，魔导王陛下把她的支配权从亚达巴沃那里抢过来了」

Neia’s eyes went as wide as saucers.

宁亚不禁微微睁大了双眼。

Had he actually managed to carry out a nonlethal tactic like taking control of her while fighting multiple opponents -- Jaldabaoth and the maid demons?

被女仆恶魔与亚达巴沃——多个敌人包围着，居然还能做到并非杀死而是争夺支配权的战斗方式吗。

Neia did not know much about magic, and she did not know how difficult that was. If one needed an example, it would be like trying to snatch equipment off a very powerful opponent during the middle of combat. If that was the case, then it must have been an incredibly difficult maneuver which only the Sorcerer King could pull off.

对魔法了解得不是很详细的宁亚，不知道这究竟是有多么困难。如果要举类似的例子，是不是就好像是要在与那么强大的强者战斗的同时还要抢夺对方的装备品呢。如果是那样的话，那可正是只有魔导王才能做到的超难技术了。

Neia came to respect the Sorcerer King more and more.

宁亚对魔导王越发敬仰了起来。

However, she had two questions now.

但是，在这里有两个疑问。

She wanted to believe that if the Sorcerer King had done it, then everything would be fine and she could accept that fact. But was she really under the Sorcerer King’s control? That was the first question. Could it be that she was not actually working for the Sorcerer King, but acting under Jaldabaoth’s orders to pretend that she was under his control?

虽然想说如果是魔导王的话能做到这种事完全没问题，乖乖的接受事实吧。但是她真的被支配了吗？

这是一个问题。她会不会可能其实没有被支配，而是依照亚达巴沃的命令伪装成自己被支配了呢。

And then, the other question was--

然后还有另外一个问题——

“I understand that you’re loyal to the Sorcerer King. But why are you here? Is it because of your chains?”

「……妳效忠魔导王这点我明白了。但是，为什么，会在这里？因为被锁链绑着吗？」

“...It’s not like that.”

「…………并不是那样」

The maid demon began to exert her strength, and the thick chains emitted a distasteful creaking sound.

女仆恶魔使起了劲，粗大的锁链便吱吱地发出了讨厌的声音。

“Stop that!”

「停下！！」

As Remedios shouted in time with a wave of killing intent, the sound stopped.

伴随着散发出杀气的蕾梅迪奥丝的怒吼，声音停止了。

“...Even I could break ordinary unenchanted chains.”

「…………如果是没有附加魔法的普通铁链，就连我都可以粉碎」

“Then why? Why haven’t you left this place and gone to His Majesty’s side?”

「那么是为什么？為什麼没有离开这里，到魔导王陛下的身边去？」

She had asked because she was hoping that demonic instincts or the abilities of a bound demon would lead her to the Sorcerer King. The maid demon flatly replied:

想着说不定能通过恶魔的直觉，或者是以被支配的恶魔的能力找到魔导王在哪里，于是便这

么问了一下。女仆恶魔淡然地回答道。

“...Because it’s an order. The last order I received from him was to help you. So I will do my best as long as it does not mean my death.”

「…………因为这是命令。从那位大人那里得到的最后的命令是要我协助你们。所以我会在

不会死的范围内努力」

“Eh!?”

「哎！？」

Neia was stunned.

宁亚愕然。

...The Sorcerer King came to this country to seize control of the maid demons. He came to obtain the maid demons, a tremendous fighting force that could make the Sorcerous Kingdom even stronger. In that case, his first order to the maid demon should have been for them to return to the Sorcerous kingdom. But instead, His Majesty… What a kind person he is… Is there a king out there who is so compassionate to the people of another country? No, it can’t be, only the Sorcerer King is an exception. His Majesty really is justice! How amazing! I was right all along!

(……魔导王是为了将女仆恶魔纳入自己的支配下才来这个国家的。是为了得到女仆恶魔这份能令魔导国更加强大的战力。这样的话对女仆恶魔最初的命令应该是令她们回到魔导国才对。然而陛下却……多么温柔的人啊……。还能有其他对别国的人如此宽大慈悲的王吗。不，不可能有的，只有魔导王是特别的。那位大人不愧是正义啊！太厉害了！我想的一点都没有错！)

Neia forced herself to keep the boiling liquid from spilling out of her eyes.

宁亚使劲忍住眼瞳中要积累起来的滚烫之物。

“In that case, what does “as long as it does not mean my death” refer to?”

「……那个，什么，不会死的范围是指？」

“...If you ask me to fight Jaldabaoth I will refuse. It will be very difficult to escape if I face him.”

「…………要和亚达巴沃战斗的话容我拒绝。和那个对峙的话要逃跑都很困难」

I see, Neia understood. Caspond had already verified the truth of everything she had said. That was why she had been brought here.

原来如此，宁亚理解了。她说的这些卡斯邦登已经有好好确认过真假了吧。所以才会带到这里来。

“So this demon will come with me.”

「所以这个恶魔也会一起去是吗」

“Just so. While I thought of sending her to the Sorcerous Kingdom as an envoy, compared to that -- ah -- well, once that’s over and we learn information that we can trade, ah-- I was planning to have her join the search party we’re sending out. That’s because it’s dangerous… Those people you picked out haven’t found anything yet, so we can be sure that they landed in the hills.”

「就是这样。虽然也不是没有把她作为使者送去魔导国的提议，比起那个——啊—，那个结束以后，在获得了以协助换来的情报之后，啊—，打算要往那里派遣搜索队，把她也加入搜索队比较好吧。因为很危险嘛。……那些由妳选出来的人，在这边搜索也还没有发现什么的样子，应该可以确定是掉落在那边了吧」

She did not know why Caspond’s instructions were so vague.

不知为什么卡斯邦登用著指示代词特別多的含糊说法。

She peeked at the maid demon’s face and saw that it had not changed. She did not look worried.

悄悄地观察了一下，女仆恶魔的表情完全没有变化。丝毫没有在担心的样子。’

Of course, this maid demon might not know what had happened to the Sorcerer King, and she probably could not imagine that the Sorcerer King was in dangerous territory. However, her blank face still made Neia very unhappy.

当然，这个女仆恶魔可能不知道魔导王究竟发生了什么，也没有想象魔导王说不定陷入了危险的境地吧。但是她的面無表情让宁亚非常不快。

Most importantly, could she let a demon like that use a familiar term of address like “Ainz-sama?”

最重要的是，能够让那种恶魔用「安兹大人」这种套近乎的称呼吗？

No, of course not! Neia fumed. Not even she had addressed him in such an intimate manner.

不，怎么可能允许！宁亚强烈地想着。连自己都没有那么亲近地叫过呢。

“--iss Baraja?”

「——拉哈小姐？」

“Ah, yes!”

「啊，是！」

Oh no! Neia’s face was slightly red. She had apparently forgotten herself due to her distaste for the maid demon.