Brilliant Healer's New Life in the Shadows: Volume 7 (eBook)

Sakaku Hishikawa (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025
250 Seiten
J-Novel Club (Verlag)
978-1-7183-1966-0 (ISBN)

Infos

With the crisis in Zagras averted and the S Rank beast defeated, Zenos returns to his life in the slums, juggling his duties at the clinic while occasionally teaching at St. Carmilla Academy. Still, these peaceful days don't last for long. All of a sudden, a group of oddly desperate military officers pop up in Zenos's part of town, running a mass recruitment drive to build out the nation's border patrol. It seems they'll conscript anyone-even children.
Around the same time, Lily goes missing. And when witnesses report seeing her forced inside a military convoy alongside a child in fancy clothing, Zenos knows what he's got to do next-get recruited himself!
It seems once again, life is about to take an unorthodox turn.

Textauszug

Prologue

The Kingdom of Herzeth, known across the continent as the Kingdom of the Sun, bordered four other nations. While it maintained friendly relations with some, with others it coexisted in a tense state of rivalry. One such rival was the Malavaar Empire to the northwest—a rising autocratic state ruled by an emperor. Recently, it had been steadily absorbing neighboring countries as vassal states.

Ignoring its expanding influence was not an option. Both Herzeth and Malavaar had built numerous fortresses along their borders where large military forces had been stationed in a mutual show of intimidation. Skirmishes persisted along the northern front lines, and the situation had long been locked in a stalemate.

But the winds of change were blowing—far from the main battlefield.

One day at dawn, in a border region located below Malavaar’s southernmost edge known as the Western Defensive Line, a sentry stretched and yawned.

“Man, I’m sleepy,” he mumbled.

The soldier beside him sighed, clearly disapproving of his comrade’s attitude. “Hey. Stay alert.”

“Huh? Aw, come on. Who cares? We’re not on the northern front. This outpost is practically for show.”

“I mean, true, but...still!”

Beyond this area lay the Yanul Marshlands, a region teeming with magical beasts. The marshlands were considered too dangerous to be claimed by any nation, and thus the likelihood of enemy forces advancing through them was slim to none. As such, the primary duty of the soldiers stationed here was dealing with stray magical beasts.

“If you keep slacking off, the commander’s gonna chew you out,” the other soldier cautioned.

“Right, the Flare Maiden or whatever. I hear she was a big shot over at the northern front. How did she end up in the middle of nowhere like this?”

“How is a grunt like me supposed to know that?”

“Well, anyhow, there’s no way Herzeth is gonna lose the war, long as we’ve got the saintess’s blessing and all. Hey, you got a smoke?”

“Ugh. Just one, all right?” the second soldier muttered with a shrug before pulling a cigarette from his pocket.

As the pair smoked in the light of the new dawn, one of them suddenly furrowed his brow.

“Hm...?”

“What? What is it?”

“That...”

The two soldiers turned their gaze to the distance, where faint wisps of smoke were rising from the sparsely wooded plain. Or was it just morning mist?

“What...is that?”

At the same time, a faint vibration rumbled underfoot. It was like an irregular heartbeat, pulsing unevenly, and seemed to be growing more intense.

One of the soldiers peered through the magical telescope hanging from his neck and told the other in a trembling voice, “Report this to the commander immediately.”

What cloaked the distant sky was not mist—it was dust. And within that dust, countless twisted silhouettes squirmed and writhed.

The soldier stumbled backward, shouting at the top of his lungs, “It’s a beast horde!”

***

“What’s the situation?”

It was evening, and an emergency Council of the Seven was being held in the royal capital. Six of the nation’s most influential nobles were seated around a magnificent, gleaming round table made of marble.

“The report states that approximately two hundred magical beasts, primarily smaller variants, have been sighted,” a military officer reported in a hurried tone.

A stern-looking man with narrow eyes asked, “Where’s Lord Vamillus?”

“He hasn’t returned from his diplomatic tour yet,” replied a government official standing in the corner of the room, his tone apologetic.

The narrow-eyed man scoffed. “A diplomatic tour? A self-indulgent vacation, more like.”

“Lord Giesz, we must focus on the matter at hand for now,” gently interjected Lord Fennel, who was known to be a moderate. “So, what happened to the two hundred beasts?”

“Under the guidance of their commander, the soldiers managed to drive back the magical beasts by evening,” the military officer replied. “However, because the Western Defensive Line is sparsely manned, the damage was significant. Furthermore, a new wave attacked the following day. The soldiers stationed at the fortress are being pushed to their limits day and night.”

Lord Fennel hummed, stroking his beard thoughtfully. “So the Flare Maiden managed to hold the line. Truly she is a capable woman. Still, we must act swiftly.”

It was no surprise that magical beasts had emerged from the Yanul Marshlands. The area, located near the border between Herzeth and southern Malavaar, was a known breeding ground for such creatures. Still, something felt off.

“Does this sort of thing happen often?” Lord Fennel asked.

“No, my lord. Stray beasts occasionally wander into our territory, but they’re usually alone or in small groups at most. A group of this size is unprecedented.”

“Do we know the cause?”

“We’re still investigating.”

“Let us hope this is an isolated incident, then.”

“I would caution against blithe optimism, Lord Fennel,” said Albert Baycladd, the handsome young man who was heir to the prestigious House Baycladd, foremost of the seven great noble houses. As he uncrossed his long legs, his sharp gaze swept over the room. “Rot could strike from anywhere, at any time.”

“Rot,” Lord Fennel echoed. “Are you referring to the saintess’s prophecy?”

The month prior, a prophetic warning of “most severe rot” looming over the horizon had been delivered to the Council of the Seven. In the past, prophecies regarding severe rot had foretold devastating pandemics and natural disasters. “Most” severe rot went beyond that and had the potential to threaten the very survival of the nation.

After the initial prophecy, a catastrophe-level S Rank magical beast had appeared in the Zagras region. The beast, thought to be the source of the prophesied threat, had been defeated by a Black Class adventurer known as the Sword Saint. Yet the ominous star that heralded incoming calamity still shone eerily in the sky.

“Could this unyielding evil star represent the Malavaar Empire?” asked one of the nobles at the table in a grave tone.

The Malavaar Empire’s influence was expanding rapidly, and pressure along the northern front grew with each passing day. Still, the magical beasts had emerged away from the empire’s southernmost border, making it difficult to draw any definitive conclusions.

“We cannot say for certain. Without solid evidence, pointing fingers would be reckless. A poorly thought out accusation could stoke the flames of a much larger conflict.” Silence briefly fell upon the room. Albert’s sharp gaze turned to Lord Giesz, whose narrow eyes and features were reminiscent of those of a cunning bird. “What would you propose we do, Lord Giesz?”

Lord Giesz crossed his arms, his expression remaining the same as he spoke. “I have already arranged for reinforcements.”

“Acting promptly as always. Commendable,” Albert replied. “But allocating military strength takes a careful hand under the current circumstances.”

“Hmph. You don’t need to tell me that,” Lord Giesz scoffed, his brows furrowing slightly.

The northern front lines were the most volatile point between Herzeth and Malavaar, locked in a precarious standoff. With both main forces entrenched there, glaring at each other, diverting troops to another battlefield was a risky gamble indeed.

“The main forces stationed on the northern front cannot be moved,” Lord Giesz said. “Reinforcements will be dispatched from the royal capital.”

“You’re sending out the capital’s defense forces?” Albert asked. “Will they be able to handle such an unexpected crisis?”

“That’s why we’ll be reinforcing our shields.”

“Shields?”

“The poor,” Lord Giesz said flatly, as though stating the obvious.

It was common knowledge that a significant number of poor folk were being sent to guard various frontiers, paid in meager meals and pittances for wages. One of their primary roles on the front lines was to act as a buffer during enemy attacks.

“Ah. The poor,” Albert echoed.

“Yes. If nothing else, they must serve as shields. That’s the only reason we allow those vermin to live in the shadows of the royal capital in the first place.”

“Vermin, you say...”

“Am I wrong?”

“No.” Albert smiled faintly, resting a hand against his cheek. “I expect great things.”

“My army will deliver results regardless of your expectations,” Lord Giesz retorted with a frown.

“Your army, is it?”

“Do you object? Military affairs are under my jurisdiction presently.”

Each of the seven great noble houses oversaw different aspects of the kingdom, politics, the military, diplomacy, and trade among them. To prevent the concentration of power, these responsibilities were rotated every few years. Currently, House Giesz held control over the kingdom’s military forces.

“Ah, no, I have no objections. My expectations lie elsewhere,”...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 8.9.2025
• Reihe/Serie: The Brilliant Healer's New Life in the Shadows
• Illustrationen: Sakaku Hishikawa
• Übersetzer: Sakaku Hishikawa
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Fantasy
• Schlagworte: Catgirl • Light Novel • litrpg harem fantasy • Monster girls • nice guy protagonist • overpowered main character • political intrigue fantasy novels
• ISBN-10: 1-7183-1966-5 / 1718319665
• ISBN-13: 978-1-7183-1966-0 / 9781718319660