The Amber Sword – Chapter 43

TL: It’s probably going to be a long week ahead for me, going to work real hard on plenty of gesture drawings, 100 of them at least… 😡

Needs assistance on spell check again. There are many names this chapter which took a long time to TL, grumble grumble.

It kind of surprised me to see that ‘This series feels unique’ took first place for the previous poll. From a genre point of view, this book did not really bring anything new to the table. That “system” that Brendel has is common in JP WNs, dozens of Chinese WNs protagonists taking over bodies and “second chance time travel” (sort of).

The only thing that I feel is considerably unique is the portrayal of the characters that felt kind of western DnD fiction with a touch of asian vibe (?), which was kind of exactly how that poll before the current one showed (Many of you felt that it was a mixture of writing style). It even beat out the ‘story plot’ choice by a very thin margin, haha.

‘Brendel’s inner monologues’ was sort of a troll choice, so I can’t really guess if you guys are serious or not (lol). The least favorite poll choice was the ‘battles’, which is most likely the opposite of xianxia which is full of ‘crack’ fights. But I’m still glad that you read this series for the plot and unique writing style.

Chapter 43 – Not a highland knight?

The captain of the guards led them into the cells, then threatened Brendel’s group coldly with a few lines and left. Freya was fuming mad but Brendel sat leisurely in the darkness. He observed his surroundings with the torches’ ambient light.

[This is the second level of the prison’s location. 32 Rooms, with 4 wardens comprising of the 104th swordsman squadron’s light infantry. Hahaha, this reminds me of the PK that I did back then in the game. It’s not the first time I visited this place, and I was imprisoned in the third level. The players were terrible outlaws in the eyes of the NPCs.]

He took out the gargoyle idol from his pocket and felt all over the surface. The cracks were nearly gone. He finally turned back to the opposite cell and asked in the complete darkness: “Freya, Romaine, are you alright?”

“Brendel, how long will we be locked up?” The merchant girl’s voice came over with slight unease.

[Hmm? She sounds a little scared. These girls should be safe although it’s a little dark. How should I put her at ease-]

Suddenly a dull and loud thud echoed in the darkness.

“Damn it! These damned bastards, why did everyone in Bucce try so hard for these people!” Freya punched on the wooden bars in fury.

“The ones inside, stop that shit right now! Do you want to be whipped?” The warden immediately warned with a menacing voice.

Even though Freya wanted nothing more than to punch the bastards outside one by one, she recognized her situation she was in and took a deep breath to calm down.

“Brendel, what are we going to do now?” She asked softly.

Romaine immediately cut in and asked: “This is the Black Prison right? My aunt said there are some people who get locked here for their whole lives without seeing the day ever again. Brendel, are we going to have the same fate?”

“Romaine, just shut up!” Freya answer in the place of Brendel.

He smiled: “Do you still have any hope in them?”

“I hope that everyone of them dies!” She replied in a rage.

“But if we don’t get their help, Fortress Riedon will be in danger.” Brendel stood up and walked to the prison’s door and said quietly.

She was silent for a while.

“I have done my best,” She said: “I don’t have an infinite pool of stamina and I can only do much for Bucce.”

[Very good. Looks like the ‘Goddess raising’ plan is working well. I definitely need Freya to help me in the future. It’s good that the amount of trouble that I took was not a waste.]

“It’s good that you thought things through.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“Yes, the two of you back away a little.”

It was precisely because he had a way to escape that he dared to enter this place.

The next night was a true nightmare but the nobles in Fortress Riedon did not know that. Freya had brought the final chance right before them, but they locked the group up under a false reason.

[These nobles really are digging their own graves and jumping into them,]

“Wait, Brendel, w-what are you thinking of doing? Don’t do anything rash, this is the prison!” Even though Freya wanted the nobles to die, she was still a citizen and did not want to commit treason by escaping out so openly.

“I know what I’m doing.”

“What do you know! Ah, Romaine, persuade him!” She lowered her voice. She wanted someone, even the wardens, to stop Brendel’s crazy actions, yet somewhere in her mind, she did not want the guards to notice the commotion inside the room. She was deeply conflicted for a moment.

“Brendel, I also want to escape.” Romaine answered.

“Shut up!!! I did not want you to persuade him in this manner!” Freya was in tears as the two of them did not seem to understand what their actions were going to bring about. Escaping was punishable by death, and she did not know what to do  when the two of her best companions were about to become wanted criminals.

Brendel took out the ‘Highland Squire’ card and threw it onto the ground. He paid it with 1 water EP (elemental point) provided by the ‘Garden of the Holy Tree’. A burst of smoke came and went, and a youth carrying a large number of scrolls with a long robe patted his sleeves, and walked out from the smoke.

[It’s impossible to store EP without an elemental pool. The EP generated from the Earth card will be lost but I can pay it directly within this week.]

“My name is Ciel, my lord, I am pleased to serve you.” The youth looked at him and bowed deeply.

“Are you a highland magician?” He asked.

“An apprenticed.” The youth corrected him earnestly.

Brendel discovered that he was able to perceive his stats, so he called up the window to take a look.

Name: Ciel
Class: Highland Magician Apprentice
HP: 16
Mana: 8
Magic spells:

Basic Creation (2 MP), Mana Arrow (1 MP)

Knowledge:

Basic Magic, Creation Magic, Basic knowledge in geography and locations, Sigil Magic 1 OZ.

“You learned Conjuration Magic?”  (TL: It translates literally to Law Magic….)

“Yes.”

Conjuration wizards was a type of generalist wizard, and they focused on Conjuration principles. The magic manipulates the line between the material world and the world of laws, with gems as a medium of power to create a spell.

There were nine different types of wizards in The Amber Sword. Conjuration Magic, Elemental Magic, Chord Magic, Shaman Magic, Sigil Magic, Holy Magic, Astral Magic, Necromancy and Leyline Magic. Each type represented a different set of magic, but majority of the people were unable to differentiate between them and classified them as merely wizards.

“Brendel, is someone talking to you?” Freya suddenly stopped and asked.

“Yes, it’s my attendant.” Brendel replied.

“Attendant?” The girl was confused.

Brendel took out the soul crystal that stored a ‘Silence Sound’ spell which affected ten feet of its surroundings and threw it at the youth: “Activate it.”

A warrior could not use a magic item but a wizard apprentice obviously could. Ciel caught the crystal and supplied 1 MP into it and the surface of the crystal should a little. Freya suddenly realized she was unable to create any sound, and her heart beat furiously in the presence of the mysterious magic. She reacted the same way a normal person would, especially so when she did not know it was Brendel who did it.

Ciel nodded to his owner.

Brendel turned to the wooden bars that were thicker than his arms and punched it. He had raised his Mercenary to level 8 and Militia to lvl 6. With his overall level of 15, he had 5.4 OZ of strength and with Power Break added to it — (TL: + 1 villager level)

The sturdy bars broke from the center and flew violently against the opposite bars, continuing its momentum and bounced twice without any sound. The two girls watched it break with splinters and dust flying everywhere. He walked out from the cell and Ciel followed behind him. He grabbed the steel chains from the other cell and pulled it like a rope. It changed its shape from the force and broke apart link by link, then he opened the door and waited until the magic’s effect was gone.

“Oh, do you ladies want to stay in here a little longer?” He stood outside the cell and looked at the surprised girls and asked cheekily.

“Y-y-you, broke out?” Freya could not believe what she saw, this was too lawless! And he was too skillful with this which was probably because it was not the first time he did this!

He only grinned. He escaped countless times in the game, and he even succeeded escaping from the harbor Ampere Seale’s prison fortress.

[Back then the forums were even roused by the players who managed to escape from Kirrlutz’s capital’s prison.]

“And who is he?” Freya noticed there was someone else beside Brendel.

“My esteemed ladies, I am Sir lord’s squire.” Ciel lowered his head and greeted the two girls.

“Squire?”

“Sir lord?”

They nearly failed to control their voices, what was going on? Was there a secret passageway, why did Brendel mysteriously became a lord and even had a squire?

Freya patted her face to check if she was dreaming. If that youth who stayed in that old mansion suddenly became a lord after a few months, then she should become a Goddess of War too right?

“H-how did you come in?” She blurted out in a hurry.

“Like you can see, I’m a magician.”  Ciel answered without skipping a beat. Brendel greatly appreciated that, this bugger had a level of bullshitting that could compete with him.

“A magician” Freya was taken aback.

“Y-y-you are a Highland Knight, Brendel, you’re actually a Darnian!” She looked at him with disbelief. There was one place in this world where a magician would become a knight’s squire, the Karsuk’s region where the Highland Knights had allied with the wizards for more than three hundred years, forming Aouine’s strongest forces and known as the White Knights. They were legends in every household.

At this moment Freya believed that Brendel was a noble youth from a high ranking knight family.

[No wonder, no wonder he was so amazing. He was so calm in every situation because he was a knight.] She suddenly lowered her head.

[This bastard is a noble, yet he came to me and Romaine who are just commoners, he must be up to something bad!]

She immediately linked the bad deeds that she heard from her aunt and jerked backwards.

Brendel obviously did not know what was going on in the girl’s creative mind, and merely thought she could not accept the events that had transpired. In fact he thought that if they felt better with this explanation, he could skip the trouble of explaining himself. He shook his head and looked at Ciel, who also looked back at him.

Reality was always so troublesome.

“Alright, you two girls, it’s about time to go” Brendel looked at Romaine who was hiding in the dark with her bright eyes looking at him curiously. He shook his head and asked: “You are not going to plan to stay here till dawn right?”

“Brendel, are you really a knight?” She suddenly asked.

“No, I’m just Brendel.”

“Okay, then I’m coming out.”

“Please—“