WE TRIED TLS

Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer

Chapter 234 | Full of Suffering (7)

“A bet… You made a bet with the Demon…”

Meister pulled back from the bars, turning to look at the Demon Knight. Why was this guy acting so stupid right now? However, his irritation changed midsentence as logic took over again.

The Demon Knight he’d gotten to know until now wasn’t your typical Idiot A. No, he’d actually been fairly reasonable, more like a typical Normal Person A at worst.

But that Normal Person A had now suddenly downgraded into an Idiot A? There had to be a reason for that.

For example, maybe his intelligence hadn’t dropped, but he genuinely had no memory of it.

Meister recalled what his grandfather had said:『Up until the moment he fired the signal flare.』 If that statement wasn’t omitting some deeper truth, then it was exactly what it sounded like.

In other words, from the moment he’d fired the signal flare until he’d reawakened, the Demon Knight couldn’t remember anything.

…He had no recollection of making a bet with the Demon, or even the final warning he’d given.

Meister’s head started to ache.

“…From what I heard, the Demon inside you made some kind of bet. Because of that, rather than harming us, it couldn’t even lay a finger on anyone. Not me, not anyone else. Everyone here believes that bet was made between you and the Demon.”

Still, he had to say this.

He quickly explained the situation. As he spoke, the Demon Knight, seeming quite surprised, turned toward him, his lips parting slightly before closing again.

“…Did it mention the terms of the bet?”

At least the Demon Knight only seemed to be hesitating because of his lost memories, rather than because his intelligence had actually declined.

Meister, watching him not waste any time with pointless questions like “Is that really true?” or “I don’t remember that, though?”, found himself rather satisfied. If the guy who’d been relatively reasonable had suddenly become an idiot, he would’ve probably spent at least an hour mourning the loss. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.

“It said if we tried to kill you, it’d come back.”

“If that’s true, it would have been better not to say anything.”

“Agreed. But the problem is the Demon made sure to tell us that even saying those conditions aloud was part of the bet. It’d be great if that’s a bluff, but if it’s true, we would’ve had to fight a Great Demon without any real way to respond to it.”

In that sense, the Demon Knight waking up safe and sound was truly a stroke of luck, not just for him but for everyone here.

“Besides, you also left us a message to ensure we were properly prepared. So instead of rushing into things and messing up, we decided to trust you and wait.”

“…I left a message?”

“Yeah.”

As expected, he had no memory of even doing that.

Meister brushed back his bangs, glancing at the figure whose face was mostly hidden by darkness and hair. He was really craving a cigarette now.

“…It said it didn’t want to lose its newly acquired vessel. That’s probably why the bet was made in the first place. The real issue is how the terms were negotiated. Any guesses?”

“…”

But of course, there was no fire here. That was the problem he always had. In this world, fire was still rather precious. The kind of fire that didn’t burn people, but the one used to help them, was still far too rare.

“Halt right there!”

Meanwhile, the knight standing a little distance away as if still wary of the Demon Knight straightened his posture.

The soldiers did the same. Their previously slackened discipline quickly straightened up as they adjusted their grips on their weapons. Their attention was completely fixed on the hesitantly approaching figure.

Judging by his clothes and posture, no matter how you looked at him, he was far less than an adventurer.

“This area is restricted!”

Since he’d stopped, there was no need to escalate this situation further. One of the soldiers stepped forward, keeping a moderate amount of tension in her stance.

“Erm…”

That person’s eyes started darting around nervously. He looked so awkward that it made the soldiers question whether there was even a need to be so cautious. Even Meister, who hadn’t been as tense as the knights, felt all his tension leave him.

“Erm. uhm, is it really, absolutely off-limits?”

He then spoke in a rather quiet, almost cowardly voice. It didn’t seem like he had any ill intentions. The short gray hair he’d somehow managed to tie back moved with every nod of his head.

“If you have business here, state your identity first.”

“I-I’m an adventurer. Part of the support forces.”

“Your badge?”

“Here it is.”

Despite looking like a completely ordinary person with no combat experience, they did have an adventurer’s badge. Meister narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the stranger.

Since his conversation with the Demon Knight had been cut off, he now had the time to do so.

Well, if it were up to him, Meister would rather continue the previous conversation than observe some rookie, but… the Demon Knight didn’t seem ready to continue just yet.

“Why did you approach?”

“Erm, I have something to deliver…”

“To whom?”

“Uhm, to that person over there…”

Besides, the adventurer actually had something to deliver to the Demon Knight. Meister found himself looking at what he was carrying. Since he was holding something fairly large, it wasn’t hard to guess what it was.

The only problem was… since it was wrapped in leather, its contents were completely hidden from sight.

“…Ah.”

Just then, a small sigh came from behind him. It was the Demon Knight’s, but it didn’t seem to be one of frustration. It sounded more like he’d recognized what the adventurer had brought.

“Is it important?”

“…Maybe.”

He asked in a low tone and received a neutral but nonnegative response. That was enough.

“Unapproved packages aren’t allowed to be delivered to prisoners—”

“Ah, is that what I ordered?”

Meister interrupted dramatically. If the Demon Knight didn’t know what it was, there would’ve been no reason to allow it past those guys—it could be dangerous, after all—but if he did, shouldn’t Meister make sure he received it?

That was his natural right as a person. A right he shouldn’t be deprived of for a crime that couldn’t even be called a crime.

“You really take your job seriously, huh? You could’ve just brought it later, you know?”

So Meister brushed past the soldiers trying to block him and approached the adventurer. He seemed a little flustered at first but quickly adjusted his expression.

“I was told this was urgent… It took me all day to find it, so I figured I should deliver it as soon as possible.”

“I see, thank you.”

Ah, it seemed he got by as an adventurer through his quick wit. Meister mentally gave them some extra points for their quick thinking as he took the package.

Of course, the soldiers looked like they had something to say about this, but even that was easily resolved by Meister simply glaring at Sergei, who in turn moved his eyes to glare at the soldiers.

“Sir Meister, your conversation…”

“We’re almost done. You don’t think I’ve been here that long, right?”

With that, Meister gestured for the adventurer to leave and turned back toward the iron bars. The Demon Knight had quietly lifted his head, focusing his gaze on Meister.

The faint torchlight vaguely outlined the sharp angles of his face.

“…You.”

“Here.”

Meister pressed himself against the bars, positioning himself so the soldiers wouldn’t see what he was passing through the gap.

“…”

However, the problem lay with the Demon Knight himself. Even after all that effort, he hesitated to reach out for it.

He could see the figure in the dim light, almost melting into the darkness, his fingers twitching. Depending on how he moved, his fingertips would vanish almost entirely into the shadows or sometimes catch a fleeting glow of crimson, appearing like shooting stars flying across the night sky.

“Not taking it?”

However, he didn’t particularly like shooting stars. During his most miserable days, the only thing that gave him hope was the stars he could see beyond his small window. Shooting stars were nothing but stars falling to the earth.

So he didn’t want to take it? Meister deliberately urged him again. At last, the hesitant hand finally reached out.

“You wouldn’t happen to have anything to put inside this?”

Of course, he didn’t hand over the leather wrapping. Since he’d claimed the package as his own around the soldiers, he needed something to show when he left.

“…”

The Demon Knight, now holding the contents—what seemed like a bundle of papers—fell silent.

“Take this.”

Then, he held out some things for him to place inside the leather wrapping instead. It was an assortment of random objects: handkerchiefs, headscarves, some regional specialties, and even a few handmade trinkets. He had no idea why the Demon Knight had even gathered these things.

By this point, Meister could only scoff in disbelief. It was now painfully clear the Demon Knight was only trapped in there because he wanted to be.

It wasn’t because of the iron bars, the soldiers standing guard, or because he lacked the strength to escape, but simply because he allowed himself to be.

“…Thanks.”

It seemed their conversation had reached its end. Meister, wondering what exactly that “thanks” was for, watched him turn away before doing the same.

There weren’t many clues to go off, but it was now time to go back and think more about this.

* * *

WE TRIED TLS

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“If you’re grateful, then at least try to live. What I hate most are pointless deaths disguised as noble sacrifices for the good of the majority.”

Hearing Meister’s words, I let out a bitter laugh. A sacrifice for the majority? Could this really be called something like that?

Could I really package my exhaustion as some kind of noble sacrifice?

“…”

Most people wanted me dead, but I didn’t regret struggling for them. After all, it was never really about sacrificing myself for everyone, but more that I couldn’t stand watching people die.

And I didn’t resent those who wanted to execute me either. I mean, it was only natural to fear something too powerful to be controlled, right?

Just like how people in ancient times deified natural disasters or blamed them on Demons. Instead of seeking to understand the principle behind them, it was always much easier to blame something for angering the heavens.

That’s just how people were.

“Hey.”

But.

But still…

“Don’t even think about leaving.”

Even if I understood and accepted their raw hostility, there were moments when it was just so emotionally exhausting.

Even though I knew it was just the nature of people and that, given the situation, their reaction was only natural, there were always moments when my heart simply refused to accept it.

“Don’t worry.”

Even so, I didn’t need anyone to acknowledge my suffering, nor did I need someone to understand my pain. I didn’t want to regret my actions and think something like “I should have just stayed put.”

I mean, if I did, what would become of all the things I’d done so far? What would become of my best efforts? Of all my desperate attempts to accept the present?

“I’ve no intention of leaving.”

I didn’t want all this to become meaningless, so I endured.

However, enduring all the negative emotions that were raining down on me was beyond me right now. I didn’t even want to try. I didn’t have the strength for that. I didn’t want anyone to acknowledge my suffering, but at the same time, I didn’t even have the energy to get angry or laugh it off.

Yeah, it was hard enough just to exist under all that hostility.

“Hah.”

So I just exhaled softly leaning my head against my raised knee. The information about the “Demon Knight” I’d requested two months ago was in my hands, but I didn’t feel like reading it. Thinking about things, analyzing, and making deductions all felt like far too much work.

And knowing I would probably die soon if things continued like this only drained me further. If I was going to die anyway, rendering everything I’d done meaningless, why should I even bother thinking?

I just wanted to rest.

I buried my head in my knees and closed my eyes.

I missed my parents. I wanted to see them so badly.

.

.

.

“Ah, Sir Great Sage.”

“You’re all working hard.”

…But it appeared this world had no intention of letting me rest.

Even in my shallow sleep, I could hear the noise behind me. Someone had come looking for me despite the late hour.

“What brings you here…?”

“The lord asked me to check on his condition.”

Judging from what I heard, the visitor seemed to be a great sage. However, given the voice, it definitely wasn’t the Archmage, but someone else.

Did I really have to deal with that guy? Did I really have to shatter the tiny bit of peace this silence and stillness had granted me?

I curled up even tighter, my stomach hollow and aching from having not eaten since waking up. Honestly, though, I seemed to have reached the point where I felt more comfortable than hungry so long as I didn’t move.

“It doesn’t seem like he’s sleeping, so can I talk to him?”

“How can you tell he’s not sleeping?”

“Because he looked at me.”

“…He’s facing away, though.”

“That’s just how the world looks from your perspective.”

However, he didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving. I let out a small breath, listening to their conversation.

I still didn’t want to deal with this, though.

“Hmm. For now, you should step away.”

“Huh?”

“I need to speak with him alone. Wait nearby or leave if you want, but just make sure you’re not here.”

“…Yes, well. If that’s the case, I’ll wait over there. Just give me a signal when you’re done, sir.”

…I really didn’t want to deal with this.

“It’s finally just the two of us. My apologies for disturbing your rest, but this isn’t something I can have others overhear.”

I seriously didn’t want to deal with that guy.

“So, are you really not going to talk to me?”

Seriously—

“O noble soul from another world.”

Huh?

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