Otaku Translation: The Amber Sword V2C133

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Chapter 133: Roma’s Second Plan (Part 2)

“So you are willing to speak to me now?” he asked.

Brandon didn’t find Antietta’s question surprising. He glanced at the locals—people who looked like refugees themselves. In this place, even life itself was fragile and cheap. She would likely never understand that in some lands, a boy could be bought for the price of a sheep, and a girl for even less.

With just a little authority or strength, one could trample upon another's very existence. Bandits and lords both spilled blood—the only difference being that one did so outside the city walls, and the other within them. Even if you killed someone in broad daylight, all it took was a small payment to the local lord to make the matter disappear. To be honest, he might even encourage it.

To some lords, hard coin was far more dear than people who needed feeding and tending.

Antietta hesitated.

She thought Brandon was upset with her behavior from earlier. Though she felt a pang of injustice, she lowered her head and murmured, “...I’m sorry, Sir Brandon. I overstepped my bounds.”

Brandon shrugged. “You misunderstand. I have never blamed you, Lady Antietta.”

The noblewoman raised her eyes, as though to confirm the sincerity in his words. Then, she fell silent once more.

“Our territory lies further south,” Brandon replied.

“South?”

That startled Antietta. “Beyond Tonygel? That land is wilderness.”

“Have you heard of the Frontier Knights, Antietta?” Brandon asked.

“Ahh—”

The noblewoman couldn’t help but gasp. How could she not know? Those young nobles and knights without inheritable lands who ventured forth under the banner of the Temple of Flames, armed with nothing but their courage and a handful of retainers, carving out new domains in the wild by sheer will. Such tales were the stuff of bedtime legends—romantic fables passed down through generations. Never had she imagined such stories might come to life before her very eyes.

At first, she felt a flicker of unease. The dream of carving civilization from the wilds sounded noble, but reality was treacherous. It was precisely these kinds of ventures—laborious, thankless, and deadly—that no one in Eruin had attempted in over a hundred years. This moment felt more like myth than truth.

Yet, she quickly steadied herself. What was danger compared to the alternative? Compared to languishing in that crumbling manor in Braggs, living a life as bleak and hopeless as those around her, wasn’t this at least a glimmer of possibility?

She stole another glance at Brandon. A Frontier Knight—a title that echoed the ancient heroes of Eruin, full of daring ambition and reckless valiance. Dangerous, yes, but also noble. And in every way, this lord before her embodied the ideal she had always dreamed of.

It was a pity he already had someone in his heart.

Antietta lowered her lashes, her heart fluttering unbidden.

She turned her gaze to Roma beside her. Roma, having earned a stern reprimand after twice dashing recklessly through dangerous battlefields, was for now on her best behavior. But now her eyes gleamed with interest as she pointed toward something across the street.

“Brandon, look!” she called brightly.

Roma had a natural charm that drew attention, and both Brandon and Antietta instinctively followed her gaze.

There were many travelers on the street—just like them.

In fact, ever since the divine artifact incident Brandon had caused a month ago in Jandel, rumors had spread like wildfire through taverns and inns across the land. Bards carried the tale northward, and adventurers hoping for fortune rushed in. Mercenaries, explorers, and bounty hunters—drawn like hyenas to blood—had already gathered here in force.

Even agents from the Council of Stars and Moons and the Black Tower wizards had arrived. While the nobility was more focused on the brewing storm in Eruin, they too had sent spies, making Jandel a gathering place of intrigue even before Grafe—the domain of the regent princess—could become one.

In just two weeks, the transient population had doubled. And that was despite the constant threat of war looming over Tonygel. If peace had held, this place would have been a paradise for adventurers. Under calmer circumstances, the local lord would have been grinning ear to ear.

But now, things were growing complicated.

Brandon’s gaze swept over the crowd, sharply divided from the locals by class and demeanor. These adventurers stood apart from the townsfolk as clearly as night from day. They occupied the same street, yet it felt as if three entirely separate worlds coexisted there.

It was like a painting rendered in three different styles—one bustling, the others still.

The adventurers kept to themselves, and the locals dared not provoke them—at least, most would not. Except for one group.

Brandon saw a band of young adventurers handing food to a cluster of emaciated children. For a fleeting moment, he felt as if time had reversed, and he was back in the world of the 'Amber Sword,' where players with misplaced compassion had done the same. He shook his head, dispelling the fanciful notion. True, adventurers were often greedy opportunists, but some were simply chasing dreams.

Like the six before him—four men and two women.

“Youngsters,” Brandon mused. Adventure wasn’t nearly as romantic as the bedtime tales made it seem. Sure, there was plenty of swordplay and peril—but adventuring was brutal, bloody work. You wandered dangerous lands, faced death regularly, and lived harder lives than mercenaries. For all its risks, the payoff was pitiful. Yes, some struck gold overnight, but most ended up as forgotten bones in some godforsaken graveyard.

That’s why adventurers grew practical, even mercenary. Only the young still clung to foolish ideals. Brandon suspected these people hadn’t long begun their journey—if not for wealth or noble birth, then pure naivety.

Still, he turned back and asked, “What are you looking at?”

But as he watched Roma’s deep brown eyes sparkle with mischief, he knew trouble was brewing. “What are you planning?” Brandon asked warily. Roma’s unpredictable actions had taught him to be ever alert.

“That’s what I’m thinking!” Roma said cheerfully.

“Roma,” Antietta whispered urgently, “we don’t have much food left. We’re many mouths to feed, including the horses. Buying enough supplies here would mean dealing with the local lord—and you remember what happened last time?”

She referred to the incident when they crossed a petty lord’s domain. Brandon had gone to buy grain, only for the lord to take a liking to Cinnabar. That night, thirty Iron Rank guards tried to kidnap her. Though easily defeated, the episode served as a warning.

Though the kingdom still stood, the lords had grown lawless.

Brandon met Antietta’s gaze with quiet gratitude. Last time had been a minor noble, but now they’d be dealing with Baron Grudin. His father, Earl Jandel, was no ordinary man. If Brandon stormed into his estate today, tomorrow might bring the wrath of the entire Jandel household.

He even suspected that Duke Rhun’s forces had moved freely through the lands of Jandel because of secret dealings between the Princess's faction and the Earl. At the very least, an unspoken alliance existed. He would deal with these vampires soon enough—but only after he had built enough power to stand among them.

Yet Roma only smiled wider, shaking her head with childlike glee. “Brandon, Antietta, don’t you see?”

“See what?”

“The way of doing business!”

“What?”

Brandon reached out and touched her smooth forehead, half-convinced she had a fever. Meanwhile, the younger wild elf Elementalists’ sister widened her eyes in curiosity. “Where I come from, we say, ‘a merchant does not travel with the poor.’ Lady Roma, can there truly be opportunity in such a barren place?”

“Tia!” Her elder sister Fleur scolded sharply.

The elf girl pulled a face and swallowed the rest of her comment.

But Roma was unfazed. “You shouldn’t think that way,” she said with a shrug. “My aunt once told me, wherever there is exchange, there is trade.”

“Well… she’s not wrong,” Antietta admitted, though shaking her head. “But here? There’s no infrastructure, no roads wide enough for carts, no specialties, no wealth. Trade is just a distant dream.”

“Is that true?” Roma tilted her head toward the young adventurers distributing food. “Isn’t that exchange right there?”

Project Update: Volume 2 is now fully translated! However, as I'm currently focusing on stacking chapters for Volume 3, the release of the remaining chapters in Volume 2 will slow down a bit.

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