4 - Selva Falls 塞爾瓦瀑布

The Capital of Selva

塞爾瓦的首都

I stood in formation at a place where I could see the castle jutting above the walls, as I looked at the main force: Lorphys9; army.

塞爾瓦的首都我列隊站在一個可以看到城堡突出城牆的地方，看着主力部隊：洛菲斯的軍隊。

Their scale had swelled to twenty thousand, and it was mostly mercenary brigades. Some were those formerly hired by Zayin to invade Lorphys, but once they learned they wouldn9;t be paid, they had swiftly changed sides.

他們的規模已經擴大到兩萬人，其中大部分是僱傭兵旅。有些是以前受扎因僱傭來入侵洛菲斯的，但一旦得知得不到報酬，他們就迅速改換了陣營。

While musing over the importance of money, I looked over the city receiving the attacks.

我一邊思索着金錢的重要性，一邊俯瞰着受到攻擊的城市。

We had kept our assistance at only drawing the enemy9;s attention for them. I mean, there was barely any profit for Zayin in this war.

我們的援助只是爲了吸引敵人的注意力。我的意思是，扎因在這場戰爭中幾乎沒有任何收益。

The border zone where most of the problems and disputes occurred had been officially afforded to Zayin. But that was just about it.

發生大部分問題和爭端的邊境地區已經正式歸屬於扎因。但也僅此而已。

No matter what we did here, it wouldn9;t really profit Zayin, so I couldn9;t work up their motivation.

無論我們在這裏做什麼，都不會給澤因帶來真正的利益，所以我無法調動他們的積極性。

0;Because profit for me, and profit for Zayin are different things. I should minimize the exhaustion of the knights and soldiers that have been left to me.1;

0;因爲我的利益和扎因的利益是兩碼事。我應該儘量減少留給我的騎士和士兵的疲憊）。

But I didn9;t want anyone to think we were being passive about it, so we were going to carry out the role of drawing Selva9;s manpower our way.

但我不想讓任何人認爲我們在這件事上是被動的，所以我們要發揮吸引塞爾瓦的人力的作用。

And as a result of that, a considerable force was pointed in our direction.

結果，一股相當大的力量指向了我們的方向。

“That9;s why everyone calls you rockheaded. There9;s barely any gain in it for us. What9;s more, the other side will be troubled if we9;re too enthusiastic over it. Now just try getting first dibs with our forces. What sort of face do you think they9;ll make? When they have close to twice the amount of troops, they9;ll lose face if we one-up them here. We should just keep our distance, and hammer in magic.”

Albano-san spoke.

“I-is that really enough?”

阿爾巴諾先生說話了。

"阿爾巴諾，你以爲你站在這裏是受了誰的恩惠......"

“Our high and mighty Holy Knight9;s. Did you think I9;d say it was because of you?”

“If you9;re going to do it here, at least take it outside. Though having our commanders out of here will be out of the question.”

『把事情交給他們會有點難辦。你真的應該慎重考慮讓誰上位。他們都很有才華，但也會忍不住互相對立。』

“Um, then… isn9;t Lyle-dono9;s idea of assertively attacking, and drawing their attention good enough?”

基地帳篷裏，克里特山雙手擊打着一張長桌。在他的對面，阿爾巴諾用右手的小指清理着我們的一隻耳朵，做出一副厭煩的表情。

"喂，你不指揮真的沒問題嗎？"

Aria and Eva were assisting another force as well.

Shannon and Monica offered their aid to the rear supports from Porter.

老四也是。

我......

我下意識地握緊了寶石，這時駐守在附近的梅叫住了我。

阿瑞雅和伊娃也在協助另一支部隊。

"所以大家都叫你石頭腦袋這對我們幾乎沒有任何好處。更何況，如果我們太熱衷於此，對方也會感到不安。你就試着先用我們的軍隊吧。你覺得他們會有什麼表情？他們的兵力是我們的近兩倍，如果我們在這裏先發制人，他們會很沒面子的。我們還是保持距離，用魔法錘鍊吧。"

From the Jewel, I could hear a strained voice from the Seventh.

"如果要在這裏動手，至少也要到外面去。雖然讓我們的指揮官離開這裏是不可能的。"

Maybe the battlefield air was getting to them, as they began exchanging blows. I received a, ‘gonna do something about it?9; look from May, and stood from my seat.

Creit-san was too assertive.

“Albano, by who9;s grace do you think it is you9;re standing here…”

克里特山的臉漲得通紅，他緊緊抓住阿爾巴諾山的衣襟。

阿爾巴諾先生太被動了。

“What exactly do you plan to accomplish by jumping into the fray? Lorphys is already moving to make this land their own. Their young knights want to use this opportunity to get some badges on their shoulders. Use your head a bit.”

當目光落在我身上時，克里特先生點了點頭。

Looking at the movements within the capital, even the residents had been flushed out, and they were ready for battle, so Selva9;s resistance was quite a desperate one.

『天哪，他們一點都不成熟。』

The two of them were glaring at one another.

Creit-san9;s face turned bright red, and he grasped at Albano-san9;s lapels.

I unconsciously clenched the Jewel, when May stationed nearby called over to me.

As the two clashed their opinions, the adjutant knight 【Noy Verdell】listened to their takes on the matter.

Her line of vision ended at Creit-san. And with the equipment of the Divine Knight Brigade that carried out the dirty work equipped on his body, Albano-san also sat in a chair at the base camp, putting his arm around the chair9;s backrest.

The Fourth as well.

In the rear, Novem was to treat the injured. And Clara and Miranda were supporting a detached force.

也許是戰場上的空氣影響了他們，他們開始互毆。我從梅那裏得到了一個9;要做點什麼嗎？9;的眼神，於是從座位上站了起來。

雙方都有自己的強項，但也有不少弱點。

"我--真的夠了嗎？"

克里特山說話了。

這次我沒有讓她進行偵察。

“We have proclaimed we shall assist Lorphys! What are we doing, not aiding their attack more proactively!?”

Creit-san spoke.

從寶石號上，我聽到了七號緊張的聲音。

她的視線終點是克里特山。而身上裝備着執行髒活累活的神騎士大隊裝備的阿爾巴諾先生，也坐在大本營的椅子上，將手臂搭在椅子的靠背上。

香農和莫妮卡爲波特的後方支援提供了幫助。

I…

"我們已經宣佈要援助洛菲斯！我們在幹什麼，不更積極主動地協助他們進攻嗎！？"

兩人互相對視着。

就在兩人爭論不休的時候，副騎士【諾伊-維爾戴爾】聽取了他們對此事的看法。

從都城內部的動靜來看，連居民都被衝散了，他們已經做好了戰鬥準備，所以塞爾瓦的抵抗是相當絕望的。

Both parties had their strong points, but they had a number of weak points as well.

Inside the base tent, Creit-san hit both his hands against a long table. Ant to him, Albano cleaned our an ear with his right hand9;s pinky, and made a fed-up face.

『It9;ll be a bit rough leaving things to those to. You really should be careful with who you leave up top. They9;re talented, but they can9;t help but antagonize one another.』

When eyes fell on me, Creit-san nodded.

在後方，諾維姆負責救治傷員。克拉拉和米蘭達則支援一支分隊。

I hadn9;t had her conduct recon this time.

"你跳進戰場到底想做什麼？洛菲斯已經開始把這片土地變成他們自己的了。他們的年輕騎士想借此機會在自己的肩膀上掛上一些徽章。動動腦子吧。"

"嗯，那麼......萊爾堂主的想法，主動進攻，吸引他們的注意力，不是很好嗎？"

『Good grief, they haven9;t matured at all.』

And Albano-san too passive.

“Hey, is it really fine if you9;re not giving direction?”

"我們崇高而強大的神聖騎士。你以爲我會說是因爲你嗎？"

克里特先生太自信了。

There, both of them sat in their chairs.

在那裏，兩人都坐在椅子上。

A messenger raced into the tent.

一名信使飛奔進帳篷。

“Message! The force from Lorphys has breached the walls! They went on to open the gate, and have succeeded with their infiltration!”

"消息！來自洛菲斯的軍隊已經攻破了城牆！他們繼續打開城門，已經成功滲透！"

It took a few days to get to this point, but that was surprisingly fast. It looks like the difference in numbers was a large factor.

花了幾天時間才走到這一步，但速度快得出奇。看來，人數上的差距是一個很大的因素。

There, Creit-san spoke.

那邊，克里特先生說話了。

“Let9;s send a force ourselves! I will personally command the cavalry!”

"我們自己出兵吧！我親自指揮騎兵！"

Albano-san.

阿爾巴諾先生。

“And I9;m telling you, you don9;t have to move a muscle yourself. Get in their way, and you9;ll be hated.”

"我告訴你，你自己一動都不用動擋了他們的路，你就會被憎恨。"

Their opinions were divided, but I didn9;t give my input.

他們衆說紛紜，但我沒有發表意見。

I wasn9;t going to stay in Zayin for long, so I wanted the two of them to build of some experience as the next candidates for the captain seat. These two too far out there.

我不會在紮營久留，所以我想讓他們倆積累一些經驗，作爲下一任機長的候選人。這兩個人太遠了。

『......作爲折衷，不是很好嗎？』

『If their individual traits are too strong, a trait-less knight captain can balance it out.』

The surroundings went quiet, and it felt as if time in the tent had stopped until the next messenger came running in.

"你在想什麼？"

三世。

I had called him to headquarters for the role of knight captain9;s adjutant, or maybe vice-captain, but this personnel selection wasn9;t as bad as I thought.

七爺認爲他比克里特先生和阿爾巴諾先生更合適。

“Congratulations. You9;re the next knight captain!”

“What are you thinking?”

The Seventh thought him more suited than Creit-san or Albano-san.

I put my left hand in his shoulder, and stuck up my right thumb.

我聽到了五爺的聲音。

『… As a compromise, isn9;t it fine?』

『我明白阿萊特爲什麼不招募他們兩個了。他們太極端了。

"讓我們協助洛菲斯一些吧。把他們的士兵關在城牆上。儘量避免攻城。我會派信使去洛菲斯確認的。"

I heard the Fifth9;s voice.

I sat, and put my hand to my chin. As I watched Noy-san a while, May looked into my face.

我點點頭，站了起來，走近一臉忙碌的諾伊先生。他一臉疑惑地看着我。

0;A former noble, fallen to adventurer, was it? Age-wise, in his mid-twenties… he9;s had his troubles, and more than that, if he was a former adventurer, he9;s sure to have gotten some education. His personality is one not to go to the front, but if he has these two…1;

（啊，可能行得通。）

“Hm? Ah, nothing much.”

“Um, did I make a mistake somewhere?”

三世說話了。

"在這種情況下，讓兩人中的一個擔任騎士團長是不可能的。即使是同等級的人，他們也會打架的。

"嗯？啊，沒什麼。"

撓了撓黑色的短髮，諾伊桑下達了命令。看起來，他把他們的提議都考慮進去了，然後加在一起，再除以二。

There, Noy-san let out a sigh.

『如果他們的個人特質太強，一個沒有特質的騎士隊長可以平衡一下。』

I looked at Noy-san as he received the report, and issued orders in the tent. From the formation of the Holy Knight Brigade, if I had to say, he wasn9;t one who stood out too much.

『如果他遇到了麻煩，不就沒事了嗎？他看起來很認真。在我看來，他的主要問題是如何讓這兩個人合作。』

“Let us assist Lorphys some. Shut down their soldiers on the ramparts. Avoid attacking the city as much as possible. I9;ll send a messenger to Lorphys to confirm it.”

我叫他來總部是爲了擔任騎士團長的副官，也可能是副團長，但這次的人事選拔並不像我想象的那麼糟糕。

『不錯。比起這個，如果有那兩個人在，像這樣的事情就......』。

『Not bad. Rather than that, if those two are there, something like this is…』

When he looked at me, I nodded.

I nodded, stood, and approached a busy-looking Noy-san. He looked at me with a perplexed expression.

周圍安靜下來，帳篷裏的時間彷彿停止了，直到下一個信使跑進來。

The Third.

The Fourth spoke.

He was preparing himself to have his errors pointed out by me.

通常是那種傾向於支持別人的人。

The type that usually leaned towards supporting people.

他正準備讓我指出他的錯誤。

『In that case, of the two, making one of them the knight captain is out of the question. They get into fights even when they9;re of the same rank.』

『I see why Alette didn9;t recruit either of them. They9;re too extreme.』

"......嗯？"

“… Eh?”

我看着諾伊先生接到報告，在帳篷裏發佈命令。從聖騎士旅的編制來看，如果非要說的話，他並不是一個太突出的人。

0;Ah, it may work out.1;

那邊，野山發出了一聲嘆息。

"恭喜你。你是下一任騎士團長！"

我坐着，用手托住下巴。看了一會兒諾伊小姐，梅看着我的臉。

我把左手放在他的肩膀上，豎起右手的大拇指。

當我握住寶石時，五爺明白了我想說什麼。

當他看着我時，我點了點頭。

Scratching his short black hair, Noy-san issued orders. It looks like he took in their proposals, added them together, and divided by two.

老四說話了。

When I gripped the Jewel, the Fifth understood what I wanted to say.

"嗯，我是不是哪裏弄錯了？"

➐

The Third spoke.

『If he9;s had his troubles, won9;t it be fine? Looks earnest enough. His main problem will be making those two work together, is how I see it.』

（曾經的貴族，淪落爲冒險家，是嗎？從年齡上看，二十多歲......他遇到過麻煩，不僅如此，如果他以前是冒險者，肯定受過一些教育。他的性格不喜歡衝鋒陷陣，但如果他有這兩個......1;

… The knights of Lorphys who9;d infiltrated the capital of Selva, arrived at the palace, and apprehended all its royalty.

......潛入塞爾瓦王都的洛菲斯騎士抵達王宮，逮捕了王宮裏所有的皇室成員。

Seeing all the blood spread out over the floor, Alette grimaced.

看到滿地的鮮血，艾萊特齜牙咧嘴。

0;… You9;ve bought too much hatred unto yourself, Prince Dario.1;

（......你爲自己買下了太多的仇恨，達里奧王子。）

She had entered the palace to give a report to the knight captain within it. After verifying his whereabouts, she increased her pace to search out for the room.

她進入王宮是爲了向宮中的騎士隊長報告。在確認了他的行蹤後，她加快腳步尋找房間。

In an unfamiliar palace, she asked directions from a number of patrolling soldiers, and when she arrived, she gave her captain the report.

在陌生的宮殿裏，她向一些巡邏的士兵問路，當她到達時，她向隊長作了彙報。

“The Alette Corps have successfully subjugated the resisting Selvian forces on the western ramparts!”

"阿萊特軍團成功征服了西城牆上的塞爾維亞抵抗部隊！"

In that minister-class office, the captain sat in a chair, read over the report, and nodded.

在那間大臣級的辦公室裏，上尉坐在椅子上，看了看報告，點了點頭。

“Splendid work. Is that all you9;ve come to report?”

"幹得漂亮。這就是你來報告的全部內容嗎？"

The fighting was already dying down within the capital, and the flag of Lorphys was being hoisted all around.

都城內的戰火已經漸漸平息，洛菲斯的旗幟在四周升起。

As they entered their second day since infiltrating the city, they had send a knight to Lorphys9; castle to report their victory.

進入潛入城內的第二天，他們派了一名騎士前往洛菲斯城堡報告勝利。

騎士團長小聲說。

“Did you say something?”

The knight captain leaned his weight onto the back of his hair.

"我是認真的！他身上流淌着巴恩西姆超級大國伯爵家族的血液！更何況，說到華特家族，他們可是舉世聞名的！不是嗎？考慮到他的身份，聯姻應該沒什麼問題。如果我們這麼做了，洛菲斯一定會得到一個強大而有能力的國王！"

"正因爲你這樣想，所以你永遠也找不到一個......"

An elf had passed through Lorphys, and sung their songs.

騎士隊長把手放在嘴邊思索着。

Alette nodded.

“I9;m serious! He carries the blood of a Count House in the superpower of Bahnseim! What9;s more, speaking of the Walt House, they9;re world renowned, are they not!? There shouldn9;t be many problem with a marriage, considering his status. If we do it, Lorphys is sure to gain a strong and competent king!”

The knight captain put his hand to his mouth in thought.

“A marriage of nobles… it9;s an affair where the opinions of the individuals are second to nothing. But Annerinne-sama adored the stories of heroes.”

那邊，阿萊特先生......

The knight captain spoke in a quiet voice.

"是的！在安奈琳公主和扎因聖騎士大隊隊長之間......讓我們讓她和萊爾-華特訂婚吧！"

"不，還有。這是一份個人報告，或者更像是一份建議。"

There, Alette-san…

He properly headed the armies of Zayin, and had shown off the height of his commanding ability.

"我們說的是那位公主。她有可能已經忘記了對達里奧的仇恨和感情。如果我們成功了，我們的地位會比扎因更高。據我所知，他的騎士長職位只是暫時的，不是嗎？也就是說，在他還有心思離開扎因的時候......"

“No, before taking status into account, he was driven out, so what9;s the point… and I can9;t think that Zayin will let him go so easily, right? Holy Knight, was it? There are rumors of him and Zayin9;s Holy Maiden.”

傳言已經傳開了。萊爾的名字已經作爲英勇英雄的名字開始流傳。

To Alette9;s long-winded explanations, the knight captain drew back a bit.

Alette knew that Lyle had only temporarily taken up the role of Zayin9;s knight captain. Her captain knew it as well.

艾萊特說完，她的隊長擰起了眉頭。

"你確定你不是太累了嗎？"

對於阿萊特囉嗦的解釋，騎士團長稍稍退了一步。

他們剛剛取得了勝利，所以隊長的心情有點好。他把目光從文件上移開，與她的臉對視。

Alette spoke to the tired-looking knight captain.

"你說什麼？"

And gave that response.

艾萊特看了看他。

“No, there9;s more. It9;s a personal report, or more of a proposal.”

一個精靈路過洛菲斯，唱起了他們的歌。

"你離我很近！太近了即使假設，你明白嗎？即使你成功地把他捲進來，從我們公主的角度來看，聖騎士也是一個令人憎恨的敵人。她不可能......不，等等......"

“Y-you9;re close! Too close! E-even if. Hypothetical, you see? Even if you manage to reel him in, from our princess9; point of view, the Holy Knight is a hated enemy. There9;s no way she would… no, wait…”

“Personal, I see. What sort of proposal?”

“It9;s that princess we9;re talking about. It9;s possible she9;s forgotten her hatred alongside her feelings for Dario. And if we succeed, we9;ll be put on a higher position than Zayin. From what I9;ve heard, his knight captain position is only temporary, wasn9;t it? Meaning while he still has some mind to leave Zayin…”

騎士團長把重心靠在頭髮後面。

“It9;s because you think like that, that you can never find a…”

Alette pretended not to hear it, and drew closer and closer to him. She put both her hands on his desk, and brought her face even closer.

Taking his hand off his mouth, the captain spoke.

但阿萊特是認真的。她是認真地提出來的。萊爾有好色的毛病，但他這次的成就比誰都大。

But Alette was serious. She was proposing it in all seriousness. Lyle had a problem with womanizing, but his achievements this time were greater than anyone9;s.

船長把手從嘴上拿開，開口說道。

“Are you sure you9;re not too tired?”

“Yes! Between Princess Annerinne, and the Captain of Zayin9;s Holy Knight Brigade… let us have her engaged to Lyle Walt!”

"他的長相還不錯。他的血統也很有名。現在達里奧不在，這是我們的機會！"

“His face isn9;t bad. And his blood line9;s a famed one. Now that Dario is away, this is our chance!”

並給出了這樣的回答。

The rumors had already reached. Lyle9;s name had started to spread as the name of a gallant hero.

艾萊特對一臉疲憊的騎士隊長說道。

艾萊特點了點頭。

他正確地領導了紮營的軍隊，展示了他的指揮才能的高度。

"貴族聯姻......這是個人意見次要的事情。但安奈瑞娜小姐很喜歡英雄的故事。"

"如果我們讓他順便過來，在他們正式宣佈之前宣佈訂婚，應該不會有問題！"

"私人的，我明白了。什麼樣的建議？"

They had just achieved victory, so the captain was in a bit of a good mood. He took his eyes off the papers, and met her face.

阿萊特假裝沒聽見，離他越來越近。她把雙手放在他的桌子上，把臉湊得更近了。

“If we have him drop by, and announce the engagement before they make an official announcement, there shouldn9;t be a problem!”

艾萊特知道萊爾只是暫時擔任扎因的騎士長。她的隊長也知道這一點。

“… I9;ll at least propose the idea to Lonbolt-dono in the castle. I9;ll send a fast horse. Your job is to bring it up with Lyle-dono.”

After Alette said that, her captain knit his brow.

Alette looked over him.

"不，在考慮身份之前，他已經被趕走了，那還有什麼意義呢！而且我想，扎因不會輕易放過他吧？聖騎士，是嗎？有他和扎因聖女的傳聞。"

"......我至少會向城堡裏的龍博爾特堂提出這個想法。我會派出一匹快馬。你的任務就是向萊爾道提出來。"

“Yes!”

"是！"

Alette rushed out of the room, and hurried herself all the way to where Zayin9;s forces were camped…

阿萊特衝出房間，一路急匆匆地趕往扎因的部隊紮營的地方......

➐

After Selva was invaded, and I thought everything had ended, for some reason I was invited over to Lorphys9; royal palace.

塞爾瓦被入侵後，我以爲一切都結束了，但不知爲什麼，我被邀請去洛菲斯的王宮。

Alette-san called me over, saying whe wanted to meet to further friendly relations for the future, and apologize about past events.

阿萊特先生把我叫了過去，說他想和我見一面，以便今後進一步發展友好關係，並就過去發生的事情向我道歉。

My job was pretty much over, and once I formally handed the role of knight captain to Noy-san in Zatin, it really would be the end.

我的工作基本結束了，一旦我在扎廷正式把騎士隊長的角色交給諾伊先生，那就真的結束了。

Creit-san was opposed, while Albano-san accepted it. When I asked Creit-san whether he9;d be able to handle all the paperwork required for the job, he made a conflicted expression, before reluctantly conceding.

克里特先生表示反對，阿爾巴諾先生則表示接受。當我問克里特先生能否處理好工作所需的所有文書時，他露出了矛盾的表情，然後才勉強同意。

Albano-san had slipped out of his adventurer life, and become a knight of Zayin. He couldn9;t do paperwork from the start, and it seems he planned to pass all that sort of stuff to Noy-san in its entirety.

阿爾巴諾先生已經擺脫了冒險家的生活，成爲了一名扎因騎士。他從一開始就不會做文書工作，看來他打算把那些東西全部轉交給諾伊先生。

0;No, I still have to return to Zayin, and do all the formal processes to hand over office.1;

（不，我還得回到扎因，辦好交接職務的所有正式手續。）

I saw all the gaudy ornaments had been stripped from the audience chamber.

我看到覲見廳裏所有華麗的裝飾品都被扒掉了。

我的戰友們也都被請到了覲見廳。龍寶先生的目光投向了他們。但他的眼神並不是凝視美女的眼神。

0;這傢伙在說什麼呢？1;我正這麼想着，七爺似乎明白了什麼，他對我說。

"哎呀，真糟糕。連我自己都對你這麼介意。更重要的是，你怎麼不早說呢？你爲什麼把萊爾叫來？"

我不知道該說什麼。我感到一種莫名的陌生，開始冒出奇汗。

As I thought that, the Seventh seemed to understand something, and he spoke to me.

There, she said something like, ‘kyaah!9; as she held both her hants to her face, and loosely bent her body back and forth. The hell9;s this. It9;s actually ridiculously scary.

The Fifth.

"你說得有道理。嗯，做唯一的男人真的很不容易。"

I felt an unfamiliar of some sort, and a strange sweat began to come out.

『哦，不錯。這是個相當大的問題，在這裏確保一個國家的安全也不失爲一個好主意。畢竟你可以免費使用洛菲斯的軍隊。

當他告訴我這是爲了打敗賽爾斯時，我忍住了恐懼，對龍波特先生說。

上次的觀衆太可怕了，我確實感到很抱歉。所以，我也帶着歉意來到這裏。

All of my comrades had been invited to the audience chamber as well. Lonbolt-san9;s eyes were directed at them. But his eyes weren9;t the eyes of someone gazing upon a beautiful lady.

這就是我來的原因，但是......

『哦，原來是這個樣子。我挺喜歡這種寧靜祥和的感覺。』

Last time9;s audience was quite horrid, and I did feel apologetic about it. So I had brought my feet here with the intent to apologize as well.

She stroked her violet hair restlessly, and before such a princess, I really didn9;t know what to say.

The Fourth cut out he Fifth9;s opinion.

“Hobbies, is it? U-um… what do you mean by that?”

站在她身邊的龍博先生......

0;No, you called my a fool not too long ago, right?1;

四爺打斷了五爺的意見。

"嗯，萊爾大人，您有什麼愛好？"

三世驚訝地問道。

（不對，不久前你還說我是傻瓜吧？）

第五個。

The Fourth spoke.

『Lyle, this is a chance! It seems that royal princess has fallen for you! I9;ve no idea the reasons, and I don9;t even want to know, but if you keep this up, you can get Lorphys in your hands!』

『This isn9;t an apology, is it? And wait, isn9;t her face a bit red? What? Lyle, did you do something again? Did you turn mr. lyle when I wasn9;t watching?』

『… I9;m not really sure about that sort of thing. No, I do think it9;s necessary, but how should I put this… that girl9;s no good, isn9;t she?』

『Oooh, so this is how it looked before. I quite like the nice and calm feel to it.』

在那裏，她一邊說着9;咔呀！9;之類的話，一邊用兩隻手捧着臉，鬆鬆垮垮地前後彎曲着身體。這是什麼鬼東西？真是嚇死人了。

『Oh, not bad. It was quite a big problem, and it isn9;t a bad idea to secure a single country while you9;re here. You9;ll be able to make free use of Lorphys9; troops, after all.』

三世也是。

『It9;s because they prettied it up for the fiancé9;s tastes. More importantly, don9;t you find something curious about the eyes of the princess before us?』

『......我不太清楚這種事。不，我覺得有必要，但怎麼說呢......那個女孩不好，不是嗎？』

He sent a bit of a harsh stare to Miranda9;s belligerent attitude. But Miranda didn9;t falter.

0;What is this guy talking about?1;

『萊爾，這是個機會！看來皇室公主已經愛上你了！我不知道原因，甚至也不想知道，但如果你繼續這樣下去，你就可以把洛菲斯弄到手了！』。

『在這種情況下，我們或多或少可以忽略這些小問題。萊爾，說點鼓勵她的話，看看效果如何。聽着，這是爲了勝利！這是戰勝西萊斯的必要條件！你一定要振作起來，萊爾！』

我最近沒長什麼東西。如果有的話，我一定會全力拒絕這個觀衆。因爲這很明顯會給所有當事人帶來不利的結果。

I haven9;t had any Growths lately. If I had, I would have denied this audience with all my might. Because it would be more than clear it would bring a disadvantageous outcome to all parties concerned.

When he told me it was to defeat Celes, I swallowed my fears, and addressed Lonbolt-san.

The Third spoke in amazement.

That9;s why I came, but…

“Oh my, how awful. Even when I9;m being so mindful of you myself. More importantly, how about you just say it out already? Why did you call Lyle here?”

這時，米蘭達說話了。

『這不是在道歉吧？等等，她的臉是不是有點紅？怎麼了？萊爾，你又做了什麼嗎？你是不是趁我不注意的時候把萊爾先生給變了？』

Lonbolt-san standing beside her…

四爺說話了。

There, Miranda spoke.

她不安地撫摸着自己紫色的頭髮，在這樣一位公主面前，我真不知道該說些什麼。

“Y-you have a point. Well, it really is hard to be the only man.”

"仔細想想，你的戰友們都偏漂亮。作爲一個單身男人，豈不是很麻煩？我想也是你來決定這裏的合法妻子如何？永遠過着冒險者的生活一定很辛苦吧。"

『那是因爲他們爲了迎合未婚夫的口味而進行了裝飾。更重要的是，你不覺得眼前這位公主的眼睛有些奇怪嗎？『

The Fifth.

The Third too.

“Come to think of it, your comrades are all on the pretty side. As a single man, wouldn9;t that be a lot of trouble? It is, I9;m sure. Wo how about you decide the legal wife here? It must be hard to live an adventurer9;s life forever.”

『On this occasion, we can more or less ignore the minor problems. Lyle, say something to encourage her, and see how it goes. Listen here, this is for victory! It9;s something necessary to win against Celes!! You must steel your heart, Lyle!』

對於米蘭達好戰的態度，他送上了一絲嚴厲的目光。但米蘭達沒有動搖。

“Um, Lyle-sama, what are your hobbies?”

第五。

"愛好，是嗎？呃......你這話是什麼意思？"

Lonbolt-san spoke.

龍博先生說話了。

“… I was going to bring it up later.”

"......我本來想等會兒再提的。"

It seems the princess had gone off script. The original plan was to apologize to all of us here, and call me back alone later. Apparently.

看來公主已經脫稿了。原計劃是在這裏向大家道歉，稍後再單獨給我打電話。顯然是這樣。

“Lorphys had placed a high evaluation on your achievements in this matter, Lyle-dono. How about it? Want to try your hand at the throne, oh Holy Knight?”

"洛菲斯對你在這件事上的成就評價很高，萊爾堂。怎麼樣？想試試你的王位嗎，哦，神聖騎士？"

Within the Jewel.

寶珠內。

The Fourth gave a cheer.

四世一聲歡呼。

『Okay, it9;s here! Now Lorphys is in the bag! If you use this as a foothold, negotiate with Zayin, and gain full control of the entire region …』

『好了，到手了！現在，洛菲斯已經是囊中之物了！如果以此爲立足點，與扎因談判，完全控制整個地區......』

But at that moment, Novem gave a bright smile, and opened her mouth.

但就在這時，諾維姆露出了一個燦爛的笑容，開口說道。

“That is not possible.”

"那是不可能的。"

“Eh?”

"呃？"

我決定相信她以後會找到一個好伴侶的。

➐

那是一個極其美好的微笑。

"還有華特家族的戒律。它的首領們世世代代恪守的戒律......我不能在這裏說，但這種結合會違反這些戒律。我不能同意這門婚事。"

於是，我們履行了最初計劃的道歉，並就此事握手言和。

“… I see. Personally, I am interested with your goal. Lorphys has gotten quite indebt to you, Lyle-dono. If there is anything we may assist you in, we shall offer our support.”

“Hey, why did you refuse that proposal back there? If you hadn9;t we would have had the country of Lorphys in our hands.”

諾維姆笑了笑。

“And there are also the Walt House9;s precepts. The precepts its heads have adhered to for generations… I cannot say it here, but this union would be in violation of them. I cannot approve of this marriage.”

天空很藍，太陽沒有被散落在四周的白雲遮擋。我一邊欣賞着這些刺眼的陽光，一邊對她說。

"嗯，總結一下......你剛纔真的只憑戒律就否定了她？"

第七顆也是。

I decided to believe she would find a nice partner sometime down the line.

『你說諾維姆反對？她不可能不明白把洛菲斯交到我們手裏意味着什麼！萊爾，勸勸諾維姆！』

"這是爲什麼！？你對我不滿意嗎？希望的英雄......吸納他的血脈是王室的又一職責！"

The Seventh as well.

Novem nodded.

“N-no, well… I mean, she didn9;t follow the Walt Family Precepts. And even if she may be a princess, her status wasn9;t a match with yours.”

Lonbolt-san sensed the surrounding mood.

公主坐在椅子上，雙手放在膝蓋上，垂着頭，看起來很悲傷。

I heard some cries of ‘such impudence!9; from the surrounding voices, but perhaps there were many who didn9;t want someone like me laying hands on the throne from the start, as there were some nodding nobles as well.

"不，不，嗯......我是說，她沒有遵守沃爾特家族的戒律。而且，就算她是公主，她的身份也比不上你。"

諾維姆面帶微笑，但很快就抹去了笑容，表情嚴肅地直視着公主殿下。在那裏，公主張了張嘴，又閉上了，無法回話。

"萊爾大人和公主殿下的身份相差太遠了。而且萊爾大人還有一個很大的目標想要實現。我認爲在這裏聯姻對雙方都沒有好處。"

我聽到周圍有人喊道9;如此厚顏無恥！9;，但也許有很多人從一開始就不希望像我這樣的人把手放在王位上，因爲也有一些貴族在點頭。

寶珠內，五世。

I unintentionally ended up turning around. After the surrounding eyes gathered on her, a displeased royal princess shouted at her.

The audience ended, and we were on the way back to Zayin.

There, Lonbolt-san spoke.

There, Novem made a blank face. As if she was explaining the obvious.

“Why is that!? Are you unsatisfied with me? The hero of hope… taking in his bloodline is yet another duty of royalty!”

"......我明白了。我個人對你的目標很感興趣。萊爾堂，洛菲斯已經欠了你不少人情。如果有什麼我們可以幫助你的，我們會提供支持。"

The sky was blue, and the sun was unhindered by the white clouds scattered around. While taking in those piercing rays of sunlight, I spoke to her.

我坐在波特家的屋頂上，問在旁邊放哨的諾維姆。

『No, there9;s something wrong there. There9;s something more important you should be looking at here.』

說到這裏，諾維姆面無表情。彷彿她在解釋顯而易見的事情。

And with that smile, she told me the princess was unworthy.

So we carried out the apologies initially planned, and shook hands on the matter.

觀衆席結束了，我們踏上了返回紮營的路。

我舉起手掌對着她的臉，示意她停下來，等一下。

"你說的大目標？"

“A large objective, you say?”

“Um, to summarize… you really just denied her on nothing but the precepts?”

“Lyle-sama and your highness9; statuses are too far removed. And Lyle-sama has a large objective he wishes to achieve. I do not believe a marriage here will be of benefit to either side.”

『… Novem is opposed, you say? There9;s no way she doesn9;t understand what it means to get Lorphys in our hands here! Lyle, persuade Novem!』

It was an extremely nice smile.

"是的，因爲她配不上你，萊爾大人。"

那邊，龍博特先生說話了。

Sitting in her chair, the princess looked sad as she put her hands on her lap, and hung her head.

我無意中轉過身去。當週圍的目光聚集到她身上後，一位不悅的王室公主衝她喊道。

“Yes. Because she wasn9;t someone worthy for you, Lyle-sama.”

諾維姆點點頭。

Novem smiled.

（我確實感到很遺憾......但我也確實感到很欣慰。）

『不，那裏有些不對勁。這裏有更重要的東西，你應該去看看。

Within the Jewel, the Fifth.

I sat on Porter9;s roof, and asked Novem, who was on lookout duty beside me.

0;I do feel sorry… but it9;s also true that I felt quite relieved.1;

I held up the palm of my hand to her face, and motioned for her to stop, and wait a bit.

她微笑着告訴我，公主不配。

Novem was smiling, but she soon erased it, and looked straight at her royal highness with a serious expression. There, the princess opened, and closed her mouth, unable to say anything in return.

"嘿，你爲什麼要拒絕剛纔的求婚？要不是你，我們早就把洛菲斯國掌握在手裏了。"

龍博先生感覺到了周圍的氣氛。

In my head.

在我的腦海中。

0;Yet the First Generation who made those precepts randomly threw them out while drunk… even if I said it, I doubt she9;d believe it.1;

（然而，制定這些戒律的第一代人卻在喝醉的時候隨手把它們扔了出去......即使我說出來，我懷疑她也不會相信。）

I slumped down, and spoke to Novem.

我頹然坐下，對諾維姆說。

“The sun is getting stronger. Novem, you should go inside.”

"太陽越來越大了。諾維姆，你應該進屋去。"

“I9;m fine. I9;ve learned how to reduce the sunlight around me with magic. I must protect your skin as well.”

"我沒事。我已經學會了如何用魔法減少周圍的陽光。我也必須保護你的皮膚。"

“S-sure.”

"當然。"

I had forgotten, but as always, Novem offered me excessive care. In the Jewel, the ancestors sounded their voices.

我已經忘記了，但是諾維姆一如既往地給了我無微不至的關懷。寶珠裏，祖先們的聲音響起。

In order, Third and up.

依次是三世及以上。

『If Novem-chan says it, I guess there9;s no helping it.』

『既然諾維姆子都這麼說了，那就沒辦法了。』

『Thinking over it calmly, trying to look after that woman, and manage the territory would be hard.』

『冷靜下來想一想，既要照顧那個女人，又要管理領地，實在是太辛苦了。』

（哈，我在這場戰爭中用掉了我們所有的錢，但我們以後該怎麼辦......）

It was…

『這些傢伙的想法變化還真快。』

... 錢的問題。

『These guys sure change their minds fast.』

… A problem of money.

『可是，我們該怎麼辦呢？不是有一件很大很緊急的事情要找我們嗎？我們真的必須想辦法解決它。』

這是......

It was right before our eyes. A large issue that required immediate input.

『But what should we do? There9;s quite a large, and urgent matter coming our way, is there not? We really do have to find a way to solve it.』

0;Hah, I ended up using all our money in this war, but what should we do from now on…1;

就在我們眼前。一個需要立即投入的大問題。