Even in a Dark Fantasy, You Still Have to Eat - Chapter 17

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Even in a Dark Fantasy, You Still Have to Eat ◈

Chapter 17: Call!

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In a world where a single injury could lead to death,

there was no need to explain the importance of armor.

「Wooden Greaves」 to protect the shins.

「Wooden Armor」 to protect the chest.

If this were a game, something like this would probably appear.

「Wooden Greaves: Protective gear crafted from black paulownia wood.」

「Defense +10」

「Price: 250,000 Ether」

「Wooden Armor: Protective gear crafted from baobab wood.」

「Defense +15」

「Price: 300,000 Ether」

They were lighter than expected and comfortable to wear.

They should be able to block even fairly strong attacks a few times.

“Boss! They suit you perfectly!”

“They look so natural, like they were yours from the start!”

“By the way, could you loosen these straps a little? I can’t breathe!”

The three bastards who had ambushed me kept flattering me.

They were a trio of thieves named Tong, Rive, and Toos.

Their levels were only around 5, lower than mine, and they did not even have any decent blessings.

The only valuables they had were the 「Wooden Armor」 pieces I had just put on.

“Thieves in exploration parties are treated pretty well. Why do you three look like beggars?”

“Working while risking your lives isn’t easy, sir.”

“We used to shake down little kids and rob women, but suddenly they told us to fight monsters at the Wall...”

“And we have to meet our quota every month too... It’s killing us!”

Watching the men grovel while tied up tight felt pretty satisfying.

At the same time, it gave me a slight headache.

If I had not subdued them quickly, I would have been the one tied up.

These sons of bitches!

I would ask just one more question, then beat the hell out of them.

“So, someone who has an item belonging to the Emperor of the Abyss is treated as the Emperor of the Abyss’s successor?”

“Yes!”

“More precisely, a candidate to succeed him.”

“There are lots of people like us who are after those items. Hehehe.”

The old man had said he did not sell his items to just anyone.

In other words, using that shop meant you had earned some degree of recognition.

“What’s so good about becoming the Emperor of the Abyss’s successor?”

He might act all high and mighty as the Emperor of the Sewers.

But was he not ultimately a criminal who had fled the Wall?

If he was caught, he would definitely be hanged.

【─Death to the traitor emperors─.】

Sabranik’s chilling words came back to me too.

That obviously seemed to refer to the Emperor of the Abyss.

In other words, the Emperor of the Abyss was a criminal everyone was after.

What could possibly be good about becoming the successor of a criminal like that?

“Hehehe, wouldn’t there be something good about it?”

“They say the treasures held by the Emperors of Night are incredible.”

“And that they have Ether piled up like mountains.”

Ether piled up like mountains?

That was tempting.

So what should I do with these sly bastards now?

Should I just kill them?

That would be the easiest option, but I still did not know much about the rules of the Wall or the Thieves’ Guild.

“You three stay right here. I’m going to ask Big Sis Jermain what should be done with you.”

“W-Wait!”

“Please, have mercy on us!”

“Come back! Aaah!”

I went to find Big Sis Jermain.

She was sharpening a blade with what looked like a stone in the open area where I had met her before.

The moment she heard what had happened, she raised an eyebrow.

“Fuck, that trio? It’ll be a pain if there’s some stabbing incident inside the Wall for no reason. Ezakiel and the military have already been keeping a sharp eye on things lately.”

The Thieves’ Guild was an illegal private organization.

If people like them caused trouble and stirred up a commotion, the military might launch a major purge.

“The guild will deal with those bastards, so stop worrying about them now.”

“...How will you deal with them?”

I suddenly became curious.

Big Sis Jermain chuckled.

“That’s a secret.”

“Hehe, I guess everyone has at least one secret recipe.”

“Secret recipe? That’s a funny comparison. More importantly, you met the old man, right? What did you buy?”

“Uh, well, I just bought something I liked.”

I did not tell Big Sis Jermain that I had bought the 「Black Bundle」 or stolen a few things.

What if she tried to take or steal my things?

Then I would lose everything and end up crying my eyes out.

Fortunately, she did not seem very interested in what I had bought.

“Most of his items are old and missing a screw or two, but they should be quite useful at your level.”

That was when rough shouting came from far away.

“Jermain! Come over here!”

“Hurry!”

“Seriously, what a bother. Yore, this big sis will probably be busy with idiots for a while, so take care of yourself, alright?”

Whoosh!

Big Sis Jermain disappeared with footsteps as light as a black cat’s.

# # #

“Where did you go?”

When I returned to the room, Felix was doing a handstand.

That guy really liked doing handstands.

“Don’t get too close to the Thieves’ Guild.”

Even while upside down, his instincts were sharp.

To think he had figured out where I had gone and what I had done.

“Be especially careful of Jermain of the Dark Moon.”

He even seemed to know who I had met.

“Do you know Big Sis Jermain?”

“No. That’s why I’m telling you to be careful. The higher-ups have been overlooking various things because her results have been good so far, but a long tail is bound to get caught eventually.”

I see.

Of course, I already knew Big Sis Jermain was not a good person.

So what?

As long as she treated me well, she was a good person.

She even let me touch her chest.

Still, I did not want to talk about that with Felix, so I headed alone to the Training Ground at night.

Whoosh, whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Tap, tap tap tap tap!

I threw and caught the shuriken I had just acquired.

“It fits nicely in my hand. And it hits well too.”

Its destructive power was not amazing, but being able to throw it from a distance was good.

I might be able to kill a Fire Elk or an Octopus in two hits, or even one if I hit well.

“Hey, newbie. It’s almost one in the morning. What are you doing here? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

At that moment, Hermit approached from behind me, wearing her pointed hat.

“You’re the one who should be sleeping. Why were you looking for me at one in the morning?”

“That thing you mentioned before.”

“What did I mention?”

“You said it was hard to pick up Ether and byproducts one by one.”

“Oh, that.”

Hammer handled the front line, while Felix was the main attacker and dealt sustained damage.

Hermit specialized in wide-area attacks and powerful bursts.

Looking only at combat, I seemed to be the only one without a clear use.

But actually, the most important role was mine.

Picking up loads of Ether and loads of byproducts!

In other words, I was the loot pet.

It was incredibly troublesome and annoying work, you know?

But I liked it.

Whenever I picked up Ether, it felt like I forgot my hunger and all sleepiness vanished.

Was this how farmers felt when they harvested the rice they had worked hard to grow all summer?

Rustle.

Then Hermit held out a book to me.

“Look here. During the golden age of ancient technology, there were things called 「Familiars」. They were artificial creatures that helped humans with chores. If you have one...”

“It picks up Ether and byproducts for you?”

“Exactly! Wouldn’t that make things easier for you? They say Familiars were made in the research building at Michanic University. A long time has passed, but if we’re lucky, there might still be one or two left.”

“So, Hermit, from what you’re saying, it sounds like you want to go to the university with me. But the sun rose over Michanic University not long ago, so won’t it take quite a while until the next cycle?”

Ahem.

I puffed out my chest.

I had read books too, you know.

Hermit subtly made her proposal.

“You still don’t know. If you have an 「Ether Torch」, you can explore the Land of Night without being affected by the night’s malign influence, even in an area where the sun has not risen.”

“What? There’s something like that?”

“One costs 1 million Ether. Each torch lasts an hour. And as it happens, I just so happen to have two torches...”

Hermit fidgeted with her hands and feet.

Since she was hesitating, I drew the conclusion for her.

“So you’re suggesting that we explore Michanic University for two hours starting now?”

“...You could say that!”

“Did you talk to Hammer or Felix about this?”

“It has to be an absolute secret from Hammer! Hammer is the definition of a safety-first explorer. Hammer would never do something as risky as this. And Felix...”

Hermit frowned beneath her pointed hat.

“I don’t like him. He acts cool for no reason.”

Felix had slapped Hermit’s cheek before.

It seemed she still had not gotten over that grudge.

She really held grudges for a long time.

I should remember that.

“We’re not going there to hunt monstrosities. We just have to hide and sneak around for exactly two hours. You’re good at that.”

“Well, I already made it out of there alive once, so it’s not like I can’t do it a second time...”

But taking Hermit there seemed too dangerous.

As I thought deeply about it, Hermit grew impatient and stamped her foot.

“I heard Brigadier General Ezakiel gave you buttons? They’re made from spirit gold. They are not normally used as buttons. They’re rare materials that infuse items with Ether’s power.”

“Really? What happens when you put Ether’s power into an item?”

“It becomes tougher, sharper, things like that.”

Oh. Item enhancement!

As it happened, I had acquired a shuriken and a bracer.

I had two buttons as well, so it was a perfect match.

“But not just anyone can do this forging. Only mages with knowledge of Ether and highly complex spells can do it. Ahem. Like me.”

“So you want to make a deal?”

She would enhance my items if I went with her to Michanic University.

Two hours in that university full of tentacled monsters.

“Call.”

“Call?”

“It means I’m in.”

“Ooh, call! Is that thief slang or something?”

“On one condition. You can’t wander off on your own. And you have to obey anything I tell you to do. If I tell you to bark like a dog, you have to be able to bark like a dog. Got it?”

“...Obey anything? Like a dog?”

Hermit frowned beneath her pointed hat.

Her face gradually turned red beneath the moonlight.

“You don’t want to? Then forget it.”

“...Call!”

Good.

We entered the darkened 「Strategy Room」 together.

Hermit began operating the magical round table.

Before long, it felt as though we were passing through a dark, hazy mist.

That was how we arrived at Michanic University.

We were on the rooftop again.

But unlike when I had come in the morning before, it was incredibly dark.

“...Look! The Twin Moons are up! Today is a Twin Moons day!”

Hermit made a fuss as she raised a finger.

When I looked to see what she meant, there were two moons in the sky.

“Those are artificial moons made with magitechnology during the former Empire. They rise randomly without any pattern. When they’re in the sky, the monstrosities behave strangely.”

“Strangely? In a good way or a bad way?”

“I don’t know. Research on the Twin Moons is still ongoing.”

Two moons.

A variable in itself.

“Then let’s go underground first. We’ll meet Estelle and ask whether this university has any Familiars.”

Estelle was my master.

She knew a lot too.

If she knew about Familiars, she would definitely tell us.

However, Hermit looked uncomfortable.

“...I... I’m a little scared of that person...”

“Don’t worry. I was honestly scared as hell too, but Estelle was tied up tightly in chains. As long as we don’t do anything stupid, it should be fine.”

“Phew, alright... It isn’t often that you get to meet a high-ranking mage like Estelle. Since Estelle majored in forbidden magic, Estelle must know all sorts of things too...”

Hermit and I headed underground.

Maybe it was because it was a Twin Moons day, but there were no monstrosities roaming the corridors at all.

“Newbie, where do you think all those monstrosities went?”

“How would I know?”

We reached the underground area fairly easily.

“...Newbie, are you sure Estelle was really here?”

We went to the underground prison where Estelle had been chained up.

But Estelle was not there.

“What?”

“Disciple, were you looking for me?”

“Eek!”

Hermit fell onto her butt in shock.