The Amber Sword Volume 3 Chapter 52
TL: Apologies for the late update. Was distracted by something.
Chapter 52 – King of the Underground (3)
Brendel once again paused in a blank.
[What kind of ploy is this?]
But he finally realized what she meant and tested her with an additional question: “You mean to say you’ve lost your abilities as a Gold-ranked fighter?”
Scarlett’s eyes momentarily widened before she closed them with a defeated expression and nodded slowly.
“Oh, I see.” Brendel nodded like it was a natural thing.
This time Scarlett was confused. She had imagined Brendel’s reactions multiple times and was worried to hear his voice turn cold just like Makarov did in the past. But she did not expect his reaction to sound like he had solved a difficult puzzle!
“Ah, excuse me,” Brendel apologized sincerely.
He knew bad things were happening to Scarlett. There were signs of the Blood of Gods speeding up, and when she recovered her strength again, she might become a true God Acolyte. But there was no way he could tell it directly to her face.
“Can you stand up? Here, let me help you up.” He consoled her and extended a hand.
Scarlett looked at the hand in front of her in a daze before she nodded.
Brendel’s voice was soft, warm, and even a little sympathetic, but it was because of these words that she felt like her defenses to her heart were being cut away.
Tears spilled out from the corners of her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Brendel became flustered when he saw her tears.
The young girl continued to cry silently before she suddenly woke up from her daze. She sniffed through her nose to stop her emotions and wiped away her tears weakly. When she realized how she acted, her face immediately flushed red.
“Nothing, it’s b-because it’s too painful…… My lord.” Scarlett turned her head away and answered a little unwillingly.
Brendel cried inwardly at once.
[Your excuse is just awful…… Do you think you look like you’re crying because you’re in pain? You might as well say that you’re flustered because you’re trying to hide your pain!]
He was not a fool and was vaguely aware what the girl was thinking about. Even though he did not know what she thought of the people in her past, her silence was unable to mask the fact that she was trying to escape reality. She had not accepted her situation and was still stuck in her memories, and regarded the world with fear and distrust. In the end, she had no choice but to confront her circumstances, and was immediately swallowed up by isolation.
“Can you stand up?” He said again.
Scarlett nodded weakly and attempted several times to get up to her feet. But even with his assistance, the immense pain caused her to whimper and kneel down.
Brendel felt sorry for her. She was clenching her teeth and tearing up at the pain. It was not as if he had never seen a woman cry, but she was much tougher than the noble ladies in the game who teared up easily.
“Here, let me carry you. There’s no need to keep on trying.” He said. He was still a man after all.
They could not stay here for long. Even though he did not know what was Medissa and Kodan’s situation, but their mission would fail if the old man returned to the surface. He had to fight for every second.
“How can I do…… that?” Scarlett was completely stunned.
Which Lord or commander would do this? But she quickly corrected herself. Makarov would do it for Eke because the latter was the son of a duke.
[Perhaps Makarov saw me as someone who’s even less important than Redi because I was an Iron-ranker back then. Damn it! I feel disappointed—]
Once she thought of the detestable youth with white hair, she felt sick in her stomach. There were no tears shed when Brendel ordered his death.
[But why is this young lord willing to bother with me? I’m not popular with the remaining Grey Wolves Mercenaries like Sanford is, and I don’t think I’m pretty enough to catch his eyes….. His fiancee is much better looking than me. And I have never seen him even seeking the pleasures of the flesh from anyone. His actions stop at teasing his fiance…… Right now, I’m nothing but a burden right now.]
“…… There’s no need to waste your time with me, my lord. You need to get Kodan right now, and once you do, you can come and rescue me,” she shook her head vigorously, before she said with some hesitation, “I’m a mercenary, and I won’t feel too scared. If you would kindly leave me with a l-light crystal……”
Brendel sighed inwardly with exasperation. It was clear that Scarlett was feeling scared. It was still an unknown problem whether he was able to find his way out, and even if he did, he would have to take several hours. But the biggest problem was not leaving a defenseless girl behind; it was the danger that Scarlett might turn into a God Acolyte once he left her.
“You’re bleeding too much. It would be dangerous for you if you’re still here.” He did not reveal the truth to her and dodged the subject.
“That’s fine; perhaps this is Mother Marsha’s will. There’s no need for you to keep holding on to a burden—” She paused for a moment, smiled a little, and her voice became softer: “But I should thank you, my lord. The fact that you didn’t abandon me is enough….. I can’t be selfish, right?”
Brendel stared at Scarlett’s misty, seemingly hollow eyes.
[Makarov must have really hurt her by sending the Grey Wolves Mercenaries to their deaths and refusing to acknowledge her. She’s a pitiable person, but I don’t have a solution for her curse. ]
“…… Everlasting regret.” His words came out like a soft sigh of lament.
He closed his eyes and dove in his memories of the game for a full minute, while Scarlett looked restlessly in confusion at him before he opened them:
“Perhaps you think that if you live in Aouine’s time of peace, you wouldn’t need to go through with this melancholic fate— But is there a moment where Aouine is truly peaceful?
This continent is constantly at war and chapters are written in history books like epic poems. The flames from the wars burn cities to the ground, countless bones are piled up, and the bloodshed is like a river that flows endlessly. People band together to become stronger in order to survive, but at the same time they have to pursue pragmatism.
Eventually, bonds are weakened and the warm feelings between people disappear. Society is left with nothing but ice-like cruelty and machine-like efficiency.
Civilians rebel all the time because of the useless nobles governing the kingdom, but their resistance is unable to pull down their authority. Why? Because the thing that matters is power.
The strong rule and the weak ought to die.
Your story is not the only example on this continent. There are thousands of you and thousands of Sifrids, and many people on this continent are more unfortunate than you are.
I don’t have the power to change their fates, because I cannot change the natural rule where the mighty rule over everything. This world is much harsher than the fairy tale that I know of called Earth.
However, I think I might be able to lend a hand to the person who is in need in front of me.
So why are you not asking me for help?”
He wished to save the people that he was familiar with in the world. The princess, the Goddess of War, the many, many people who sacrificed their lives for this kingdom. He desired to rewrite history.
“…… I—” Scarlett was still hesitating, but the light was returning to her eyes, and Brendel noted it.
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m a selfish person. My self-serving wish is to save this kingdom. I cannot tell if it’s going to hurt people, and I might even hurt even more innocents than the nobles you see right now. Perhaps the innocent citizens of this kingdom, or from Kirrlutz, or the nations to the far north.
However, I don’t want to see tragedy befall on the people I know in front of me because I don’t think I can ignore my heart…… If a hand is not enough, you can have my back. Let me carry you.”
Brendel added his last two sentences as Scarlett glanced at the injury on her thigh, but she was still hesitating even though she looked ready to accept his aid.
“No, wait, are you refusing because of…… Don’t worry; I’m not going to take advantage of you.” Brendel was already tearing up because he was cringing inwardly from the speech he made. Maybe she was refusing because she did not want to be carried in the first place.
“Ehhh?! No, it’s just that—” Scarlett felt the blood rushing to her cheeks and shook her head repeatedly.
“Then there’s nothing else to be said.” Brendel was growling with impatience and shame, and he scooped her up with both hands, ignoring her frightened squeaks.
She did not expect Brendel to be so forceful. She shrank in his arms as her blush extended to her ears, and became silent.
[H-he said he wouldn’t take advantage of me…… I-isn’t this the legendary ‘bridal carry’?]
She had dreamt of Eke carrying her to the cathedral someday more than once back with the mercenaries, but it quickly became a fantasy with the appearance of Yula. But she never expected someone to carry her, although it was a little odd because she was being carried around in a dark tunnel.
She brought her head to rest on Brendel’s chest. Even though her heart was beating fast, she felt a sense of safety.
[He’s different from Eke. He makes me feel like I’m safe and I can trust in him. I’m sure Miss Amandina and Romaine feel the same way…..]
She finally understood why the number of people around him continued to increase in the past few months. His connections and abilities were indeed outstanding, but it would not explain why the people around him would choose him over the other nobles.
[Maybe Mother Marsha hasn’t completely abandoned me. I’m lucky enough to meet a lord like him.]
She still felt a little sad about losing her powers. She was not a smart person and finding her powers again would not be an easy task. She shook off her thoughts and decided to take one day at a time. Brendel’s actions had calmed her down.
But his current thoughts were secretly pondering on her lifespan, which could be a matter of a few days or even just a few hours.
November 16, 2017 @ 7:45 am
AAAAAW NOOOOOO
plz dont kill her AUTHOR I BEG YOU!
November 16, 2017 @ 7:46 am
First? and thanks Wolfie, keep up the good work~
November 17, 2017 @ 4:53 pm
Sorry but there is a high chance she will die and be resurrected as a card :p
November 16, 2017 @ 7:54 am
Let’s hope that MC can use a Silver Lineage relic, or some similar old and strong thing in this literal silver mine to purify or otherwise help with her condition.
November 16, 2017 @ 2:32 pm
True, I also think of that! XD!
Well, it will be a real pity!! A REAL PITY!!! if she really disappear.
November 17, 2017 @ 4:55 pm
She wont disappear. He wouldnt work so hard if he knew she was going to disappear :p
The worst that can happen is she will turn into a card too :p
November 18, 2017 @ 12:17 am
hey! What’s worst about that?? XD! Wouldn’t that mean she will be immortalized as long as he is alive? no worries about her dying when he’s unaware then.
November 16, 2017 @ 5:33 pm
doesnt he have that golden apple thingy
November 17, 2017 @ 7:19 am
May or may not work. That apple only seems to make a person a “Chosen” along with some other stuff that adds up to not being likely to removing the blood’s corrupting effects (I am curious about what MC could do if he turned it into a card; meaning could he spawn more and more if paid the correct price?). Besides, the veteran MC would have used it already if it would work.
November 16, 2017 @ 8:25 am
I kinda hope that she gets turned into a card, so that she can become immortal lol.
November 17, 2017 @ 5:01 pm
There are good and bad points to be turned into a card.
I think. as a card, her love will never come true, and she will be stuck in her current form for eternity and she will forever be a slave of the card’s master… or at least until the card is destroyed.
November 16, 2017 @ 8:26 am
Thank you for the chapter… and her fall has been a while coming. It wouldn’t be too surprising for something special to come into being, though, with how different things have developed with her are compared to how things usually happen with the creation of the God Acolytes.
November 16, 2017 @ 8:29 am
NPCs thought, such inspiring speech, Players thought, oh god it’s so cringeworthy I wanna roll on the ground.
November 16, 2017 @ 8:59 am
It’s the perfect cringe dialogue of a MC
November 16, 2017 @ 8:51 am
Thanks for the chapter mate. Cute material to fawn over Scarlett with. Let’s hope author decides not to axe her. Guess only you know for now wolfie
November 16, 2017 @ 9:01 am
“You mean to say you’re” should be “You mean to say you’ve”
“The strong rules” should be “The strong rule”.
“the mighty rules” should be “the mighty rule”.
“I don’t want to see tragedy befalling on the people I know in front of me because I don’t think I can ignore my heart” can be “I don’t want to see tragedy befalling the people I know while they are in front of me, because I don’t think I can ignore my heart”. Unfortunately, the new sentence still sounds weird. Depending on what you want with the sentence, “befall” might be a better alternative for “befalling”. Either way, “befalling” and “befall” do not need “on”.
“you can have my back and let me carry you” sounds awkward. You might change it to “you can have my back. Let me carry you”
“He’s different from Eke, and makes me feel like I’m safe and I can trust in him” can be changed to “He’s different from Eke. He makes me feel safe and that I can trust him”.
“Miss Amandina and Romaine feels” should be “Miss Amandina and Romaine feel”.
November 16, 2017 @ 9:48 am
Oh man I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your help. Thanks again.
November 16, 2017 @ 9:30 am
So why exactly is it that he’s not telling her what’s happening to her and giving her the choice to die, become a card that may wind up having to serve someone other than him after his death, or become a monster that he’d need to put down? She has a right to know her circumstances and her options while she still has time to think about them.
November 16, 2017 @ 9:41 am
She does. Just…maybe not in a dark cave while she’s injured or on constant state of alert for the next battle? Probably would only make it worse.
Personally I think Brendel was forthright enough when she explained her power and risks the first time around in the forest against the lizardmen.. but yeah… Kinda lame he doesn’t lay all her options and corruption rate all out while he had the chance.
November 16, 2017 @ 12:44 pm
I get where you’re coming from, but odds are, they won’t make it out of the mine before a decision has to be made. It’s better to tell her now so she can use whatever time she has left to make her choice.
November 16, 2017 @ 10:03 am
I think Brendel’s choice is pretty reasonable at that stage. Would you tell someone who got knocked down by a car and see the person (who’s not going to live) and say, “You’re going to die.”?
It feels like he’s kicking the dog if he’s going to straight up tell her she’s not going to make it.
November 16, 2017 @ 12:47 pm
Just because it’s not pleasant, doesn’t mean that not doing it isn’t even worse. What if they got separated and she started to change? If she knew what was happening, she could jam a knife in her throat and avoid becoming a monster, but since she doesn’t know, she’ll likely just pass out and wake up a monster. And yes, I do realize that plot armor will probably prevent that sort of thing from happening, but Brendel doesn’t know that.
November 16, 2017 @ 1:29 pm
I had an aunt who was in the hospital and one of her daughters told her she had cancer. few minutes later she had a massive stroke or heart attack (not privy to all details) and died. People can die if you give them the information at wrong times.
November 16, 2017 @ 5:39 pm
You’re assuming Brendel doesnt have a way to just straight up cure her.
November 18, 2017 @ 5:19 am
Considering how little time she has to make a decision, I’d still say that telling her is the better choice.
November 16, 2017 @ 2:08 pm
I had a friend who had AIDS. The student nurse told him he what his sickness was even though the hospital staff and family decided to hide it from for awhile. They were thinking of ways to break it him gently. He committed suicide on the same day. My friend’s family sued the hospital and school.
November 16, 2017 @ 10:20 pm
I wonder if that’s what the student waiver you usually sign at hospitals is for.
November 17, 2017 @ 1:36 am
I have never heard of this “student waiver”. I’m a nurse myself and I don’t remember it. Either it doesn’t exist or it’s not available in my country.
I usually tell this experience of my friend to student nurses and nurses to remind them the importance of confidentiality.
November 18, 2017 @ 5:20 am
Considering that AIDS takes more than a decade to kill you, I wouldn’t say the two things are at all similar.
November 18, 2017 @ 7:05 pm
Oh boy… I guess I have to explain to you the situation for you to understand why he made this decision and why it is similar to the Scarlett’s. This will be very long as it has to do with culture and psychology. (It might be better to just skip it. I just thought that I didn’t want my late friend to be misunderstood)
It wasn’t because AIDS could kill you that he chose suicide. It was because he HAD the disease that he chose to kill himself.
My country is conservative. Pre-marital sex happens but is frowned upon. Talking about having and liking sex in public will make people respect you less basically. This not only applies to those conservative oldies but also people around every age.
AIDS has a negative image in my country not because it is a disease that leads to death. It’s because it can be transferred through sex. It can be summarized into: AIDS=immoral. It’s so bad that most patients would rather have stage 4 cancer than have AIDS (true story). People with cancer get sympathy. People with AIDS are gossip material.
Then, here is my friend who found out he had AIDS. I didn’t read his suicide letter but his family mentioned that he said he was sorry for being a shame to the family. That he couldn’t face them. Even now, 11 years later, the neighborhood still gossip about the loose son of the —–family that couldn’t control himself so was punished and contracted AIDS.
Now, for some it might not be a big deal. “He has 10 more years to live” but to my friend, the moment he found out he had AIDS, he must have decided it was better to die than live that 10 years.
That is why of all my medical and personal experiences I chose to mention this after reading the comments. Like the character in the novel, he was also very sick. He was helpless, weak and couldn’t control what was happening to his body. He wasn’t in the best state of mind. The single mistake of student nurse who had good intentions broke my friend (“Now that you found out that your diagnosis is AIDS, how are you feeling? Do you want to talk about it?”).
Like the character in the novel, he was most likely afraid what people might think of him. He possibly didn’t care he had AIDS but he cared how other people’s attitudes and treatment towards him might change. (This line of thought is common for patients with sexually transmitted diseases in my country)
Of course he would be told the truth and he will be able to make decisions about his disease and course of treatment. But not when he was at the peak of his illness. Not in the middle of him suffering the signs and symptoms making his mind only think about the pain and suffering. These kinds of people who are down in the dumps should be assessed thoroughly if they can handle more stress. If they can still learn life changing truths that may affect their emotional and mental stability (just like Scarlett).
Because an emotionally and mentally unstable person can’t make the best decisions. A lot of people learned that the hard way that day.
November 18, 2017 @ 5:23 am
If the person was going to turn into a horrifying super zombie and start slaughtering everyone around them if they didn’t either 1) kill themselves before they could die naturally or 2) magically enslave themselves for eternity, then yes, I would tell them, because not telling them is a hell of a lot crueler.
November 17, 2017 @ 5:03 pm
Because he is a manipulator and is trying to win her over :p
November 16, 2017 @ 9:59 am
Thanks for the chapter!
November 16, 2017 @ 10:22 am
Hmm… What option can brendel take? Kill god acolyte and make her a card? She might be as consumpting as Medissa as a card…. Or is the golden apple finally will be used? Can it save her life? Or will this new magical palace hold some interesting things?…
Anyway thanks for the chapter… Moar… XD
November 16, 2017 @ 10:38 am
For those of you who want Scarlett to be turned into a card. It was said earlier that even if she is turned into a card it won’t strop the progression of the corruption caused by the Blood of the Gods. I don’t remember what chapter but it clearly stated that.
November 16, 2017 @ 2:33 pm
— Thanks for the chapter~ ^^.
November 16, 2017 @ 2:51 pm
Bro you are extending drama with that flag. Nicely written crissis though.
November 16, 2017 @ 2:52 pm
Thanks for the chapter! Now even Scarlett has fallen for him! More girls for the Harem God!
I’m almost certain you didn’t mean “Blood of goods”. 😛
November 16, 2017 @ 5:29 pm
Thanks!
Maybe he can turn her into a card?
November 16, 2017 @ 8:43 pm
Thank for the chapter Wolfie, I was really looking forward to know what Brendel would have done in this one.
By the way: “She had imagined Brendel’s reactions multiple times and was worried to hear his voice turn cold just like Makarov did in the past”. Isn’t voice the subject? Shouldn’t be “like Makarov’s\Makarov voice did in the past”?
And I noticed some strangeness in the tenses at the start of Brendel epic\cringe speech: “Perhaps you think that if you live in Aouine’s time of peace, you wouldn’t need to go through with this melancholic fate”. Don’t conditional sentences of this kind require a simple past (lived) in the first period and a simple past conditional (would have needed) in the second, since the action would have happened in the past, but as the condition for it to do so never took place, it stayed a mere possibility?
“But is there a moment where Aouine is truly peaceful?” Been something that started in the past (along with the existence of Aouine), shouldn’t it be perfect present (was there ever+was truly)?
Last tense strangeness, I swear! “I’m lucky enough to meet a lord like him.” Since it happened in the past, shouldn’t it be past tense (I was)?
Still, I didn’t expect Brendel to mention Earth. I’m quite curious about what will happen next, and I find Scarlet quite a lovable and relatable character, together with Amandina she’s my favourite female chara. Someone remember if Brendel had any possible solution or hope for her status?
November 17, 2017 @ 5:57 am
Goes to show that my Engrish is Engrish 🙁
I think you are right in the all the points probably with the exception of the last one (?). Would you use, as an example, “I was lucky enough to have a good mother” or “I am lucky enough to have a good mother” in spoken language?
November 17, 2017 @ 1:29 pm
If your English is Engrish I don’t know what that of many others translators is anymore lol (Besides, aren’t you mother tongue?) Jokes apart, more than 90% of what you write is very fluid, readable and enjoyable, and I believe the rest simply didn’t have the necessary check because you’re out of time to do so, and so you skim over it. Maybe you should think of finding someone to give a quick QC to your chapters before release. Sometimes it’s a pain to coordinate with someone else, but his job would be a quick one and this could leave out the stressful afterthoughts about something been forgot here and there.
For the sentence, I do agree with the tense in your example, but in there you used the verb have, usually utilized to refer to an imperfect action, something happened in the past but that is not concluded in the present since the mother is safe and sound, while in the original sentence you used the verb meet, utilized to refer to a perfect action, a short moment that happened in the past and usually ended in the past (if not, it should be in the progressive tense). So I believe, besides when the action is repeated again and again over time, even in the present, (I’m lucky to meet her every morning), it should be in past tense.
November 17, 2017 @ 5:13 pm
I feel conflicted with making her a card. I prefer if some plot armor activates and prevents this from happening :p but the chances are low T_T
Thanks for the translation!
December 31, 2017 @ 3:30 am
> before she closed them a defeated expression and nodded slowly.
closed them with a defeated expression
> There were signs of the Blood of goods speeding up
gods
> It would be dangerous for you if you still here
if you were still here