WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer

[Translator – Aren]

◈Chapter 276 Tell Me (6)

“We have to… report this immediately.”

The one who had woken up was the soldier with the shoulder wound. In other words, the soldiers who knew ‘Atya.’

“And how do you intend to go with your body in this state?”

“My duty is conducting recon and reporting back. Unless I can be absolutely certain that what we’ve discovered has already reached the city, I must prioritize delivering the message.”

“Then at least wait until morning."

“That won’t do. The longer we delay, the greater the danger becomes.”

Having introduced himself as Richa, he clenched his fist despite his face still being pale due to blood loss. Of course, that action alone did nothing to bring color to his cheeks.

“Since this concerns your village as well, I’ll tell you plainly, Chief. The Demon attack we suffered wasn’t just a casual attack on passing people. It was carried out deliberately.”

“By that… you mean……”

“Yes. A siege net is being formed. And at an alarming pace.”

But was that paleness really just from the sheer amount of blood he had lost? Or was it because what he had uncovered while he carried out his duty was simply too immense?

“…This village will soon fall within that encirclement. So until further notice, no one should leave. Also, put all food supplies under strict control.”

The soldier frowned, feeling the pain in his shoulders, yet slowly forced himself to sit upright.

“Post more people on the walls, and have others patrol inside the village as well. As you know, Goblins could burrow in.”

“I understand. Truly… It’s been thirty years since anything like this happened.”

“It could be even worse this time. Steel yourself.”

“Yes……”

After saying that, the soldier turned his gaze to me. His gray eyes wavered briefly.

“…Also, I’d like a volunteer to relay this message to other cities in case I fail. There’s a good chance that I might end up surrounded by Demons and not reach Munmund.”

Yet his voice remained completely steady.

As he proposed setting up a sort of insurance against failure, the village chief’s brows drew together.

“I’ll go.”

“Reksha!”

“If the encirclement closes, we’ll all be in danger. You know that, Father.”

“Ugh.”

“Thank you for your cooperation. What you need to pass on is, “The Demons are forming a siege around Munmund, it’s advancing with alarming speed, and the Demons are far more organized than usual.”

“Yes.”

Ignoring the village chief, whose expression had twisted at his recklessly brave son, the soldier continued to give him the necessary instructions.

Judging by his sharp, clear eyes, the boy would be able to fulfill his mission as long as nothing unexpected happened. In other words, unless he ran into Demons along the way.

“Then, I’ll set out for Munmund……”

“Forgive me for interrupting.”

But the village chief’s son wasn’t what mattered right now. I took a step forward, blocking the path of the soldier that was about to leave.

“I’ll go with you.”

I couldn’t let him die yet. Yes, not yet.

“I can use some magic. I’ll definitely be of some help to you.”

“…This isn’t a joke. It’s truly dangerous.”

“I know. I went outside earlier, and there were quite a few Demons.”

“…What? You went outside?”

The soldier’s eyes widened, and the village chief let out a soft ‘Ah’ before explaining on my behalf. He seemed to be quite fond of me, seeing that he recounted my actions as if they were feats of a hero.

If that was how the summarized version sounded, I feared to even imagine what he would have said if he had more time. I rubbed my burning face and smiled awkwardly.

“…That was reckless of you.”

“If we put it that way, Sir Soldier, what you’re attempting to do now isn’t any less reckless, is it?”

“This is the duty assigned to me, something I must do.”

“I see. But the same applies to me. If I have the strength to help someone, then that’s my duty as well.”

The soldier frowned at my words. It didn’t seem to be out of displeasure but from the pain in his shoulder. His gray eyes shone with a depth deeper than a well’s.

“…You might regret this.”

“That would be my weight to bear, not yours……”

“Hah… How foolish of me trying to argue with a wizard. Very well. Let’s go together.”

“Yes.”

“…Thank you.”

“Think nothing of it.”

Still, I had succeeded in securing the right to accompany him. That alone was enough. No matter how many Demons or whatever else might appear on our path, I would make sure that he absolutely wouldn’t die.

“The shortcut leading to Munmund lies through this gate.”

“Don’t open it, just in case. Just lower us with the thing I showed you earlier.”

“Yes.”

While the torchlight didn’t reveal anything nearby, the presence lurking beyond the trees was another matter. I narrowed my eyes, observing those presences writhing in the darkness.

“And I don’t think you should send your son out.”

“What?”

“It’s already too late. The forest is crawling with Demons, all the way back here.”

“…You figured that out with magic?”

“Yes.”

“So magic can even do something like that……”

Wow, thank goodness this place had no wizards around, and no one here had the means to confirm what I said. All I had to do was tell them that I did stuff using magic, and nobody would be able to tell that I’m lying!

Relieved by that fact, I closed my eyes and pretended to mutter a chant. The Arcane Spears I fired at the same time skewered the Demons that had been lurking around.

Their screams shattered the silence of the night.

“I’ve cleared out the ones nearby, but please stay on your guard.”

“…Thank you, Sir Wizard.”

“Think nothing of it.”

Hmm, was cutting down dozens at once a bit too flashy? I could only scratch my head at the village chief, who had spoken to me casually before, addressing me with full respect.

Well, I supposed hearing someone call themselves ‘wizard’ and seeing them cast a ‘spell’—no matter how fake it was—were two very different things.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Still, I probably wouldn’t be coming back here again anyway, so it should be fine.

Praying that their memories of me would fade quickly, I descended the wall with the soldier. The night forest was dead silent, which only made it more eerie.

“I’ll keep scanning the area and find the paths with no Demons using magic. Sir Soldier, would you please guide us toward Munmund within that range?”

“Yes.”

Still, I had already experienced this atmosphere that was similar to the opening stage of a horror game many times before. What really worried me was whether I could simultaneously keep detecting presences, eliminate Demons before they drew close, and follow the soldier.

Just thinking about having to change directions multiple times to avoid coming across corpses already made my head hurt.

Gulp. I swallowed with a different kind of tension filling me.

“…Let’s move.”

It had been exhausting enough just saving those two soldiers early, so would I really be able to succeed again this time?

I couldn’t help worrying like that.

* * *

“Honestly, this makes all my preparations feel meaningless.”

Richa, whose real name was Erich.

Having been a scout for about 26 years, he had seen and endured all sorts of situations. Yet even he could only chuckle at what was happening right now.

“…I didn’t expect things to go this smoothly.”

Somehow, he was walking through a forest teeming with Demons without facing even the slightest bit of danger.

It was like this even though he didn’t set any traps, have his comrades act as bait, or use elaborate devices to distract the Demons.

“Is that so…? Oh.”

Even veteran scouts with 20 years of experience couldn’t pull off something like this. Even the Knights recorded as the greatest of their time in the history of Munmund, would only be able to achieve such a feat with great difficulty.

To avoid Demons whose senses were extremely sharp, especially while they were in the process of forming an encirclement, without being detected was almost impossible without some incredible luck.

“This makes four times now. Be careful.”

“…My apologies, I keep tripping over roots since I can’t see properly.”

“It happens.”

And yet, they were doing exactly that. Thanks to this young wizard, who kept stumbling over tree roots, no less.

“As long as we don’t get caught, it’s fine.”

“…Yes. Ah, there’s a Demon ahead. We’ll need to turn left. About… 10 meters.”

“Okay.”

So he found himself letting slide things that would have normally enraged him to no end. The wizard’s scouting skills were simply too overwhelmingly valuable, far outweighing the noise of his constant tripping.

Besides… it was normal for a normal civilian not to be able to walk through this dark forest without tripping over everything. He should be grateful that this wizard, untrained in such matters, managed to follow after him this well up until now.

Erich gripped the wizard’s hand firmly as they stepped forward.

“There’s more ahead……”

But it was growing more and more difficult. Demon cries were increasing all around them, and the wizard was suggesting detours more and more often.

“Phew.”

Still, he had prepared himself for at least this much. The moment their counting party was wiped out without even being able to put up a proper fight, he had realized that this encirclement was already bound to be far from ordinary.

“…Come to think of it, I forgot to say this before.”

“……?”

“Thank you for risking yourself to save my comrades.”

They hadn’t been merely sent out to confirm the numbers and species of the Demons.

They had been dispatched to confirm whether the disappearance of the merchant caravan was truly the Demons’ doing, and if it was, to determine whether it had been a coincidence or something that happened as part of the encirclement forming.

“I only managed to save two of them.”

“…You saved two people.”

In other words, they had been sent with the assumption that the encirclement might already be finished.

They had organized their forces in a way so that even if someone were sacrificed, at least one person would manage to break through to Munmund to deliver the report.

“Those bastards… They relentlessly pursued us.”

And yet, they had been crushed without being able to resist. Erich was not foolish enough to miss the meaning in that.

“To be precise, those trying to run for Munmund……”

It appeared like the Demons didn’t want them to reveal that their encirclement was almost complete, so they prioritized hunting down those who were sprinting toward the city.

That was the only reason why Erich and the other two survived.

He had been quick to realize that and ran in the opposite direction, thus being less prioritized. He had come to that decision, reasoning that if he died, he wouldn’t be able to complete his mission, or perhaps it was out of some sort of unconscious instinct that his life was more important than his duty.

“…This field is covered in fallen leaves. Too noisy. Let’s circle back.”

“Yes.”

Still, he was carrying out his mission now. It was even safe enough for him to whisper like that without anything catching them.

That gave him some solace.

“…I’m thirsty. Do you have any water left?”

“Not much… Just a sec.”

But perhaps even that comfort wasn’t enough to shake off the tension within him completely, because the longer they walked, the more parched their throats became. It was like enduring a whole day under the burning sun without a drop of water.

“This is the last of it.”

“Forgive me. I seem to have drunk more than I should.”

“It happens.”

The problem came after he drank. No matter how much water he consumed, this burning feeling in his throat refused to go away.

Only after he emptied half of the last waterskin did Erich become aware of this discomfort, squinting his eyes.

“…No, this is clearly strange.”

“……?”

He pulled the wizard closer. The young man, his face blurred in the half-light, finally stopped resembling his nephew.

“I have been trained to last long marches without water. And yet, how much have I drunk just now?”

“…Two and a half skins?”

“On the other hand, you’ve barely had any at all. Wizard, can you honestly call this a mere coincidence?”

No. He still resembled someone. Just not the same person as before.

“Wizard.”

“…Mister Erich, how far is it from here to Munmund?”

“There’s about a third left.”

“In terms of time?”

“…Three hours. Has something happened?”

The wizard’s face that the faint moonlight barely revealed was rigid. An expression that now, uncannily, resembled the man who once came to steal away his sister saying: 『Please, allow me to marry your sister』.

“We’re in trouble.”

“What do you─”

“Don’t open your mouth. You’ll bite your tongue.”

But before Erich could finish this thought, the wizard had already lifted him into the air. The world flipped upside down in his vision.

“And you might feel a bit dizzy… so I’ll apologize in advance.”

Wh-what?

Erich barely managed to swallow the words that he was about to blurt out on reflex. It was completely unthinking to let out anything but a whisper in this silence. It wasn’t just a matter of pride but out of some sort of survival instinct.

“Here we go.”

“……!”

But the instant his body lifted, the dim outlines of trees and the earth beneath him disappeared, Erich felt the deep urge to scream for the first time.

Rip, crack, snap, craaaash.

Wind, branches, or whatever. He heard the sound of things being shredded and torn apart as they zipped past, his body shaking violently every time.

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