Water Magician

Chapter 424: The Djinn’s Minions

Editor: Tseirp

The Djinns minions

Zack muttered.

Oh so you do know that much. Huh? Come to think of it we were never properly introduced. My name is Oranj. Im one of Gawain-samas four generals. And you, captain, whats your name?

Zack.

Zack replied straightforwardly to Oranjs question.

Right then, every second counted.

He needed to grasp the situation and think of a way to escape.

Zack confronted Oranj.

While Scotty faced the two who emerged from the shadows.

The three who came out of the mansion with Oranj had tied up the three they had defeated earlier.

Are you taking those three somewhere? Seems a bit menial for minions of the Djinn.

Zack inquired deliberately to buy time while extracting information.

Information is crucial, you know? We need to investigate those guys to figure out which faction, or who, and how much they know exactly.

That doesnt suit your appearance at all.

Why you you want me to smash your head in right now?

Zack blurted out what he honestly thought, and Oranj retorted while his cheeks twitched.

Even as they talked, Zack was still receiving Oranjs sword strike.

If they still havent shown up after all this talk, does that mean the water magicians arent with you this time? I wont ask for both, just one of them. Dont tell me none of them came with you?

Why do you ask?

As Oranj deliberately looked around while questioning, Zack frowned and asked back.

Isnt it obvious? Its fun. Both of those water magicians are quite something. Well, as far as I know, theyre quite skilled. I dont know the level of water magicians these days, but if theyre as good as those guys, fighting them would be enjoyable.

I see. They might be around here somewhere.

Zack vaguely replied to Oranjs explanation.

There was no need to explicitly give away the answer.

Zack thought he might not take drastic action if he considered they might be around.

However

Hmph, thats a lie. I see, they didnt come along. Thats a shame.

But still, you must realize that two swordsmen wouldnt stand a chance against us, right? Why were you following us?

Im not going to answer that!

Hmm. It wasnt to defeat us and certainly not to capture us either In that case, it must be reconnaissance. Since you know my capabilities ah, are you confirming if Im here or not? Here in Wingston? I see

Oranj stopped there and took a breath.

Then he smirked maliciously.

And continued.

You noticed the connection with the Duchy, huh?

!

That was a decisive statement in various ways.

It became clear that there was a connection between the Djinn and the Duchy.

But at the same time, the fact that the Kingdom had noticed that connection was now known to the Djinn camp.

In other words, from now on, the two factions would clash in earnest

At that moment, there was no turning back for both sides.

Thats how it was.

(This I must report this no matter what.)

Zack frowned inwardly.

If Zack and Scotty were defeated or captured and unable to report back, then the Djinn camp would be unilaterally informed that the Kingdom had noticed the connection between the Duchy and the Djinn.

They would gain the upper hand in the upcoming large-scale actions.

That would be extremely bad.

Its bad, but

(Theres a good chance that neither Scotty nor I will be able to get out of this)

Zack understood the difference in power between himself and the Djinns follower in front of him.

At the very least, he knew he was no match for him.

In that case, it might be possible for Scotty to escape from this situation and report back.

Making that judgment, Zack glanced at Scotty.

Scotty probably understood the same thing.

He glanced back at Zack.

However, he shook his head slightly.

It seemed Scottys opponents were also a formidable.

Even if they are not the Four Generals, facing two of the Djinns minions is naturally challenging.

After a while, the ones who were restraining the three people up ahead might join in

One of the individuals restraining the three rushed over.

Zack noticed it but couldnt move.

Oranjs sword, poised above him, was surprisingly heavy.

Zack constantly felt the weight of the sword pressing down on him.

If the opponent were human, there would be various ways to escape from this situation, such as using the grounds rebound force to push the sword up with ones entire body for a counterattack or to retreat.

However, Oranjs strength was extraordinary.

It felt like being crushed by tens or hundreds of kilograms from above

He couldnt move.

There was only one way to escape from this situation.

However, even that could lead to his balance being disrupted if mistimed, leaving him vulnerable to a fatal blow.

Timing was crucial.

The subordinate who had run over reported to Oranj.

Oranj-sama, we have identified the identities of the three from earlier

After saying that, he glanced briefly at Zack.

Its fine, go on.

Aye. Those three appear to be spies directly under the Union Governments jurisdiction.

When you say directly under the Union Governments jurisdiction, you mean not from the something Grand Duchy on the border, right?

Yes.

(If its the Union Government, then Lord Aubrey. Did the Union Government also suspect the Shrewsbury Duchy?)

Zack contemplated the information he heard.

Understood. Get more details when were at the mansion. Take those three to the mansion. Also, convey this message.

Orange paused for a moment, then continued with a smirk.

The Kingdom seems to be convinced of the connection between the Duchy and us.

Dammit

Zack grimaced and spoke regretfully at Oranjs words.

Sorry. Just doing my job.

You consider being a Djinns follower a job you might want to choose a different career path.

Aye. Even in this situation, you never seem to run out of words. Youre quite composed, Captain.

Oranj responded amusingly to Zacks words.

At that moment.

Oranjs grip weakened slightly.

Gotcha!

Zack tilted his sword with all his might.

Swoosh.

As Zack tilted his sword, Oranjs sword slid forcefully over it, almost hitting the ground.

With the pressure gone, Zack extended his right leg forward diagonally, opening up his stance, and swung his tilted sword upward.

The sword sliced through the air.

Although Oranjs posture was disrupted, he managed to jump sideways with just his right leg.

He avoided Zacks deadly strike.

However

Zack continued thrusting his sword forward.

Thrusting, thrusting, thrusting.

Oranj parried the last thrust with his sword.

Then, he tried to swing his sword downwards

But halfway through, the trajectory of the sword changed.

No, it wasnt just the sword; Oranjs body itself jumped backward.

At the same time, blood spurted from the necks of the two followers who were fighting Scotty.

Run!

A mans voice echoed around them.

Without hesitation, Zack and Scotty started running.

For a full two minutes.

Oranj stood alone, motionless.

One minute passed until their presence completely disappeared. Then another minute passed in the same manner.

That ought to do it.

Muttering to himself, he sheathed his sword.

By then, the fallen subordinates had lost their form and turned to ashes.

One of Garwins followers emerged from the shadows

Isolde, was that satisfactory?

Yes, it was. I thought about punching you when you started fighting that knight

Oranj scratched his head vigorously while speaking, and Isolde responded with a sigh.

Well, at least I let them escape.

Because reinforcements arrived, right? What were you planning to do if they hadnt come?

Then I might have let them go in exchange for information on the water magician.

Whats that? Sounds suspicious

Isolde shook her head slightly at Oranjs random answer.

At the very least, they didnt intend to kill Zack and Scotty on the spot.

In fact, they needed them to escape and report to the Kingdom government.

Now, the Kingdom will likely send a punitive force. They know we have an army Maybe the Union will join in too. Theyll pincer the Djinn between the Kingdom and the Union.

Isolde said happily.

A war between the Kingdom and the Union against us, huh. Well, many people will die in a war. Whether the enemy in the war is another country or us, it doesnt matter.

The Kingdom and the Union realized that the initial move of the Djinn was to trigger a war between the Kingdom and the Union near the border.

Thats why they avoided it through direct talks between King Abel and Lord Aubrey.

However, they didnt understand the reason behind why they wanted to start a war near the border.

The speculation that releasing a large amount of the Fragments of God held by humans through their deaths would prompt Garwins complete awakening was something nobody could figure out.

If there had been information about the Fragments of God that the Mission to the Western Countries had, someone might have reached that conclusion

Without understanding the cause, solving the fundamental problem was difficult.

That seemed to be a constant in any era and any world.

Such a hassle. It would be so much easier to kill all the residents of Wingston and collect the Fragments of God.

Im sure you know. The last ten percent must be fragments of God from humans who come out onto the battlefield.

Oranj made an extreme statement, and Isolde responded.

Seriously What are these fragments of God?

I have no idea. Dont ask me.

Even high-ranking followers of the Djinn who had lived for thousands of years didnt know everything.

Perhaps King Richard understood it better than us.

Yeah. To have sealed Garwin-sama for this long. That might be true.

We managed to escape I think

Yeah maybe.

Zack and Scotty exchanged such a conversation while catching their breath.

However, they quickly drew their swords and assumed a defensive stance.

They sensed the presence of others.

Oh, were not enemies. Commander Zack Cooler and Commander Scotty Cobook. We are adventurers who infiltrated on the orders of Marquis Heinlein.

Saying this, a party of five men and women emerged from the shadows.

Im Hector from Acres C-rank party, Morning Star.

Its been a while. Since the Kingdom Liberation War, right?

Zack inquired.

Zack and Scotty had infiltrated the royal capital before the liberation war, operating as rebels.

They had some acquaintance with Morning Star back then.

Yeah. Nice to see you again.

Hector replied on behalf of the group.

We owe you for earlier. Thank you.

Zack expressed gratitude as he and Scotty bowed.

No problem at all, dont mention it. We just have one thing we want to confirm.

Hector said, looking at Zack and Scotty alternately before continuing.

Have you confirmed the presence of the Djinns follower?

Yes, we have. One of the Four Generals of the Djinn Garwin, who identified himself as Oranj. It was the follower I fought in Hafrena city.

Zack said, and Hector nodded before continuing.

Understood. We will report this to the Kingdom government.

Upon hearing Hectors words, Zack felt the need to add some information.

However, they also learned that the Kingdom government has found out the connection between the Duchy and the Djinn

Yeah It might lead to a civil war or even a full-scale war.

Hector grimly acknowledged Zacks words.

No one really wanted a war

Please be careful and return to Hafrena city. We will shoulder the responsibility of reporting back.

Hector said, and a woman behind him nodded.

What about you guys?

We have one more thing to confirm.

Hector answered Zacks question.

Confirm?

Yeah. We have confirmed the connection between the Duchy and the Djinns followers. Next, we will confirm whether Erwin Ortiz himself is involved with the Djinns followers.

Hector said, shocking Zack and Scotty into silence.

Erwin Ortiz was the current Duke of Shrewsbury.

Indeed, the elegant mansion where the followers appeared tonight was connected underground to the annex of the Dukes residence.

If so, it was likely that Erwin was not uninvolved

But likely wasnt good enough.

They needed solid evidence.

That was the mission given to the five members of Morning Star this time.

TLN: Please read my translations at , I did not give permission to any site to host my translations. 

If you like my translations, please support me on Patreon and unlock early chapter releases! 7 day free trial is available for Bronze tier now!