WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Irevi

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 74: Let's Fulfill Our Duty as Students

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"Rose Orphanage is that way."

"Thank you for telling me."

"Um... Please don't pay too much attention to the way people are looking at you, sir. You only removed the veil. The stench is simply starting to rise from something that had already been rotting."

It was mature advice.

After giving the soldier a light nod, I headed straight for the place he had pointed out.

As I walked through the streets of Erandar, I could hear whispers from all around as people recognized me.

Most of them were clergy from the Church of the Main Gods.

The ordinary citizens actually looked at me favorably.

'It’s not like they did it knowing it was me. They should've done their jobs properly from the start.'

When I arrived at the place the soldier had told me about, there was a church there instead of an orphanage.

The clergy were blocking the entrance, so someone important must have been inside.

'Looks like she got here already.'

The clergy who recognized me greeted me.

There was no disgust in their eyes.

Nor did they try to stop me as I entered the church.

Mine was the only person in the prayer hall, dressed in solemn robes.

Her purple hair, reflected in the stained glass, stood out vividly behind her.

When I sat beside her, she spoke without opening her eyes.

"Did you have any trouble getting here?"

"Nothing happened."

"That's a relief."

A few days had passed since the Centipede Dungeon incident.

When I called Mine because I wanted to tell her about my conversation with Adeline, she said she had something to tell me as well and asked to meet at Rose Orphanage.

"This used to be the orphanage where I lived. After I received the title of Saintess, it was turned into a church."

"Guess it became a holy site."

"They didn't ask for my permission or anything. It was just for show."

Mine opened her eyes after finishing her prayer.

There was a sense of relief in her half-lidded gaze.

"Would you like to take a walk?"

At Mine's suggestion, we began walking around the church.

Before long, we stopped in front of an empty flower bed at one side of the church grounds.

"Look at this. When it was an orphanage, this flower bed was full of flowers. But after it became a church, they haven't even taken proper care of it, have they?"

Mine took out seeds of all kinds of flowers from her pocket.

"I'm saying this to myself as well. I haven't taken care of this place either."

"So you're going to start now?"

"Yes. It isn't really difficult. Watering it once a day should be enough."

Without caring that her hands were getting dirty, Mine began planting the seeds in the flower bed.

"Come to think of it, I couldn't bring any rose seeds. It was Rose Orphanage, after all."

I held out the Blue Rose Seeds Cecilia and I had bought before.

It felt like the right time to give them to her.

"Those are...?"

Mine's eyes widened, apparently not expecting rose seeds to come out of my pocket.

Then she narrowed her eyes and added, "I thought Halibal would bring violas."

"Why?"

"You said I looked like a viola when we first met."

It was something I had blurted out without thinking during our first meeting.

Had she remembered it all this time?

"You said you'll come here every day. Then there's no need to plant violas."

"W-What are you saying...?!"

Mine's cheeks and the tips of her ears turned as red as tomatoes.

She shook her head a few times, then hurriedly changed the subject.

"S-So... Why did you ask to see me today?"

"I had a counseling session with Instructor Adeline recently."

"......"

"Something came up during it..."

Mine interrupted me.

"Halibal."

"Yeah?"

"Before I hear what you wanted to say, may I speak first?"

The flustered expression from moments ago had vanished from her face.

"For the past month, I used the false identity of Rosia to run away from the things I needed to face. But... I'm going to stop now."

"......"

"I won't rely on Rosia anymore. And I won't take Purple Cloud Herb anymore, either."

Her gaze turned toward the distant mountain range beyond the garden.

The Ronwood Mountains, where the Undead Dungeon was located.

"I have a request. Could you take me to the Undead Dungeon?"

"Are you sure?"

"I promised Pasha. And... I don't want to run away anymore."

She held out her hand to me.

"So will you help me? Train me so I can be of help to you there, Halibal."

"You already threw that burden away. Are you sure you want to take it back up?"

"It was my burden to begin with. That's only natural."

"It'll be pretty hard. Even Cecilia complained about it."

"That's fine. I'm not Cecilia."

Her expression was filled with determination.

When I didn't answer, Mine continued.

"Then will you tell me what you wanted to say, Halibal?"

For a while, I couldn't take my eyes off her face.

'The Mine I know is someone who can overcome her trauma on her own.'

Adeline's judgment had been right.

So had my initial judgment.

Mine was someone who could stand on her own.

Was this change in her also the result of me giving her a push?

Mine had gone this far. Could it really be for her sake if I forced my own opinion on her and told her she didn't have to enter the dungeon?

No.

"I forgot."

I took her hand in mine.

[Mine Rose's Affection Level has increased.]

[Affection Level: 3]

⁎⁎⁎

As we went about our usual lives, Alicia rejoined the party after her grounding was lifted.

"Kuhuhut! Perfect Alicia has made her complete return!"

"Wow..."

"Hm..."

She held the same ordinary hand fan she had when I first met her.

"What happened to the weapon you used last time?"

"Ah..."

Hyperion had been taken away from her.

Alicia crouched down, looking dejected.

"Useless Alicia is back..."

"Then why did you take Imperial property without permission?"

"Tch... You sound like Kaizel. You survived because of me... You praised me so much back then...!"

Mine quietly patted Alicia's shoulder as she puffed out her cheeks and glared at me.

"Hm...? Something's changed."

"Y-Yes?"

Alicia looked Mine up and down, then smiled with interest.

"Your bearing has changed. You're completely different from before."

"Mine has made up her mind. She's planning to challenge the Undead Dungeon herself."

"Ho. Not bad, Mine. It's hard to believe you're the same coward from back then."

"It's thanks to both of you."

"Kuhut. Of course it is. You had the guidance of Perfect Alicia, after all!"

As though nothing had happened, Alicia proudly puffed out her chest again.

Guidance...? Had there been any?

"Tch. It would've been much easier if I still had Hyperion. Why do those damned old fogies stop me from using something that's already there?"

Mine gasped at the blunt words only a princess could get away with.

Of course, I agreed with her.

"So, what's your plan, junior? How do you intend to lead our party to victory now that we've lost the protection of Red Scales?"

"The protection of Red Scales is still here, isn't it?"

I pointed at Alicia.

I hadn't included Hyperion in my plan for the Undead Dungeon from the beginning.

If we had it, there wouldn't be any need for a plan.

"You really know how to say the right things."

"It's only the truth. I never imagined you'd be carrying something like that, senior."

"So you're saying we have a chance of winning?"

I hadn't neglected my own growth just because I was helping Mine grow.

In the end, I had to be the core of this party.

Over the past few days, I had done plenty of Shard grinding through the Alicia Machine.

After experiencing dozens, even hundreds of defeats in Halibal Dungeon, I had managed to defeat Rose and Lilian alone.

'Eliver was still too much for me, though.'

Love's Exclusivity didn't work when I was alone, but even setting that aside, Eliver was absurdly strong.

Still, I had undeniably gained something. The experience from Stampede had brought me clear growth.

I had wracked my brain trying to find a way to defeat bosses originally meant to be cleared by several people.

Thanks to that, I was standing before a new wall.

It wasn't a frustrating wall.

It was the kind where my experience points had reached their limit, and I could cross it with just one more step.

What did that mean?

"I think I'll be able to learn a new Arts ability before we enter the Undead Dungeon."

There were signs that my progress toward a new Arts ability, stalled since Gale's Path, was about to break through.

"Really?"

"Ho! Is that true? Congratulations!"

I glanced at Mine.

Even I hadn't expected to find a clue to a new Arts ability this easily.

If this world truly had levels as I suspected, then my level had somehow become roughly similar to Mine's.

Ever since I began spending time with Mine, it felt like my way of thinking had broadened and I was gaining realizations more often.

Maybe I had matured mentally.

'Maybe a party member bonus works with Mine too. It's probably related to experience points.'

When I was with Cecilia, we did nothing but run dungeons except for the day we toured Nevil.

Even then, I hadn't unlocked my next Arts ability.

Yet over the past month or so, despite not entering dungeons nearly as much, it felt like I had gained a great deal.

"Yes. So I think it'll be important for us to train our coordination in the meantime."

"I agree. During the fight with Eliver, it did feel as though we forced our way through with raw power."

Mine nodded, and Alicia opened her fan as she shouted.

"Good! Then after school every day, let us meet at the training grounds and practice together for one hour."

"One hour...?"

Mine was the one who voiced her doubt.

For the past month, she and I had been entering dungeons until the sun went down.

One hour was nowhere near enough compared to that, so she looked up at me as though asking, 'Is that right?'

Normally, I would've said, "Don't talk nonsense, we're running dungeons six hours a day!"

But...

"Will we have free time after training, then?"

"Of course not!"

Alicia answered my question with a kuhuhu laugh.

"Halibal Velder."

"Yes."

"Are we not all students?"

"...That's..."

"Ruidel has rules. Yet you, I, and Mine would all find it easier to act if those rules did not exist."

That was true.

I would have had more freedom acting as a soldier, Alicia as a princess, and Mine as a Saintess.

"But we have all placed ourselves within the framework of being students. In that case, we have a duty to enjoy life as students."

"......"

"One hour of training is enough. In fact, focusing for one hour may be better for finding an opportunity to grow. We are all students still in our formative years."

Alicia's expression turned serious.

"The reason I want to be called senior instead of princess is the same."

"Princess..."

"Once I graduate, I'll live as a princess for the rest of my life. I only have about one year left where someone can call me senior, so I want to enjoy it as much as I can."

Looking at me, she added, "Preferably with the junior I chose."

For a moment, I couldn't say anything.

The time I had spent so far proved her words.

Training had never caused my skills to increase exponentially.

It had always happened steadily, little by little.

Only when that steady effort became routine did it finally manifest as skill.

And in the end, the decisive results had come from the relationships I had built.

My relationship with Cecilia had brought us victory in the Doll Dungeon, while Mine's own resolve had led her toward the dungeon.

'What's important is the opportunity, then.'

I nodded.

"You're right, senior. Then what are you saying we should do after training?"

"Kuhuhut! Isn't it obvious? A social gathering!"

"A social... gathering?"

I shook my head.

"Understanding and trusting each other is the true meaning of coordination! Therefore, starting today, I will hold our party's first social gathering!"

Overwhelmed by the atmosphere, Mine clapped without thinking.

"Wow...?"

"First, we'll take some time to get to know each other. There's a very nice theater in Nevil. We'll start there!"

"Why a theater, specifically?"

"Because I like plays!"

As if that were the most obvious answer in the world, Alicia shrugged and started walking ahead.

"...Shouldn't we train first?"

"What does it matter? We can skip it for one day."

"?"

What was with this person?

Mine grabbed my sleeve as I stood there dumbfounded.

"Um..."

"What is it?"

"...I've never been to a theater before. Have you ever been to one, Halibal?"

I had gone once with Cecilia.

Strangely, it worked like a movie theater where you could choose what you wanted to watch. We watched something like an action adventure that time.

I turned to Mine and asked, "Is there a genre you like?"

"Um... I..."

Mine thought for a moment before answering.

"I think I'd like romance."

"Why are you two dragging your feet?!"

At some point, Alicia had grabbed one of my arms.

"Let's fulfill our duty as students!"

⁎⁎⁎

Cecilia liked Halibal romantically.

She had also resolved to believe everything he said.

But right now, she was thinking this.

'Halibal. This time, your judgment was wrong.'

Cecilia's gaze was fixed on Aren, who was smiling as she spoke in front of the snake monster the two of them had just defeated.

"Whew. Let's do about three more runs today, then call it a day. We need to clear an Evil God Dungeon soon."

"Aren Bright."

"Should we work on our coordination one more time during the next attempt? It feels like our balance is a little off..."

"I'm sorry, but let's stop here. I'll sit out this Evil God Dungeon raid."

Aren's face froze in an instant.

"Why?"

Aren was staring at Cecilia with a blank expression.

A chill ran through Cecilia.

"I've done things your way for a month now."

Cecilia was strong-willed too, so she didn't back down and met Aren's gaze.

"You're definitely different from Halibal, aren't you?"

Footnotes:

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