WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Irevi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 100: In the Shadows
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To be honest, I'd been thinking about it for a long time.
Which faction would be best for me to join?
In a way, I had far more freedom than Aren, the protagonist of the original game.
I should use what I knew to join the faction that would benefit me the most.
Still, no matter which side I chose, gains and losses would follow like two sides of the same coin.
Then, at some point, a thought occurred to me.
‘Why don't I create my own faction?’
How had dungeon raids proceeded in the original game?
Looking back, it had all been vague.
Because the dungeon was there.
Because ominous demonic energy flowed nearby.
Because clearing it gave you Shards and items.
That was all there was to it.
What if I could give dungeon raids a sense of purpose?
The Empire had long since lost its sense of purpose for raids in an environment so comfortable it was called a cradle.
Even Ruidel, which had been founded with the resolve to pierce through the Evil God, was no exception.
The existing Clubs did little more than fight for influence within the academy or train their own combat abilities.
None of them made clearing the Dungeons of the Evil God their reason for existing.
But not long ago, I made a promise to Mine.
I would definitely clear the Dungeons of the Evil God.
I knew who the enemy was.
I also knew their ultimate goal.
And if I knew what they would do next, there was no need to wait passively any longer.
It was better to actively crush their plans.
To do that, I needed a group with a clear goal, distinct from the existing factions.
A group that moved solely to clear the Dungeons of the Evil God.
Alicia had opened the way quite spectacularly, after all. It wasn't impossible.
So announcing this plan in front of Climmud was a kind of declaration of war.
‘I’ll create an organization to stop you.’
So, how would he respond?
“What? You’re going to create your own Club? As a first-year?”
“It’s not forbidden, is it?”
“A Club that prioritizes clearing the Dungeons of the Evil God... Our Swordsmanship Club clears dungeons and eliminates monsters too, you know?”
“I intend to set everything else aside and create a Club whose only goal is clearing them. Its sole purpose will be to explore the Evil God's Abyss to the very end and eliminate it.”
The moment I finished speaking, Climmud whispered something into Termina’s ear.
Termina’s expression subtly changed.
“...Hmm. Fine. It’s good to have big ambitions.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“But creating a Club won’t be as easy as you think. You know that not a single new Club has been established in the past few years, right?”
“Yes.”
“And you want to explore the Evil God's Abyss to the very end... Isn’t that a little unrealistic?”
“We’re enjoying this banquet because of that unrealistic dream.”
“Hmm... Is that so?”
As if she'd already lost interest, she rose from her seat.
“Fine. I think we’ve talked enough. I’ll let our Club Head know. Let’s go, Climmud.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Just before leaving, Climmud looked back at me once more.
He still wore that kindly smile.
Of course, his eyes weren’t smiling at all. If anything, it was painfully clear that he now recognized me as an enemy.
As I watched the two disappear into the crowd, I drained the rest of the drink in my glass.
Still, I didn't want to let that bastard leave so easily. I hoped Alicia was taking some kind of action.
“Halibal.”
Cecilia approached after getting away from the young ladies.
“What did you talk about? Wasn’t that Senior Termina, the second-year?”
“Nothing. She was just trying to recruit me into a Club.”
“...Really?”
She looked me over suspiciously.
Not like she'd get anything out of staring at me.
“For an ordinary Club recruitment, the butler behind Senior Termina looked pretty hostile.”
She noticed that.
Climmud had only let out killing intent for an instant, but it seemed it hadn’t escaped Cecilia’s notice.
“It’s nothing you need to worry about. She was just a slightly troublesome upperclassman.”
“That’s suspicious.”
Fortunately, she didn’t question me any further.
“Anyway, don’t leave my side from now on. Got it?”
“Don’t worry. That’s why I applied to be your partner.”
“Good. Then we should finish what we were doing earlier...”
Cecilia rose onto her toes.
Uuuung!
Majestic music echoed throughout the banquet hall.
The noise in the hall died down, and everyone turned toward the stage at once.
“Haah... Today really isn’t going my way.”
Tell me about it.
‘Though I expected him to come.’
A figure appeared behind the thin curtain on the stage.
His face couldn’t be seen clearly, but his silhouette alone carried an overwhelming presence.
No one here could have failed to recognize him.
The Emperor of the Cyrus Empire.
The Crimson Emperor, Dryberg Cyrus.
Alicia and a tense-looking Aren stood together below the stage.
“Listen.”
The low, solemn voice rang out, and everyone gathered in the hall knelt.
Regnar and Viktor Grace, the two dukes, as well as Reygal, the leader of the Noble Faction, Count Dain, and Killien.
Commoners, nobles, and upperclassmen alike all paid their respects to the Emperor. Cecilia and I knelt as well.
Even then, my eyes searched for Termina.
She was among the upperclassmen, but Climmud was nowhere to be seen.
‘Well, a servant couldn’t follow her all the way here.’
It made sense.
But aside from the absent prince, two more people were missing who weren’t servants.
‘Adeline... and Luna Grace.’
The Empire’s Greatest Sword and Duke Grace's only daughter. Why weren't the two people who should naturally be here present?
I had tried to interact with the playable characters one way or another. I had even built relationships with Eugene, Ran, and Elier.
Yet it had been especially difficult to spend time with Luna.
Was she even attending the academy properly in the first place?
Once her mandatory Reconnaissance Corps class ended, she always vanished like a ghost.
This banquet was no different.
Duke Grace was clearly over there, but Luna herself was nowhere to be seen?
Before I could finish considering that question, the Emperor confirmed that everyone had knelt and began his speech.
Dryberg’s voice filled the hall.
The speech celebrated the Empire’s victory and praised the students who had cleared the third Evil God's Abyss.
It continued smoothly, as if the absence of several people wasn't a problem at all.
“In particular, in the name of the Empire, I extend my gratitude to Princess Alicia, who led this raid to success, Aren Bright, inheritor of the Ultimate Divine Sword, and Saintess Mine Rose, who could not join us here.”
The speech was nearing its end when I absentmindedly raised my head.
‘...Huh?’
For some reason, I felt an intense gaze boring into me from behind the curtain.
‘What was that? Was I imagining it?’
But the speech ended without anything unusual happening.
Thunderous applause broke out.
When the Emperor raised his hand, the music changed.
Waltz-like music filled the hall.
The second act of the banquet, the ball, had begun.
By imperial etiquette, the first dance belonged to the most honored guests in attendance.
Once the Emperor stepped back behind the curtain, everyone's eyes turned to Alicia and Aren.
Alicia held out her hand to Aren.
“Aren Bright. May I request the honor of the first dance from you, a hero of the Empire?”
“Y-Yes... It would be an honor.”
The two began dancing in the center of the banquet hall.
“We’ll have to yield the first dance to them.”
Cecilia’s whisper was full of regret over the earlier interruption.
“But I have no intention of yielding the second dance. You know that, right?”
“Of course.”
I watched the two dance.
Alicia perfectly led Aren, who moved stiffly like a robot because she was so nervous.
‘She really is impressive.’
Even after receiving a report that a bishop of the Cult had infiltrated the palace, she was focused on dancing as though nothing had happened.
As soon as Alicia and Aren’s dance ended, the others stepped into the center of the hall one by one, each taking their partner’s hand as if they had been waiting.
“Here.”
Cecilia looked up at me and held out her hand.
Her blue eyes glittered like glass reflecting moonlight.
“It’s our turn now, Halibal.”
I placed my hand on her waist.
Instead of a sword.
⁎⁎⁎
“Tch.”
After leaving the hall, Climmud immediately prepared to return.
Once the Emperor’s speech began, all servants had to withdraw to designated areas.
That made it much easier to avoid watchful eyes.
‘Halibal Velder.’
He turned the variable’s name over in his mind.
When he first told Termina to feel him out, he had intended for it to look like the usual scene of an academy upperclassman recruiting a promising first-year.
If he was lucky, he planned to bring Halibal into the Swordsmanship Club and keep him under his watch.
But Halibal said he would create his own Club?
One whose only goal was to clear the Dungeons of the Evil God?
There was nothing to gain from revealing such a plan to Termina, whose Club might end up becoming a rival.
The power struggles between Ruidel’s Clubs were beyond imagination.
Even Halibal would obviously face concentrated attacks from the other Clubs the moment a first-year announced he was creating a new Club.
Why tell Termina about that plan despite taking such a risk?
Was it simple youthful bravado?
Or recklessness, or a desire to show off?
Was he still just a greenhorn after all?
‘No... Wait.’
Had he really said it to Termina?
More than anything, Climmud trusted his instincts.
What had brought him from the bottom to his current position was nothing other than his instinct for sensing danger.
‘...Does he know about me?’
Maybe not.
No, normally, that should be impossible.
Malias and Eliver had been eliminated without any interrogation, so Halibal had no way to know about the Cult.
But Climmud decided to act under the assumption that it might be true.
The Cult’s plan had been in preparation for decades anyway.
There was nothing wrong with being a little more thorough.
‘I should speak with him at the main headquarters.’
Climmud immediately headed for the back garden of the Imperial Palace.
He planned to use the return magic circle he had inscribed in advance to return to the main headquarters.
The moment he hid himself in the darkness, the surroundings were painted in brilliant light.
“Hey, big guy. What are you doing there?”
As a woman stepped out from the shadows, Climmud reflexively stopped.
Long golden hair.
A sword casually hanging at her waist.
The Empire’s Greatest Sword, Adeline Windsor.
‘...Why is she here?’
The faint sound of a waltz lingered in his ears.
The banquet was still in full swing.
Shouldn’t the Empire’s Greatest Sword be attending it?
If it had been some insignificant person, he could have disposed of them without anyone noticing. But this was Adeline Windsor.
Even if he gave it everything he had, victory against her was far from certain.
On top of that, if he delayed even a little, other powerful figures would sense the disturbance and rush over immediately.
Climmud decided to play dumb for now.
“Could it be... Lady Adeline? I never expected to meet the Empire’s Greatest Sword in a place like this. Is something the matter...?”
“Hmm. It’s less that I had something to do and more that I was slacking off.”
Adeline looked toward the banquet hall with dissatisfaction.
“I hate those kinds of things. It was suffocating, so I came out for some air.”
“Ha ha. I couldn’t agree more. Whenever I’m among distinguished guests, my heart starts pounding as well.”
“That doesn’t answer my question. What are you doing?”
“My lady said the banquet hall felt a little stifling, so I was on my way to see if there was somewhere she could get some fresh air.”
“That’s strange.”
Adeline tilted her head.
“When I took a quick look earlier, Termina was happily chatting with the others.”
‘...This woman didn’t come here by chance.’
She knew he was Termina’s butler and had come looking for him.
Climmud chose his words for a moment.
He could make up as many excuses as he wanted.
Yet for some reason, clouds kept forming and fading in his mind.
He had a feeling that no excuse he offered would turn this woman away.
‘It can’t be helped.’
After a brief silence, the words that came out of Climmud’s mouth were not an excuse, but a question.
“Then did Lady Adeline come here alone?”
“Yeah. There was someone I wanted to come with, but they turned me down. Why? Are you going to be my dance partner?”
“Ha ha. If someone as insignificant as me is acceptable, then gladly.”
He laughed cheerfully, but focused every bit of his attention on Adeline’s movements and breathing.
‘If she’s alone, it’s possible.’
Just then, Adeline yawned as if tired.
‘Now!’
Fwoosh!
A sphere of Black Flame burst from Climmud’s hand and rushed toward Adeline.
At the same time, he turned and sprinted at full speed toward the return magic circle.
Boom!
The Black Flame was split in two before it could even reach Adeline.
The sword that had clearly been resting quietly at her waist was now in Adeline’s hand.
“Hm. Black Flame... So you really are a cultist?”
‘As expected, she knew.’
Swoooosh!
With a light swing of her sword, Adeline sent a streak of golden sword energy slicing across Climmud’s back.
Blood burst forth, but Climmud didn’t stop.
A wound like this would heal quickly.
‘The magic circle is just around this corner!’
As he desperately rounded the corner-
Kwoooong!
What greeted him was heat fierce enough to burn away his vision.
A massive spear of flame had plunged into the spot where the return magic circle had been inscribed, turning the surroundings to ash.
When he reflexively looked up, a pink-haired girl descended amid fading flames.
Then Adeline’s voice came from behind him.
“So this is what you’ve been doing all this time? Her Highness the Princess, honestly... How did she get hold of Lady Grace’s weakness?”
The girl was Luna Grace.
After landing, Luna spoke to Adeline.
“It was a favor I asked for first, so you needn’t worry too much about it.”
“You mean you did this because you wanted to?”
“...Yes. Because I decided to live in the shadows.”
“What for?”
“For someone who isn’t here.”
Climmud clicked his tongue.
‘...This is a disaster.’
In front of him stood a genius flame mage from the Empire’s greatest magic family.
Behind him stood the Empire’s Greatest Sword.
Two powerful figures who normally could not be mobilized without considerable authority backing them had appeared here as if they had arranged it in advance.
‘Halibal Velder. It was him. He must have persuaded the Princess to move these two.’
Perhaps from the moment he thought he was setting a trap, he had already been caught in Halibal’s snare.
“So what will you do now? Will you surrender quietly? If you do, I might be able to finish you off painlessly.”
“Kuh... Kekeuk...”
Climmud’s face twisted like a beast’s.
“...To think I’d have to use this in a place like this.”
Right after that, a crack rang out.
His body began to swell with a grotesque sound.
The banquet was still in full swing.
Footnotes:
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