WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: HidingTurtle

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◈ I Became the Ophidian of the Apocalypse ◈

Chapter 89: Because My Scales Are Pretty

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The Intelligence Bureau was practically a gathering place for elite bureaucrats.

Young people who had become royal officials with excellent grades, or outstanding graduates of the military academy with sufficient patriotism and no disqualifying issues, received a discreet offer.

After that, they earned the qualifications to enter the Intelligence Bureau through several rounds of tests and interviews.

Even so, there were not many subordinates the director of the Intelligence Bureau trusted.

In the director's eyes, they all looked like greenhorns full of nothing but hot air.

It could be called excessively harsh criticism, but nobody would point that out to the director, who was one of the Eight Heroes of the Kingdom.

Ashton was one of the few subordinates who had earned that director's trust.

He had even helped name the Black Serpent King.

Ashton's specialty was deduction based on astonishing powers of observation.

Still, because his mind worked so quickly, he occasionally jumped to absurd conclusions on his own.

In truth, the director of the Intelligence Bureau, Ashton's superior, loved those mistakes.

Regardless of whether the work succeeded or failed, the director said watching Ashton made them laugh themselves sick.

Ashton's mistake in assuming Roil and Amaen were from the Magic Tower was one the director would have howled with laughter at.

"Ha ha, what a mistake. How embarrassing."

Fortunately, the misunderstanding was quickly cleared up.

Ashton smiled awkwardly.

"Why did you think that? Ha ha."

Roil smiled back and offered him some refreshments.

"The clothes you're wearing, they're a suit tailored at Tailorvillo on Purewell Avenue, aren't they?"

"......How did you know?"

"It may sound funny for me to say this now, but I have a good eye. Besides, Tailorvillo has a contract with the Magic Tower. Mages who come to the capital have new clothes made there."

Ashton had an excuse, too.

His deduction that they were mages from the Magic Tower had not been a baseless leap.

"More than anything, your son's talent for magic seems extraordinary. I assumed you were people from the Magic Tower."

A broad smile spread across Roil's face.

No parent could dislike hearing praise for their child, especially when it came from an Intelligence Bureau agent.

There were also things Ashton deliberately did not say.

Amaen behaved like a commoner no matter how Ashton looked at him.

Nor did he mention that it was common for Magic Tower mages to practically kidnap young, talented children and put them to work.

'This is getting even more interesting.'

Ashton smiled.

Then he said something that shattered the warm atmosphere so far.

"How did you acquire the gold coins and those relics?"

"Pardon?"

"There were ancient relics among them. Under kingdom law, the distribution of ancient relics must be managed through proper procedures. That falls under the Intelligence Bureau's jurisdiction."

Ashton spoke with a smile still on his face.

"How did you acquire those items?"

"That is......"

"As for me."

Ashton interrupted Roil.

"I possess a special ability."

His expression suddenly turned serious as he tapped his glasses.

"The ability to see through lies and truth. It may sound impressive, but the method is actually simple. People who lie show various signs in their bodies. They shake their legs for no reason. They avert their gaze, fidget with their fingers, break out in a cold sweat. Sometimes they even give off a certain smell. In my experience, nobody can hide every one of those signs. Of course, there are signs I haven't mentioned as well. So let me ask you once more."

He was polite, but he was undeniably an Intelligence Bureau agent.

"How did you acquire these items?"

Roil was posing as a wealthy merchant, but at heart, he was only a wagon merchant.

How frightened must he have been to meet an Intelligence Bureau agent?

Amaen sensed the atmosphere and tensed up as well.

He tightly gripped his father's arm.

"Am I obligated to tell you?"

"You are. For both your sake and your son's."

In the chilly air, Roil finally sighed.

"All right. I'll be honest. These treasures weren't originally mine."

"Then?"

"I was originally a wagon merchant. I was on my way to sell beer in Kalea City."

Amaen turned to Roil in surprise.

Ashton did not miss it.

"I encountered them on the road."

Roil spoke as if troubled.

"Dead bandits."

"......Bandits?"

"Yes. I'd heard rumors that bandits had appeared near Mount Kalea, but......"

Had there been rumors of bandits around Kalea?

There had.

Pass, for now.

"They had these treasures. It looked like they had fought among themselves and died......"

"Bandits possessing treasures like these......"

Was that plausible?

Well, it was not impossible, but it was not convincing.

Fail.

"The one clutching the treasures was an unusual person. He had a long scar across his head, was huge, and wore iron shackles around his wrists......"

"What color was his skin?"

Ashton frowned.

Someone came to mind.

Then Roil answered.

"I think...... it was dark brown."

Escaped Convict Yatus.

Wild Dog Yatus.

He had supposedly escaped from prison with fellow convicts. Could he have been there?

It was entirely possible.

If Roil were making this up, he would not have added such sensational details.

Then was it the truth?

There was no way to know, so reserve judgment.

"Hmm......"

Then, Ashton's overall assessment of Roil was also...

Reserve judgment.

"I see. We will investigate it ourselves."

Ashton smiled again.

He should look into whether Yatus had really appeared around Kalea City.

An escaped convict like Yatus could have possessed relics like these.

He had originally worked as an adventurer, after all.

"Ah, yes. Please do."

Roil smiled uncertainly.

He looked utterly guileless.

To begin with, Ashton had no ability to see through lies.

Ashton rose from his seat.

"Then, am I all right?"

Roil asked anxiously.

"Well, acquiring the belongings of a dead criminal may simply have been luck granted by the gods."

"Ah......"

"I hope you enjoy your time in the capital. Here is my card."

Despite having spoken as if threatening him, Ashton lightly bowed.

As he was about to leave, he turned his head as though he had just remembered something.

"Ah, your son's talent for magic is genuine. Are you planning to enroll him in an academy or send him to the Magic Tower?"

"An academy would probably be better. Though where he should go......"

"Well, there is only one best academy in the kingdom. I graduated from there as well."

Ashton looked at Amaen.

"School Emerald. I recommend it."

With those final words, Ashton left.

Only after he had completely gone did Roil lean back into the sofa as if collapsing into it.

"Whew."

Roil thought he might die from nerves.

As he thought that, Amaen tightly held his father's hand as if to say he had done well.

"......I wonder how he's doing."

The snake who had entered the mine.

He was probably having a hard time too.

The dwarves would not calmly accept a snake monster that had suddenly appeared, after all.

"Shall we go, Amaen?"

"Yeah."

Even so, a contract was a contract.

They would return to Kalea to meet the snake again.

* * *

Kibaemi's healing worked differently from a potion.

A potion maximized the target's own healing ability.

The difference between a high-grade potion and a low-grade potion was only one of efficiency. The fundamental principle was the same.

That was why some cases could not be healed even with repeated potion use.

The youngest dwarf with damaged internal organs was exactly such a case.

After taking a certain amount of potion, its effectiveness dropped rapidly.

But Seedling Kibaemi's healing used Kibaemi's own vitality.

Thanks to that, the youngest survived.

The dwarf who had run outside returned with a stretcher and others, and the youngest was carried out safely.

The rest of them walked out with exhausted expressions.

Fighting monsters was far more grueling than mining.

Everyone was soaked in blood.

That was why I noticed Dunkel's injury late.

"Saaak!"

Hey, you idiot!

Blood was streaming from Dunkel's side.

No matter how soaked his clothes were in blood, how could I not notice that?

I wondered if he had been trying to act cool, but that was not it.

"Aaaah!"

The moment he realized he was injured, he let out such a frivolous scream.

Fortunately, the wound was not deep.

The dwarves had already used all their potions on the youngest, so I had no choice but to share some of mine.

It looked like a Blood Mole had bitten into Dunkel's side.

Fortunately, when I poured a little potion over it, the wound quickly closed.

"I-I was so focused, I didn't even realize I was bleeding."

Tsk, tsk. What an airhead.

I glanced around, expecting the other dwarves to laugh at him again.

But nobody laughed.

Instead, when their eyes met Dunkel's, they lowered their heads or wore complicated expressions.

Why had their attitude suddenly changed?

"Um......"

The young dwarf who had cursed at Dunkel that morning approached.

"Let me support you."

"Huh? Ah, no."

Despite Dunkel waving him off, the dwarf insisted on supporting him.

Dunkel looked embarrassed, and the dwarf helping him looked even more embarrassed.

What were those two doing?

As I watched them, Manjin approached me.

Then he suddenly pulled out some ham and offered it to me.

"You worked hard."

Well, I eagerly accepted it and ate it.

"Let's have another drink when we get back."

'Sounds good!'

I'm looking forward to it.

Fortunately, it did not take very long to get out of the tunnel.

They moved slowly, but it took a little less than an hour.

Many dwarves were waiting in the plaza they reached after exiting the tunnel.

"Oh! They're out."

"Manjin!"

Was it because someone had gone out to call for help?

The news that a swarm of Blood Moles had burst out of Manjin's tunnel seemed to have spread everywhere.

"You worked hard."

"Everyone came back alive. It's a miracle!"

"We should go up and have a drink!"

Cheers and noisy laughter erupted from all around.

Manjin was well respected even among the miners.

Most of them sincerely welcomed his return.

Dunkel stood quietly with an awkward smile.

Nobody welcomed him.

From Dunkel's shoulder, I watched the dwarves.

Tap, tap.

I patted Dunkel's shoulder.

Don't shrink into yourself too much.

"Dunkel?"

Just then, someone called Dunkel's name.

When I looked over, a sleazy-looking dwarf was talking to Manjin's group.

"It sounds like you stirred up an innocent Blood Mole nest. Who did it?"

"Stirred up what? They suddenly attacked us."

"Really? I thought that useless Dunkel had pulled another stunt."

He snickered as he insulted Dunkel.

"Anyway, it must be hard with that bald bastard suddenly attaching himself to your group. The youngest came out injured, while that bastard looks perfectly fine..."

"You bastard!"

One of the dwarves from Manjin's group grabbed him by the collar.

"W-what is this?"

"From now on, if you insult Brother Dunkel or treat him carelessly in front of me, I won't let it slide."

"What the hell is this all of a sudden...... Let go!"

Oh?

Those guys were better men than I thought.

I heard someone sniffle and looked back.

Dunkel was swallowing back snot.

He must have been moved.

I was a little moved too.

"What the hell is wrong with you, you bastard!"

The dwarf being held by the collar suddenly threw a punch.

With a thud, the dwarf from Manjin's group went sprawling.

"He hit him! He hit him!"

"You bastard!"

Then Manjin swung his fist, and a brawl suddenly broke out.

"A fight!"

"Uahahaha!"

The brawl grew in an instant.

These barbaric dwarves.

"Saaak!"

You too, Dunkel. If you stand around here doing nothing, you aren't a dwarf.

"I-I don't like fighting."

What a pathetic idiot.

At that perfect moment, someone was shoved back and crashed into Dunkel.

"Ack!"

Then I would take revenge for him.

I jumped into the crowd of dwarves.

* * *

It was quite fun.

The brawl, I mean.

After that day, the youngest thankfully recovered successfully.

There were few proper doctors among the dwarves, so Dunkel suffered again.

Maybe because of that, Manjin and his group members no longer treated Dunkel carelessly.

The group members started calling him Brother Dunkel, and Manjin started calling him brother again too.

That did not mean Dunkel's standing rose overnight.

Expecting that would be taking the world too lightly.

It was not easy for someone who had once been bullied by a group to regain their standing.

I knew that well from experience.

Still, Dunkel did not remain idle.

It had already been a month since we first came down to the lower levels.

Dunkel had grown accustomed to mining, and dwarves outside Manjin's group had begun receiving his help too.

Little by little, more dwarves stopped insulting Dunkel.

Then, at last, an opportunity came to descend into the deepest level.

The deepest level was the mine's bottommost floor.

Not just anyone could enter, and one needed a Meister's permission to approach Bluebeard.

"I don't think I'll be able to stay with you when you meet the Lord of the Mine."

'That's fine. I'll handle it myself.'

Dunkel handed the letter of introduction he had received from Helmut to the gatekeeper of the deepest level.

It was a letter addressed to the Meister guarding the entrance to the deepest level.

Without that letter, he would not have been able to enter in the first place.

"Meister Jeremiah is kind, so you don't need to be too nervous."

I climbed down from Dunkel's shoulder.

Dunkel held out his fist, and I held out my tail and bumped it against his.

'Thanks for bringing me here. You're doing well too.'

"Yeah. Good luck."

After we finished saying goodbye, Dunkel left as well.

Then the dwarf guarding the deepest level's gate muttered as if amazed.

"A snake that writes. How fascinating."

'It's not that amazing.'

"Will you have a drink with me sometime?"

Urooros Ale was all the rage in Red Anvil Mine now.

The dwarves specifically wanted to drink ale that I had swum in once.

I nodded.

The dwarf looked delighted.

Soon, he led me into a room that looked like a waiting room.

"Wait here. The Meister will arrive soon."

'That Meister Jeremiah is the craftsman who makes fine swords, right?'

Maybe that dwarf would make my meteoric iron sword.

But the dwarf who had guided me made a strange expression.

"Meister Jeremiah isn't here right now."

What?

"Another Meister is here instead. They'll arrive soon."

The dwarf who had guided me seemed strangely hurried.

As he left the room, he gave me a meaningful warning.

"Be careful."

What did that mean?

But before I could understand his words, the warning signs began.

Thump, thump, thump.

It was not a sound coming from somewhere else.

It was the sound of my heart pounding.

Tssssss.

My scales rose on their own.

It had been a long time, but it was a feeling I could never forget.

It was the effect of my skill, Survival Instinct Lv. 7.

It had not activated when I fell into the Blood Mole nest.

It had not activated when I tried to ignite the gas that had filled the place.

Why was the skill suddenly activating now?

Bang, bang, bang.

This time, it was not the sound of my heart.

Footsteps.

The sound of a dwarf with tremendous weight running toward me.

Before I had time to hide anywhere, the door burst open.

"A snake!"

A voice that boomed like a locomotive's roaring firebox.

What appeared was a dwarf who looked like a warrior among warriors.

Long hair fluttered despite there being no wind.

Their beard resembled iron wire, reminding me of Xiang Yu, the Overlord of Western Chu.

They were short, like a dwarf should be, but their compact muscles looked ready to burst.

"Y-you!"

The dwarf looked startled upon seeing me.

-Oh no......

Pelerian let out a groan.

He seemed to recognize this dwarf.

-Run. That woman is Red Anvil Mine's strongest and worst dwarf warrior.

'Wait, what?'

I never would have imagined it because of the beard.

She was a woman?

No, that was not the important part.

"I've never seen such a pretty snake!"

She sprang at me like a tiger.

Before I could react, she had grabbed me.

Should I bite her hand?

Her forearm looked so hard that my teeth might break instead.

"Perfect scales. I could make a new necklace!"

-Rosena......

Pelerian had always looked down on dwarves.

Yet he groaned as he revealed the dwarf's identity.

-The Meister of Accessories. The strongest dwarf underground.

Save this crystal snake!

Footnotes:

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