kscans

t/n: Hidamari also means sunlit or spot where sun shine.

1

Bard gazed quietly at the scenery by the banks of the Ova River, which flowed endlessly. It was his third day staying at the Linz estate. His back pain had subsided enough for him to take a walk on Stavros, who was delighted to carry his master on his back.

“How old are you now?” Bard asked out loud, but of course, there was no answer. He tried to recall his memories. Idora had given Stavros to him in the year he got married to Gwendell. That was on year 4241. Stavros was two years old at that time. Now it was year 4270, which meant 29 years had passed.

“So you’re already 31. You’ve lived a long life,” Bard said. A horse owned by humans usually lived for about 20 years, and wild horses lived for about half of that. Although there were rare cases where horses lived for more than 40 years, Stavros was living a long life, considering younger horses were aging and dying one after another.

“In the end, I never asked what your name means,” Bard said. When Idora gave him the horse, she said, “The meaning of the name is a secret.” Bard had never asked about it, despite spending such a long time together.

2

Idora was born in the year 4226. At that time, Bard was 14 years old and had been serving as a retainer to Idora’s grandfather, Elzera Tercia, for four years.

Idora was more attached to Bard than her parents, her 16-year-old brother, or any of the maids. Bard took care of Idora in his own way, which was to take her to the mountains and fields.

The frontier were already dangerous places, and the Pakula territory ruled by the Tercia family was located at the break in the Great Barrier, making it the most dangerous area where magical beasts and wild animals affected by them roaming around. Bard had the ability to distinguish between truly dangerous and safe places, and he had already been recognized as a skilled warrior among the elite Tercia family members since he became a full-fledged knight at the age of 20.

Despite the danger, the mountains and fields were great teachers and playgrounds that never ran out of things to do. Idora grew up quickly, and Bard worked even harder to train himself.

When Idora was eight years old, her grandfather Elzera died. When Idora cried and mourned his death, she clung to Bard’s chest. It was the same when her mother died.

Idora grew up to be a beautiful girl, but her temperament was firm and clear, and she preferred armor to dresses and a rapier to a sewing needle. Idora’s name, in fact, was one of the three Valkyries who selected the souls of heroes to welcome them to the Galdegast Raien (Knights’ Garden). (/tn: Valhalla? what language is this knight = gardegast/galdegast?)

“Did I give her the wrong name?” Idora’s father, Hydra, muttered, with a feeling of regret.

3

When Idora was twelve years old, an incident occurred.

On that day, Bard returned to the castle from subjugating a band of bandits, and there was a commotion. A bonfire was burning in the courtyard. Lord Hydra came down to the gate and asked, “Did you see Idora?”

Bard replied that he had not seen her. Hydra’s face turned pale, and he said that he had gone out with two soldiers to meet her. They went to the mountain peak beyond the mountain, which was a familiar place to Bard, without notifying anyone. It was still daylight at that time.

Idora’s older brother, Vora, was stationed at the fortress located at the break in the Great Barrier and was not at home.

It was already night. Bard’s face turned pale as well. Although the mountain path was easy to see from a high place, once you entered the woods, the direction, position, and distance were immediately swallowed up by chaos. It was impossible to search for someone in the forest at night. There were no signs or landmarks to follow.

Bard immediately got back on his horse and ordered his subordinates who had just returned with him, “Light torches on the high ground in the castle! Keep them burning until dawn!”

Hydra handed Bard a sword and said, “Take this with you!” It was the cursed sword, “Mora Graviero” (The One That Pierces Darkness). Bard took off his own sword and put on the cursed sword before galloping away.

Fortunately, both moons were out. Bard rode his horse through the dense trees, relying on the faint moonlight that penetrated through the trees.

“If I assume that they came out to meet her from the castle, the problem is where they turned right first. Since I always ride my horse, it might feel shorter than the actual distance. Probably, they turned right earlier than the correct path.” Bard guessed in his mind.

Come to think of it, there is a similar right turning road. Immediately, he reached the right junction and turned there. From there, the road continues to twist and turn left and right. Since the road are all similar, it’s easy to get lost. And they came to a fork in the road.

“Right or left? Which way did the princess go? It could be either.”

It depends on how they misunderstood the road so far. If he make a mistake in the direction of the pursuit here, they probably won’t be able to be saved.

“Oh God! My guardian deity, Patara Poza! If you are a God of Darkness, show me the way to go through this bewildering forest!” Bard called out the name of the god he served for the first time since being knighted.

Bard chose the God of Darkness Patara Poza as the god he served because there were no priests that preach about this god. In other words, it was a god in which he had no faith, and he didn’t have to worry about being preached to by priests even if he met them. Nevertheless, the God of Darkness responded to the cries of his few followers, and something floated up in the darkness of the fork in the road.

It was a giant face, faintly illuminated by dim light. It looked like a human and also like a monkey. The lower part of the face melted into the darkness, making it impossible to see, but it seemed to have a small body that was terribly disproportionate to the size of the face. Its large eyes were half-closed as if sleepy, blinking slightly as if breathing.

Paduri Aura (Sage of The Forest)

It is said to be a spirit that appears in fairy tales, but some people claim to have seen it in the deep forests of the frontier. Bard had never seen it before, but it was undoubtedly Paduri Aura. Beyond the Jean Dessa Law (The Great Barrier), there are many strange creatures. Is this one of them? And the Sage of The Forest opened its sleepy eyes a little and looked to the right.

“Thank you!”

Leaving words that were not polite enough for God, but too polite for a beast, Bard ran his horse to the right. Running and running, he was filled with anxiety that this road was still wrong.

“I can hear something!”

There was a sense of conflict. Faster than the wind, Bard ran through the forest.

“There it is!”

There were about a dozen beasts and one soldier lying in a slightly open area. Another soldier was protecting Princess Idora, holding a sword in his hand and facing the enemy in front of him, covered in blood.

It was a Zeyu Siva (Mole Monkey) that had turned into a demon beast. It is said that beasts that are exposed to the aura of Gielganos (ghost) become Kaejel(demon beasts), but the truth is not well known. (t/n: gierganos is yoma)

Many knights claim to have seen demons, but Bard himself has never seen one. However, it is certain that ordinary beasts can turn into demon beasts. Demon beasts become one size larger and become more ferocious. They become incredibly strong and their bodies become unusually robust. Even weak animals like rabbits become surprisingly strong when they become demon beasts.

The eyes of the demon beasts glow red. And when the demon beasts appeared, the nearby beasts also became ferocious. The demon beasts appeared from beyond the Great Barrier, leading the other beasts. Repelling these demon beasts and wild animals is the mission of the Tercia family.

Bard expressed his gratitude to Hydra for lending him a magic sword.

Even without transforming into demon beasts, Mole Monkey were formidable wild animals. They had a body as big as a human and much stronger and longer arms than humans. Their fur was extremely tough, and their fingers were hardened and sharpened into long claws. They were agile and had very hard fur, making it difficult to harm them with normal weapons.

The El Guodla (magic sword) was created to defeat Kaejel (demon beast). It was made with a special material mixed in it. Only the blade of the magic sword could cut through the skin, flesh, and bone of magical beasts. The magic sword was so expensive that it could buy a whole castle, and the Tercia family only had one.

Probably drawn by the smell of blood, the mole monkey had just arrived. Otherwise, the soldier would not have survived. Knowing that his allies were approaching, the soldier smiled faintly and glanced at Bard.

Taking advantage of this opening, the magical beast jumped on the soldier and Idora.

Bard drew his sword without stopping his horse and charged towards the demon beast. In front of Idora and the soldier, the demon beast was blown away sideways. Bard fell off his horse and plunged into the bushes, entangled with the demon beast. The magic sword pierced the heart of the demon beast.

However, the demon beast thrust both claws into Bard’s back. Since that area was not covered by armor, the claws sank deeply. Bard stared at the demon beast’s face in front of him and pushed the sword in. Blood spurted from the demon beast’s body and stained Bard’s armor. The demon beast opened its mouth wide and tried to crush Bard’s face with its sharp teeth.

Bard instinctively turned his face to the right, and the demon beast’s jaws caught his left shoulder. The demon beast’s teeth easily pierced the tough leather shoulder pad and tried to bite off Bard’s shoulder. Nevertheless, Bard continued to push the magic sword in.

Suddenly, the demon beast’s strength faded away. The red light in its eyes disappeared. The demon beast died and collapsed.

When Bard turned around, Idora, with tears in her eyes, had come close. Without saying anything, Bard hugged Idora. Idora, covered in blood, hugged Bard and cried.

4

Fortunately, the two soldiers survived. Otherwise, Idora would have suffered a terrible emotional wound.

Since that incident, Idora had changed. In short, she became more feminine. The openness and generosity of her previous boyish self receded, and kindness and consideration came to the forefront. She learned to suppress her habit of always wanting to take the lead and instead began to behave in a way that quietly supported everyone’s movements. She also began to improve her skills in cooking and embroidery.

Three years passed since then. Bard departed for the fortress located in the break of the Great Barrier for a planned three-month mission.

When Bard returned three months later, Idora had already been chosen to enter the Caldos Gwendell family. Idora gave Stavros as a gift to Bard and set off for the Dorba territory.

Caldos was 26 years old at the time. He was the illegitimate child of the previous lord, but he inherited the lordship at the age of 23 when the previous lord and his sons died one after another. Under Caldos’ leadership, the Gwendell family expanded its power through forceful means. They repeatedly clashed with the Nora family with whom they had been in conflict for many years. They attacked and looted towns and villages that had signed protection contracts with the Nora family under flimsy pretexts. They also harassed the Tercia family, who had maintained neutrality. A year ago, during an emergency situation where 17 demon beasts appeared at once, they attacked the Tercia family’s main castle. However, thanks to Bard’s heroic efforts, who happened to be returning from an injury at the time, the Gwendell family lost two of their generals and were defeated.

The sudden proposal to marry Idora, who was known as a beauty, was decided by Idora herself as it would benefit not only the Tercia family but also the regional peace. However, in the end, this marriage did not lead to friendship between the two families. Caldos welcomed Idora to a villa by a beautiful lake instead of the Gwendell family’s main castle. Since it was a peaceful place, there was no shortage of places to stay until the wedding preparations were completed. However, even after the new year, the date of the ceremony was not decided, and Idora remained at the villa.

Since he said he wanted to welcome her as his wife, it meant that she was to be his legal wife. Only by taking care of the inner workings of the main castle could she be considered a legal wife, and being left at the villa was tantamount to being treated as a mistress.

The Gwendell family’s rudeness did not stop there. After a year and a half of marriage, Idora was sent back to the Tercia family with a baby in her arms. Only four servants, including the maid she brought with her, accompanied her.

The Tercia family sent a messenger to question them, but he returned as a corpse. Moreover, the Gwendell family attacked the Tercia family’s direct territory, claiming to rectify their rudeness. This angered both Hydra and Vola, who mobilized the knights of the fortress to counterattack. Although the Tercia territory was small, the knights were all elite soldiers who had been trained in battles against demon beasts. They thoroughly defeated and drove away the Gwendell family.

However, the Gwendell family did not learn their lesson. They attacked five more times over the next twenty years.

Pakula, where the Tercia main castle was located, was in a good position to defend the gap in the Great Barrier to the east. However, if you look to the west, it could also become a strategic position for the entire eastern border region. If they could capture this place and use it as a base, they could also monitor the entire eastern border region. Gwendell was looking at Pakula with such ambitions. This also showed that they were underestimating the threat of demon beasts.

5

Idora and her son, Julelan, were warmly welcomed by the Tercia family. Idora deeply loved her son, and Bard also adored Julelan. They were given a residence in the castle, where they lived together. The small detached house stood on a small hill and was a quiet and peaceful place like another world. The small courtyard was always sunny and a flower was always blooming.

Whenever Bard returned from his mission, he visited the detached house. Idora prepared tea and set up a table in the courtyard. Bard, Idora, and Julelan chatted aimlessly. It was a mysterious and gentle atmosphere.

Bard was not talkative or eloquent, and his topics were limited to weapons, horses, battles, and food. Idora enjoyed listening to him. She was also a foodie and her eyes sparkled when she heard about delicious dishes from different places.

“It would be wonderful to travel the world and eat various foods,” was Idora’s catchphrase. From the highest tower of the castle, they could see Great Ova in the distance.

“I want to go to the banks of the Ova someday,” was Idora’s other catchphrase. Since Julelan was knighted, Idora’s health began to deteriorate. After her brother Vola died, she became bedridden more often.

Julelan showed remarkable growth and made Idora happy. He excelled in both academics and martial arts and learned a lot from books and nature. He had a well-proportioned, beautiful, and healthy body, a handsome face, and wavy blonde hair, like a painting. He also had a mysterious dignity. The Tercia family originally had a refined atmosphere, but in Julelan’s case, it was particularly noticeable. Even when he behaved roughly, he somehow gave a sense of good upbringing.

He had a generous and cheerful temperament, a rich tolerance, and a storytelling ability that entertained people. However, once he made up his mind, he had the courage to move mountains. He grew up to be a hero, a person who could be called a great man. It was hard to believe that he was the son of Caldos. Bard was grateful for the blood of Caldos’ ancestors.

Thanks to Julelan’s growth, he became the pride and hope not only of Idora and Bard but also of all the people of Tercia. The current head, Galliera, relied on this cousin who was ten years younger than her more than anyone else. Galliera’s children were also influenced positively by Julelan. Also, Bard’s other beloved disciple, Cedermont Expenler, became a splendid knight. Bard could leave on his journey with peace of mind because Julelan and Cedermont were there.

6

Stavros poked Bard who was lost in thought. The evening was falling without them noticing and the wind was getting colder. Bard stroked Stavros’ face and suggested they head back to their shelter for the night. As he looked towards the western sky, he noticed something flying in the air. It was a flying dragon, soaring high in the sky, passing over the Ova and flying beyond the Great Barrier. Yent Nada (Flying Dragon) never land where humans live and never interact with them. Bard wondered if flying dragons also fought with each other. (t/n: so Nada was dragon or lizard)