WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Irevi

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Chapter 49: Rose and Lillian (1)

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It looked like a manor from the outside, but this was still a dungeon.

The staircase leading to the rooftop was a narrow, straight flight. The higher we climbed, the more the space resembled the inside of a spire.

At last, an old wooden door secured with a bolt appeared before us.

Terrifying demonic energy, on a completely different level from what I had sensed from Alain, seeped through a crack in the door.

‘This is the waiting room. The bosses are beyond this.’

I could feel sharp gazes from the other side.

It couldn't have been my imagination.

The bosses were clearly watching us too.

For one final check, I returned the White Tome and Black Cloud to Cecilia, then checked the Biye I had just equipped.

Biye was the ultimate Shard for a critical-hit build, raising Critical Hits by 5 and Attack Power by 1.

A Tier V Green Shard also raised Critical Hits by 5, so Biye, which added 1 Attack Power on top of that, was essential for someone like me who focused on critical hits.

I had planned to grind for it later, but I had gotten lucky and obtained it this time.

It probably wouldn't be leaving my socket anytime soon.

Next, I checked the Special Ability I had yet to examine.

[Bond Dance - When the user forms a party with someone they have a bond with, they can consume one additional turn to use a special Dual Art.]

My brow furrowed, half surprised and half confused.

‘Dual Art? I had one of those too?’

There was a special technique called a Dual Art in Academy of the End.

While using an Art, the player could input a specific command to unleash a stronger cooperative attack alongside a cutscene featuring one party member.

In the original game, it was a technique unlocked based on Aren's bonds with his party members, so I had thought it was a feature that would never apply to me.

Who would have thought I would gain it through a Special Shard?

Still, one phrase bothered me.

‘It consumes one additional turn.’

A penalty that did not exist in real-time combat had been attached to me alone.

With all the things I could do between turns, a turn was directly tied to my life.

Yet this technique consumed an entire one of those precious turns.

There was not even an explanation of what kind of Art it was.

In the end, I would have to use it in real combat to find out...

What if I used it wrong and it turned out to be a dud? Wouldn't that ruin everything?

The Dual Art Aren and Cecilia had used in the original game was called [Song of Sun and Ice].

It combined Ultimate Divine Sword, which symbolized the sun, with the power of Lapis Lazuli, which symbolized ice, to unleash a powerful flash of light.

Cecilia was using Lumen now, so even if I activated a Dual Art, it would most likely produce a technique different from the original game.

Even if Cecilia was a luck totem, I couldn't factor luck into my plans.

‘It's best to seal away unpredictable variables whenever possible.’

Having reached that conclusion, I explained the core mechanics of Rose and Lilian to Cecilia.

Once the battle began, the space would split in two, and we would each face one of the bosses.

Rose primarily used close-range physical attacks, while Lilian mainly used long-range magic attacks. They sometimes switched places, and that was something we especially needed to watch out for.

Once their Health fell below half, the space would merge and the battle would become a two-on-two fight.

From then on, the two would launch joint attacks. We had to reduce both bosses' Health to 0 at nearly the same time to clear the dungeon.

“I'll face Rose, and you'll face Lilian.”

I only gave her a simple explanation of their minor attack patterns.

Given her skill, telling her too much would only do more harm than good.

“Rose... and Lilian...”

Perhaps because she had seen the names in Alain's journal, Cecilia's expression darkened when I mentioned them.

Still, she soon nodded.

She wasn't the type to let her emotions ruin the task at hand.

Even if I had not stepped in on the third floor, she would have gritted her teeth and cut down every doll. It would have left a bad taste in her mouth, but she would have done it.

Lastly, I handed her several roots of the herbs I had received in Herbalism class.

She would probably handle each situation on her own.

“Eat the Purple Cloud Herb beforehand, at least. It'll block the Fear status ailment the bosses use.”

Varhatan had used it, so there was no guarantee Rose and Lilian wouldn't.

As I chewed and swallowed the Purple Cloud Herb, its bitter taste clawed at my throat.

Even Cecilia gagged from it. How did Mine chew this stuff without batting an eye?

After that, we poured the remaining potions over our wounds and gathered every last Lumen particle left on the first and second floors, restoring ourselves to peak condition.

“Let's go.”

“...Okay.”

Once all preparations were complete, we unbolted the door and threw open the creaking wooden door.

The message that appeared the instant we stepped through thoroughly betrayed my optimistic expectations.

[Unique Ability - Rewind Action 1 / 3]

[※Unique Abilities can only be used in boss battles.]

‘...Damn it.’

It didn't reset.

I had naturally assumed it would.

It seemed the number of uses would only recover after completely clearing the dungeon.

It felt as though I had lost one opportunity before the battle had even begun.

The moment Cecilia and I fully crossed the threshold, the wooden door behind us vanished without a sound.

The sun had already set, and the moon hung in the sky.

Moonlight poured onto the rooftop, revealing two silhouettes in the darkness ahead.

Blood-red dresses.

Blond hair gleaming under the moonlight.

Red eyes.

One was small, while the other was tall. Both were beautiful women.

Yet what stood out most were their arms and legs, divided at every joint like articulated dolls. Compared to the other wax dolls, they looked strangely crude.

They looked exactly like the bosses of the Doll Dungeon I had seen in the original game.

Rose and Lilian.

The only difference was the strange red jewel embedded in each of their chests, something I did not remember seeing in the original game.

Still, I was not flustered.

After what happened with Alain's journal, I was starting to think I needed to erase the very phrase original game from my mind.

The two, who had been sitting on the floor and staring at us, slowly rose to their feet.

Cecilia and I drew our swords in response.

Then it happened.

[You're the ones who defeated Klaus and Alain, right?]

Rose's clear voice rang out.

[Are you dogs of the Church of the Main Gods, here to interfere with us?]

Her voice was dry, devoid of emotion. Yet the hostility within it came through clearly.

Cecilia looked at me in shock. She had clearly never expected the bosses to speak.

Then again, I hadn't told her in advance.

There was no particular reason I hadn't.

I hadn't known either.

Instead of answering, I stared at the red jewels embedded in their chests.

Those things were emitting chilling demonic energy.

That was the only difference from the original game, so there was a good chance those jewels were responsible for this change as well.

‘...Should I try talking to them?’

I had not planned to exchange words with them, but this might be an opportunity.

“You two...”

I stopped Cecilia as she instinctively tried to speak.

Not being swayed by emotion was different from having no emotions at all.

Since Cecilia knew their story, simply speaking with them could make her lose her composure.

In a situation where I might be able to extract information, it was better to keep her out of it.

“I know Alain, but I don't know Klaus.”

[He was an elderly priest. He was also the one who took us in while we were alive.]

Lilian's voice was a little colder than Rose's.

‘So the Elite Monster's name was Klaus.’

“He attacked us first, so we had no choice.”

[You stepped into the temple, so it was only natural. It would have been nice if you had simply left us alone.]

[Even after defeating Alain, you could have left at any time. There was no reason for you to come all the way here.]

“We had our reasons too. The Holy Knights camped out below were trying to kill us.”

At that, Rose tilted her head.

[Really? Then we aren't enemies. If those hypocrites below are your enemies too, wouldn't it be better for us to cooperate?]

[If you quietly leave through the door you entered, we won't bother pursuing you either.]

Hmm, was that so?

After hearing the offer, I looked behind me.

‘There's no door?’

When I looked back at the two, the corners of their mouths had grotesquely torn upward all the way to their ears.

[What? Don't tell me you were actually thinking of going back?]

[How amusing. You stepped into this place with your feet covered in dirt, yet you think you can leave alive.]

Tch. I clicked my tongue inwardly.

Judging by their reaction, they had never intended to hand over information so easily.

They had been fully prepared to kill us from the start.

[Can you hear it too? That voice endlessly echoing in our minds, telling us to kill the intruders?]

[As servants of the true god, we will offer you to Him as sacrifices and comfort the souls of those who died before us.]

“Sacrifices...!”

Cecilia gritted her teeth.

Considering the kind lives they had lived, as written in Alain's journal, they could not have spoken the word sacrifice so casually.

It had to be the effect of becoming monsters.

Right. Those two were no longer victims of a tragedy.

They could speak and had wills of their own, but they were monsters without a doubt.

If anything, that made me feel more at ease.

Whether there were scum in the Church of the Main Gods or sad stories in dungeons, my goal remained unchanged.

I would obtain Aren's Abyss Core to defeat the Evil God. To do that, I still had to clear this dungeon.

They were enemies I had to defeat anyway.

I had finished thinking. Now it was time to move.

The first turn decides victory.

I kicked off the floor and rushed at Rose without hesitation. Two pairs of red eyes flashed toward us.

The jewels embedded in their chests emitted a red flash, and black cracks began spreading from the center of the rooftop floor.

Kwoooooong!

A curtain of dark red demonic energy rose like a wall of fire, splitting the rooftop in two in an instant.

“Cecilia!”

“Don't worry about me!”

Just before the curtain closed, I saw Cecilia, pushed to the other side, point her sword at Lilian.

She would handle her side just fine.

I immediately focused all my attention on Rose, who stood before me.

Left alone with me, Rose tilted her head.

The sound of her joints clacking together was especially chilling.

[Big brother... I'll be the one to face you.]

Her eyes were not smiling at all.

[Don't worry. I'll turn you into a pretty wax doll... and make sure you stay here with us forever, just as we did.]

Then it happened.

Sunlight, which should not have existed in a space steeped in the darkness of night, began shining down.

Rose's Sun Domain unfolded, filling the area with scorching heat.

In the Sun Domain, Health was consumed with every movement. I had to bring Rose below half Health and enter the second phase before the Domain drained me down.

[As a servant of the true god and a priest of the Tartarus Cult, I, Rose Ilias, will personally pass judgment upon you in the name of divine punishment.]

The instant she finished speaking, Rose's body vanished like smoke.

No, she had not vanished.

She had kicked off the ground and charged at me at a speed too fast for the eye to follow.

Feeling a chill from behind, I instinctively turned and swung my sword.

Clang!

A metallic crash rang out.

At some point, a dark red spear had formed in Rose's hand.

Calros, the corrupted holy spear.

The holy relic that had once held sacred energy now radiated a menacing light, brimming with demonic energy.

The moment the corrupted holy spear and Clown’s Sword collided, a blue jewel appeared above my head.

⁎⁎⁎

Cecilia looked beyond the barrier, but Halibal was hidden by the demonic energy.

‘Halibal... will he be okay?’

Still, she soon shook her head.

Halibal had already explained the bosses to her.

She did not know how he had learned all of that, but if what he said was true, her role in this battle would be more important than anything.

‘Right. I need to focus on my opponent.’

Only then did Cecilia clear her thoughts and face the doll standing before her.

Lilian spoke with a gentle smile.

[As a servant of the true god and a priest of the Tartarus Cult, I, Lilian Ilias, shall grant you eternal rest.]

The already dark night became even blacker.

Instead of the full moon that had originally hung in the sky, an ominous crescent moon rose.

‘This is... the Moon Domain Halibal told me about...!’

According to his explanation, physical attacks became weaker within the Moon Domain, while the power of techniques infused with magic was amplified.

As if proving his words, pure white magic boiled over around Lilian's body like lava.

If Cecilia had trained only in physical swordsmanship, she would have been helpless here.

‘It's strange... It's like he had known all of this for a very long time.’

She suddenly remembered the seven White Shards Halibal had given her in the past.

Since they had been the first gift he gave her, she still treasured them and could not bring herself to synthesize them, even after replacing them all with Tier 2 Shards.

Originally, wielding a sword infused with magic had been a combat style Cecilia had never even considered.

Everything had begun to change after receiving those Shards.

What if it had all been for this moment?

What if Halibal had been guiding her all along for this moment...?

The first emotion to arise in her heart was gratitude, not doubt.

He had always shown her the path forward and a way to grow stronger. If she had never met him, she would not be who she was now.

‘Then I have to repay him.’

For his trust, his plans, everything about him.

“Haaah!”

With a determined cry, Cecilia raised her sword high into the air.

Holy light wrapped around the blade.

Shattering Light.

But at that very moment, an ominously inverted sun symbol appeared behind Lilian.

“Ah...!”

Right after that, pitch-black darkness bloomed from Lilian's hand, soon igniting into Black Flame.

‘Mom... Mom...?’

The Black Flame used by the Cult's followers.

The moment that horrific memory returned, the light faded from Cecilia's eyes.

Her face, previously full of resolve, turned pale. Her empowered sword trembled, and the stance for Shattering Light collapsed.

Lilian did not miss that brief opening.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Black Flame she fired struck Cecilia's defenseless body head-on.

Footnotes:

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