WE TRIED TLS

Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer

Chapter 238 | Even in a Life Like This (1)

At dawn, the Mountain Lord let out a deep sigh as he felt countless eyes gather on him.

He’d only offered some charity for a few days, but now, whenever mealtime approached, they naturally started looking at him like a nest full of baby birds.

However, there was one problem: baby birds had the excuse of being newly born and ignorant of the world, but those people were full-grown adults.

Given the circumstances, he was willing to show them some consideration, but it still didn’t feel very gratifying. This was especially true when he considered the effort required each time, and even more so when he considered what these guys did when they first came here.

> [Just how did it come to this…?]

> [I wasn’t the one who ordered you to do this, okay?]

> [Yes, yes… I know. You didn’t, Ancestor…]

And then there was someone else beside him. Someone who hadn’t directly forced him to take up this responsibility, but who had at least nudged him in that direction.

The Mountain Lord glanced at the young turtle and sighed once more.

Memories of when he first arrived here filled his mind.

.

.

.

> [I’m hungry.]

The Mountain Lord had traveled all the way to the border between the Eastern and Northern lands to reverse what that tiger had done. However, just when he was about to proceed forward, some sort of voice forced him to stop and turn back.

That’s why he was now in the middle of the Eastern lands.

> [Hey, if you keep whining like that, I’ll just leave you behind.]

> […That’s too much.]

The Mountain Lord kept moving his body toward the voice that echoed continuously in his head. “Everyone on guard reported experiencing unnatural drowsiness! Are you still going to deny being involved in the Demon’s escape?!” Meanwhile, the people’s voices grew louder as he neared where they had gathered.

> [But, why did you only come now? I mean, I’m not saying I resent you or anything, it’s just that I’m really curious…]

However, ignoring voices was pretty easy for him given his physical form. “I don’t know. I can’t remember.” If anything was difficult, it was trying to accurately recognize a person’s voice. “Maybe I just accidentally hit the wrong people when attempting to put the Demon Knight to sleep.” However, the Mountain Lord had long since learned to filter out only what he wanted to hear. “Sir Great Sage!” He shook his body.

> [I was asleep.]

> [Ah, I see.]

> [For a very long time. I even forgot how to maintain the cycle.]

> […What?]

With just a few more moves, he’d reach the owner of that voice.

However, upon hearing those words, the Mountain Lord stopped in his tracks, utterly shocked.

“How can you call this speaking?!” the person right below him started to shout.

> [Ah, let me correct myself. It wasn’t that I forgot, but I was forced not to maintain the cycle.]

The voice speaking to the Mountain Lord took the chance to continue.

Considering that the voice’s owner was supposed to be the Mountain Lord’s ancestor, foundation, and very origin, this was somewhat absurd.

“Hmm, what a strange question. If I’m conveying my thoughts through vocal symbols, what else would you call it besides speaking?” Anyway, that was it.

> [My other half kept putting me to sleep. Every time the cycle came and I tried to awaken, and every time after that, again and again…]

He’d always wondered why his ancestor had vanished after bringing him into this world.

The Mountain Lord opened and closed his mouth several times at the unbelievable confession of the one people called the “Land Turtle.” “Sir Great Sage, this isn’t the time for wordplay…” He had no words.

> [At some point, I didn’t even have the strength to awaken anymore. So I just kept sleeping.]

> [Then you don’t know why you finally woke up this time…?]

> [That’s not it. Even asleep, I was completely aware of my surroundings.]

> [Ah, I see.]

> [Yes… I watched my other half try to drain the life force I had accumulated to make themselves immortal. I saw it all, every detail.]

Yeah, he really had no words.

> [Erm, well. What am I supposed to say here?]

The Mountain Lord smacked his forehead with his tail, much like the mortal below him had not too long ago, and then slowly started to move again.

“How irritating. For you to dismiss my words as mere wordplay. If you’re going to keep acting like this, I’d rather end this pointless conversation and get back to my work.” The half-ruined city and the crowd of people passed between his body.

> [Wait a second. Did I mishear you? Did you really just say immortal…?]

> [You didn’t mishear. Immortal. My other half absolutely hated the idea of having to pass on their life to their offspring.]

> [Wow…]

The shocking words of the Land Turtle kept flowing endlessly in the midst of all this. Immortality was a violation of the natural order, or in other words, corruption.

“Sir Great Sage, if you keep this up, you’ll regret it later.” An enraged person’s voice scattered into the air. “Oh, are you planning to hold a heresy trial? Do whatever you want. At least I won’t regret a single thing.” A sigh came right after as if they understood something.

> [However, violating the natural order always leads to corruption… My other half was no exception. It was inevitable.]

Maybe it was. The Land Turtle just confirmed what he’d already begun to suspect.

Their other half, probably called the Black Serpent, had indeed succumbed to corruption.

“I’m curious, though. If cooperation with Demons is the standard for heresy, how many people in this city could still claim not to be heretics…?” The Mountain Lord awkwardly lowered his gaze.

> [Oh my. So that’s how this city ended up in this state…]

> [My other half also played a role in it. Not entirely though.]

This city had somehow ended up in ruins, and the people were clustered together like this.

The Mountain Lord clicked his tongue, sticking his head into a nearby tent where the owner of the voice in his head seemed to be. “How dare you utter such blasphemy…!” The people in the area erupted into screams and shouts, making his head hurt slightly, but with his years of experience, the Mountain Lord simply shut his ears off.

Instead, his sharp eyes scanned the inside of a tent.

> [So you were here… Yes…]

However, the Land Turtle he saw there looked truly insignificant.

It seemed they hadn’t been exaggerating when they said their accumulated life force had been drained; they were indeed pretty small.

Gone was the towering body described in myths, with its steel-like shell and massive limbs that could stir the ocean. All they were now was a tiny baby turtle.

Just how much power had been drained?

The Mountain Lord kept silent for a moment. Yeah, this was quite the pitiful sight.

Even though the other half’s schemes had left them in that state, they were fundamentally responsible for failing to stop them.

> [There’s no need to see it that way. Losing all my power was miserable, but thanks to that, I managed to avoid corruption.]

For better or worse, the Land Turtle continued talking before the Mountain Lord could open his mouth. Unlike before, when they’d whined about being hungry, they were quite calm.

> [Of course, had I been reduced any later, I might have lost even the strength to sustain my life and fully died… Well, the Black Serpent did try to keep me alive.]

> [That’s… You must have been through a lot.]

> [I have. But more importantly, I’m hungry.]

> [Yes, yes.]

Still, it seemed there was a limit to how long the Land Turtle could endure hunger.

The Mountain Lord hurriedly moved his tail. As it passed through the tents, he materialized only the very tip of it when he made contact with the turtle.

They latched onto it.

> [Alright, let’s go.]

> [Are we going far?]

> [Not too far. Just somewhere people won’t see us.]

Although his body existed at the boundary of tangible and intangible, allowing things to pass through him easily, he still found people constantly walking through his body quite unpleasant.

Thus, the Mountain Lord made his way out of the area. The serpent, carrying a tiny turtle at the end of its tail, slipped out from the crowds of people.

* * *

WE TRIED TLS

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> [Why did you stop? Didn’t you say we had to go somewhere out of sight?]

> [I did, but…]

However, there was something just as unpleasant as having people constantly walk through his body.

Before leaving the place where the mortals were completely, the Mountain Lord glanced back at the settlement.

Shabby tents, filthy skin, skeletal limbs, and lifeless expressions. A sight he would’ve never encountered in the Great Forest, the place under his protection.

Even when the tribes of the Great Forest fought over the position of Warchief, they still had access to the minimum amount of food they needed—thanks to the abundance of nature, which flourished greatly under his care.

That was why this miserable sight was quite shocking to him, and when he considered why these people had become like this—though he wasn’t responsible, his ancestor had played some part in it—he felt even more uneasy.

The Mountain Lord’s eyes became gloomy.

> [Now that I think about it, as your descendant, I feel like I should do something. That would make me feel a bit better, at least.]

> […?]

Moreover, a certain knight he was quite fond of would never leave people in this state. Just thinking about him made it increasingly difficult for the Mountain Lord to just stand still.

Recalled the favor he’d once received, he lifted his head.

> [Hold on tight. The ground is about to shake.]

Then the head he had raised slammed back down onto the ground.

Right then, countless fruits and grains that could nourish the starving people burst forth.

“Wh-what is this…?!”

“…Amazing. Who could have done such a thing…?”

> [Why did you…?]

> [Hehe.]

The people were utterly shocked when faced with this sudden growth of edible things, and the Land Turtle stared at it in bewilderment, unable to understand the situation.

Since this wasn’t a choice he’d made purely for the people, the Mountain Lord could only let out a laugh.

If the Knight who’d once given up his precious lifeline for the sake of the East were to see this, he’d surely tell him he’d done well.

That alone was enough reason for him to act.

“This, huh?!”

> [They’ve spotted us.]

> [Oops.]

The only minor problem was that using this power meant his body would temporarily become visible.

Also, this wasn’t a dense forest area, but an open plain. If a gigantic white snake suddenly appeared, no matter how lucky it was, it was bound to be noticed immediately.

“A-a monster!”

“Another monster has come to kill us!”

“It… doesn’t seem to be a Demon though.”

“Sir Great Sage, what’s that gigantic snake…?”

“Do you think I know everything in the world? Although, it does remind me of a Primordial Beast said to reside in the Great Forest.”

“…You’re right.”

“Ah, so it was real?”

And so, the Mountain Lord was momentarily mistaken for a monster.

Given that the Land Turtle’s other half, the Black Serpent, had razed this city not too long ago, it made sense that the people would react like that… but it still hurt.

The only consolation was that at least some of them recognized him.

“Would it be too much to ask you to use a little more of your strength? If we could just get a few more of these fruits…”

However, once his identity and safety were confirmed, people began coveting his power, which was incredibly uncomfortable.

> [This is the first time I’ve actually missed those stupid priests…]

The Mountain Lord briefly missed the warmth of his followers.

.

.

.

> [Haah… I really do need those priests, huh…?]

After reminiscing a little, the Mountain Lord found himself gazing at the people of Bemurchen once more, missing the denizens of the Great Forest.

He’d always found those nagging priests annoying when he lived there, but now that he looked back, everything they’d done had been for his sake. Even when they’d told him just to stay in his nest, it had been for a similar reason.

They weren’t trying to control and bore him to death; they just didn’t want to burden him. Unlike these people.

> [Urgh.]

But no matter how quickly it came, regret always arrived too late.

With thoughts about the Great Forest’s denizens filling his mind, the Mountain Lord raised his tail. The light reflected off his white scales, making them gleam like clouds in the sky.

“It’s moving!”

Applying just a little more strength, the tip of his tail sharpened like a spear. Then, in one motion, the Mountain Lord stabbed it straight into the ground.

“It’s growing!”

However, as the tip touched the ground, whatever sound or tremor should have occurred wasn’t there.

His tail simply merged with the earth, infusing power into it.

Sssssshh!

On the land that had only produced grass, crops and fruit trees were now rapidly beginning to grow.

“Stop, stop! Don’t touch them yet!”

“Wait until we count them… Don’t eat them yet!”

The trees stretched out their roots and branches, and soon, they began to bear fruit that grew and ripened within mere moments.

Hands shot out to grab these fruits not long after. They belonged to the city’s survivors, who’d lived under strict control in the name of protection.

“We’ll distribute them, so just hold on for now…!”

“Don’t hoard them! Anyone caught hoarding will be punished!”

Soldiers quickly started restraining the survivors. This was to prevent a minority—those still healthy and strong enough to compete—from hoarding all the fruit, but the number of fights that had broken out because of it already exceeded ten.

And if you included the fights that had happened before this, it would be twice that.

> [Oh my… These idiots are fighting again, again.]

This wasn’t why he’d given them food, but people were just too greedy.

With the supply convoys coming in alongside reinforcements, the fresh game being hunted, and the fruits he’d provided them, while they weren’t exactly living in luxury, they certainly weren’t starving to death.

> [Maybe you should just stop giving them food then?]

> [I’d like to do that as well, but… Haah.]

If he cut them off now, how would they react? They wouldn’t dare try to harm him as the difference in power was just too great, but…

> […It’s just so hateful seeing these idiots worshipping that stupid tiger.]

The Mountain Lord rested his head between his coils, his expression weary.

It would be one thing if he were just reviving some forest, but accelerating time to forcefully produce crops and fruit every day was just too draining.

> [The lives that knight saved while suffering all that disgrace. I can’t just let them die like this…]

> [How hardworking.]

> [But, unlike beasts that only follow the law of survival of the fittest, people use their strength to protect the weak. Don’t you think that’s rather admirable?]

Of course, he could still endure this kind of fatigue for now. The Mountain Lord had always liked people who lowered themselves to help others despite having overwhelming power, and the results such people achieved.

> [So you’re just going to stay?]

> [Come on, I won’t go that far. I like people a bit, but even I have my limits.]

But the one person he respected the most wasn’t here, and the results of his efforts were, quite frankly, disappointing, so his patience was currently wearing thin. Moreover, he’d already repaid his debt to that knight.

> [Then?]

> [I heard the fourth wave of reinforcements is coming soon, right? Once they get here, I will leave.]

So, recalling that piece of information, the Mountain Lord set a clear limit. If any of the people present had understood his language, they probably would’ve fainted.

Well, since no one here could do that, it didn’t really matter.

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