kscans

CHAPTER 5 WARS OF NATIONS – Episode 7 Debate (Part 3)

6

Caldos, as the head of the Gwendell family, had long been a man who had tormented and taken over neighboring territories through despicable means. For the Tercia family of Pakula, Bard’s main household, he was an irreconcilable enemy. He had been given the title of Count by the Parzam royal family in gratitude for selling them out, and at the same time, he had been imprisoned by the Parzam royal family for his unforgivable conspiracy against them. Bard never thought he would see him again. He seemed to be well-fed, with slightly plump cheeks. There were bags under his eyes, but he even looked a bit younger. The poisonous energy he had before was gone, and he had a calm expression as if a curse had been lifted.

“Is there a thief named Jurchaga in this room, Lord Gwendell?” (t/n: his name in japanese actually コエンデラ koendera, but i Gwendell him at the beginning and just stick with it)

In response, Caldos looked around the room nervously. He flinched when he saw Bard, but his attendant calmed him down. His gaze shifted to Jurchaga next to him. But then Caldos looked away from Jurchaga and started looking around the room. Perhaps impatient, one of the high-ranking officials who had brought Caldos in said, “Look. There he is. Isn’t that man Jurchaga, the ‘Rotten Flesh Hunter’?”

Following the pointing finger, Caldos’s eyes were fixed on Jurchaga.

“No, that’s not him. That’s not Jurchaga,” Caldos said, surprising Bard greatly. He never expected Caldos to defend Jurchaga. What kind of change of heart was this?

“N-No, that can’t be right. The servant of General Bard is supposed to be the infamous villain Jurchaga. He’s the one who stole the royal seal from the late King and sold it to Lord Caldos at a high price,” the flustered official said, causing the people around them to look at him with suspicious eyes. It was then that Jurchaga spoke up.

“Long time no see, Lord Caldos Gwendell.”

Caldos stared back at Jurchaga with surprise in his eyes.

“Y-You… Are you really Jurchaga?”

He was genuinely flustered. It didn’t seem like an act at all. Which meant that earlier, when he defended Jurchaga and pretended not to see him, he really didn’t recognize him. Come to think of it, Jurchaga was dressed up today and his attitude was different. He might not look like the filthy thief at all.

“Yes. I must inform the esteemed officials here. I did indeed bring the royal seal to Lord Caldos Gwendell and sell it to him. It was the seal that the late King Wendelland gave to Lady Idora Tercia, and Lord Idora entrusted it to General Bard. However, I did not steal it from General Bard. General Bard was concerned that Lord Caldos Gwendell would kill the envoy party if things remained as they were, so he ordered me to do so.”

Even so, the high-ranking official who brought Caldos still tried to pursue Jurchaga.

“You are the ‘Gora Cesara’ (Rotten Flesh Hunter) Jurchaga, aren’t you? Admit it.”

“Yes. When I met Lord Caldos, I did indeed introduce myself as such. And even when I temporarily left General Bard’s side and acted under the orders of Count Linz, I went by the name Jurchaga and have been using it until today. Unfortunately, I cannot disclose the details of the work I did under which master before that.”

He wasn’t lying. He wasn’t lying, but he was carefully choosing his words to undoubtedly cause misunderstandings. As Bard watched in disbelief, Julelan spoke up for the first time.

“I can’t believe a person who blabbers about their master’s secrets. Anyway, Count Yode, what do you want? I have known Jurchaga of the Rowen family for a long time. Not just knowing, he was by my side for a while and saved me and my army from the rebellion of Count Grismo. He is like family to me. Jurchaga has never lied or made a mistake to me. There are not many people I can trust like him. On the other hand, Caldos, whom you* brought as a witness, is a man who continuously lied to the former king, persecuted the king’s beloved queen and her son, embezzled their living expenses, and even made his own son a fake of mine, claiming he was Julelan. He opened a letter addressed to my mother from the former king without permission and fabricated a reply without informing my mother. Count Yode, what made you* believe this man who knows nothing but lies and betrayal? I have more questions. Caldos was forbidden to leave the mansion by the former king. Who gave you* permission to bring Caldos from the mansion? And it was forbidden to enter Caldos’ mansion, so how did you become close? Come to me later and give me a satisfactory explanation.” (t/n: he use lord here, but doesn;t flow well. like ‘what make lord believe’ is better ‘what make you believe’)

Count Yode’s face turned red and he kept opening and closing his mouth. Julelan, on the other hand, regained his composure. The atmosphere in the room changed. Count Yode can no longer maintain his current position and must be prepared for severe punishment. Up until now, the high-ranking officials felt like they were hunting a fox. But now they finally realized that they could also become the hunted.

6

One high-ranking official stepped forward.

“General Bard, how old are you now?”

“I am sixty-one years old.”

“Sixty-one years old. It is nothing short of remarkable that you are so vigorous at your age. We deeply appreciate your dedication and fighting for the kingdom despite your old age. I heard that General Bard lost consciousness during the battle with the demonic beasts and was in a coma for almost two months. It is understandable considering your age. The TriNation knights admired General Bard, but I am concerned that they couldn’t fully demonstrate their abilities with a commander who lost consciousness during the battle. What do you think?”

“Hahahaha. It is truly generous of you to be concerned about General Bard’s health. I’m sure the General is deeply moved. By the way, I heard that after the city gate was breached and a melee broke out, General Bard fought with his sword. He fought alone as a knight. While other brave knights were exhausted, General Bard fought until the very end. Young knights and experienced knights were in awe of General Bard’s seemingly endless stamina and martial prowess. After confirming that the last enemy was repelled and the danger to Lordvan Castle was averted, he collapsed. Among the knights, General Bard was the last one standing. It was not just because of his physical strength, but because he thought of the people, the country, and His Majesty, and gave his all. That’s why the knights saw the ideal image of a knight in General Bard, who showed the strength of a god*, and offered their swords to him.” (t/n: 鬼神のごとき強さ->kishin no gotoki tsuyosa strength like that of a demon or god, meaning superhuman strenght)

“Mmm.”

7

After that, several high-ranking officials challenged Jurchaga to expose Bard and Julelan’s faults. Jurchaga refuted each and every one of them. In other words, the high-ranking officials could not find any faults in Bard and Julelan. Not only that, Jurchaga revealed that what the high-ranking officials called a defeat was actually a great victory, and what they considered flaws were actually significant strengths. Finally, the high-ranking officials concluded that the defense battle against the demonic beasts at Lordvan Castle was a miraculous victory in a desperate situation, and the brave fight of the General and the knights should be greatly praised. They also concluded that it was an honorable battle for the king, the kingdom, and the high-ranking officials.

Bard was deeply impressed. Despite winning every argument, Jurchaga did not humiliate the high-ranking officials or the powerful nobles backing them. It could even be said that his achievements were praised. It was a splendid debate. If Bard had defended himself, he would have only been able to speak in a way that would crush his enemies. Even if he had won the debate, the fact that he had clashed with the senior officials would still remain. Thanks to Jurchaga, Bard was able to retire from his position as general in Parzam, the first and last, without dishonor. This also means that Julelan, who selected Bard, was able to avoid embarrassment. That’s not all. There must have been some senior officials who were favorable towards Julelan and Bard. If Bard had responded to the questioners with insults, he would have turned those favorable individuals into enemies. The fact that he was able to avoid that will surely be a great asset in the future.

Bard and Jurchaga left the Red Hall as victors. As soon as they entered the waiting room and joined Karz, Jurchaga collapsed onto the floor, completely exhausted.

“Phew… I’m… exhausted…” (t/n: 「ふわわーーー。　つーーーかーーれーーたーーーーーー」 Fuwaaaa, tsu-ka-re-taaaaaaaaaaa)

He looks really sloppy, but this man had every right to lays out. Just then, they were summoned by the king. Bard asked a servant to bring water and left Karz and Jurchaga in the waiting room as he headed towards the king.

“Old man, it seems there was a fierce battle at Lordvan Castle. Well done. I thank you. You’ve been through a lot. By the way, the last part of the demonic beast attack was unclear. Even the report was written ambiguously.”

Bard reported that more than two hundred Riverbear demonic beasts had approached them and were repelled by the power of the magic sword Stavros.

“Hmm. Was the voice that said ‘Found you’ from that time? So, when it say ‘found you,’ it mean the sword?”

It could be, or it could not be. Bard could only answer like that.

“Hmm, it’s both good and bad to advertise the existence of such an excellent magic sword. We can’t stop the rumors from spreading, but let’s not mention it publicly. Fortunately, there are no knights in our country who participated in the battle against the demonic beasts and have connections to the palace. Can you have the knights of the Argolide family keep it a secret? Only you can draw out the power of that magic sword, right old man? By the way, the report mentioned that you went to meet the Queen of Manuno. Did you go? Were you able to meet her?”

Bard explained about the meeting with the Queen of Manuno. King Julelan listened to this with a troubled expression. Bard also reported on the war situation in various countries, which Julelan had also investigated to some extent. However, Julelan frowned when he heard the report that a large black carriage had been near the Toad family. After praising Bard, Julelan dismissed him, asking him to convey his thanks to Jurchaga.

Bard reunited with Karz and Jurchaga. They were about to leave the palace, but they received a message.

“It seems that Her Majesty the Queen Consort will grant you an audience.”

Come to think of it, Princess Shernelia was being carried in a palanquin. In a garden near the harem, Bard paid his respects to Princess Shernelia. Doriatessa was also present. Shernelia looked extremely happy.

“Oh my, Bard Rowen-sama. It’s been a while. You were the one who brought His Majesty and me together. I apologize for not being able to greet you until today. By the way, what a splendid appearance. The attire of a grand general suits you well. With your splendid physique and that attire, I’m sure it must have overwhelmed the senior officials.”

Shernelia served Bard tea and sweets, and they enjoyed casual conversation unrelated to politics or the military. Finally, she said this.

“Please stay in the capital for a while. The sugar cubes you like will be arriving soon. I really want Bard-sama to try them.”

Bard had planned to leave the capital and return to the frontier as soon as possible. But since he was asked like that, he decided to stay a little longer. The situation takes a sudden turn three days later.