Chapter 161-162

Chapter 161 – We went to their aid!

"AAAAAAAAAHHH!!"

One of the guardians of the gate, Karla, was screaming as she rode the air-borne Taran.

"He-hey. Are you alright?"

Fule asked as she held a Translation Stone. But Karla just answered 'I'm fine' in a voice that suggested she was not.

I understood how she felt. I was scared too.

I would probably be screaming just as loud if I looked down…

However, I kept my eyes ahead of us.

We were so close to the castle walls now.

"We've arrived. Everyone, prepare for battle!"

Rienna shouted, and we all shouted, 'aye!'

Taran landed on the wall, and we all immediately jumped off of her.

There were soldiers here, already fighting a defensive battle with arrows and trebuchets. And they looked startled to see us.

"What? Who are you!?"

And just like that, their arrows were directed at us instead.

"Ah, we just…! Um, Miss Karla. Tell them… He-hey!! Karla!?"

But Karla lay flat on the ground as Fule shook her violently.

And she would not get up.

The soldiers looked at each other and spoke excitedly.

"Ka-Karla? The guardian? B-but what does…and why is there a spider… And…now there's a naked old man!?"

"Huh? Mappa?"

When I turned around, I saw that Mappa was moving towards us while using an iron wheel to slide down the spider's web.

Well, this was such a strange place. And so I expected him to come…

But everyone was at a loss over what to do as the half-naked Mappa landed on the wall. I wasn't sure what to do myself.

It was then that a voice rang from far away.

"You soldiers! Focus on the enemy!! The dragon!!"

The person who was shouting was a young woman who had long black hair tied behind her head.

But I would have expected a commander to wear heavier armor.

However, the soldiers were the same. None of the people guarding the wall were equipped with high-quality gear.

The shouting woman then unsheathed her sword and came running towards us.

She probably saw that the black dragon was approaching the area where we stood, and knew that we were in danger.

"Stand back! I'll kill it!!"

However, this dragon's skin was already rotten. It seemed to be undead. I doubted that a blade could cause it to feel any pain.

Just as I expected, the woman who swung her sword into the dragon was quickly knocked off her feet by a sweep of the dragon's arm. But I managed to protect her with Shield as she flew into the air.

"Tsk! Huh? I-I'm fine?"

While she had prepared for a fall, she was surprised to see that there wasn't a single scratch on her body.

And so I shouted at her and the other soldiers.

"We came here to help you! Rienna, Fule. Let's go!"

I said. And then I raised my hand and unleashed fire magic at the dragon.

The dragon replied with a burst of black miasma from its own mouth.

For a moment, the two forces seemed to struggle against each other. However, this dragon was much smaller than the previous one. And it did not take long for the miasma to be erased completely.

The fire then slammed into the dragon, and it was carried away into the distance.

"Wha-what was that magic?!"

The woman and soldiers looked at me with wide eyes. In the meantime, Rienna and the others continued to attack the other dragons that were coming.

Stones and arrows were flying towards us from below the walls, but Taran used her webs to knock them out of the air.

After that, we unleashed fire magic on the ground as well, creating a wall of fire.

"Ohh! The wave is receding! We succeeded in driving them back!"

The soldiers cried out with joy.

I, Rienna and the others also joined hands and rejoiced over our victory.

"Hey, what happened to Mappa…ah."

As I looked for Mappa, who had suddenly disappeared, I noticed that the woman, who was likely the commander, was walking towards us.

"Ah, we…"

"Who are you?"

Her eyes looked at us sharply as she pointed her sword in our direction.

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Chapter 162 – She was a Warrior Princess!

"Who are you?"

The woman with the long, black ponytail pointed her sword at me and glared.

"Get up! Miss Karla!"

Fule shook the unconscious guardian near a corner of the wall. However, she had not budged ever since she experienced Taran's movement through the air. Even recovery magic did not work on her.

This was bad…

Karla had come with us in order to explain, but I doubted she would get up any time soon.

And the woman and soldiers all saw us as outsiders.

Well, I would just have to state my name and purpose.

"I am Heal. The lord of an island called Sheorl."

They all looked surprised the moment that they heard 'Sheorl.'

But it wasn't because they recognized it, as I could hear them muttering, 'What? Where is that?'

Well, I didn't really expect them to know. It had been unsettled land.

Besides, I didn't know which continent this was.

And so I decided to say the more famous name.

"And um, I was born in the Kingdom of Sanfaris…"

However, they all tilted their heads.

So they didn't know Sanfaris either.

Even if they didn't know Sheorl, I would have expected them to recognize the name of a kingdom. There was no one on the Barleon continent who did not know of Sanfris.

In any case, it was clear that this wasn't the Barleon continent now.

"We came here to trade. And while I only have iron ore with me now, my island is rich with fish and tea leaves."

I took out an iron ingot from my inventory.

The surrounding soldiers began to mutter to each other.

"I-iron suddenly appeared?"

"And that magic he did earlier. Who are these people?"

They were looking at us and the iron as if they couldn't believe their eyes.

Damn it…had that been a bad idea?

However, the black-haired woman, who appeared to be their commander, opened her mouth.

"Silence! You say that you wish to trade with us?"

Of course, we did.

However, our first priority was to help someone who was in need. We had come here after Ogus requested for our help.

That being said, being too honest about everything might just make them suspicious.

After all, who would believe us if we said we came to such dangerous territory in order to help them, and we wanted nothing in return?

"Ah, aye. We also have weapons and armor made of iron. And stone materials you could use to build walls. And of course, food."

"Fo-food?"

She looked at us sharply.

"As I said before, we can catch a lot of fish. From small sardines to larger fish like tuna…and also clams. Satan Shellfish as well. Though, they are a little frightening to look at."

As I talked, I could hear people gulping behind the women. It sounded like the soldiers were swallowing their saliva.

The woman's expression slackened as she continued.

"A-and…?"

"Let me see. Our crops are starting to grow. We should be able to trade grapes right now. And also tea leaves."

"Gra-grapes…"

The women gulped so loudly that it seemed to echo around us.

Her lips were visibly wet.

"A-and…oh, Killer Bird meat! It's delicious!"

"Meat!?"

Now the women and the soldiers shouted dumbly.

They looked like ravenous beasts who were eyeing their prey. I felt like they were about to pounce on me.

"In-in any case, we have food! And so, why don't we discuss trade? Of course, I do understand that things are desperate right now! And so we will cooperate with you."

"Y-yes."

The woman wiped away the drool from her mouth and returned to her original, stern expression.

Then she shouted for the soldiers to return to their duty, before bowing her head.

"How rude of me. I am Alyssa. First princess of the Holy Country of Arancia. Please forgive my insolence earlier."

"No, it's we who should be sorry for jumping in like that."

So this woman called Alyssa was part of this country's royal family.

However, I would have expected royalty to wear heavier armor. Her sword was also unimpressive, and no different to what the other soldiers were using.

But judging from the state of this country, it was likely that even royalty were not able to live in luxury.

And so I told Alyssa about who we were, and about the gate.

"I see. The Temple of Silence… You answered Ogus's call and came to our aid then."

"Yes. Ogus said that he and Vanessa will go to the king and make a report."

"Father… I should go as well. If it's not too much trouble, will you not accompany me to the royal palace?"

"That's what I meant to do. But Mappa…"

Mappa had vanished.

He would usually pop up somewhere after a battle, but this time he was nowhere to be found. And it didn't seem like he had fallen off of the walls…

"Maybe we'll have to attach a bell to him… Damn it."

And then Fule said,

"I will go and find him. Besides, I still have to wake up Miss Karla. Taran, will you come back to us after carrying Lord Heal?"

Taran nodded with her whole body.

And then Rienna opened her mouth.

"I will stay here as well. It's too much for one person…searching for Mappa, that is."

"That's true. But princess, don't you have a lot of work to do concerning the food and other adjustments on the island?"

Fule was right. Rienna was the one who managed the food on the island. And she was the only one who knew how much we could spare.

Rienna looked worried as she said,

"Yes…you're right. Then I will send Ashton and Haines to come and help you."

Surely the Kobold brothers would have no trouble searching for Mappa.

After all, there was a possibility that Mappa had already returned to the island by himself.

"Understood. I'll explore the area and search for the old man. So you can go."

"Very well. I'll leave it to you then."

And so we left the search for Mappa to Fule, and headed for the palace of the Holy Country of Arancia.