WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

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

Chapter 60: Guests of the Emperor of the Abyss # 1

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Why give a mission like this to our party?

Mr. Hammer had grimaced when we received it.

Now I understood why.

The kid in front of me was part of the imperial family.

‘From the moment someone like Major General Jeremiah personally came to deliver the order, I had a bad feeling about this.’

I had nearly died several times already from getting involved with nobles.

But royalty?

I couldn't even grasp how far above everyone else they were.

The kid in front of me was probably the highest-ranking, most important person I had ever seen.

‘Why is someone so important in Kerning Town?’

There was only one reason a child from a good family would be among thieves.

The answer!

Kidnapping!

This kid was probably a kidnapping victim.

Our mission was to snatch a kidnapped imperial family member from a city of thieves and escape.

Once I looked at it that way, everything made sense.

So what was I supposed to do now?

First, I had to hide this kid.

“Find them!”

“That little brat dared to put a hand in my pocket!”

There were plenty of people after the kid.

“This way.”

“L-Let go!”

Of course, the kid struggled to escape my grip.

I couldn't exactly stuff her in the Black Bundle.

“Come here!”

I opened a nearby sewer cover.

Then, with the kid tucked under my arm, I jumped inside.

Splash.

The water came up to my ankles.

My shoes were soaked in an instant.

But that didn't matter right now.

I warned the kid, who was struggling like a chicken caught by a dog.

“Shh. I came to save you.”

“Save me?”

“Let's go back beyond the Wall.”

“Three people have already said that before selling me out.”

Huh.

So she wasn't going to fall for it easily.

I actually liked that.

I would've been even more flustered if she'd started bawling for her mother.

So what should I do now?

There were still twenty-four hours until I was supposed to meet the party again.

I had no idea where everyone had gone.

For those twenty-four hours, protecting this kid was entirely my responsibility.

Perhaps she sensed my predicament. The kid carefully watched me.

“Even if you really came to save me, I won't go back beyond the Wall.”

“Huh?”

What was she talking about?

It was so ridiculous that I ended up sounding like Felix.

At my question, the kid checked her surroundings and let out a deep sigh.

“My family is being held by bad people. I have to save them.”

“Your family?”

“They're being held at the gambling hall.”

The girl in front of me was probably royalty.

‘If they're this kid's family, then they must be royalty too.’

Honestly, I didn't want to get involved with them.

I knew my place.

Like I said before, this job was too big for a petty thief like me.

If you put something too large in your pocket, it only weighs you down and tears the pocket apart.

On the other hand, the return could be enormous.

If I made a good impression on the kid in front of me and completed this mission safely...

‘Maybe I'll get a mountain of Ether.’

‘Or tax reductions as a model citizen!’

There were still twenty-four hours before meeting Mr. Hammer.

Since I had found the mission target too early, I had nothing else to do anyway.

“Fine. I'll help you find your family.”

“R-Really?”

“But you have to do exactly as I say. That way, we both live.”

I took out a piece of string from the Black Bundle.

Then I handed it to the kid.

“Put this around your neck. You're my slave.”

“S-Slave? You're just another thief after all!”

The kid's eyes filled with distrust and disgust.

# # #

Kerning Town was a vile city.

It was full of pickpockets, robbers, rapists, and insane murderers.

Could a girl around ten years old walk around alone in a place like this?

Not easily.

So I put a leash on the kid.

“From now on, we're a wicked human trafficker and a captured brat. Got it?”

I even scooped up filthy sewer water and poured it over the kid's head.

“Argh, disgusting! Ptoo, ptoo!”

The kid's face instantly became grimy.

She was so filthy that it felt unpleasant even looking at her.

‘Fuck, I feel like I'll lose my head even if this mission succeeds.’

I suddenly felt anxious.

So I explained again.

“Just so you know, this is only to save both our lives.”

“You've already told me that four times!”

Four wasn't enough.

I had to say it at least twenty times!

“This is only to save both our lives...”

“Come on! I get it!”

The kid and I climbed back to the surface.

Right now, I probably looked like a vicious criminal dragging a child around on a leash.

And this filthy kid didn't look like royalty either.

“Keep up!”

“Ugh, I can't breathe...”

The kid clutched her neck in pain.

Was I tying the string too tightly?

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Idiot! I'm acting too!”

She really was smart and quick-witted.

She had completely fooled me.

She had the makings of a con artist.

“Your family is this way?”

“Yeah. We need to turn that corner.”

And so we moved through the vile city.

It was my first time in Kerning Town.

I had originally planned to wander around and explore the place slowly today, but the unexpected encounter had ruined all my plans.

“Why didn't you pay back the money you borrowed?”

“You thought we couldn't chase you just because you ran to Kerning Town?”

“Cough, cough...”

There were plenty of people lying around after being stabbed.

Everyone ignored them as if it were nothing.

So did I.

That was normal in this city.

Just as nobody paid attention to pigeons in a park, murderers were as common as pigeons here.

A city without laws or rules.

Could there be a better land of opportunity for making money?

‘What if I just sold this kid?’

‘Couldn't I make a fortune here too?’

Then I saw some people who caught my attention.

“Look at all those filthy Rendo bastards.”

“I don't know why their blood smells so rotten.”

“Because they're soulless beasts.”

They were long-eared Erdari.

The Erdari were walking through the city as if it were nothing.

Fuck, did this make any sense?

What was going on here?

Then several men approached the Erdari.

“Wow, they're as pretty as fairies.”

“How about having a drink with us tonight?”

Crazy perverts.

No matter how desperate they were, they were trying to seduce Erdari?

The Erdari burst out laughing.

“Fine. Lead the way.”

“If you bore us, we'll kill you immediately.”

Gasp.

I couldn't believe it.

Those Erdari were going to drink with humans.

Was this place really that lawless?

Fuck, a place like this shouldn't exist.

At that moment, I understood the value of law.

And my desire to make a name for myself in this city vanished completely.

‘There will be no compromise with Erdari in my life.’

Eradicate the Erdari.

As we walked through the city, we reached a gambling hall.

Its name was Kerning Town Gambling Hall.

Simple.

It felt strange to enter a place like that while holding the kid's leash.

Thump, thump.

Just as my heart began to race, a guard twice my size shoved my shoulder.

“You fucking bastard. Who do you think you are, walking in here? Got an entry ticket?”

The sharp curse was deeply humiliating.

The guard spoke without caring at all how the other person felt.

‘Hehe. For some reason, that feels nostalgic.’

More importantly, I needed an entry ticket.

Nobody had told me that.

The kid trembled as if she hadn't known either.

It couldn't be helped.

Times like this called for quick thinking.

“How much is the ticket?”

“Well, look at this country bumpkin. Ten million Ether!”

Fuck, ten million?

A curse slipped out of my mouth too.

‘Where am I supposed to get that much money?’

I frowned deeply.

Then I spat on the floor.

“Ten million? Hey, do you know who I am? Are those eyes just for decoration? They aren't good for looks either, so should I carve some stripes into them?”

Shing.

I drew my dagger.

The guards around us snickered.

“Pfft, eyes that aren't good for looks.”

“Tako, I told you not to be so ugly.”

The insulted guard, Tako, turned red like a well-cooked octopus.

Then Tako asked me.

“Fuck you. Who are you supposed to be?”

“Can't you tell? I'm something like the Emperor of the Abyss's distant relative. This Black Bundle, these arm guards, and these shuriken all belong to the Emperor of the Abyss.”

Among thieves, items used by the Emperor of the Abyss were famous luxury goods.

There were even people who attacked others just to steal them.

Was there anything crazier than showing off those items to everyone?

I'd become a target.

But there couldn't be a more reliable proof of identity.

“Those are Thunderclap Arm Guards and a Thunder Shuriken.”

“They really are the Emperor of the Abyss's items.”

Fortunately, the guards weren't such fools that they couldn't recognize valuable items.

That was probably why they had been entrusted with a gambling hall supposedly run by the Emperor of the Abyss himself.

Tako grinned.

“We can't ask the Emperor of the Abyss's ‘distant relative’ for an entry ticket. Go in.”

It looked like my bet had paid off.

“However, the kid stays here.”

Damn it. Of all things, the most important one.

The kid began to tremble.

I couldn't leave her here.

So I frowned even harder.

“She's my pet. She has to massage my shoulders and stuff.”

“Well, aren't you a nasty one.”

“Hey, Tako, there are people waiting behind him. Just let him in!”

“Fuck! Did you rent the whole place? Get inside already!”

The people behind me shouted.

“Go in! Just don't cause trouble!”

That was how I entered the gambling hall.

Phew. I couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief.

Then the kid busily looked around.

She pointed somewhere.

“Look!”

「Special Product 1: 100 Casino Chips」

「Baine's One-Line Review: A rare woman you won't see anywhere else.」

A woman sat inside an iron cage.

She wore a bridal veil over her head.

I couldn't see her face, but her pitiful figure tugged at a man's heartstrings.

“Hehe. So if I have one hundred Casino Chips, this woman will be mine?”

“What do you think her face looks like?”

“Why ask? She must be incredibly beautiful!”

The kid clenched her fist.

“...Sauriel. We have to save her!”

I became interested too.

That woman seemed like she might be an incredible beauty.

If she gave me a kiss on the cheek to thank me for saving her...

My heart would soar with happiness.

Then I spotted another display.

「Special Product 2: 《Subtle Touch》 skill book, 100 Casino Chips」

「Baine's One-Line Review: A rare skill that can make anyone a master pickpocket.」

《Subtle Touch》.

With that, I could reach an even higher level as a thief.

My motivation rose even further.

To be honest, I was pretty confident when it came to gambling.

The problem was that people were always telling me not to cheat.

Author's Note

September 25...!!! Some readers have sent support...!!!

Ahh...!!! Thank you to Dael for sending Royal Coins...!!!

Please check the announcements for the full thank-you list...!!!

Footnotes:

Tako's name echoes the Japanese word for octopus, which is why the narration compares the guard's red face to a well-cooked octopus.

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