WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Order
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the Dark Knight in the Game World ◈
Chapter 63: The Knight and the Prodigal (2)
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A bedridden parent, huh.
Tushkin Gabi came to Kriel’s mind. Was he going to end up attacking another old person this time? Elves were naturally highly resistant to the Abyss, but perhaps as a backlash, corrupted elves caused terrible disasters.
Kriel’s expression stiffened slightly. Orisin could roughly guess what Kriel was thinking. Just before arriving at the Lir Family estate, had Kriel not thoroughly checked on someone else’s parents?
[This bastard’s thinking something strange again....]
[How disrespectful! My master’s thoughts are not strange. He is simply considering a clever strategy to secure victory efficiently!]
Alberic added that his mother had suffered an attack by the Abyss and had been ill for a long time. She was now preparing for death. That was also why he insisted he had never stolen the Truth Cup.
“If Mother changes her mind, I need to pour purified water made with the Truth Cup over her immediately. No matter how recklessly I’ve lived, why would I steal and sell something like that? At the trial, they said, ‘Didn’t you think it was fine to sell it off now that your mother’s life-sustaining treatment had ended?’”
“So, what is it you wish to say?”
“You remember that word-chain game we played in the cells next to each other? I did not bring up Doppelgangers for no reason.”
Alberic had clearly never approached the underground vault, yet the guards insisted they had seen him heading toward it that night. He suspected someone had imitated him.
“You said the fake heirloom you found had Imitation Magic cast on it, right? Someone imitating my appearance. A counterfeit imitating the Truth Cup. Don’t those two things sound similar?”
Once the Truth Cup in the vault was revealed to be fake, his suspicion became certainty.
The two incidents certainly had a similar feel to them. Kriel nodded.
“I think I can guess what you’re about to say. You wish for me to help find the culprit who imitated you?”
“Right. If I make excuses about needing materials to purify Spirits, or finding a place with suitable geomantic conditions for a cleansing ritual, I can take most things from the estate and go anywhere I want!”
[Hey, there’s one thing I’m curious about.]
Orisin cut in. Alberic looked at the unicorn ghost and let out an impressed sound.
“That fur looks lovely. Poachers must’ve liked you quite a bit when you were alive.”
[Is this madman serious? Anyway, why Kriel? He may be a skilled knight, but whether he knows anything about tracking is another matter.]
Alberic’s usual carefree smile changed. He did not look serious or flustered, only somewhat embarrassed.
“Uh. Do I really have to say it?”
[Come to think of it, this is suspicious. What makes you trust Kriel enough to suddenly say, ‘Let’s work together’? Even if you’re prison-cell friends, you’ve known each other for less than ten hours.]
Orisin was unusually serious. Kriel was inwardly impressed.
“Oh....”
But the sound had not come from Kriel. It came from Oife, who stood behind Alberic as if guarding him.
“Damn. You sound exactly like Oife. Do fussy people resemble each other even across species?”
After scratching his head, Alberic raised both hands.
“Fine! I’ll tell you honestly. Because he’s cool!”
[What?]
“Knights are cool!”
[What???]
“You know what you’re talking about. From now on, I’ll treat you as a friend.”
[You lunatic!]
Tuon looked at Alberic and made a note. Understands a knight’s “coolness.” Friendship dues waived for one month.
Oife looked over the noisy guest room, then raised her head toward the sky.
Lady Fand. Elder Nawiden. I think the young master really made his first friend.
But what should I do if they’re both alike?
* * *
“Are you serious, young master?”
Oife asked Alberic again as he skillfully cooked the rice he had gone to such lengths to obtain, then mixed it into meat soup. Niam was also grinning as she mixed rice into her soup, which only made Oife’s blood pressure rise.
“What?”
“You made that request just because he was cool?”
“Do you know where a knight’s ‘coolness’ comes from?”
“No.”
“From not looking away from injustice and not bending one’s convictions. You said it yourself. In the six villages Kriel passed through on the way here, he solved their troubles after taking only a single coin.”
Alberic smiled, saying Kriel was like a knight from an old fairy tale. He could not trust anyone in the family. A Doppelganger could imitate anyone.
But perhaps that knight was worth trusting. Had Kriel not already proven his Nobility through his actions on the way to the Lir Family estate?
Recalling the old stories his mother had told him as a child, Alberic smiled.
* * *
“First, let’s meet your mother.”
“What?”
“When you visit a friend’s home, isn’t it only proper to greet their parents?”
Had he chosen the wrong person?
Alberic suddenly felt a headache coming on.
* * *
At Kriel’s firm insistence, Alberic had no choice but to lead him to Lady Fand’s sickroom. Before the tightly shut door, Alberic made sure no one was nearby before speaking.
“So, why do you want to see Mother? She can open her eyes, but even moving is difficult for her. She won’t be able to help with anything concerning Spirits.”
“Regarding the Doppelganger that imitated you, if it can imitate you, can it not imitate those around you as well?”
Kriel gave a brief explanation. The other members of the Lir Family each had their own established social connections. But what about Lady Fand?
“She must remain in her sickroom. She would be easier to impersonate than anyone.”
“Wait. If what you’re saying is true, then where is my real mother?”
“She may have been taken somewhere other than this sickroom, or foul play may have been used against her when she chose to discontinue life-sustaining treatment.”
“...Our family’s defenses aren’t that lax.”
“I am only saying we should be cautious.”
“How do you intend to determine whether she is a Doppelganger?”
“The surest method is blood. Does your family use bloodletting therapy?”
“Bloodletting? That outdated treatment from history books? Are there still quack doctors in the Empire who do that?!”
Bloodletting was a treatment that involved drawing blood from the body. Using it on a seriously ill patient was dangerous and carried a high chance of killing them outright. Alberic had every reason to be horrified.
“It is sometimes used when poison has spread.”
“That’s done with a priest sitting beside the patient. Cutting into living flesh and drawing blood without any safeguards is the kind of barbaric act Dark Knights and Black Magicians would do!”
In his mind, Kriel demoted Alberic from friend to provisional friend.
“But it is the surest method. Is there no excuse to obtain blood?”
“They do draw blood to analyze the concentration of Mana in the blood. But not for that reckless treatment method.”
Still, Alberic hesitated. His mother’s health had already deteriorated beyond recovery. Yet he could not ignore the possibility that a servant of the Abyss Doppelganger was present.
He eventually nodded. His tension was obvious. Kriel maintained a blank expression, but he was just as tense.
Tushkin Gabi had thrown himself into the Abyss, but he had only been human. Lady Fand, on the other hand, was of the World Tree’s bloodline and closer than any other elf to the primordial elven form. If someone like her had fallen to the Abyss, she would possess power incomparable to Tushkin’s.
Creak.
The door opened.
They were on the highest floor of the wooden manor. Warm sunlight that did not scorch and a cool breeze that was not cold filled the room. Considering it was winter just before the winter solstice, magic was surely at work.
Beneath the soft backlight lay an elderly woman. Her hair, which must once have gleamed a brilliant gold, had faded until it was nearly white, yet it retained a dignity born from age.
Blink.
The elderly woman’s eyelids slowly rose.
“Is that Alberic?”
“Um, yes. Mother, it’s me. You’re awake.”
“Niam came by earlier. Such a kind child. Who is the person behind you?”
“My friend. I met him in prison.”
Orisin was horrified. What kind of introduction was that?
Lady Fand’s lips rose faintly, as though she was accustomed to her son’s nonsense. Without saying anything, Kriel bowed in greeting.
Lady Fand tried to raise a hand, but perhaps because of the medicine, found that she could not. She gave the slightest nod instead. Even that seemed difficult, and she took several deep breaths.
“It is good to meet you. Nawiden told me about matters outside. I hope you find what you seek within the Lir Family.”
“Thank you for your welcome. Having made a friend, I believe I have already gained more than I needed.”
“Oh my. Alberic, is he really your friend?”
“Mother....”
Alberic pressed his temple as if he had a headache.
“We came to draw blood. Because of the heirloom theft, we need to thoroughly inspect the storage rooms, so I may not be able to enter the medicinal herb storeroom we usually use. I need to check your condition before changing the medicine’s formula.”
It was an excuse he had prepared in advance, and it was partly true. Among the ingredients used in the painkillers Lady Fand relied on were rare herbs kept only in the vault. They could be replaced with other herbs, but that required a careful prescription based on the patient’s condition.
“Oh, but Niam already came and examined me.”
Alberic glanced at Kriel. What do we do?
Kriel replied with his eyes. Figure something out.
Footnotes:
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