Karin’s hiruandon[i]
[Please note that this is an unedited translation done back when I still didn’t know what I was doing. It should get better with time, so please stick with it a little longer to understand if you are interested in the novel itself or not. I just don’t want you guys to drop it because of my shitty translation right away so…. I promise I will get to editing one day >_<]
“I told you I was against it.”
The town Karin situated in the far away west from the royal capital Ertobur.
In the bushes along the highway, which leads to the south from that Karin, there was a sloppy black-haired man that was investigating the movements on the highway even if he was being bitten by mosquitos.
That man, who brings about the languid atmosphere in spite of being in the middle of the mission, is in the position called the Captain of Karin’s army’s Strategy Section[ii], and that person is Yui Istats, who is called Karin’s hiruandon.
“Boss…Please, don’t say that now. Wasn’t it you who drafted this plan in the beginning?”
Grumbling next to Yui was his subordinate with a shaved head Crary who chided like he was astonished.
“…Well, it was me who came up with the plan. But it was expected that you, Kains and Nanya will be in charge of it. Then why is Nanya not here?”
Facing Crary whose appearance resembled a bandit and a muscular archer Kains, who was in a waiting stance in the back, Yui said while looking at them one by one.
“At this hour late at night when bars are still open, will she think of honestly doing her job? Well, your plan was bad from the start. ”
When Crary spoke of a woman who was already drunk on alcohol about this time and had completely forgotten about her job and everything else, Yui shook his head lowering his shoulders.
“Haa…Even though I, trying to escape from the tumult of the royal capital, got this demotion to the countryside at great pains, one of my subordinates runs away and the other one tries to make his superior work…It shouldn’t have been like this. I must’ve gone wrong somewhere along the way[iii]…”
In the present, when the magic is in its height of prosperity, Yui who practically can’t use any magic is the man who got the reputation of a good-for-nothing and sponger at the royal capital, coupled with having a lackadaisical attitude during the work. That kind of him found himself in a mess of being demoted to the local army of Karin that is very far away from the royal capital after all the twists and turns of by misfortune being involved in superior officers’ career dispute.
Regarding this decree for a demotion, Yui who originally kept an aspiration of a comfortable retirement in the countryside in his chest happily accepted this change to Karin. Thus his coming to this place with a huge grin was the event of just three years ago.
And like that, without working as a manager in Karin before his demotion and having nothing but people with peculiarities as subordinates working under him, he is yet to achieve the comfortable retirement he continues to yearn for.
“Please, don’t kill the mood like that. Mainly, wasn’t boss working only from noon today, too? If you think about working hours normally, there are still some left[iv]”
“…Well, you’ve got a point there, but…”
Yui who is extremely weak in the morning is never present at work whenever noon passes by[v].
That’s why when Crary pointed it out to him he had no choice but to shut up while looking up at the sky with an expression saying that he gives up.
And then he fell silent and when the quietness started to take the control of the place, Kains who’s been waiting in the back raised his voice towards Yui.
“Captain, the party has arrived.”
Hearing Kains’ voice, Yui and Crary followed after his gaze.
Then before his sight appeared the figure of a wagon that was leisurely approaching them and was guarded by an escort.
“What is the breakdown of the escort?” [vi]
“There are four hoodlum-like men wearing swords in their waists. And one more person operating the wagon.”
Kains, who was chosen to be the attendant of this time’s military operation for the merit of his eyesight and the skill of archery, saw through the organization of that troupe in an instant and reported.
“It is as in the information we’ve obtained. Then it means the colleagues of the escort are criminals he is raising. Hmm… In that case let’s proceed according to the plan. At my signal, Kains start with the coachman, and then shoot the second time when we will break into. I’m leaving it to you.”
“Understood. Be careful.”
When Yui said that like he was double checking the plan, Kains, who was entrusted with the duty of supporting from behind, answered making a big nod.
“Well, let’s begin. 3…2…1…Fire!”
At the same time with Yui’s order Kains fired his arrow.
Then, at the next moment the coachman who was sitting on a wagon crumbled down there.
“Boss, I’ll go first[vii].”
Clutching his favourite spear Crary run off at full speed aiming at the bodyguards, who were confused by the sudden situation.
Seeing Crary’s back, with reluctant look Yui also started to run and jumped out of the bushes onto the highway. Then, the figures of the escort, flustered by the sudden event, appeared in his field of vision.
“Wh-who are you?!”
Among the escort the man with the cut on his left cheek who seems to be the leader, said those words facing Yui and Co.
But the next moment he suffered a direct hit of the unexpected arrow that came from the side and just fell down.
“Man, Kains’ skills are splendid as usual!”
Yui uttered his praise to Kains who showed the shooting skill that hasn’t changed even tiniest bit despite the nighttime.
“Boss! Don’t praise, I’m leaving the one inside to you[viii].”
At the time of chaos of breaking into Crary instantly killed the first guard from back and then sprinted to the second one. Then with the sound of cutting through cloth he pulled out his favourite spear and pierced the second guard’s abdomen right away.
“It can’t be helped, huh…I’m sorry for you guys, but I want to confiscate this cargo. However, since I don’t want to move my body too much, won’t you surrender if that’s okay with you?”
After sending a look to the wagon for an instant, Yui told so facing the last guard left while scratching his head.
“Don’t screw with me! Shit, die!”
While emitting the aura of hatred from the whole body and holding aloft the sword in his hand, the man who flew into a rage from losing his comrades leaped the short distance like that and threw himself upon Yui.
Yui who saw that understood that his advice to surrender had no effect and slightly closed his eyes. Then in order to correspond to the movements of the man before his eyes he slightly moved back the center of the gravity and moved his right foot half a step forward.
He let out a sigh once and with his right hand clenched the hilt of the katana he had on the left side of his waist. The next moment he pulled out the katana from its scabbard and it produced the straight shimmering like it was releasing the stored energy in one go.
Like he had passed by the man he was confronting, Yui shook off his katana and turned his back to the man as if nothing had happened. Then after a moment the sound of the man collapsing to the ground reverberated to the surroundings.
“Haa…Physical labour is just not my nature.”
Yui whispered that to the empty space and let out a deep sigh looking up at the night sky with a countless number of twinkling stars.
He replaced his feelings shaking his head to the left and right once, and handed down the instructions to the subordinates to look for the deeds supporting the smuggling in the empire.
[i]昼行灯[hiruandon]- 1) person who does not stand out 2) (useless as) a lantern at noon day
I decided to leave this word as is for now. Too much trouble translating it.
[ii] 戦略部 – Strategy Section as in a military unit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_(military_unit)
[iii] どこでボタンを掛け違えたんだろう-(Okay, so the phrase botan wo kakechigau means literally to misbutton a button, and here it is obviously a metaphor that means, as far as I got it, to go the wrong path, making a mistake that leads to further mistakes(?).. Correct me if I’m wrong or tell me if you know something about this phrase
[iv]普通に労働時間を考えれば、まだまだお釣りが来やすぜ
[v]極端に朝が弱いユイは、いつも昼を過ぎてからしか出勤しない。
I’m not really sure about this one.
[vi] 「護衛の内訳は？」(breakdown as in disintegration or decomposition into parts or elements.)
[vii] 先行しやすぜ- Nah, I didn’t get it. Maybe it is some kind of dialect he is using.
[viii] 「旦那！ 感心してないで、奥の一人を頼みやす」
ErikaWalker 