WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Irevi

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 69: So What Do I Do Now?

──────

A black-haired knight clad in black armor stepped off the Cyrus Express alongside the soldiers.

The knight seemed to recognize me.

Not as the Funeral Sword, but as Halibal himself, as though he had seen me somewhere before.

There was no hostility, so I merely acknowledged him with a nod.

Following my directions, they brought Alicia and Mine down the mountain alongside the soldiers' bodies.

Once everything had been taken care of, the knight began lecturing Alicia.

"Your Highness! What were you thinking, leaving without telling me?!"

"Don't make such a fuss, Kaizel. As you can see, I'm perfectly fine."

"Ha, this is driving me insane! You even brought Hyperion with you...!"

"Oh, so you were worried about that, not me."

Mine stood there helplessly amid the knight and soldiers.

Even then, my gaze remained fixed on Renee's hologram in front of the station.

'It doesn't look like anyone else can see her.'

I asked her directly.

"What's going on?"

『Who knows? Maybe you unconsciously made an entrance leading here.』

Renee had definitely said something like that before.

Maybe it was because I had traveled with Mine, or because I had held that immense holy power, amplified by the buff, within my body.

I just hadn't expected it to manifest like this.

"...Does that mean I'll be able to enter the Halibal Dungeon whenever I want from now on?"

『Why don't you test it if you're not sure?』

Renee held out her hand.

It looked translucent, like a hologram.

When I took it, I felt the solid sensation of her grip as Renee pulled me toward her.

The next moment, I was inside the Halibal Dungeon.

『See? You got in.』

Renee released my hand and walked toward the center of the temple.

The sheep followed behind her.

When I looked back at the entrance I had come through, the scenery of Ronwood Station shimmered faintly beyond it.

Strangely, though, it wasn't the only entrance.

There was one beside it, and another beside that. They were tightly shut, but doors that could only be entrances had appeared there.

Each door bore the name of a place above it, such as Nevil Station and Erandar Station.

『It looks like from now on, if you want to, you'll be able to enter this place through me in front of each region's station.』

"......Why?"

Everything about it was strange, but the fact that the entrances were specifically at stations felt especially out of place.

『I told you about this space before. Maybe it's because you keep running around outside the Academy all the time. By the way, it connects to tram stops too.』

I had nothing to say in my defense.

I lightly tapped the rippling image of Ronwood Station.

"I'll head outside, then come back in once more."

Renee nodded as if she found it amusing.

When I stepped through the door I had entered from, the sensation of crossing the boundary between worlds washed over my entire body.

Unlike when I had entered while holding Renee's hand, a nauseating feeling welled up inside me.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back at Ronwood Station.

"...Bal."

"......?"

"Halibal. Are you all right?"

"Mine. What was I doing just now?"

"Huh? You were just..."

Mine couldn't see Renee yawning right in front of me at all.

"...Weren't you just standing still?"

Confirmed.

Kaizel was still lecturing Alicia, and almost no time seemed to have passed.

I stared blankly at Renee.

There were restrictions, but being able to freely enter and leave the Halibal Dungeon from now on was no small matter.

During my battle with Eliver, I had realized that my body still couldn't handle the power of buffs.

It would be nice if buffs lasted forever, but I needed to prepare for when they didn't.

In the end, the only thing I could rely on was my own pure strength.

I had needed to devote myself to training anyway.

Then another idea came to mind.

'Could I enter through Ronwood Station and leave through Nevil Station?'

If that was possible, the Halibal Dungeon could essentially give me the freedom of a door leading anywhere.

As if she had read my mind, Renee answered.

『Who knows? All the other doors are closed right now, aren't they?』

The fact that she hadn't denied it was enough.

『Maybe they only open after you visit those places yourself.』

'It's like game landmarks.'

If this was a function that had only just been unlocked, it made plenty of sense.

"Still, this means I can talk to you whenever I want."

『I suppose.』

Renee snorted.

『Won't you look like a strange person talking to yourself in front of a station?』

That was true.

Just then, Kaizel's voice broke through my thoughts.

His lecture for Alicia had finally ended.

"Your Highness, it is time for us to depart. We will transport the soldiers' remains and survivors to the capital."

"All right. I'll leave the cleanup to you, Kaizel."

"You two should board as well. We will take you to the dormitory."

I turned to Renee.

She only waved with a sleepy expression.

『See you in a little while.』

Following Kaizel's lead, we boarded the Cyrus Express.

That marked the end of the special practicum assignment.

For the next two months, I would be free to act as I pleased.

Once again, things had gone far too differently from the original game.

The defeat of Eliver, a bishop of the Cult.

The early unlocking of Hyperion.

And above all, the Halibal Dungeon.

The more that happened, the more uneasy I felt.

'The Cult has lost two bishops before they could even begin their plans in earnest. I can't see this as nothing but good news.'

The scenery of the Ronwood Plains sped past outside the window.

⁎⁎⁎

"Ultimate Divine Sword Third Form: Deathblow!"

Slash! Slash!

Aren Bright's slashes rained down on the chest of the enormous bipedal wolf monster.

The moment the shrieking monster tried to struggle, Cecilia's Radiant Shadow Slash severed its ankles.

- Grrraaaah!

True to the name of the Arts, the monster met its death.

Four newly revealed Upper Dungeons had appeared after Halibal and Cecilia cleared the Doll Dungeon.

The Lycanthrope, boss of one of them, the Werewolf Dungeon, collapsed to the ground.

"Haa... Haa..."

"Whew..."

The two sheathed their swords, breathing heavily.

Their entire bodies were covered in wounds, and sweat poured down them like rain.

The two of them had become the first to clear an Upper Dungeon that even Halibal had yet to attempt.

Cecilia looked down at her chest, where her sweat-soaked clothes revealed the skin beneath.

Aren, however, didn't so much as glance in that direction as she drank water.

Even Halibal had shown some interest in Cecilia's body.

Any normal man would have reacted somehow, yet Aren showed absolutely no interest.

'Wasn't she supposed to be disguised as a man? She should at least keep up the act.'

Of course, Cecilia understood.

Aren's mind and body must have been exhausted too.

Their fight with the Lycanthrope had been fierce enough to make her forget even the most basic part of her disguise.

Even Cecilia wouldn't have been certain of victory without her experience clearing dungeons with Halibal.

The assignment they had been given was the same as before.

Clear a dungeon and write a report.

This time, though, considering their abilities, they had to clear one of the newly unlocked Upper Dungeons.

With this, the assignment was complete.

They could do nothing for two months and still be assured of high marks.

Yet Cecilia could see the determination in Aren's eyes. Aren had no intention of stopping here.

Putting aside the fact that Cecilia saw Aren as a romantic rival, she was beginning to understand why Halibal had recommended her as a Follower.

Just as he had said, Aren and Cecilia worked remarkably well together.

Maybe even better than she did with Senia, or perhaps even Halibal.

More than that, their way of thinking and their goals were astonishingly similar.

Clear dungeons, grow stronger, and eventually conquer all the Dungeons of the Evil God.

Still, having fought alongside Halibal, Cecilia had noticed one thing he possessed that Aren lacked.

'It doesn't feel like she's doing this because she wants to.'

"So what are you going to do now?"

"There are still three dungeons left. We should clear them too."

"Do we really have to?"

Of course, that was one thing and this was another.

Cecilia had the motivation to clear dungeons too, but she wasn't addicted to them like Halibal.

If anything, she didn't particularly enjoy entering dungeons.

Now that the practicum assignment was over, there was no reason for her to keep helping Aren.

As if she had seen through Cecilia's thoughts, Aren spoke calmly.

"If you don't feel like it, you don't have to help me. It might be useful to try going alone sometimes."

Cecilia narrowed her eyes at the expression that said Aren truly didn't mind.

They hadn't been together as Follower and partner for long, but Cecilia had already grasped Aren's nature.

'If I leave her alone, she'll really go by herself.'

Her goal was clearly to clear the Dungeons of the Evil God, just like Halibal and Cecilia.

Aren looked completely ready to charge into them alone.

Having experienced the Doll Dungeon, Cecilia knew it was impossible for Aren to clear an Evil God Dungeon alone.

No matter what, Cecilia didn't want Aren to die alone in some remote place.

More than that, Aren was a woman Halibal cared about.

Cecilia especially didn't want him to hate her because she had let Aren die.

In the end, she let out a sigh.

"Even the two of us barely managed it, and you want to go alone? Fine. I'll go with you."

"Really? You don't have to."

"I'm not doing it for you. What would people say if I let my Follower enter a dungeon alone?"

As if the response had caught her off guard, Aren blinked before breaking into a bright smile.

"Thanks, Cecilia."

It was a beautiful smile, even in Cecilia's eyes.

The kind that no one, man or woman, could see without falling for her.

But Cecilia had no intention of falling for it.

She knew that, objectively speaking, she was every bit as beautiful as Aren.

'Still, aside from her face, I'm better.'

As Cecilia looked at Aren with that thought, Aren poured the rest of her water over herself to cool down.

"?"

Through Aren's wet clothes, Cecilia could see bandages soaked full of water in place of underwear.

The bandages made an overwhelming statement, as though they might burst at any moment.

Cecilia's eyes immediately measured Aren's "combat power."

'E... F... What? How far is that going?'

Cecilia's eyes naturally shifted to her own chest.

At least equal. Maybe...

"Should we stop here for today and head back?"

"......"

In Cecilia's mind, Aren's danger level was rapidly rising.

⁎⁎⁎

"No. I don't want to. Don't do this."

"Enough with the nonsense."

"Junior, save me! Can't you see this delicate senior is being dragged into a den of demons?!"

The Cyrus Express stopped in Luft.

The moment she stepped onto the platform, Alicia was surrounded by dozens of waiting soldiers.

Kaizel soon slung her over his shoulder and disappeared into the crowd.

"I'll return!! I definitely will!!"

I'll remember you.

I pressed X to pay my respects, and Alicia was dragged away with nothing but her screams left behind.

The soldiers offered to take Mine and me to Nevil, but I declined.

It was close enough by tram, and I didn't want to draw unnecessary attention.

The train was enormous, after all.

So Mine and I arrived in Nevil by tram.

"Thank you so much for this. Thanks to you, we were able to defeat those wicked servants of the Evil God."

"You helped too, so you don't need to worry about it so much."

Mine gave me a deep bow.

"Could I expect you to perform that well in a dungeon too?"

Mine's expression immediately darkened at my question.

The determination she had shown in the village was nowhere to be found. She was once again the frightened girl she had been before.

"Th-that's... They were worshippers of the Evil God, after all."

'So we're back where we started.'

I sighed inwardly.

But having seen a new possibility through this practicum, I couldn't give up here.

"Mine. What kind of place is the Undead Dungeon?"

"......Pardon?"

"A place where those who defied the providence of the Main Gods and died without finding rest gather. The reason they can't be given rest is because of the schemes of the worshippers of the Evil God, the same people you hate so much and defeated."

Mine's eyes shook like waves.

"Don't you think that, as a Saintess... you should free them from their suffering?"

She couldn't answer.

"Think it over carefully, and give me your answer on Monday."

⁎⁎⁎

Things ended earlier than expected, leaving me with a free day.

So what do I do now?

'There she is.'

She was at Nevil Station too.

For some reason, Renee was inside a hot dog stand.

Her translucent form overlapped with the clerk's.

'No, why are you in there?'

"Welcome! This is Nevil Hot Dog!"

『You're here?』

"You said you wanted to see me."

"...Y-yes?"

『You were going to come even if I hadn't said anything, weren't you?』

"I was."

This time, I held out my hand.

"Huh? Wh-what?!"

Renee chuckled and took my hand. With the familiar floating sensation, my vision changed.

The Halibal Dungeon.

For some reason, Renee held two unfamiliar cards in her hand.

"What are those?"

『Oh, these? They appeared after you defeated that woman, the second Bishop you had defeated.』

The cards bore images of a clown and a beautiful woman.

[The Fool] and [The Lovers]

The Clown and the Lover.

『I think these serve the same role as the statues.』

"Don't tell me... I can summon Maliaas and Eliver too?"

『If you want to.』

A smile naturally formed on my lips at Renee's answer.

"Nice."

Without hesitation, I walked toward the innermost statue.

An opponent I had only managed to defeat after dying twice.

My first dungeon boss, Varhatan.

With my hand resting on the statue, I closed my eyes and wished with all my strength.

'I want to fight it again.'

At that moment, a pitch-black shadow rose behind me and took the form of a massive demonic beast.

I felt the familiar sensation of a sword in my hand.

Rooooar──!!

The roar that had filled me with despair in the past echoed throughout the temple.

But this was different from then.

The emotion ruling my mind wasn't fear or doubt, but the excitement of a hunter with prey before him.

[Stampede has begun.]

Footnotes:

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