Chapter 265: 251

仄日【So-ku-ji-tsu】: setting sun, sunset.

＜Prologue＞

A desolate bar.

It smelled of unhygienic people and alcohol.

There was a cold draft threatening the fire in the fireplace that was illuminating the inside of the bar. It was dimly lit all hours of the day, so the customers were naturally all people of a similar ilk.

One seat away from the corner of the bar.

That’s where I usually sit.

I have no intention of hogging the seat, but when I went there every day, I naturally have an established spot. There’s a tacit understanding among the weak to not interfere with each other.

In any hangout, order and stability are necessary, and those strong enough to sit anywhere comfortably would never spend their time in a place like this.

The name of this bar is "Home of Old Cats bar".

But those who hang out here are rats with nowhere else to go.

No matter how ironic I find it, I too am one of them.

After moistening my mouth with watered-down cheap alcohol, I distracted my hunger with stewed sour beans. Then I spent the rest of the day listening to the words of others.

In addition to having no money and no place to go, rats are known for having a keen ear for rumors.

To put it in the nicest way possible, they’re information brokers. However, this is one of the few jobs that the weak and inept can do.

「So, what have you got?」

「Ahh, Nii-san, are you perhaps new in town?」

In the middle of the narrow bar, an unfamiliar face was speaking with a familiar one.

Those who can make money from this kind of thing are good talkers. It's not so much a matter of whether or not the information is solid, it's a matter of having a glib tongue. It also helps to have an appearance that doesn't put people on guard, I suppose.

「I'd love to tell you all about it~, but I have such tight lips, you see? If only there were shiny stuff to loosen them……」

「Is this enough?」

The man placed a silver coin on the table.

The amount of money he's willing to pay is quite excessive. It's enough money to drink till morning in this bar.

「Oh my, hohoho, well well well」

The rat sat down at the man's table, clutching the silver coin tightly in his hand.

「So, what have you got?」

「First is that, I guess. The First Hero and the Wolf King Ashtalia's battle」

「They took each other out, right? Have you got anything else?」

「Oh, of course. There's a guy who saw gigantic monsters during the battle between those two. And an army of glowing spirits, and a horde of terrifying beasts」

「Those are just silly rumors」

「Then do you know about this? Rumor has it that King Ashtalia did not fight alone. He had an attendant with him, and the two of them fought together」

「What?」

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the man raise an eyebrow.

For some reason, I was intrigued and took a good look at the man's appearance. He had on a fur cloak, something not often seen in these parts, black leather armor, and a sword of a design I had never seen before. I should have never seen it before, but somehow, I knew it was the sword of someone connected to the Myriad Kings.

「That one is a problem, isn't it? With what the Myriad Kings say about their valor.……」

「Do you have any proof of that?」

「Well, there’s no proof or anything. It's ultimately just a rumor」

「Then watch your words. You're putting your life at stake when you insult the Myriad Kings」

「!」

The rat trembled at the man's killing intent.

「………………」

「What else have you got?」

The man made the rat open the mouth that had stiffened tight.

「L, let me think. What about the aftermath of the battle between the Hero and the Myriad King?」

「Hmmm, I'd love to hear about that」

「Well, it was a huge mess. After all, King Lemuria broke off the alliance with Elysium. The remaining center continent’s forces were wiped out in two nights. The ones I feel the most pity for are the families of the merchants from the center continent. It was thorough, and not a single woman or child was spared」

「………Hmmm」

Killing intent leaked out from the man again. It was so faint that the rat didn't notice it.

「Not one drop of blood of those of the center continent remains. Well, I don't know what King Lemuria was thinking, but there was really no need to go as far as to destroy the flame religion for protecting the orphans」

「Did King Lemuria make an enemy of the flame religion?」

「He threw the priestess-sama into prison and tore down all the temples and branches in the country. It’s rumored that the flame religion in this country had amassed a substantial amount of money though. I wonder if that money is still undiscovered, or if it has been hidden away by the king」

「The flame religion of other countries surely won't let that go」

「Well, they certainly kicked up a fuss about it. I hear that the headquarters of the flame religion has sent a flame magician who’s said to be lurking somewhere in the city as we speak」

「That bunch are people who get things done when they have to. Is King Lemuria a moron?」

「He must have calculated that he could win even if he made enemies of them all. At any rate―――――well, I'll leave that for later. While the turmoil over the breaking of the alliance was still fresh, the forces of the Myriad Kings appeared. Or perhaps I should say the "former" forces of the Myriad Kings」

The man pressed his fingers to his temples, as if he had a headache.

「The Vindoobunikuru army, huh?」

「Oh, as I thought, you're from the left continent, aren't you, Nii-san? These days, it's hard to tell where a person is from solely by his or her appearance. With money, it's easy to get weapons and armor from all over the world nowadays」

「Hey, are you snooping even though you've received money from me?」

「No no no, I'm sorry. Force of habit. Anyway, back to the Vindoobunikuru army. They appeared out of nowhere all of a sudden. Before anyone even knew it, thousands of them were assembled on the plain. Everyone was expecting that to be the end of the country」

「Who's the general leading Vindoobunikuru?」

「General? It's said that their representative was Dugan, a descendant of Robbs」

「That guy is just someone who coordinates things. Tch………well, it's fine. What happened to the Vindoobunikuru army and King Lemuria?」

「Well, that was quite the surprise」

The rat thumped a fist into his hand.

「They formed a new alliance」

「Why?」

「Well, why not? There are benefits to both sides, aren't there? Lemuria will have the Myriad Kings as its new backers. The Vindoobunikuru army uses that name because they claim to be the descendants of the god of adventurers, and they will get to recruit adventurers to bolster their ranks. It's a win-win situation, isn't it?」

「I can’t understand it」

「Eh, what do you mean?」

「I'm talking about how they ignored the center continent in favor of an expedition to the right continent. Even with the fall of the First Hero, Elysium is still a force to be reckoned with. And the Myriad Kings are hardly a monolith. Having fought on the left continent for so many years, there's no way Robbs doesn't understand this. What did King Lemuria have to offer that made this worthwhile to him?」

「Umm, the rumors say nothing about that」

In the end, rats can't do much more than gathering rumors. There's no way for them to learn any closely-guarded secrets.

Well, not that I know of any myself.

「………Let's move on. What happened to the alliance between Lemuria and the Vindoobunikuru army?」

「The signing of the alliance took place on the plain. In another unexpected turn of events, a black dragon suddenly appeared and breathed fire on them. The flames continued to burn for three days and three nights. It sure was a terrible sight」

「………………What happened to Robbs? King Lemuria?」

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「They're treated as missing. Well, no one could have survived that. Several thousand soldiers of the Vindoobunikuru army and the elite soldiers of Lemuria were all~ reduced to ashes」

Such is the ephemerality of things.

Against something huge and extraordinary, a horde of people is no better than trash.

「What is this【black dragon】?」

The man's expression suddenly turned unreadable.

I was curious, but I swallowed it back down.

Rats should act the part and just pick up rumors like they do dropped bread crumbs.

「Well, I have no idea. There's not a single sensible rumor about that one. For the time being, perhaps you could call it "Lord Black-Scale", I guess」

「This country is under the protection of Lord White-Scale. If it was another dragon, she certainly wouldn't stay silent」

「Well, it’s the thinking of the capricious dragons after all. Who can say what the promises made with humans are to them?」

「………………」

As I thought, the man appeared to have his own thoughts on the matter.

「Who rules this country right now?」

That question was one everyone living in this country was wondering themselves.

「At the moment, there are many different forces exerting their influence within Lemuria. First of all, the one with the most troops is the expeditionary knight order led by the 5th Pope of Elysium, the Wanderer King Kerustain. The second largest is a band of mercenaries led by the Myriad King Garspar Johann, the King of Mercenaries. With those two as the most prominent, the remnants of the Vindoobunikuru army, the elves of Heures Forest, and even the beastkin tribes to the east are all trying to seize control of this city」

To add to that, skirmishes have been occurring between merchant companies.

The merchant companies from the center continent that had come with the Wanderer King are claiming damages from Lemuria's merchant companies for the losses incurred by the merchant companies from the center continent previously in Lemuria.

It seems that the amount they're asking for is enormous enough to buy two countries. Even if Lemuria's merchant companies wanted to reject those claims, they currently do not have any armed forces backing them. They have managed to run from this situation by delaying negotiations, but I hear that it's only a matter of time before they can't delay it any longer.

When money is involved, people and violence will follow. This will spark a new conflict.

「Are there no forces loyal to King Lemuria?」

「I heard that there were only a few of them left though. It's said that they were wiped out by Kerustain, or absorbed into the King of Mercenaries' army, or fled into the dungeon, and so on. I haven't heard anything positive about them」

「What about the Adventurers' Guild? I believe they had a close relationship with King Lemuria」

「They’re doing a good job of maintaining their distance from all the different forces and safeguarding the freedom of adventurers. It's ultimately just the freedom of adventurers that they safeguard though」

Freedom, huh? How hilarious.

「That damned Solcia, no, I guess it's too much to expect loyalty from a monster」

Suddenly, the door to the bar was kicked in.

Five men in knight's armor burst in. However, the armor didn't quite fit the men wearing them. I wasn't referring to the size of the armor. The men's faces and bearing didn’t fit the position and status of a knight at all.

They looked like hoodlums in cosplay. It felt like it was the armor that had worn the human and was walking around.

The "imitation" knights stood in a line behind the man. Each of them held a sword in their hands and were ready for battle.

「Hey, you there. I hear you're working for the Myriad Kings」

「Sir Knight, there’s no doubt about it」

The rat blabbed to the imitation knights with a smile on his face.

Oh, I see. He had called the knight in advance and was just talking to him to buy time, huh? He has shown guts one wouldn't expect from a rat in this act of foolishness.

「How much?」

The man glared at the rat.

「Wh, what?」

He's letting out an intimidating air that could kill. For him to direct that kind of pressure towards the insignificant man in front of him when there are blades behind him, is he just an emotional man, or is he……

「T, two gold coins」

「That's cheap. So that's your price」

In one stroke, the man cut the rat in half from groin to brain. It was brilliant swordsmanship. He had cut through the table and chair like they had offered no resistance.

Innards and blood spilled to the floor. No one had been able to see the man draw the sword in his hand.

「How dare―――――」

The knights behind him were fatally slow. The man was as fast as a grim reaper.

With a single slash, he cleanly beheaded all five of them. The customers screamed and chairs clattered to the ground. The sickening smell of blood made the bad alcohol taste even worse.

「You」

For some reason, the man pointed the tip of his sword at me.

「What?」

I have no idea what this is all about.

「Who are you?」

「I'm a nobody. Just like that rat you killed」

I'll probably also die like a piece of trash just like him.

「………………I see. Sorry about that」

What is he apologizing for, I wonder?

The man put away his sword and fished through the knights' corpses, taking their money and valuables. Pulling a gold coin from his own purse, he placed it on the broken table and left without saying a word.

"Who are you?" That's my line.

At any rate, I've acquired a rumor.

The elderly barkeeper began to clean up the place in an accustomed manner, and he took the silver coin the rat had clenched in his hand.

He has no relatives or friends anyway. There's no one who would complain.

「Oh my, was there a fight?」

It was an elegant female voice. She had an open smile that looked out of place, long shapely legs, and long wavy blonde hair. She had on armor with white as the base color and a cloak, and carried a sturdy knight's sword and a small round shield at her hips.

She was what one might call a female knight.

She looked like some rich noblewoman "playing dress-up". She had stuck her head around the wide-open entrance and was peeking in.

As always, she had a sophisticated appearance that was completely unsuited for a bar like this. It was even more unsuited for me, who hung out in a bar like this.

I took out the money for the drinks from my bare purse and set it down on the table.

「It's just the usual」

I gave the woman a look and got up from my seat.

The cold air outside chilled me to the bone.

The cityscape was as white as the woman. The buildings were covered with out-of-season snow and a fog of unknown origin hung in the air.

Even in the midst of all this, a colossal horn was visible in the heart of the city.

A dungeon that pierced the continent.

A labyrinth that offered wealth and fame, boons and calamities.

Its name was said to be the Odoriji spire.

For those wondering what the dictionary-entry-like start was about, that’s exactly what it is. A dictionary entry so readers understand the usage of the term for the title of the volume, 仄日のレムリア, which in this case means “Sunset of Lemuria/Lemuria’s Sunset”. Of course, one implication/meaning of “sunset” is “a period of decline”.

And with that, welcome to what I dub “Part 2” of the story! Everything is different now!

The first time I read it, I thought, “What’s wrong with His Majesty having someone fight with him against the prince?” Then I realized that while we, the readers, know how much of a monster he was, these guys don’t, so to them, it’ll sound like His Majesty ganged up on the prince with his “attendant”, which is unfair and goes against the honorable ways of the Myriad Kings. Hence, implying that he did that is an insult.

Well well well, all sorts of things have happened since the battle, huh? The situation in Lemuria has become quite complicated and there’s even another prince there… I wonder exactly how long it has been since the battle… But more importantly, who’s narrating? Who’s the female knight? What happened to Souya?! Is he that man who drew his strange sword without anyone seeing from a seated position(reminds you of a certain guy showing off last volume, doesn’t it?)?! Stay tuned!

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