WE TRIED TLS
Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer
Chapter 256 | If (4)
Hah.
The moment the blade pierced the Knight’s chest. Mephistopheles let out a sharp laugh. Her white hair, swaying with her movement, seemed even more colorless in contrast to her pitch-black robes.
You dare threaten me with your life?
She gritted her teeth as she watched the red liquid falling from above begin to pool.
You dare threaten me?
Once it all pooled in this place, this body would die. It would crumble away.
And when that happened, the souls bound to this flesh by the contract would share the same fate, left gasping for breath for countless years. Broken and shattered, forced to crawl in misery until every fracture has been completely healed.
That damned bastard…
She couldn’t stand that. She could never allow that. Mephistopheles recalled the helplessness she’d felt when her body was stolen away. Having her soul shattered would bring a shock no less severe. She never wanted to experience that ever again.
Her hand tugged obsessively at the sleeves of the clothes wrapped perfectly around her body.
Boom!
At the same time, her foot struck the imaginary ground beneath her. The liquid that had begun to gather below surged upward, flowing back from whence it came.
Death will never be able to devour this body.
「It’s meaningless.」
Then, a figure seated in the corner of this imaginary space spoke up. The soul, which had shrunk over the years, let out a weary, exhausted voice completely unlike its appearance.
Who decides that?
But she didn’t care. Instead of pity, Mephistopheles spat out annoyance. Instead of affirmation, she exuded fury. In fact, that statement was correct. If things remained as they were, she’d lose. However, those feelings were hidden deep within her. She’d never allow herself to show them.
Master of Deceit and Trickery. That was the first accolade she’d ever embraced.
「…You’ve lost.」
As I asked, who decides that?
At the same time, she subtly extracted the hidden truth from her opponent’s hesitant words.
How foolish. That guy couldn’t even be certain of his own victory. That was rather good news to Mephistopheles.
Good. If she played this right, she could avoid a future where she might die without a single chance to act as well as the outcome where that damned Gretchen could exploit her weakness.
Kukuku. The laughter she’d been suppressing resonated across the empty world. Her opponent flinched, giving her yet another chance.
Kid, you don’t really think this is the end, do you? That he’ll die and return to where he belongs?
「…You can’t save him.」
Oh, do you really think so?
Just a little more pressure. Feeling confident of that, Mephistopheles roughly formed a throne to sit on.
A throne that continuously crumbled and reformed manifested before her.
Really?
「…Yes.」
Lies.
She sat on the throne with a gentle motion. The long robe that had been trailing behind her like a cloak folded up to her knees, revealing slender ankles beneath the hem of her pants.
Although it showed no bare skin, the subtle twitch of her foot made it impossible to tell whether her composure was feigned or sincere. Her opponent, unable to see through Mephistopheles’ trick, stiffened once more.
If this battle continued, she’d inevitably lose, but her opponent, fidgeting nervously in place, seemed unaware of that. How foolish.
Mephisto sneered inwardly at the sight.
You know it too, don’t you? Gretchen knows far too much now.
「…」
However, that’s precisely why this guy was so easily deceived.
Just because she couldn’t win… didn’t mean she’d already lost. Right?
「…!」
It’d be one thing if she could use all her strength, but with most of it suppressed by the contract, she could barely keep the blood from flowing out and the oxygen from depleting, let alone fill the hole left in their heart. Her opponent didn’t seem to have noticed that.
That guy also didn’t know that even in the Great Forest, the only reason this body had survived was because the surrounding mortals had provided stellar aftercare.
That guy didn’t know that although the Veil of Ignorance had weakened, allowing her to interfere more, it only meant she could ensure the body’s survival for thirty more minutes!
That’s the reason she could deceive him like this.
Mephisto leaned back in the throne, swallowing another laugh.
Now, let’s be frank. In this endless duel between spear and shield, who do you think will win? The one who must keep stabbing himself in the heart until he dies? Or the one who must heal the heart until the other gives up?
「…You.」
Who do you think will break first?
「…!」
Now then, let’s roast this foolish, ignorant soul. With that in mind, Mephisto whispered in a singsong way.
Surely, you still think this way: “Even if it takes a bit, as long as he dies, it’ll be so much better for him. He’d rather suffer for a bit and go home…” But are you entirely certain? After stabbing himself in the heart multiple times, do you really believe he’ll return to live a normal life?
「…Kurgh!」
Ah, poor, pitiful Gretchen. Just how did he end up getting tangled with someone so ruthless and cruel?
「…Shut up.」
How did he… get put in this situation where no one is there to save him, even as a noose tightens around his neck?
「Shut up!」
Haha, kid. You shouldn’t vent your self-loathing on others… This was entirely your choice, wasn’t it?
Honestly, it was almost ridiculous how that guy reacted the moment she scratched him a bit.
So… make your decision. Will you gamble by leaving him be, or will you choose to ease his pain…?
This was why the young and immature were just no good. Mephistopheles smoothly lifted the corners of her mouth, waiting for his answer. Splash, splash. As a result of her struggle with that guy, the red liquid now reached her ankles.
「…I have conditions.」
…Oh my. I didn’t think you would treat Gretchen this badly.
「If you don’t want to accept them, so be it. We’ll just have to see who tires out first, then.」
…
But even this would noticeably swell after thirty or forty minutes. Before then, she absolutely had to coax this damn brat and gain the right to use her power.
Mephistopheles maintained a faint smile as she pretended to listen.
「Give it back. The power that should rightfully belong to the Land Turtle.」
If that cursed brat hadn’t crossed the line with that demand, perhaps she really would’ve adhered. Veins bulged atop her gloved hand.
「Otherwise, I won’t allow it.」
Had he caught on? Had he really? Mephistopheles stared intently into his shaking pupils. No, he wasn’t entirely sure, but…
It seemed he’d lost all sense of fear.
「I told you. If you don’t like it, just refuse.」
He’d only weighed the agony Gretchen would have to endure for days, constantly killing himself, against what she might be able to do using the Land Turtle’s power, so he took a desperate gamble.
Yeah, that’s all this was.
So she decided to take the deal.
「Fine.」
Flames began to drip from the hem of Mephistopheles’s robe.
* * *
WE TRIED TLS
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://discord.gg/fWhFX6JvB4
* * *
The Land Turtle calmly watched the one who’d just stabbed into his own chest.
It wasn’t because they wanted to. They simply lacked the power to stop it, so all they could do was silently watch.
> […Should I call for help now?]
No. Actually, there was at least one thing they could do. Just because they had no power didn’t mean others didn’t, right?
Moreover, they had the ability to inform the Mountain Lord of what was happening here right now. All they had to do was wish for it. They only had to recognize the Mountain Lord and call out their name, and the message would be delivered in less than a second.
In other words, if the Land Turtle truly wanted to intervene in this crazy act, they could.
> [Do I really have to witness this kind of nonsense in my later years, seriously…]
At the same time, they couldn’t. Sadly, the Land Turtle fundamentally lacked the power to save the Knight. They hadn’t the strength to persuade him not to leap off the edge, nor the power to resolve the contradiction of having to choose death to survive.
So, how could they stop it? Saying stuff like “This isn’t right” without offering an alternative would just make them yet another person adding to his suffering. They weren’t qualified to stop the Knight’s gamble.
> […Mountain Lord.]
> [Yes?]
> [When you come later… don’t just come here. Bring more food. Something good for restoring strength.]
> [Oh. Got it.]
They also didn’t want their descendant to bear witness to this madness. The Land Turtle lowered their head, wondering whether this was truly the right choice.
> [Inquisitor Daniel, who lives in Dorfmine, huh…]
Meanwhile, they tried to memorize what the Knight had requested of them. If things turned out as the Knight hoped, that would be fine, but there was still a chance they wouldn’t, so it couldn’t be helped.
If they couldn’t even fulfill this one last request, they wouldn’t be able to hold their head up high until the day they died.
> [Dorfmine… Inquisitor Daniel… Dor… Damn it, why do mortals use such tongue-twisting names?]
However… while repeating it to ensure they wouldn’t forget, a few questions came to mind.
From context, Dorfmine was probably some sort of city, and Daniel seemed like a person’s name… but what the hell kind of relationship did they have for him to want his corpse delivered to that guy? Maybe a relative of this body’s original owner? But if he was an inquisitor, he definitely belonged to the Temple. Even if he was a relative of this body, would someone of the Temple honor the corpse of someone so heavily tainted with Demonic Energy?
> […Seriously.]
Who knew. They just had to send it to that guy since the Knight had requested it. Plus, it wasn’t like he was dead yet.
The Land Turtle muttered to themself, curling up and seeming a bit gloomier. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Time passed slowly with the sound of dripping water.
> [Haah.]
And exactly twenty minutes after the Knight had carved that wound into his heart, the wound instantly closed and his eyes opened.
His eyes, which had once been filled with some gloom, faint hope, and resignation, were now slowly heating up with rage.
> [Those damn mortals.]
This wasn’t just the fury of someone forced to go this far to survive. The essence of the fire in his eyes was completely different, a vicious flame of hatred that sought to scorch everything in the world.
> [How dare they mock me like this…?]
> […Damn it.]
The cursed flame they’d seen in that city of mortals.
> [I’ll kill them. I’ll definitely kill them.]
But it was trapped. Even though no chain in this world should be able to hold back such fire, it was bound and suppressed by thick iron shackles.
That was the Land Turtle’s only hope.
> […Wh-what the hell? Why did that thing suddenly wake up and start mouthing off like that?]
Despite the pressure caused by the difference in strength between them, the Land Turtle tensed their neck and legs. The years engraved in their soul wouldn’t allow them to flinch before a restrained beast.
Thump.
The left eye, dyed red, locked directly onto them.
> [Let’s make a deal, you stinking beast.]
> […What the hell is this crazy Demon bastard suddenly talking about?]
Had the Knight known this would happen when he stabbed his own heart? But if he’d known, wouldn’t that be a reason not to do it? Even if he was being forced, letting a Demon loose in the forest was more like repaying kindness with betrayal, right?
> [It won’t be a loss for you.]
While the Land Turtle was screaming internally, imagining all sorts of things, the awakened Demon snapped its fingers. At that, the Zweihänder that had been neatly placed nearby melted like slime.
Squelch. Then, a white shadow pooled over the ground, opening its gaping maw.
> [That’s…]
From that maw born from the very boundary of the dimension where only pure power remained, something burst forth.
The Land Turtle’s eyes widened. That was their power.
> [What you have to do is simple. Stay silent about what happened while this mortal was unconscious and agree with whatever he says.]
Meanwhile, the Demon calmly put away the dagger and removed the gauntlet, speaking with cold irritation. Its snappy tone made it very clear just how little it liked this whole situation.
> […This deal’s too good, to the point where it’s hard to believe.]
But who’d believe it? The Land Turtle kept their guard up, glaring at the Demon. Eyes of faded crimson, like trampled lotus petals or washed-out pink cloth, stared straight at them.
Drip, drip. Black flames fell from the hem of the Demon’s clothes.
> [Do you think your trust matters here?]
This bastard had definitely lost it. The Land Turtle reflexively fell silent at the Demon’s growl.
Fwoooosh. As if expecting this, the Demon gathered flames at their fingertips. Soon, a contract appeared.
> [What matters here isn’t mutual trust. It’s what we each get from this deal.]
Contracts governed by ancient magic could be read even by the illiterate and seen even by the blind. Thanks to that, the Land Turtle could understand the contents clearly.
The conditions the Demon had stated were all written there in detail, with no loopholes to exploit.
There were no special harmful clauses.
> […Why?]
> [Accept or reject. Those are your only choices.]
Anyway, what was with everyone in that body having zero manners? The Land Turtle narrowed their eyes at the Demon.
> [Choose.]
The orb, power which had been stolen from them long ago, rolled within the Demon’s palm.
> […I’ll accept.]
They didn’t know what this deal meant, but they were certain the poor Knight would lose yet another clue because of it.
But what else could they do? They’d clearly told the Knight. The only one who could be your eternal ally was yourself. Even those who seemed like allies now might end up stabbing you in the back at any moment.
> [Good.]
> […]
And so, the Land Turtle… chose the option that would benefit themself a bit more than the Knight. However, they didn’t feel good about it.
The orb dropped before them, and the Demon collapsed like a marionette whose strings had been cut.
> […Nothing ever ends well when you get tangled up with Demons, I swear.]
The Land Turtle bit the power that had once been part of them and pulled it back into their shell. If they absorbed this power all at once with this shrunken vessel, it would surely burst, so they planned to take it in slowly.
> [Sigh.]
Of course, throughout the process, the Knight would weigh on their mind, Damn it.
> [Blame me…]
But… but…
Haah. With a sigh, the Land Turtle gave up even muttering excuses in their mind. Instead, they simply waited for the Knight to open his eyes once more.
After some time, his grayish eyes peeked through half-closed eyelids.
“…When did I collapse?”
The Land Turtle couldn’t answer that question, unsure whether it was due to the contract or the emotional turmoil within them.
> [You…]
“Ah… I’m sorry. I must’ve made a mistake.”
However, the Knight didn’t dwell on his collapse for long.
…What? The Land Turtle, mouth agape in confusion, felt like something was off.
“My apologies. I’m still inexperienced.”
But the Knight didn’t give them any time to think properly.
“I won’t fail again.”
The right arm, left uncovered from when the Demon had removed the gauntlet, was raised into view. Beneath the slightly loose bandages, dark skin filled with pure Demonic Energy was exposed.
“How is it? Is the Demonic Energy hidden?”
No, it was still showing.
Until it turned as pale as the rest of his skin.
“Did I succeed?”
The Land Turtle could no longer say a single word.
____
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://discord.gg/fWhFX6JvB4
____
