WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Irevi

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Chapter 14: Just Guard

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Waiting for me when I emerged from the dungeon were soldiers from the 2341st Unit and the Gale Raid Party, both of which I had served with.

At their center stood Duke Ren, Senia, Cecilia, Mine, and Adeline. Duke Grace and another heroine, Luna Grace, were there as well.

Alicia stood among them, looking at me as though I were some kind of lucky charm.

The instant I saw her, I realized I hadn't gotten permission for this Varhatan raid.

Fuck, I'm screwed.

No matter what, I hadn't expected her to bring this many people just to beat me up.

"Funeral Sword. I would like to hear how it feels to be the first to conquer an Abyss."

And she was asking for my thoughts right off the bat.

Honestly, after all the trouble I went through to clear it, I didn't feel anything special. It was only the first dungeon, after all.

I was tired and wanted to get back to the barracks and rest, so I just said whatever came to mind.

"The sword has broken, but I have not."

I had already drifted a hundred million light-years away from Halibal Velder, the extra from the game, but this knightly persona was the one thing I had kept.

At first, it was something I said as an excuse, but after keeping it up for so long, it felt as if the persona had swallowed me whole.

Now, if I just loosened my tongue a little, knightly lines poured out of my mouth without end.

"Truly knightly words, Soldier Halibal. Yet you are not a knight yet, are you?"

"I believed it was important to act like the knight one aspires to become in order to achieve that goal."

"I agree with you."

The moment she finished speaking, Alicia personally placed a necklace bearing a cross around my neck.

"Soldier Halibal Velder stood at the vanguard of the expeditionary force and became the first in Imperial history to conquer one of the Evil God’s Abysses! He drove out the demonic energy, reclaimed lost territory, and protected the people at the risk of his own life! Therefore, I, Princess Alicia Cyrus, recognize these achievements and grant Halibal a knighthood. If anyone objects, speak now, here and before us all!"

It was a knighting ceremony.

"Tell me, Knight Halibal. If you have truly dreamed of becoming a knight, then you know well what oath you must make here, don't you?"

She meant for me to swear a knight's oath, but I had skipped that part of the game, so I didn't remember it very well.

Still, I had come this far with the persona. If I said something cool, it should work out.

I held my broken sword vertically against my chest.

"I, Halibal Velder, sword of the Empire, shall protect the world's light from every darkness that threatens humanity, and until that day, I shall never break."

"Excellent."

With a smile, Alicia lowered her head slightly and whispered.

"Your sword will have many places to go from now on, but I would be happy if you placed me above all else."

At her gesture, an attendant unfurled a sheet of paper.

"As of this day, I proclaim that Halibal Velder's name has been formally entered into the roster of knights of the Cyrus Empire!"

A knighthood wasn't all I had gained from conquering the Beast Dungeon.

"Halibal Velder. You did not retreat before the Empire's enemies, and you fought in place of the Imperial bloodline. In the name of Princess Alicia, I hereby appoint you a formal noble of the Empire, granting you the title of baronet from this moment onward."

I had officially received a title as well, becoming Baronet Velder.

Of course, a baronet in this world was only the minimum rank separating nobles from commoners, an honorary title without any real power.

They probably gave me a token noble title because they couldn't appoint a commoner as a knight.

Still, I had expected to remain a commoner forever, so becoming a noble felt surprisingly meaningful.

"Your courage and loyalty shall be engraved in the Empire's history forever."

Afterward, I was also given a manor and prize money.

What pleased me most was the manor's location.

It was in Nevil, the academy city where Ruidel Academy's main campus stood and the Empire's largest educational infrastructure was concentrated.

Honestly, I was happier about that than the knighthood or title. Most of Academy of the End's stat-boosting opportunities were concentrated around the academy.

At least I no longer had to keep moving between dormitories.

"One of the things Your Highness wished for has simply come to pass."

"But you alone accomplished it, Baronet Velder."

Alicia looked at me again and spoke.

"The Empire does not forget merit. If there is something you desire, speak. If it is within my power, I will make it happen."

A familiar chuckle accompanied the offer.

Despite her words, there was no way she'd grant just anything.

It wasn't as though I had defeated the Evil God. I had only cleared the first dungeon.

Calling me a hero right now was still a little premature.

Bluntly speaking, someone with Adeline's stats could clear up to the fourth dungeon without trouble as soon as the boss rooms opened, and the Empire had plenty of monsters like her.

In other words, my significance right now was only symbolic, as a key.

And that key's expiration date wasn't very far off.

Once the academy scenario properly began, anyone would be able to open boss rooms.

My position would shrink rapidly then.

I had already received plenty, between the knighthood, title, manor, and prize money.

It would be wiser for the future to take a reward that suited my current position and step back.

"If I wish to, could you grant me permission to enter dungeons whenever I want?"

I had decided on this reward long ago.

Since I was a soldier, the procedures for entering dungeons had always been complicated.

New regions would open from now on, along with new dungeons.

Adeline's approval meant there wasn't much trouble with dungeons near the barracks, but it was unlikely other regions would be the same.

If I resolved the permission issue, I could make use of newly opened dungeons faster than anyone else.

"...Did you not just return from a dungeon?"

When I named my reward, Alicia looked utterly dumbfounded, while everyone around us stared at me as if I were insane.

'No, I need to try Just Guard.'

It was a familiar look.

⁎⁎⁎

'The first to clear an Evil God Dungeon!'

You'd think that would call for a grand Imperial celebration, but reality was different.

First, there were still six dungeons left.

Second, what came after clearing an Evil God Dungeon was far more important.

In other words, the Empire had far more urgent tasks to deal with than celebrating.

As soon as I cleared the Beast Dungeon, new dungeons that had been hidden by demonic energy began revealing themselves one after another.

There was almost no information on those dungeons, though. The Empire therefore made researching and scouting the new dungeons its top priority.

On top of that, one of the Empire's largest events, the Ruidel Academy entrance examination, was coming up soon.

This year's exam had drawn nationwide attention in particular, since so many of the so-called playable characters of the Golden Generation would be taking part.

"I think you really are crazy."

"Why?"

"Can't you tell, even while sparring with me?"

With that in mind, the moment I returned from the dungeon, I skipped even the victory feast and asked Adeline to spar with me.

"The star of the raid skips the banquet to train. Even I didn't go this far when I was your age."

It felt a little unfair.

It's not like I wanted to spar.

I was doing it because I had to.

At first, I had wanted to wash up and sleep soundly once I returned.

But every time I closed my eyes, Adamant sleeping within my Abyss Core kept flashing through my mind. What else was I supposed to do?

[Adamant], dropped as a reward for conquering Varhatan.

Adamant was a perfectly ordinary defensive Shard that raised Health and Defense by 3 each, so it wasn't an endgame item.

Compared to Black Cloud, which granted a whopping 8 Fluidity, it was practically a middling Shard.

Normally, it was something you might settle for in the early game before gradually removing it from your Core later on.

My situation was different.

This had made one thing clear.

Rare Shards I acquired came with special abilities that only I could use, ones suited to turn-based combat.

The ability called Mitigation attached to Adamant was a mechanic known as Just Guard.

Turn-based combat was basically one hit from you, then one hit from me. It looked fair at a glance, but it wasn't.

When I took out an enemy in one blow, it felt great. When an enemy killed me in one blow, it felt horribly unpleasant.

Just Guard was a mechanic created to lessen that frustration.

It let the player guard, dodge, or parry even during an opponent's turn, adding control and tension to otherwise monotonous turn-based combat.

Until now, I had been unable to do anything during an opponent's turn except stand there and get beaten up.

That was why I had spent three years clinging to the dirty trick of taking less painful hits. If I didn't want to get hurt, I had to use every method available.

Those efforts had become pointless because of Adamant, but there was no denying that Just Guard was far better.

At this point, unlike Black Cloud, I wouldn't be able to remove Adamant until a strictly superior Shard appeared.

Unlike Instant Kill, Just Guard would have endless applications once I mastered it.

It was ironic.

In the original work, Black Cloud was overpowered and Adamant was underwhelming. Yet in reality, Black Cloud was for regular mobs, while Adamant was the key.

The problem was that I had become so used to turn-based combat that I had forgotten how to block or knock aside attacks.

I needed rehabilitation.

'I should start practicing the moment I get back.'

Just Guard.

Just Guard.

Just Guard...

That was how I arrived at the conclusion that I should ask Adeline for a spar.

The result was this.

Thwack! Thwack!

"What kind of stance is that? You're neither taking the hit nor blocking it. It's awkward."

As expected, Just Guard wasn't easy.

Normally, whenever a red gem floated over Adeline's head, my movements reflexively froze.

Now, though, I could move only at the exact instant before her sword touched my skin.

I had to seize that one moment and block her attack perfectly.

How was I supposed to do that?

"Did becoming a formal knight change your outlook, Baronet Velder?"

"I learned that respecting an opponent does not necessarily mean taking their attacks with my body."

"Did you learn quite a lot in the Beast Dungeon?"

Anyway, my goal today was to succeed at Just Guard once, but I had already allowed her attacks through dozens of times.

"By the way, did you submit your application?"

"I will. Tomorrow."

"The deadline is the day after tomorrow, and you're submitting it tomorrow? Even if you love training, aren't you being a little too careless?"

I didn't have the energy to answer Adeline's jab.

"My thoughts are already tangled enough. I'm thinking about it."

Just Guard wasn't working.

"What is it? Then let your big sis hear you out..."

Before she could finish, her sword suddenly swung.

She had always been like this.

She would get me talking, then strike the moment I let my guard down.

Sometimes, I would be resting when a red gem would float above Adeline's head, giving me a fright.

This time, though, the moment the tip of her sword entered my vision, my arm moved on reflex.

Clang!

The wooden sword in my hand blocked Adeline's strike.

[Just Guard!]

...I did it.

The numbing shock that ran through my whole body the moment I knocked aside her sword made me drop mine reflexively.

Still, I was satisfied that an attack which should have landed on the crown of my head had ended with only this.

Dropping my sword was something I could solve once I got used to it.

The corners of my mouth rose on their own at the fact that I had succeeded at Just Guard for the first time.

"Oh?"

Adeline looked surprised too.

"Your movements have definitely improved. You've only just reached the starting line, though."

She held out a hand toward me as I lay on the ground.

"Come on, get up. We have to keep going, right?"

That was exactly what I wanted.

Footnotes:

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