Volume 1, Chapter 10: 1st Class Adventurer, Cradle①
Led by the three adventurers, Lambert left the village being led back to the adventurer’s base of operation, Ainsaz city.
According to what they told him, this area was governed by Earl Aubock and he practically lived in Ainsaz city. The city was built in a circular way to prevent raids from the outside, following the design from the remnant of the warring era called ‘circular lined up building’.
However, while the city prospered during the ruling of the First generation of Aubock House, the public order deteriorated after the current Earl took over the governing office of the city. Under his rule, many suspicious looking guys loitered around the city, inciting an undercurrent of tension in the city.
「…… Hu~hm, I see now. It seems that the difference in the times were beyond my imagination.」
With his hand touching the chin of his helmet, Lambert muttered, mulling over the current era.
The trio of adventurers were rather wary when they saw him like that. Furthermore, they were also rather dubious about Lambert’s identity. After all, the conspicuous old styled armor he wore suggested that he moved under the Royal Family’s authority. However, his disinterest when he heard Ainsaz city name, which was one of the more important cities in the Kingdom of Regios, dissuaded that speculation. Nevertheless, even though the three knew that it must be done, they hesitated. Lambert’s bizarre aura prevented them from asking Lambert anything about his identity.
「U-Uhm… M-May I ask your name, Knight-sama? 」
Finally, Fiona, the leader of the trio, braced herself. She knew that she had to ask. So, after being egged on by Lily and Lloyd who were behind her, she did; despite being the one with the most outstanding skills and mental fortitude, she wasn’t the type of person who could refuse a request. That’s why among the three, she was always the one who was entrusted with important matters. She knew how to keep her distance to matters that didn’t concern her or her group. That and her strong personality was what made her a leader.
「My… Name.」
Lambert was troubled when he heard the question. Honestly, he was not sure that the Royal Family wouldn’t send their sweeper to assassinate him once they knew that he was alive. So, he worried.
And, even if Lambert’s feelings towards Aurelia were complicated, he had never thought of assassinating her and turning this Kingdom upside-down. Not even when his former liege had backstabbed him and ordered his death.
Lambert’s one and only wish was to look around the kingdom. He didn’t want to cause too much trouble nor did he want to be chased around by assassins. And while he wanted to know how Aurelia was doing, he still couldn’t bring himself to do so.
After all, despite the fact that the decision she made was heartless and left no room for compromise, he couldn’t exactly say that Aurelia had erred when she decided upon his assassination. About that point, Lambert was sure.
「…………」
Fiona, who saw Lambert drowning in his own world, presume that she had just brought him displeasure.
A-As I thought, he does have a reason for not revealing his identity. Perhaps, I shouldn’t have asked his name.
Fiona thought as she shook her head.
「My name is…」
「N-No! I don’t mind even if Knight-sama doesn’t tell us your name! 」
Fiona tried to retract her question in haste, at the same time Lambert was about to give her his alias. For a while after that, an awkward silence enveloped the air around them.
「Eh, Er~m……」
「The truth is… I have a question before I introduce my name. There should have been a… Big war once before. It’s a long war that united the entire western continent but… How many years have passed since the end of that war? 」
Once she heard Lambert’s question, Fiona was dumbfounded. She turned to look at her companions, Lily and Llyod, and found that both of them were looking as dumbfounded as her.
However, their reaction was only natural. After all, the Unification War of the Eight Kingdoms was a story that was so famous to the point that even some random children knew about it. Thus, when Lambert-who they mistook for a royal agent- asked about the current year, they were simply flabbergasted.
「You’ve… never heard about it? Or…did you simply have no idea about that war?」
Lambert continued to question them. Yet, to this threesome, the question he asked about was too incomprehensible.
「T-The war ended two hundred… And thirty years ago」
A still bewildred Fiona, haltingly replied.
「Uhm? Pardon? 」
「I-I mean the unification war of the eight kingdoms…」
「T-Two hundred, and thirty… You’re not lying, right? 」
「Y-Yes… It should’ve been that long.」
Now it was Lambert’s turn to be extremely shocked, to the point of falling on his knees when he heard the answer to his question. Two hundred and thirty years…the time gap from his death till he was brought back to life as an undead was just too long.
But, he didn’t think that they were lying to him. All along, there were indeed some hints that indicated the long passage of time. But, even though he felt discomfort every single time he noticed those hints, Lambert chose to ignore it.
He didn’t want to acknowledge it. Neither the change of the terrain nor the name-change of the location…furthermore, he didn’t want to think of the realization of the dream-like revolutionary system that felt like it was only a yesterday’s dream for him.
But, he finally understood the reason why no one noticed that the armor Lambert was wearing was the『Regionix Orgaziera Armor』, or normally known as Organ. Although he felt lucky that no one had realized his identity based on his armor, there was still a slight dissatisfaction at the fact that no one knew of the exclusive armor of the Four Demon Generals.
Therefore, it really should be obvious that they had no idea about the armor either. Especially since his armor had been reduced to a mere relic of the past. So, his brainstorming for a plan to hide the true nature of his armor was rendered useless. All his worries had ended up for naught.
Besides that, the truth that left the biggest impact to Lambert’s psyche was the fact that Aurelia had long since passed away. Ever since he got resurrected as an undead, he had wanted to at least take a glance at her gallant figure as the King of the Western Continent even if he could only do so from afar. But, she’s already long dead, and now he’s unsure whether to curse her on the other side due to the grief he was still tormented by, or to give her his blessing and let go of his past grudge.
But, Lambert had an unshakeable belief that his soul wouldn’t be freed from his current body unless he let go of all lingering attachments he had to the living. Because from the very beginning, that was the reason why Lambert kept swinging his sword as one of the Four Demon Generals. However, he never expected that too many years had passed by since his death.
To think that his revival happened after two hundred years had passed, was beyond his estimate.
「N-No way…t-that must be a lie…but is there something they can gain by lying to me? But… T-that means…Y-Your Majesty is…no longer in this world?」
「W-W-What should I do now!? 」
The sight of a lamenting Lambert made Fiona extremely flustered, she didn’t know what to do.
「Is he……in shock? 」
「Oi, isn’t he a rather dangerous person… I mean, everything about him is a mystery. He did save our life, but still…」
「He must be a famous swordsman, I’m sure of it. Or so he should be…… But still…」
Lily and Lloyd feared Lambert’s unstable mental condition as they looked at the disconnected conversation he had with Fiona.