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Chapter 0689 The Place Abel Returns To

Translator: Jay_Forestieri

Editor: Tseirp

Ten days after Ryo and Abel left Count Veevee Soupun’s mansion.

“Abel, you are His Majesty the King, aren’t you?”

“That is true. I am the king.”

“A king can sometimes use state power to oppress the people, can’t he?”

“I have no memory of ever doing that, but I suppose there may be kings like that.”

Abel deftly sidestepped Ryo’s provocative argument by converting it into a purely general discussion.

“They say there are a lot of bad kings, which means Abel must be a bad person too, right?”

“Yeah, I have no idea how you got to that conclusion.”

Apparently, it was a debate that had nothing at all to do with logic or how arguments were supposed to develop.

“Come to think of it, Ryo, aren’t you the premier duke?”

“Huh? Well, yes, I suppose that is a possibility...”

Sensing an ominous undertone in Abel’s words, Ryo tried to brush them off.

“A duke is also on the side of the powerful, right? One of the higher-ranking people among those who use state power.”

“S-some people might think of it that way, or they might not...”

“So in the end, Ryo must be a bad guy too.”

“I strive every day to be a duke who stands with the people.”

Ryo countered Abel’s declaration with his usual principles.

There was no lie in his statement.

...Probably.

The party proceeded while exchanging such harmless conversation.

Naturally, each of them rode their own trusty horse, and behind them followed five enormous ice <Dollies>.

Yes, before they knew it, the number had increased from four to five.

It was the result of Ryo buying more supplies while saying things like, “Once we leave Darwei, we have no idea when or where we’ll be able to resupply.”

Ryo was not the sort to travel by guesswork and impulse, but rather someone who traveled very methodically!

“When it was just you and me, you were ridiculously careless though...”

“Of course. It is fine for Abel to endure hardship, but I cannot make Andalusia suffer.”

Hearing Ryo’s words, Andalusia neighed happily.

Ryo, on his own, believed that Andalusia understood human speech perfectly.

Then, at that moment—

“Hm?”

The word slipped unconsciously from Ryo’s mouth.

Abel, riding Feywan alongside him, also heard it.

“What is it?”

At Abel’s question, Ryo tilted his head and continued moving for a while...

“<Ice Wall 10 Layer>”

A transparent wall of ice was erected around the party.

It was Ryo’s ice wall, prepared on the assumption that they might be attacked.

Because it was ‘10 layers’.

“An ambush?”

“I still think it is reconnaissance, but... probably thieves or bandits, or people of that sort.”

“This region would count as a frontier area for Darwei, I suppose.”

“We have only passed through small villages these past two or three days, after all. But I do not think there is any logic that says public safety should be allowed to get worse just because it is the frontier.”

“That is true, but reality tends to turn out that way, does it not?”

Ryo grew indignant on behalf of the people living in the frontier, while Abel, as king, shrugged at the realities of governing a nation.

No one liked poor public safety.

Being able to live in peace and security... for both the people and the country, that was one of the most important and wonderful things of all.

He couldn’t think of anything that would justify sacrificing public safety for.

“Peace, safety, and security are the best.”

“That’s right.”

Both Ryo and Abel were adventurers who knew the value of peace.

“Hm?”

A minute later, Ryo tilted his head again.

“What is it?”

“The surveillance has increased.” 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Ryo answered Abel’s question, but he seemed to be bothered by something.

“Does that mean an attack is imminent?”

“No, it is just that... I think the new observers are from a different group.”

“Hm? So you mean there are people from two organizations watching us?”

“Yes, yes. That is how it seems.”

Ryo nodded at Abel’s words.

“We were supposed to camp out tonight, right?”

“Right. At least, the map we were given did not show any large towns. If it is a village, no one is going to let us stay in their house, and realistically, all we can do is borrow an empty lot at the edge of the village, right? In the end, that means camping.”

Both Abel and Ryo were adventurers, so they were used to camping.

Although even if they called it camping...

“I’ll surround us with <Ice Wall>, so there will be no trouble at all.”

“Ryo really is convenient.”

“Heh heh heh, such is the true value of water-attribute magic.”

“It feels less like water-attribute magic and more like Ryo himself is just... not normal.”

Ryo puffed out his chest proudly, and Abel mildly corrected him.

Either way, they would not be staying at some luxury inn with a guest room and an open-air bath.

That much was certain.

As they went further.

“Hmm...”

“What is it? Something else happen?”

Once again, Ryo tilted his head, and Abel asked.

“The two groups that were watching us seem to have started fighting.”

“Oh, so that is what it was.”

Abel nodded at Ryo’s report.

It seemed he had considered that possibility.

“So in other words, those two organizations were already fighting over this land. Then we wandered into the middle of it. They each thought we might be the other side’s new fighting force, and so they kept watching us...”

“Ah, I see. That would explain it. At least.”

“At least? Do you think there is some other possibility?”

At Ryo’s suggestive wording, Abel now tilted his head.

“Maybe one of them is a bandit group Abel used to lead.”

“What?”

“Before Abel became king... no, perhaps before you formed the ‘Crimson Sword.’ That bandit group was a horrible bunch, cruel and vicious, doing every kind of evil deed imaginable. And all of it must have been Abel’s fault for leading them.”

“...”

“The people who were watching were delighted and shocked that the former cruel and brutal leader Abel had returned, but they were not the only ones who found Abel. The magistrate’s office people in this land, who had once suffered terribly at Abel’s hands, also found him.”

“...”

“They attacked the bandits’ watchers. They were thinking that if the surviving bandits were to join forces with their former leader Abel, they might once again suffer misfortune. That is the truth behind the battle happening now.”

“...”

“Of course, after that, Abel turned over a new leaf and became successful as an adventurer. You even became king. But even so, the bandits you had left behind still had not forgotten Abel. They must have lived believing that one day, that ruthless Abel would return and lead them again...”

Ryo finished his tale.

For some reason, he looked very satisfied.

Abel, on the other hand, said nothing.

Naturally, he was not satisfied at all.

“As I always think, how do you keep having one delusion after another like that?”

Abel said with a sigh.

“I know, not bad, right?”

“I am not praising you.”

Ryo looked embarrassed for some reason, while Abel shook his head.

Of course, it was all Ryo’s imagination.

After a while, the fight seemed to end.

And five minutes later, three people were standing and waiting in front of the road the two of them were traveling.

Ryo immediately understood that they were the ones who had been watching them earlier—bandits or maybe mountain bandits.

When the two approached, the three knelt on one knee and bowed respectfully.

Then one of them opened his mouth.

“Welcome back, Abel-sama.”

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