WETRIED TRANSLATION
Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer
[Translator – Aren]
◈Chapter 262 If (10)
Ekuah watched the figure walking away. The loosely tied-down, wheat-colored hair looked a little awkward, but that was all.
The upright spine, the straight shoulders, and the firmness in his posture were the same as before. Even though his appearance had changed and the features that made him stand out were hidden, he was still the Knight they knew.
And he probably always would be.
【So, are you really not going to say anything until the very end?】
[Hmpf.]
And this unyielding, prideful being that just couldn’t be honest would probably also always remain their eternal anchor. Ekua let out a soft laugh as he spotted the little turtle that had slowly crawled up on the Mountain Lord’s back.
[What’s there to like about him?]
【Even you are like that, Lord Land Turtle. You went to such lengths for his sake, and you still won’t act like that.】
[No, that’s……]
[Hehe. Why not just go say goodbye? You never know when you’ll see him again.]
The Land Turtle let out a snort at the Mountain Lord’s remark.
[Why would I even bother seeing him again?]
But Ekuah and the Mountain Lord both knew that it wasn’t telling the truth. They laughed again.
[So you’re saying this is the last time, then?]
[Yes. It is. I won’t see him anymore! I’ve done more than enough. Why would I want to meet him again?]
[And yet you still went and blessed those items.]
[Tsk. I only did that because it would’ve been a waste of money otherwise.]
Right. If one were to list things the Land Turtle and the Mountain Lord both considered to be worthless, the currency of mortals would be at the top.
Even if it had been a waste of money, to the Land Turtle, money would be infinitesimally unimportant compared to the strength it just recovered. In other words, unless it genuinely cared about the recipient, there was no way it would ever spend even a fraction of his regained power to bless an item.
That was why Ekuah knew full well that it was lying, to which he couldn’t help but smile faintly.
[What are you smiling for?]
【I usually smile a lot……】
[Tch, this brat.]
Oh, he could have said【You’re not being honest again.】but he didn’t.
Why would he tell this Land Turtle, who even got angry by looking at his smiling face, what he really thought? Ekuah had no intention of earning himself another lecture.
[Urgh, seriously. I can’t even punish you for this.]
Well, it seemed like it had already read his thoughts from looking at the smile he wore.
The Mountain Lord and Ekuah exchanged some smiles again like that.
[So what kind of blessing did you give him anyway?]
[…None of your business!]
[Hnnnnng.]
[Tsk, you’re so embarrassing.]
The Land Turtle spat in response to the Mountain Lord’s cutesy whining and curled up. But contrary to what he said, its gaze still hadn’t moved away from the direction the Knight had disappeared into.
[…A firmness that cannot be crushed even when it's crushed by a mountain. That won’t cave under the pull of the deepest ocean. That won’t melt even if it falls into molten lava.]
[…Oh?]
[That’s all I granted.]
As expected, the Land Turtle really did care about the Knight. From the way it scolded the Mountain Lord to bring him more food to the way it personally made sure those two items would never break no matter what.
[Isn’t that totally amazing? Ancestor, so you do like the knig— Ouch!]
[You little brat, I let you off a few times and now you’re climbing all over me!]
[Ah, not the scales! Don’t lift the scales!!]
Ekuah just smiled innocently as he watched the two squabble. It warmed his heart to see that someone else cared so much for someone he also liked.
[Hnnng. You always hit me……]
[Because you’re always asking for it.]
[Hnnnnnnggg.]
And so, may only fortune follow him from now on. May the world itself bless him.
With this silent prayer to fate, Ekuah turned around and walked off. It was time to go back.
* * *
“Haah, I can finally breathe a little!”
Fierce White Wind, Murloch, stretched wide, clutching the massive brim of her hat.
“Tell me about it……”
Even the chief wizard, who didn’t stop her from running off and even came along claiming to become her accomplice, seemed to feel the same.
He didn’t stretch, but he pressed both hands over her mouth, expressing her emotions with his full body. Even the sunlight and wind brushing against her skin felt like a blessing from heaven right now.
“People need sunlight to live.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“No matter how much money is on the line, being trapped in a dark basement for more than ten days is just straight-up abuse!”
“Right, right!”
Honestly, if one found out about what they had been through, no one could blame them for their reactions. These two had spent twenty days locked underground, drowning in a flood of item-making requests. And even after all that, the pile of orders had barely lessened. They would have to be locked in for at least another ten days.
“Alright then, quickly, onwards! To get my own blanket, I march!!”
“I maaaarch!!”
Wasn’t it just inhumane to keep someone underground for thirty whole days?
At least White Wind couldn’t tolerate that treatment. And as her assistant, the chief wizard, who had been locked in with her, shared her sentiment exactly. They craved freedom. Freedom to breathe in fresh air. Freedom to buy one of those blankets that had been trending in the Magic Tower. These kinds of essentials.
“But where were those blankets being sold again?”
On another note, maybe it was because she had been far too busy with work, but White Wind couldn’t remember their destination at all. Behind her, the chief wizard promptly tripped over a rock.
“…The Chirity Merchant company.”
“Ah, that’s right. Maybe I’m getting old. I keep forgetting these kinds of things lately.”
Right……If it really was because of aging, wouldn’t she have forgotten the list of 4,000 Arcane ingredients circulating in the Magic Tower first? The chief wizard played with that thought but wisely didn’t say it out loud. If he did, White Wind would definitely have said something like, ‘Maybe if you’re an idiot like you?’.
“Hmm. If we’re headed to the Chirity Merchant company…… We’ll get to see that cute little girl again too!”
“Cute little girl?”
“You know, the kid we agreed to look after.”
Sure, the one who had requested them to do this became a wanted man now, but that didn’t mean they could just wash their hands of the request and walk away. Especially considering the amount of money involved in that job—or rather, the amount the other party refused to accept.
“From the regular reports, it seems like she’s doing pretty well.”
The Demon Knight had only asked them to keep an eye on her until she could stand on her own, not to monitor her or anything similar, and since they had decided to arrange the child’s job at that merchant company through a friend of a friend of a friend, instead of using the Magic Tower’s direct connections, he didn’t really receive any concrete updates on her daily life.
However, she had heard from the errand boy she had sent out to check up on her that she was still as bright and lively as ever. And thanks to the minor personal investment she had put into that company, her living conditions seemed to have improved a lot as well—a happy coincidence that the company leader was the kind who genuinely cared for their employees’ wellbeing.
So, it probably wasn’t too much of a stretch to say they hadn’t just pocketed that commission. Even if White Wind hadn’t had to do much thanks to how well the kid had settled in.
“If I give her some spending money while I’m at it, I won’t look too bad, right?”
“That depends on how much you give her, right?”
“With how much I’ve been earning lately…… maybe 500,000 gal?”
She didn’t really have any time to spend his money anymore anyway. Between the flood of orders and soaring item prices, her wealth kept amassing. So what was 500.000 gal really? She could easily make twice that by selling just a single item.
“Only 500,000 gal?”
“I’d love to give her a million, but I’m afraid she’d get uncomfortable and refuse.”
“True.”
To be fair, 500,000 gal was a huge amount of spending money… but she thought that this much would be fine. From their lofty perspective as wizards who had no clue what normal people’s living costs were, this sounded more than reasonable.
“Here I am!!”
By that time, their feet had reached the front of the Chirity merchant company’s building. White Wind, filled with nothing but excitement, kicked open the door and shouted energetically. The wizard’s robe fluttered, and the people inside the building were so surprised they almost jumped out of their skins. Still, even in the midst of panic, they managed to bow and greet her in chorus, almost as if in reflex.
“You can skip the formalities. I’m here to place an order for a patterned blanket.”
“Y-yes!”
“Ah, right. I also heard there’s an employee from the Great Forest here. Could you call them over too? I’ve got a few things I’d like to ask her about the Forest.”
“Yes. We’ll bring her immediately.”
It wasn’t like she didn’t know Akata’s name, but mentioning it here would only complicate things for the kid. So White Wind simply acted like they were strangers and asked for an unnamed employee that came from the Great Forest.
“We’ll show you to the reception room.”
“Alright.”
Fortunately, it seemed like the staff had bought her clumsy cover. Still slightly shaken from the earlier shock, an employee began to guide her.
Diiing.
Around that time, the entrance door White Wind and the chief wizard just passed through swung open yet again. It seemed like another customer just came in. “What brings you here today?” One of the remaining staff members stepped up to greet the new visitor.
“Whoa.”
“What’s the matter?”
Not that the arrival of other customers was anything for White Wind or the chief wizard to pay attention to. They were just passersby.
“No, it’s just the person who just walked in is really tall.”
However, considering the other party’s size, ignoring him was no longer an option.
The chief wizard let out a gasp of awe, and White Wind turned to look not long after.
“It’s really rare to see someone that tall from the Middle race. He’s practically a whole head taller than me.”
“……”
A physique like that wasn’t something born out of mere luck. If they were someone with a unique trait that allowed them to keep growing past adulthood, maybe. But coming from a background where even food was scarce, reaching that size was near impossible.
What’s more, the chief wizard had already spotted two Arcane items on that person. Silver-rimmed glasses and an ear cuff on one ear.
It was too early to tell exactly what type of Arcane tools they were, but just having them meant that he wasn’t some common criminal or something.
“A mercenary maybe? He doesn't seem to be armed though……”
However, the cloak he wore obscured his frame too much to be sure. And he didn’t seem to be carrying any weapons on his back or waist.
In fact, the combination of soft, wheat-colored hair, gentle green eyes, pale skin, and those glasses made him seem more like the spitting image of a scholar that had done nothing but study his whole life than a fighter. He was quite the mysterious young man in various ways.
“…30 years.”
But the chief wizard couldn’t fully finish that line of thought since he noticed the Great Sage beside him muttering something he couldn’t seem to comprehend and was now visibly trembling.
The chief wizard was quite flustered.
“Madam Great Sage?”
White Wind didn’t even seem to hear him, the shaking of her body only growing more intense. And as the newcomer smiled sweetly at the staff member assisting him, the Great Sage clenched her fist tight.
“If only I were thirty years younger!”
“Sorry?”
“Then I’d ask him out on a date right this instant!!”
Ah. Right. She had always been ranting about how her type was someone with a modest, wildflower-like charm. The look in the chief wizard’s eyes instantly grew cold.
* * *
“Then I’d ask him out on a date right this instant!!”
Oh my god. That sudden shout startled me, and when I turned to see who had just yelled, I was startled yet again. Why was White Wind here?
“Yes, yes. Let’s go.”
“No, no, no! I might not be able to date him, but I can at least look, right? You don’t see a beauty like that every day!!”
“Madam Great Sage, you’re causing a scene.”
“Nooo, my beauuuutyyyyy!!”
Fortunately, White Wind didn’t seem to recognize me.
I scratched my cheek, feeling a bit awkward. Even if they were half-forced on me… these glasses and the ear cuff really did work well. I reached up and slightly adjusted the rim of my glasses without thinking. The cool metal felt oddly warm to the touch.
“Haha… So, who is it you were asking for again?”
“Ah, I heard there’s a girl named Akata working here……”
“Ah, Akata.”
Amway, I still had to accomplish what I had come here for. I made up my mind to finish up quickly and leave before I ran into White Wind again.
“My apologies, but another customer already requested her first……”
“…Is that so?”
But that was interrupted, because someone else had already come to see her.
“What kind of job does she have to be receiving visitors……?”
“Up until recently, she was mostly doing delivery work, but a special order came down from the leader of the merchant company, so that’s her current priority.”
“It’s not anything dangerous, right?”
“Not at all.”
Since they told me it was a special order, I doubted that this person would tell me what it was.
However, if it was something the company leader personally assigned, then I could at least surmise that her standing in the company wasn’t bad. And judging by how fondly the staff member spoke of Akata, it didn’t seem like she was being ostracized either.
She even had someone show up before me asking for her. If it was like this then wasn’t it fair to say that she was steady walking on the path to success?
“In that case… may I ask you to do me another small favor?”
These thoughts stirred something warm in me. All I had done for her was offer her a little support – something I hadn’t even done myself, but made someone else do for me – but just that was enough to fill me with a strange sense of pride.
“That would depend on the nature of that favor……”
“I was asked to pass something to Akata, but I need to head out soon. Would it be too much trouble for you to deliver it for me?”
“Ah, that’s no trouble at all.”
Still, it was only natural to feel a sense of pride watching a kid move forward like this.
Happily accepting that swelling pride, I handed over the bundle I had been carrying. The staff member peeked inside the basket and raised their eyebrows slightly.
“Whose name should I mention when I deliver it?”
“Ah, that’s……”
My gaze followed theirs into the shop’s interior. I could see soft, multi-colored threads that I had once bought from a different store.
“Thread bracelets. If you tell her I lost it and that I’m sorry, she’ll understand.”
Back then I had just bought those because I didn’t know what else to get her. But I’d like to believe that she liked them. It seemed like she had enjoyed making those bracelets after all.
“I know it’s a hassle, so thank you for agreeing to deliver it.”
Even if she didn’t… maybe she’d still find use for them. With that in mind, I moved my lips to speak.
I had kept my expression stiff for so long that smiling now felt almost awkward… but it seemed like it didn’t look strange since the staff member smiled back at me without a hint of ‘What’s up with him?’ in their eyes.
Diiing.
Alright. Time to go.
I left the building, the staff member behind me seeing me off. It was a bit of a shame that I didn’t get to see Akata’s face, but at the same time, I felt a bit relieved.
If I met her looking like this now, how was I supposed to act? This disguise alone was one huge character break. If I piled on my original personality, I might actually shatter her mental image of me.
On the other hand, trying to act in character while in disguise also felt weird. Like I said, this appearance was already one huge character break.
So, maybe it was better that things went like this.
With that thought, I retraced my steps. I would spend the rest of the day here and start chasing the Demon Knight’s past tomorrow.
“My first stop should probably be Tsechebator in Mannafeld, since it’s the closest……”
And so, I decided that my first step in this pursuit would be the knight schools in the east. If it was true that the Demon Knight had formal training in eastern swordsmanship, and if his family truly had been knights, then there should be a lot of traces remaining there.
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