WE TRIED TLS
Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer
Chapter 253 | If (1)
Unable to resist the Warchief’s persuasion, I decided to stay until I found a way to resolve my current situation. Following the plan he’d come up with, I pretended to leave and settled down in an uninhabited part of the forest.
“We’ve prepared a few things for you to use while you stay here. If anything is missing or inconvenient, please let me know.”
But… were you kidding me? Hey, weren’t we supposed to not leave any evidence behind?!
“This is a lot different from what you promised.”
“Don’t worry about it. I took these without letting anyone know, and there’s no chance anyone will notice. Just feel free to use them.”
What was he even talking about? These were items whose absence was supposed to be noticeable, okay? No matter how carefully this was covered up, the moment these items vanished, there was always a risk someone would discover us.
“I won’t accept them. Take them back.”
Even if the only people who knew I was here were the Warchief’s confidants, I couldn’t just do this. Wasn’t he being a bit too reckless here? Didn’t he think my staying here was already risky enough?
Wondering if I was the only one at all worried, I invoked my veto, feeling completely exasperated.
“But…”
“If this happens again, I’ll really leave this place.”
“…Understood.”
Fortunately, the other party backed off at my growling. Eight pupilless eyes narrowed.
“If not all of it, would you at least accept a portion of it? If they hear that you refused everything, both the Mountain Lord and the Warchief will surely be heartbroken.”
Wait. Had they actually backed down? Or had this been their plan to begin with?
I hesitated whether I should reject even this or accept just a little to avoid the Mountain Lord coming to whine to me. The answer was pretty obvious, though.
“…I’ll take the food and medicine only.”
I’d take those. It’d be too annoying for the Mountain Lord to suddenly show up and pout, asking why I didn’t take anything.
“I don’t need healing potions.”
“…Then.”
“…This’ll do.”
Besides, accepting consumables like food and medicine came with some calculation on my part. It’d be easier to cover up such supplies going missing.
Also, though I didn’t say it out loud, those two things were exactly what I needed most right now. Damn it, even setting aside my pitiful firemaking skills, this forest was filled to the brim with bugs.
“Okay.”
When they suddenly broke out into bright smiles, I couldn’t help but have a certain thought cross my mind: “Did I get played…?”
But since I’d already said that I’d accept these supplies, I couldn’t possibly take it back, so I quietly took what I was handed. My empty Inventory began to fill up once more.
“If you come across any problems, please don’t hesitate to call us.”
“Don’t you dare come back.”
I wouldn’t call. I absolutely wouldn’t.
Did they think I was crazy or something?
Grumbling quietly, I turned on my heel. Just in case, I’d made sure to have our meeting spot a good distance from the campsite.
By the way, to get in contact with each other, we set up the system where someone would leave a note with a proposed date, and the other person would show up if they happened to read it in time. If you missed the timing, a meeting simply wouldn’t happen. Just as I planned to do from now on.
Crunch.
Anyway.
The bark I stepped on cracked slightly. It wasn’t because I’d stepped on it too hard, but because the trees around here were so old. Some had roots over two meters in diameter, so that should say enough.
The problem was, those trees grew however they wanted, tangling with each other and forming ridges far taller than I was. Add to that the streams, waterfalls, and slippery moss running between them, and you could understand why almost no one ever came here.
This terrain was just too hellish and rough. It certainly wasn’t a place someone would come to casually gather some herbs or mushrooms.
“Hooh.”
Of course, because of that, it was the perfect place for me to take refuge.
Quietly thankful for this rough terrain, I stopped right in front of a rotting tree. It was so gigantic that completely encircling it would require about twenty 180-cm-tall adults with their arms outstretched, but for some reason, it was now in the process of decaying.
However, the true value of this tree wasn’t its magnificent appearance, but that if I slipped through it just right, it led to a rather spacious underground cave.
“…How did the Mountain Lord even find this place?”
Praising the Mountain Lord, who’d scouted this location, I slipped into the hollow tree. Every time I touched the walls with my hand, I felt soft moss and faint streams of water flowing between my fingers.
“Finally home…”
And soon, when the dark tunnel became tinged with blue.
I finally relaxed. The blue luminous moss and glowing mushrooms aligned perfectly with the area of the cave, meaning I’d officially arrived at my little hideout.
“Ah, I didn’t even do much, but I’m exhausted.”
Out of habit, I muttered the words I used to say when swamped with deadlines. My legs were, ironically, carrying me toward the bed I’d prepared in the corner of the cave.
Well, I called it a bed, but it was really just some moss and leaves laid out in a pile, topped with some animal furs… Still, in an environment like this, it could be called downright luxurious.
When I left—rather, pretended to leave—I was quite glad I’d decided to shamelessly accept the supplies the priest had packed for me.
Sssshhk.
“…Ah.”
It was a good thing I’d gotten more insect repellent today.
I raised my tired body to reach into my Inventory. I could deal with stink bugs, weevils, earwigs, and even cockroaches, but those flies, mites, ants, and sand fleas were just unbearable.
They were so annoying that I couldn’t even be happy that this world didn’t have mosquitoes.
“Die, you spawn of Satan.”
I shoved a bunch of repellent herbs into the small fire I’d lit—after copious amounts of effort.
Bugs, please abandon your hopes of cohabitation with me. As if to answer my prayers, smoke began to curl upward.
“Urgh, pfft.”
Urgh, I was expecting it, but it still stung.
Instead of holding it in to keep up my character or whatever, I let myself cough freely and wave my hands through the air. Even though this cave had pretty good ventilation—of course it did, it wasn’t made of stone but tangled tree roots—the acrid smoke refused to go away so easily.
I wouldn’t suffocate from this, right? Stopping my eyes from watering, I forced my hands, which were about to scratch my bug-bitten legs thoroughly, back down.
I knew from experience that as long as I didn’t touch it, the swelling and itching would go away within an hour.
By the way, this was only because my recovery ability was good, not because the bugs in this world were weak or anything like that. Back when we were traveling along the main road, the Inquisitor and Deathbringer suffered quite a bit.
Yeah. One didn’t have any techniques to prevent bites, and the other didn’t have the power to heal quickly once bitten, so it was war every day. They got so sick of it that they eventually agreed to help each other out…
“Hmm.”
I swallowed the sigh about to come out as I recalled those memories that hadn’t appeared in a while. I’d completely forgotten about them since I’d been caught up in my own problems, but now that they’d caught up to me, the weight of them was surprisingly heavy.
“…I wonder if they’re doing well.”
* * *
WE TRIED TLS
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* * *
I lay back down on the bed and lost myself in my thoughts.
Like, what were the four of them doing right now? Were they shocked that I’d left? Had they decided to come after me? And if so, what made them reach that decision? Stuff like that… They were just those types of thoughts.
“Now that I’m gone, they better be eating more meat.”
I also felt a bit worried.
If the Inquisitor and Deathbringer got into another fight, who’d stop them this time? Who was going to be in charge of dealing damage in their upcoming raids? Could Berserk’s and Weapon Master’s DPS cover the gap I left? Or would they recruit Meister to make up for what they lacked?
That was the kind of stuff appearing in my mind.
“Ah, right. The great sage and Meister.”
In that process, I also remembered a few things I had forgotten. It was mainly about Surging Azure Lake and Meister.
“I hope nothing too bad happened to those two…”
It was true that the two of them had helped him, both directly and indirectly, but even so, I still hoped they wouldn’t be harmed because of it. Especially Meister.
While it was true that he helped me, even if that assistance somewhat influenced my escape, it was just very vague.
“…Seriously. I’ve been acting pretty selfishly, huh?”
Still, even if they ended up in trouble because of me, there was nothing I could do. Furthermore, even if I could turn back time, I’d have made the same decision, knowing full well they might suffer because of it.
No matter what they thought of me, in the end, just like a certain someone, they’d ultimately prioritize the greater good over me. Yeah. Like a certain someone who’d inevitably be forced to put her duty first.
Because in the end, I was the kind of person who put myself first.
“…”
I didn’t find that fact particularly disgusting. Nor did I feel resentful or bitter toward them in return.
I mean, even between couples or parents and children, there were times when they’d choose their ideals and goals over each other, so who was I to think we’d be any different? It wasn’t like there was any special bond between us anyway.
“Ah.”
But.
But still…
“Maybe I should’ve at least left behind an apology.”
I felt some regret, thinking I shouldn’t have just left without telling them anything.
I didn’t regret abandoning them, nor did I feel I’d put them a lot lower on my list of priorities, but rather that “I should’ve at least said something to them.”
Even though leaving a short message behind wouldn’t have justified what I’d done, nor would it have eased my guilt.
“…”
Damn it. I didn’t know anymore.
It wasn’t like thinking about this would turn back time.
After chewing my lip for a long while, I finally relaxed my body. Growwwl. My stomach, which had begun expecting food after being well-fed for the last few weeks, started growling. My depressed mood immediately turned into a wave of absurdity.
“Even at a time like this, I’m hungry… Then again, I was starving even when my leg was completely broken…”
But I didn’t really feel like eating. I knew full well that in times like these, when you didn’t feel like eating, you definitely should. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
I shut my eyes instead.
Maybe it was because there was no stove in this place, but I felt a little cold.
* * *
“Inquisitor.”
The Archmage believed that, when it came to living in a group, hierarchy was quite important. Whether that group leaned toward vertical or horizontal hierarchy didn’t matter.
At the very least, the one with the final decision-making power should carry the authority and dignity befitting the top of the hierarchy. Otherwise, the group wouldn’t last very long. That was something she’d come to realize after years of experience.
“He did make the request under those terms, but… What do you think, Inquisitor?”
That was why the Archmage carefully asked her Companion, despite the latter only finally managing to get some time to rest. She knew it would interrupt her break time, but she had no other choice.
Of course, she was respected as an elder, and she’d been given the title of Great Sage, which came with some authority, but that didn’t mean she could overstep her authority in the group, right?
The leader was the one who ultimately had to choose new members, and in this party, the sole leader and core was the Hero. How could the Archmage, who could offer advice but certainly wasn’t the captain of this ship, make those decisions on her own?
“Will you accept his request?”
So she was forced to press the Inquisitor, whose cheeks looked incredibly gaunt, for an answer. “Please, give me a moment to think.” Her sunken green eyes almost begged for a bit of time.
Even though the Archmage had summarized the matter as concisely as possible, it was still enough to throw the Inquisitor’s mind into disarray. Quite understandably so.
“…God recently granted me an oracle.”
“…Pardon?”
However, what she said next was entirely unexpected.
The Archmage was caught off guard by this, and the Inquisitor lowered her gaze. That movement, which could be interpreted as bewilderment, caused the Archmage, who’d been about to speak up, to fall silent.
“May I ask… what kind of oracle it was?”
“I was told to go north to seek an answer.”
“North…”
“And finally, I’ve been told… Hmm. To send back the one who is lost. Though I’m not sure if that’s the correct interpretation.”
If she’d received an oracle, informing the Temple would’ve been the next step. However, at the Inquisitor’s subsequent words, the Archmage reflexively thought of a certain someone.
“To kill… or to save… It could be interpreted either way.”
Could it be… this oracle was directed at someone they knew? Of course, no name was mentioned, and the odds were greater that it wasn’t, but still.
“…It’s been a long while since God delivered such vague words.”
Even that aside, this was the first time an oracle could be interpreted in so many ways. The Archmage paid particular attention to that.
“Normally, no matter how they’re phrased, most oracles still boil down to a single meaning…”
That was only natural. Oracles were exceedingly rare to begin with, but when they did occur, they were usually pretty straightforward in meaning. When God warned of the Demons invading, or when the Commandments increased from nine to ten, or even during the selection of the Hero, it wasn’t any different.
The God of this world didn’t enjoy having his words twisted in various ways.
“Even the phrase ‘the one who is lost’ is very vague. That descriptor alone leaves too much room for interpretation…”
This oracle was highly unusual in that it could be interpreted in three different ways, and you couldn’t even immediately tell who it was referring to.
The Archmage rested her hand on her chin, pondering. A nail she’d forgotten to trim pressed against her cheek.
“Do you really think so? The moment I heard your words, I had a feeling about who this oracle might refer to.”
It scratched the flesh hidden beneath her fur, and a bead of blood slowly appeared.
“…Inquisitor.”
“Once things are finished here, I’ll head north. And as for Inquisitor Daniel joining us… I don’t mind. But tell him he should make sure not to cause any trouble for the temple he belongs to.”
“…”
The Archmage touched her cheek, which stung slightly, as she listened to the Inquisitor’s dry voice. Could this be undone somehow?
“I’ll report the oracle to the Temple myself. Until then, please pretend you don’t know. If they hear it, they’ll definitely push for us to leave immediately.”
Could all of this still be resolved somehow?
“…Understood.”
…Was she going to fail again?
The Archmage left, not saying a single thing.
