Merchant Noble is out (3/4 chapters for today)
Rebel Force (2)
(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)
With the mishap caused by his subordinate, Randal had yet another troublesome task added to his plate. That night, in the room where he was staying, he complained incessantly to Laika. Among the rebel comrades, Randal was expected to play the role of the absolute leader, but the only person to whom he could reveal his true self was his sister, Laika. Additionally, there was the fact that he didn’t have a single comrade he genuinely trusted.
“Good grief, the rebel force, which is mostly made up of farmers, is full of idiots. That includes me. I totally get why the nobles and merchants look down on us.” (Randal)
“But Nii-chan, you’ve been winning every battle against those nobles.” (Laika)
“Idiot. It’s because they’re underestimating us. Right now, we’re up against minor nobles like barons and viscounts. They’re easy to beat since they’re only focused on undermining each other rather than working together. And with you here, Laika, it’s been manageable. The real challenge starts now.” (Randal)
The soldiers of the punitive force they had been fighting so far were clearly undertrained. Honestly, to say that they could only fight on par with an army of amateurs like the rebel force made one wondered how much training they had actually gone through. Of course, it was also true that Randal had a talent for leadership. But even so, they were too weak. Surely, the armies led by counts and marquises would be different. Surely, that would be true.
“I see. Then I’ll just have to cut down the enemy generals, one after another, to lighten your burden, big brother.”
Laika, with her chest puffed out, had cheeks that were thin and gaunt. Compared to when the rebellion started, they had managed to secure a bit more food, but her body remained skinny.
Still, she was undoubtedly the strongest warrior in the rebel army. Surely, there wasn’t a soldier this strong in the suppression army. In fact, most of Randal’s strategies relied heavily on Laika’s combat prowess. And Laika always delivered, returning with tangible results. Depending too much on someone as exceptional as her felt somewhat precarious.
“Laika.” (Randal)
Randal pulled her close. Her light body softly settled onto Randal’s lap.
“Don’t push yourself too hard. I don’t really care about the rebel force. I was just made leader because our father, who was killed by the nobles, was the representative of our village.” (Randal)
“That’s why…” (Randal)
He continued while stroking Laika’s beautiful blonde hair while looking into her eyes.
“As long as I have you, I don’t need anything else.” (Randal)
This might disqualify him as a leader of the rebel army, but this was Randal’s true feeling. Laika blushed, perhaps embarrassed by her brother’s honest words or from being patted on the head after so long, and nodded shyly.
“Yeah… I feel the same, Nii-chan. It’d be nice if one day, we could laze around and sunbathe in the field behind our house again.” (Laika)
With that, Laika got up from Randal’s lap.
“Do you want some alcohol tonight?” (Randal)
“No, I don’t. Goodnight.” (Laika)
She headed straight to her bedroom.
—
After Laika left, Randal gazed at the fireplace, trying to calm his mind. There were countless worries he had as the leader of the rebel force.
What would be the capability and morale of the next noble leading the punitive force? How many soldiers would they have? Would they be strong? If they won, what would happen next? What was the goal of the rebel force in the first place?
The food supply was dwindling. Even if they wanted to raid a city with ample food, the surrounding cities had fortified their defenses to counter the rebel force.
What will happen from here? What should we do?
“Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” (Laika)
The endless spiral of thoughts was shattered by Laika’s scream from the bedroom.
“It’s happening.” (Randal)
Randal burst into the bedroom to find Laika writhing in pain on the bed.
“Laika! Laika!” (Laika)
“Aaaaahhh… haah, haah, haah…” (Randal)
He shook Laika desperately, and she finally woke up. To describe the situation more accurately, waking up released her from the literal nightmare she was trapped in.
“Laika! It’s okay. There, there, you’re safe now.” (Randal)
“Nii-chan! Nii-chan! Nii-chan! Nii-chan! Nii-chan! Nii-chan!” (Laika(
When Randal hugged her, Laika, drenched in sweat, clung tightly to him. She buried her tear- and sweat-soaked face into Randal’s chest, crying out.
“It’s not scary, it’s not scary. You’re okay now. Don’t worry, it was just a dream, just a dream.” (Randal)
“Haah, haah… haah…” (Laika)
The commotion outside the room grew louder. The scream must have alerted their comrades, who came rushing over.
“Randal-sama!?” (??)
“It’s okay. It’s the usual.” (Randal)
Randal called out to those outside the door, sending the gathered comrades away. For those who were new today, they might not understand what was happening, but the others who were more familiar with the situation would explain it to them.
Randal poured a cup full of liquor. It was an incredibly strong one that could make even a grown man drunk with just a sip.
“Here, drink this. All at once.” (Randal)
“Aih… arghh… whyy…” (Laika)
“Yes, yes. It’s okay. It’s okay.” (Randal)
As Randal soothed her, rubbing her back while she babbled incoherently, Laika eventually began to breathe deeply and steadily, drifting off to sleep. If this was going to happen, he should have forced her to drink the alcohol from the start.
He often hesitated to give such strong liquor to Laika, still a young girl, knowing it could be harmful to her body. But he always regretted it afterward. Even though it was just a dream, the fear she experienced made him feel overwhelmingly guilty.
She had started having nightmares after their father’s execution. According to Laika, even though they were nightmares, she could never remember their content. She only knew that her body remembered the terror. At first, the nightmares came only a few times a month, but recently, she had been suffering from them at least once a week.
Neither doctors nor priests could provide any concrete treatment. One priest even declared she was possessed by a demon and attempted to kill her. Since then, Randal had been using alcohol to force her into sleep whenever she was attacked by nightmares. He knew it wasn’t good for her body, but he thought it was better than letting her suffer through the nightmares.
Laika’s body never truly rested. She was constantly fighting, and on top of that, the nightmares deprived her of even the most basic sleep. He needed to find a solution soon.
“I will protect you no matter what. You’re my only family left.” (Randal)
Watching Laika’s exhausted sleeping face, Randal muttered softly to himself.
(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)
Please consider supporting Bayabusco Translation @
bayabuscotranslation 