BBYW Vol. 4 Chapter 4 (WN)
Chapter 4 – Port Town at Night
Atahualpa, the capital and a major port town of the southern province of Lamperouge.
The heart of House Thunderbird’s authority, as well as the largest trading center of the kingdom. A city that never slept.
Atahualpa’s entertainment district was lit by countless bonfires, making it as bright as day. On a stage illuminated by the orange flames, scantily clad dancers exhibited their alluring arts.
Men excited by alcohol cheered, as others walked down the streets arm in arm with prostitutes.
In a corner of this sleepless city, I was looking down at the bustling district from the second floor window of my lodging, sighing in exasperation.
“A pleasure trip…is out of the question this time, huh. I must be cursed or something.”
“Maybe you really should visit the shrine for a purification rite, Lord Dyngir. I feel that your ability to attract trouble has been worsening as of late.”
“I really should…if only I had the time.”
I — Dyngir Maxwell — closed the window and turned around.
Sitting on the bed there was a maid, combing her black hair. Sakuya, my personal maid, was also an assassin belonging to the “Fangs of Steel”.
Sakuya, who had experienced together with me the tumults in the Baal Empire and the battles with the pirates in the southern seas, did not show any signs of fatigue. She looked curiously energetic, as if she was enjoying such travels to the fullest.
Gazing at her face with a pinch of envy, I crossed my arms in thought.
“We barely managed to end the battle with the Lion King pirates and that monster of a man, Captain Drake, and what happens? The western border falls! Not to mention that Valon is missing as well…what kind of nightmare is this? It’s a joke so bad that I almost want to laugh.”
“House Sphinx has not fallen, though, so I do not see why you should be concerned, Milord. Are the “Terror Armies” so fearsome a foe?”
“They sure are. Those things destroy countries they pass.”
I flatly answered Sakuya’s question.
“I never faced them directly, but I’ve heard from the old man. Hordes of mummified creatures, with no need of eating or rest, and only seek to end any and all living beings. It’s like a swarm of locusts, they don’t need rations and the rules of warfare mean nothing to them. There’s not much you can do against an enemy like that.”
If they were a human army, there were plenty of ways to stop them.
The “Terror Armies”, however, were undead monsters. No human rule would work on them.
They never rested, nor governed the lands they occupied: they just killed and advanced, advanced and killed. A nightmare turned into reality for any ruler.
“After breaking through the border, the mummies are likely to scatter, seeking life. They’ll spread everywhere, like wildfire. After they eat through the western province, they’ll move to the center, the south, the north…and the east. The whole kingdom will turn into hell on earth.”
“…….”
Sakuya probably realized the gravity of the situation: her expression was tense. Eventually, she moved her stiff muscles and spoke again.
“Will the Margrave send reinforcements?”
“He will try to, for sure. The problem is, will he be able to?”
I pictured the map of the Lamperouge Kingdom in my mind.
If reinforcements were to be sent from the eastern province to the western border, they would naturally have to go through the center.
The capital, however, was still unstable due to the ascension to the throne of the new king. Would they allow the Maxwell troops to pass during such a situation?
“Well…I don’t even know if we are needed in this case. House Thunderbird in the south and House Utgard in the north will probably send reinforcements as well. The royal palace too will be forced to act, so I don’t think that the worst case scenario will come true…”
“Lord Dyngir, your bad premonitions have a tendency of becoming real. Please do not say something you might regret.”
“………”
I chuckled wryly at Sakuya’s remark, then tossed away my vest and lay down on the bed. Sakuya promptly rode on top of me, as if she had been waiting for nothing else.
(Tomorrow will decide everything. I have to hear what happened from the witnesses, or I can’t even start thinking of a plan.)
At noon of the next day, messengers from House Sphinx were expected to visit House Thunderbird. I got permission from Echidna to be present too, so I could learn what happened in detail.
“I wish they could solve this by themselves…but I guess we should have our fun, while we still can.”
“Hnnn!”
I reached and flung Sakuya’s maid outfit open. The night of the port town continued to burn.