The Amber Sword Volume 2 Chapter 146
TL:
Chapter 146 – Warm words of hope (8)
There was a loud bang as the young man pounded on the desk with both of his hands. The veins on his arms were visible.
“I will never agree to it!” He retorted with bloodshot eyes. “Sifrid is still a child, and she’s Lady Sassa’s daughter. Are the men in our village going to trade a child’s life in order to survive? Can you really do it? Can you!”
His roars echoed throughout the Longhouse. Most of the men glanced at each other without answering the youth. Brynjar rocked his body back and forth with folded arms and said nothing. The Elder gave a soft sigh and raised his head, blinking his old clouded eyes.
“Who was that?” Brendel asked as his eyes went over to the direction of the Longhouse.
“Brother Thor.” The little girl said with her bell-like voice.
He nodded to acknowledge her words, and there was a short moment where no one spoke.
“…… That’s enough,” The thin middle-aged man shook his head and sighed: “You said too much, Thor.”
“Uncle Klarr!” The youth protested with clenched fists.
“Enough! We understand your point all too well— But we’re Senia’s citizens. Do you understand? This is the destiny we carry and the choices of life and death are not for us to choose. Do you not recall the villagers who froze to their deaths in the forest?”
The young man’s eyes widened slightly and he bit his lips. He trembled a few times before he blinked his red eyes: “Of course, my father…..”
“He sacrificed his life for yours.” The Elder sighed.
“I know.”
“Every one of us survived till this day because of the villagers’ sacrifices. You need to consider our circumstances, as well as the dead. They sacrificed their lives so we can live on, and we must not waste their efforts. Our folklore has a song dedicated to describe how our ancestors fought against the Dark Forest over generations, shedding blood and flesh and their lives for the sake of the Senia’s future. They did not sacrifice themselves to let us throw it all away for one reckless moment.”
Klarr paused for a moment, before he uttered the next few words one at a time. “Do you understand?”
A few men started tearing up upon hearing his words.
“I…… understand. But are we going to live on like this forever as cowards? Goddess Nia said we should not live just for the sake of living—” Thor wiped his eyes with chokes in between his words: “Should we throw away everything so we can live on?”
“At the very least we still have hope while we are alive,” Klarr shook his head: “If we are not able to see that day happen, then I hope your generation would be able to see it—”
“Elder, please make your decision.” He turned his head to the oldest man.
“…… Very well. We have reached a consensus to this discussion. However, none of us have the authority to send one of us to their deaths. I hope to ask for Sifrid’s opinions.” The Elder’s eyes were dyed with sadness.
“But there’s no precedent to ask for one’s permission.”
“That is because the people before us have been adult men or the elderly. They have made their decisions through their judgments and understood what they were doing.” The Elder’s head was bowed as he spoke.
“But Sifrid’s a child. What would she know about our customs? Are we handing our entire village’s fate to a child? This is a foolhardy decision!” Someone objected.
Most of the men’s glares were cold.
“And do you not feel any shame on relying a child to save yourself, even if we have no choice?”
“Your words are not wrong but it is also true we have no precedent for this, and Sifrid’s also the Elder’s granddaughter……” That small voice filled the room again.
The men took a moment to absorb his words. When Thor realized what that bastard implied, he walked over to him, grabbed his shirt and forced him to stand up.
“Yes, she’s not your daughter, so you can fucking send her off like it’s none of your concern. You cowardly bastard, you’re not fit to call yourself a Senia, get the fuck out of this sacred building now!”
He threw him across the floor like a sack of potatoes. The men near the injured person retreated away from him.
“W-what are you talking about, I’m just stating it as a possibility, that doesn’t mean it’s true…..” That man stuttered and groaned in pain: “And who’s to say there’s no possibility of that? Can you assure us that the Elder isn’t favoring his own kind? Are you the Elder?”
The old man stared at the cowardly man backing away from the ground as Thor lumbered angrily over to him. His fist was raised and ready to strike the bastard in front of him—
“Stop fighting!” A child’s voice pierced through the coward’s distressed whining and filled the room.
The front door had been pushed open without anyone realizing it. Sifrid’s had balled her hands into fists and shouted with her eyes closed, pouring every ounce of effort to raise her voice—
“Stop fighting, everyone…..” She opened her eyes and tears quickly filled them before they spilled over. Her vision was blurry as she pleaded with pained eyes: “I’m sorry, father, grandfather…… It’s all Sifrid’s fault…..”
The room was silenced and only Sifrid’s soft crying remained.
Klarr got up at once and walked over to hug her: “We’re the ones who’re sorry! Sifrid, we should be cursed and abandoned by Goddess Nia for our actions—”
Brynjar suddenly hugged his head as he bawled loudly while the others looked at the situation in bewilderment.
But the Elder’s eyes went to the scenery outside of the house—
“I have allowed you to see something shameful, my lord.” He stood up and bowed slightly at Brendel.
Brendel’s trembling hand was on his sword. He had to grip it tightly in order to stop himself from making a rash decision.
The Elder made his way before the youth, his cane striking against the ground with each step. He looked solemnly at him as though he made a difficult decision: He knelt down and bowed with his head on the ground.
“My lord, I beg you to help us! I know we shouldn’t force this trouble onto you, but……” He said.
The youth looked at the weak before him.
Sifrid was mewling with stifled sobs, while Brynjar was half-crying and bemoaning his uselessness. Lament filled Brendel’s heart and he licked his dry lips, preparing to open them. But a hand grabbed his own all of a sudden. The youth turned around in surprise and saw a pair of dark eyes staring at him.
Amandina’s expression was determined and hurt at the same time—
She glanced at the sight before her and hesitated. She was almost swept away by the emotions until she nearly forgot what she was supposed to here.
“My lord.” She shook her head. The words and her actions stabbed through her heart like daggers.
“Are you here to persuade me?” Brendel asked.
Amandina did not reply and merely looked at him.
“Do you really the heart to hold me back?”
Amandina bit her lips and glanced at the scene before her. Each second she took, made her face paler as though blood had left it entirely. But her fingers grabbed onto Brendel’s wrists till they were white.
“Resent me for all you desire, my lord.” The dignified aristocrat’s daughter said: “I cannot allow you— I will not allow you to do this; My Lord, you know who you will face. Graudin, Madara, Randner, possibly the entire Aouine’s kingdom. Your enemies are nearly endless. If you agree to help them, the only conclusion for you is death—”
“I know that my lord doesn’t care about the foes before you. You are the bravest and most honorable knight I have ever seen, and I feel like I’m bearing witness to the birth of the high nobles described in the legends again. I once thought that they were mere fiction, but my lord has shown me that they all ring true……”
“But I care about your fate!” She shouted.
“Because of that, I will not watch you head to your death. Even if I am to bear all the hatred from the entire village and your men, I don’t care—” She raised her head and stared at him: “But I must stop you.”
Brendel stared back at her for a long while. This was the first time she spoke her mind so freely. He bowed his head.
“Thank you.” He said.
He closed his eyes and exhaled once before opening them again. He then gently removed her fingers, walked over to Sifrid, patted her head and left.
“My lord?” Amandina looked on in surprise.
The villagers were slightly dejected as well. They had observed his back and had their hopes diminished with every passing second after his shoulders sagged. Amandina’s words had pointed out of the dangers he would face, and they had no right to have a stranger become their sacrifice.
They were even thankful for the youth’s anger and sadness. He truly cared about them, and it was not sympathy or altruism, but empathy.
[Mother Marsha, Goddess Nia, have you not punished the Senia enough?]
“Let’s go, Amandina” He called out to her in a low voice without turning back.
She finally gave a small sigh of relief but when she looked at his back she found herself at a loss, as though she had buried something important with her own hands. She lowered her head and felt her chest throbbing.
Behind her was Sifrid’s soft sobs—
May 11, 2017 @ 6:18 pm
Thanks for the chapter 😉
May 11, 2017 @ 6:25 pm
Damm
May 11, 2017 @ 6:31 pm
would be fun if he stopped and said somthing like “Just so you know, i don´t wish to have anything to do with you. I will cross the dark forest to meet the druides on my own. but… of course, i won´t be able to hinder you if for example suddenly the whole village wishes to cross the forest right behind me, using our decimation of mob on the path to flee from beeing purged. Just so you know i neither encourage nor will i HINDER you to follow me, but i have nothing to do with whatever you guys are up to, you despicable traitor-sans”
May 11, 2017 @ 7:18 pm
But Brendel isnt Tsundere
May 11, 2017 @ 9:50 pm
Except that they already explained in the next chapter that a group that large wouldn’t last the winter without food. It is not that he can’t take them, but he can’t sustain them. They already considered that as well.
Go back and read the previous chapter.
May 14, 2017 @ 9:04 am
I suggest you go back and reread the chapter. the can´t HIDE in the forest over the winter. MY suggestion is, that brendle takes the to the druides, where they maybe can stay as refugees, since brendel said, that the Senia and the Druides are friendly with each other.
And it´s not Tsundere. Explaining that he can do nothing to stop them from following to the druides, but explicitly saying he won´t have anything to do with them, is the only way he can protect his o so precious reputation :p
May 11, 2017 @ 6:32 pm
Ugh… She’s not wrong… But damn… I hope things turn around and he’s in the future able to fix this.
Thanks for the chapter
May 11, 2017 @ 6:33 pm
Thanks for the chapter 😉
May 11, 2017 @ 6:36 pm
was this novel always so good?
May 11, 2017 @ 11:29 pm
No it only started being good chapter 2.
May 12, 2017 @ 3:02 am
I like what you did there. And agree.
August 12, 2017 @ 8:57 pm
I second that.
March 7, 2018 @ 12:27 pm
In part is also thanks to the translator.
Thanks for the chapter.
May 11, 2017 @ 6:37 pm
Why doesn’t he just tell them that regardless of if they send her back or not, the guy will never forgive them because he is just a shitty fatass who’s job it basically is to ruin his land and cause more chaos at this point? Why are they making such a stupidely big deal out of this? Stupid arc
May 11, 2017 @ 8:34 pm
Because they don’t have solution.
1. Submit = die to assholery
2. Resist = die to weapons
3. Follow Brendel in forest (was thought by both Brendel’s crew and locals) = die from cold and starvation as moving through forest in winter is much harder than staying in village and village don’t have resources for that
Well, “follow Brendel” have biggest chance of survival… but it’s also most clear death threat instead of maybe/maybe not of others.
May 11, 2017 @ 8:35 pm
And reply form did eat formatting again 🙁
May 11, 2017 @ 10:19 pm
Assholery lol
January 23, 2018 @ 11:08 am
They already know about it, that’s why…didn’t you see all the adults feeling guilty as fuck in the meeting? They’re just trying to grasp at the tiniest possibilities of preserving the lives of the villagers, even if they know it’s a lie. There’s also been too many precedents where similar sacrifices had to be made, which complicates matters.
You and the rest of us are readers, our lives are not at stake, our homes are safe and sound, our families are not under the threat of a bloodthirsty lord. We are capable of rational thought, they are not so luxurious.
May 11, 2017 @ 6:52 pm
That sucks….
May 11, 2017 @ 6:54 pm
Well i about threw my phone just now. So everyone gets to live happily ever after because a child bit the provobal bullet, a full grown adult i can live with but a child… Really? Not sure if i could live with myself but then again miss plot miracle has decided to take a vacation. Well im still hoping for a miracle slim as it seems to be
May 11, 2017 @ 7:19 pm
Thanks for the chapter Wolfie
May 11, 2017 @ 8:18 pm
Actually, the fatass noble probably gonna kill at least half of them to vent his anger from Brendel killing his men anyway even if they sent the girl back, so giving her would be a crappy decision. Maybe they could have 1) Try to migrate as soon as possible 2) Set a place of rendezvous and scatter to reduce damage from pursuer 3) Sent someone competent or having useful skills and maybe the girl too to Brendel since he might take them if he could used them for something. If 1 and 2 completely fail, some would still live with Brendel then.
May 11, 2017 @ 8:48 pm
I hope they (who survive Graudin) follow Brendal to Valhalla. After all, he needs some villagers for his village! Hopefully Graudin sends bandit troops to butcher the Senians before they try to gift Sifrid away, so the bandits can stab the cowardly, selfish and ungrateful idiots while Brendal gets to eliminate more enemies, take their horses, and use them to carry supplies and kids as he takes the remaining Senians to Valhalla.
At least I hope he doesn’t abandon Sifred; he should be able to predict that the town will not survive due to his gaming days, so hopes to him saving her anyway.
May 11, 2017 @ 8:49 pm
Amandina doing her job as advisor… But that sure is sad…
May 11, 2017 @ 8:53 pm
just go and fucking slaughter them !!!
Thanks for the chapter 😀
May 11, 2017 @ 9:51 pm
Thanks!
May 11, 2017 @ 10:21 pm
And here i thought Brendel had the power to at least decimate the entire Graudin army + a few undead army.
May 11, 2017 @ 11:10 pm
Brendel never told us where they lived ‘in the future’s of the game. Maybe they found a safe haven there atleast? But yeah, kinda doubtful if they are even worth saving at this point. Most look like shirkers and cowards which would just be a burden since they will probably harm Brendel one way or another.
May 12, 2017 @ 1:28 am
I wish Brendel could just take them as one card. You know, just like the “Mercenaries of Lopez”, he could make a “Senia Villagers” card. Then he wouldn’t have to worry of sustaining them by food.
January 23, 2018 @ 11:12 am
‘Carding’ people is not always ideal. Remember that Tulman once said it had been centuries since he met the last Planeswalker? If the Planeswalker dies, the people in the card may never see the light of day again until the next Planeswalker comes along. Ciel also said that there are many duplicate cards, so the next Planeswalker might not even find them. In a way, it is a fate worse than death.
May 12, 2017 @ 2:49 am
Where is hope? Damn…
May 12, 2017 @ 3:22 am
Original story should have gone something like… Sifrid was abducted without rescue and Fat-noble or undead came and attacked the village that year or at the latest next. Brendel remembers the village as road overtaken by forest no outlying farmland few remains of buildins and broken goddess statue in only five years. So I’m pretty sure he won’t do nothing but I don’t know what would work personally, because he doesn’t have the resources to sustain them and no one in Aoin will care for them.
May 12, 2017 @ 3:40 am
Man, it really upset me before because of the death of some naive but good adventurers before, especially the noble woman adventurer and how she died in the hand of graudin that drink her blood, fu*k!
And now those little girl whose alone because her mother sacrificed herself for the village then next ungrateful fu*kin’ villagers also going to sacrifice her also?
If that rally happen, I bet they will face a massacre regardless afterward cause of their cowardly stupidity, well that stupidity also the cause of other races resentment toward them.
May 12, 2017 @ 4:56 am
thnx for the chapter
May 12, 2017 @ 5:41 am
so will he saved them ? or will abandoned them?
thx for the chapter ^^
May 12, 2017 @ 1:41 pm
Leaves a bad taste
May 12, 2017 @ 6:57 pm
Amandina has become annoying in in the last few chapters. Screw what she thinks. If it was not for Brendel’s kindness, she would have died already. Brendel should not let a servant dictate his actions, especially knowing the overall situation of the game.
May 13, 2017 @ 12:17 pm
yep . Why the fuck care what she think ?
July 29, 2017 @ 2:17 pm
God your a fucking idiot , he Can’t win this battle, it wasn’t like the time when he saved Amandina from a couple plebs holding sticks from bruglas This time its a fucking army. if he tried to save the villagers he would make himself enemy of the Nobles , Undead and The fucking kingdom for helping the siena or whatever , Thank God the MC wasn’t you or else he woudnt survive past half of volume 1
May 12, 2017 @ 9:21 pm
Ugh… I think Brendel’s going to ditch Amandina soon, even if she’s right, she’s also wrong… 😥
Thanks for all your hard work! 😄
May 13, 2017 @ 5:26 pm
Amandina is dead to me…
I really want Brendel to just take Sifrid, Thor, and those like Thor with them. These Senia are just going to get butchered by Graudin, with or without giving up Sifrid, more of them are going to be killed. Sacrificing children, the future, for the elderly is just bullshit.
One would think Brendel would have prepared enough supplies to atleast be able to take a few people with him. And can they not hunt for game along the way? Can monster meat be eaten? We know Graudin would not sell any supplies to Brendel and his people, but could they not have used a proxy to purchase supplies? Such as that wizard apprentice adventurer?
Do the Senia have no way of contacting the druids to request for help?
May 14, 2017 @ 10:32 am
Amandina is becoming more of a disappointment chapter after chapter, even though she had a good potential as a character…
January 23, 2018 @ 11:15 am
I’d say she’s great. Unlike us, she doesn’t know that Brendel is the main character and he has plot armor. Brendel is a heroic figure with astounding abilities, but he is still a mortal to her and all of his companions. Her willingness to be the target of everyone’s hatred to ensure Brendel doesn’t bite more than he can chew is a selfless act, as she herself wished for the Senias to be rescued.
August 8, 2017 @ 3:25 am
Damn this noble