Akatsuki Translations

Time rewinds.

City of Sin, Proudia – 【True Babel】, 【Healing Sanctuary】

“…So, I survived, huh.”

Begude, of the 【White Sea’s Ripple, 】 pushed himself upright.

There was no pain, but his body creaked in protest—likely a side effect of the healing potion.

Yet, more than anything, the real discomfort came from his right arm.

“Of all things… my dominant hand, huh.”

His right arm was wrapped in layers of bandages, intricately inscribed with healing runes. A dull ache pulsed continuously, and the sensation was horribly muted. He could move it, but the precision he relied on for his swordsmanship was severely compromised.

Ordinarily, an injury like this would have been enough to keep him from the frontlines. He had no intention of wielding a blade if he couldn’t wield it perfectly—especially when others’ lives depended on his precision.

But now…

Even with a flawed sword, he had to fight.

Because if he didn’t—even more lives would be lost.

“…Can I still fight?”

His expression remained grim as he gripped the slender sword still sheathed at his waist.

Suppressing both the pain in his hand and the strain in his body, he began to draw his blade—

“Pardon me, I came to check on your condition, Begude-san—”

“Ah.”

The sudden voice startled him.

His grip slipped.

The sword, meant to be unsheathed, instead flew straight out of his hand—

And lodged itself into the wooden pillar of the tent, just above his head.

“………….”

“………….”

Begude, unfazed, reached up to retrieve his weapon.

But it was stuck too high.

After a brief struggle, he sighed in resignation.

Wordlessly, Ur of【The Walkers】 stepped forward, pulled the blade free, and handed it back.

Taking the sword, Begude slid it back into its sheath, then turned to face Ur properly.

“Knock before entering.”

“It’s a tent, senpai. Try again.”

“…My bad.”

“That’s more like it.”

At least he had the decency to apologize.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

“So, What’s the Situation?”

Begude took a bite of the portable ration Ur had brought him.

Compared to what he usually ate, it was surprisingly good.

Likely because their forces were a mixed unit—including priests—so the food provisions were slightly higher quality than the usual fare.

For someone like him, who had a naturally small appetite and was dealing with the lingering pain of his wounds, the fact that the food was both flavorful and easy to swallow was a relief.

If it had been the usual dry, tasteless rations, he would’ve had to force it down.

“The battle over the dragon that devoured Sua-sama is still ongoing.”

“…So, we still haven’t recovered her.”

“Not only that dragon, but two additional hybrid dragons have appeared. The number of monsters is overwhelming. The tide of battle is against us.”

Three hybrid dragons.

All writhing within Babel.

That was bad news.

Most likely, the Dungeon of Sin, Proudia had decided this was the moment to strike.

Having successfully captured 【Heavenly Prayer】 Sua, they must have deemed this the turning point.

If they retreated even slightly—the entire frontline would collapse.

“So, you came to check on me—to see if I can return to battle?”

“Captain Victor of the knights said that if you could fight, he would ask it of you, even if it meant pushing yourself.”

“Understood.”

For a brief moment, he wondered—if he had just stayed unconscious a little longer, would he have been allowed to rest?

But he discarded the thought.

Dying in his sleep, unaware of what was happening, was far worse than dying fighting.

Besides—his subordinates of 【White Sea’s Ripple】 were still out there.

He wouldn’t abandon them.

“I’ll prepare and head out immediately. You should return as well—contribute, even if only a little.”

“Got it… Also, take this.”

Ur held out a cup.

Begude took it without question, peering inside—

And only became more confused.

“…What is this?”

“Tea.”

“It’s… shimmering in seven colors?”

“Tea.”

“It reeks of something foul.”

“Tea.”

Begude stared at Ur.

Ur stared back—completely deadpan.

There was not a single hint that he was joking.

“…What happens if I drink this?”

“You’ll feel an incredible surge of energy. And no, not in a drug-induced way.”

“So it’s some kind of medicinal decoction?”

“Tea.”

Why won’t he budge on this point?

Begude let the thought pass.

Surely, in a situation as dire as this—where the fate of the world could very well be at stake—Ur wouldn’t joke around with something so ridiculous.

With a deep frown, Begude hesitated for a moment.

Then, steeling himself, he downed the entire cup in one gulp.

And then he died.

“Alright, I’m heading back to the battlefield. I’ll be expecting you later, [1]Paisen.”

Leaving that parting remark behind, Ur walked off.

                                                           ◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

True Babel – Operations Headquarters

“…This is the turning point.”

Knight Captain Victor muttered under his breath.

Displayed before him was the grimoire deployed by Shizuku of【The Walkers】—a simplified battle map of True Babel.

It showed the defensive walls where Victor and his forces were stationed, the swarm of monsters surrounding them, and the three hybrid dragons rampaging outside.

The first—
A black dragon with evil eyes, soaring through the sky, with 【Heavenly Prayer】 Sua trapped in its stomach.

The second—
An azure dragon, running rampant through the Sky Garden, currently held back alone by 【Lightning Empress】.

The third—
A massive, sluggish gray dragon, being stalled by a mixed force of priests and mages.

If they couldn’t hold back these three dragons—this would be the end.

The onslaught of monsters was only growing stronger.

Some of the horde was still being diverted to 【Uuga】, which gave them some breathing room, but that wouldn’t last forever.

Having Sua completely sealed away was a critical blow.

That was exactly why the Dungeon of Sin, Proudia, had deployed two additional dragons.

The fact that they hadn’t sent more immediately suggested they had no further reinforcements of this scale—not yet, at least.

There was no reason for them to hold back now—one more push, and the shield protecting the Wise Heavenly King would collapse.

But on the flip side—

If they could hold the line here—they could win.

This was the decisive moment.

“The Gray Dragon Isn’t Stopping! Should We Deploy the Reserve Magic Corp?”

“No. We can’t afford to break rotation yet—we’re not seeing the end of this battle.”

If the Seven Heavens of Proudia sent an update, or if they managed to rescue【Heavenly Prayer】Sua, then the situation might change. But for now—

“Use the【Dragon Slayer】—aim for the dragon’s feet. That should at least slow it down. How many more uses of the wide-area dispersal technique do we have left as a substitute for Sua?”

“Five more! After that, we’ll need time to recharge the mana!”

“Use two in ten minutes to clear the monsters. Have the standby wall-defense unit prepare. The next rotation might be longer than expected—distribute fortifying potions and have the healing team on standby. What’s the status of the King?”

“He said, ‘Still holding on, but it’s getting tough’!”

“He never sugarcoats things… Got it. What about the adventurers we called for?”

“Over there!”

Victor nodded and headed toward the designated tent.

Inside, a group of adventurers had gathered—fighters who still had the strength and stamina to spare.

It was unfortunate that Ikaza wasn’t present, but they couldn’t afford to weaken the wall-defense units.

Right now, they needed fighters who could move freely and had sharp, specialized combat skills—and that meant these adventurers were their best bet.

Among them, Begude of the【White Sea’s Ripple】was present.

Victor felt a flicker of relief.

Since the moment Begude had been dragged into the infirmary, he hadn’t regained consciousness for a while.

Victor had genuinely worried he wouldn’t make it back in time.

But here he was. Alive. Ready.

“Begude. Can you fight?”

“Somehow. My swordwork might be a little dull, but my comrades will cover me.”

The members of 【White Sea’s Ripple】 gave firm nods of support.

Victor allowed himself a small smile of reassurance.

“Your color looks much better than when they first brought you in.”

“……Yeah. Well.”

For some reason, Begude’s expression twisted into something incredibly complicated.

His gaze then snapped toward【The Walkers’】Ur, who was doing his absolute best to avoid eye contact.

Victor had no idea what happened, but as long as Begude was back on his feet, it didn’t matter.

They couldn’t afford petty disputes to interfere with the operation—but a little trouble was nothing compared to the fate of the world.

“Now then—let’s begin the operation to rescue Sua.”

TL Note(s)

[1] Casual way of saying “senpai” (meaning senior, superior, etc…)