WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer

[Translator – Aren]

◈Chapter 271 Tell Me (1)

I sometimes wondered.

If, after giving directions to a tourist, I could go about my day without thinking stuff like, ‘I hope they got there okay. Maybe I should have explained things better.’ ten minutes or an hour later and just trusting they’d found their way properly.

If, when an elderly person felt frustrated, not understanding what online ticketing was, and asked why there were no seats left for a train that would leave in five hours, I could just click my tongue and say, ‘Too bad, nothing I can do,’ without giving them a second thought.

If I were the sort of person who could walk past a crying child, telling myself they weren’t my problem and that getting involved would only be a headache.

Would my life have been a little easier?

Could I have lived a better life than I do now?

Would I have been a little happier……?

* * *

“Strange……”

Emerald cut down the beast charging at her using the blade Bernstein. Squelch. Blood sprayed everywhere, dirtying the worn road.

“Why does it keep feeling like it’s close by?”

“Madam Knight?”

But she had no interest in the blood. Behind that mask-like smile fixed on her face, she was chasing the lingering traces of Demonic Energy she had just felt. That way. Her heightened sense told her the direction.

“Jardin.”

Calling out to the squire who was busy calming the horses, she flicked her sword. The massive blade turned once in her grip, and every drop of blood clinging to its amber-colored steel was flung away.

“Yes?”

“Follow me.”

The next instant, she slammed her foot onto the ground. Bam! Blue Arcane Power, visible to the eye, boosted her leg strength, allowing her to leap forward farther with each step. Thud, thud, thud. Each of her jumps made her cover several meters.

“……?”

And then, just as abruptly, the trace of Demonic Energy she had been following completely vanished. It disappeared so thoroughly, like a cup of water evaporating in the desert heat, leaving her without the slightest hint as to how to resume her pursuit.

“…You again.”

“…Oh, the Knight from last time?”

Instead, she found herself staring at a man with green eyes blinking back at her. This was the third time they’d crossed paths.

* * *

“…You again.”

Startled by the sudden approach, I instinctively activated my Disguise skill and put as much distance as possible between us.

In any case, not too long after, someone appeared before me. How fate would have it, it was a familiar face. I had never heard her name, so I didn’t know how to refer to her, though.

“Erm, hello……?”

Still, I couldn’t show too much discomfort when I owed her so much.

The first time we met, she had driven off adventurers who were harassing me just because I seemed like an easy mark. The second time was in an alley on the way to Mannafeld, she had vouched for me, casually saying something like ‘We meet again’ when I was about to be caught by the subjugation forces.

Of course, in the latter case, it wasn’t like she openly defended me or something. It was more that the onlookers just assumed, ‘Oh, so it’s someone that Miss Knight knows,’ and let it slide……

“Nice to see you again so soon after our last meeting.”

Either way, no matter whether she had intended it or not, she still was someone who had helped me.

So, like a normal young man slightly bewildered by this strange coincidence, I gave a small, awkward bow. My expression was half genuine and half acted joy.

“How strange.”

But even as I greeted her, she didn’t really react to it. No matter what I did, she just kept staring at my face, to the point that it was starting to feel rather uncomfortable.

“…Erm, is there a problem?”

Or could it be that I had been found out? Had she caught the moment when I activated my Disguise skill and hid my Demonic Energy?

“…With such a mild and innocent-looking face, there’s no way you could be a Demon.”

Holy, so she had almost caught me.

“Let me ask you something.”

I could feel cold sweat run down my back as I looked into her gentle-looking face. I didn’t dare to look away since that would only make me seem guiltier.

“Have you seen any Demons in this area?”

But the longer I looked into that face, the more I noticed that while it looked flawless, as if sculpted, it had this inhumanely artificial, doll-like feel to it. I felt a sense of dread welling up in me.

The fear was even sharper given the risk that she might see right through me at any moment. I felt like a mouse before a cat, trembling terribly on the inside.

“Erm, I’m sorry to give you the same answer as last time, but… I haven’t really seen anything……”

“…Is that so?”

Wow, back when I was strictly sticking to my character settings, the only thing I had ever worried about was not breaking character, so I never realized it. But from the perspective of a normal person, Knights in this world were seriously terrifying…… Especially when you had something to hide……

I fidgeted with my fingers as I realized once again how much authority Knights held over ordinary people. I had to stop, though, when her eyes dropped to my hands.

“…Alright. I’ll believe you.”

At least she didn’t seem to think I was a Demon. Probably because Demons that seemed like a person—not just humanoid, but ones indistinguishable from a person—were extremely rare, and concealing Demonic Energy was something only Great Demons could do. In other words, it was sheer, ridiculous luck……

“……”

“……”

However, the fact that this Knight seemed rather unwilling to leave wasn’t exactly lucky.

“Madam Knight!! Huff, huff.”

The awkward silence continued, the Knight just standing there unmoving, and me unable to move either.

Unable to bear this discomfort anymore, I let my eyes wander until I saw someone in the distance leading a horse toward us. Another familiar face. Probably this Knight’s page? Squire? Something like that.

“Why, huff, why did you come all the way out here……?”

So was that why I hadn’t seen her companion earlier? She had just left him behind and ran off.

I glanced at the young man, panting heavily, with some pity. The horse wasn’t even one meant for riding but just a packhorse, and even one already loaded with heavy luggage, so he couldn’t have ridden it here. Poor guy.

“Erm, have some water……”

“Tha-thank you……”

He probably had some water of his own, but in his current state, even rummaging through all those bags just to find it would have probably been quite a chore.

With these feelings welling up in me, I dug through my own belongings and handed him my waterskin. He looked at me like I was an angel while removing the cap with a pop.

Glup, glup, Puhaa. The water trickled into his mouth.

“Aah, that’s better.”

“Then we can get moving now.”

“……”

Still, he didn’t drink as much as I thought he would… Was that even normal?

I couldn’t help my eyes flickering for a moment as I glanced at the Knight, who was urging him forward harshly without even the faintest sign of being out of breath. Was she even normal?

“Y-yes!”

But judging by the young man’s reaction, this wasn’t the first time this Knight had done this.

He quickly handed the capped waterskin back to me, adjusted his small pack, and, perhaps befitting a Knight’s squire, had already steadied his breathing in the few seconds he rested.

“Let’s go.”

Those people who arrived here like a storm left just like one as well.

“…That really startled me.”

Still, perhaps I should keep my Disguise skill active for another day, just in case……

Watching the Knight, her squire, and their packhorse gradually recede, I began walking again, but at less than a quarter of my earlier pace since I didn’t really want to end up traveling alongside them.

It had been five weeks since I left Mannafeld. Two weeks remained until I reached Munmund.

* * *

The border between the Quinlehnen and Derma region, the Rheinfeld Plateau.

And at the western edge of said plateau lay the city serving as a sort of gatekeeper on the Quebec Road, Dübanzig, leading to the northwestern plains instead of the impassable mountains to the north.

It was there that the Archmage pressed her fingers firmly against her temples. The information that had poured in the moment they arrived in the city was nothing short of alarming.

“It seems the incident in Bemürchen was the spark that set this off……”

Official notices had arrived from every city in charge of the Eastern Front.

Demons were gathering along the frontlines. There was no way to predict when a battle might break out. It seemed reinforcements might be necessary.

The overlapping content, with only the notices’ wording varying, was so striking it felt as though a single place had simply sent out the same notice multiple times. However, the fact that this wasn’t the case was rather regrettable.

“Well, it makes sense. Between the number of commissioned items in Bemürchen had been handled and the troops pulled from the frontlines in the name of reinforcing the city. If I were a Demon, I’d be launching an attack right now as well.”

The truly unfortunate thing was that they couldn’t just dismiss these reports with a simple ‘That’s unfortunate.’

“Erm, Sir Meister. I don’t think your choice of words comes across very well……”

“Pretty words won’t improve the situation. There’s no need to nitpick over every little thing, you know, Inquisitor? No matter how you phrase it, the fact remains that the Eastern Front is about to collapse spectacularly.”

“That’s……”

“Wow… Your personality just keeps amazing me. How can a person be like that?”

“What did you just say?”

Just looking at those three bickering was enough to make it clear. The malice hidden between the lines of these messages ran truly deep and dark. Carelessly dismissing this matter, all that would come back to them would be blood and death.

“Quiet.”

“……”

“……”

But even if they didn’t dismiss these messages, would that guarantee a good outcome? Could they truly find the answer that would overcome the malice woven into them?

…Could they really be able to do it?

“Madam Archmage, do you have any idea where the main assault might be?”

“…My apologies.”

The Hero, who had silenced the room with a single word, asked softly. Naturally, there was no answer she could give her.

“There’s no need to apologize to me. However, if anything does come to mind, please share it. The same goes for the rest of you.”

But having no answer right away didn’t mean they could just give up so quickly.

Giving up might block even the paths that still could exist. In the face of the Hero’s dry voice, the Archmage closed her eyes and voiced what little she could. The others made it clear through various gestures that they couldn’t think of anything, and so, she was the only one to speak.

“God has commanded us to go north.”

“You mean to ignore the frontlines and go north?”

“God does not prophesize.”

It was impossible to look into the future, so the oracle likely hadn’t been given with this current crisis in mind.

“They only tell us the most correct choice at that moment.”

Still… If they were given such a clear directive, there surely was something important waiting at the end of that road, right?

“…Do you believe going north will change something?”

“Perhaps. Wouldn’t one be led to think so?”

“And if it does change something, will that change be of greater value than turning our backs on the frontline?”

“…I don’t know.”

In the midst of speculation, the Inquisitor, her expression unchanging, threw her stone. Comparing values, setting priorities, and opportunity costs—these were the things that always put people to the test.

The Archmage fell silent, and the Inquisitor, her expression stern, rapped the table. The many official letters spread across it rustled along with the tapping sound. That sound alone filled the room.

“We will postpone going north. Our destination is the frontlines.”

“…Understood.”

Fortunately, though perhaps that was the wrong word to use, the silence didn’t last long. The Inquisitor had reached her final decision.

“Furthermore, we will prioritize locations where reinforcements will have the most difficulty reaching.”

“I see……”

“Any objections?”

Though the atmosphere had only grown more stern and tense, the Inquisitor still asked for their final opinions before concluding the discussion, as she had always done. Her green eyes, wary of seeming self-righteous, swept the room.

“I shall abide by your decision, Representative.”

Daniel was the first to state his position. He was someone accustomed to simply following orders and had already said that he had no talent for things like strategy, so his words weren’t exactly surprising.

“Same here……”

Deathbringer’s response was similar. With no real reason to object, he simply shrugged and accepted her suggestion.

“Whatever.”

And finally, Meister… It felt less like he agreed because he felt like the decision was the right one and more because he couldn’t be bothered but still complied anyway. Like that, they came to a decision.

They decided to head for an area where reinforcements would be slow to arrive.

“…In that case, I think a city located relatively farther north would be best.”

Still, would their party truly be enough?

The Archmage once again chewed on this thought she had been carrying ever since they left Bemürchen. Even in the midst of that, her tongue dutifully performed her role as advisor.

“Do you have a basis for that?”

“The timing of when the Eastern Front began to show signs of feeling pressured almost exactly matches when Demon sightings in the Southern Front began to drop. The troops stationed there were most likely redirected to the East. Because of that… We can also draw manpower from the South up to the East.”

Her hands also worked almost unconsciously. The Archmage dragged over several official letters and reports that could serve as evidence for her hypothesis.

“But there will still be a delay before reinforcements from the South are actually deployed to the Eastern Front……”

“…Which means cities farther South will receive reinforcements first.”

“Yes. That’s exactly why.”

“Then the areas located further north would have more difficulty receiving reinforcements.”

“…They won’t be given much. The Northern Front has always been busy, fighting tooth and nail with no leeway to send reinforcement after all."

If they insisted on holding their positions in the North while the Eastern Front collapsed, it would only hurt them, so they would send some aid, but with two Great Demons already holding the line in the North, the forces they could spare wouldn’t be many.

Only Munmund, the northernmost city in the Derma region, and Dresden just below it, were most likely to receive some reinforcements.

The Archmage explained all this based on her knowledge. The Inquisitor’s eyes remained dry as she looked down at the map.

“I see.”

And finally, her fingertip pointed to a single spot.

“In that case, we will go to Hirsenzig.”

“Understood.”

Hirsenzig, a city just a little south of Dresden, was pressed firmly beneath her index finger.

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