WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: HidingTurtle

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ I Became the Ophidian of the Apocalypse ◈

Chapter 74: Please Allow Me to Be a Righteous Thief Today Too

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A delightful feast of level-ups.

A blazing warmth spread through my entire body.

Normally, I would have danced with joy.

‘Sob.’

But I couldn't feel happy right now.

Poor Chimera snake.

Kibaemi had still been a baby, yet that old knight had torn out their heart and killed them.

Kibaemi had been the sort of fiery creature who smashed humans and monsters alike to death without discrimination.

They had looked like a boss monster, carrying holy knights strung across the spikes growing from their body.

They had led tens of thousands of monsters out of the Great Forest, and countless humans across the continent would likely die.

They had kidnapped me, the first creature they had ever seen, and dragged me all the way here!

...Thinking about it this way, it was hard to defend Kibaemi.

Still.

Kibaemi had been a baby.

It wasn't Kibaemi's will to be born to lead the Monster Wave.

It would be more fitting to blame the World Tree.

More than anything, I had grown attached to Kibaemi.

‘It's thanks to you, Kibaemi.’

I had only managed to kill that knight because everything had aligned perfectly.

Kibaemi killed him once.

The knight revived and turned into a scrawny old man.

That was why his armor had become loose enough for me to slip inside.

People freaked out when even a single bug got into their clothes.

A whole Crystal Crown Python had gotten inside his armor. Even a hero wouldn't have been able to endure that.

The dead knight hung limp.

The linen clothes he wore beneath his armor had been stained bright red with his blood and mine.

‘Sob, it stinks.’

Sweat and blood mixed together, creating an utterly unpleasant environment.

Kibaemi, baby. I missed clinging to your back.

-Stop fussing. What baby? It was honestly a hideous Chimera.

‘You aren't human either.’

-I am not some mere human, but an elf, so of course not. How many times did you level up?

‘Ten.’

-Impressive.

Even Pelerian sounded impressed.

Still, facts were facts.

What I had gained was mine.

I had also achieved the accomplishment ‘Hero Slayer.’

Since my opponent had clearly been a hero, weren't ten level-ups a little lacking if anything?

It looked like it would take quite a while before my next evolution.

Right. I shouldn't think so negatively.

I got revenge for you, Kibaemi. Be happy wherever you've gone.

Not every human on the continent would have suffered just because the Monster Wave occurred.

After Kibaemi killed hundreds or thousands of people, perhaps some eccentric mage like Pelerian would have caught them and subjected them to live experimentation.

Kibaemi had been living on borrowed time from the start. If I looked at it that way, maybe it was a happy ending.

-Exactly!

Smile, smile.

Still, this wasn't a situation where I could simply smile.

Clank!

Before I could even escape the armor, holy knights rushed over.

“I don't think he has a pulse!”

“We must carry him to the rear!”

“Then the command...”

“The Knights of Light will not retreat.”

“...We will remain and fight until the end!”

Grim words flew back and forth from every direction.

Someone lifted the corpse, armor and all, with a heave.

It had to be incredibly heavy.

“I'll carry him and run.”

“We'll cover you.”

This was clearly a holy knight with monstrous strength.

The armor shook wildly as they carried it.

I cautiously poked my head out through a gap in the armor.

‘Aah!’

I hurriedly pulled my head back in.

Holy knights surrounded me.

They were running while carrying the Marquis's corpse on their back.

Cutting down monsters as they forced their way through.

‘What do I do...?’

I was being taken to the humans' stronghold while trapped inside the armor.

Should I escape right now?

If a knight swung a sword at me, my head would get cut off. This wasn't easy.

Should I burst out and use Giantification immediately?

No, that would draw far too much attention.

With Kibaemi's protection gone, the monsters might become my enemies too.

Besides, if my existence was discovered now, the entire world would learn that I had killed a hero.

‘Ah, Heavenly Thunder Decree!’

If I summoned lightning, it would electrocute the knight carrying me too.

I eagerly cast Heavenly Thunder Decree.

*「Insufficient Mana.」

Damn.

I must have used too much Mana since trying to flee from Kibaemi.

Keeping Black Scales active for so long had especially drained me.

Then what could I do...?

‘Old man!’

-What?

‘Do humans have Magic Stones too?’

Could I eat the hero's Magic Stone?

Pelerian replied, sounding impressed.

-They do not.

Unfortunately, they did not.

Come to think of it, I had Magic Stones in my ring too.

Eating one wouldn't restore my Mana immediately anyway.

The holy knights' loyalty seemed extraordinary.

They broke through the monsters and somehow made it to the human camp.

“Is the Marquis all right?”

“Does he look all right? Hurry and call the Archbishop!”

Chaos erupted everywhere.

Countless humans had gathered around.

-Do not even breathe.

‘Gulp.’

In other words, if my existence was discovered here, I would become grilled eel.

“Take off the armor!”

“I-it won't come off.”

“You useless bastard!”

Curses and shouting rang out.

Where, where could I hide?

*「You use Stealth Lv. 8.」

I held my breath.

Then I moved very slowly.

First, I retreated toward the lower half of the armor.

Click.

It was the right choice.

Someone had unfastened the clasp around the waist, and light streamed inside.

After removing the upper half of the armor, they dragged the dead knight commander out.

I quickly hid inside an empty boot.

‘Ugh!’

The foot odor was horrific.

“Ahhh, Marquis!”

It was a cry filled with despair.

“P-please use healing magic!”

The holy knight who had carried the Marquis here pleaded desperately.

“How did he end up so covered in blood...?”

“He was bitten by a snake. It seemed he had been poisoned.”

“How could that happen while he was wearing plate armor?”

“Ah...”

My heart pounded.

I had bitten the Marquis all over his body.

What if they found a small wound from a snake bite?

They might realize a snake had slipped inside the armor.

“I don't know how formidable that Chimera snake was, but how could it pierce Mistilgold armor... Ah!”

Had they figured it out?!

“A spirit-form attack. I never thought it was such a high-ranking monster...”

Ugh.

I almost jumped out of the boot because I thought I had been discovered.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one annoyed by someone's rambling. A holy knight snapped.

“Is that what matters right now?! Use healing magic!”

“He appears to have already passed away...”

The Marquis had already crossed a river from which there was no return.

I had personally sent him across it.

*「The proficiency of Stealth Lv. 8 has increased significantly.」

*「Stealth Lv. 8 becomes Stealth Lv. 9.」

I had been so tense and held my breath for so long that my Stealth skill leveled up.

A brilliant light flashed outside.

It seemed they were using healing magic.

“Bring clean water and cloth! Why isn't the Archbishop here yet?!”

The humans tried desperately to save the Marquis.

Still, once they removed his clothes, my bite marks would be exposed.

I couldn't escape, but I couldn't keep hiding either. I was trapped.

Clank!

Someone touched the armor where I was hiding.

My heart nearly fell out of my chest.

“Um...”

The person who touched the armor had a young, foolish-sounding voice.

Maybe they were the knight's squire.

“Um...”

No one answered.

That was natural, considering how urgent the situation was.

Still, the owner of the voice stubbornly kept calling for someone.

“Um...”

“What?! What is it?!”

Someone who sounded like a holy knight finally answered.

“Um, excuse me, but this armor...”

“What about the armor?!”

“Should I put it away? Like usual?”

Gasp.

The way they spoke and the question itself reeked of an incompetent soldier.

“Hey, you son of a bitch!”

The person who sounded like a holy knight shouted as though fury had overwhelmed them.

“Is putting away the armor what matters right now?!”

“Uh, s-sorry... I was wondering whether I should wash it or leave it as is... It has blood on it...”

They seemed to be the soldier responsible for maintaining the Marquis's probably very expensive and precious armor.

“You little shit. Let go! I'll kill this bastard myself!”

“S-sorry.”

Someone held back the enraged holy knight.

“Calm down! Hey, you there, take the armor away now!”

“Y-yes, sir! Loyalty!”

They saluted, so they must have been a soldier.

I could tell from their voice alone that they were a problem soldier.

Considering they handled odd jobs in the rear instead of fighting monsters during a time like this, perhaps their usual assignment was attending to the Marquis.

Their commander was dead, and the Monster Wave was right before them.

From an ordinary person's perspective, asking a holy knight whether to leave the armor or put it away in this urgent situation might be difficult to understand.

But I was different.

I had served in the military too, and I had worked several part-time jobs.

People had called me an incompetent screwup to my face, and I had probably heard it far more often behind my back.

‘That guy...’

I wiped my nose with my tail.

The soldier struggled as they loaded the armor onto a cart.

“It's especially heavy today.”

Beautiful.

Even their muttering to themself was perfect.

They had no idea I was inside the armor. I liked them already.

-You are lucky. Thanks to some fool.

‘That's too harsh. They're working hard too.’

I defended the soldier.

Looking at them reminded me of my previous life.

There was no need to explain my glorious days in the military.

Even after I was discharged, my timid personality and slow ways never changed.

My parents hated that about me.

They urged me to at least get a part-time job, so I applied to several places.

For some reason, I kept failing every interview.

After that happened repeatedly, my mother got me a part-time position at a bar run by an acquaintance.

‘So you're the one?’

I remembered the owner greeting me like that.

They had a warm impression. Looking back, they really were a good person.

On my first day, I broke three beer glasses and dropped the army stew I was taking to table three onto the floor.

The owner only smiled awkwardly, but the other part-timer I worked with didn't.

They were four years younger than me, good-looking, and had tattoos on their arm.

‘Bro, what the fuck is wrong with you? This is so damn annoying.’

Whenever they said that, all I could do was say,

‘S-sorry...’

Every day was so hard.

It felt like my self-esteem was shrinking day by day.

There were few customers, and the owner's deep sighs made me even more self-conscious.

Then one day, perhaps because it was monsoon season, rain poured down in sheets, and there were especially few customers.

‘Guys, let's close early today.’

I tried to hide how happy I was, but the owner took out shot glasses and asked us to have a drink together.

I didn't particularly like alcohol, but I accepted the glass because I felt awkward refusing.

The owner drank one shot after another.

The younger part-timer livened up the mood.

After I had a few drinks, I got excited too, and the owner smiled at me and praised me.

‘It's been tough, right? Still, you've gotten a lot better than before. You too.’

I was so happy.

That was probably why I drank more.

‘There really weren't any customers today.’

When the owner said that,

‘Yeah, I wish every day was quiet like today. Hehe.’

At that moment.

It became so quiet that all I could hear was the rain.

It was the first time I had seen the owner look at me with such cold eyes.

The younger part-timer's laughter broke the silence.

‘This is seriously hilarious. Bro, why are you such a worthless screwup?’

Those words stayed in my mind for a long time.

That was my last part-time job.

When I fell silent, Pelerian broke the silence.

-Why are you making such a wistful expression?

‘It's nothing. Hehe.’

It was a fond memory.

I wanted army stew.

The problem soldier put me and the armor down somewhere.

Then they left.

I cautiously poked my head out.

A relieved hiss escaped me.

I survived!

This was the inside of an empty barracks.

It seemed to have belonged to the hero I killed.

Large weapons and a detailed map hung on the walls.

My eyes were immediately drawn to the map.

‘A map...’

It was drawn in considerable detail.

It struck me once more that this wasn't Earth.

Kingdoms and empires were marked on it, along with a place labeled the Great Forest.

-Tactical map! They are not easy to obtain.

Proper maps had always been strategic materials managed by nations.

Something caught my eye on the map.

A massive mountain range stretched across the continent and its kingdoms.

‘That's the Gray Mountains.’

Was it one of the continent's five great Demonic Realms, or seven?

Either way, the Mountain Range was always counted among them.

-We have already come this far. The Gray Mountains are closer than the Great Forest now.

Pelerian approached the map excitedly.

-Here, and here.

They pointed to the entrance of the mountain range and a place deep within it.

-I have Dungeons in both places.

And the closer Dungeon was...

-This is my armory.

An armory, in other words, a weapon storehouse.

‘You collected weapons too?!’

-Yes. We should head there first.

To hide a tree, one had to hide it in a forest.

For a monster like me, a Demonic Realm would be the best place to hide.

I had wanted a longsword anyway, so this worked out well.

I would have to ask later what weapons were inside the Dungeon.

-Take the map first!

My presence would soon be discovered.

Following Pelerian's advice, I took the map.

Since I was taking the map anyway, I should take anything else I could steal.

There wasn't much room left in my Subspace, so I took the things that looked most valuable first.

Then I spotted something.

‘Oh, oh!’

The Marquis's armor.

More precisely, the gauntlet.

The glove that had torn out Kibaemi's heart was still clutching something.

Thin wooden vines covered the gauntlet, and something bright red lay inside.

Could this be Kibaemi's Magic Stone?

──────────────

【Root Seed】

The origin material used to create a Chimera.

──────────────

No, it wasn't.

Seeing the word seed made tears well up in my eyes.

What if I planted the seed somewhere and it sprouted into a miniature Kibaemi?

That would be nice.

Then I would make sure to take good care of them.

In their next life, I would raise them well from childhood so they wouldn't grow into some foolish, vicious, awkward Chimera with no asshole.

-What a truly precious specimen! You must take it! If there is not enough room in your Subspace, throw away the gold!

I would never leave their education to that wicked mage.

Otherwise, they might grow into a nasty monster resembling a spider, like Pafnacha.

Leaving this behind and walking away, that soldier was truly something.

They might have been my equal, or even my superior.

I tried to retrieve Kibaemi's seed.

‘Why won't this open?’

It wasn't easy.

The gauntlet gripped the seed tightly, and roots covered it from above, so I couldn't pry it open.

After struggling for a while, I found a solution.

I was no longer a frustrating incompetent screwup.

If I couldn't open the gauntlet, couldn't I just take the whole thing?

Click!

When I loosened the hinge, the gauntlet dropped off.

I put it into my Subspace.

My Subspace was already packed full, so I had no choice but to throw away some gold I had found in Pelerian's Dungeon.

-Yes, well done. Hurry and go!

‘I'll gladly take it!’

There really was no more time to relax.

The commotion outside was growing louder.

Where should I go?

Ah, over there!

I burrowed downward beside the wall of the barracks.

Voices came from the entrance.

“Are you sure there was nothing inside the armor?!”

“Y-yes, probably.”

Poor soldier.

The moment I emerged outside,

“Y-you crazy...!”

The holy knights screamed behind me.

Run, run!

Footnotes:

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