Water Magician

Extra 2 The Case of Kenneth, Rihya, and Sera

Editor: Tseirp

Ryo and Abel disappeared.

Everyone was too stunned to react for a moment.

In the midst of that, the first to act was the genius alchemist, Viscount Kenneth Hayward.

“Abel, Ryo-san…. Abel should have a friend or foe identification tag!”

He murmured softly and immediately began to act.

He jumped onto the ‘Panacea Breath: Long-Range Diffusion Mercy of the Goddess’ and began rewriting some of the magic formulas before rebooting it.

Then, he collected data.

“Abel is not within a radius of fifty kilometers.”

He muttered, beginning to think.

Somehow, he felt like the two of them were together.

And what they were caught up in was a kind of teleportation.

As long as they were in this world, communication should be possible.

“Ryo-san’s alchemy level is very high…”

Viscount Kenneth Hayward is the leading alchemist of the Kingdom.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that he represents not just the Kingdom, but also the Central Countries.

He is only rivaled by Frank de Verde of the Union…

That’s the general consensus.

And it’s mostly correct.

But… the parties involved have a different perspective.

“Ryo-san has mastered alchemy of a different concept than mine, and he even has ideas I wouldn’t have come up with myself.”

That’s the highest praise he could possibly give.

What now?

Certainly, he may have different ideas, but he’ll likely adapt to Kenneth’s.

Ryo Mihara, Duke of Rondo is that kind of person.

“Alchemy that transcends distances…. Sure enough, the only thing that comes to mind is ‘Soul Resonance’.”

Kenneth continued his train of thought.

Considering what he would do.

He believed that Ryo’s alchemy would eventually reach his level.

The conclusion he arrived at was to use Soul Resonance.

Of course, The Soul Resonance targer is ‘Abel’.

And Abel was not there.

Even if Ryo were to rewrite the magic formula for Soul Resonance and transmit it, there was no one there who could receive it.

However…

“There’s no other choice.”

Kenneth murmured, looking around.

He found his subordinate, Radden, who was still dazed.

“Radden! I’m heading back to the royal capital right away. You’ll need to work with the priests and bring the ‘Long-Range Diffusion Mercy of the Goddess’ back to the royal capital.”

“Huh… uh, yes. Um, what about you, sir?”

“I’ll return to the royal capital and make various arrangements to receive communications from His Majesty and Ryo-san. Please, take care of the ‘Long-Range Diffusion Mercy of the Goddess’.”

With that, Kenneth mounted his horse and galloped towards the royal capital.

Almost simultaneously, Sera began to move.

When Ryo and Abel disappeared, she murmured “Ryo…” in a daze.

A few moments later, she snapped back to reality.

Then, she muttered to herself, confirming something in her mind.

“It’s okay…. He’ll be okay…”

Finally, she nodded firmly and looked around.

When she spotted the person she was looking for, she approached.

It was Queen Rihya.

She was sitting powerlessly next to the huge alchemy device.

Viscount Kenneth Hayward had jumped onto it and was tinkering with something.

He was probably trying to detect a reaction from Abel or Ryo.

She left that to Kenneth.

Sera headed towards where Rihya was sitting.

“Rihya.”

She called out gently.

Sera could understand Rihya’s feelings all too well.

Anyone would be confused, anxious, and saddened when their beloved suddenly disappeared before their eyes.

“Sera… Abel… Abel…”

Those were the first words to escape Rihya’s lips.

“Yeah…”

Sera replied softly and then gently embraced Rihya.

Both of them were once widely known B-ranked adventurers.

Rihya was a saintess and now a queen.

While Sera was a renowned elf, representing the western forest and one of the most famous in the Central Countries.

Both are well-known throughout the Central Countries.

But they were also both women who had lost their beloved in front of their eyes.

Rihya cried on Sera’s shoulder.

Sera didn’t say anything or do anything; she just lent her shoulder.

It wasn’t for long.

Rihya wiped her tears and spoke

“Thank you, Sera.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Sera replied before continuing.

“It might be strange to say this now, but Rihya, everything will be okay.”

“Huh?”

Rihya didn’t understand what Sera meant.

And that was natural.

Both of them had disappeared.

“I have a feeling Ryo is alive. I’m almost certain of it.”

Sera asserted.

Rihya couldn’t say anything in response.

“I think Ryo and Abel were sent to the same place.”

“Sent?”

“Yeah. It looked like teleportation. So, if they’re together, they’ll be fine.”

Sera said confidently, even smiling.

Seeing that, Rihya also understood.

Indeed, if those two were together, everything would be fine.

“Ryo wouldn’t let Abel die.”

“Yeah…you’re right. I’m sure Ryo will protect Abel no matter what.”

Sera said, and Rihya nodded in agreement.

It wasn’t a logical conclusion.

But both of them arrived at the same one.

As long as those two were together, everything would be fine.

“What we need to do is protect the country until Abel and Ryo return.”

“Yeah. With both the King and the Premier Duke gone at the same time, it’s concerning. The Premier Duke is undoubtedly the Kingdom’s strongest force. If it’s known he’s gone, neighboring countries might take advantage.”

Both Rihya and Sera had already started thinking about what needed to be done next.

“The Empire is still in turmoil after Emperor Helmut VIII’s death. The Union suffered significant losses due to the Volturino Grand Duchy, weakened by the minions of the Djinn. So, a direct confrontation would be difficult…?”

“Yeah. They’ll probably come at us from an unexpected angle.”

“And for unexpected angles, that would be a job for Marquis Heinlein. Regardless, his cooperation is necessary. It’s regrettable to ask him to work even harder than before…”

“…The Prime Minister must be under a lot of pressure too.”

Both Rihya and Sera were well aware of the state of affairs in the Kingdom.

Rihya immediately summoned the senior officers of the Kingdom army and began to reorganize the military.

Furthermore, she contacted Marquis Heinlein in the royal capital.

Though the royal army had lost its king, it was gradually recovering under Rihya’s leadership.

Many recognized that Rihya wasn’t just a figurehead queen.

Her past achievements were proving invaluable in times like these.

Outside the tent, Sera was discussing matters with Obaba-sama.

“Obaba-sama, I won’t be returning to the western forest for a while. I’ll stay in the royal capital.”

“Hmm. That might be for the best.”

Sera’s reputation now resounded throughout the Central Countries.

Her presence in the royal capital would exert a silent pressure on other countries.

Something like, “Are you willing to antagonize Sera, the hero of the Western Forest defense who single-handedly defeated the Imperial Shadow Army?”.

The defense of the Western Forest is well-known throughout the Central Countries thanks to the bards.

While it may be exaggerated, not all of it is untrue.

“I’d prefer if Obaba-sama stayed in the royal capital too.”

“What? Me too?”

Obaba-sama tilted her head at Sera’s suggestion.

“We should demonstrate to the entire Central Countries, not just the Kingdom, that the Western Forest is fully committed to cooperating with the Kingdom of Knightley.”

“I see…”

Of course, the Western Forest has cooperated with the Kingdom in the past.

Even during the recent war against the Djinn, albeit belatedly, they sent reinforcements.

However, the general perception is that they are only connected to the Kingdom ‘through the nobles of the Western region’.

For instance, although Marquis Hope, a great noble of the West knows this to be incorrect, the general perception may not always align with the truth…

Sera saw this as an excellent opportunity to correct this misconception.

Obaba-sama agreed.

“I’ve discussed this with Marquis Hope before. I believe the great nobles of the Kingdom will support us.”

Apart from several ducal houses connected to the royal family, most of the great nobles remaining in the Kingdom were from the western and southern regions.

Particularly, Marquis Hope in the west, Rune Frontier Count in the south, and Marquis Heinlein, who holds lands in the south as well as being the Prime Minister.

These figures are all prominent nobles who have consistently supported King Abel I.

Even Alfonso, newly appointed as the Rune Frontier Count, is… well, in Sera’s eyes, he’s passable.

Two days later, the Kingdom army returned to the royal capital.

The Royal Alchemy Workshop in the Crystal Palace of the Kingdom of Knightley.

Kenneth, who returned ahead of the army, had been tinkering with a certain alchemy device.

It was about the size of a briefcase.

Designed for portability, hence the emphasis on compactness.

“I’m back, Chief.”

Radden, who successfully returned the ‘Long-Range Diffusion Mercy of the Goddess’ to the royal capital along with the Kingdom army, reported.

“Welcome back, Radden. Now, we’ll connect this ‘relay device’ to the central communication system in the workshop.”

“Uh…. B-But, Chief, isn’t that… you mentioned before that it was too dangerous…”

“Yeah, I did.”

Radden was flustered, but Kenneth nodded gravely.

Even with the expertise of Viscount Kenneth Hayward, it seemed extremely difficult.

“However, to ‘pick it up,’ we need the performance of either the central communication system of the royal palace or the workshop.”

“By pick it up, do you mean… His Majesty’s ‘Soul Resonance’?”

Radden asked, looking at the briefcase-sized ‘relay device’ Kenneth had been tinkering with.

Of course, Radden knew what it was.

“So, you’re going to use the residual magic power of ‘His Majesty’s Soul Resonance’, left in this relay device, to receive the ‘Soul Resonance’ that Ryo-san will send, right?”

“That’s correct.”

Kenneth affirmed Radden’s understanding.

This ‘relay device’ was previously used when Ryo and Kenneth communicated through the ‘Soul Resonance’, relayed through King Abel’s body.

By absorbing and analyzing King Abel’s magic power, Kenneth was able to speak directly with Ryo… of course, during that time, King Abel had to remain in contact with this ‘relay device’ the entire time….

Now, if Ryo were to attempt communication, he would likely first consider using the ‘Soul Resonance’.

However, achieving this would require significant alterations to the magic formula.

Kenneth was confident.

Since he could make these alterations himself.

Although it would be challenging.

Thus… he wondered if Ryo could also accomplish it.

Kenneth held Ryo in high regard, leading him to believe it was possible.

“I’ll make sure everything is prepared here. Ryo-san, whenever you’re ready.”

Kenneth muttered, though there was no response from anyone.

After the return of the Kingdom army from the eastern region, the leadership convened daily meetings.

Amidst this.

“Sera, Obaba-sama, I have something to discuss with you.”

Queen Rihya spoke up… proposing something astonishing.

“This…are you serious…?”

Even Sera, rarely taken aback, seemed unsettled.

Obaba-sama, reputed to have lived for over two millennia, widened her eyes in surprise.

“According to Viscount Rashata Debuo, there are records suggesting that King Richard, before ascending to the throne, held this position.”

“That’s almost a legend…”

Rihya said with a laugh, while Sera shook her head in disbelief.

“Well, sure. I’ve already decided to protect the Kingdom until the two of them return. Feel free to use this title as much as you like.”

Rihya remarked with a smile.

A few days later, an announcement was made across the Central Countries from the Kingdom of Knightley.

Sera of the Western Forest had been appointed as the ‘Grand Knight Commander of the Knightley Kingdom Knights and Chief Knight’.

It was a position that had remained vacant since King Richard’s time.

Holding command over all the knight orders under the royal banner, and simultaneously serving as the highest-ranking knight within the Kingdom of Knightley.

The name of Grand Knight Commander and Chief Knight Sera spread like wildfire, becoming the subject of minstrels’ songs throughout the Central Countries.

TLN: Please read my translations at tseirptranslations.com, I did not give permission to any site to host my translations. 

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