Chapter 708 : Abel the Captive III
Water Magician · Chapter 810 of 810
Chapter 0708 Abel the Captive III
Translator: Jay_Forestieri
Editor: Tseirp
“Abel has become a captive.”
“Captive means he was captured, right?”
“Yes. It’s the exact word for the current situation.”
“A king who gets captured and taken to the enemy capital.”
“There is no word more fitting than ‘captive’.”
“It’s sad that I can’t deny it.”
They were having that conversation, but of course, there was not the slightest trace of a gloomy atmosphere.
It was just the usual teasing between the two of them.
Inside the carriage heading for the Union capital, Jayclaire, there were only Ryo and Abel.
No one from the Union, such as Lord Aubrey, was riding with them.
Of course, outside the carriage, there were ten thousand Union cavalrymen.
“I have a question.”
“Hmm?”
“Why did Lord Aubrey go out of his way to appear directly before Marquis Nyusha? Even if the goal was to capture Abel, he is surely busy, so he could have just sent a subordinate.”
Ryo voiced his doubt.
Abel answered almost immediately.
“It was a show of force toward Marquis Nyusha.”
“A show of force? He demonstrated his strength?”
“Yeah. Are you going to run the country while opposing ‘me’? Are you sure you can handle it?”
“...In other words, he was telling him he should join the Union?”
“That’s right.”
A terrifying story.
The fact that Lord Aubrey himself deliberately came and intentionally spoke in front of Marquis Nyusha was to make him join the Union.
Even if he did not go that far, it was meant to show him and make him feel that it would be better to stay on good terms with the Union.
Of course, if Abel were captured and taken to the Union, he could also be used in negotiations with the Kingdom.
There were several aims hidden inside a single action.
“It was the same with His Majesty Rupert and His Majesty Roberto Pirlo, but the people who lead countries are scary.”
“True.”
“It seems Abel is included among them too.”
“Compared with those two and Lord Aubrey standing right in front of me, don’t you think I still have a long way to go?”
“I do.”
“No, there I was hoping you would say, ‘No, you’re fine, you can definitely hold your own’.”
Abel’s sigh could be heard.
“Abel is not the type to compete with schemes and stratagems.”
“I see. He’ll compete with a sense of justice or a sincere heart?”
“...I’m not asking Abel for that kind of joke.”
“I was trying to imitate Ryo.”
“What I want from Abel is a muscle-brained sort of quality.”
“Yeah, that’s not exactly flattering, is it? A muscleheaded king...”
“It is fine. I am on Abel’s side.”
“I have absolutely no idea what that means, but thanks.”
The gap between the self one idealizes, and the self others demand... people suffer from that divergence.
...
If one were to put it into words and explain it, it would become such a cool-sounding expression, but of course, Ryo was not thinking about anything that difficult.
“I understand.”
“Did Abel just mock me just now?”
“It’s your imagination. Don’t worry about it.”
To the Union, Abel was the king of the neighboring Knightley Kingdom.
On paper, Lord Aubrey’s ten thousand cavalry were ‘escorting’ the king, who was the head of state.
For that reason, they would stay at an expensive inn in the city at night.
That said, as far as Lord Aubrey was concerned, he did not want Abel’s presence to be known to anyone other than the escorts until they entered Jayclaire.
If Marquis Heinlein of the Kingdom found out, it might lead to all sorts of troublesome complications.
So they rented the inn privately, and dinner was also taken by the three of them: Lord Aubrey, Abel, and Ryo.
There, mainly Abel and Lord Aubrey deepened their camaraderie as the top figures of their respective nations.
Of course, Ryo sat quietly and politely and partook as company.
He left all the difficult matters to Abel.
What? He should work?
No worries! He must have contributed to Abel’s mental stability...
One week after leaving the marquisate capital, Nansha.
At last, they reached the entrance to the Union capital, Jayclaire.
Inside the carriage, the king and the premier duke were having a secret conversation through ‘Soul Resonance’.
<<A flashy performance is necessary.>>
<<Indeed. It would not be good if the people of the Union thought, “King Abel has bowed to the Union’s army”. And if that gets back to the Kingdom, it would be even worse.>>
<<It is fine after we get out of the carriage. We’ll go with Ryo’s idea... the usual one. But if possible...>>
<<You want something for when we get out of the carriage too?>>
At Abel’s words, Ryo also nodded.
In this situation, the flashier, the better.
<<Hey, Ryo. Can you do that?>>
<<That?>>
<<The same as before the Liberation War.>>
<<No way...>>
It was only those few words from Abel, but Ryo instantly pictured the same image.
He thought for a moment.
<<That sounds good. Let’s do it.>>
<<I’ll leave the fine details to you.>>
<<Leave it to me.>>
<<The Union seems to have prepared a horse for me...>>
<<Then I will ride it.>>
Since there was also a risk of eavesdropping, conversations they did not want to be overheard were conducted through ‘Soul Resonance’ even inside the carriage.
Better safe than sorry.
After all, they were dealing with Lord Aubrey.
It wasn't entirely impossible that he was using some kind of magic or alchemy tool to listen in on the carriage's interior.
<<And what about that other matter?>>
<<I took care of it the night before last. Since we’d gotten fairly close in distance, I was able to handle it all on my own. It seems to have reached them properly, so everyone should be moving according to plan.>>
<<So it’s going smoothly.>>
<<The finished product should be seen when the handiwork is revealed in all its glory.>>
Abel nodded, and Ryo grinned.
And then, the procession arrived at the plaza in the Union capital, Jayclaire.
It must have been announced in advance.
There were quite a lot of Union citizens gathered there.
Here, Abel would get out of the carriage and proceed to the Union government building as part of the public display.
The carriage stopped, and the door opened.
At that moment, the voices of the crowd fell silent.
Right beside the carriage, a podium made of ice materialized.
“Huh?”
Voices of bewilderment rippled out.
Not only from the citizens, but also from the ten thousand cavalry surrounding them.
Naturally, they had heard nothing about this either.
Appearing on the ice podium was a single man.
What he wore was by no means luxurious or flashy.
Yet, everyone could tell instantly.
He was extraordinary.
His absolute, overwhelming presence.
The aura radiating from him.
Just by standing there, everyone could feel it... he was the hero himself.
“That’s King Abel...”
“Incredible...”
Awestruck whispers began to leak from the crowd.
The moment the man stood firm upon the platform, the ice podium lifted off the ground and floated into the air.
With a look of effortless composure, the man raised his hand.
The citizens had heard tales of this exact sight before.
“From the Kingdom's Liberation War...”
“The speech King Abel gave in the city of Rune...”
“It's King Abel's speech...”
Some of them had probably even heard that there was a painting depicting the scene in the Rune government office.
Once their surprise passed, they were transformed into a boiling cauldron of excitement.
“Whoaaaa!”
“King Abel!!”
“Hero King!”
The Union and the Kingdom could hardly be called anything other than potential rival nations.
However, the common folk themselves harbored no deep-seated malice toward one another.
True, their nations had clashed head-on in the ‘Great War’, but... fourteen years had already passed since then.
More than that, they were now seeing up close the hero who had repelled the Empire and the king’s brother, and liberated the people and the nation... that excitement was stronger.
After flying around in the sky for a while, the ice podium returned to the ground.
Then something strange happened.
“Come forth, Oniwaban Corps.”
The next moment after such a voice was heard,
Blue, human-like figures appeared around the podium.
Their number: one hundred and one.
Their height: 1.5 meters.
Every one of them held a spear taller than themselves... spears like lances used on horseback.
As if protecting Abel, they surrounded the ice podium.
“What are those...”
“Golems?”
“Ice?”
“Ice golems?”
The murmurs rippled outward.
“Ice golems protecting King Abel...”
“Hey, when you say ice in the Kingdom, that means...”
“Icefall...”
“Or the Silver Duke...”
“Is it that man in the white robe on horseback?”
“The one standing beside the podium?”
“That’s Duke Rondo...”
The whispering voices converged for a split second... and then exploded.
“King Abel and Duke Rondo!”
“You’ll never see a scene like this in your lifetime!”
“The ultimate duo!”
Abel and Ryo.
Those two were the true stars of the scene.
Abel moved forward while remaining on the ice podium.
Beside him, Ryo rode a horse and kept pace.
Behind them followed the one hundred and one ice golems.
Cheers rose from the Union citizens.
Regardless of whether he was the king of a rival nation, what they saw before them was a living hero, and a rare spectacle that could hardly ever be witnessed.
<<Not only Herald No. 1-kun, but the other kids all look full of motivation too.>>
Ryo nodded with satisfaction from time to time, looking back now and then.
<<I cannot tell the expression of a golem, but... it seems we succeeded in shocking the Union’s people and getting them excited.>>
<<Yes, yes. Lord Aubrey and the ten thousand cavalrymen were also utterly stunned. We did it.>>
Both Abel and Ryo were satisfied with the result.
After witnessing this spectacle, no one would dare claim that “King Abel has bowed to the Union’s army”.
In front of and behind them, ten thousand Union cavalrymen were strung out in a line.
Lord Aubrey, who had been leading them, stood a step ahead at the entrance to the Union government building, waiting for Abel to arrive.
At his side was his right hand, Aide Lamber.
“Flying through the sky on an ice podium, protected by ice golems... he’s completely stolen the show.”
“As expected, that is what one should say of King Abel.”
“I had wanted him to look more miserable... not necessarily to that extent, but at least like ‘the king of a neighboring country protected by the Union’.”
“It’s not so easy, is it?”
Aide Lamber agreed with a small shake of his head to Lord Aubrey’s words, his plans having been foiled.
Then, a man wearing something like a white coat came over.
“Lord Aubrey, did you see that?”
It was Frank de Verde, unable to hide his excitement.
Frank was the genius alchemist who created the Union’s artificial golems.
“The ‘that’ you speak of, Doctor, is... the ice golems?”
“Indeed. A golem that can be taken in and out at will. In other words, the entire structure of the golem is composed of water and ice. Remarkable, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, indeed.”
A golem that can be taken in and out at will.
Indeed, that was troublesome.
Still excited, Frank continued to string together his words.
“That was not created by magic. Did you notice that point?”
“Pardon?”
“It’s alchemy.”
“I see.”
Lord Aubrey nodded.
However, seeing that expression, Frank shook his head slightly.
“You do not grasp the gravity of this situation. If it’s alchemy, then there is an alchemy tool. An alchemy tool that creates ice golems. And if someone were to hand that alchemy tool over to another person...”
“If that other person provided it with magic power...”
“Indeed, then the ice golems would be created.”
“No way...”
Lord Aubrey muttered, utterly aghast.
Aide Lamber, who had been listening silently at his side, was completely speechless.
Exactly, it meant someone other than Ryo, in another place, could summon an army of ice golems.
And if that place were, for example, Jayclaire...
One day, all of a sudden, an army of ice golems would appear in the capital and bring it crashing down.
“That duke made something outrageous!”
A rare moment of panic from Lord Aubrey.
“That gentleman claims to be Kenneth’s foremost disciple, after all. As a water-attribute magician, and of course as an alchemist as well, he’s not a person one can afford to let down one’s guard against.”
Though Frank was voicing a grave concern, his face looked practically delighted.
“Dr. Frank, why are you smiling?”
“When one witnesses a whole new frontier of alchemy, it is only natural to feel overjoyed, is it not?”
“Well, I am certainly not overjoyed...”
“The classic difference in perspective between an alchemist and a statesman.”
Lord Aubrey grimaced while Frank laughed.
“About that alchemy tool... do you know how many golems it can produce?”
“I have no idea, not even remotely.”
Frank answered cheerfully.
“Why not ask the man himself directly?”
“Would he answer?”
“Well... if it were me, I would not answer.”
Frank laughed with a shrug.
The crowd rejoiced.
The statesmen fell into a grim silence.
The stark contrast between them was born entirely from the disparity in the information they possessed.
“What a terrifying thing... he has created.”
Lord Aubrey’s bitter mutter, filled with anguish, was heard only by Lamber standing beside him.
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