Translator: Cinder Translations
...
"It's coming! It's coming!"
A man dressed as a merchant rushed into the tavern in a panic.
He was quite a corpulent individual, struggling to move his large belly, panting heavily but showing no sign of slowing down, even as his wig nearly fell off.
With a thud, the merchant collided with a server carrying drinks, and both of them fell backward to the floor, making intimate contact with the ground.
Liszt, who was drinking, put down his cup and looked at the flustered merchant.
Under his gaze, the merchant hurriedly got up from the floor, ignoring his dirty clothes, and screamed hysterically.
"Run! Everyone, run! Collins's cavalry is coming!"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Yebu is a neutral city-state!"
Someone loudly refuted him, but there was a clear hint of fear in their voice.
The merchant retorted without courtesy, "Neutral? What's neutral about it? You can only be neutral if others let you; shouting 'neutral' means nothing! The cavalry from the inland countries is only a few miles from this city! If you don't believe me, go check the east gate yourself! I'm done talking to you!"
He hurriedly climbed up the stairs; the tavern also served as accommodation, probably to pack his belongings.
The patrons drinking in the tavern exchanged glances.
Liszt felt a chill in his heart, thinking, "I can't be this unlucky, can I?"
Due to the tense situation in the Horns Bay Alliance, he had left Niceport early to avoid being caught in the whirlpool of war.
On the outskirts of the Bay, there were still some smaller city-states that remained neutral, neither opposing the church nor condemning the coastal nations' acts of apostasy. This provided a safe harbor for merchants unwilling to leave the Bay—many believed the war wouldn't last long; after one or two large-scale battles, with one side suffering defeat, surrendering, paying reparations, or ceding land, peace would quickly return to the Bay, and they could happily make money again.
Yebu was such a city-state that claimed neutrality.
But today, cavalry from the church side was actually approaching this city that wanted no part in the war.
The merchants began to discuss animatedly.
"Surely the lord of Yebu will negotiate?"
"A friend just told me he saw the lord's convoy going out for a hunt at the south gate."
"…"
Liszt hesitated no longer; he decided to leave the city immediately.
He checked the pouch of coins in his pocket, feeling it was enough for a while, so he decided not to go back to his lodging to pack.
After rushing out of the tavern, Liszt headed straight for a nearby horse and carriage shop. His horse, which he rode to Yebu, had fallen ill.
Entering the carriage shop, he relaxed a bit; fortunately, there weren't many people here yet, so not many knew the news.
He spotted a mid-range carriage equipped with two fine horses. The cabin was small, enough to seat two or three people.
He asked the driver, "How much to Playa?"
The driver held up three fingers. "Three silver coins, sir."
Liszt readily pulled out three silver coins and slapped them into the driver's hand. "Can we leave now?"
"Yes, sir."
Just as Liszt was about to climb onto the carriage, a large group of people surged into the carriage shop.
"How much to Playa?"
"How much to Sonsen?"
"How much for this horse?"
The newcomers were all there to rent a carriage or buy a horse.
The driver immediately realized what was happening and grabbed Liszt by the collar as he was about to board the carriage.
"Sir, it's now ten silver coins."
Liszt's face turned ashen. "How can you be so dishonest?"
The driver chuckled, "The me from before isn't the same as the me now."
Liszt didn't want to debate philosophical issues with him; he looked around the carriage shop.
What to do? Look for someone else? But almost all the drivers were negotiating prices with others.
"Fine, ten it is!"
Liszt gritted his teeth and accepted the price increase.
"Sir, please get in and make yourself comfortable; we'll set off right away."
Liszt climbed into the carriage, and the driver snapped the reins, getting the two horses moving.
As they waited outside the carriage shop, Liszt noticed something was off. "Wait, isn't the gate to Playa in the other direction?"
"Sir!" the driver replied loudly, "My home is in Yebu, and I have a wife and kids there. I want to take them with me to Playa."
Liszt wanted to cry, regretting not looking for someone else when he entered the carriage shop.
By the time the driver picked up his wife and kids, news of the cavalry appearing outside the city had spread throughout Yebu. The streets were filled with chaotic crowds—some hurriedly running outside the city, some rushing to buy food, others searching for relatives—traffic was a mess, greatly affecting the carriage's progress.
Over an hour later, Liszt's group finally exited the city walls of Yebu.
"Can this carriage go any faster?"
Liszt was nearly in tears, urging the driver, who had just whipped the horse's rear, in a panic.
"Sir, this is the best speed we can manage; there are four of us in this carriage."
That was all the driver could say.
With no other option, Liszt repeatedly made the sign of the holy emblem on his chest, praying for a smooth journey and hoping to avoid the marauding soldiers.
Unfortunately, it was true that what you fear often comes to pass.
They hadn't traveled three miles before encountering two armies on the plain ahead.
One army bore the flag of Yebu, while Liszt couldn't recognize the flag of the other; it should not be Collins's, but it was very likely Collins's allied forces.
Other fleeing pedestrians on the road immediately turned back and scattered.
After a brief discussion, Liszt and the driver decided to hide in a nearby thicket; it was too risky to follow the crowd, and who knew if there were other armies in the area?
Once they reached the thicket, they parked the carriage. The terrain was higher here, allowing them to see the surrounding situation clearly.
Liszt and the driver quietly concealed themselves in the bushes at the edge of the woods, observing the two armies that had taken formation in the distance.
The soldiers on both sides seemed to be shouting at each other, gesturing dramatically and making contemptuous gestures at the enemy.
But the knights, who rode tall horses and wore armor, stood still, staring at each other.
Liszt noticed that there were quite a few unmanned horses near the unidentified army, suggesting that the main force of this army was not cavalry but rather infantry mounted on horses.
With the sounds of varying horns and waving flags, both sides gradually quieted down, then slowly approached each other under the direction of the knight-like commanders.
The infantry was primarily armed with long spears; the front row held their spears straight out, while the rear row extended their spears through the gaps of the front row or rested them on the shoulders of those in front.
From a distance, the formations of spears looked like two porcupines approaching each other back-to-back.
(End of the Chapter)
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Translated 4 Series, 1.5K+ Chapters and 1.78M+ Words.