Chapter 3: Fierce Battle
1
A blue winged beast flapped its large wings as it passed over the skies of Ishka.
For a moment, the sun was obscured in Kuraia’s field of vision.
The flying speed of the winged beast was fast, blocking the sunlight only for an instant. And in that instant, Kuraia noticed a human figure jumping off the beast’s back.
The winged beast had been flying even higher than Ishka’s tall castle walls, above the level of the watchtower. It seemed impossible for anyone to survive jumping from such a height.
The exception would be blue forest flag bearers who could manipulate Od.
Kuraia could land without difficulty. The same would be true for Klimt and Goz.
And the figure falling from the Sora also belonged to the side of exceptions, just like Kuraia and the others.
The sound of landing was incredibly light. Despite a person wearing armor falling from high in the Sora, only a small “thud” could be heard. This meant the person before them was using Od at a high level.
The young man who landed exactly between Kuraia’s group of three and the fallen magician had black hair and black eyes.
His features, harboring strength and sharpness, were unrecognizable from five years ago when he always walked with his head down, but traces of his former self remained.
“…Lord Sora”
Though not loud, Kuraia’s voice was not so quiet as to dissolve into the air.
However, Sora did not respond to Kuraia’s voice that surely must have reached him.
After glancing briefly at the three, he turned on his heel and knelt beside the fallen Miroslav.
“Ma-mas…”
“You don’t need to speak.”
Gently stopping Miroslav who was trying to say something in a trembling voice, Sora rolled up his sleeve, placed his teeth against his own arm, and—
“…Ugh!”
Bit off a chunk in one go.
Sora spat out the small piece of flesh he had in his mouth and sucked up the blood flowing from the wound. Then, lifting Miroslav up, he pressed his bloodied lips against the other’s lips.
After a short while, Miroslav’s throat moved up and down. When Sora finally pulled away, both their mouths were stained bright red, and at the same time, Miroslav had regained his color.
“Master, the enemy is after Suzume… She’s inside now with Seal…”
Miroslav informed in a clearer voice than before.
“I understand.”
Sora nodded, wiped his own mouth with his sleeve, and used a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe Miroslav’s mouth.
Then, with a gentle gaze, he said:
“Thank you for protecting those two well.”
“…Your words are too kind…”
The responding voice was trembling. Whether from pain or joy was unclear.
Miroslav squeezed her eyes shut as if to suppress her overflowing emotions, and tried to mention the uninvited guests.
“Please be careful. Those people are…”
Sora stopped Miroslav, who was about to say “strong,” with his eyes and dismissed the other’s worry in a calm voice.
“It’s alright. More importantly, I’ve brought Iria and her mother. They’ll cast recovery magic on you soon, so please bear with it a little longer.”
“…Yes. May fortune be with you in battle.”
Sora nodded, lifted Miroslav, and laid him down in a place away from the potential battle.
Then, he stood up silently.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
“Please wait, young one. First, I wish to speak with you.”
“Speak?”
Amidst the swirling hostility and fighting spirit, it was Goz who broke the silence.
In response, Sora curled his lips in a mocking smile.
“What is there to talk about with someone who barged into my home uninvited and hurt my companions?”
“Your anger is justified. However, everything was an unavoidable measure to defeat the Oni.”
“Unavoidable? To defeat a single Oni girl who barely knows how to fight, you unavoidably had to draw your soul blades? Even with three Flag Bearers present?”
Sora glanced at the siblings and Goz, then snorted dismissively.
Klimt tried to step forward with a grim expression, but Kuraia held him back.
As for Goz, he furrowed his brow deeply upon hearing Sora’s words.
This wasn’t because he was angered by the other’s words and actions, like Klimt. There was an aspect in Sora’s words that he couldn’t overlook, and his expression showed deep confusion because of it.
“…Truly, you were sheltering the Oni of your own will?”
Goz had been told earlier by Liddell that the Oni was under Sora’s protection.
But he hadn’t believed it. Or rather, he thought that even if Sora had indeed sheltered her, he didn’t know she was an Oni. There are many ways to change one’s appearance, be it through magic or items.
However, hearing these words now, it seemed that Sora had knowingly harbored the Oni, fully aware of what she was. This was no small shock to Goz.
Sora, who couldn’t pass the Trial Ritual, didn’t know the inner workings of the Demon Gate, nor the truth from three hundred years ago. In that sense, it was understandable that his perception of the Oni might be naive. But even so—
“Young one. Have you forgotten the law of demon slaying and god sealing imposed on the Mitsurugi family?”
“I remember it. I just have no intention of following it.”
“Young one!”
“Why should a disowned person follow the family law? Moreover, calling me ‘young one’ itself goes against the head of the family’s orders. And you dare to lecture me about laws?”
“Uh… that’s…”
Goz stumbled over his words at Sora’s pointed remark.
Sora addressed the faltering Goz with evident sarcasm.
“I’m no longer part of the Mitsurugi family, and you’re not my tutor anymore. Feel free to call me by name, Goz-Shima. Just like you did five years ago when I was exiled from the island.”
“…Young one.”
“I’m the one who killed the Fourth Flag Bearer. I’m a great sinner who defied your precious, precious lord. If you understand that much, there’s no need for words, is there? Just draw your soul blade like that weakling over there.”
As he said this, Sora glanced briefly at Klimt, needless to say.
Klimt, who had once mocked Sora as a weakling, now had the same word thrown back at him. He twisted his lips and spat out:
“Don’t talk big, Sora. You couldn’t even pass the Trial Ritual.”
“Seems like even though you passed the Trial Ritual, you still can’t leave your sister’s side, Klimt. I guess you flew into a rage when your sister got hurt, only to be stopped by her, right?”
Sora hadn’t witnessed the earlier scene. But he had seen the white explosion of magical power and the pillar of fire reaching high into the Sora from the back of his winged beast. He knew the soul blades and personalities of the siblings.
It was easy for him to guess what had happened.
To be precise, it was Goz, not Kuraia, who had stopped Klimt, but it was true that Kuraia had drawn her soul blade to restrain her brother.
Klimt clicked his tongue and glared at Sora with sharp eyes, but directed his voice only to Goz.
“Shiba. This guy just confessed to killing a Flag Bearer himself. It’s okay to cut him down now, right?”
“…Even if disowned, he carries the blood of the main family. We need to consult the lord’s judgment before cutting him down. Let’s apprehend him.”
“What a hassle… Well, fine. Dealing with a weakling won’t take more than a second anyway.”
Saying this, Klimt stepped forward towards Sora, gripping his flame sword.
Kuraia’s voice flew at his back.
“Klimt, don’t let your guard down. If it was Sora who killed Lord Jijinbo, he has undoubtedly mastered the soul blade.”
“It’s alright, sis— Sora, you heard her. I’ll be your opponent. Come on, draw your soul blade. Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you.”
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
BUY THE SOURCE MATERIAL TO SUPPORT THE AUTHOR !!!
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated. Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 2-10 additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome
Additionally, I am now accepting translation requests.
