kscans

t/n: just back to work from a beach trip. here’s the 1st chapter. i hope to push as much as possible chapter before new years.

CHAPTER 5 WARS OF NATIONS – Episode 10 Hill Pre-Marche (Part 1)

1

The army advanced near Casse within thirty days and set up camp in the southeast Golt Plains. The Shinkai army had been greatly diminished along the way. This was because the orders from the king were to hold off the enemy when they attacked the capital, but to deplete their forces when they retreated to Casse. The Shinkai army had stationed troops in two castles and four forts, all of which were predominantly infantry. While it was commendable to try to bring them back without abandoning them, it made the retreat difficult. They had to abandon much of their provisions, making it even more challenging. Despite engaging in frequent skirmishes, they managed to reach Casse in the same thirty days.

The formation of the allied forces was primarily led by the Parzam’s royal army. It consisted of four hundred cavalry, four hundred spearmen, four hundred armored infantry, and four hundred archers. The casualties were replaced with reserves. The Goriora army, having left the wounded in the capital, had slightly fewer knights and squires, totaling one hundred and twenty knights and a hundred squires. The forces of the vassals had significantly increased to three hundred and eighty knights and squires combined. This was due to the new participation of vassals from the northern and western regions. Balancing this was a delicate matter. Since this was not a war where new territories could be seized, rewarding the gathered vassals would heavily impact the royal treasury. Therefore, while we wanted a considerable number of knights to gather for the prospect of victory, having too many knights was also troublesome. The number that had gathered this time seemed to be close to the expectations of the senior vassals, or slightly more. People tend to gather easily when there is momentum.

From the scouts, there was a report that the General of Greed had left the town of Casse. Bard felt relieved at this report, as they had wanted to avoid attacking Casse for several reasons. Following that, a report came in stating that the enemy forces consisted of eight hundred cavalry and a thousand infantry, which was more than expected. This could pose a problem. If they were attacked with that force, there was a possibility that the plan to hunt down the General of Greed might not be sustained.

“I’m hungry. Is there anything to eat?”

At Jog’s words, Colin Kruizer hurriedly searched for food but couldn’t find any. It was no surprise, as he had just given the last hard-baked bread to Jog. Jurchaga handed something to Jog.

“Oh, smoked beef. This is good. Jurchaga, you have a good eye. Won’t you come over to my place?”

Jog Ward remembered the name of the person who gave him food. Come to think of it, what happened with that matter? When Jog found out that Kamler was looking for a job, he started enthusiastically persuading him to come to his place. He even offered to pay half of his salary. Bard don’t know how much Jog’s salary is, but he is the Commander of the Gaineria Kingdom’s Fifth Knight Order, with command authority from the Fifth to the Eighth Knight Orders. He must be quite something. Bard asked Jog if Kamler had accepted the offer. Jog immediately put on a displeased expression.

“He turned me down. You always do this. Every woman I’m serious about ends up with you. Damn you.”

Bard told Jog that he always spoke ill of others, and that he had always forcefully taken the women he liked.

“Well, I haven’t had trouble finding suitable partners. But when I try to court a woman I like, they all say the same thing. They prefer you, Bard. Damn you, you old thief. Remember that someday.” (t/n: he actually called him old cuckold)

It wouldn’t be right to call it thievery. Besides, their from different generation, and they can’t compete for women. Moreover, they live in different places. Bard retorted.

“You’re the one who’s oblivious to your own faults. It’s pitiful. Do you not realize how many women you’ve made cry?”

Before they knew it, everyone around them was eavesdropping. This was not good.

“Tell me more about that.”

‘Hey, Jurchaga! Don’t say unnecessary things.’ Just as Bard was about to say that, he noticed a change in Karz.

2

Karz was on his beloved horse, Satra, and he was bending over in apparent distress. Sharp breaths escaped through clenched teeth. His forehead and nose were wrinkled, his eyes wide open, emitting a golden light. His hand holding the reins and his shoulders were shaking violently, as if he were desperately enduring a chill. Karz, who was usually infuriatingly calm, had an unusual appearance, which surprised Chantillion, Jog, Kirie, and Arflaburne, who were lined up alongside him.

They didn’t know what General of Greed meant to Karz. They didn’t know how much of a hated enemy he was. Karz couldn’t contain his excitement at the approach of the detestable enemy. Even though he was looking down, his eyes were fixed on the approaching enemy.

“They’re coming. They’re getting closer. What is that? Is that huge creature something?”

He had heard the stories many times. He had never doubted Karz and Chantillion’s words. But there was a feeling deep inside that said such a monster couldn’t exist.

Therefore, Bard was trembling with fear at what he was seeing. The enormity of its presence was palpable on his skin. Before he knew it, Bard too was trembling and breathing heavily.

Shinkai’s black cavalry of eight hundred riders spread out wide and approached. In the center, there was a figure that seemed to distort the distance. A monster twice the size of a human. It was riding on an unfamiliar beast. The beast was also enormous. It was a creature resembling a large red bear without fur, wearing armor, with a thick horse-like neck and a horn at the tip. The General of Greed stopped the Shinkai army at a distance of about five hundred paces from the allied forces and dismounted, walking alone towards him.

Even though Bard was trembling at the sight of the imposing figure of the General of Greed, he inwardly shouted, “Yesss!” The problem was how to draw out the General of Greed alone. He thought that if the commanders of the allied forces stood out at the front, General of Greed might come alone. This was partly due to the temperament of General of Greed, which Bard had heard from General Buntai, and partly a gut feeling. Besides, Karz and Bard would probably be bait.

General of Greed stopped about two hundred paces away. Bard ordered his army to fall back five hundred paces. The only ones remaining in the front line were Bard, Karz, Chantillion, Jog, Kirie, and Arflaburne. On the right and left of the six of them, ten overturned wagons were lined up as makeshift barricades. As their troops fell back, General of Greed advanced again.

‘Yes! Yes! Yesss!’

The plan was succeeding. Bard shouted in his heart. General of Greed stopped about fifty paces away from Bard and the others. The closer he got, the more they could see and feel the abnormality of General of Greed. This was not a being that should be on earth. Strong energy emanated from his entire body, blowing towards Bard and the others. The leather armor covering his entire body seemed to be made of demonic beast skin. Sturdy metal plates were embedded in his chest and shoulders. His fingers were covered with gauntlets, but he wore nothing above his neck. His skin was white. As white as albite*. And it was covered in cuts. His eyes were red. Like those of a demonic beast. His hair, beard, and mustache were all pure white, sticking out in all directions as if they had exploded. (t/n: i just google this 白輝石)

“So, you’re still alive, boy*. You survived those wounds. Truly a chip off the old block.” (t/n: he call Karz ‘kozo’, usually used on someone close or familiar. the last sentences mean ‘you take after our ancestor’, the words used is senzogaeri, inherited ability or bloodline. in short, his personality is lighthearted, for the time being.)

The monster spoke, glaring at Karz. It sounded like the voices of several giants speaking at once, even though he was speaking normally from a distance of fifty paces, his voice reached them clearly.

Karz had regained his usual calmness. Without replying, he glared at the monster. Instead, Bard spoke with a forceful voice.

“General Lugurgoa. Why did you massacre the royal family of Zarban? You could have taken the cursed sword you desired when you defeated the King’s Sword. That’s all you wanted, wasn’t it?”

The monster looked at Bard and widened his eyes slightly.

“Gugu. So, you are Bard Rowen, the wielder of the Last Divine Beast Sword. To think you were present when the demonic beasts began their advance. It seems they were quite pleased. It was worth taking the time to create those demonic beasts. Perhaps I should just kill you. That would be amusing. Gugu, gugu, gugu. Why did I exterminate the royal family of Zarban? Well, if I took that sword, even if they were the last ones, they would come to kill me. Unless I wiped them out, I couldn’t take that sword. Knowing that, for hundreds of years, I couldn’t muster the resolve to go and take it, even though I knew it was there. Gugu.” (t/n: he talked with a lot of ぐぐ->gugu)

“Even someone like you would feel guilty about wiping out an entire royal family of a country,” Bard taunted. The monster’s response was unexpected.

“Well, yeah. I guess I do feel guilty about killing my own kind. It wasn’t a big deal when I tried it. Gugu, gugu, gugu, gugu, gugu.”

The monster claimed to be a member of the Zarban royal family. Bard was surprised, and even Karz seemed slightly taken aback.

“The sword is called the ‘Crawling Earth,’ but in reality, it houses the Werewolf King who fought and devoured the Crawling Earth itself. If it’s lost, the country will perish, but as long as it remains, the country can be revived even if it perishes. That’s what we’ve been taught. But in reality, it’s not like that. Gugu, gugu, gugu. No, I still don’t understand. I can’t bear to see the country I built is destroyed. I should just kill the boy. And maybe I’ll eat that sword too. It doesn’t matter anymore. Gugugugu, gugu, gugu. By the way, that fake at that time was quite well made. It was made after I was gone. Did they know I was coming to take it? Gugu, gugu, gugu.”

3

The conversation seemed to have ended, and the General of Greed drew his sword and began to walk towards Bard and the others. Barry Toad had mentioned that the blade was as tall as Bard. Bard had thought it was foolish, but it turned out to be true. Bard’s mind was swirling with numerous questions arising from the conversation. But this was the perfect opportunity. If the General came twenty steps closer, it would be the perfect point to attack. In the General’s stride, that would be ten steps.

“Gugu, gugu. You have a large number of soldiers lying in wait in the wagons. Archers? Give it a try.”

He had noticed. Of course, Bard had expected him to. The General of Greed was unusually sharp and never missed the presence of people. Despite knowing that soldiers were lying in wait, the monster continued to advance towards the six potential prey.

‘Here!’

When he reached that distance, a hundred arrows flew out from the wagons without any warning. The monster’s reaction was delayed. There was no sign of drawing a bow or giving the order to shoot.

There was no need to draw a bow. The hidden soldiers had improved crossbows, and the strings were already drawn. The bottom of the wagon’s boards had holes everywhere, allowing them to peer through and shoot arrows. The bottom of the wagon was covered with Larras cloth. From nearby, the cloth was transparent, and the crossbow arrows could easily pierce through it.

A hundred arrows approached the monster. Still, the monster showed a terrifying reaction speed and swung its greatsword. Golden light poured from the sword, forming a torrent that swept away twenty wagons and Bard’s group. The wagons were blown away as if caught in a tornado. Bard and the others, along with their horses, were also blown back by the wind.

But the hundred arrows did not yield to the wind pressure and attacked the monster. These were not wooden arrows but steel ones. Moreover, the tips of the arrows were made from the material of a magic sword. They were made from the material obtained by crushing ten magic swords. These arrows should be effective against the General of Greed. In fact, there was no point in fighting an opponent who couldn’t be defeated with these arrows.

Despite being blown away by the wind, Bard watched the trajectory of the arrows. Just when it seemed they would hit, the General of Greed showed an unbelievable reaction and steps back. But he couldn’t escape completely, and several arrows caught his massive body. Blown by the wind and slammed into the ground, Bard quickly got up and looked around for the General of Greed.

There he was, with about twenty arrows stuck in his body, standing firmly on both feet. One arrow was stuck in his right cheekbone. Bard was astonished that it hadn’t pierced through. The power of the improved crossbow was terrifying, capable of piercing a heavily armored knight and killing them with a single blow. The fact that it hadn’t pierced through meant that the General of Greed’s skin, flesh, and bones were even tougher than a demonic beast’s.

Bard and his five companions rushed towards the monster on foot. Some of the horses might have been injured from being blown away by the wind, but that was not their concern at the moment. They couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity. Karz, Chantillion, and Kirie swiftly maneuvered behind the monster using their swift footwork. Bard, Arflaburne, and Jog approached the monster head-on. Bard glanced at the enemy’s army. The eight hundred cavalrymen remained motionless. Even in this situation, the General of Greed had no doubt about his victory.