Next Life Vol 1 Chapter 9

Raymond’s Summoned-beast(Servant) aka ‘Cho-kun’, from when it took flight from its master, took about five minute to arrive at the Kingdom Capital and continued to fly, aiming towards the Royal Palace.
When it saw the Royal Palace with its white traditions and majesty, without perceiving any anomalies, Raymond’s superior, Lucas, was waiting outside.
In order to fulfill its Master’s instruction to” ‘Even for a second faster, go find Lucas-sama’, it jumped into the chest of an elderly magician.

“Aah, good good. What the…”

Although Cho-kun didn’t have the capability to speak, it had an ability to transmit thoughts to the other party, as Raymond told it to, thoughts were transmitted to Lucas.
Knowing the change in the situation, Lucas’s face changed color. He began to give an order to the guard near him.

“First priority order, ring the war alert!”

“Huh? Ye-yes, Immediately!”

The soldier only hesitated for a second, he must be seeing the seriousness of the situation from the appearance of Lucas.
The sound of magic drum resounded in the Royal Palace garden, echoing directly to the brain of everyone living in Kingdom Capital, it only sounded in emergencies like this.
When the solder hit it with a short and heavy stick, a thick tone like as if it was penetrating the belly, had reached all the people in the Kingdom Capital.

“War alert!?”

It hit everyone that had duties in the Royal Palace. Prime Minister and The Prince, Court Magician, and also the guards that were nearest while surprised, hurriedly went outside.

“What happened!?”

The Queens and the n.o.bleman’s wives that were enjoying an elegant tea party, with their rushed maids, scurried to where Lucas was.
Once the war alert activated, general citizens and n.o.bles must go home. The soldiers completely armed were standby waiting for an order from the Royal Palace in a predetermined place. Everybody had directions they must follow.
The Royal Family, Government Officials, and Senior Commanding officers of Military must a.s.semble in the Royal Palace.
Even the current King, if he didn’t follow it, will receive a punishment, it was an absolute order.
To make sure a large disorder didn’t happen, in case of emergencies, training was done on a regular basis.
After five minutes had pa.s.sed, there were no citizen that didn’t go home nor soldier that were not ready on standby in their arrangements. In Royal Palace garden, the Lords had finished gathering.
Queen Margarita, Prince Ernest, Prime Minister Valk, Marshal Grandfelt, Firat Knight Corps Leader Yadaberus, Imperial Guard Knight General Leader Yuzef, Magic Solder Corps Leader Nelson, Intelligence Department President Frec, and..others Generals, Court Magicians, Ministers, Clerks, etc..
Overlooking them, serving as the Court Magician Leader, Firat’s strongest magician, Lucas opened his mouth.

” I have received an urgent message from Raymond, in Runbern Mountain, they have been attacked by a flock of Wyverns.”

A moment of silence, and then hustle and bustle resumed.

“Wyverns!?”

“Runbern Mountain!? What is the Intelligence Department doing!?”

“His Majesty, is His Majesty safe!?”

Bellows close to a scream jumped around.
It’s their first time hearing of Wyverns coming out in the Renburn Mountain, the Intelligence Department that did not obtain the information deserved an execution for their blunder.
The highest authority of the Intelligence Department, Frec, almost fainted.
A summoned-beast making it to the Kingdom Capital was like a miracle, it was nearly impossible.
And then, the situation of the dozens of peoples with decent military strength that had encountered a flock of Wyverns…The worse case scenario crossed everyone’s heads, giving birth to frenzy.
n.o.body noticed that Lucas stayed calm to an extent that it looked unnatural.
In middle of that, the Queen violently clapped her hands.

“Please calm down.”

Her face was bluish, her voice trembled, and there no power in it, that was why it echoed in the Courtiers’ minds.
Who’s was the one in the most in pain, everyone recalled that.

“Lucas. Continue.”

“Yes.”

To the Queen that firmly behaved, he lightly lowered his head, Lucas started to continue giving information.

“There was reinforcements and they succeeded in confronting the flock of Wyverns, but Vincent, Oscar, Hector and three others were killed in their line of duty.”

Just one magician had annihilated a flock of Wyvern, that kind of information he intentionally kept secret.
Currently the King is absent, the fear that he will be stuck with settling them was high.*
Again the silence blew over them and soon. cheers resounded. A question was then asked.
(NEETnote : Please help me with this 　王が不在の今、収拾がつかなくなる恐れが高いからだ。I’m not to sure with that.)

“Is His Majesty safe!?”

The big commotion and sense of relief that wrapped the surrounding was blown away at once by a stormy air.
Although little by little, there was a change that made them calm down.

“There is reinforcements, but whose military?”

“In the first place, why was there reinforcements?”

“Lucas-dono, what happened there?”

The King attacked and rescued, it was too much for a coincidence.
Many of the people’s thoughts led to that, their line of sight focused on Lucas.
He couldn’t keep it hidden more than this, Lucas began to disclose it.
An utterly unbelievable information that he himself can’t believe.

“…Only one person, just one magician had defeated the flock.”

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

The faces were so surprised this time that their thinking processes stopped.
In their heads that became blank, only Lucas’s words echoes.

“Just one person? A Magician?”

Repeating it aloud was one of the Court Magicians, also serving as the Magic Solder Corps Leader, Nelson.
Because he was also a magician, he understood more than anyone how impossible that feat is.
And he became the most confused.

“The number of magician that is needed to defeat a Wyvern, certainly it required about ten people, right?”

And, the one asking the question was a Marshal, serving as the highest authority of military, Grandfelt.
As expected, his recovery was quick.
For that question Grandfelt asked, Lucas answered.

“It changes depending on personnel competency. If it was me and Nelson, it only requires three or four people. In any case, with a Wyvern as an opponent without a vanguard, the possibility cannot be considerable.”

“I agree.”

Nelson somehow also recovered, and spoke back to Lucas.

“In the first place, Wyverns have high resistance to magic. To magicians like us, its attack-power and mobility are a threat. We would need at least three vanguards.

Again the commotion resumes.

Listening to the conversation of magicians, Knight Corps Leader Yadaberus asked Lucas.

“Lucas-dono, you said it was a flock, but specifically, how many were there?”

In the case of Wyverns, three or more were treated as a flock.
Perhaps it was only a combination of three total parents and childs, as if there was meaning at all if that was the case, Yadaberus himself didn’t understand his own question and just spoke it out.

“It seems there were six Wyverns.”

Silence, like calm water, the surrounding became dead silent.
Facing six Wyverns, the winning with only one magician was abnormal.
The others clearly understood the extent of the abnormality that happened.

“Well, if we got the Wyvern carca.s.ses, our equipment would also improve.”

Yuzef put the point on the good materials, the fact that most human beings care about.
The exception was only the one who knew that there was no Wyvern carca.s.ses, Lucas.
The carca.s.ses not remaining became the thing he could not speak about the most.
They will notice it someday, his feeling were mixed about postponing it.*
(NEETnote : 　いずれ気づくだろうが、先送りにしたい心境だった。 Please some suggestion if there is a better words.)

“Above all matters, if this accident happened by a foreign country’s summoner, isn’t Ouhi-sama and Ouji-sama in danger?”
(NEETnote : Ouhi = Queen and Ouji = Prince)

In order to change the atmosphere, Prime Minister Valk asked and it divided in half between people who were not giving any comment and people who just nodded.
Until now, there is was no cases of Wyverns being seen in the Renburn Mountain.
On the contrary, it can be said that it was a creature that was rarely ever seen.
Combining it with the Lake of Abyss, it was a place with many eerie things that were famous in the Kingdom and at same time after finis.h.i.+ng the inspection, the King will pa.s.s through, this was well known.
There was plenty of opportunities for foreign countries to get that information, meaning with monster that have flying abilities, they can easily pa.s.s through the inside of the kingdom and begin attacking.
The enemy was a foreign summoner, that perception rapidly spread.
Then, the target was not only the King and Princess, wasn’t it natural to think that “the Queen and Prince are also targeted?”, that kind of thought almost similarly appeared.
Currently in Firat Kingdom, the ones that have the right to the throne as a successor were the Queen, the Prince, and the Princess. These three people, if including the King, made it four.
If all of them died,  ma.s.sive disorders will begin to come up all over the Kingdom.
Everyone that reached that conclusion swallowed their saliva.

“That is the reason for the war alert.”

With a solemn answer of Lucas, everyone consented.
Certainly, protecting the safety of the Queen and Prince was not their grace.*
Here, everyone’s line of sight focused on Grandfelt.
Currently the King is absent, so he was the one that held the commanding authority over the military.
With his eyes he asking permission from the Queen, the Queen give him a small nod to show her approval.
(NEETnote : 猶予 this word please. For a while I write it as grace. Kind of strange.)

“First,  send troops to where His Majesty is. The faster, the better. Decree for dispatch to the Magic-Knight Unit of Knight Corps. Select and take the best five hundred mounts.”

“Yes. it will be dispatched as soon as possible.”

With the order of Grandfelt, Yadaberus’s adjutant, Dawson started running.
The Magic Knight Unit was one of the best elite units in Firat, the people affiliated with it all held a second-job.
A group that was able to march while strengthening and recovering their horses, their speed was boasted of the best inside the Kingdom, even being a second more faster to reach the King’s side, they were the ideal unit.
They will maintain the maximum speed with five hundred selected best mounts, even if there was ten Wyverns they can confront it.
There was such judgement.

“Imperial Guards will guard Your Majesty the Queen and Your Highness the Prince.”

“Yes.”

“Knight Corps will cooperate with the Guards, lay out defense in the Kingdom Capital.”

“Yes.”

“Magic Soldier Corps split into two. Each half will guard Your Majesty the Queen and Your Highness the Princess and the other half will defend the Kingdom Capital.”

“Yes.”

“Intelligence Department will contact all of the military and cities inside the Kingdom, warn them to be vigilant. At same time, once again, correct all the information inside the Kingdom.”

“Ye,yes.”

“I will take command in the Kingdom Capital. Lucas-dono will go under the command of Yuzef, I want you to protect this place.”

“Yes.”

Grandfelt in rapid succession gave orders.
Upon completing it, for the first time, Prince Ernest opened his mouth.

“We are one of the populace. Whatever happens we want to protect them thoroughly. That is all I want.”

It was not appeal nor deceit, all military personnel had a favorable impression toward the conscientious att.i.tude.
Queen also nodded, supporting his intent.

“Our Firat is in a crucial moment. In the name of the three cane, resolve our national crisis.”

“OOo!”

The three cane was represented by the military, government, and citizens drawn as a cane figure that mutually supported each other, a national emblem of the Firat Kingdom.*
Subjected to the three cane meant: for the Country to release their pride and power till the last breath, to the Firat’s citizens, it was the most important vow.*
Responding to Grandfelt’s dramatic act, Military personnel rushed to their allocated post.
Contrary to their high moral, it could be said that the Civil Servants’ morale had been sinking.
They bowed to the Queen and Prince and began going back to their workstations with a heavy gait.
(NEETnote : another two line that still not clicking in my mind. Help me please.
三杖とは、軍・政・民を杖に見立てて互いに支えあう姿を描いたとされる、フィラート王国の国章である。
and
三杖に懸けるとは、国家の為に誇りを持って死力を尽くすという、フィラート国民にとって最も重い誓いだ。)

“This is why you need to have more escorts…”

Fearing to bring out their voice to the Queen and the Prince, many Ministers and Clerks held that thought.
When the King and Princess went on an inspection, it was normal to bring a large number bodyguards and escorts.
It was King Bernhard III that stopped them by saying “that would be wasting tax.”
Emma had a third-job, it was a well known fact that she could work  five times more than an average maid. Knowing that there was no room for wasting the Kingdom’s finance, dissenting opinion were deflated.
The Kingdom’s security had been highly maintained, disruptive movements could not be seen.
When going through Runbern Mountain, they give off a ridiculed evaluation as an extravagant force.
But now, such a thought had disappeared from their minds.
Over a Military’s taken action, goods and money will be greatly consumed.
The King had done what he did to lighten the financial burden, but in the end what happened was the exact opposite.

No one is allowed to say “We tried but it was useless”.
The only salvation was that where the King was was not too far away.
If the Magic Knight Unit is moving at full speed, they would probably merge in about thirty minutes.
However, thinking about a move that reached to a national scale, it was not something that can be consoled.
He was a loved and respected ruler, even being tempted to complain in their mind was a cruel thing.
There was what one of Civil Servants, Prime Minister Valk’s, further concern.
Let us pretend that this matter was heard in our sleep.
Intelligence Department also was not able to grasp any information, there’s an extent to how sloppy a job one can do.
They are not people that were only excellent in their duty, not a person should be disappointed in what they did.
In Valk’s mind, he deduced two possibilities.
First one, there is a traitor inside the Kingdom.
The other one is something that cannot be managed by the Kingdom’s resource…for example like the one who planned this out was the Majin(Demon) behind the scenes.
When thinking about the second possibility, Valk was attacked by a sensation like his heart had been frozen, immediately he removed himself from that kind of thinking.
If a Majin(Demon) was considered as the mastermind, the attack was too weak.
Majin(Demon) in general were monsters that over many years stored their power, they were an existence that had evolved.
Having tremendous power, taking an appearance almost similar to humans, it was possible to establish an army of numerous monsters.
Even looking at the past, Majin(Demon) would not be one that attacked with only six Wyvern as their forces. More importantly, they would also not be the one who was willing to help the King who been attacked.
To begin with, the major cause of Firat Kingdom’s national power to drop down was the Majin(Demon).
…that time, Valk overlooked another two possibility.
The first one of those two being that the one who helped the King had a power that surpa.s.sed the Majin(Demon).
The other one is they are an existence that transcended the Majin(Demon).
However, there was no one that can blame Valk.
Because both of them were treated as a distant past legend.
(End of Episode 9)