Chapter 149 – The Problem Gets Bigger

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Translated by Sylph

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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[King Dino]

A report came in that adventurers and knights had clashed, and the march had come to a halt. We had just been resting in one of the bases called containers made by Baron Van, but it can’t be helped.

“I had expected something like this might happen, but it is troublesome for the march to stop. So then, which knight order is it that is quarreling with the adventurers?”

I checked with the battalion commander who had come to report. He is a serious man who took the knight examination as a commoner, became a knight, and rose to command after studying formations, tactics, and battle arrays more than anyone. It is rare for one to rise from the common folk all the way to battalion commander. Given his seriousness, he should provide a proper objective report from a neutral standpoint.

Knights tend to take the side of their fellow knights, after all.

As I waited for the report thinking that, the battalion commander furrowed his brow even deeper than usual and opened his mouth.

“It is the knight order of Baron Ego Eastern. About ten of them are currently in conflict with the adventurers.”

“Hmm. Are there any injured?”

“There are many. It seems a brawl broke out in a rather narrow space, and at present more than fifty are being treated.”

The battalion commander delivered that report in an even tone. In response, I involuntarily raised one hand.

“Wait a moment. Fifty, you say? Surely they haven’t killed the adventurers, have they? Even if the opponents were extremely formidable, why would there be that many casualties if ten knights fought them?”

Unable to understand it, I asked again. Even if the Eastern knight order’s level of training is low, they should still be repeating combat drills constantly. In direct combat by multiple people, there should be a great difference between knights and adventurers. The only adventurers who could face knights head-on and fight them are likely the upper tier.

However, the battalion commander shook his head from side to side.

“Unfortunately, all of the injured are knights and retainers of the Eastern Knight Order. The three adventurers who fought them show no particularly visible external wounds, and are currently waiting in one room of the base.”

“…You’re saying fifty knights and retainers were one-sidedly beaten down? Could it be that there was a top-class four-element magician among those adventurers?”

My voice hardened without meaning to. Was the Eastern Knight Order simply that weak? Or were those three adventurers abnormally strong? Either way, it is a grave matter. The command strength and toughness of knight orders are the cornerstone of national defense, and as a result they are tied directly to the security of each city.

If they are inferior to mere adventurers, that is a major problem.

Perhaps because I was thinking all that, my tone turned accusatory. The battalion commander too took on a severe expression and lowered his chin.

“It seems there was a wind magician who was fairly competent, but the magic was used only to halt the opponents’ movements. The real problem, I think, was the weapons used by the other two.”

“Weapons?”

When I tilted my head, the battalion commander drew out from beneath his cloak a severed iron sword. It was a straight sword of the type widely used across the land. It was thick and not something easily broken.

Yet that sword had been neatly cut in two.

“…Did they clash against one of those great swords used to fight dragon species?”

I asked while half-knowing the answer already, but the battalion commander shook his head from side to side.

“No, an ordinary-sized sword. If anything, it seemed to be the lighter sort because it was slender. To be honest, the adventurers’ own skill was beyond what ordinary knights could defeat as well, but more than anything, the terrifying sharpness of this weapon was what caused the defeat. When swords met, their weapons were destroyed one-sidedly, and shields and armor were cut through as if they were nothing. Had the adventurers not dealt with them using the backs of their blades to hold back, all fifty would likely have died.”

“…Baron Van’s weapons, is it. Since I had intended to put it away as a treasure sword, I had not yet tested the edge, but to think this weapon would be to such an extent…”

Saying that, I drew the orichalcum sword at my waist. At that, the battalion commander widened his eyes.

“That splendid sword… was made by that child?”

“Indeed. I had him make it before my eyes.”

As I said that, I took a stance and slashed at a shield that had been set nearby. A high metallic sound rang out, followed by the sound of a portion of the severed shield falling to the ground.

The battalion commander stared in stunned silence. I myself must have been wearing much the same expression.

“It’s a shock as if an iron sword had appeared in an age when there were nothing but bronze weapons. No, perhaps it’s more like the difference between bronze and mithril.”

Muttering that in amazement, I looked anew at the sword in my own hand. As ever, it was a magnificent piece. The blade itself showed not the slightest nick.

“I see. Now I understand very well why large magic beasts have been subjugated so many times. So Baron Van’s knight order possesses weapons equivalent to this? That’s enough to make one shudder at the future.”

The fact that the march had stopped was a major problem, yet on realizing anew the astonishing performance of Van’s weapons, I found a smile rising to my lips in spite of myself.

“…Your Majesty. What punishment shall be imposed?”

“Hm.”

At that, I changed my frame of mind. Knights may be the lowest rank, but they are still part of the nobility. And knights are retainers of nobles of baron rank and above, symbols of authority as well. It would not do to leave the matter unpunished.

However, the adventurers are based out of Seat Village, and it seems there are some among them who are close to Van.

It is a troublesome matter. Unless there is a clear reason, it is not something that can be decided lightly.

“…So then, tell me about the key point: the reason the clash happened.”

When I asked to confirm, the battalion commander made a deep furrow in his brow. It seems it is something difficult to say.

“Answer quickly. I am not angry with you.”

When I said that with a sigh mixed in, the battalion commander cleared his throat and then spoke.

“The knights’ claim is that when they said this base made by Baron Van was defective, the adventurers suddenly attacked them.”

“…What? That this base is defective?”

After saying that, I found myself involuntarily looking around inside. However, at a glance it did not appear to have any problems.

“The knight order of Count Ventury at the head of the march was supposed to be confirming the assembly state of these bases. That is carried out immediately after the adventurers assemble them. If they truly were defective, then responsibility would also fall on Count Ventury’s knight order for failing to discover it.”

I said that with a furrowed brow. In response, the battalion commander gave a shallow nod.

“Indeed. However, if a problematic base was provided when there was a chance Your Majesty might rest in it, then would responsibility not also fall upon Baron Van? It is a splendid achievement to have created a base this innovative and, further, to have prepared so many of them for such a long march. But if what he provided is the sort of thing that might collapse on its own…”

“The punishment would be severe.”

I voiced the answer ahead of him, and the battalion commander fell silent. So that was the difficult part to say. Certainly, if these bases called containers were to become unusable, it would greatly affect morale. Worse still, it would cause problems for the marching schedule, and there would arise the possibility that the portable rations would not suffice.

“Investigate carefully. Also, send a fast horse and tell Baron Van to come here.”

“Yes, sir!”